#anyways the show yesterday was absolutely a fever dream literally what has any of this content been

[kindahoping4forever]

Pretend I gave this a hinged and appropriate caption

[chasmsfluffymushrooms]

when you are sick

kazuha, kaeya, diluc, ayato, xiao, zhongli

The weather was a sight. It was a downpour in the sun, and quite frankly, a rainbow was bound to appear at any moment. As you smiled at your significant other, you rushed into the rain, dancing and jumping in puddles, relishing the cool water splattering lightly against your skin. Most unfortunately, it appears you have come down with a cold from your fun the previous day. Naturally, your sneezing and coughing self goes to your significant other for some help….

Kazuha - Acer Palmatum

As a wanderer, one would expect he knows what to do when someone gets sick

He spends a pretty good amount of time fretting about how you should rest

If you two are at home, expect him to pick you up and wrap you in blankets and pillows.

If you are outside, he’ll either bridal style carry you to a nearby inn, or set up camp somewhere under the shade

He seems like the type to be prepared for these things, carrying some essential medicine with him.

Likely will get you water, probably warmed up using a fire 

Will cook your favourite meal for you so if you have no appetite, you’ll eat more <3

Will read you poetry and play the leaf if it helps

If you want it, hugs! Kisses too! If not, he’ll play with your fingers and smile a pretty smile while chatting with you

If any monsters are unlucky enough to come within a 6 metre radius of you… Well, lets just say it would not end well for them.

‘Don’t worry dear, the winds tell me something is… interesting is nearby.’

All in all will pamper you

‘My dove, you should be careful next time. A cold may seem like a small thing, but it can get worse. No, don’t try to escape from bed. You need to rest today. When you're better, we can go do something fun together, ok? For now, I'll get you more water. You seem tired, so try to sleep. May your dreams be filled with the beauty of the stars and the moon. Hm? Don’t worry, I'll be by your side.’

Ayato - Cypressus Custos

I can already hear him teasing you mildly

‘My my, my lady, it appears the consequences of yesterday have caught onto you, no?’

He would joke about mixing sea ganoderma into the medicine

Really though, he’s joking. He’d be worried about you, ignoring his rather concerning amount of paperwork aside to look after you.

Thoma and his fellow servants will be busy today, at least two of them will be fetching things for you constantly

Food? No problem - Thoma will get them. Water? Sure, Thoma will also get it. Light novels? Thoma will-

This man will want to stay by your side the whole time, he doesn’t realise he’s overworking everyone else slightly. 💀

Nonetheless, he’ll leave your side to get you some entertainment, he knows your taste better than anyone else and promises to get something you’ll enjoy.

‘My lady, here. Yae Miko recommended these ones, and those I picked out myself… I also got you some milk tea, and a cold towel in case a fever starts. Don’t worry about my work, I tend to keep mornings fairly calm anyway. The afternoon? Hehe, you know, I'm beginning to think you want to get rid of me, my dear. Don’t worry, to me, you are more important than all of that paperwork and more.’

Xiao - Alatus Nemeseos

Cue a freak out

Sickness is under the adepti, so he has absolutely no clue what to do

Probably will think it’s his fault until you explain to him it was probably from the rain

Cue Xiao getting angry at the rain, and literally everything

Another one to bridal style carry you to an inn, specifically Wangshu inn, of course.

Verr Goldet will probably stare in confusion at first before you quickly explain what's happening while Xiao drags you to a free room.

First off, as long as you are sick, you aren’t leaving the bed, let alone the room.

Toilet? Hurry up. Mortals are strange. Desperately need fresh air? Just the window. Want to stretch your legs? Stretch them in bed.

He keeps a slight distance from you, as if if he gets too close you’ll… combust? But he still shows he cares

If you need even the slightest thing, he’ll get it for you incredibly quickly

Will find Zhongli for advice, and will make your cold seem 10 times worse to Zhongli. Luckily, he realises and tells Xiao to calm down and go to Baizhu,

All in all its panic, panic, and more panic. But he really loves you, so it’s fine.

‘Why am I staying a distance from you? Hmph. You mortals are so fragile, but karmic debt is… not something I want to put you through. Please, just stay in bed? H-huh? I’m not cute, stop saying such random things. I’m going to Baizhu for herbs, I'll be back.’ 

Diluc - Noctua

Diluc knows about your…spontaneous decisions, and he isn’t surprised when you catch a cold the next day. 

Honestly. Now you can’t play that chess game you promised him, with you in bed sick! 

Although he tries to mask it, there is genuine concern for you hidden within his heart - you are his s/o, after all. 

You cannot leave the bed. It is futile. All your attempts will have been wasted energy because Diluc’s eyes are two hawks that have eyes everywhere. 

You should be thanking Celestia for giving him a pyro vision - his hands are like a warm, crackling fire. Your personal heater is here, and you are grateful for the extra comfort.

He has basic medicines in his cupboards at the Dawn Winery and Angel’s Share, because well, anything could happen to him and to you, so he hurriedly pulls them out and brings them towards you

“Yes, I know this medicine is especially bitter, but you need to drink it. Next time, don’t be so hasty to jump out and consciously do an action that could very obviously lead to a cold.” The glass of a sweet, extra-large Love Poem that is plainly sitting next to the medicine seemed much more inviting…

Kaeya - Pavo Ocellus

Kaeya chuckles at your fate, you being bedridden with a slight fever and sometimes sneezing. 

“You were so happy yesterday, running around in the rain! I told you so…”

He feeds you medicine from the Church of Favonius, that Barbara made herself. Barbara was such a sweet soul, but the medicine was surprisingly spicy. 

Ignores the amount of paperwork on his desk. Cue you trying to get him back to work since even you thought that level was atrocious but he refuses 

“I’ll do the paperwork later…it can't be more important than you, can it? Barbara's medicine should be working, just rest and let your captain do everything.

