>>149160925
It began with a couch—not in any ordinary room, but in a quiet place between worlds. No one built it. No one remembered where it came from. But it had always been there, waiting, warm and still.
Gaston was the first to arrive. One moment he was alone in the woods, surrounded by silence; the next, he was sitting on the couch, confused, tense, unsure whether to fight or flee. But the room was soft, the air calm. For the first time in years, he didn’t feel the need to perform.
Merida arrived not long after, chasing a light she couldn't explain. It pulled her from the forest to this strange room. She stood warily at first, but the sight of Gaston, also unsure, softened her guard. She sat down beside him, not speaking. It was enough.
Rapunzel followed, drawn by a tug she felt deep in her heart. She appeared with gentle wonder, her long golden hair trailing behind her as she looked around. She smiled and took her place beside them, like she'd always belonged.
Then came Bear, his presence calm and kind. He said nothing at first, only offered a hug. It was accepted.
Caillou wandered in next, quietly, no longer restless. He leaned against Bear, content, asking nothing.
Outside the window, Clifford looked in. He was too large for the room, but his eyes were warm. Just knowing he was near made the space feel safer, bigger somehow.
Together they sat, no longer strangers. No one knew why they had been brought here, or for how long, but it no longer mattered.
The world outside would wait.
Inside, on that couch in the stillness between everything, they had found something rare:
Peace.
And, perhaps, something even rarer—each other.
asked for cringey AO3 style based on this image and I don't think it worked
