disclaimer: this has spoilers for Campaign 2 for Critical Role / The Mighty Nein !! this is based entirely on the campaign, not the show, so there Will be spoilers !!
this is the spiritual successor to my other writing here and here ! this one has a similar vibe but i heard the new TS song and was like that's Molly !!
Through the daze of the blades of the grass in summer
Parachutes for the free fall of being younger
"Molly." You hissed playfully, swatting away his hand that had begun to creep up under your shirt. The two of you and Yasha were lounging under a tree, slightly removed from the rest of the circus members scattered around the field. The latest show had been wrapped up last night and you'd all celebrated late into the night. Now, everyone lounged in the midday sun, nursing hangovers and avoiding packing up.
"At least ask me to leave first." Yasha said with an eye roll. Molly opened his mouth to say something but you cut him off with a pointed look. He gave an exaggerated sigh and flopped back onto a pillow.
"You two are no fun." Molly said, pouting.
"Well, go entertain yourself and me 'n Yasha can be no fun together." You retorted.
"It'd be quiet at least." Yasha added. Molly threw an arm across his face dramatically.
"Neither of you love me." He proclaimed. You and Yasha share an exasperated look but neither of you could fight off the small smile of adoration.
I memorized the sound of your bare footsteps running wild
It's been a long time
You dashed through the circus, sidestepping other performers and ducking around carts. You grinned when you spotted purple skin and a bright coat.
"Molly!" You yelled. He turned in surprise, a grin of his own spreading across his face when he saw you. You continued barrelling towards him and Gustav, who he'd been speaking to, gave a laugh and patted Molly on the back as he walked off.
You tossed yourself at Molly, who caught you easily and played into your excitement, twirling you around with a laugh. He helped steady you once he'd made sure your feet were on the ground.
"What's got you so excited, sunshine?" Molly asked. You dug around in your bag eagerly before pulling out a bound scroll that you held out to him.
"Guess who got mail!" You chirped. Molly's easy smile lit up into an even brighter grin.
"Yasha?" He asked.
"Of course. Figured we'd read it together."
You joined him in his tent, shoulders together, as you both read over Yasha's letter. It wasn't very often you were in one place long enough to actually receive a letter so it was always exciting when you could.
"Oh, I miss her." You sighed as you finished reading and leaned your head against Molly's shoulder.
"Am I not good enough company for you?" He asked. Molly wrapped his arm around your shoulders, giving you a light squeeze. "Me too, hopefully she'll show back up soon."
You two sat in companionable silence for a while, though your curiosity got the best of you as you noticed Molly's tarot deck spread out on the little writing table.
"How's it going with those?" You gestured to them. You knew he'd been painting some of his own recently.
"Curiosity killed the cat." Molly teased, booping you on the nose, though he still leaned over and grabbed a few for you to see. The Moon and Mirror was one he'd shown you before, half finished. But the Love card was very new, with a rough sketch of Yasha on it.
"Oh, this'll be pretty." You said. The tiniest hint of jealousy reared its head but you shoved it down.
Life has ways of leaving those days behind
I saw you, standing there in the light of the window
Wearing that same smile
"These are so pretty!" Jester all but yelled. You'd all settled down for dinner in a small inn along the road and were currently all seated around a table, dinner done an hour ago, just getting to enjoy the down time as a nice breeze blew through the open windows.
"I did my best." Molly said, his attempt at being humble put off by the way he slightly puffed out his chest.
"You drew all of them?" Beau asked, leaning over Jester's shoulder.
"Not all of them. Most."
"Oooh." Jester cooed over the Love card. She held it out to Molly. "You're in love with Yasha?!" She asked excitedly. Molly snorted.
"It's Love, not 'In Love'." He corrected. He leaned back throwing his arm across the back of your chair.
"Same thing." Jester replied. Beau and Nott both began to correct her. You leaned conspiratorially towards Molly.
"If you just gave a straight answer, you'd save yourself so much trouble."
"Is there anything straight about me, sunshine?" Molly asked rhetorically.
"Touche, Mollymauk. Touche."
