there was an array of young flowers tucked between the glossy leaves, warm paper lanterns guide you through the maze of flora. there’s water colored butterflies sipping the nectar of your favorite flowers, the scent of honey and earth soothing your nerves. bi-han has gifted you a greenhouse. considering the fact that the lin kuei palace contains lots of open land to train on — it was fitting to add something less grueling and tense. he directly thought about you, encased with delicate, floral pieces as you beam at the variations of flowers and other greenery you always mentioned during your afternoon walks. it started off with short nods, listening intently to your frantic words with amusement. then he’d silently gift you engraved pots filled with young flowers and all the needed tools to build a lively collection of plants. that didn’t seem enough. the grandmaster always had urges for something more, something greater, that he also applied it to you or rather, your fondness over flowers. since the freezing climate wasn’t so fitting for sun enriched plants, constructing a greenhouse would be fitting and also, fulfilling for him to do in secret. it was hard work to pull it off. there were times you nearly spotted it in the middle of its development and your suspicion towards bi-han’s sudden interest in flora made him sweat icicles, but it was all worth seeing your radiant smile in the end. for now on, he’ll find you within the maze of bustling blossoms — individually nurturing them with love and care and amusingly talking to the clusters of flora like little children. at that the thought of your happiness, he smiled under his mask.
the parchment felt light and airy in your grasp, but much more of them were tied with a silk string — each individually sealed with set red wax, blotches of little lighthearted notes and tea stains smudged along the handcrafted envelopes. they smelt faintly of sweet herbs and dried ink. kuai liang has gifted you a collection of love letters. it all started when he met you, his usual writing was put off for his lin kuei duties, leaving the pens to dry off and the stacks of parchment to pile dust bunnies. then your gentle presence gave him a boost to write small notes in the middle of the night. the adorning look you would give him would make him write paragraphs with such ease, leaving a shade of blotched blue all over his palm. then your contagious laughter and assuring gaze made a mountain of neatly crafted love letters in the corner of his usual tidy room. along the ink read his first impressions of you, the beautiful details that you missed about yourself, lengths of innocent admiration, and millions of confessions about how much he loves you. each letter had little surprises tucked between the pages. a frail cherry blossom petal when you both first trained together. colored origami animals that you spotted during missions. he kept them all as a sign of his love — dedication towards you. watching you carefully unfold himself with gentle hands, he safely locks the image of your big grin and droplets of joyful tears in his memory for another love letter.
the glimmering of delicate light reflected over the bare walls, adding a pretty iridescence on the wallpaper. clashes of soft yellow, with pastel greens and pinks made your skin twinkle under the sun. the silhouette of a dainty butterfly floated through the air. tomas has gifted you a sun catcher. the warm village of fengjian had pockets of small businesses. crowded bookstores, fragile porcelain shops, and fresh produce stands. he didn’t have any personal feelings towards these stores, rather he wanted something more personal — made with his own hands and heart. that’s when he finds a workshop filled with dozens of personal projects, unfinished ceramics and even glass bracelets. then he eyes a mesmerizing piece, a sun catcher. it reminded him how you seem to unintentionally fill every room you’re in with light, how you always impressively shined through the bitter ash of his magic — winning every spar between the two of you. the process of making a sun catcher was meticulous, melting down metal small rods together, inserting colored glass with clear precision but with very nervous hands. tomas finishes off the butterfly piece with a string of patterned beads that he collected when you both visited different villages. a crescent moon dangling at the end to represent him — your opposite, your midnight protector. there’s instant relief when you beamed ever so brightly at your handcrafted gift. he helped you hang it by your window, the glimmer of reflection blinding the both of you for a second. then he sits with you, explaining the meaning of each individual bead and glass — while your smile brightens the whole room.
add. note : the alt title would’ve been ‘if he wanted to he would’, but i’ll refrain from men slander for now (`ー´) …
two times you help wash kenshi's hair (gn! reader).
notes: short blurbs, i kinda hate them but first writing warmup post :]!
cw: talk about injuries (mention of scabbing/old blood), mention of feeling lost agency
1. His wounds are still fresh, tender and stinging when he moves any muscle to force a facial expression. Settled down in a safe encampment, one of you always on a watch and alert of the surroundings though usually in pairs to soothe any nerves of further damage. Your hands cradling his head like saint about to bless a knight, his lips set in a firm line as he tries to hate it.
You're behind him as he faces out towards the riverbed, Kenshi kneeling onto pebbled sand so you have a good angle to work at. He's stiff instead of pliant, distraught in his own thoughts while you rub circles into his scalp. Gentle scratches to pull out lasting dirt and pollen in the building suds.
One of your hands constantly checking fast swipes along his forehead to collect any stray anything. That's why you're here and doing this. You knew if he was left to his own devices with this he wouldn't offer himself the idea of being gentle, that he'd go for the normal routine of washing face and optimal. His care for efficiency overpowering and uncaring about his injuries. They're still unmanageable blood clots, still needing the time in the air to form solid layers of scab. Without those layers, the wounds are still raw and unprotected. They needed to be left alone even at the cost of momentary upset over lost agency.
Maybe, just maybe, it adds to his upset that he can't even close his eyes at all. That this interaction is clinical rather than for comfort. He feels like a patient, like a child's doll being prepared for an important playdate. This had been taken out of one of his more indulgent dreams to be reimagined as sterile.
