Summary: Astarion gets badly injured in a fight, and you have to take care of him while waiting to be found.
Word count: 5,781
Warnings: Astarion being hurt.
It was just another fight.
That was what you thought, at least.
Just another day of danger and adventure.
Never for a second when you woke up that morning did you think you and your companions would be scrambling for your lives.
"Head for the cave!" You heard Shadowheart scream to you over the sounds of the exploding fireballs.
Smoke filled the air thickly, making it hard to see. The thick smoke filled your lungs, making it hard to breath.
Your eyes darted around, trying to find the location she spoke of.
You tensed as a large hand wrapped around your bicep, making you nearly drop your weapon as you were yanked to the left.
Your gaze snapped in the direction of the newcomer, relief washing over you when you laid eyes on Astarion, though he did not seem to share this feeling.
"Things are getting far messier than I care for. I'd say it is time we leave, darling."
He kept a firm grip on your arm, pulling you through the smoke that filled your lungs painfully.
You yelped as you were both suddenly thrown forward by a violent explosion landing not two feet directly behind you, sending both of you flying forward.
The vampire managed to turn himself to land on his shoulder instead of his face, though thanks to the grip on your arm, it made it far more difficult for you to land with similar grace, instead falling direction on top of him causing him to grunt in pain.
"Has anyone ever told you that you weigh far to much to be throwing yourself on people, darling?" He questioned rhetorically, winded from the impact.
"Well next time let's try it with you catching me without my weapons and armor, hm?" You retorted, making him smile.
"Well, so long as you're offering," He replied with a sly smile.
You couldn't help letting out a breathy laugh despite the adrenaline coursing through you, smacking his arm before moving to get off of him.
You yelped when a bolt of lightning suddenly struck right beside the two of you.
You moved instinctively to shield the vampire with your body, looking down at him questioningly as the dirt settled, as though scared something had passed through you to hurt him instead.
He was already looking up at you, seeming taken aback by this show of care, still not used to such acts of love and loyalty.
Neither of you were able to dwell in the moment, though, certain that the next mage would likely not miss.
You yanked him to his feet, grabbing his hand and starting at a blind sprint, squinting through the thick black smoke.
You did not bother looking back for the others as you reached the edge of the smoke cloud, listening to the sounds of battle still going strong in the distance.
"In here," You commanded when you spotted a small hole in the rocks up ahead that you could squeeze into.
His hand still in yours, you took off running.
You were close. so close-
A cry of pain coming from your left was the first indication of something being wrong.
Your head turned, the scene playing out in slow motion before your very eyes as you watched with horror as an arrow slid through Astarion's back, the tip of it shoving violently through the front of his shirt.
Your scream sounded distant to your own ears as you quickly turned to grab him just as he started to fall, his eyes giving away the shock of being impaled.
"Shadowheart!" You screeched, struggling to keep him on his feet.
Now he was heavy.
"No- no nononono-" You felt your stomach in your throat, your heart pounding as you watched blood leaking from the elf's mouth.
"Astarion, don't you dare faint on me! " You cried, wrapping his arm around your shoulders, adrenaline driving you, giving you the strength to practically carry him to the nook that promised you both safety.
You slipped between the narrow walls of stone, panting as you carefully sat him down.
"Star, hey, look at me," You pleaded as his eyes seemed unable to focus.
"I don't. . I don't feel well, love" he murmured distractedly, sounding dazed.
"Hey, hey--look at me! It's not that bad. It's not even that bad. Just breathe," You ordered through tears that started to well in your eyes, your dirty hands coming to cup his equally messy face as you pressed your forehead to his.
"Just focus, okay? You're gonna be okay. I have some healing potions, and Shadowheart is gonna find us" Despite your assurances, you couldn't stop the sob that left you, desperately petting his face before moving off to grab the potion.
"Drink, okay? Just drink." You put the rim to his lips, a hand under his chin to help him drink, using your other hand to help tilt his head back.
"Do you remember when we first met?" He murmured distractedly when he finished, his head falling back against the rock behind him.
"Yeah," You whispered. "Of course I do." You went to looking at the arrow, whimpering as you listened to him cough, a small bit of blood and liquid from the potion coming up.
"You were so unsuspecting. . I never told you this, but I always felt bad for trying to kill you. . " You looked up at him, sniffling as you leaned forward to press your face against the side of his.