"Waaaait, is this - ?!" Jester started before Molly all but launched himself across the table and scooped the tarot deck out of her hands. You all stared at Molly in surprise (and you missed Jester looking wide eyed between you and Molly).
"You don't get to know all my secrets." Molly simply said, tucking the deck away.
Man, it's been a while
But I knew it, I knew you
I knew it, I knew you
Oh, the rivers I cried when we said goodbye
Wondering if I'd made it up in my mind
You hadn't spoken for hours. Hadn't spoken when you'd screamed out Molly's name, falling to your knees as Lorenzo plunged his glaive into Molly's body. Your throat ached but your heart ached harder and you almost wished Lorenzo had finished the job. You were barely aware of what was going on but you moved mechanically once the Iron Shepards had left.
You couldn't look at him. You couldn't help prepare the grave.
After he was buried, his coat hanging as a grave marker, Beau handed you his tarot deck. She patted your arm wordlessly before going to talk with the others. It was beginning to snow and the sky was cloudy and you couldn't feel any of it.
You picked up the card on the very top of the tarot deck and flipped it over and it was like a blow to the chest. You stumbled to the tree next to his grave and slid down it heavily, hands gripping the deck and single card with all your strength.
You were painted on the card, the Sun label shimmering at the top. Molly had painted you laughing, a breezy field stretching to the edges of the card and the sun making a halo behind you.
Sunshine.
But love has ways of bringing things back to life
All you said was, "Hi"
"Sun."
The tiefling sat in the middle of growing ferns and flowers and vines and you couldn't be sure that it was your Molly, but you threw yourself at him anyway, felt Yasha and Jester join you. Tears fell down your face as you clung to him and you felt his arms tentatively hold you to him.
And you told me I loved you
Came back when it mattered
I saw you, standing there in the light of the window
Wearing that same smile
Yeah, it's been a while
You glance up at a knock on the door and give a small smile to the purple tiefling that stood in the doorway.
"Hi, Molly." You give him a wave, inviting him inside. Caduceus had been kind enough to offer up part of his home for Molly while he recovered, which in turn led to the Mighty Nein temporarily making the the Blooming Grove their residence. Molly, even with an attempted Greater Restoration, wasn't quite himself yet. Though he'd started remembering bits and pieces and that was enough for you.
Molly was here, alive, safe. What he remembered - or didn't - couldn't quite touch the relief you felt knowing he was here.
Molly currently stood anxiously in the doorway, cradling his tarot deck in his hands.
"You coming in?" You asked. The room was small, one of Cad's sisters you thought, just barely big enough for the small cot you'd been lounging on. You patted the empty space beside you and Molly finally walked over.
He stared down at the tarot deck as he sat down and took a deep breath before he started talking.
"Will you go…through these with me? I've tried a few times but…" Molly sighed again, seemingly annoyed with himself.
"Yeah, sure. I know Jester added some cards, but I know about yours." You replied.
You pulled cards one at a time, letting him explain what he knew or felt about each one before offering what you knew about it. The Moon card had been left on his grave so you made a quick sketch for him of what it had looked like.
He took the most time with the cards he'd made to represent the others in the Mighty Nein. Lingered over Joy and Love.
Molly completely stilled when he pulled the Sun card.
"It's you." He said quietly. You nodded.
"I didn't even know you'd made it. I only saw it…after." You admitted, trying to keep your voice even.
"Couldn't let you know my secret, sunshine." Molly said softly, a hint of a smile tugging at his mouth. Your eyes dart to him in surprise. You'd never mentioned the nickname he'd used for you before and he hadn't called you that since waking up.
"Your secret?" You ask after clearing your throat, though your voice still sort of breaks. Molly finally looks at you, face full of concern.
"Did I do something wrong?" He asks as he sets the tarot deck to the side and hesitantly lays his hand on yours.
"No, no, just…caught me off guard. The nickname." You explain.
"I can stop, I didn't even think when I said it, it just seemed right." Molly hurried to explain.
"No! No, it's fine." You reign yourself in from the knee jerk reaction. "It's nice to hear it again."
Molly gives you a small smile which you return.
