Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Cristallo wanted to see the world.

But she's a crane with broken wings, locked behind a birdcage for all her life. She had a body so soft and delicate like a lone windflower, bending and breaking at the slightest touch. Such a fragile girl with equally tender skin and flesh, yet she hardly ever flinches at the sting of a syringe, not anymore, at least. 

She's a bird that can't fly anymore, yet she still yearned to see that world beyond the window of her room. Oh, to touch the sky with her fingers, to feel the blades of grass beneath her feet, to breathe in the fresh, summer air, it was a dream so close to her yet so far away. 

When Charlie entered her room, she would always ask how she had been, how her friends were doing, and what the weather was outside. If it weren't for the actress's frequent visits, then her days would've been spent in monotony, her only companions being her book and the machine that her life clings onto.

If it weren't for Charlie— If it weren't for everyone, she wouldn't have enjoyed the moments of her agonizing existence as much as she does now. Without Charlie, she would be sad, and so would Charlie without Cristallo. Cristallo is the sun to Charlie's moon, she's her light in the dark, a hand to hold when the day is cold, her beaming ray of happiness that's always there to support her when Charlie struggles to keep her chin up.

‘You make my flutter in a way that I could only describe as wingbeats.’ Charlie once said. It was an honest confession, and Cristallo laughed heartily at it, a soft shade of pink present on her pale skin. Her coughing fits always got in the way of their conversations, but Cristallo was willing to endure any pain if it meant she could spend time with her friends.

‘Aww, I'm… I'm not quite sure if I'm great at poetry!’ Replied Cristallo to Charlie, earning a warm smile from the latter. Whenever the actress sees that smile, a single thought crosses her mind — She had to protect that smile. 

‘And yet, you tried your best.’ And to Charlie, her best was more than enough. 

‘Whenever I see you, I couldn't help but smile.’ Cristallo responded once, turning Charlie into a bashful mess. ‘Sometimes, while I wait for you to visit, I think about going outside with you and our friends. That would be fun, don't you think so?’

‘It would be! Let's set up a picnic area under the orange trees in the wilderness!’ 

‘The suitcase has– *cough, cough!* –Th-The suitcase has orange trees? That's amazing!’ 

Despite the growing pains inside her chest, despite the pain of a thousand needles puncturing her fragile skin, despite her only lifeline being a machine and intravenous fluids, she did not let those things ruin her brief moments of joy.

‘Let us do it during mid-day, so that no predators would dare approach us.’ Mondlicht nodded. The huntress, despite her reclusive and introverted nature, cared for them above everything else. Once, she stood up to protect Eagle's tent from that scary wolf man with sunglasses and a lollipop, and plenty of times she tagged along with Charlie in her conquest of the stage.

‘Mondie and I shall be on the lookout!’ The determined young Scout saluted. Oh, those two seemed to be really serious about it, and it made Cristallo happy. She has four friends that are there whenever she feels lonely, always there to come over and cheer her up with stories inside and outside of the Suitcase, outside of her room, from the world beyond her windows.

‘Thank you everyone…’ 

The crane's eyes glistened with happiness. 

‘Is this a promise?’

‘I promise.’

‘I promise.’

‘We promise.’

Cristallo's eyes briefly met Charlie's, and that short, fleeting moment in time locked their hearts in a temporary standstill. They both felt something more than just happiness, perhaps a greater form of it.

It was truer than words, a feeling that urged them to act, not speak. It was stronger than friendship, it did not merely bond them, it pulled them together. It was young love that sprouted on a cold summer night, changing the way their eyes would meet hereafter.

Charlie's hand locked itself with Cristallo, and hers intertwined with Eagle's, Eagle's hand held Mondlicht's, and Mondlicht's hand held Charlie's.

‘When do we go out?’

‘Whenever! We can go out right now!’

‘Really? Really?! But… Isn't it a little too late for a picnic?’

‘Yeah… Wolves might already be around, so… 

‘Oh, that's fine…’

‘........’

…… 

…

‘That time of the year thou mayst in me hold, when yellow leaves, or few, or none, do hang upon those boughs that shake upon the cold.' Charlie recited from the book she held, her elbow raised up and her fingertips on the crest of her heart with the other arm extended outwards.

Cristallo, the young girl who watched the actress give her best attempt. Her excitement could barely be contained, oh just how lovely of a sight Charlie was donning her red costume, reciting to Cristallo a sonnet with her whole heart.

‘Wow…’ Was all she could mutter. There was something truly otherworldly about that girl with the hat, the way she could be so meek like a kitten then suddenly become a frightening, yet awe-inspiring woman has always enraptured Cristallo. It was, among many other things, an aspect of Charlie that she truly adored.