"No, no don't feel bad. You aren't supposed to feel bad. You're supposed to b-be unremorseful, and cocky and-" You cut off when your throat constricted too tightly for you to speak. "Please," You whispered, letting out a soft, helpless sob. "You're gonna be okay. I don't want you to be embarrassed telling me this when you're better because you are gonna be better." You grabbed another healing potion, though you knew it was futile. The arrow he had been hit with had a poison on it. And unless you could get him a healer, no amount of the potions or magic you could offer him would fix it.
he let out a soft laugh, grimacing in pain, brows furrowing.
"I won' be embarrassed," He replied dizzily. "I want you to know that. . That I care about you, okay?" he took in a deep breath, letting out a slight laugh before whimpering in pain.
The sound shattered your heart.
He brought his hand up to cup your cheek, rubbing his thumb tenderly against your soft skin, wiping away a tear.
You grabbed at his wrist with both hands, bloodying it in the process due to having been trying to mess with the wound to help it stop bleeding so much.
"I love you," You whispered. "You aren't allowed to leave me, do you understand? I won't let you. I'm gonna figure this out. We're gonna get you help." You could still hear the sounds of commotion outside, making your stomach churn.
The others could still be out there. In need of help, or dead. .
You pushed this thought away, knowing it would do nothing good to think about.
There was nothing you could do right now. You had no way to know where they were, and running back into the fight would only put yourself in danger, and possibly cause complications for the others.
You simply needed to have faith that they had made it to the cave Shadowheart had seen. Or, better yet, were heading this way now. .
"Star?" You whispered when his eyes started to lull shut.
"Astarion?" No response.
"Hey! Astarion, stay with me!" You grabbed at his shoulders as his hand slipped off your cheek, panic washing over you as you shook his upper half, careful not to cause more damage to his body as you did so.
You cursed, grabbing the knife you had from your boot and quickly cutting a line over the vein in your wrist before pressing it to his mouth, praying to god that it would give him enough strength to last a bit longer while you waited for help.
"Astarion, please wake up," You whispered desperately. "Please. . I need you."
It was a terrifying fifteen seconds before his eyes came open, having managed to get enough of the liquid down.
"Oh, thank god," You cried, keeping your wrist to his mouth, which he awkwardly adjusted around with a soft grunt
His eyes fell shut as he groaned, absently sucking, feeling far better with the strength it offered him.
"We need to get this arrow out of you," You said, looking down at it. "I'm going to need to break off the tip, and pull the sides out before I can give you the last potion. It should help with the bleeding at least."
He nodded dizzily, unable to respond verbally as he kept his mouth against your wrist.
"I'm sorry, but I am going to need both hands for this," You infromed him regreatfully, pulling away when you felt he had had enough to keep him conscious for the time being.
"Gods- Could you not have woken me up after you pulled the arrow out?" He complained as he felt you cutting into the end of the arrow sticking out of the front of his torso.
"No!" you replied heatedly. "Because I can't handle thinking I am going to lose you, and that means you are going to need to stay conscious, do you understand??" You looked up at him with what looked to be anger, but he recognized it to be pure and utter terror.
He couldn't help smiling. A truly unseemly sight due to the blood smeared over his lips, chin and teeth. Not to mention the greying notes of his skin as the poison started to take over.
Still, he was your unseemly sight. And you would do anything for the elf. Even if that meant whipping a miracle magically out of nowhere to save his sorry ass.
"Gods!" He cried out as he felt a sudden pressure on the wound when you managed to break off the arrowhead, careful not to touch it as you chucked it to the other side of the small nook.
"I know," You whispered. Pained.
"I am not entirely sure you actually do, darling," He retorted breathlessly. "I don't see an arrow sticking out of your rib cage!"
"It isn't in your ribcage, dear" You replied, pressing a rag to the wound, causing him to hiss.
" . . Regardless," He went on dizzily. "My point remains. ."
You looked up at him, frowning as you watched him try to keep his eyes focused.
You knew the blood wouldn't hold him for long. He was more lucid, but you could see the first signs of him already starting to slip away again.
"Just focus," You whispered.
"I am gonna have to lay you on your stomach. This is going ot hurt, I'm so, so sorry, Star." You took in a shaky breath, willing yourself to be strong for him. Doing your best to argue and keep him engaged.