Oh, the rivers I cried when we said goodbye
Wondering if I'd made it up in my mind
But now you look me in the eye
Days later, you sat with Molly out under one of the bigger trees away from the house. He'd been remembering more and more as the days past, seeking you and Yasha out throughout the day to verify memories or fill in gaps he couldn't quite grasp.
Molly was fiddling with the tarot deck again, having recounted to you that he finally remembered about the deck's previous owner and he'd been so proud to remember that it made your heart ache.
You bumped your shoulder into his after he'd been quiet for a long while, catching his eye as you ducked your head to look at him.
"You alright?" You ask. Molly gives you an easy smile but its tight at the edges.
"Never been better." He replied flippantly, gaze darting away from you.
"And you've never been good at lying to me." You retort.
Molly doesn't say anything else but grabs a card from the deck and holds it out to you. The Sun. Places it in your lap then pulls out a different one; Love. He holds onto that one with a slight frown.
"Is something wrong with them?" You ask. You pick the card up out of your lap and examine it, but it seems in good condition.
"When I woke up, I couldn't figure out or remember why Yasha was Love and you were the Sun. I love her, obviously, but you…" Molly trailed off and you just held your breath, giving him the space to continue. He took a deep breath and finally looked at you.
"I'm in love with you." Molly says. The anxiety seems to melt off of him and his face is nothing but pure adoration and love. "I always was, just couldn't bring myself to say it. What we had was so - so easy and lovely. I couldn't say it because - because if you didn't…if you left me, it would've been like living without the sun."
You stare at him, mouth slightly agape, for so long that worry begins to creep into Molly's gaze.
"You idiot." You whisper, trying to keep your composure. "Couldn't you tell I was in love with you too?"
And I remembered I loved you
Came back when it mattered
I saw you, standing there in the light of the window
Wearing that same smile
Man, it's been a while
But I knew it, I knew you
I knew it, I knew you
I knew it, I knew you
HELLO! I hope you are having a wonderful day or night wherever you are. I was hoping I could get Mollymauk x gender-neutral reader headcanons, where the reader is very charismatic but uses that to hide their pain. (bonus points if they are a sorcerer)
Ive just been resting up and trying to enjoy the snow! Hope you’re doing well anon!
Mollymauk is fairly insightful but I think someone who is very charismatic could redirect his suspicions
Especially if you’re pairing that with some cool innate magic, like how could anything be wrong when you’re so strong?
But Molly is still Molly and I think he’d catch many of the tiny gaps in your facade
He wouldn’t approach you in front of everyone, he’s weasel his way into the two of you sharing room for the night and then use it as an opportunity to talk
I don’t think it’d really matter the kind of pain you’re trying to hide - Molly would be extremely empathetic while also scolding you for hiding it from him and the rest of the team
He’s there to help! He’s there for you! He wants to support you in any way he can but he can’t do that if you’re keeping things from him - but he doesn’t make you feel guilty about it.
If you’re really stubborn about it an keep putting on that mask around the team, Molly would start making snarky remarks that just poke at your charade. He won’t call you out openly but Beau and Fjord would probably start to catch on.
If/when you decide to stop hiding so much from him and the team, Molly is your biggest cheerleader. And he’ll quickly snap at anyone who judges or criticizes your actions in this moment
All in all, Mollymauk is going to support you the best he can, no matter what.
Hello! You’re my favorite mighty nein writer. Are your requests still open?
Thanks & have a good day! =)
Oh my gosh anon ヽ(°〇°)ﾉ thank you so much! That means a lot!
My requests are indeed open! And generally, they’re always open! I just might take a while to get around to them depending on how I’m feeling and my inspiration for them 💛
how are you doing? Would it be okay to write a mollymauk x reader? Like someone bothers her and he gets protective and keeps her next to him all the time? thx <3
I’ve been doing pretty okay! This time of year is always a bit rough (daylight savings sucks why is it dark at 4:30pm jfc) but I’m pushing thru!
and here ya go nonnie <3 it got away from me a little bit but I hope you enjoy!
"There you are!" You look up as Gustav calls your name. Molly trails along behind him, though he stops to greet some of the other carnival workers.