Or maybe it was the part of him, the part that was small and still anchored to shock, that liked it. It being the feeling of your cautiousness, the pampering of you trying not to get water in his ears as you poured cupfuls of river onto him to wash out the soap and grime. And one of those same hands on his forehead with the palm facing the sky for that same reason but to block his face instead of his ears. Or maybe he wants to hate it because of the end. When you rest those weary caretaking hands on his shoulders and tell him you're sorry. As if you had been at fault instead of another, as if you were carrying his pain because it couldn't be handled on his own. He hadn't responded other than a nod then, his fists at his sides. Tight and curling tighter until short nails pressed crescents into his palms. But he would let you do it again next time there was the break to, finding more embarrassment in being too proud to accept you could do it better.
2. Kenshi didn't need you to do it this time, Sento close and his bandage housing scars instead of scabs. But he had wanted it and was okay to admit so after the time had passed, comfortable in being himself. Some part of him soothed and conditioned by hanging out so closely with the others and their extroverted personalities that he had even smiled.
Though the smile had been lopsided and just a slight curl of his lips' corner. It was there anyhow and made for you, a dream.
You're back in the same stance though he is sitting on a small bathstool, towel on his lap and his hands resting on the towel. A level of relaxation, vulnerability in his peace. Sento resting against the doorframe and faux vision in a hazy of usual new clarity from the distance. Your touch is still as gentle even if he can't remember how lightly you had worked the first time this scenario happened, him being too caught up in himself to process details other than the fact you had treated him like something weak but prized.
Kenshi would talk to you this time whenever you offered the olive branch of communication, sharing stories of Johnny and Kung Lao placing bets on how many oranges they could feed Raiden before he got sick. It had been around seven and a half before he started to politely decline taking any more citrus. He would laugh at the memory, a chuckle rumbling deep from his chest. Like a boiler locked in a home closet, forgotten and rekindled. You had made it felt easy, like home was a path he could find no matter what as long as he was in your hands or if you were in his.
honest eyes┊when you stare at their hands for too long
raiden. johnny cage + kenshi takahashi & liu kang.
♡ this is a sequel to my other work. i wanted to include them since i’ve gotten request for more characters. hope you guys enjoy and check out my mlist !
raiden was confused at first. he was not dreaming, right? he knew his small crush on you could make him overthink certain interactions, but the more he quietly observed you, he realized that your mindless staring was in fact, reality. coming into terms with this realization was hard for raiden, dissecting every possible outcome as to why your unreadable gaze seemed so glued to him. ignoring this dilemma sounds more unnerving, offering him temporary peace, and so he did. but only then the limelight that you unintentionally showered over him the past few days left him flustered and somewhat clumsy. it only began to worsen when he caught your intense gaze on his quivering hands, the warm tea swishing around the small ceramic cup. silence fell between the two of you, with raiden watching your eyes drag over the fine details of his hands — rough from working in the fields yet gentle with anything he touched. “what’s so particular about my hands that you seem to like so much?” it took a bit of courage to ask, but he was pleased to see you gaze away nervously, sputter something incoherent, just like he would with you. maybe his crush wasn’t actually one-sided all along.
johnny never seemed to notice your blatant staring, or so you thought. under the foggy lenses and his humorous exterior, his was incredibly sharp when it came to observing his surroundings — particularly you drooling over the sight of his hands. after making such a huge discovery, he has been absolutely insufferable and loud. the flirty little comments you’ve received became much bolder, he was more expressive with his hands — pointing things directly by your face and “casually” articulating them around every time he talked. he would even exaggeratedly stretch out his limbs as his ring gleamed under a nonexistent light — the wolf whistle was the cherry on top. despite all his teasing gestures, you still gazed hungrily over the callouses and subtle veins that swelled over his skin. with his strong fingers dancing along your knee, you try to keep his movement still, tracing over his hands carefully once he complied. “take a picture, it’ll last longer.” he snickers at his own joke, but this was his idea after all. next time, he’ll make sure to get a few angles saved in his camera roll.
kenshi has always been particularly tense when it came to unwanted attention. that’s why he instantly felt your lingering gaze — like he had a sixth sense. but confusion dawned upon him. what were you staring at? he learned to be cautious about his appearance, hiding his troubling past under long sleeve shirts and keeping a calm demeanor to not scare off others. yet you constantly assured him that his former affiliation with the yakuza didn’t bother you. it’s when he’s eating idly in the dinning hall of the academy, kenshi felt your unwavering eyes on him again. this time he followed the tilt of your head, noticing a blush on your blank features, and finally stopping at his rough tattooed hands. he’s heard of this before, a hand fetish? kenshi smirks knowingly, placing his utensils on the table as he raises a hand over your hard gaze. “if you wanted to look, you should’ve just asked.” he teases with a smile, lowering his hand to let let your fingertips ghost over his inked skin — something that he would never let anyone else do.
liu kang did not need his divine intuition to notice your unwavering eyes — it was quite obvious and rather amusing. when he crafted this new timeline, he never suspected that you would ever see him in a certain light. although he usually wears hand wraps on a daily basis, there are rare occasions when he would rather continue his routine without a tight fit pressing fine lines onto his skin. with your curious presence sifting through the halls of the fire temple, liu kang feels it’s only natural to shred off the one thing that taunts your prying gaze. your subtle reactions to his rare exposure never failed to make him smile. now, you sit alongside the fire god in a daze — mesmerized by the veins and small cuts that decorated his hands. liu kang gently held your smaller hand, applying a soothing balm over your healing cut. his glowing eyes flicker to your lingering stare, openly gawking at his hands and periodically, dragging along his inked muscles. that’s when he suddenly broke out laughing, breaking you out of a trance. “your gaze never seems to falter, huh?” he keeps a firm grip on your hand when you try to flee away, basking in your flustered eyes.