"Wasn't I already?" He asked in confusion, making your heart sink,
"No, " You replied, bringing your hand to cup his cheek. "No, you're sitting up right now. . But I need you to lay down on your stomach. Just let me guide you, alright? Do you trust me?"
"Of course I trust you" he retorted, feeling your hands come up to help him maneuver carefully onto the ground.
He grunted, face smushing into the dirt.
"What sort of question even is that, darling?" He continued on, your heart twisting.
"A silly question," You murmured, moving over to sit on the backs of his legs, knowing he was probably going to try and flail when you did this.
"I need you to stay as still as you can for me, okay, Star?" he simply nodded in response, letting out a soft, dizzy groan.
You grasped the arrow carefully with both hands, surprised when you found it to be slippery with blood, only then realizing you had never staunched the bleeding from your wrist.
You grabbed a cloth quickly to offer a better grip, taking a deep breath before slowly and carefully starting to remove the long length of wood from his flesh, listening with a sickened displeasure to the mewls of pain that left his lips, his body writhing beneath you as he fought to try and make the pain stop.
"I'm sorry," You cried, throat tight. "I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry- It's gonna be over in just a second, I promise- I'm so sorry-" You took in a shaky breath as your resolve to stay strong was crumbling listening to the tortured sounds leave him in an unfiltered stream.
"Please," He gasped, the plea desperate and weak.
"Please make it stop-" He cried out as the last inch of the arrow slipped suddenly from his back, the resistance it had been offering you having suddenly stopped, making you go faster than you had intended.
"Okay okayokay, it's done, it's gone," You whimpered, bending down and peppering loving kisses to his shoulder as he panted in pain beneath you.
"You're okay," You went on, moving off of him and grabbing another rag quickly to press it to the wound, making him grunt.
"It's okay. . Hey, let me help you sit up, okay? You need the other healing potion." You quickly wiped away the tears blurring your eyes, replacing it with a thin layer of blood instead.
He offered you his hand to take, allowing you to help him sit up before he promptly fell backwards against the rocks, groaning as he did so.
"This is no fun," He deduced, breath heavy and shallow.
You shook your head miserably.
"Not in the fucking slightest," You stated, moving to press into his side as you gave him the last potion.
"This is the last one," You whispered. "But you can feed on me, to keep up your strength, okay?" You flinched as a firebolt struck right in front of the opening to your hide away, your heart pounding in your chest.
"I think I'd just like to sleep actually, if tha's alright with you, darling" He murmured, finding himself completely exhuasted.
"No- Hey, no you have to stay awake- Astarion!" You gave his shoulder a stressful shake, making him open his eyes again.
"Come on. Drink" You held up the potion to his lips, helping him swallow it back.
It managed to heal his wounds enough that he would not die from them. But it did little good against the poison working its way through his veins.
he coughed as he choked on some of the liquid, bringing a hand up to wipe off his lips, bloodying it in the process.
"Good," You breathed, pressing your forehead against his shoulder in relief when you felt his stomach stop bleeding.
"Just feed, okay? The others will find us. I'm sure of it." You shut your eyes as you brought your still bleeding wrist up for him, feeling his fangs sink in to the skin tiredly, though he did manage to still find the strength to bring a hand up to hold the back of yours, keeping your wrist in place as he gently sucked, swallowing the crimson liquid gratefully.
You hid the grimace of pain against his shoulder, willing to suffer far greater if it meant your sweet vampire being okay.
Though after a time, you were beginning to feel quite light headed.
Astarion had gotten quite good the past few months with learning to control his feeding so as not to hurt you, but with the poison affecting his thoughts, and making him barely conscious, he was right back to being absent-minded with it.
You didn't care at the moment. If he needed it, you would provide.
You would offer every last drop of your being if it meant buying him enough time for someone to find him and help.
You felt tears absently leaking down your face as you stayed curled up against him, your free arm wrapped around his back, holding him weakly so his side was pressing against your chest.
"I love you," You whispered, praying to any and all gods that might have been listening, willing to spare him.
You shut your eyes tightly as twin tears dripped down your cheeks.
You hesitated when you felt his grip on your hand loosen, and he let your hand fall from his lips.
You looked up at him, sniffling.
You were relieved to find that he had not stopped due to losing consciousness, but rather of his own volition.
"I . . I love you too, you know," He murmured hesitantly, never having actually been brave enough to say the words back.
You sniffled again, cupping his cheek dizzily as you brought your head up to press against the side of his hair, eyes shutting tightly as you let out a quiet sob, leaving a long, tender smooch to the side of his head after a moment.