"Gustav…" You raise your hand in greeting but the trepidation was clear in your voice.
"My dear! I've been looking all over for you, I was hoping-"
"Gustav." You cut him off with a pointed look. "Unless you're about to say you were hoping I was interested in a vacation, I'm not interested."
"Oh, but, please!" Gustav clasped his hands together, putting on his own little show. "You're one of the best barkers I have and, I'll be quite honest, those folks I was going to hire - I haven't told anyone else so keep that in mind - they've been stealing from some of our own. And we can't have that."
"Not at all." Molly chimed in, flashing you a smile and draping his arm around Gustav's shoulder. "We've got back what was stolen, ya see, but we could really use someone like you out front."
You stare at the two men from your settee…before eventually crumbling with a big sigh.
"Alright, alright." You wave their cheers away. "You owe me a good dinner and another night off."
"It's a deal!"
~
Being a barker for the carnival was not exactly a glamorous job but it was a fun one. A wild outfit, fancy make-up, and getting to people watch was what really made it entertaining.
You had placed yourself on a street corner near the edge of town, balancing on a wooden crate and calling out to passerby's. You flirted and sassed and cajoled people well into the late afternoon.
A pair of men started loitering nearby, eyeing you. You ignored them mostly, once waving a flyer towards them and rolling your eyes when they turned away.
Once it was about an hour til the show, you jumped down from your perch, gathered up the leftover flyers, and started walking back towards the carnival. You noticed that the two men followed after you, though they stayed a few paces behind.
You grumbled to yourself and picked up your pace a bit as you reached into your hip bag to grab your dagger. You were about to pull it out when a hand grasped your elbow tightly.
"Why don't you just leave it in the bag?" A voice said into your ear. You wrenched yourself free and turned to face the two men.
"Can I help you?" You sneer at them, hand now frantically digging in your bag for the dagger you'd lost your grip on.
"Sure can. Walk us right into that little tent city and give us some, well, behind the scenes entertainment?" The other man had pressed even closer to you so that they both bracketed you.
"What if I take you boys instead?" You glance behind you and see Molly approaching, hands tucked into his pockets. You knew Mollymauk well enough to know that he was pissed. "Let my friend go and I'll be happy to talk about it."
"Ha!" The man on your left laughed, then spit on the ground. "Nice try, clown. Well just rob you and your friend, then, since you had to make this so complicated."
He was distracted talking to Molly. The other guy was smirking, clearly believing that the two of them could handle the two of you.
So you kicked him in the dick as hard as you could, then headbutt him when he Brant over.
The big guy turned, clearly caught off guard, which allows Molly to bull rush him, using his tail to grab the guys ankle and unbalance him. The man topples over and you watch as his head bounces hard off the ground. You give him a kick in the dick for good measure.
"Well, that certainly was fun." Mollymauk said, hand on his hips.
"Your definition of fun must be different than mine." You huff, straightening yourself out.
Molly simply grins and shrugs. He tugs on your shoulders and makes you do a spin, clearly checking for any sign of injuries.
"Let's get you home. And I'll talk to Gustav about pairing up our barkers from now on." Molly says. You two walk the rest of the way back, chatting the whole way. You weren't too bothered by what had happened - it happened more often than you'd think but by now you just counted it as something that happened when you worked with the carnival.
When you reached the big tent, you went to break off towards your own tent when Molly catches you by the shoulders and has you walk with him.
"Molllyyyy." You whine. "I just wanna go clean up and lay down."
"And you can, after we talk with Gustav. I'll even help if ya like." Molly wiggles his eyebrows playfully and the arm around your shoulders squeeze you. You sigh dramatically but go along.
Gustav is, of course, rightfully enraged on your behalf and easily convinced to not let any of his troupe work alone. He apologizes a hundred times and sends you off for the rest of the night to rest, a bundle of sweets in your hands.
"Too bad you have to work, Molly. We could've shared." You joke, waving the bag in front of him.
"Not gonna come watch the show?" He asks as he follows you to your tent.
"The show I've seen a million times? I'm good, I'd rather enjoy some cookies and lounge around." You reply. Molly stops in front of your tent as you lift up the flap and pin it.
