☆"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.
Broken takes Cheated for a little flight around the area, Cheated can't really fly because of the condition of his wings so Broken likes taking him so he can experience something close to flying
On the first day of Chris--oh wait it's already passed in my timezone. Nvm. Anyway, Broken is done, yaaay! The girlfriends are reunited! Anyway, you know how it is. Spoilers beware!
So my interpretation of the Broken is a lil more...healthier than canon. I mean, she's still a depressed bean and all but unlike Cold, she's medicated/hj. Much like the Opportunist, I stamped way too many HCs onto her (actually my bf did, bc he's disabled and he's where I get most of my ideas from) so she is not 1-to-1. But when has a lil canon divergence stopped anyone? I still am happy with how she turned out and how her disability affects her!
Details time:
- Her Princess is the Wild. And the separation from her was rough on Broken. Because of her empathy, she truly thought that being connected was the right call. We both know how it ends, and the resulting split took her legs. When they got to the Wounded Wild, both can see the damage they caused the other, and so agreed to move forward from the pain, getting to know each other.
- She obviously lost her legs, up to her thighs are root. And they also sprout from her head, too. The flower is just to hide the hole that are now in her skull.
- her wings were stripped bare, boney and unable to grow new feathers. So she opted to wear a shawl over them so they didn't hurt.
- her walk is more like a waddle, if she's doing it alone. She'd prefer to move with assistance (mainly Cheated) but if push comes to shove, she'd move on her own...very slowly.
- she is still connected to the Wild. And more often than not, she'd go to her to assimilate into the system. It's mainly a coping and calming thing, as she and Wild talk better through this direct connection. To her, this is the equivalent of going to your friend's house for some chit-chat.
- her clothes were made by Smitten to be as comfortable and easy to pull off as possible.
- her talons are frequently trimmed
- as stated in headcanons, she smokes weed. Medicinal weed to cope with the pain.
- Obviously, sometimes things hurt. Her legs are a big contribution to the pain, but her head, chest and arms also flare up. It's something that happens and while she groans and moans about it, she'd just lay still until she can move again. (And pain medication if they are REALLY bad)
- the cane was provided by Wild. It's perfect for her and if you forcibly take it from her hands, the cane turns into a root to strangle you.
- it's hard to get her motivated to do so, but almost every voice has experience the Broken Bonk™️ of Disapproval from her cane (the ones who haven't are Connie, Hero and Cheated)
- she has channel most of her self hatred to unfiltered sass. She will call you out on bullshit while using herself as the goal post. ("At LEAST I have no legs. What's your excuse?" Is an example).
- wheelchair is also optional for long distance travel.
- if anyone can draw the back of her head, I will give you a free doodle. I just wanted to give her curls but idk how to make thst look, if you're looking from straight behind her.
- Despite EVERYTHING, she still loves the Wild. She views her as a fellow person looking to heal. With Cheated included, they formed a little support group for all the trauma these poeple went through. Mainly through providing a calming and empty space to get away from the chaos and noise of Construct (and sometimes each other).
- is she as zealous as canon Broken is with Tower? Eeehhh...a little. She would much prefer the interpersonal connection and sense of completion the Wild provides than the Distant but guaranteed Protection of the Tower, but separate the 2 princesses, and she'd still grovel to Tower exactly like canon.
- it goes without saying but I will say it so it's clear: if you draw my version of Broken, draw her with her mobility aids (Cane and/or wheelchair). They are a part of her and me and my bf would appreciate it greatly, if you do that.
Ok, that's all. If it's still Christmas in your timezone, then Merry Christmas!!
Cool request are open which means I get to ask for a specific thing that has been plaguing my mind because of your writing. Basically I was rereading your works with Broken awhile back and I absolutely adored your headcanon of him being an artist but that made me think that he deserves to do the one trope of realizing he has a crush on someone because he just can’t stop drawing them to the point where he ends up filling several pages with just drawings of them. And cause I also adore how you write him and Cheated maybe this could be something with them.
(AAAHH I'm glad you like artist Broken!! It just seemed to fit him a lot, and I ADORE this request!! It's so cute, and cheabroken on top of it?! Amazing! I really hope you enjoy this one!)
Broken loved drawing.
He wasn't sure if he was a particularly good artist, but the act of scribbling how he felt or what he wanted on paper was something that brought Broken a lot of satisfaction and freedom. Just the fact that he could create something for himself and do what he envisions- it was something that Broken initially hadn't thought would feel so freeing.