"I know," You whispered. "That is why I know you're gonna be strong, and fight through this." you put a hand over the wound, sniffling once more as you tried to control your tears.
He smiled slightly as he looked down at you, his eyes unable to focus properly as he did so, seeing blurry doubles.
"Is it cold in here?" He asked absently, feeling a bit chilly.
You frowned.
Though it was perhaps cooler than it was outside, it certainly was not a temperature that should have bothered the elf under normal circumstances.
You put the back of your hand to his dirty forehead, stomach twisting as your fears were confirmed.
"You're getting a fever, I think," You informed him. "Most likely from the poison. ."
"We can't start a fire, I'm sorry." If the poor ventilation wasn't a problem, the attention that the light of the fire could draw most certainly would be.
"That's well," He assured. "I can just use you as a blanket instead, my sweet." He smiled at you somewhat cheekily, making you bite your lip.
"Happily," You replied, shutting your eyes when he leaned down to press his lips against yours in a soft kiss.
You laid him down carefully, watching him shiver unpleasantly due to the cold ground.
"Let me take off you shirt, okay?" You said, moving your hands down to work on getting his dirty, blood soaked armor off.
"As much as I love pleasing you, my love, I don't think I am in the shape for such activities at the moment," He replied breathlessly.
"Gods- It is to share body head, Astarion!" You objected, running a hand worriedly through the front of his hair to brush it off his brow.
"Hmm. . Sure," He replied with a sideways smile, eyes lulling shut.
You ignored him, working quickly to get his upper half exposed. You used rags to quickly cover the wounds with to keep out dirt before doing the same to your own clothing, the thin fabric covering your breasts the only thing between you two as you laid down and pressed your body against his.
You pulled the pile of clothing over the two of you for insolation, feeling him shiver as he wrapped his arms around you, coughing absently as he did so, his throat feeling a little flemmy.
You wrapped your arms around him, cradling his head against your shoulder as you laid halfway on top of him, acting as a human blanket as best you could.
You cursed yourself for having dropped your scrolls during the fight. You had had one or two that would have been rather handy to help keep him comfortable while you waited on the others.
You made him feed every hour or so. The second you started to feel that you wouldn't pass out if he drank, you let him.
His fever developed into something quite unpleasant as the hours passed, his shivering now constant, his coughing coming every minute or so as his body tried to fight off the invasion.
It should have killed him by now. By all rights, the vampire spawn should have been a full corpse in your arms as night fell. And yet, he was still with you. Fighting and struggling to remain conscious.
Though not without a great many complaints and a good stream of whining.
Still, you did not care. You would listen to him complain and whine the rest of your life, and be grateful for it so long as it meant he was still with you.
"The others will find us," You assured for the thirteenth time in the past ten minutes, the fever making him quite absent-minded.
"But how do you know?" He asked in concern for the eleventh time also in the past ten minutes.
"Because I do. I have faith." He huffed at this.
"faith. . Like Shadowheart has faith in her dark mistress? Or Wyll has faith we will actually free him from his contract?" You gave him a look.
"I don't put my faith in gods, or higher powers, Astarion. I put my faith in my friends. my family." you pulled closer to him as he sighed.
"You always were soft, darling," He lamented. "And I may very well die for it."
He grunted when you smacked his arm.
"The only way you are going to die is if I kill you, now shut up and be comforted." You pressed your body against him tighter, cradling his head protectively.
he smiled absently, chuckling as he allowed himself to press closer to you in return, feeling the comfort.
You were maybe optimistic and youthful in your faith in people, but you were certainly forceful and hard headed as well.
He whimpered as a particularly bad chill ran through him, eyes shutting as he tried to focus on your warmth.
You frowned softly to yourself.
He was burning up.
Well, for him, at least. For someone who was alive, it would have felt more like being a little overheated rather than feverish.
"I've got you," You cooed, running your fingers through his hair damp soothingly.
"Just focus on my voice, okay? We are going to get through this. And when we do, I'll take you to a nice tavern, hm? With a warm room and a soft bed. . And we can just lay there as long as we like, and enjoy ourselves, and drink fine wine. . " You listened as he took in a deep breath, relaxing as he allowed himself to latch on the to comforting fantasy.
"That sounds rather nice, darling," He murmured sleepily, another deep inhale coming and going before he coughed softly to clear his throat.