"I'll come see ya after, then." Molly says. You turn and raise an eyebrow at him.
"Why am I getting the special Mollymauk treatment?" You ask.
"Just gotta make sure you're alright after all that." Molly said. He gave one one more once-over before nodding. "I'll be back."
Molly winked as he meandered off.
-
During the lull of the week, when shows weren't happening, you'd usually wander the town and find odd jobs here and there, just to pad your pockets a little and get some extra treats.
Except this past week, because of a certain tiefling. Molly was almost always around. Joining you at meals, inviting you to join him for work around the carnival or practicing acts. You'd hardly had the chance to go to town with just how often Molly was commandeering your attention (not that you truly minded).
"Have you decided you're my new guard dog or something?" You finally ask one day, lounging on your settee. Molly had joined you for an early dinner. He looked up at you, brow raised.
"Beg yer pardon?"
"You keep following me around, dragging me to jobs. I haven't a moment alone for a week." You arch a brow at him. "You don't have to babysit me."
"I'm not babysitting." Molly sputters. You give him a deadpan stare, silently munching on another cookie. Molly made it a few minutes before deflating dramatically. "Is it so bad that I've been worried about you?"
"No, but you don't have to be attached to my hip."
"I only want to keep you safe." Molly said quietly. "If I hadn't shown up when I did, I keep playing over in my head what could've happened to you. And I know you can handle yourself and you would probably be fine but there's still that chance that something worse could happen."
"Molly." You lay a hand over his. "You can't carry all that worry around."
"I know." Molly takes your hand between both of his. "I'd just be…well, it'd be terrible if something happened."
You grin a little bit at his slip but let him get away with it this time. You roll your eyes playfully at him and lean over to press a kiss to his cheek. Molly's eyes fly up to yours in surprise.
"Just join me for dinner everyday. You'll know how my days gone and if I don't show up you'll know quickly if something's wrong."
"Not a bad idea." Molly concedes, a small smile tugging at his lips.
"You might get tired of my company." You joke. Molly snorts out a laugh.
hii! i really liked your last beau fic, and i was wondering if i could request an astrid x gn s/o x eadwulf from the mighty nein fic. i really love the characters, but there's not much about them, and i was thinking about maybe something bittersweet, with them taking care of each other during a mission they've been sent to by trent ikithon. maybe reader discussing the possibility of leaving him and the cerberus assembly behind, or taking him out since she knows about astrid's ambitions.
anyways, hope this request finds you well, and i understand if maybe you don't wanna write about them or you don't feel comfortable with the request. in case you do it, i don't mind any changes <3
Here you go anon! <3 I hope it’s alright! I’m excited to see more of Astrid and Eadwulf in the show myself!
Astrid's footsteps echoed around the room as she paced, a deep frown on her face. You winced as Eadwulf sewed up one of the bigger scratches you'd received.
"You need to be more careful." Astrid said in a clipped tone. Eadwulf simply hummed in agreement.
"That's a bit, ah, pot calling the kettle black, isn't it?" You countered. Astrid stopped, back to you. "We all know what we've signed up for, Astrid. We all know the possibilities of how this ends. And we all know it'll be worth it in the end."
"Do we?" She asked quietly. She turned quickly and came to kneel in front of you and Eadwulf, a hand on yours and his knees.
"If we keep working with Ikithon like this…" Astrid trailed off, eyes stuck on yours mostly sewn up wound. You lay a hand over hers.
"We only have to put up with him til we can kick his ass out and get you in his spot." You pat her hand. "Easy peasy."
Easwulf snorts out a laugh, shaking his head. He finishes with the needle, wraps the wound, and then throws the things to the side. He rests an arm along your shoulders and uses his other hand to hold Astrid's hand.
"Easy peasy." Eadwulf repeats. You snort a laugh yourself and lean against him. Astrid rolls her eyes but squeezes your hand.
"Ikithon has it coming, I'm sure. But we've gotta place nice with him for now." You say. "He could send us somewhere nicer though." You gesture to the delapidated farmhouse you were taking shelter in.
