✨️Just pretend the world doesn't exist✨️

A side blog for my Slay the Princess things✨️ My main is @emmybananaartsblog

[bed-buge]

the leadup to the tourney sure was interesting for this group of birds

various doodles of Kintsugi with his flock before the tourney. might make something proper on the leadup, or of Kintsugi with some princesses, but i have been too votv pilled to do anything at all </3 so no promises

also bonus closeup

LOOK AT HIMMMMMM AUGHHHHHHHHHHHH <<<333 MY BABYYYYYYYYYYY

@voice-of-the-sexyman

[cracked-frog]

Sometimes all you need is a little push

It may seem condescending but for Broken it's exactly what he needs

[bed-buge]

cant sleep but it seems my insomnia has served me well because im awake for @voice-of-the-sexyman SUBMISSIONS!!!!! RAHHHHHHH

BEHOLD MY LOSER!! GAZE UPON HIS LAME DEMEANOUR!!!!

now time for design yappage below

my Broken design is primarily inspired by kintsugi, or gold joinery, the art of mending broken pottery with lacquer mixed with gold powder!! i think its really cool and imo works WONDERFULLY for Broken. and to make the gold stand out, the rest of his colours are all dark and dulled (originally they were even greyer than the final palette!!)

the cracks stem from a heart-shaped hole (because his worship is, ultimately, a form of love. this is a love story after all) and, aside from the normal cracks, both mimics a collar around his neck, and a wreath on his head!!! i love imagery!!!!

also the shackle on his ankle is meant to mimic a bird tag :] i think thats pretty clever

look at how absolutely drenched he is. Broken my Broken <3 im so happy i get to share him with the world <3

[cracked-frog]

Masks of faith doodles <3

~mercy and vengeance~

[cracked-frog]

Attention

Cold is slowly being taught to verbally express his wants and Broken is always more than happy to give that attention to him

[cracked-frog]

another day another birb sketch

[writingdevil]

☆"You’re dangerously good at that smile." For cheabroken with broken being the one who was smiling :D

(Ough cheabroken I miss you, Broken would have such a precious smile and he deserves to get pampered. Enjoy!)

Cheated grumbled as he stirred awake, already knowing that it was too damn early to be up.

He groaned softly, stretching his wings out and trying to snuggle deeper into his bed, for just a second or two more of peace and quiet.

Then he felt a body cuddle into his chest, and he smiled, wrapping his arms around the other reason that he wanted to stay in bed.

Cheated sighed with a smile, pulling Broken closer, who tucked himself under Cheated's chin comfortably.

The only thing that Cheated wanted to focus on in this moment, was the feeling of Broken's heartbeat softly thumping against his.

Cheated always loved to listen to Broken's heartbeat, how it beat so softly yet proudly for his partner.

There had once been the possibility that Cheated would never hear that heartbeat again, so maybe that was why he loved to listen to it so much. Maybe he just wanted to make sure that Broken was still with him.

He instinctively tightened his hold on Broken, feeling past fear and frustrations rise up within him.

'Damn it,' he thought, trying to keep his breathing even, but it was a hard task, especially so early in the morning and his brain wasn't fully functioning.

Cheated bit his lip, burying his face in Broken's feathery head, taking in his soft scent, in the hopes of grounding him. How the hell did he get here when he's only been awake for three minutes?

His thoughts drifted farther, until he was overthinking little things with Broken.

Was Broken's laughter the other day fake? Was he only doing it to please Cheated?

Did he actually want to hold hands with him yesterday, or did he feel like he obligated to, as Cheated partner?

They had a little, petty disagreement not too long ago- was Broken being too cautious and trying not to upset him?

Ugh, he hated this. He hated feeling this fear when he should be enjoying this morning.

Just then, as if sensing his dreadful thoughts, he felt arms squeeze him in reassurance.

Cheated froze, looking down as Broken let a quiet grumble out, nuzzling his face into Cheated's chest, making his heart flutter at the action.

Broken continued to cuddle him, and Cheated slowly felt himself come back down from his stupid spiral, and he hugged Broken back, grateful for the warmth seeping into him.

He heard Broken sigh in comfort, practically melting against Cheated, and he slowly lifted his head.