Heimdall was doomed. How was it possible for him to adore a mere half-god? One who, as he loved to remark, was a nobody—someone without even the slightest honor to their name.
This is not love, no. This isn’t love, he thought furiously; it’s infatuation, nothing more and nothing less.
A God like him would never be caught with his heart set on someone like you. But why did he notice that his normally pale cheeks turned a little redder as he looked at you? He wouldn’t dare read your mind since he would be terrified to interfere with your life.
No, no. He would curse at himself, the disdain and anger he felt steadily consuming him. Did it truly have to be you out of everyone and everything? When Heimdall gazed at you, he had a sense of tranquility that he simultaneously desired and despised. He didn’t want to need you and he didn’t need you.
Perhaps, one day, someone like Heimdall could learn to give love.
Upon hearing his tale, the Norns grinned amusedly.
Synopsis: You are a mortal and show up inside Kratos’ and Atreus’ protection stave one fateful day. Fimbulwinter just started and you have no idea of your past so after much consideration, our two favourite boys decide to take you in. Flash forward to the events of GOW:R and you are now a part of the ever growing family. And in charge of the stupid. Which is why you unceremoniously decide to follow Atreus into Asgard where you meet a certain someone who may just simultaneously destroy you and put you back together again...
Pairing: Heimdall x fem!Reader
Word count: 2.5k
A/N: i am currently sick and have nothing better to do, so why not write about my latest obsession, the only cat person in all the 9 realms lmao (but also i just like writing sarcastic assholes in general ok ajsksk)
***
Part 1
The two of you stumbled out of the raven vortex and the rustling of countless wings was immediately replaced by the howling of the ice-cold wind that blew all around you up here.
You turned in every direction to regain your bearings and quickly jumped back when you saw how close you were to the edge of the enormous wall. Wow. If you had left the vortex in the opposite direction you would be mush by now…
You turned around once more when you felt a light touch on your arm and looked into Atreus’ slightly worried eyes. “Everything okay?”
You nodded. “Y-Yeah… I guess so.”
It wasn’t a lie. Although you still felt a little dizzy, you could already feel your head slowly clearing up again. Nevertheless, you let yourself sink onto the next best rock, just to be on the safe side in case your legs would belatedly decide to give out under you. From here you took in the whole panorama. And man, was it spectacular.
Your eyes were just gliding along the Bifröst bridge when you suddenly heard a slow clapping sound from behind you. Immediately your heads snapped around, only to see a young man walking towards you.
The first thing you noticed were his eyes; bright purple and so penetrating as if they could see right through you. You shuddered and quickly got up again. With your arms wrapped tightly around your torso, you positioned yourself half behind Atreus who must have felt quite similar about the stranger because he had automatically adopted a defensive stance. Having to be protected by the younger god always annoyed you but in this situation you made an exception. After all, you hadn’t exactly been dealt the best cards here, as a mere mortal in frickin‘ Asgard. For what felt like the hundredth time today you cursed yourself for jumping after him into that damn raven vortex…
“Not bad, really not bad”, the stranger then began and dropped his hands, “Not many are able to surprise me. Actually, make that close to none. And yet here you are… Living proof of the opposite.”
He came to a stop in front of you and you had to swallow when you realized the enormous power that emanated from him. Atreus, too, shifted his weight uncomfortably. His fear made the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. Who was this guy...?
He tilted his head a bit and looked at the two of you with a cold smile. “Two little rats, who somehow wormed their way into the All-Fathers good graces. But only in part, it seems like, judging by where he dropped you off. Curious…”
His words hung in the air between you until Atreus finally regained his voice. “Um. Yeah, I… guess so. No idea why he didn’t take us further in.”
The man in front of you showed no reaction other than a slight lift of his eyebrow.
Atreus cleared his throat. “Er, we, that means me, by the way. Atr- I mean Loki, from the Jötnar. And she’s-”
But before he could introduce you he was swiftly interrupted. “Jötnar, you said. The Jötnar. Enemy of my people.”
The boy quickly shook his head. “No, no! I mean- well, that’s half-true at least, but I am not your enemy. Really, I’m not. Uh, neither of us is. Why else would Odin bring us here?”
You saw his eyes narrowing. “I guess that’s the big question, isn’t it? Seems increasingly untrue actually, the longer I have the great pleasure of standing here with you guys. Sure you’re not just some dirty little invaders who can master a few magic tricks, hm?”
Atreus couldn’t even get a single word in before the man immediately rolled his eyes and followed it up with: “No. No, looking you over, you are definitely too incapable for that. And as much as I would love to give you a little push right about now - and believe me, I'd truly love it…” He chuckled before sighing heavily. “I think I’ll have to be patient with that until the All-Father has recognized his mistake and wants to get rid of you again. Luckily, postponed isn’t cancelled though, right?”