"We'll watch each others' backs, like we've always done. We'll stay together, safe." Eadwulf said. Astrid stood and then flopped across both of you, a rare moment of her dropping her mask of rigidity.
"I can't loose either of you." Astrid murmurs against your shoulder.
"And you won't." You promise, pressing a quick kiss to her temple and you see Eadwulf do the same. Astrid hums sadly in response.
“Your feet better not be on my notes.” Beau grumbled as she walked back into the room. You tilted your head back to watch her enter, leaning your chair back precariously far. You said nothing but grinned and wiggled your toes at her.
She groaned and shoved your feet off the table, unbalancing you so you had to scramble to keep your balance in your chair.
“What’s got your panties in a twist?” You ask as you reposition yourself, feet now propped on the opposite side of the table.
“I don’t wear panties.” Beau scoffed. You raised your eyebrows and wiggled them playfully.
“Oh? Wanna show me what you wear instead?” You teased. The glare Beau shot you was one you saw often; a long-suffering stare that she was using desperately to cover any amount of amusement.
“If you’re going to distract me, you can fuck off.” She said, pulling a book out of her satchel and plopping it on the desk with a thump.
“I’m distracting?” You fluttered your eyelashes at her. “I think that’s the best compliment you’ve ever given me.”
“Not a compliment.” Beau mumbled. You just hummed in reply. Beau pulled a few more books out her bag. "Wanna be useful and help me look through these?"
"Sure." You take a book from her and flip it around; it was another journal but definitely not Beau's writing. You flip it open to a random page and are met by…well, they're probably words? Flipping past a few pages, yep, all unreadable to you. "Is this written in, like, a Cobalt Soul secret language?"
"Gimme that!" She leaned over and snatched it from you and replaced it with one of her journals. "Shit, Dairon would kill me if she knew."
"What am I looking for, exactly?" You ask as you flip this journal open and find it's in a language you understand.
"I'm still trying to piece this shit together. The Assembly, the Soul, the Kryn - there's too many fucking asshats at play." Beau huffed out a sigh, flicking a loose piece of her hair out of her face.
"Well, you're smart, you'll figure this all out in no time." You reply, eyes on the journal in front of you so you don't see Beau glance up at you then away quickly.
The two of you sit in companionable silence. Beau's scribbling things onto yet another journal (maybe you need to invest in more journals honestly). You're not sure you're really helping, but you point out a few things here and there as you can.
"Who the fuck is 'Hass'?" Beau exasperated. She threw Dairon's journal on the table and dragged her hands down her face.
"Isn't he that guy in charge of the school in Zadash? That fancy college?" You ask. Beau stared at you blankly. You sigh and shrug. "He's part of the Assembly too, I think."
"Oh fuck." Beau smacked a hand into her forehead. "I do know that guy, I was blanking."
"That's what I'm here for." You grin. "Providing you with the basic knowledge your genius brain overlooks."
"Quit saying it like you think you're stupid." She grumbled. You shrugged in response.
"I mean, I'm no Beauregard after all." You laugh. "I know I'm not stupid, but man, next to you Beau, I feel like an idiot."
"You're not an idiot." Beau grumbles, giving you a firm stare. You just give her an easy smile in return. Something flickers across her face and she rises, setting the journal down on the table and walking around to your side. She yanks the journal out of your hands and knocks your feet off the table to you're forced to balance yourself.
"Beau, wha-"
Beau grabs you by the chin and kisses you, hard. You make a surprised sound in the back of your throat but lean up to match her energy. You grab the side of her legs lightly. Beau pulls back and you absentmindedly try to chase her mouth with yours. After a moment you give up, grinning up at her goofily instead.
"Not an idiot." Beau repeats, rapping you lightly on the head with her knuckles.
"If I disagree, do I get another kiss or-" this time you're cut off by Beau flicking your forehead.
teehee someone replied to the last post and my brain went o7 pls enjoy a WIP of some Beau x reader <3
“Your feet better not be on my notes.” Beau grumbled as she walked back into the room. You tilted your head back to watch her enter, leaning your chair back precariously far. You said nothing but grinned and wiggled your toes at her.