Their eyes met, and Cheated saw a soft glow in Broken's eyes, one that took his breath away every time, and then Broken giggled, as if he also knew that, and smiled at Cheated.

His smile was soft and gentle, full of happiness and safety. It was a smile that Broken only shared with a select few of the flock, because it took a lot to make him feel so safe yet so uplifted at the same time.

Broken was giving Cheated that kind of dazzling smile, just for waking up next to him?

It was so powerful that it shot through the cloud of worry and fear in Cheated's mind, destroying it instantly, and all that was left was an unyielding love for his inspiring partner.

Cheated let out a sigh of relief, and then chuckled.

"What?" Broken whispered, and Cheated shook his head, tightening his hold on Broken.

"Nothing. It's just- you're dangerously good at that smile."

Broken furrowed his brows in confusion, but Cheated was more concerned with leaning down and capturing that beautiful smile into a kiss, one which tasted as divine as it looked.

They stayed in bed for a long time that day.

[cracked-frog]

enabler Cold >>>>>

Just Contrarian drowning his struggles and Cold pushing him to their limits

Contrarian's ref sheet will be out in due time but for now this is his debut

[writingdevil]

If you’re still taking requests, I got one. I would like what I have been referring to as the “going through it polycule” of broken, hunted, cheated, and thorn.

The quote: “stop smiling like that. it’s distracting.”

A feeling: devotion

and the trope: found family

Thank you ☺️

(Ough I've never thought about them before but that's so cute!! I can see them working well together, and they definitely deserve to have a moment of rest and to chill after all the Horrors they've gone through. Anyway, enjoy!)

"Is it- like this?"

Hunted hummed from over Thorn's shoulder, peering down at the sleepy pile on her lap known as Broken.

His cheek rested against her thigh, and he looked more peaceful than Thorn's ever seen him.

Her scarred hands were hovering over his wings, and Hunted nuzzled further into the crook of Thorn's neck as he mumbled, "Good, but you don't have to be so cautious."

"I just don't want to accidentally hurt him," Thorn said with a bite of her lip, her eyes flickering over Broken's wings, searching for more uneven feathers to fix.

She's never preened a bird before. She just wanted to make sure Broken was comfortable.

"You won't," Hunted assured her, his body a safe presence at her back. "I don't think I've seen him that relaxed."

Thorn wasn't sure if Hunted was telling the truth, or just saying things to make her feel better.

Thorn was terrified of accidentally ripping a perfectly good feather out or something, but when Broken felt safe enough to ask her to preen him, who was she to refuse an offer like that from one of her partners?

Hunted was gentle as he directed her arm to another area of Broken's wing, and Thorn softly exhaled.

She trusted Hunted's judgement. He wouldn't toy with her like that.

Just then, footsteps approached them, until the bed dipped, and Cheated let a groan out as he laid down across from Broken, smiling as he gazed at the other's peaceful expression, and then reached out and cupped Broken's cheek with one hand.

Nobody spoke for the next few minutes, basking in the warmth and safety of this moment.

Thorn, in particular, was in love with this moment.

It's not often that she felt- content, with things. Try as she might, she couldn't help but feel like something was about to happen to her, to the point that it was just a tired acceptance for her. Just her, alone with her scars and fear and distrust.

She didn't think that she would find people who understood pain like she had, or would ever make her feel the opposite of fear, but three little birds pleasantly surprised her.

Hunted made her feel safe. Cheated made her feel listened to. Broken made her feel more comfortable with her scars.

Slowly, the three of them wormed their way into her guarded heart, and made her feel more special than she ever thought possible.

Their trust and love for Thorn was sacred to her, this little family that they had found for themselves, and chose to risk their hearts for. That was why Thorn was so determined to prove that she was worthy of their trust, just like right now, with Broken.

She could feel her hands becoming more steady and sure of themselves with the more time that passed. At one point, she fixed a feather back into place, and Broken let out a soft sound of relief, as if that particular spot had been troubling him for awhile.

Cheated smiled and inched closer to him, their legs entangled. Broken cracked his eyes open, and Cheated chuckled softly and went, "Hi, cutie," in a quiet, gentle tone.

Broken opened his mouth, but he was too tired to respond, and that, in itself, was a wonderous thing to Thorn.

He tried to tilt his head closer to Cheated's, pressing their foreheads together, and Thorn smiled as Cheated and Broken leaned in and kissed each other tenderly.