You kissed his temple lingeringly as you continued to smooth his hair back with your hand, listening for any signs of fighting or, hopefully, the sounds of a rescue.
Neither arrived however as you listened.
You swallowed heavily as you brought your hand up for him again, feeling your arm shake with the effort it took to hold it up to him.
You knew that your body was not making enough blood to replenish the stock he was taking, but you didn't care. you had to make it work.
You shut your eyes as you felt his fangs graze over the wounds he had already created the past few hours, though you looked at him questioningly when he grunted, shaking his head as he softly pushed your hand away.
"Star you need to feed," You said with a frown, looking down at him worriedly, unsure if it wasn't enough anymore to keep him going.
"No," He breathed, shaking his head, eyes remaining shut. "No. . I can feel your hand shaking. You sound weak. . I won't take anymore from you. . I will be okay without it for now, love." He turned to face you, coughing softly.
You stared at him silently, unsure what to do with that.
You felt you stomach twisting with love for him.
Even in a state of certain death, he didn't want to hurt you. . And yet, you needed him to, if it meant ensuring he would be okay. .
"I will be alright," You murmured reassuringly, shifting down tiredly to come face to face with him. "I promise. Don't worry about me right now, okay? I've got it." You brushed your nose over his. "I've got you."
He opened his eyes just a crack to look at you.
You were almost as pale as he was, and the weakness pushing you towards sleep was difficult to miss.
He shook his head softly, clearing his throat once more.
"No . . I will be fine," He replied, pressing his forehead against yours softly.
you sighed, knowing it would do little good to argue with him about it. Neither of you had the energy for it anyhow.
"Alright. . In a few minutes then, okay?"
"An hour," He compromised, though you frowned.
"Fine. . An hour." It would be the shortest damn hour that man ever experienced.
Ten minutes passed, and you nudged him again.
"Its time," You murmured. "You need to feed." You offered him your wrist, eyes shut.
"That was an hour?" He questioned in groggy confusion, shivering softly against you.
"Mhm, whole hour," You replied, with a tired nod.
"Hm. . " He did not offer anything more, finding himself unable to muster the strength to feed again.
He was getting less and less each time, and as the poison spread through him, it was becoming less effective as it grew stronger inside of him.
"Star, you need to feed," You murmured after a long silence, struggling to stay awake yourself.
"Star. . ?" You forced your eyes open when you realized his shivering had stilled.
Your heart stopped, your entire body going cold as you looked up at his unmoving form.
You brought a hand up to put two fingers under his nose to check for breathing.
"Oh, god," You whispered with horror.
"Astarion, love, wake up," You pleaded, sitting up dizzily and trying to force more blood down his throat.
It wasn't enough though, and you knew it.
Your heart was racing, making you feel like you were going to pass out.
There was only one thing you could think to do at this point.
You were out of time waiting. If he was to die anyway, then you were more than willing to risk going with him if it meant he had even a slim chance of getting help before it was too late.
You got up on shaky feet, stumbling with your hand guiding you against the rocks as you made your way for the exit of the alcove, mustering all the energy you had left inside of you to channel it all into your chest, your breathing picking up as your started to feeling it go into your shoulders and down your arms, tingling your hands with such power that it felt like it was going to consume your very essence.
The energy shot from you fingertips high into the sky as the words to cast the spell left you lips in a scream that released every ounce of your fear and desperation. The bolt of yellow energy tore through you, stealing every drop of energy you had left to offer.
It was, in a word, glorious.
People would have been able to see it for miles, the sound cracking like thunder, the force of it shaking the ground beneath your very feet.
A beacon that with any luck would offer a way for the rest of your party to find you.
You never even felt your body hit the ground, laying crumpled in a heap just outside the rocks where your beloved remained barely holding on to the last threads of life in him. .
Your eyes opened blearily, looking around you in a daze.
The first thing you recognized was the feeling of something warm curled against you, and the familiar scent that accompanied it.
You looked over, heart skipping a beat when you found your white haired elf snuggling against your side, passed out, but a normal, healthy temperature and complexation.
You felt your breath hitch as tears welled in your eyes with relief.
"There she is," You heard Wyll's voice from the entrance of the doorway.
You looked over, wiping the water from your eyes as you gave him a smile, letting out a breathy gasp.
"That was quite the scare you two gave us," He said as he moved over, sitting down by your bedside.