Thoma - Rubeum Scutum

He’s such a kind soul, I can tell he’ll bring you snacks, a heat pack if you get cold, and Taroumaru for cuddles of course! 

He’ll probably be slightly distressed but won’t let it show. But Ayato notices and lets him off work to look after you, much to his relief.

Will not leave your side

I promise you, if it turns out your cold is infectious, he’ll catch it with how close he tails behind you.

Makes some amazing food, likely soup, so you’ll eat more

Once you’re better, expect him to cook up a storm to celebrate. “Hey! Once you’re better, you can come and see the other animals at the giant tree near the city! I knit some clothes for them as well, seeing that this year’s winter would be extra-cold. Do you think they’ll like them?”

Zhongli - Lapis Dei

You know what I said about you seeking help from your s/o?

Not with Zhongli. He knows you're sick before you do, and is already grabbing blankets to wrap you in.

Let’s be real, with him watching you, you wouldn’t even get sick in the first place. He’d have probably gotten you a jacket or an umbrella

‘Don’t stay in the rain for too long, Y/N, we can’t have you getting sick now, can we?’

Aeons of being alive, and you think he wouldn’t know what to do about a simple cold? You’d be miserably wrong.

Has probably served you some suspiciously good tasting medicinal tea

Calls Hutao to tell her he’s staying with you today, only for the rambunctious funeral director to appear at your door giving warm wishes in hopes you’ll get better soon…and… coupons…?

Easy to say Zhongli shoos her away and apologises profusely to you

‘My boss is but joking… don’t take her words too seriously. Hehe, this reminds me of when Xiao…’

Rambles on about, well, everything. But considering you’re his S/O you’re probably used to it. Plus, his soothing voice it's a great distraction from the massive headache you have.

‘Here, drink this. It’s not anything with medicine, just some water. You need to stay hydrated dear. Do you have a headache? Hmm, go lie down. I’ll tell you something interesting if you’d like. There was a recent discovery related to whopperflowers that is really quite a surprise. I’m sure it will make you laugh.’

[timextoxhajima]

HOSTIS, Chapter XVI: Adsumo, Claim

Previous Chapter (XV: Vetus Flamma)

Member: Lee Hyunjae (tbz) ft younghoon and eric

Genre (by chapter): drama, angst

Category: Short Novel/Long Series

“i knew i wasn’t the person you needed”

kim young hoon.

you remember the way he always offered to carry your bag or books, though you were well aware he’d rather not. 

younghoon was always known for his cold, aloof demeanor. 

that is, until you start talking to him. 

the first time you met younghoon, this strange feeling of queasiness and anxiety wrapped itself around your stomach, and it really wasn’t great timing when it was right after a full meal you decided to stuff yourself before extra class. 

being at a buffet just a few days earlier had literally poisoned your blood and your system; it was just hidden for this period of time.

so when the food you had for lunch poured out through your lips because of the food poisoning you were yet to be made aware of, only to land on younghoon’s shoe in school, it would’ve been the most embarrassing thing that’s ever happened to you.

if you hurled on lee hyunjae, you would’ve been happy to be be diagnosed with food poisoning. 

but this was kim younghoon. 

his popularity was matched with lee hyunjae though he was nowhere near as intelligent -- or scheming.

girls around him started shooting you looks of disgust and low whispers of you being inappropriate or inconsiderate began to drown your senses out.

the regurgitation also forced out a lot of your energy, and your legs were slowly turning into jelly with every passing second. 

but before you could make a second stumble that would’ve allowed gravity to pull you into the concrete floor, younghoon holds your arm and keeps you upright. 

watching him crane his neck down and lower his back to see your vomit painted chin was both reassuring but terribly harsh on your pride. 

“are you alright?”

the loss of ego keeps your head hung low, and he takes it as a sign that you really weren’t feeling well.

ignoring all the girls staring at him dragging the smartest girl in school across campus to the medical bay was such a sight to behold, even for lee hyunjae. 

you wish you could’ve seen it for yourself from a third person perspective. 

not many people were aware of your little crush on younghoon, but you were always too busy trying to outdo lee hyunjae to even spare a second to day dream about him. 

sometimes you felt shallow and materialistic for choosing younghoon to wear your emotions on, since you haven’t really spoken to him. 

but if he didn’t know, it didn’t matter. 

there was an expectation for younghoon to stay clear of you, especially when you were already known as one of two areses in school. yet younghoon found reassurance in that, in the way you stood out from the crowd against your will.

younghoon’s face and personality did it for him. 

your competitiveness and ability to be the only person who could stand up against lee hyunjae did it for you.

lucifer had the best of both worlds, which made him all the more hate-worthy.

younghoon’s choice to invest in your friendship with him came as a surprise, but it felt like sunrise after a long night. 

for six years you’ve been wasting your energy on proving yourself better than lee hyunjae, so having younghoon becoming both a source and and outlet for your energy to channel to and from... 

it was nothing short of magical.

there was absolutely no way you could’ve forgotten the satisfaction that filled your lungs and your heart when the school found out you were dating the kim younghoon. 

you never really figured out why it was such a shocker, though you were pretty sure the school was just surprised you chose kim younghoon, a not-so-smart student, in comparison to your must-top-the-class persona.

most of the time spent with younghoon was either spent tutoring him or having nonsensical conversations with him before you slept. those were the times you felt relaxed, you felt loose, you felt like you didn’t really need to win.

there was nothing to win anyway, not with younghoon at least.

you had convinced yourself that younghoon was sick and tired of your never-ending battle with lee hyunjae, one that drove a scandalous picture of you and the lab teacher all over the internet like it was a freeway. 

younghoon must’ve known that the picture was just edited, for the teacher never got into trouble for it, only mild investigation.

but at least he was smart enough to save himself from the walking fire of fury, that was you, and he used this chance to run.

love was never really a priority in your life until younghoon came along, so even when that beautiful, flowery garden part of your life had gone, your priority naturally fell back on beating lucifer at his own game.

or a game that the both of you thought was a great idea to start. 

love was just a fickle thing, and all it did was to make you weak.

and if you were fighting ares himself, you had to be your best ares.

ares is not weak. 

ares is brutal and cruel and you had to be just that in order to beat another. 

sitting across younghoon, five years later, in your favourite cafe with the evening sun disappearing behind the buildings of the city, felt like a fever dream.

a dream you yearned had happened five years ago, not now. 

two bowls of soup and a bowl of truffle fries get served to your table, and younghoon thanks the waitress with a slight nod. the waiter recognises you, so she just gives you a small smile.

younghoon being the gorgeous man he is, catches her attention again, and you smile at your food when you felt her reluctance to leave the table.