He finished his little monologue with a pretty evil looking smirk before motioning for you to follow him.
The two of you exchanged an uncertain look but you didn’t really have a choice after all. So the boy just shrugged and ran after the Aesir. You quickly followed suit, rubbing your sweaty palms on your pants. What a welcome…
In many other situations, you would have been at least a little offended by being just completely ignored in a conversation like this. But in this one you gladly made an exception and were quite happy to have kept your mouth shut. This whole thing really was a size too big for you. And if there was a chance to get through all of this without having to feel those creepy glowing eyes on you even once, you would grab her face and kiss her right on the mouth.
Speaking of glowing eyes…
“Uh, sorry, but… is that Gjallarhorn on your belt? Are you Heimdall?”
He didn’t even bother turning around. “Who else should I be, slowpoke.”
At first you thought you had misheard. Heimdall? This was Heimdall? Huh… You didn’t know what to make of that. You had definitely imagined him more… imposing. Older. Sexier? Similar to the pictures in Sindri’s books at least. But maybe their artist had just been as disappointed in the real thing as you were now and had then decided to compensate for it in their drawings. You definitely couldn’t blame them.
“Huh…”, you then heard Atreus murmur under his breath and had to bite your lip because he had obviously followed a similar train of thought.
At that, Heimdall stopped and turned around. “What do you mean by… ‘huh’?”, he asked and narrowed his eyes dangerously.
For a quick moment you asked yourself how the Aesir could have even heard that, then you slowly remembered what you had read about him: Enhanced senses, mind reading, "future vision"… No wonder he seemed so powerful to you. He was, even if his appearance suggested otherwise.
“Uh, nothing, sorry! Was just thinking out loud… That’s all.”
Like that would make it better. You held your breath but Heimdall just rolled his eyes and set off again. Phew. Lucked out there. You gave Atreus a warning glance before you continued to follow the Aesir god. Who definitely seemed to have left his sense of humor at the other end of the Bifröst bridge…
“What Odin wants from you children is beyond me”, you then heard him say (and further prove your point), “The greatest, the All-Father, King of the Aesir, must have a hundred better things to do than to hang around the likes of you. But alright, we’ll see soon enough, I suppose.”
And as if on cue, you now got to see something else, too. Because you had just arrived on the other side of the wall which revealed Asgard deep below you, in all its glory. Or rather… part of it? Because like Heimdall, you had definitely imagined this place to be more impressive. In fact it looked relatively similar to the dwellings that you had already seen at the foot of the wall, as well as some settlements in Midgard. Just a bunch of wooden huts.
Heimdall noticed that you had stopped. “Ah. Your eyes must of course be used to more… squalid things, I forgot. Please, feast yourselves on Asgard’s splendor.”
Everything he said sounded sarcastic. He was sarcasm personified and seemed ready to fight at all times so you had to be really damn careful not to misinterpret him. But there was no doubt in your mind that he had actually meant everything he just said and you quickly made a mental note to “avoid offending Asgard in the presence of sarcastic asshorn, or dead.”
You turned away from the supposed „splendor“ below and promptly found yourself under Heimdall’s piercing gaze. Your heart immediately dropped into your pants.
“Oh, already done? Cornerstone of civilization not really your thing, hm? I see… But it’s okay, I get it. I’m sure the sight must overwhelm your limited minds quite a bit.”
He laughed and turned around again. Your eyes felt so hot you wouldn’t have been surprised if they would start to give off sparks. This time it was Atreus who gave you a warning glance just as you were imagining burning a hole into Heimdall’s back. You answered his look with a wry smile. He didn’t have to worry, you would behave. Weren’t tired of life after all. Even if your recent actions could have you think the opposite, but hey! You never claimed to be particularly smart.
The two of you followed Heimdall onto a wooden lift which he then immediately set in motion. Now that you stood a lot closer together, you were able to take a better look at him. Secretly, of course. You didn’t want to openly stare at him. But it probably wouldn’t have made a difference anyway because he was still strangely fixated on Atreus. As a boring mortal he likely just didn’t give a damn about you, at least when you weren't screaming for attention. So blessing in disguise…?
“Okay, little giant. Ask your questions.”
“What questions?”
Heimdall gave him an annoyed look. “You know who I am, yes? So please, be less stupid. Next question.”
Atreus was undeterred. Something you had always admired about him and should probably learn a lesson from: Keep a cool head and don’t let yourself be rattled so easily.
“Okay… um. I take it Odin didn’t announce us…?”
The Aesir stared at Atreus as if he was obtuse but then just sighed and rolled his eyes again. A hobby of his, it seemed. But maybe also a… necessity? Maybe that’s how he trained his Bifröst eyes, you thought, chuckling to yourself as you pictured him standing on a training ground, still as a tree, just rolling his eyes over and over…
Your own then ran across his face as he continued chatting with Atreus. You noticed that his teeth seemed to sparkle in certain head positions. Maybe it was just the light… or he actually had golden teeth…? Quite fitting, you thought, at least taking some other details into account, like his many earrings, the neatly braided hair and the golden ornaments on his clothes. So not just a sarcastic asshole, a vain one at that. Great. The whole damn package then.
