woag hey its artificial soul angst time yet again. its only 800 words but eh thats all i can mustah rn
warning for implied mpreg, loss of child (nightmare), and panic attack
Recluse shakily opened his eyes as he sat up from the floor, shivering in the endless void he seemed to be trapped in. His limbs felt weak and sluggish, as if the air was made of thick sludge that seeped into his very dough.
It was then, nestled in his arms, that he felt it. The small breathing of life, so similar to his own.
His child. Right, the flower. Their features seemed so blurry and yet…he knew. He felt it.
There were whispers nearby. Cookies nearby. He couldn't make out what they were saying, but it sounded cruel. Heartless. A pair of hands grabbed onto the warmth in his arms, and he screamed in terror. In anger. But no matter how much he fought, he was too weak.
They took them from him. He shakily got to his feet and ran after them, but they seemed to disappear into the darkness. But then, a sound came from behind him.
A baby crying. His baby crying.
He turned around to see his child, wrapped in wires and held in stasis, with electricity surging around them. His heart broke when he heard them calling for him, reaching out weakly with what little strength they had. A reflection of him.
When he charged forward, he was met with a glass wall that stretched for miles, keeping him away from them. He banged on the wall, tears streaming from his eyes as he saw the life drain from their eyes.
“Please! Let them go! They're too young for this!”
His pleas went unanswered, uncared for. He clawed and he banged and he scratched at the glass, to no avail. The other realm wouldn't open. His magic wouldn't activate. He was powerless. Weak and helpless.
He crumpled to the ground in defeat, his voice growing quieter and quieter in grief. He couldn't stop them. Not even Sage was here to save him. To save their child. He was alone again, in complete darkness and cold like he was before.
He stayed silent, even as his child continued to wail.
Sage woke up to a quiet shriek from Recluse, slumbering right next to him. It wasn't uncommon for him to have nightmares, unfortunately, but even still he'd been getting better sleep as long as Sage was by his side. He continued to shake uncontrollably, quietly sobbing into the open air from whatever he was dreaming of.
Recluse was clutching his abdomen. They couldn't mean anything good. “Recluse? Please, wake up…”
The gentlest touch of his shoulder caused Recluse to flinch so violently he nearly fell off the bed. His breathing was shallow, and tears were streaming from his eyes and staining the pillow below him.
“Focus on me, Recluse. Breathe with me.”
He tried to think about how Sage was touching him. Gently holding his face and wiping away the tears, even as unsuccessful as that was. He could barely hear the scholar's voice over his own heartbeat, but slowly, he felt like he could see again. Still always blurry, but he could make out Sage. That was what's important to him.
“Are you feeling better now?” Recluse only nodded in response, unable to come up with any words at all. He'd been scared into silence again, it seemed. “It's okay. You don't have to say anything.” He knew that with Sage, but somehow, the extra reassurance felt better for his rapidly beating heart.
“Was it…about the baby?” It took a few moments, but he meekly nodded his head. “Do you want to talk about it?”
He stayed silent, unsure if he really wanted to or not. Sage held him close to his chest, gingerly kissing the top of his head. “That's okay. You can tell me about it later, if you want.”
Somehow, that felt appreciated too. Even though he wouldn't tell him the details, one worry still lingered on his mind.
“I'm scared. They can't protect themself. What if…someone…hurt them…?”
Sage stiffened, and Recluse was almost worried he'd said something wrong, but instead he was pulled back and held so tightly it almost hurt.
“I promise you, no harm will ever befall our child. Ever. I'll make sure of it. If it does, I'll…” He thought for a moment. Maybe something to diffuse the tension a little. “...blow them to smithereens?”
There was a beat, where Recluse stared at him blankly. Fearing he'd made it worse, Sage opened his mouth to apologize, only to be interrupted by the most melodic sounding snort laugh he'd ever heard.
It was sweet music to his worrying soul.
“Heh, you…you probably can't do that…”
“Well, not if you have that attitude.” Sage pridefully smiled, earning another startled laugh from Recluse. “I'm capable of most anything, you know. Explosions, dynamite, TNT; you name it, I've got the means to do it.”
“Shut up, hehe…” Much to Sage's surprise, Recluse pulled him in for a sweet kiss, filled with warmth and love for his beloved partner. The scholar was delighted that he was feeling better now, pulling away and dotting many more kisses over the hermit's face, eliciting tired fits of giggles.
“There's that precious smile again.” Sage spoke quietly, nuzzling into the warmth that Recluse naturally radiated. Both mentally and physically.
“Thank you…I love you so much…”
“I love you too, starlight…”