“i must say,” he hands you a soup spoon after checking it for shitty cleaning. “i have high expectations for this chowder.”

“i just had this yesterday,” the pepper bottle shakes in your hold. “surely that must mean something?”

the slightly amber lamp dangles above your table, and the heat from the lightbulb was making the skin on your nose and forehead feel warm despite the early autumn wind gushing about outside. 

the pillars inside the cafe make it feel like you were in a warehouse, so every time someone appears behind a pillar and walks somewhere in your sight, younghoon would always look up to see if you were looking at anybody you knew. 

there was a bell hung on the door of the cafe near the cashier’s counter; which was located behind the wall you were sitting against. 

the sound makes you wait for someone new to show up in your span of vision, and if nobody appeared, you’d know that they ordered takeaway. 

“how’s working at the hospital? i heard you say you’ve been working with uncle for about a month?”

“i think it’s about five weeks or so, yeah,” the tiny circles of oil on the soup gets pushed around while you stir it, and younghoon adds pepper to his serving after tasting the truffle fries. “it’s alright... i mean, it’s just everything i expected.”

“so, no surprises?”

surprises.

“oh,” a snort runs through your throat as you take one mouth of your soup. “there was one big surprise--”

“lee hyunjae?”

the name strikes a chord in you, and you weren’t too sure why. 

“god must hate me to put me in the same room as him... we started working for the hospital on the same day, and his office is right next to mine.”

“huh,” younghoon hums, blowing on his spoon of soup before having it. “you must’ve been really upset when he showed up.”

“‘upset’ isn’t a strong enough word to describe how much i wanted to shove a pen down his throat. consider disgusted, angry, furious, disappointed, resentful, hateful--”

“should i be worried you work in an environment where those feelings should not be involved in--”

generous laughter escape your lungs and younghoon’s smile encourages you to return to your food.

“but otherwise, it’s a blast. i love my patients, i love my mentors and the nurses and the colleagues-- they are all so endearing and patient.”

he nods while chewing on the ingredients in the chowder.

“what about you? what are you doing now? i mean, we haven’t spoken in five years.”

“i’m a salesman, guess i figured out a way to use my face to the best of my ability.”

“oh, god,” a chuckle rings in the air between you as you dip your spoon into the bowl again. “that must’ve worked in some magical ways. has anybody tried to get your number?”

“do i really want to answer that when you already know?”

a cheeky smile greets you when you look up from your food, and you shake your head when you realise you could still read his eyes the same. 

“i don’t suppose you’re romantically involved in anybody now?” he asks. there was an absence of... care and concern he used to have back then. 

he wasn’t nonchalant about it, but you could tell that five years was adequate for your relationship with younghoon to turn completely stagnant. 

there was no longer any hint of love in it, even if he did still care for you.

he could still love you, but if he was, he was doing a damn good job at hiding it. 

but that question. 

what does ‘romantically involved’ really mean to you?

on one hand, you believed your heart belonged to the lovable, enthusiastic intern who was going to leave in about three weeks. 

yet your body resigns itself to another man, one whom you’ve hated nearly half your life, the same man who took younghoon away from you, even if it wasn’t completely his doing. 

“uh... define ‘romantically involved’.”

younghoon looks at you with slightly furrowed brows and confused eyes, sending one piece of truffle fry into his mouth.

“...it worries me that you had to ask that. i’ll rephrase it; do you have anybody you’re interested in?”

“well, there’s this really cute intern working at the neuro-research department.”

“intern? he’s younger?”

“age is just a number.”

“fair play.”

the jingle of the bell hanging on the entrance door rings gently, and your eyes travel down to the soup.

“he’s super enthusiastic and there’s just something about him that’s so... comforting. i see him and i think about nothing but sunshine and warmth and laughter. he’s just... so cheerful, compared to whatever i’ve been used to.”

a pause, and you look up at younghoon, your peripheral vision not seeing anybody walk out from the wall you were sitting against.

“he sounds like someone you really want in your life. i’ve known you long enough to know what kind of person you’d might be attracted to. i guess the man’s lucky enough to have attracted someone with a complete opposite personality.”

eric’s face comes to mind, and your heart starts to do tiny flips when you recall the way his eyes fold when he smiles. the warm rumble of his voice when he speaks. the harmony that he sings when he laughs.

“that sounds strange, doesn’t it? we kissed at a party once and--”

“you kissed the intern?”

“it was at a party and we were all slightly drunk--”

“i don’t recall the last time you had enough to be drunk--”

“let me live, younghoon!” you feign a hit across the table, and he chuckles softly, dodging your little attack. 

the bell rings again, and a teenage couple walks in this time. 

“frankly, i am surprised about one thing,” half his bowl was empty now, and you reach over to jab at some fries with a fork.

“what is it?”

he pushes his air out from his eyes and presses his fingers into his cheek, leaning one elbow on the edge of the table. 

“that you didn’t end up with lee hyunjae.”

the scoff that came out garnered the attention of that young couple, but you couldn’t care less.

“lee hyunjae? of all people, why would you think--”

“because he’s the only one who was ever able to be on the same... pedestal as you.”

pedestal. potential. day one. 