It was so soft and gentle, nothing like the brutal aggression that they've been subjected to in the past.

Thorn was so enamoured by the tender display in front of her, that she didn't even notice when Hunted moved positions, shuffling forward and sitting next to Thorn instead of behind.

Cheated and Broken smiled and giggled as they kissed, and Thorn felt a warmth blossom in her chest at the love in their eyes.

She continued to preen Broken, her movements becoming more relaxed and confident, but she couldn't help but feel an intense weight on her shoulders. It wasn't bad or worrying, it just felt like a lot.

She turned her head, looking at Hunted, who just sat there silently, watching the three of them with an intensity that Thorn couldn't describe.

Hunted then turned his attention to only Thorn, his face lighting up as he smiled at her- a rare thing for Hunted- which in turn made her cheeks heat up.

Suddenly bashful, she ducked her head, and muttered, "Stop smiling like that. It's distracting."

She heard Cheated chuckle at that, reaching out with one hand to softly hold her wrist.

She risked a look back at Hunted, who had now tilted his head, eyes still shining and smile still making Thorn's heart flutter.

"I'm happy," Hunted simply said. "I'm happy that we're having this moment right now. I- I love you all."

Thorn's breath hitched, even as she heard Cheated and Broken echo the words back to him, and it all just made Thorn's heart swell in joy, because Hunted was right. She was so happy that she could have this moment, that her life was now full of sweetness instead of stinging betrayal and pain, with this family that she miraculously found and was determined to keep.

Thorn loved these boys, and that was when she recognised the look in Hunted eyes, because it was how she felt whenever she looked at Hunted, Broken or Cheated-devotion.

Nothing else could possibly be enough to describe Thorn's feelings right now. Just pure love and devotion to the people who deserved it the most, and who made her realise that she deserved it as well.

So she smiled, and leaned closer to Hunted, and whispered, "I love you all too," and pressed a gentle kiss to his lips.

[cracked-frog]

It's nice to see you back! ☺️

If you want something to draw, how about some BrokOpp?

Fluffy, toxic, whatever you feel like doing! 👍

Ooohhhhh you have no idea what you just enabled...

Recently I've been crazy about this ship so expect a lot of brokopp content, I have so much stuff with them but first I want to post all my older drawings. I love them so much I (with help from a few friends) came up with a proper shipname for them

I present to you.....

🎭Masks Of Faith

Little doodles of them as a treat :>

[daydreaming-voice]

All the Voices & Vessels all come from their own respective God.

They're personalities all blend into eachother, like a color wheel. Some are closer to eachother on the wheel than others, but they are all shades of eachother in one way or another. As well as being distinct from eachother in their own ways.

[writingdevil]

•"I don’t know how to stop wanting you."

•Jealousy

•"Just friends" denial

•Post-Construct

CheaParaStubb Let's Go!!!! >:3

(LET'S GO!!! Also Merry Christmas Eve to those who celebrate it!!! If you don't, then I hope you have a wonderful day!! I thought it'd be fitting to have some cheaparastubb for Christmas because they make me so ill, so I hope you all enjoy!!)

"Okay, so what is going on with you?"

Cheated scowled at Contrarian, wondering if he could shut the door and lock it fast enough before Connie took a step into his bedroom.

"What are you talking about?"

"You!" Connie said, motioning up and down at him. "You've been hiding out in your bedroom for what feels like forever, mate! You're being weird."

"I'm not weird! You're weird!" Cheated protested, realising he sounded no better than a young fledgling, but it didn't matter. Contrarian needed to stay out of his business.

"Come on, Cheated! I'm just trying to help you out here."

Cheated let a chuckle of disbelief out. "You? Help me? I think that's your funniest joke yet, Connie."

Contrarian grinned deviously. "There'll be plenty more where that came from, once we get you to stop being all sad and mopey."

Cheated glared at him, pressing himself closer to his door. "I'm not mopey."

"Oh really?" Contrarian asked with a raised brow. "Is that why you're hiding in your bedroom instead of hanging out with Paranoid and Stubborn? The birds who you used to spend all your time with?"

Cheated wanted to protest, but the words were suddenly lodged in his throat at the mention of Paranoid and Stubborn.