“…is my job.”
“Which would be?”, you heard Atreus ask.
“Protecting Asgard from danger, of course.”
The young god raised his eyebrows at that. “And you think we are a danger to it?”
“Her?” Heimdall nodded in your direction and you immediately felt your muscles tense up again. Gods… you really had to loosen up, obviously he had no intention of physically attacking you any time soon, otherwise he would have done so already. “Not even worth mentioning.”
“Hey!”, you exclaimed on instinct, but well… he wasn’t wrong.
“You on the other hand…”
“Me? But you just met me.”
Heimdall bared his teeth. “Believe me, Loki, I’ve heard enough about you already. Not necessary, really, just as I don’t really need to look inside your head now to know that you’re full of chaos. It follows you everywhere, sticks to you like fresh ashes. I could smell it miles away.”
You noticed Atreus tensing beside you. “You’re wrong. I help people.”
“Ooh,” the Aesir cried, “you help people. Of course. And that’s why you’re here now, yes? Not to help yourself?”
One had to give it to him. He seemed to know exactly what buttons to push to make you angry as all hell. Which of course was not surprising considering that he could literally see inside people’s heads. Nevertheless, not the best premise for a possible fight with the Aesir god…
“Here, let me help you out. You are here because you want to achieve your goal and to do so, you manipulate and lie wherever you go. You may be young but you have a depraved little soul, you know that? I watch your mouth move… and I see cities burning.”
By this point Atreus was so tense that he almost vibrated next to you. His hands were balled into fists. So much for “keeping a cool head”… Before he could do anything rash though, you decided to intervene. You didn’t really think it through, it happened automatically which is why you also didn’t really think of any consequences at first. At least not until you saw yourself once more under Heimdall’s piercing gaze as you positioned yourself between the two gods.
“We may have goals of our own, sure, but if we also help Odin in the process, doesn’t that make us… allies? At least for the moment…?”
As soon as you had finished you realized how naive that must have sounded. Oh joy, you could not wait for the sarcastic remark, that would now surely follow…
Unsurprisingly, his first reaction was a hearty laugh before he said: “Would you look at that. A mortal wants to dictate what a god-”
And then… he just stopped.
You frowned when he suddenly just stared at you, mouth open and head slightly tilted. The sight was so funny to you, you had the urge to wave in front of his face to see if he was still mentally present. But again, not suicidal. Instead, you just tried to return his gaze and got more and more creeped out by it…
In the end, it was Atreus who broke the spell: “Uh, Heimdall? Everything… okay?”
“…Interesting. Very interesting”, the Aesir god then murmured, ignoring Atreus completely, but at least he had finally shown a reaction. His eyes, however, were still glued to yours as he added: “I think I understand why you’re here now…”
You swallowed hard and suddenly found that you couldn’t turn away either. It was as if those purple orbs were holding you captive, as if you were in some kind of trance, unable to resist them… Until suddenly Heimdall grinned and clapped his hands. You jerked so hard, you thought the lift had wobbled extra badly just because of you.
But no, it turned out that this had just signaled the end of your journey. With a rumble, the lift came to a halt and Heimdall, still grinning, bowed slightly at the two of you before he said:
“Welcome to Asgard, esteemed guests.”
And then he just turned around and left, like the creepy situation from moments ago hadn’t happened at all.
(n.) something that makes you forget grief or suffering.
Pairing: Týr x Goddess!Reader
Warnings: SPOILERS!!!, some angst, comfort with fluff, slow burn (??), we love a caring Týr, implied depression, attempt at humor, Heimdall is an asshole, reader is the Greek Goddess of Time and Remembrance, mentions of incest, Kratos and reader met in gow ii, sweet moment with Kratos because he needs it.
Author’s Note: I have done it and I absolutely loved it, even though I haven’t slept in a week… Anyway, I just really wanted to write Týr cause I love this peaceful god, he deserved so much more. Also yeah, Kratos and reader are blood family, well… As much as the Greek pantheon can be called a family, because it’s all a fucking mess.
This oneshot is very long, I didn’t know how long it was until I saw the word count. I am impressed with myself.
I constantly think of my mistake, a mistake that looked so innocent at first view one would laugh if they weren’t in my place, trapped in a prison with no chance of ever escaping, and missing laying on the grass feeling the rain on my skin, the freezing snow, or the sun rays that once brought me warmth. Now… Now those memories are a curse in my mind, perhaps years have passed since I stepped into this realm looking for shelter, and my worries went to Kratos. Had he survived Zeus? There’s only a small chance we even stumbled into the same land.
summary: as the child of the greek god of war, kratos— you've fought your fair share of enemies. you've prepared yourself for anything, including an obnoxious aesir god who thinks he knows better.
notes: you are already an adult by the events of god of war (2018), and you are the child of kratos and faye. you were not as affected by not knowing your godhood to the extent atreus was. odin invites you to asgard, NOT atreus.
when you set out to spread your mother's ashes at the tallest peak, you made it your goal to protect your brother from anything that may come across. your father, kratos, insisted that there would be bigger threats out there during your youth. you never doubted him. when your mother died, you realized that his words rang truer than you ever expected them to.
years later, you swear you've seen everything.