“without him, i don’t know if you would’ve pushed yourself so hard. i know you always had a thing against your parents not spending enough time with you, i thought you’d break the tradition of becoming a doctor because of that.”

“yeah, well...” the chowder calls out to you. “hyunjae or not, i would’ve become a doctor anyway.”

silence. 

it drags on long enough for younghoon to finish nearly the rest of his soup, and there was a weighted feeling of... fear in your chest.

your heart was thumping, though not at a fast pace.

eric’s smile was floating around in your head, but the way younghoon looked at you when he said that name planted a seed inside you. 

you worry for awhile if that seed meant anything at all.

“y/n, i have to be honest with you about something...”

the truffle bits melt in your mouth as you sit back.

“i didn’t dump you because i believed you were with the teacher.”

“oh,” a gentle giggle exits through your lips as you lean forward to get another fry. “i know that. you dumped me because you were sick of me always at lee hyunjae’s throat and we were always fighting--”

“no, i dumped you because i knew i wasn’t the person you needed.”

the muscles and nerves in your body halt, and your eyes slowly travel up from the fries to his. 

“and i highly doubt this intern is going to be it either.”

the words come together in your head, but they felt so alien on your tongue.

“but you just said that he’s someone i want--”

“i was not what you needed, and he isn’t either. you want him, but you need someone else.”

a gulp pushes itself down your throat and your temples tighten as you pull away from the bowl of fries, and your eyes return to the bowl to finish whatever was left in it.

“i’ve got no clue how neither of you saw it, but there’s literally nobody else better for the two of you than each other.”

your lips either remain entertaining the spoon that was travelling in and out of your mouth, or pursed so tight, you cut off the blood circulation to them.

“the only reason why the two of you could do so well in school was because you had each other to push both ends. i had my fair share of interactions with lee hyunjae, i’m well-aware of the kind of person he is when he’s not trying to get one score higher than you, even when you’ve already scored full marks.”

“do you still want the rest of the fries? i--”

“y/n,” he pulls the leftover fries away from you, and you hiss childishly at his move.

“so don’t listen to me, but you’ve been avoiding talking about lee hyunjae for the last twenty four hours and believe me when i say this, if this was five years ago or any time before that, you wouldn’t have missed a second trying to convince me that he’s the shittiest person on earth.”

“maybe i just decided he’s not worth my time--”

“so why were you wearing a male’s dress shirt yesterday?” 

oh, fuck.

“it could’ve been someone el--”

“and the foundation on your neck doesn’t do much under this lighting, especially since it’s been a long day for you.”

your face was heating up not because of the lamp above the table, but the fact that younghoon was able to see right through you.

even you couldn’t see through yourself.

“but whoever said it was him who di--”

“there’s literally nobody who would have the damn guts to do things like that to you besides him. i’m pretty sure not even your sunshine intern would do it if he’s as cheerful as you make him to be.”

stop.

“if it’s anything i learnt about you, it’s that you wouldn’t let a man do anything to show that he claims you.”

please stop talking.

“but someone’s gone ahead and did just that... and when i heard uncle talk about a doctor lee yesterday, it just... hit me.”

stop. talking.

he finally stops and returns you the fries that you no longer had the appetite of finishing. 

“so, it wasn’t hyunjae. you haven’t said one bad thing about him since i saw you yesterday. tell me that if this was you five years ago, you would’ve done the same.”

i wouldn’t. because i hated him.

the silence starts to eat you out when the confusion sinks in even further. 

why must he say all those things to mess you up even more?

there was nothing he said that wasn’t true, though you wished you could flat out deny everything.

but he’s seen it all without even telling him anything, and you start to wonder if it’s been there all along, but you chose to ignore it.

all you wanted was an aphrodite, but why does she seem like she’s drifting further and further away?

by the time younghoon returns you back to the safety of your house, he was well-aware that the conversation from before had some effect on you, for he pulls you into a tight hug after walking you to your door. 

his scent wafts through your nose and you shut your eyes to take it all in. 

what would it have been like had hyunjae not torn him away from you?

then again, younghoon was the one who tore himself away from you on his own accord.

“call me if you need anything. anything at all.”

he releases you, hands still on your shoulders. 

“i’ll still love you the way i always did, but i know for a fact that i’m not the one you need in your life.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chapter XVII: Et Universum Parallel

A/N; welcome to hell guys this is where shit starts to roll i hope you guys are ready cause my ass isn’t LMAO. 

[the-rebel-archivist]

Unpublished

This is certifiably the most ridiculous thing I have ever written, please enjoy my crazed ramblings. I’m not convinced that I didn’t write this in a fever dream.

You won’t find this story in the Tale of the Champion!

Prompt: Green. Taste.

Damn eyes, never looking quite where you wanted them to, she mused to herself as she woke up, blinking a few times and rubbing vigorously at them to try to clear them. It seemed to work and the forms around her began to come into focus. She was lying on a… rock? Or a fallen tree, maybe? The crick in her neck from sleeping at an awkward angle was already vicious. In the distance she could see a shape that looked remarkably Anders-like, all feathery and golden, so at least she wasn’t out here alone.

She was freezing her tits off. Why was she so cold, anyway? Upon looking down and patting at her clothing she realized that her mental figure of speech was, in fact, quite literal, her tits rather exposed to the elements and chilled by the morning air. The rest of her seemed to be too. Whoops. What in Andraste’s everloving ass had happened?

Someone had stuffed cotton into her mouth. They must have, from how ridiculously dry it was. She licked her lips to try to restore some moisture to very little effect, instead only succeeding in leaving a woody taste on her tongue. Wood and something else that she couldn’t identify. She might have been disturbed had that not been an experience that wasn’t particularly uncommon for her. 