Yet Charlie is not without failures. Charlie is not perfect, nor is she the greatest, nor is she the bravest. The actress had said it over and over that she began to sound like a broken record at that point, a remark that Cristallo made as she held her hand for the first time.

‘I-Is it alright? I hope it's not too shabby—’ Her form collapsed, her shoulders dropped, her feet shuffled backwards a step and a half, then Cristallo came in with all her might to give Charlie one big hug.

‘It was fantastic, Charlie!’

It was fantastic… ?

The flightless bird could not express her joy through words, and only through actions would her sentiments be done justice. For a brief moment, Charlie couldn’t feel the cold air from the AC unit, she couldn’t feel the biting cold nor the unnatural loneliness of the room, all she felt wast he warmth of an embrace and the insurmountable happiness that came with it. 

Chapter Text

It was a silent night, Charlie peeked into the sickly crane's room. All she could hear was the droning hum of a machine and nothing more, it's a miracle how Cristallo could endure it. As others have said, there's an undying summer within the girl's heart, an imperishable sun that melts whatever negativity surrounding those that she loves.

It's rare for her to sleep at such an early time, she usually goes to bed before the grandfather clock tolls for midnight. It's only 7 PM… and she hardly touched her food.

It was chicken curry for tonight, courtesy of madame Moissan. Could it be because she just couldn't taste food anymore? Or that the effects of Sotheby's potion had diminished? Either way, she could've at least eaten a spoonful.

Charlie decided to come in and close the door behind her. She placed her hat on the side of her bed, casting one more glance at the cold meal sitting on her nightstand, before she sat down on her bedside.

‘Crista– ah… nevermind.’

Now's not the best time to wake her up, she might've been exhausted today… Unfortunately, Charlie wasn't in the Suitcase for half of the day, she had to go somewhere else and she couldn't stay by Cristallo's side, as much as she wanted to. The room felt lonelier than usual, maybe because Cristallo's familiar voice wasn't there to greet her the moment she heard Charlie's cape flutter.

Her chest felt heavy today, that's for sure. She might've been feeling guilty for leaving Cristallo alone.

The crane was hugging her fairy tale book tightly as she slept, Charlie noticed, she must've been missing her so much that her book, the only companion she's known all her life, is the one giving her comfort as she slept. It added an uncomfortable amount of heaviness on her, she felt like she was trying to breathe while a stallion pressed its foot down on Charlie's chest. She wanted to say sorry, her heart already had a thousand apologies waiting to burst out along with tears, yet her mind couldn't come up with one, leaving her with internal conflict that only worsened the feeling.

Charlie slaps her own face, a completely subconscious reaction born from her increasing frustration, followed by an exhausted groan.

‘Mmnh… I'm sorry, Cristallo…’

She spoke silently to herself.

‘I took too long, I—’ She paused to gather her thoughts and calm her nerves, ‘I wanted to stay here and… and keep you company, b-but… No, this is inexcusable. I shouldn't blame it on other factors, I– I’m the one at fault, not anything else.’

Yet she earned no reply in return, only the soft breathing of a sleeping crane. 

There's no point talking to someone asleep… but Charlie had hoped that she would hear her in her sleep. The actress stood up again and took a small chair sitting in the corner of the room, placing it on her bedside.

She laid her head on the mattress, her face only a few inches away from hers. It was like watching the midnight moon outside from your window — her pale face looked so calm that it lulled Charlie to ease up and give in to sleep, but she couldn’t do that yet. Just like the moon, Charlie is happy just watching Cristallo.

She slipped a finger beneath the crane’s hand. The moment their skin touched, she felt goosebumps all over her body. It wasn’t because Cristallo’s hand felt cold, no, it was far from it, her hands were warm, comfortably warm.

‘I’m sorry…’ She says again, adamantly believing that the crane would hear her voice. ‘Please, forgive me, even in your dreams.’

Charlie closed her eyes, surrendering to sleep. She held out hope, even if that hope was just a dimly lit candle in the middle of the darkness, the burning wick flickering as the flame began to die.

As the morning came and the sun’s golden rays pierced the green curtains, filling the room with a lively light, so too did Charlie. Her azure eyes fluttered open, glimmering in the sun's warm light like broken pieces of a sapphire pendant. 

The sight that greeted her, the very first thing in the morning that she saw — a pale face, a silvery bundle of hair, blushing cheeks, and faded green eyes — a sight she wouldn't have expected to wake up to.

‘Good morning, Charlie…’

Cristallo's hand was wrapped tightly around Charlie's hand, the pressure she felt from her grasp and the subtle shuffling of her fingers came from the loneliness she felt yesterday. Oh, how long she must've waited to see Charlie again, how alone she must've been, with no hand to hold out her own. 

‘G-Good morning… Cristallo.’