the more you travelled, the more you saw and the more knowledgeable you became. you learned quickly, how to take on enemies of all different types and sizes. it became a second nature to you, something that took little to no thought to complete. your mind connected every step together with no effort, and it was wonderful to feel strong.
atreus grew into a strong, capable young man and you couldn't be prouder. he became taller, and it nearly brought you to tears. your baby brother was growing up quicker than you would've preferred him to.
with the death of baldur and the beginning of fimbulwinter, things were looking dire. freya was beginning to show herself more often, putting your family in a risky position. living on midgard in those conditions weren't ideal, but home was always going to be home.
thor and odin showing up at your doorstep made things worse. odin had proposed that you visit asgard— see all it has to offer and more.
of course, you denied without missing a beat. your father was out there somewhere, fighting his son. you wouldn't forget everything he did to mimir— to freya. you knew better. of course you did. why would odin invite you to asgard if he didn't need something from you? his goal would always be to manipulate, to deceive.
it was only when things started getting dire that you even considered visiting.
"i'm thinking about going to asgard," you spoke up after a bite of your food. you weren't too sure what it was. týr had made it, with the help of atreus. you were happy for your brother. he had clearly looked up to him, even though he wasn't as much of a help as you hoped he would be.
your father only looked up at you, and out of the corner of your eye, you saw atreus' worried face. "no." your father replied, his voice as cold as the lands of niflheim.
you knew he would say that. you fell silent. you didn't want to go, but you felt as if the situation called for it. "i'll be a pair of eyes on the inside." you reasoned with pursed lips. you knew it would be difficult to convince him to agree with you, but you didn't need his permission. you were an adult. a capable one, at that.
"i said no."
you bit at the inside of your cheek, glancing over at týr— who sat awkwardly at the other end of the table. your gaze shifted to brok, who clearly wasn't paying attention, happily munching on his food.
"that isn't a good idea." you heard freya's voice call out from her room, and you let out a sigh. "maybe not. but i feel like i should try." you muttered, your voice still heard through the silence of the home. what other option was there? you were at a dead end. everything you've found ended up being nothing. if you were going to find answers, they would be in asgard.
"all odin does is lie," she continued after a pause, "and manipulate. i know better than anyone."
"she is right, y'know." mimir said, and you felt your heart weigh heavy. "you learn a lot about a man after bein' tortured by em every day." he let out a chuckle, trying to lighten the mood with a joke.
"all we're finding now are dead ends. we need something real." you said, turning your eyes back to your father. his expression didn't change. it hardly ever did.
"we need you alive. we need you.. safe." he replied without a moment's hesitation. he cared about you. you knew that, and hearing the desperation in his voice made that even clearer.
you decided to end the conversation there. you wouldn't convince him to let you go, but you reassured yourself. you were an adult. you were allowed to make your own decisions, even if they were dangerous ones. you ate your meal in silence, coming up with a plan to leave that night.
you forced yourself out of bed, slipping on your coat— making sure to take your key of yggdrasil with you. your grabbed your weapons and crawled out of the window in your room, sneaking around the back of sindri's house towards the gateway.
"where are you going?"
you closed your eyes tightly, turning on your heel to be met with the fuzzy face of ratatoskr. "out." you replied, nonchalantly shrugging your shoulders. he shook his head, scampering towards you. "you look.. nervous, master y/n." he continued, not taking your answer seriously. "is there something the matter?"
his concern did put a smile on your face, but you shook your head. "it's nothing. just.. don't tell anyone i went out, okay? i don't want them freaking out over it."
he raised an eyebrow, crossing his arms over his chest, but he nodded. "if that is what you wish. do stay safe, yes?" he looked up at you with a stern expression for a squirrel, and you chuckled. "i will. i'll be back, okay?" you said, returning your attention to the gate. you lifted the key to it, setting your destination to midgard, you pushed open the door and stepped onto the branches of the world tree.
'i'll be back.'
your words rang through your mind like a torturous song. would you be back anytime soon? had you lied to him? all he had done was show you kindness..—
it was bigger than ratatoskr. would you be back to see your father? your brother? freya, freyr, brok and sindri? their faces flashed through your mind, and you shook your head. what did you have to worry about? you were a guest. they wouldn't try to kill you.
maybe you did lie to him. maybe you were making the biggest mistake of your life by thinking this was a good idea, but it felt like the only option. you were doing what you thought was best. you pushed away the guilt that was eating at your mind and continued down the path, waiting for the doorway to open.
being stuck with your own thoughts wasn't something you enjoyed very much, you learned. you pushed the door open with your hip, gripping at your sword. you knew hel-walkers would show up sometime soon and it was better to be prepared. you learned that from your father.
you shivered. this was a bad idea.
you didn't know where you were, and you didn't know how to get to asgard. odin never told you how— so you stood in the middle of the forest and called out for his ravens, huginn and muginn.