He tried not to let his misery show on his face, knowing that would only make Contrarian uncomfortable. But he couldn't stop the pang of longing and pain in his heart at the mention of the two.

Cheated trusted Paranoid and Stubborn like no other. When they had gotten physical forms and freedom, it was them that Cheated gravitated to, right up until recently.

Cheated loved so many things about them- he loved Paranoid's protectiveness, Stubborn's boundless energy, and how they both showed who they are without trying to deceive or trick Cheated. They were who they said they were- honest, tough, and with hearts so incredibly big and full of love.

Cheated trusted them with his whole heart and soul. He felt so safe and happy with one or both of them. They were Cheated's home.

His heartbeat suddenly picked up, reminding Cheated of his problem.

Cheated- was in love with Paranoid and Stubborn.

But they were just friends with Cheated.

He's certain that they don't feel the same way about him. Why would they? Cheated's nothing special when compared to Paranoid and Stubborn.

No, Cheated was nothing more than a friend to them, but he wouldn't be surprised if Paranoid and Stubborn ended up falling in love with one another.

The idea of it filled Cheated with both yearning and jealously. Yearning to be a part of their love, but wracked with bitter jealousy at being forced to watch two people leave him behind, all for him to pick up the pieces of his broken heart.

Cheated couldn't bear to just stand idly by and wait for the inevitable to happen and crush his spirit, so he decided to just avoid Paranoid and Stubborn altogether, at least until he felt numb enough to face them again.

But Contrarian seemed to have other ideas.

Cheated glared at Contrarian's smug face, ignoring the urge to punch his dumb face in. "This has nothing to do with them. I'm staying in my room because I want to."

Contrarian just smiled mischievously at him. "Really? You don't care about them at all?"

Cheated was silent, gripping the doorknob tight as he stiffly shook his head.

Contrarian chuckled at his response, and before Cheated could make him go away, Contrarian's hand shot out, grabbing the wrist of Cheated's other hand.

Cheated was so caught off guard that all he could do was stammer incoherently, his hand slipping from the doorknob far too easily for his liking.

Contrarian yanked him forward and out into the hallway, kicking the door closed behind them, humming an infuriatingly cheery tune all the while.

"What the fuck are you doing?" Cheated exclaimed, trying to pull his wrist out of Contrarian's surprisingly strong grip. "Connie, let me go!"

"No can do!" Contrarian sang, dragging him down the hall, no matter how many times Cheated tried to dig his claws into the floorboards.

"We're all sick of seeing you guys being weird and avoiding each other."

"What are you-"

Contrarian walked up to a door, throwing it open with a smile, showing the interior of the living room inside. He gave Cheated one last glance over his shoulder before he said, "So try not to fumble this one, for all our sakes, please."

Cheated opened his mouth to swear at him, but then Contrarian swiftly shoved him into the living room, slamming and locking the door behind him.

Cheated stumbled on the spot, trying to get his bearings on what was going on, before a door to his left opened up, showing Cold pushing a yelling Paranoid inside.

Paranoid spun around with a scowl at Cold, having not noticed Cheated yet, but Cold just gave him a small, teasing smile before shutting the door in Paranoid's face.

Then there was the sound of muffled yelling and shoving to Cheated right, and he turned around, just in time to watch Stubborn get pushed into the room, falling to his knees.

"What the fuck was that?!" Stubborn yelled, enraged, sitting up and glaring at Hunted, the culprit.

Hunted just blinked at Stubborn, looked up at Cheated and Paranoid, then nodded, and shut the door without another word.

"Hey!" Stubborn shouted, getting to his feet. "What is going-"

But then his words died once he noticed Cheated and Paranoid in the room with him.

"What's happening here?" Paranoid asked, keeping his back pressed against the wall, and Cheated desperately wanted to go over and help him feel safe and calm.

"I don't know," Cheated softly said, looking between the two of them. "Connie just came and dragged me here. Said that I needed to get out and stop being weird, whatever that meant."

"Huh," Paranoid quietly said, lowering his head, looking to be in deep thought. "Cold said the same thing to me. He said that watching 'this' was getting pitiful."

"What have you guys been up to then?" Stubborn asked, refusing to look either of them in the eye. "Hunted didn't say shit to me, and I've been doing just fine in my room."

