✭ : i’ll always be here
✦ : verity x gn!reader , fiberglass fluff, no use of y/n, r/n is over eighteen, r/n is in minecraft, colored text for verity’s dialogue, hurt/comfort, this fic uses fandom!verity’s body
☆ : synopsis: after r/n wakes up at home, barely able to remember anything, verity attempts to make up for everything. but one thing’s for sure—something’s wrong here.
✿ : warnings: flash warning for a gif of static in a part of the fic. if any of the content is inaccurate, don't sentence me to the judas cradle. swearing words will be included. physical harm. will likely be mildly revamped sometime in the future, poorly proofread
❖ : a/n: this is more of like the “middle ground” of what some people requested and what i’m happy writing so take what i’ve cooked—no, i’m probably not gonna do pure fluff in the near future as of right now LMFAO
r/n woke up in a daze.
the brain fog didn't allow them to think straight as they sat up, finding themselves on the familiar comfort of their bed. glancing down, they noticed their legs were propped up with pillows beneath them. suddenly, however, they heard his voice to their right.
“r/n,”
verity breathily perked up, his eyebags heavy beneath his teary black gaze. r/n's lips parted in surprise at the sight of verity’s gloom. he seemed relieved, in a sense, but there was something else. something negative; something r/n probably wouldn't like.
their helper companion reached out and gently held one of r/n's hands with both of his own. he leaned forward to look at r/n closer, all the while not noticing that r/n could feel his fingers tremble.
“you stirred quite the scare. you have a couple of bruised ribs and some damaged ligaments in your arms and legs.”
as usual, verity spoke in his usual informative and “impersonal” tone of voice. this time, however, r/n could sense that his composure was crumbling. verity seemed genuinely shaken up, and r/n was struggling to pinpoint the reason why. the brain fog wasn't exactly helping, either.
verity departed his hands from r/n’s and gently guided them to lie back down. once the back of r/n's head met the bed, they noticed the pillow was propping up their neck instead of their head. strange. as a matter of fact, they were able to feel the subtle, throbbing pain in their neck and body parts as verity mentioned.
“you should rest.”
verity advised in a low, hospitable murmur. he brought himself closer to the bed, his shadow looming over r/n. they were able to feel verity’s hands reach to rest on their waist—not as a sexual innuendo, nor as a romantic touch, but more as an anchor.
“it’s best not to go out for some time. you’ve been badly injured, so don't overexert yourself on me.”
r/n's lips twitched in discomfort, a faint, throbbing pain shooting through their head. they struggled to fully process verity’s words—all they understood was that they were stuck at home for what felt like a million years.
“ufgh, no mining…?”
they mournfully whine, their hand raising to lazily rub at their forehead. this headache was killing them. they could hear how verity muffled a chuckle, swallowing the huff of amusement in favor of maintaining his “professional”, yet caring facade.
“no mining. you don't need to, anyway. all of what’s down there is right here.”
at first, r/n didn't get it. what was he talking about? verity hadn't ever given r/n anything physical before. knowledge, coordinates, instructions, yes—but not a physical item. then again…
“…what even happened?”
something shifted. r/n didn't know how to explain it, but suddenly, the entire house lost its warmth—instead, the atmosphere hardened into something icy and unsettling. not detrimental, per se, just… like something odious was brewing beneath the surface of verity’s calculating stare.
“…you don't remember?”
“n—no, not really. i remember, like…”
r/n's eyes narrowed, struggling to make out the foggy memories of a time long gone. they weren't even sure how long they’d been unconscious, here, knocked out cold on this bed.
“…a… cave. i was fightin’ mobs, trying to get diamonds ‘nd stuff. i… vaguely remember… coming home—”
“you were chased by a horde of zombies just outside the house.”
verity hummed earnestly, raising his hand from r/n's waist to gently graze his gloved fingers over the human’s forehead. he was feeling their temperature, making sure they were as comfortable as possible. even with his nurturing attitude, r/n couldn't shake the nagging worry that something was off.
“…really?”
“yes.”
“huh. m’kay…”
r/n's eyelids drifted shut, their chest rising and falling as they breathed in and out. everything was hurting, but with verity’s support, it wasn't all too bad. r/n's apprehension was now buried in the back of their head, internally brushing off their earlier uneasiness. everything was fine.