"i want to go to asgard!" you said, voice clearly showing your frustration. "no one knows i'm out here!" you continued, your shoulders slumping when there was no response.
that was, until there was.
a large swarm of ravens surrounded you, flying around you. their feathers were everywhere, and your vision was blocked by the sheer amount of them. it took a few moments, and then—
you were cold.
the water made you even colder with the added frost from midgard you carried with you, and you cringed at the feeling. you pulled yourself to shore, your arms getting tired from all of the work you'd had to do to get to that point already. so much walking— it felt as if your legs were going to fall off.
you coughed, laying down in the dirt for a few moments to catch your breath. "seriously.." you spoke breathlessly to yourself, pulling yourself to sit up. as soon as you opened your eyes, all of your efforts to catch your breath were put to waste.
it was beautiful. different shades of greens and blues, birds of all sorts flying above you. in the distance, you could see snow capped mountain ranges. you were surrounded by uninhabited highlands. the bridge above you stretched thousands of miles, and you swallowed. it was gorgeous, but the severity of your actions were only just starting to set in.
you walked for what felt like forever, a massive wall obstruction your vision to anything behind it. this was asgard. you knew that well enough.
"figured asgard would be safer than this," you grumbled to yourself as you killed yet another nightmare. the plains were filled with dangers, and your fathers words from your childhood echoed through your mind.
'there will be greater threats.'
the thought of him now was calming. you hung onto it for as long as you could as you walked, your eyes glued onto the massive wall in front of you. it was covered in large, rusted nails. hrimthur did build the wall. you thought of the flaw he had supposedly put in place, and you suddenly regretted not asking freya what he had told her earlier. you pushed it aside. regretting the past does nothing for the future.
you made it to the bottom of the wall, hands at your hips as you stared up at it. it looked easy enough to climb, so long as you don't look down. you felt weak already, but you figured you could make it.
with a deep breath, you forced yourself to begin the climb. as you expected, it wasn't too hard. your hands were sore from the rock, but you found spots that were easy enough to grab and hold onto. your legs ached, but the adrenaline kept you going.
the feeling of solid ground made you laugh in joy, and you decided to revel in it for a few seconds. you looked down and across the plains and at the mountains in the distance. you saw a village below you, and you furrowed your eyebrows. you noticed it when you passed through, but you saw no one. perhaps you were too focused on the task at hand.
your brother would've stopped. the thought made you chuckle. he was too kind. you wished he were with you. you sighed. you were doing this for him— for your father.
with a grunt, you pulled yourself up an awkward part of the wall, practically walking up the section adjacent to you. you extended your hand, finally feeling the top of the wall. you were so close. you inhaled and..—
the feeling of a hand wrapped around your wrist made you look up, and you were met with the face of a man. blonde, tall— eyes purple and strangely beautiful. "hello." he said, and you raised an eyebrow. what was he doing up here, anyway? there were people who monitored this thing?
"what part of the enormous wall made you think, 'oh. visitors must be welcome!'" he spoke sarcastically, looking down at you coldly. "well, there wasn't a gate. so." you replied, slight laughter escaping your lips as you looked up at him. he rolled his eyes.
"i was sent for," you continued after a moment of silence, "by odin." your voice was loud enough for him to hear you over the wind, and he raised an eyebrow. "the allfather sent for you?" he chuckled dryly, a cocky smile on his lips, "then why are you out there.. and not in here?"
"i wish i knew." you shot back, "let's ask him." you proposed, trying to put a friendly smile on your face. you could feel yourself slipping from his grasp, and you had nothing to hold onto. your shoulder was going to pop out of its socket if he didn't pull you up soon.
"what could odin.. king of the aesir, possibly want with the likes of you?" he spat out. his tone was gentle, but filled with venom. "that's between me and him." you told him.
silence, again.
"so.. think you can pull me up?"
"i don't think i will. i think, actually— i'll just drop you." he let you slip even further out of his grasp, and your feet searched for anything below you to hang onto. "wait, wait, wait— please," you pleaded but your words fell on deaf ears.
your other hand desperately grabbed onto his wrist, "think of what the allfather would say.. finding out you killed his guest. y/n of the jötnar.."
his jaw clenched, but his eyes looked down at your hands at his wrist. "the jötnar?" he chuckled just as sarcastically as he had before, "enemy of my people?"
"i am not your enemy."
his eyes met yours, and for a moment you thought he was going to drop you anyways. he groaned, standing up and pulling you with him. you laid on the ground for a few seconds and he stood above you with crossed arms. "i will be the judge of that." he said in response to your previous statement, and you let out a sigh of relief.
pushing yourself up to your feet, you noticed the horn that hung from his hip. this was heimdall. of course he would be the one patrolling up here. the less time you spent with him, the better it would be for you.
"we don't have all day." his voice cut you out of your thoughts, and you nodded. your feet kicked at the rocks underneath you, following a few steps behind him. you noticed the braids in his hair, and the patterns in his clothes. he was loved by these people. you could tell that much.
"now, feel free to drink in the splendor of asgard's beauty. it is a rare sight for outsiders.. especially giants." you rolled your eyes. all aesir really were the same— but he seemed cockier. more full of himself. you walked past a pouch laying on the ground, and you resisted the urge to pick it up. you knew he would lay into you for it.
"ask your questions, already." heimdall pulled the switch, making the platform the two of you stood on move down towards the town below you. "i don't have any questions." you shrugged with pursed lips, looking over at him. he fell silent for a moment, "everyone does. ask them."
you chuckled, "you're not used to people saying no to you, are you?" he said nothing in response, and you raised your eyebrows, amused. you decided to keep quiet. you didn't want to get too playful with him. you wanted to keep him away from you— to avoid being suspicious.