"Wait," Cheated mumbled, dots beginning to connect in his head. He took a step forward, and he didn't miss how Paranoid glanced at him, before nervously looking back down again.

"Have you two not been...hanging out or anything?"

"I thought you two would be busy doing whatever with each other," Stubborn snapped back, crossing his arms, but he couldn't hide the pain in his eyes, and Cheated suddenly felt awful for staying away from them for so long.

"What are you talking about?" Paranoid asked, finally shaking off the last of his nerves to become properly concerned and focused. "I haven't been doing anything because I thought you guys would be with each other."

There was a collective silence, as the realisation hit them all.

Cheated had been hiding from them, thinking that they would be fine, but it sounded like they had also been hiding as well.

"Have we all just been staying in our rooms all day?" Cheated asked, and both Paranoid and Stubborn gave him surprised looks.

"Why would the two of you be doing that?" Paranoid asked. "Is there something wrong? I thought you two were good."

"I thought you and Stubborn were okay, that's why I-" Cheated stopped, face flushing at what he almost said, but that was enough to get Stubborn's attention.

He marched up to Cheated. "What were you gonna say?"

"Nothing."

"Bullshit. You were gonna say something, now out with it."

"Listen big guy, it was nothing important. I'd much rather deal with what's going on with you and Para."

Stubborn growled low in his throat as he glared down at Cheated, but Cheated knew there was no actual fire in his eyes.

They just held each other's gaze, until something came over Stubborn and he broke away first, muttering swears under his breath as he dragged a hand down his face.

When Stubborn spoke up again, it was muffled by the hand covering his face, but Cheated could still understand him as he said, "There's nothing going on with me because I'm just the friend getting in the way of you two lovebirds!"

Instantly, Cheated's face burned, and his brain prompty shut down in shock, and judging by Paranoid's stammering, he was as well.

"I- you- why- what are you talking about?" Paranoid exclaimed in embarrassment, walking up to them, his breathing picking up, and Cheated felt a shiver go down his spine when Paranoid's intense gaze pinned him to the spot.

"I thought you two were in love with each other!" Paranoid yelled. "That's why I haven't been going around the house as much!"

The more that was being revealed, the more that it felt like the world was crushing Cheated down for fun.

Cheated shook his head, trying to wrap his head around everything, ignoring the rising hope in his chest. He reached a hand out for Paranoid, who gladly took it, holding it close and squeezing it to help him calm down, an action that's been done dozens of times.

"Let me get this straight," Cheated began, "we were all hiding away in our rooms, because we all assumed that the other two people were dating?"

The silence and look on their faces were answers enough. Then Stubborn broke it by chuckling softly, and Cheated couldn't help but love the sound.

"It sounds kinda dumb when you put it that way," Stubborn said with a bashful smile, and Cheated playfully shoved him by the chest and retaliated with, "That's because you're a dumb fucking idiot."

Stubborn barked out laughing, catching Cheated by the wrist and holding it close to his chest.

"So- you guys aren't in love?" Paranoid's quiet voice brought them back to the issue at hand, and Cheated squeezed his hand in reassurance, making him look up at them sheepishly.

There was a tension in the air, and Cheated wasn't sure how to navigate it, other than being honest.

"I thought you two were in love," he said, before lowering his gaze to the floor, "and I got jealous. I got jealous and- sad, so I thought avoiding you guys was the best thing to do."

Then, he felt a squeeze- from both his hand and wrist.

He looked up, breath hitching at the sight of both Stubborn and Paranoid giving him such sincere, caring, concerned looks.

"Why were you sad?" Paranoid asked, holding his hand to his chest, just over his heart.

Cheated shrugged, feeling his throat close from the urge to cry, but he was determined not to do that right now, not to break down in front of the most important people in his life.

"Because-Because I'm in love with you both," Cheated revealed in a whisper, gripping Paranoid's hand tight. "But I also thought that you two would never feel the same way about me, not when you had each other. I didn't know how to make the feelings go away other than avoiding you altogether."

"Even now," Cheated said, "I don't know how to stop wanting you, either of you."

Cheated refused to lift his head, to face the rejection that he knew was coming. After all, it would just be Cheated's luck to be the third wheel and be in love with both of them, but they would only ever see him as a friend-

Before Cheated could finish his thought, he was suddenly yanked forward, and the next thing he knew, he was kissing Paranoid.