But he loves it now, and even when he had nothing to draw, he could always just sit in a room with his flock and just randomly doodle on his sketchbook, and that would be enough to make Broken feel at peace.
He eventually worked up the courage to try and draw portraits of his flockmates, just for himself. He would never share these portraits- the others would all just call him weird and say how horrible of a drawing it was, so he never shared them.
Well, not all of them would. Certainly not Hero and definitely not Cheated.
Cheated was the one who was the most supportive of Broken's hobby, not pressuring Broken to show off his sketches when he wasn't comfortable, and he kept saying how talented Broken must be, even though he hadn't seen a single drawing!
That helped Broken a lot with being comfortable with drawing.
The portraits were really just for Broken to look back on and feel comforted by the sight of, of being able to see all of his flock easily. He always liked to make sure that the portraits were perfect, though. It just meant a lot to Broken that he was able to capture their beauty and fire perfectly, like capturing his love for them on a single page.
He knew that there were probably some messy sketches of the portraits that he knew would never see the light of day ever, but they were fun to look back on sometimes.
One day, in the safety of his room, he grew curious, and decided to look back on his rough work.
He flicked through the pages, and he saw a few bad attempts at Stubborn's face. For some reason, Broken couldn't quite draw Stubborn for awhile, but he got there in the end.
He passed a page of practice expressions for Cheated, then there was just a page full of eyes, Cold's eyes, to be exact. Broken was never satisfied with Cold's eyes at the start, never feeling like they were true to life.
He passed another page of Cheated, but that was just his portrait.
There were a few random doodles to flick through, until Broken eventually found- another drawing of Cheated?
Broken sat up straighter, studying the portrait that took up the entire page. Did he really put that much detail into his portraits?
To make sure, Broken searched for another portrait to compare, landing on Hero's picture. He flicked between the two, and although Hero's picture held an air of radiance and love in it, Cheated's picture seemed double that.
Cheated's picture seemed so accurate and detailed, with so many intricacies in the face and so much emotion in the eyes, that it put Hero's picture- and everyone else's- to shame.
Quickly feeling a warmth rapidly spread across his chest, Broken frantically flipped through more pages, and the more he went, the more drawings of Cheated he found.
Some were simply doodles, some were full on drawings, but Broken could not longer deny that he drew Cheated the most out of the flock.
How has he never realised? Sure, Broken talks to Cheated a lot, and feels the safest and with him, and whenever Cheated makes him laugh, it feels like he just shoved a tiny miracle in Broken's face.
Cheated was just a friend! Broken couldn't possibly have feelings for Cheated and not know about it! Cheated was just- really good for Broken!
He made Broken feel safe and heard. He made Broken feel as if there really was more to him. He liked the moments were they preened each other and hung out, just the two of them. Broken just felt content with Cheated, like the world could end and Broken would be perfectly okay with that, so long as Cheated was with him.
Those were normal, platonic thoughts, right?
Something fearful within Broken was telling him no, but what really sealed his fate, was when he turned to his latest drawing, and he froze.
It was another portrait of Cheated, but this one was gazing directly at Broken.
Broken felt his breath being taken away from the picture, at how Cheated seemed to be looking at Broken like a lover would. There was so much love and fondness in Cheated's eyes, that Broken was struggling to figure out where he found the confidence to even sketch this.
Was this the way he wanted Cheated to actually look at him?
The rising heat in his cheeks gave him his answer.
He liked Cheated.
Instinctively, Broken ripped the page from his sketchbook, crushing it into a ball. But then he immediately regretted it, and was filled with horror as he desperately uncurled the ball and tried to straighten out all the creases he had made, his fingers lingering on the edges of Cheated's face, as if caressing it.
Then Broken stopped himself, and a whine of embarrassed frustration rose in his throat, as he instead tossed the page into the back of his sketchbook, slammed it shut, and clutched it to his chest.
But the image of Cheated's gaze remained in his head.
-
The next day, Broken found himself sitting in the living room with some of the others, curled up on the couch, while the others chatted to each other, creating a nice ambience to draw in.
He had started out half listening to the conversation while drawing, not entirely sure who was in the room with him anymore. He knew that somebody sat down on the opposite side of the couch, and that it made Broken relax further into his drawing as they spoke.
The mumbling of voices became white noise to Broken, and he had a soft smile on his face as he sketched, feeling himself be completely at peace in that moment.
Then, the person on the couch chuckled, and it sent a shiver up Broken's spine- that Broken actually blinked back into reality, focusing on what was currently on the page.
It was Cheated.
It was all Cheated.
Broken's face burst into flames, gripping his pencil so hard it shook.