It all was starting to come back to her now, as she sat up and glanced toward the still propped up on a stone ledge in what she now recalled was once a Tal-Vashoth camp. The still had been full yesterday, and she was fairly certain that they hadn’t simply poured it out onto the ground. She never had been one to let perfectly serviceable alcohol go to waste, and at least now she’d satisfied her curiosity with regard to Qunari maraas-lok. The headache it left seemed as though it would need nursing for the next two days but that was neither here nor there.

She ran her hand through her hair and was sure that she must look like some wild thing, the short black strands standing on end and the rest of her naked as the day she was born. Breathing out heavily, she got up from her makeshift bed and shut her eyes for a moment to stop the camp from spinning. She spotted her pants in a bush and yanked them on with some vigour. It wasn’t that she was ashamed of her own nakedness; oh no, that was something she barely thought about; the concern was more practical as the small ants that lived in the hills along the Wounded Coast had been nipping at her something fierce despite the chill in the air. A shirt was nearby, most likely hers as well, but she didn’t much care if it wasn’t and threw it over her head. Maybe one day she’d find her boots again.

Thus attired, she poked at the figure she’d now confirmed was Anders, who muttered something nonsensical about Andraste and mages in his sleep. 

A flash of memory hit her and she chuckled. Right. Andraste and mages.

The magisters hurt Andraste, that’s why she was afraid of magic, but it wasn’t magic itself! How many times do I have to repeat it?” Anders kicked at the limp body in front of him, urging it to pay attention. “Are you even listening? You see Hawke?” he said, motioning towards the figure in the grass. “The Templars will never listen to us. This one won’t even look at me. I can’t convince them with reason.”

“Needs more pizazz,” she remembered saying flippantly in response as she sat on the ground in front of him, “There’s no flair to it, no drama. Turn it up a notch! Where’s the humour?” 

In her memory she was holding something up on a stick in her hand, burning it with flames from her other hand. But what was it?

She looked around the camp and noticed the corpse of a dead Tal-Vashoth in the grass nearby. Next to it lay a second corpse, this one half skinned and completely charred, with bite marks in it - a possum. Well that explained the stomach gurgles bubbling up inside her. Explained the gamey taste left in her mouth that she hadn’t been able to place before too. She probably should have been more disturbed by that discovery than she was.

Near the ashes of what looked like it had once been a bonfire sat Varric, propped up against a log. He was showing far more cleavage than usual, his shirt pulled open and exposing the quite frankly ridiculous amount of hair on his chest and snoring gently. She hadn’t realized that he snored, but then again he’d always somehow managed not to fall asleep around her. Didn’t usually drink around her either, though he generally had a drink in his hand; she’d noticed and he knew she knew, but they’d never spoken of it. Well, it seemed as though the dwarf’s resolve had fallen by the wayside. She supposed that she could be rather persuasive when she set her mind to it.

Lying beside him, her head on the dwarf’s shoulder, was Merrill, covered in dirt and seeming rather worse for wear. Her small hand was directly on Varric’s chest, a clump of his hair clutched between her fingers. Hawke poked at the elf with her boot and she loosened her grasp, rubbing the blonde fuzz and giving it a gentle pat. 

“Oh, you’re a pretty possum, aren’t you?” Merrill mumbled, half asleep, before opening her eyes. After blinking a couple times she sprang up straight and looked up at her, her already enormous green eyes even wider. 

“Hawke? What’s going on?” she asked in confusion, clambering awkwardly upward from the ground in an attempt to get on her feet. “Did we have licorice? All I can taste is licorice.” 

Hawke bent down and lent her a hand to help her up, giving a little pat of her own to Varric’s chest hair. She’d always wondered how it felt and was satisfied to learn that it was as soft as she’d imagined. Some men oiled their beards, perhaps Varric did the same on his… lower beard.

Poor Merrill was looking rather green around the gills and had thin scratches covering much of her face. She stood unsteadily in front of her, but she stood, which was more than could be said for the others at this point.

“Well, you seem to have lost a fight with a wolverine-” she paused as Merrill staggered away from her, “... And you’re vomiting into a bush. Is my company that offensive?”

“Oh no, Hawke!” she exclaimed upon her return, wiping her mouth. “I’m just a tiny bit under the weather this morning.”

“That’s probably an understatement. Come on, let’s get the others up and head home.”

Remembrance flashed across the elf’s face when she touched her cheeks and felt the scrapes crisscrossing over it. “I think I tried to adopt a possum?”

“Well, I’m afraid there won’t be any adopting today, it seems as though I may have rained down vengeance upon the creature.” Hawke said as she motioned toward the burnt and impaled rodent near where Anders was starting to stir.

“Oh, the poor little thing!” Merrill said mournfully. “What an awful fate for it.”

Beside them Varric had finally awoken and was rubbing at his jaw thoughtfully, a muffled “Shit,” the only identifiable word. What more was there to say anyway? She got him up on his feet and could tell that he probably had the same splitting headache that she did though he was trying his hardest to look as though he was perfectly fine.

Across the camp Anders was holding his head and staring off into space until his reflections were interrupted by a hand ruffling the hair that had escaped from its tie.

“Time to go, love, you can reflect on past lapses of judgement from home.”

“If I survive the journey,” he grumbled as she helped him to his feet. He was going to be grumpy the rest of the day, she was absolutely sure of it, and she could feel a latent anger rising from him that seemed more Justice-y than Anders-y. She might be able to stave any unpleasantness off if she whisked the man into bed and let him sleep it off.

She took one last glance around the camp before they headed out, feeling like something was missing besides her footwear. Or someone?

“Didn’t we bring Fenris along? Where has that man gone?”

A hunt followed as they searched for their missing elf - and clothing, in Hawke’s case - that was called off when Merrill triumphantly called that she had found him, stating that he was, “In a bit of a jam.”