Cheated froze, focusing on nothing but the warm feeling of Paranoid's lips against his, and he soon gave in, kissing back desperately, to seize this one chance while he had it.

Paranoid pulled away with a gasp, looking as if he couldn't believe what he had just done.

"I thought the same thing," Paranoid whispered, and Cheated could feel his heart beating against his ribcage violently. "I thought I was getting in the way of you two, but I couldn't stop myself from loving you both."

Stubborn pressed up against the two of them, a hunger in his eyes that Cheated could feel deeply, making his knees buckle.

"So we were all just being idiots? I can kiss you both without fucking everything up?"

Cheated laughed deliriously at what was happening, at the wave of happiness crashing into him, and he just nodded excitedly. "Yes, big guy, you can kiss us as much as you want."

Stubborn cheered victoriously, before picking both Paranoid and Cheated up, making Paranoid yelp as he wrapped an arm around both of them.

Cheated chuckled, no longer held back by fears as he cupped Stubborn's handsome face and kissed him, feeling Stubborn hum in content as he kissed back.

When they broke apart, Stubborn was gazing at Cheated with so much love and joy that it made Cheated want to kiss him all over again.

But he settled with watching Paranoid smile brighter than he ever has before, as he leaned down to give Stubborn a soft kiss as well.

Cheated smiled as he watched them, with no jealousy or sorrow to be found as he watched them kiss and express their love for one another, because Cheated was a part of that love, and they were all his now.

[critter-slayyys-in-long-quiet]

•"this means something. don't pretend it doesn't."

•yearning

•secretly in love

Cheabroken! Let's Go!!!!! >:3

Yes!!! Cheabroken!

They mean so much to me! I hope you like this. Once again I recommend reading on A03 and I still haven’t gotten copy paste to work again somehow but hopefully I’ll come back to this and put the text just on tumblr soon!

Still thank you for the ask!!!

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

——-

[writingdevil]

•"Tell me it meant nothing. Lie if you have to."

•Guilt

•Patching up wounds with shaking hands.

Faltering Smiles! Let's Gooooo! >:3

(Faltering smiles my beloved!!! This one is so angsty, my poor babies!! They'll get a happy ending I promise you! Enjoy!!)

(Prompt list used is here)

(Warning- Blood, injury, implication of self harm)

Contrarian whistled as he aimlessly walked around the house, looking for something fun to do. But for some really funny reason, he couldn't find anyone to yap to.

If Contrarian was a softer bird, he would've been hurt at the thought of the others avoiding him, but he knew that wasn't the case. You couldn't hide from Contrarian forever!

Then, with perfect timing, Contrarian heard a sound, just beyond one of the bedroom doors.

Contrarian stopped in his tracks, a mischievous grin forming on his face, and then he spun around without giving it another thought. His hand shot out to grab and twist the handle, uncaring of what kind of sound he just heard. Contrarian was just happy to find another person to be silly with.

He unceremoniously opened the door, a wide grin on his face as he went, "Now what do we have-"

But then he saw what was in the room.

Various objects sprawled across the floor, a blanket torn to shreds with dark patches on it, half hanging off the messy bed.

Then, at the very back of the room, curled up into a shaking ball, with unkempt wings attempting to hide him, was Broken.

"-Broken?" Contrarian whispered, feeling Broken's eyes dart to his, before pooling with fresh tears.

Contrarian's hand on the doorknob shook. This wasn't what he was expecting. He didn't know what to do in this situation. But then he saw the blood.

Little droplets scattered along the floor, forming a crimson path that went from the bed and right to Broken's feet, a small puddle being made.

Contrarian met Broken's heavy eyes again, feeling a mix of shock, guilt, and horror.

Broken's hands were hidden by his wings, but Contrarian still noticed it when Broken's arm stiffly moved, and then his face pinched, as if in pain.

Contrarian couldn't just turn away from this.

"Broken," Contrarian gasped out again, quietly shutting the door behind him. He ignored the shaking in his limbs.

He took a nervous step forward. "Broken, are you okay? What happened?"

Broken just sniffed, turning away from him. "Go away. You don't need to be here."

"What are you on about, mate? You're bleeding."

