#AUUUUGH I FEEL NAUSEAS WRITING THIS SHIT

[one-winged-dreams]

ship: the monster you made me word count: 893

Happier times. Before Adriel became a hollow. Before Bondrewd crossed the line. Just a love shared.

In a clearing on the 4th level, the light reflected off of the force field in such a manner that it was as if the sun itself were gracing the Abyss unabated. The grass was as lush as any field in the outer world, and nearby, the most beautiful roses, or something akin to them at least, permeated the air with their delicate aroma.

It was here that the Lords of Reverence and Dawn had settled themselves for the time being, sitting upon the ground without so much as a blanket beneath them. The sight may have been considered romantic, and in a way, it was. But not as leisurely for Bondrewd, perhaps. This visit had come with a purpose, the romanticism residing the intention.

"Has your state improved at all, beloved?" he turned to the man clad in white, light clothing, certainly more appropriately dressed than he himself was in his usual attire.

Adriel perked, clearing a bit of hair from his face. "Mh? Oh. I'm not sure just yet..." he looked down at the ground next to him, running his fingers through the soft green verdancy. His hand was caught beneath Bondrewd's suddenly but gently. This brought his attention upwards, his eyes meeting the other's mask.

"We'll take as much time as you need. It pains me so to see you in such a critical state. If only I had kept a more alert eye on your calciferol levels," the Lord of Dawn lamented, reaching forward with his other hand to tuck the remnants of the lock of hair Adriel had been trying to place behind his ear.

Adriel smiled, a light pink tinging his cheeks as he turned Bondrewd's palm upward, placing his hand freely in it. "It's fine. Job hazards, and all that," he reassured.

"It's not by any means a simple job hazard. Consider your conditions, you're much more susceptible to certain deficiencies than most. Your physical and mental symptoms will only worsen if you don't receive the proper care," Bondrewd's tone didn't quite fit the words of concern. It was almost clinical, thought not without minor worry, like a doctor presenting an unfortunate prognosis.

Adriel bit his lip, his fingers closing into a fist that remained in Bondrewd's hand. He had spoken nothing but truth, though in a much more merciful light. He neglected to illuminate the memory of the recent psychotic breakdown that had brought this seemingly leisurely trip to pass. The descent into lack of lucidity, the hallucinations, the fear and paranoia. No curse of the Abyss could amount to the horrors of his own biological imbalances. He frowned as his mind tried to drown out the sounds of the screaming that had come from his own body that were not of his own accord.

Suddenly it felt cold, the light's warmth proving to be lacking. Scooting to the side, he pressed himself into Bondrewd, who wordlessly placed an arm around him as he leaned into his chest. The silence was comfortable and the company pleasant. Bondrewd was undoubtedly the strangest man the Devout had ever known, almost inhumanly so. But despite that strangeness, or perhaps even because of it, he had grown to love him. The sound of his heartbeat resonating so close to his ear was reminiscent of that fact. Human.

"Bondrewd," Adriel began, his eyes closed as he relished in the embrace. The Lord of Dawn merely looked down at him inquisitively, running a hand through his ebon locks. "I wanted to propose an experiment," he continued, pulling away only enough to be able to look at the other in the faceplate.

"You've said as much before. The one involving Metamorphoseos, yes?" Bondrewd smoothed his hair back further.

Adriel nodded with an 'mh' of confirmation, then was silent for a moment. "... I want. To see how it's affected by the Curse. Or how the Curse is affected by it."

Bondrewd's hand stopped, and he, too, was silent. "On yourself, naturally," he spoke as if he had expected this.

"Metamorphoseos is bound to me, no one else would know how to use it. I've done the research, I've run so many numbers, Bondrewd. I have no way of knowing what will happen unless I test it myself," the Devout's tone implied he would openly plead if he had to. But he knew he didn't. With that, he had appealed to Bondrewd's primary nature.

"You certainly have your heart set on this. I'm not wont to deny you anything, beloved, let alone your methods of research. If this is what you truly want to do, I will assist you to the best of my ability, though I'm not sure what I would do without you given the very real possibility of death or perhaps something worse," the last sentence was spoken so casually it was almost like an afterthought. It was not at all a lack of empathy, far from it. It would be crueler to deny Adriel his heart's desire for truth than anything he could imagine, even death.

The Lord of Reverence hummed wordlessly for a moment, smiling. "I knew you of all people would understand. Thank you," as he spoke, he leaned up to place a kiss on the side of the Novel's mask.

Bondrewd chuckled at this, leaning into it to press their foreheads together. "Of course, beloved. Always."