A jam was putting it lightly, she thought in between peals of laughter when she saw the predicament Fenris found himself in. Her raucous laughing woke him as he slept with his head on his arm beside a large tree, a tree that his hand appeared to be stuck in the middle of. He looked around, bewildered, and tried to stand until he was pulled to the ground by the imprisoned appendage. The anger and frustration on his face only served to make Hawke double over, clutching her stomach as she tried to catch her breath in between cackles.

Blue lyrium glowed, illuminating the elf as he did his thing with the spikes and freed himself. She recognized that the glare he gave her upon getting up was really quite fearsome but it was a look that Hawke completely ignored as she clapped him on the shoulder and walked past him, picking up her boots gleefully from the bush that they appeared to have been kicked into with reckless abandon.

Looking solemnly at each of the miserable members of the party Fenris said the only thing that possibly could be said in such a situation: “We will never speak of this again.”

“I wouldn’t write it down even if I could remember half of it,” Varric said in agreement as they all shook on the matter.

[silentavera]

A snippet of Meltdown: Part 1 from The Warmth of Frost

I’m not dropping this baby, not by a long shot, just wanted to show that yes, I am making progress on it, and shooting for the next part in March <3 we all know how fickle my release times are but I can always try

Okay Gary you SEXY, SEXY BEAST, rise and shine! Rise and shine! It’s time to put your best features forward because you are going to be aaalll about Ash’s recovery from here on out 24/7, 365 days a year to show you are a superior asset to Ash – I mean you’ve already made an excellent case in rescuing Ash from the Dark Place! You know, risking your sense of self being depleted into a void of nothingness – you are a worthwhile mate! You are a worthwhile partner! You can do this! Rah! Rah! Rah! Rah! RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaauuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuggggggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh h hh hhh h h h h h. . . . . .

 During the morning, Ash and Gary didn’t so much as leave their room, much less the bed, in fact, there wasn’t much moving at all since the both of them had developed rather nasty headaches leaving their caregivers pondering how they awoke in such a state.

 “How, how do you get a stress headache from sleeping?” Gary groaned.

 Well if you were stressing BEFORE you fell asleep, that ‘can’ have adverse effects to a goodnight’s rest :/

 “Mmmmmuuurrruuuuuuugh,” said Ash.

 Gary rubbed his face aimlessly, “There’s nothing to be stressed about” – and the moment that ‘wish’ left Gary’s lips, he could literally feel the universe turn its collective head at him and smirk.

 Chimecho cleared their throat, “’Oh how the man looks to the sky to ponder dreams and whims, when the sky looks back in reply and sighs of his own limitations and grins.’”

 OH SHUT UP.

 Ash: Bluh.

 As the day wore on, there was triumph over the headaches, however,

 Gary: Love, you feeling any better?

 Ash: zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

 Ash’s body demanded more sleep as the fever plaguing him came back (to the surprise of no one), but the pain wasn’t as bad as before. He woke up on and off, on and off, communicating here and there, nothing too much, nothing too strenuous as he had pushed himself a bit yesterday (to the surprise of no one); Gary knocked with a knowing tick that made the corner of his mouth twitch as he looked at Moltres’ feather gleaming beautifully in its case….Thankfully as the day wore on, the fever lessened, and Ash was well and awake enough to walk around in their room a bit with Gary.

 “You don’t have to force yourself to walk Ash” –

 “If I stay stuck in bed for another second I’m going to scream,” said Ash, “I need to move around, even if its just these tiny steps.” And tiny steps they were.

 Chimecho hovered near them, “I wouldn’t really call this walking anyway, ‘tiptoeing while holding onto another person’ would be more accurate.” The couple glared at Chimecho; the psychic pokemon casually floated away.

 “Huuuuuuugh…….*tip toe~ tip toe~*…….We’re moving about as fast as a Bergmite, or an Avalugg, wouldn’t you say Gary?”

 “You could make that comparison.” *tip toe~ tip toe~*.

 “Bergmite take liiiiittle teeeeeny tiny steps, just like this, juuuuuuuust like this….”

 They stopped together, the couple standing there, holding each other, Gary feeling a tremor ever so small from Ash, and held him tighter.

 ….You remember how he was after the Sylveon died? At least you’re holding him here, but his heart ‘holds’ so much…

 The day progressed. Ash told everyone he was okay, and they believed him. Gary told everyone he was okay, and they almost believed him.

 “Have you taken your meds?”

 “YES. I HAVE DAISY.”

 “Pbbth.”

 “PBBBBBBBBBTH~!”

 “On that note,” said Chimecho, “How are you feeling with your first dose Ash?”

 Ash held out his arm and saw his hands slightly shivering, “Shakey? Is Shakey a thing? And, tingly?”

 “Shakey is a thing, let’s see how you progress.”

 “Okay.”

 Huuuuuuuuuu. You remember the ‘joyful’ expedition in finding your prescription Gary =n= But, it’s just something you gotta get through AND IT SUCKS ASS, but, you got through it, Ash’ll get through it, and you both can send each other cute little reminders via your coms <3 As Ash’s mate, you have this responsibility =w=b In fact, set a reminder right now :3 You took your meds today, you are a good mate, so shoo on them uwu. Perks of a stable commitment are snuggles, all the Ash snuggles, all of them, none get more Ash snuggles than you 83 –

 “Gary you climb any further on me and I’m not going to be able to breathe” –

 “Accept my love.”

 Ash smirked, “Alright then” – Ash swiftly nabbed Gary around his waist and rolled on top of him, pinning him down by sitting on his hips – Clefable (as they were pruning some flowers) turned away right on their heels without missing a beat, but Chimecho was up for a show –

 “Ah,” Gary’s eyebrows furrowed, “I thought we already went over this dear – AHHEHHEHEHEAHAHAHAHAHA” –

 “Kuch-kuch-kuch-kuch-kuch-coo~!” The tickle attack was brief, but it was enough to get Gary winded and wiping away some laugh tear beads. Ash kissed Gary’s nose, “I hear laughter is good medicine, so I’m prescribing at least one good laugh a day Gary.”