"It's nothing I don't deserve," Broken mumbled, his elbow sharply jutting out for a moment, and then another flash of pain on his face.

Contrarian picked up the pace, swiftly crossing the room and dropping to his knees, mindful of the blood around him.

His head whipped around, the metallic smell clogging his nose and threatening to make him sick, but he pushed through it.

"Where's the first aid kit?"

"I don't have one."

Contrarian chuckled, but it came out more nervous and frantic than it usually did. "You're a liar. I know Para stashed a first aid kit in everyone's room- especially yours."

Broken remained silent as Contrarian kept trying to find the kit, feeling Broken's eyes on him, until he eventually said, "It's under the bed."

Contrarian's head snapped to the side, hand reaching out desperately into the dark underside of Broken's bed, brushing past forgotten feathers and crumpled up balls of paper, until his fingers brushed against a certain box.

Contrarian sighed in relief, pulling the box out and yanking it open.

He forced himself to look up into Broken's eyes again, which were becoming more empty by the second.

"Hey," he softly said, hoping to reignite some life into the other. "It's gonna be okay, Broken. I promise. Will you let me help you?"

"Why?" Broken asked, body shaking behind his wings. "Why do you care?"

That was a good point. Contrarian wasn't known for being sincere or for facing stuff like this. He was more than happy to crack a joke during fearful times, or running away entirely to let somebody else handle it. Contrarian wasn't known to take action like this.

But as he tried to form a response, guilt began to bubble up within him, as painful memories taunted and tormented him.

So he just gave Broken a playful smile and said, "Because it's no fun having one of you like this. If it wasn't me, then it would've been Hero coming in and worrying about you, and that would've brought the mood down all day."

He didn't wait to see if Broken believed him, taking out some disinfectant wipes and a roll of bandages.

When he looked back at Broken expectedly with a raised brow, Broken studied him up and down nervously, before his body slumped in defeat.

Contrarian sighed in relief, as Broken slowly moved his wing, constantly darting his eyes back to Contrarian, as if waiting for him to snap or change his mind.

But Contrarian just waited with bated breath, clutching the bandages tightly, as Broken's wing lowered down enough for Contrarian to see the damage- and all the air left him at once at what he saw.

Broken was hugging an arm to his chest, his whole body shaking, and the metallic smell of blood hit Contrarian so much harder now.

There were long, messy claw marks embedded into Broken's arm, blood trickling down his elbow and onto the wooden floorboards. There were smears of blood against his hand and his chest, coating his feathers and skin in a dark and sickly sheen.

Contrarian tried to keep a neutral face at the injured arm, and then he saw Broken's other hand, whose claws now had suspiciously crimson tips, and he knew what had happened.

Contrarian inhaled sharply, but still gave Broken a confident smile. "That's fine!" he reassured. "I can fix that no problem."

He gingerly reached out to take Broken's arm, who immediately flinched when Contrarian's fingers brushed against his skin.

"Hey, it's alright," Contrarian whispered. "I just wanna help you, Broken."

Their eyes met, and Contrarian saw tears shining back at him.

"I just want to help."

Broken sucked in a shaky breath, never breaking eye contact, and then he gave Contrarian his arm.

Contrarian let out a breath, and immediately got to work. He's taken enough tumbles and gotten into many playful brawls with Cold to know enough of what to do.

Still, it didn't stop his hands from shaking as he worked, quickly wiping the blood from the arm- which Broken didn't so much as winced at. The injuries were long, but not too deep. Hopefully the bandages would be enough. Otherwise, they might have to get Para involved.

Contrarian tried to stop the shaking of his hands as he started to wrap the bandages around Broken's arm- who hadn't taken his gaze away from him the entire time.

He was halfway done, when Broken finally spoke up again. His voice was soft and hesitant, almost afraid, as he asked, "Why are you doing this?"

"Huh?" Contrarian said, looking up to give Broken a brief, confused look. "What do you mean? I told you why I'm doing this."

"Why are you doing this now?"

Contrarian stopped, lifting his head and giving Broken his full attention.

Broken was now looking at Contrarian with suspicion. "You've never cared before. Why is this time different?"

Contrarian shrugged, trying to feign ignorance. "I mean, this is the first time I've walked in on you like this-"

"But you know."

Contrarian spluttered, unable to come up with a response.