How? How can he draw a perfect sketch of Cheated without even fully paying attention? Had Broken fallen that far? Was he that in love with Cheated?
Before Broken could think, his hand snapped forward, and he drew a dark, rough line across the page, ruining the pretty faces of Cheated, and Broken couldn't help but mourn how he ruined them.
He hadn't thought his sudden scribbling would catch anyone's attention, but then he heard a, "You okay, Broken?" from the other side of the couch, and when Broken looked up, he stammered on the spot in horrified disbelief.
Cheated was sitting next to him.
Why was the Long Quiet punishing him this way?
Broken's never felt the urge to flee more than he did right now, and he found that he couldn't get his words out as he scrambled off the couch, feeling many confused looks his way, but all Broken could focus on was the concern in Cheated's eyes.
"F-Fine! I'm fine!" Broken squeaked, holding his sketchbook over his face, unable to look Cheated in the eye. "J-Just need to go to my room for a bit!"
"Hey, wait, Broken you d-"
"Goodbye friends!"
Broken bolted out of the room, every feather and muscle in his body tense and alert, and he didn't allow himself to relax until he practically ran into his room, slamming the door shut and leaning against it with a heavy sigh.
He stood in the silence and comfort of his bedroom, his heart pounding and his face on fire. He tried not to memorise the way Cheated looked at him, but he couldn't already feel his mind taking notes on every detail of the other.
He was so pathetic. He wanted to crawl into bed and never return to the rest of the world.
Knock knock!
Broken groaned loudly. Why must he suffer this way?
The last thing Broken wanted to do was open the door and deal with people after that display of embarrassment, but he would feel even more awful ignoring someone after they were the ones to seek him out first.
So he took a deep breath, and opened the door.
He was met with Cheated's infuriatingly soft face.
Broken yelped in fright, hand instinctively trying to slam the door in his face, but Cheated quickly put a hand against the door before he could do that as he yelled, "Wait! It's okay!"
Nothing about this situation was okay, and Broken held up his sketchbook again to act as a barrier between Cheated and Broken's clear mortification.
"What do you want?" Broken mumbled, wishing for his chest to stop feeling those pleasant nerves around the other.
"Well, I wanted to check in on you after you just ran away back there, and- uh-"
Broken heard the slight shift in Cheated's tone, and he was curious enough to peek over the edge of his sketchbook, looking over at Cheated who seemed bashful.
"I think you dropped this as well," Cheated said, and then held out a crumpled piece of paper that made Broken drop his sketchbook.
It was the portrait that Broken had ripped out.
It must've slipped out when he had taken off in a hurry.
Broken stared at it in horror and dread, the gaze of the drawing no less loving even when crumpled up.
Broken was desperate not to lose this friendship with Cheated, so he suddenly reached out and gripped the paper, but found that he didn't have the strength to properly take it from Cheated.
Broken's face burned, and he couldn't look Cheated in the eyes as he said, "I'm sorry! Y-You weren't supposed to- It's not what it-"
"Hey, hey," Cheated quickly said, his voice soft and light, with nothing but concern to be heard. "It's okay, Broken. I'm not mad or anything. I just-"
"No! I'll get rid of it! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm-"
Broken accidentally gave a harsh tug, and they both froze at the piercing sound of paper ripping.
Broken's whole body froze up, and all he could do was open his eyes, staring at half of a smiling Cheated in his hands, while the real Cheated hadn't said a word either.
Broken ruined this. He ruined the drawing. He ruined his friendship. All Broken did was ruin every-
"You don't have to apologise, Broken."
Suddenly, gentle hands were cupping Broken's, touching him so delicately, like Broken was some precious jewel to be cherished.
Broken gulped, and mustered up enough courage to slowly lift his head and face Cheated, and what he saw shocked him.
Cheated was giving him the exact same look as in his drawing.
Cheated chuckled, holding Broken's hands tighter, the paper crinkling at the slight action. Cheated smiled, and it sent Broken's heart pounding, and he couldn't find it within him to look away.
"I love your drawings," Cheated softly said with a smile, squeezing their joint hands together in reassurance. "I'm flattered you think I'm that pretty, but I was sort of wondering if-"
Cheated paused, taking a nervous step forward while ducking his head, but he made sure to look Broken in the eye as he quietly said," -if I could, maybe, model for you? Could even replace the picture we just ripped, if you want?"
Broken stared at Cheated, at how he wasn't disgusted or disappointed with Broken's heart, at how he had always looked at Broken that way- and he gently tugged Cheated into his room.