She groaned and shoved your feet off the table, unbalancing you so you had to scramble to keep your balance in your chair.
“What’s got your panties in a twist?” You ask as you reposition yourself, feet now propped on the opposite side of the table.
“I don’t wear panties.” Beau scoffed. You raised your eyebrows and wiggled them playfully.
“Oh? Wanna show me what you wear instead?” You teased. The glare Beau shot you was one you saw often; a long-suffering stare that she was using desperately to cover any amount of amusement.
cr4 is actually so yummy you guys, I’m loving this story. I can’t watch live so I’ve been hyped for Monday and dude I’m not disappointed
my faves so far are Occtis and Teor 👉👈 and Thimble! Laura really is knocking it out of the park with her acting. I’m interested who other people are really liking rn! And maaaaybe once I’ve had enough episodes to get to know everyone, might try to do some writing :3
They are! I cannot promise when anything will get written (tho I’m back to watching the campaign lol bc they brought some of my faves back so perhaps inspiration will come more readily)
Note(s): I never specified what type of lycanthrope for this one, but the idea of Caleb, the sad cat man, ended up as a werewolf is a bit funny to me.
@jellie-bean
“Shit.”
That was the reaction of one Caleb Widogast when he realized that the “animal” that bit him wasn’t just an animal. The first transformation took everyone by surprise and it took a bit to calm him down and deal with him.
At first, Caleb had wanted to find a cure as soon as possible, but then he realized that there’s so much that still needs to be done and this condition of his could be helpful. For now.
“Well, you’re much calmer when you transform. There’s less biting and scratching,” you tell him, reporting how the latest transformation had gone. He wanted to try and control it if he was going to keep this condition. But with everyone busy with having families, you stayed to help him.
“I didn’t bite you, did I?” That was the only reason he was hesitant with letting anyone else help him with this. Seeing you shake your head had him feel relief. “Good.”
He doesn’t know what he’d do if he ended up hurting you.
“So, how’s working on a cure?” You ask him. Caleb had wanted to make some kind of potion to cure his lycanthropy for when it’s no longer needed. Sure, he can ask Jester or Caduceus for help, but magic doesn’t always work. So the potion is a backup. Caleb doesn’t want anything to go wrong with this.
“Alright, Beauregard has been looking at various methods to curing this that doesn’t involve death.”
“Death isn’t even an option,” you tell him and his eyes soften.
“I apologize, I shouldn’t have joked about that.”
“Oh there’s been worse jokes made.”
Caleb smiles as you wave off his apology and he goes back to reading his books, writing notes about the transformation. He can’t help but stretch and pop his back after a moment, a grunt escaping his lips.
“How are you doing, Caleb? I know those transformations take their toll on you.” Caleb debates rather to tell the truth or change the subject to not worry you. He glances over to you and gives a small smile.
“I’ve been through worse.” Your pointed look makes him sigh. “I’m always tired, even after sleeping. My bones ache more, but that could be my old age.”
“You’re not that old.”
“No, but I never had much strength to begin with. Transforming and forcing new muscles and having changes to my bone structure has me aching more often than not.” Caleb notices the concern on your face. “I promise you, it is not as gruesome and bad as it sounds.”
“Caleb, if this is that bad then-“
“Please, trust me. I’m okay.” Caleb felt some guilt for asking for your trust for this considering you’re just concerned, but he feels relief when you nod.
“Alright. But you need to take a break. Come on, a nap will do you well, old man.” Caleb chuckles as you lightly push him to his room.
“Thought you said I’m not old.”
“Hush. You need sleep,” you reply, a smile on your face that has him smiling too.
Caleb feels the exhaustion hit him as he lays on the bed. He also doesn’t know if he’d be able to sleep rather because of the restless beast or the nightmares.
“Stay with me,” he asks, his voice a bit quiet as if he didn’t expect to vocalize his want. And he didn’t expect to say it. But he’s too tired to take it back.
“Of course.” Your own voice is soft and he smiles as you get under the blankets with him, wrapping your arms around him and he sighs softly. Even if his sleep is restless, he’s comforted with your presence next to him.
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