 “Is that so Dr. Ketchum?” Gary held a half-smirk, rubbing Ash on his thighs, “Will I have you to look forward to ensure my dosage is correct~?”

 Ash smiled more broadly, “I think you can look forward to a lot more than that~”

 MMMMH THIS CORN BE GOOD X3

 And that was enough for Gary to pull Ash in for deeper kiss, brief as it was, considering there is still company in the room, but it was enough to make Ash completely relax his body on top of Gary’s; the weight comforting.

 For the record, that didn’t feel fake, Ash really does like making out with you Gary. OR DOES HE –

 hhhhhhhhHIIIIIIIIIIISSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS.

 They didn’t go any further than that, despite a mighty need rushing south. Ash rolled off to the side, and they nuzzled into each other, their heartstring shining a bit brighter from their interaction….h o w e v e r . . . . . . .

 A knocking from their room door made Ash and Gary sit themselves up (Gary crossing his legs). Clefable opened the door to a tall policeman in a tan trench coat on the other side, Ash and Gary immediately recognizing the man as Looker from the International Police.

 Go away :D

 Looker tipped his head to Clefable who was ushering him in with bubbling kindness, he stood before the couple with a tight posture, “Ah Ash, and Gary! Gary, good to see you awake” –

 You’re like the last person on earth to find out Investigator Bob.

 “I don’t mean to intrude so suddenly, but Ash, I have a couple more questions I need to follow up on.”

 “By all means,” Ash motioned for Looker to take a seat, “What’s up?”

 A reminder Gary that you’ve been out for 11 days and don’t think for a second you’ve been caught up on ‘everything’ 8X –

 *I could catch you up on everything.

 8’))))))))

 *Okay.

 Gary sat back and watched Ash as he spoke with Looker, the questions were simple and not invasive by any means, yet, right in front of Gary, he watched the light slowly mute in Ash’s eyes as the conversation carried on. Looker was getting details about the, Espeon, although how many details can one get when Ash’s time with Espeon was so brief?

 And, Gary….This is your first time hearing about what Espeon did to Ash, you know it threw Ritchie, Sparky, and Pikachu out the window, and that it stabbed Ash in the heart with the Catalyst, but to hear how it, smiled, how it, gloated, how it, enjoyed the sheer terror it wrought upon them all….As brief as it was, that’s one encounter that burns itself into the back of your brain. And you’re very, VERY glad that it’s very, VERY dead.

 While Looker flipped through his notes, Gary brought Ash’s hand to hip lips and kissed it and Ash all but collapsed onto Gary leaning into him; Gary placed an arm around him. Looker was cross referencing testimony from the rest of Ash’s friends, he was trying to deduce if there were somehow multiple Espeons involved, or if it was just the one, or perhaps even another Ditto, “We’re just crossing our ‘t’s’ and dotting our ‘i’s’ here,” said Looker, “We want to make absolutely sure there was only one Espeon on the scene, and so far, everything adds up to one.”

 “Well that’s a relief given that the one is dead,” said Gary flatly, *Now please, just, go* –

 “As for the Ditto that was dispatched by Zekrom, it is troubling that it could split itself up into independent functioning pieces, unfortunately we’re unable to weigh its corpse to deduce if it was whole at the time of death as Zekrom fried it to a crisp” –

 BECAUSE, THAT’S ALL YOU NEED RIGHT NOW IN THE BACK OF YOUR MIND. THANKS LOOKER, THANKS A FUCKING LOT –

 “I’d like to interview Zekrom, but that’s maybe wishful thinking on my part.”

 “If there were any remaining pieces, I’m sure Cobalion would have sniffed them out,” said Ash, “I have faith after what happened that Cobalion wouldn’t leave any stone unturned, neither would Zekrom, or any other legend that pitched in.”

 Looker’s hand went to his chin, “This is true, and there have been reported sightings on Cobalion in the area, as well as Suicune, and Raikou. That is a safe assumption to make. Oh! I heard you spoke with Ho-oh the other day” –

 “Yeah, I did, all we talked about was what to do with Moltres, Ho-oh has them fulfilling a penance for their actions.”

 “A penance seems rather light if you ask me,” said Looker.

 HEAR HEAR~!

“But who am I to judge?”

 YOU’RE A COP –

 Looker stood up, readying to leave, “Well, seems my next move is to try and get a council with some of our legendary colleagues, I’ll be speaking with Lance and the Kanto League next,” Looker smiled, “You’ve been a great help Ash, greater than I think you’ll ever know.”

 “Heh, I try.”

 Looker nodded, wished the couple well, and took his leave with Clefable wishing him all the best.

 Aside from REALLY WANTING TO KNOW MORE details on how Ash has been a big help, Gary was more mesmerized on Ash’s subtle transformation. To describe, it was as if a great action movie was playing, but it was muted. It was like looking at a beautifully intricate painting, but its colors were grey scale. Ash was still there, but his movements were more careful, and he was more quiet. There wasn’t a single trace of light in his eyes, but he smiled. He was willing and able to get up and move about, but tired quickly. When it was time to eat, he tried to eat more, but just couldn’t.

 Gary recalled how in the Dark Place Ash’s eyes were completely black, empty, and now, as Ash goes about, his eyes lifeless, soulless, they may as well have been shadowed over by darkness.

 Again Ash told everyone he was okay, whether they believed him or not this time, Gary paid no attention. Gary felt that inside, Ash was fighting a battle he couldn’t quite vocalize, but he trusted Ash to stay true to his word despite the slowly boiling turmoil within. It was feelings, painful feelings Ash just had to work through, feelings of loss, inadequacy, questions of self-worth, all the things Gary knew the answer to. He could tell Ash till he was blue in the face how much he means to him, but he may as well throw those compliments into the hole in Ash’s code. So Gary again left his trust with Ash that he’ll work through it. Now was the time, they’re getting themselves together. *It’s okay, it’s all going to be okay, it’s okay, it’s okay….*

 Gary tried not to pay the quick spurts of pain across Ash’s face any mind, and let Ash process on his own time. If Ash needed Gary, he was right there. He would always be right there.