"We found you with mere seconds to spare," Another voice added, and Gale appeared to lean in the doorway with a smile.
A scoff followed, and you couldn't help smiling more as Shadowheart appeared.
"Hardly," She corrected. "Ignore Gale's exaggerations, Tav." She gave the wizard a look, who merely returned it with a smile, his arms loosely crossed in a relaxed position over his chest.
"Allow for the dramatic every once in a while, will you?
"Either way, you showed quite the surge of power back there," He went on, sounding proud. "I shudder to think what you'd be capable of if you ever agreed to study under my teachings." You smiled a little more, letting out a breathy laugh.
"Perhaps after things settle down a little," You replied fondly.
Shadowheart moved to kneel beside the bed next to where Wyll sat.
"How are you feeling?" She asked, looking concerned.
"Tired," Was the honest response, "But I'll be fine." Though you cared little about your own state.
You looked over to Astarion. Wyll read the questions of worry immediately, and took your hand reassuringly.
"He will be just fine," He promised. "There is no need to worry about him. He is back to his normal self, more or less. He fought three separate nurses to lay in bed with you. Though perhaps now that you are awake, you might convince him to bathe and allow for his own treatment of care."
You bit your lip, looking over at the warlock and nodding, taking in a deep breath as you lovingly squeezed his hand.
"He does smell a bit, doesn't he," You whispered emotionally, letting out a quiet laugh as Shadowheart joined in.
"I suppose even vampires need a bath now and again to remain fresh," She replied playfully.
You laughed again, sounding on the verge of tears.
"Thank you," You said, looking between the three of them, throat tight.
"I don't know what I would do without all of you." You sniffled as they quickly moved in on you, crowding you for a suffocating hug, getting Astarion in the process as well.
"Can't a vampire get some bloody rest with his beloved anymore?" The grouchy creature objected as the action of their affections woke him from his much needed nap.
They retracted their affections quickly, allowing Astarion to see that your eyes were finally open, your body moving. .
"Come, I suspect these two are going to want a moment to themselves," Gale commented with a smile when Astarion's expression changed when he found you to be conscious.
You gave the three a farewell, looking back to Astarion who was already staring at you as though you had been brought back from the dead.
You did not even get the chance to speak before two cool hands cupped your face, and his lips smashed against yours in an emotional, adoring kiss.
You shut your eyes dizzily, winded from the sudden passion.
Your hands came up to mimic the hold he had you in, running your thumb tenderly against his sharp cheekbone, your stomach twisting with relief and joy.
You gasped when he finally allowed you air once more, your hands remaining on one another's face, staring silently into each others eyes for a time.
"I thought I'd lost you," He whispered, sounding choked. "Don't you dare think about doing that to me again," He added with angry vehemence, kissing you again before you could speak.
"You are one to talk," You retorted when you were finally allowed to do so, grabbing his waist and pushing him from on top of you to instead lay facing one another.
"You- God, Astarion, I thought I had lost you!" You felt your throat tighten, pressing your forehead against his as you shut your eyes tightly, a leg slipping to rest between his.
"That is apparently something I'm completely incapable of handling. So you are just- You are going to have to avoid doing anything like that ever again, do you understand?- No, forget that- You are never leaving our camp again!- No, never mind- I'm making Gale make a bubble for you, and you will just live in that bubble, safe for the rest of your life!-" You cut off to the sound of his laughing, the sound making your heart swell.
"Stop laughing at me, I am dead serious!" You said, doing your best to stay forceful despite his laugh being utterly contagious.
it was positively turning your insides to mush.
"Very well, darling," He said, smiling as he wrapped his arms around you, pulling you flush against him.
"But only if you agree to live in this bubble of yours with me." You smiled, bringing your fingertips to run over the side of his face tenderly.
"Deal," You murmured, soothed by his tender touch and calm voice.
He sighed softly, leaning forward to kiss you gently before pulling away again.
"But honestly, darling, if you ever sleep for two days straight after creating what the others described as 'the most powerful burst of energy they have ever seen in their lives' ever again, you will be answering to my wrath. Are we clear?" You grinned as he pulled you closer.
"We're clear," You murmured fondly, looking up at him with doe eyes.
"Good," He murmured, putting a hand on the side of your head as he left a soft, lingering kiss to your forehead, your eyes shutting with blissful relief.