Broken carefully pulled his arm away, letting the end of the bandage dangle in the air. Contrarian tried to reach out and grab it again, but Broken just tilted away from him.

"Your bedroom is right next to mine," Broken said. "I know you can hear me when I cry at night, but you've never thought to come in- until now. So why?"

"Because you weren't bleeding those times!" Contrarian protested. "I'm not good at comforting people! But this is kinda more serious than that!"

"Why is that?" Broken asked, voice becoming louder and firmer.

"Why's what?"

"Why was this the time that you decided to act?" Broken asked, still refusing to give Contrarian his arm, almost moving it behind his back. "Why not run off and let someone else deal with it?"

Once again, that guilt crashed into him, and for a moment, Contrarian couldn't breathe.

He remembered the staircase. He remembered her.

Contrarian didn't want to say anything, but then he was starting to see the edges of the bandages becoming tinted in red. Blood started to seep out onto Broken's arm again, without being properly wrapped up anymore.

Broken wouldn't let him help until he started being honest.

Contrarian sighed in defeat, leaning back, and looking away from Broken's heavy gaze.

"I-I do care about you, Broken. I really don't like seeing you in pain. It's just- I'm not usually what people need in the moment. I'm more equipped to make someone laugh rather than stop them from crying."

"But-" Contrarian sighed, glancing up, finding Broken to be giving him a patient, curious look, no longer as guarded as he once was. "But seeing you on the ground like that, in pain, it just reminded me of Stranger."

That made Broken sit up straight. "Stranger?"

Contrarian nodded, letting the guilt from what he did in the cabin flow into his words. "Yeah. I-uh- I couldn't help but see her when I saw you. You were both all alone, suffering for something that I caused, and that I could fix."

Contrarian motioned to Broken. "I know I didn't directly do this, but I haven't been there to help you. I'm just letting you suffer and hurt yourself when I could be helping you, even if it's to just take your mind off stuff."

Contrarian could still hear the Stranger's pleas in his head, how confused and scared she was, asking if they could help her. He could remember how the guilt changed him, made him face his actions and want to be better.

The same thing was happening now.

"So that's why," Contrarian said, reaching forward, and gently taking Broken by the wrist, who didn't protest, "when I saw you, I felt like I needed to help, because I know ignoring it will only make the pain worse for you, and I just want to see you happy."

When Contrarian finally finished patching up Broken's wounds, his hands were sure and steady this time.

But then he heard a sob.

Contrarian quickly glanced up in shock, finding Broken quietly crying to himself, fat tears rolling down his face.

Contrarian was stunned on what to do for a second, but then he got really confused when Broken gave him a harsh glare, full of sorrow and anger and conflict, and began to weakly hit at his chest.

"Take it back," Broken sobbed, not enough strong enough to make Contrarian budge an inch. "Take it back, please. Say you didn't mean it. Tell me that it- that this- meant nothing. Lie if you have to, please."

Contrarian just gave him a bittersweet smile, because he knew what was happening.

Broken wanted Contrarian to walk away, to not mean it when he said he cared about Broken, because that would just make it harder to inflict pain on himself.

Broken knows that the kinder birds like Hero and Smitten are doing everything they can to help Broken, but that's also kind of expected from people like them. Eventually, their kindness starts to feel like nothing anymore, because it's so obvious.

But if someone like Contrarian, the troublemaker, the clown, wanted to help Broken get better, then that would hit him. The fact that Contrarian was reaching out to help Broken, to not run away, but to stick with him- then how could Broken turn something like that away?

He didn't want Contrarian's kindness to be real, but unfortunately for him, Contrarian had a knack for being unpredictable.

Contrarian sucked in a deep breath, his own eyes becoming blurry, as he delicately took Broken's hand, leaning in close enough so that their foreheads were pressed together.

Contrarian gave Broken a wobbly smile. "It's gonna be okay, Broken," he whispered fiercely. "I'm not gonna leave you alone anymore."

Broken just cried harder, and then threw himself into Contrarian's arms, hugging him with a desperate grip. Contrarian hugged him back even tighter, shushing and holding him close, never wanting to let him go.

He wouldn't let Broken hurt like that ever again.

[pixiefeatherkw3]

part of you.

[pixiefeatherkw3]

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