 8)

 Regardless, it was torture.

 “Ash….you okay?”

 Ash answered truthfully, one hand gripped around the other’s wrist, “No.”

 Suddenly you understand how Ash feels the need to help, because Gary, you would do anything right now to put all those awful emotions hurting him to rest. You’re not overlooking this, in fact you see it very much, and you see him favoring that wrist and his blue eye in nervous touches and rubs to the face…..

 “What’s going through your mind Love?”

 “……Mary, and her family.”

 *INHALE*………. Can you…..NOT ONCE think for yourself? 8D Once upon a time, you used to have more investment in the story of Ash Ketchum, I QUITE remember that at the Silver League~!

 “…..It’s just sad,” Ash continued, “…Mary, and her parents are going to go through a very, very ugly process….” Ash weakly picked up the borrowed com (who knows whom’s at this point), letting the weight of it move his wrist, “There’s a lot of angry, and scared, and hurt people right now.”

 Gary gipped Ash’s hand holding the com – “Ash that’s not your responsibility” –

 Ash’s hand shook, whatever answer he had for Gary was stuck in his throat, one that he probably handed out many times before in the time Gary was asleep, “….I just can’t sit and do nothing….”

 “Ash, sweetheart,” exasperated, Gary wrapped his arms around Ash, “You have done so much, and I know I’m preaching to the choir here, but you started a Tourney to help fund Viridian’s recovery with not one, not two, not three – but four legendary Trainers coming in to assist! Looker is right, you’ve been a huge help already, please, please – PLEASE! Don’t take on anymore responsibility. You’ve got to rest – you have to rest!” –

 For Gary’s sake as much as your’s! For your mother too! HELL EVERYONE IS PROBABLY SHELL-SHOCKED FROM THIS DX –

 “I seriously doubt the Rangers are going to leave Mary and her family out to dry, and let me just take a wild guess here, but I’m sure Max has been by her side no?”

 “He has.”

 “Well alright then,” said Gary, “See? They’re going to have all the support in the world, don’t you worry.” And yet, Gary saw Ash make an ever so subtle disapproving face, “What is it?”

 *If some of that support made it to Lisa, we probably wouldn’t be here right now,* Ash sighed through his nose, “It just, really sucks they have to go through this twice, losing their daughter, her sister, like that…” Ash turned away a little, his eyes downcast, “…..I spoke with her, like spoke-spoke, in the rubble of the hospital….I talked with her, I talked Lisa down…”

 “You, talked her down?”

 Ash looked full to Gary, “I did. And I know most people think I was crazy for even trying. She screamed, she cried, she was in so much pain….All that anger, all that rage, just, burned her completely inside and out, it, changed who she was, but I saw….I saw her, I saw Lisa. Just, Lisa….I wish….I wish someone else, anyone else – would have done the same, before it was too late, before she hurt so many, before she hurt herself….All it took was someone to reach out, just one, all it takes, is, just one voice…If I don’t say something…somebody else may never get the chance to themselves.”

 Goddamn your boyfriend is fucking Master material. Buuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuut –

 “Ash,” Gary took Ash’s hand, he gave an empty laugh, he didn’t know how to feel, amazed yes, but, “You’re a…geeze, there are no words to describe the kind of person you are, you’re selfless, selfless – if someone looked up that word in the dictionary, they’d find your picture right next to it….But Ash….please, I know you care about people, I know you’d, give some stranger on the street the clothes off your back, but right now, there are plenty, plenty of helpers here. Voices will be heard, needs will be met, people and pokemon are getting help, so Ash, I’m, begging you, to please, please, please! Rest and look after yourself! I know you gotta do this, I know, I know, and that’s fine – but, I don’t know if you think taking care of yourself is selfishness – it is not – Ash…just, don’t forget about you….”

  If you won’t protect yourself, then I will.

  Their heartstring screamed Gary’s devotion to the point where Ash’s eyes got a little misty-eyed. In a flux of shared adoration, Ash kissed Gary, the two deepening the kiss as one, hands resting, and bracing upon the other, pulling back gently, both gazing into each other’s eyes, Gary’s thumb rubbing just to the side of Ash’s blue eye.

 “Your voice,” said Ash in almost a breathless whisper, “Always brings me back to center…I’m so thankful for your voice Gary, I’m so thankful I have my mother and so many wonderful friends that I consider family to watch out for me….I’m sorry, at times it looks like I’m ignoring you, I haven’t…I haven’t always been there, as much as I should have” –

 “You’re my rock Ash, yes you have, don’t think that” –

 “And you’re mine, I” –

 “I told you before, I don’t know what I would have done without you after Gramps passed, you saved me, you literally saved me…”

 Their foreheads touched….. “….And you saved me. Gary, back there. You and Audi, I’m so lucky to have had two people reach into, into hell for me, and haul me back…” Ash squeezed Gary’s hand, and Gary squeezed back, “…Lisa felt like she didn’t have anyone, not even her own family…..” Ash looked away briefly, “It’s, not for me to say, because I don’t know, I don’t know what happened between Lisa and Mary, and it’s not my place at all to pass any hint of judgment…..I just, wish things had worked out better between them….”

 What is this, fear? Fear. Fear….you feel in him…..Missing…..missing?

 Gary kissed Ash’s nose, “Ash, you know no matter what, you have my support, you have my love, you have every single bit of me.” *Till the day I die…*

 A desperate smile broke over Ash’s face, a soft hopeful light returning to his eyes, “Gary” –

 Gary pulled him in for another long and cherished kiss.