"we are here. off." he gestured for you to step off of the platform, and he moved ahead of you again. he led you down a flight of wooden stairs, that had clearly been made with care. you looked around. asgard was beautiful. you wouldn't deny it. his eyes lit up at the sight of a creature across the small area you'd stepped into, and if it were anyone else you would've thought it sweet.
you tuned him out as he spoke to the animal, and you looked up at the clouds. no signs of fimbulwinter, as far as the eye could see. "are you coming?" his impatient voice rang out from behind you. he had mounted the animal, and he moved his head as a way to tell you to get on behind him. you pulled yourself up, and a set of doors opened.
"it's beautiful." you decided to say, realizing that the silence was beginning to get more awkward. "obviously." he said back to you, glancing over his shoulder to look at you. "i'm being genuine." you told him, able to tell that he didn't believe you, given his body language. "right." heimdall replied, taking on a tone that almost sounded like he were trying to tease you. you shook your head, deciding the silence was better.
"the great lodge— which the allfather built with his bare hands." he informed you, and you nodded. "impressive." you complimented, assuming that your words would help him see you in a more positive light. you knew that he hated the jötnar, as every aesir would presumably. you thought about your mother. you sighed to yourself.
he stopped in his tracks, hopping off of the animal. he slapped it's rear end, bucking you off and making you land in the mud. "what was that for?" you groaned, wiping the mud out out of your eyes. "helmets! i have a practice dummy for you." he called out to the einherjar, who eagerly jumped out in front of you, ready for battle.
"i thought we were going to odin!"
"change of plans," heimdall chuckled, clearly enjoying the show. "you do have treacherous intent. i am not letting you anywhere near the allfather."
you let out a frustrated grunt as you swung your sword, dodging another one of their bifröst attacks. after a few minutes that felt like hours, all of them had been eliminated.
"my turn." he jumped down off of the animal and walked towards you, a cocky smile on his lips as his eyes met yours. you sighed, and he took a quick step at you, only for you to move out of the way.
you adjusted yourself— took a deep breath and..
you opened your eyes. he had lost his footing when you swung and fell back onto the ground. his breathing was shaky, his gaze glued to the fabric of his shirt— torn apart by your blade. he glanced up at you, his mouth agape as he did so. "what..?" he muttered to himself, his gaze desperately flicking between you and his tattered clothing, hoping as though he thought you would have the answers he searched for.
"sorry.. about the- about the shirt." you spoke quietly. you sheathed your sword. he was beaten. there was no need to continue. your weapon tore right through his clothes, and you could see the blood on his abdomen.
his head turned toward you at the speed of light, his face bright red, but he said nothing to you. he slowly forced himself onto his feet, not blinking the entire time. he averted his gaze from you. as soon as he was standing, he turned on his heel and left you alone in front of odin's home.
all you could do was watch him leave. it was for the best, anyways.. right?
why was his heart beating so fast?
heimdall rushed to his quarters, digging through his drawers to find a replacement shirt while his current one gets fixed by the seamstresses.
why was his heart beating so fast?
he could feel it— pounding against his ribcage like there was no tomorrow. your face popped into his mind. the smile you gave him while you were hanging off of the wall, the look in your eyes as he walked towards you. you weren't afraid, no.. no, you were confident in yourself.
what was it that let you hit him?
he was embarrassed. he knew that. he had never been touched by anyone else in a fight before, and the thought of a giant being the one to do it made him angry at himself.
what was it about you? were you special, somehow? immune to his powers?
no. you weren't. he knew that.
did he let you hit him?
no. he didn't. why would he?
why was his heart beating so fast?
he thought of you. he shook his head. no— not a giant. a giant couldn't make him feel this way. it was your father that had killed baldur, magni and modi. you were there. you had to have been there. you had to have seen it all. this wasn't right. why was he thinking of you this way?
he lifted his hands to his hair, tugging at it harshly, forcing his breads out with a clenched jaw. he could still feel the blood seeping through the bandage that covered his wound.
not a giant. right?
why was his heart beating so fast?
your smile, your eyes— no, no, no, no.
his arms fell to his sides, and he looked down at the torn fabric of his shirt, defeated.
not a giant.. right?
AHEM. i wrote this in one sitting. hope you enjoyed and let me know if you want a part two because i'm so down to write it if this does well enough <3 their story doesn't have to end here i'm telling yall right now!!
shoutout to the anon who gave me this idea!! i immediately fell in love with the thought of heimdall being head over heels for someone because they beat him somehow. i hope i did this justice!! please reblog and leave comments!! it really helps me out a lot!!
I started spamming Chishiya on my Tumblr and after less than a week… I was already writing Headcanon and fanfiction and creating edits like wallpaper. 🤍
It's always so nice to find other people who are fans of a character and a series as much as you are😭💙
My main writing blog has been dead for so long- after watching Alice in Borderland, it was the final straw and I knew I just HAVE to bring it back to life.
*cough* current work in progress *cough*
WE MUST HAVE MORE CHISHIYA IN OUR LIVES OKAY. MY OBSESSION NEEDS IT.
And also,, I really love your works too! You know,, I’ve got your wallpapers saved in my gallery for yknow... safekeeping 🥴
And most of all— the aib fandom has been so welcoming and friendly,, I’m just very grateful that I finally got to watching the show. ╰(*´︶`*)╯♡