"Now, what do you say to a bath?" You questioned, putting a hand on his chest. "The others are complaining about your . . intoxicating scent." You grinned as you spoke.
"Hmm. . Five more minutes," He decided, pulling you ever closer and shutting his eyes.
You took in a deep breath, more than content with this decision, happy to lay with him longer than a mere five minutes should he decide he desired longer. . .
A/N
Thank you my lovies for reading!
If you have interest in being notified when I put out a new fic, shoot me a message and I will tag you as I put them out. :)
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Can you offer me a nice shirt in this trying time?
Summary: The usual shenanigans leave you with an unwearable shirt. All you can do is ask your friend (?) for help.
Characters: Leona, Jade, Epel, Malleus and GN!Reader (separate, platonic adjacent...?)
Warnings: mentions of anxiety and mild panic over the dirty shirt
By opening the document, you agree to Mx Tattly's terms of source confidentiality.
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Looking at your pathetic expression akin to a kicked puppy while you tried to cover your dirty shirt made Leona burst into laughter, even after you just stepped on his tail
You looked away, flustered, not even wanting to recount the embarassing turn of events that just happened
But you didn't need to; Leona heard it all
He heard you from the other side of the botanical gardens talking with your friends, who started bickering with each other
Things got a bit physical in a playful way, but none of you really expected to shove each other so hard you all crumbled to the ground like a ridiculous domino
And the only thing you could be glad for was that you missed the pile of compost nearby
And now you were in front of him as he quite enjoyed your flustered state
"I wanted to apologise for stepping on your tail, you know. But I changed my mind."
Leona's laughter turned into snickering as he wiped nonexistent tears away from his eyes
"If you don't want me to laugh, then stop acting like a clown."
You stomped your foot, which made Leona look at you
"This is serious! I have no other clean shirt and class is going to start soon. So you can either help me or give me an idea or leave me alone."
Something in Leona's eyes changed at your words: his mocking aura went away slightly, and you could almost hear what he was thinking
Still thinking about class after being dragged in dirt? Damn goody-two-shoes.
"Alright, I'm doing this just this once. But if I catch you play in dirt again, you're on your own, you damn warthog."
Leona put a hand in his pocket, then tapped his foot
To your surprise, the dirt started vanishing from your outfit right away
All you could do was stare at Leona, mouth agape
And he stared right back at you
Until his smile turned into a frown in a secons
"What are you waiting for, a kiss on the cheek? Just go to your class already."
You just frantically nodded and scurried away from him
...just to return a few seconds later and leave, in fact, a kiss on his cheek
He just stared at you while you awaited any kind of reaction beside his resting tired face
"...Forget what I said about not helping you. Next time I'll shove you into dirt myself."
That reaction seemed to satisfy you enough, as you took your leave right after his threat
『••✎••』
Working at the Mostro Lounge had its ups and downs
Ups: the job is on campus, the place is always looking for workers and it's one of the best paying jobs on campus
Downs: one of your coworkers is Jade, and the other is Floyd
They'd be relatively nice coworkers if they didn't take their sweet time with helping you while enjoying every second of suffering from all living creatures
Like they did when you tripped on your way to a client and spilled the drink on yourself
They just watched for a few seconds how you panicked over the dirty shirt and the irritated customer
Jade came and dragged you away a few seconds too late for your liking while Floyd started on another drink against his will
You had no idea why Jade led you to the Lounge's changing room, but his smile did not calm you down at all
After all, Jade was very talented at everything except of being reassuring
He left you on your own for a few seconds, coming back with a new uniform shirt, which he handed to you
"This is a replacement for your dirty shirt. Please get changed so you can resume your duties."
You stared at Jade suspiciously
Was he handing you a shirt just like that?
He accepted your silent confusion for a few more seconds before his smile widened, showing his teeth
"What is the problem, Reader? Perhaps you require my assistance with getting changed?"
No matter how hard you frowned at him, the blush was not making your disdain too effective
"What? No! That's not it!"
"...So you're saying you would not refuse my services if that were to be the case?"
"I- no! Ugh!"
Even while you hid your face in the shirt you knew he was still giving you that annoying grin
"You're saying I can just change into this? Without any payment or punishment?"
Jade gasped and put a hand over his chest, feigning offense
"What an incredulous accusation, Reader. I can assure you that no consequences will follow you needing another shirt for the remainder of your shift."
"..."
"..."
"...Are you sure?"