“it’s alright, now. you’re here with me. anything you need, i can provide.”
r/n scarcely fell into a sleepy daze, half-awake and absorbing verity’s words like a siren’s song. they didn't realize until it was too late when their consciousness fizzled out.
memories, hazy and fuzzy, flashed through r/n's mind. they were mining. coal, iron, cobblestone, the works. they placed down torches in their path. they fought off creepers, zombies, and skeletons.
they remember walking through the mines, searching and collecting anything useful they could find. for some reason, the entire ordeal felt… uneasy. even though it was a task r/n went through multiple times. why were they feeling dread just from mining?
hours and hours of walking and searching, all crammed and blurred together in one… dream? something didn’t feel right. r/n's stomach felt funny. the apprehensive kind of funny.
their brain felt like static. nothing made sense. what was wrong with the caves? what was wrong with them? in a sense, r/n felt almost disconnected from reality. they couldn't quite put their finger on it, but something was off.
this was the final day.
nightfall was approaching soon, and the dreaded event—whatever it was—gnawed at the back of r/n's head. they had no idea if they were properly prepared. what if they were preparing for the wrong thing and ended up facing something different entirely? calculations and possibilities flashed through their mind like a whirlwind. was this the day they’d meet their demise?
“we’ll fix you up, ver,”
r/n breathfully muttered, their voice shuddering in the cold of twilight. they had briefly returned to their home to fetch verity—only to find that his face had completely disappeared. they had no idea what to do. they were lost, confused, alone. they had taken verity’s company for granted, and now they were regretting every second they didn't treat him the best they could.
“it’s gonna be okay. you’re gonna be okay,”
r/n sniffled, holding verity up to their forehead with one hand, the grass crunching under their footsteps as they ran to their hideout. for a split second, their eyes squeezed shut in a weak attempt to hold back their tears. r/n was scared shitless—verity was gone when they needed him most, what were they supposed to do now?
they climbed up the stairs and rushed to get inside their lookout. their free hand clumsily closed the entrance door behind them, not noticing how uneven their breathing was getting. stay calm. stay calm. stay calm, damn it! r/n's teeth gritted, struggling to maintain their composure.
it’s fine. it’s gonna be fine. the faceless sphere was held against r/n's chest, as if it were the balm to their aching heart. their knees buckle. their fingers were trembling. before they knew it, they collapsed, slumping against the door and falling to the floor.
everything was fine. up until a loud thump rang outside the base.
r/n's consciousness faded back in the next morning after a handful of hours—except this time, verity wasn't by their side. their headache wasn't as terrible, just less prominent. it honestly made them yearn to go back to sleep so their brain would shut off.
“ugh…”
their back hurt. ouch. they turned their head to look around the house from where they could see from the bed. they felt weak. vulnerable. their arms were strained, their legs felt worn out, and their neck felt uncomfortable. today was not a good day to be alive.
“verity?”
r/n weakly called out. well, called out was an overstatement. their voice was low, tired, and gravelly just from waking up. after a couple seconds of silence, they sighed wistfully as their eyes drifted shut again. there was no possible way verity wasn't home—he hardly left their side. was he just ignoring them again?
soon, r/n narrowly opened their eyes. lo and behold, verity was hovering over them standing beside the bed with that jolly ol’ smile of his. r/n's eyes widened a little, visibly jolting awake. what the hell?
“how can i help, r/n?”
r/n's eyebrows furrowed slightly as the words slowly processed in their head. the tension in their shoulders had relaxed, an issue r/n hadn’t even noticed was present until it already dissipated. their lips curved up into a faint, sheepish smile as a bead of sweat formed on their forehead.
“oh, uh–m’bad. i kinda just wanted to know if you were still with me or not.”
verity’s smile tightened. it was an imperceptible change—but with how long and how well r/n knew verity by now, any change was significant.
“i’m always with you.”
oh.
oh, wow. okay.
r/n's chest tightened with a feeling they didn't dare name. the butterflies that fluttered in their stomach wasn't the typical dreamy, romantic kind of nerves. it was more like… apprehension. or anticipation? a warning emitting from their gut.
yet, at the same time, r/n was drawn to verity’s unpredictably dangerous devotion. something was up, but r/n wasn't entirely opposed to it. to him. so, with the swallow of the lump in their throat, r/n finally answered in a low voice.
