◤Disclaimers: Angst and some fluff uwu. Set in the old times. Inspired by 'The Little Match Girl' by Hans Christian Andersen. (!!sad!! or at least I tried)
◤Word count: 1.9K
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Felix has always been told to stay away from the poor on the streets. And he did. Until he heard your voice calling, begging passersby to buy a box of matches.
He was about to pass by, but he stopped at the sight of your face, tired and grimy, but it was you. You who had disappeared a few months prior. What was his friend doing out on the streets?
He asked, and he didn't expect the tears that brimmed your eyes when you told him about your father's death in battle, about your mother's passing right after, about the heartless uncle who took hold of your property, about the poor conditions you were living in.
He didn't know what to respond with. You were a girl full of life and joy, but now, he could read every novel of misery and suffering written on your face. When you disappeared some months ago, he supposed your family moved out to escape the war. Felix was quite heartbroken then, thinking that you'd left without even saying goodbye. He couldn't imagine the hardships you had to overcome.
Disguising it as work, Felix would leave at night to help you sell matches, knowing very well how he'd get scolded if his mother spotted him with a pauper on the streets. Perhaps it was the secret admiration he'd always held in his heart for you, but he wanted to ease the pain that was etched on your beautiful face. You didn't deserve the cruelty thrown at you.
In his eyes, you were a precious dandelion in the first, gentle rays of May's sun. Too delicate for the harsh wind.
Felix tried to help as much as he could. His family was suffering its share of the war's aftermath. Even if his help was small, you were grateful for it. He came around when you found yourself alone in the world.
You never sold much, so you often spent your nights in the cold. On the snowy ground. You made sure Felix never heard of it. Knowing him, he'd be enraged and would barge into your old house, demanding justice for you. The last thing you'd want is for your uncle to beat up your only friend.
Despite your efforts, Felix found you asleep in an alley once and ever since, he worked especially hard to ensure you could go back to your house and rest.
It made you feel horribly guilty. Felix should be inside with his family, enjoying the warmth and good food instead of standing in the freezing snow with you, desperately trying to sell matches.
For a few nights, you managed to sell all what your basket held, and you slept under the roof of your old house, wrapped in warmth. You thought that maybe, the world was becoming kinder to you. Yet you were proven wrong as you stared at packets of matches still in your basket after a long day.