"Certainly."
You knew better than to trust any of the tweels, but you supposed you'll cross that bridge when you got to it
Besides, being MIA on your shift might make Azul take thaumarks out of your paycheck, and you didn't need to manifest that kind of outcome
"Fine, I'll take it. Please leave so I can change."
"As you wish."
So he left you in the empty changing room, a hint of a blush still on your face
You knew getting revenge on any student at NRC was a bad idea, but you couldn't help but imagine "accidentally" spilling some cherry juice on Jade's dorm uniform
『••✎••』
Cleaning duty in the library was not fun, but at least Epel knew how to make things entertaining
He wasn't a comedian or anything like that, but his Vil-themed tirades were always animated and gossipy enough that they had you hooked on his every word
Or every word that you could understand, at least
And a complaining storytelling Epel is not the most careful Epel
So you were not too surprised when he spilled some ink on your sleeves
"Hey, my shirt! You spilled ink on me!"
Epel noticed the big stains and his eyes widened
"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to!"
"What am I gonna do?! I have no clean laundry today!"
While you were frantically pacing around, Epel was staring at the floor, not being able to meet your eyes
"Hey, come on... It's not that bad. See, it's just a small stain!"
The death glare you threw his way rivaled Vil's, and Epel took a step back instinctively
"Okay, okay! I get it, let me think..."
A few seconds of contemplation later, Epel went to the window and looked outside
"Hey, Vil is having a club meeting outside right now. He must have a stain stick or a spell or something."
"What about cleaning duty?"
"Just go deal with your shirt and come back when it's clean. I'll put away all the old ink in the meantime."
After Epel's convincing, you relented
But now you had the perfect opportunity to show off your newly aquired NRC thirst for revenge...
Let's just say that Vil was very thankful you told him about Epel's attitude towards your stain while he dealt with it....
Epel did not talk to you the next day
Except for that time during lunch when he came towards you with a bitter expression and some comically overfilled pockets
When he got next to you, he shoved his hand into one of his pockets and, with difficulty, pulled out 5 stain pens
"I hate you."
That was all he said before walking away
『••✎••』
During your days as an NRC student you've learned a lot of things, including facts about the weather
1: The weather will always be nice on the date of the monthly scarabinelle debates in the courtyard
2: The statue of the King of the Underworld from the courtyard never got wet from rain
3: Unlike his statue, you were not waterproof
Neither was your shirt
So by the time you reached the Hall of Mirrors, you were soaking wet
You marveled at your misfortune right as Malleus entered the room through the Diasomnia mirror
His mild surprise from bumping into you made him almost not notice your predicament
"...Child of man? What happened to you?"
You sighed and told him you were caught in the rain, but you had no clean change of clothes and were feeling pretty cold already
"Hm. This can't do. Humans are very fragile creatures, a simple soak can leave lasting effects on your body.
Malleus seemed to fall deep in thought, as if he was presented with an incredible puzzle, and not the random misfortune of a friend
He nodded to himself, and you were curious to know the conclusion he reached
"Allow me to help you."
You sighed of relief at his decision
Out of everyone on campus, you trusted Malleus to be genuine and helpful, so you accepted his help
You didn't think much of it when he pulled out his magical pen from his pocket; you figured he was just going to use a small drying spell
Boy were you wrong.
Malleus rotated his pen slightly in the air, creating an ever growing wind
The speed and intensity of it grew very fast, and you had to grab onto a pillar to hold yourself in place
You watched in horror how a few students were pushed by the wind back into their mirrors as soon as they entered the Hall of Mirrors
You couldn't even attempt to do any damage control, since the wind was too loud for your voice to be heard
After what felt like forever, Malleus' wind started to dwindle and your feet were able to be on the ground again
"That... That certainly was a method of helping."
"Well? Was it successful? You seem pretty dry to me."
He smiled proudly at you
It was obvious how he knew that he did a good job and he was simply awaiting your praise
You patted down your uniform, and were surprised to notice your uniform was, indeed, dry
"...Yeah, actually. Thanks!"
"You are very welcome."
His smug words were carried by his confident grin as he proudly marched away from you and out of the room
The whole interaction was definitely weird, so you couldn't help but share it over lunch with your friends, Ace and Deuce
After you shared Malleus' small drying machine job, Ace started laughing at you, while Deuce put a hand on your shoulder, a sympathetic look on his face
『••✎••』
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