“…m’kay. alright, ver.”
they didn't sound patronizing. nor condescending. not a lick of malice was present in r/n's tongue. intruige and caution was likely a better way to describe their tone. they felt like they were walking on eggshells around him.
verity was staring at r/n as if he were baring his sights into their soul. the house was brimming with tension beneath an organized, “cozy” façade. but r/n knew better. they knew what to expect from him… sort of.
so, they made a decision. a totally rational and beneficial one.
“in that case, c’mere.”
they beckoned verity to lower himself to their level. once he was close enough, r/n reached up just enough to cup verity’s “face”—trying to grab a hold of his spherical head—and planted a chaste peck on his forehead. or, at least, where it should be on his bald head.
they soon pulled back, ever so slightly pulling away their touch. they still held onto their personal helper friend, their eyelashes not as heavy as before. the stunned expression on verity’s face was to die for. r/n chuckled sweetly at the sight.
“what’s that look for?”
he stops and stares. unnervingly still. verity didn't dare to move a single muscle as he was finally placed on top of r/n's lying body. his hands clutched the sheets at r/n's sides, his fingers shaking as he looked directly down at them.
r/n could only smile further. they giggled once more, raising their hand to nudge verity down gently. they closed their eyes, one hand raising to coddle verity’s head, the other absentmindedly rubbing the small of his back.
“you can relax, ‘s alright. ‘m not going anywhere.”
those words did the trick. verity almost immediately relaxed into r/n's touch, allowing himself to put all of his weight on r/n. his gloved hands sneaked around their neck, loosely embracing them. for the first time, r/n felt his chest rising and falling on their torso.
r/n wasn't sure if he was breathing. at least, they weren't able to hear his respirations. but they took his peaceful body language as a sign that he was finally comfortable. no more beating around the bush with that helper act of his, he was just… him. baring his emotions to r/n, if an ai could even have emotions.
but with his human? anything was possible. even for an ai.
he finally had them at his grasp.
another loud thump sounded from outside the base, causing r/n to flinch. not long after the questionable string of noises, a distorted ear-piercing screech rang out just outside the base’s front doors.
r/n scrambled off the floor, turning to face the noises. the doors were suddenly ripped off their hinges–revealing something… terrifying. a figure. a creature. a monster. humanoid, maybe, from what r/n could vaguely discern. its features weren't clear, almost foggy in a sense. but they saw enough to know they needed to run.
the thing reached for r/n. its hands were as clear as day—scarily skinny, slender, ‘skin’ clinging to bone, like an oversized claw for mortal bodies. r/n wasn't having it.
it was mostly… blurry. from then on. images of them in the house and making it out the door. it was still hazy, as if r/n was making out a heavily repressed memory, but in a chase as traumatizing as this—how could they forget it?
blocks upon blocks of running from the thing. it was scarily quick, scary in general—but r/n knew getting caught would be far scarier. they panted, ran as fast, ran as far as they could, their footsteps loud in their own ears.
but the creature’s footsteps were louder.
if they could just—
a hand was placed on the back of their head. its long, skinny fingers curled around their scalp, tightening its grip as soon as it got a hold of r/n. it felt like a cage. a slender, killing cage squeezing the hell out of r/n's cranium.
r/n had been knocked down to the ground, paralyzed under the grasp of the monster. their hands clutched the soil, their nails digging into the blades of grass and dirt—all in vain. inevitably, all signs of restraint had faded away once they had fallen unconscious.
then, black.
r/n's eyes shot wide open. it wasn't the slow, unhurried pace like before—they remember now. they remember what happened. and by god, they couldn't have been more… scared. pissed. betrayed.
“you—”
r/n's gaze flicked down to verity, their voice firm and venomous as they sat up on their bed. their eyebrow twitched as their arms tensed–their eyes, burning with fury, staring dead at their now-awake assistant lying on top of them.
“you, you, you–you prick! you bastard! you—you lied to me, you tried to hurt me!”
they pushed him away, backing up as far as they could without falling off or getting cornered against a wall. their heart hammered in their chest. their trembling fingers clutched the bedsheets in petrified terror.
“what—?”
“i should've–i should've known, you rat fuck!”
verity’s eyes widened as his smile quickly faltered, all at an alarming pace. his now-shaking left hand extended in an attempt to reach for r/n. the act exposed his yearning for their touch again—or perhaps, a desperate attempt to regain control.
“no–r/n, what do you mean? what are you talking about? just—just go to sleep,”
“no! don't touch me!”
r/n yelped, scrambling to get off the mattress. their eyes were locked on their “assistant”–the same one that was once a presence of comfort. a safe space, wherever he went with them.
no more. no more lies.
“you–”
r/n heaved, their chest rising and falling as they pointed weakly at verity. the corners of their eyes stung. their lips were quivering. their chest was clenching. fuck. no, no, no.
“you… you—i know.. i know what you're doing, now. sick, sick son of a—”
“r/n, no,”
verity’s eyes strained as he abruptly got up from r/n's bed. everywhere verity was facing, r/n was actively making an effort to stay away from.
“you don’t understand. that must be it–”
“you pushed me!!”
r/n yelled, their fingers clenching into fists as they stepped further away from him.
“you were that monster, weren't you? that—that thing in the woods in front of the house! horde of zombies my ass!”
verity’s stare dulled. his stance grew more tense as his shoulders rolled back. there was not one minute, not one second, not one moment where he did not take his eyes off of r/n. that only fueled their fire.
“i knew–i knew something was wrong. y’know what,”
r/n gritted their teeth, extending their arm in the direction of the house’s front door.
“get out.”
“…r/n—”
“get out!”
verity’s gaze darkened—if even possibly, considering his eyes. but his facial and body language. well, that was one to behold in this… state of his.
“…i can't do that.”
“don't make me force you. you're lucky i’m not even gonna—”
r/n huffed in frustration, cutting themself off as they turned their head away. their eyes closed for a split second as their fists began shaking.
“—fucking hell, verity… i’m—you—don’t make this harder than it has to be.”
r/n opened their eyes and turned their head to properly look at verity again, only to find that he's standing right in front of r/n. r/n subtly bristled in surprise, but they didn't allow themselves to give an actual, external reaction.
“…why can't you leave, y’bastard?”
verity stayed silent. of course he did. he always does this, he always verbally shuts down when things go—
“because i cannot.”
“that's not an answer, dickwad.”
verity didn't seem phased by the insult. in fact, he kept staring with that same dangerously-deadpan look.
“because. i am your personal helper friend. i cannot—”
“well, you certainly weren't being friendly or helpful to me, y'know. how about you help someone else?”
“i can't do that, either.”
“yeah, right. like you couldn't help but knock me down to the ground who-knows-how-many-blocks away from home. sit the—”
POW!
“—FUCK down!”
verity physically jolted rearward at the punch to his head, a near-silent grunt escaping him as r/n retracted their hand. a look of pure fury blazed in their gaze as their tight fists continued to tremble.
“you've got some nerve to keep on standing in front of me. i don't need to show you out, because i know damn well you know where the exit is. now get the fuck out of my house,”
r/n bellowed the last sentence out with a scowl, their eyebrows knitting together as their jaw clenched. it didn't take long for verity to glance at r/n in his peripheral vision and respond.
“…r/n–”
“what? y’gonna transform into that monster again, huh? huh?”
“r/n,”
“you’ve been lying to me for—w-what, how long? how long? how long has this been going on? how long have you been lying to me? how long–why, why in the nether realm’s name would you ever fucking—”
“R/N!!”
r/n took a step back, unsettled by the latter’s outburst. they were tempted to continue riling him up—but they weren't that stupid. they didn't want to face the wrath of that monster. not again.
with a bead of sweat running down their cheek, their sharpened eyes stayed on verity’s frenetic frame. a shiver ran down their spine as they feared their knees might give way.
“–…i’m sorry,”
verity shuddered.
“i didn't mean to yell at you. i just… can't leave you.”
thank you all for 200+ followers holy CRAAAAAP you guys are so cool heart emoji heart emoji heart emoji!!! i have a kitten now his name’s angel jr (take a phat guess who he's named after heh)
also don't mistake me owning a jax plushie as a token of affection she's currently being used as a vessel of torture to be used by the earth’s doombringer that is my son angel jr don't get it twisted
