ough devil.... im so... fucked.... cotv au.... devil.... shaking you.... u can choose three: hektor going to tlq and jumpstarting everything; sebastian getting taken; or calder getting taken..... im so normal....
(AAAAAH HERE WE GO!! The first request and fic for Call of the Void!! I did not expect how heavily invested people would get, but now I'm really excited for this au!!! As you know Pink, I picked the Hektor option because it's basically the start of the au and that would make the most sense, so enjoy!)
Everyone knew about the bird that lived in the woods.
People said that it lurked in the shadows, just out of sight, but everyone in town knew about it. They all knew it was there.
Hektor's heard so many stories about the creature, that he wasn't even sure if any of it was real.
The postman said the bird feasted on human flesh. The neighbour said that it was the devil in disguise. The teens in the area said that the bird abducted sinners and villains alike.
Hektor's parents just told him that if he ever came across the bird, then his fate was already sealed.
Hektor wasn't so sure how to feel about the monster in the woods. He's known about it his whole life, he used to collect every rare feather that was dropped on the forest floor- one was even as long as his entire arm. But he's never met the bird before.
No one in town has met this creature that silently watches them all. But everyone all has the same opinion of it-that it was a malicious monster.
Hektor wasn't so sure how to feel about that. Even if it may be a strange creature, what had it done to deserve such a reputation? What did it do to make everyone seem so hateful of it?
Fear, Hektor understood. Anger, hate, disgust- those were the emotions that Hektor had trouble feeling towards the bird.
It was just-an oddity that the town lived with, much like a famous ghost story or a grisly history that came with some places. Hektor's town had a giant bird creature.
Hektor's never been one to judge too quickly. He never liked hating or being angry at someone. He would much rather be everyone's friend, and thankfully, the majority of the town seemed to really like him.
But Hektor couldn't help but want to extend that same kindness to the bird.
A monster was just the way people viewed someone, after all. Perceptions can change, and something within Hektor knew that the creature wasn't evil at all.
He hadn't been planning on acting on his opinions, though. Everyone would call him insane, and Hektor cared about the other townspeople so much, that he was willing to be quiet about his beliefs.
But then he had the dream.
Hektor wasn't sure what he had done to conjure up the dream, but his head was heavy as he laid on his pillow, like something was shifting and making room within his brain.
He had been too tired to pay attention to it, but the moment he shut his eyes, it felt like he was sinking within his mind at a pace he had no control over.
Hektor took a deep breath in, and there was the scent pine and earth in his lungs.
He opened his eyes, and the sky was dark above him, not a single twinkling star to be seen. That was what gave the dream away, because Hektor knew that the sky under his hometown was beautiful.
He must be lucid dreaming, Hektor assumed, feeling dry leaves crackle underneath him as he sat up, and he took in the familiar forest around him.
Only now, the forest looked more wild and chaotic than Hektor's ever seen it, and he couldn't see the edge of the town through the trees. It was just darkness for miles and miles.
Hektor looked around him, wondering what he was supposed to do with a dream like this- but then a shadow drowned Hektor's figure.
He gasped, spinning around and causing red tinted leaves to fly up in the air.
He had been expecting another person- maybe someone he knew, or maybe from one of his favourite movies or shows. He was even prepared for it to be someone his brain had completely made up.
Hektor hadn't been expecting to see the bird from the woods, standing over him.
It was well over seven feet tall, and Hektor had a hard time even deciphering what he was looking at to begin with. But then the creature moved.
Its body was covered in feathers that looked like an intimidating shadow at first, but then one great wing lowered, brushing against the ground and Hektor's knee.
He felt a bolt of something rock through his body at the brief touch. It stormed through Hektor's whole body and crashed into his heart, making him choke on a gasp.
It was everything Hektor wanted and something he didn't know he needed. It blinded him with its passion, and he could feel the sweetness on his tongue, with a hint of something metallic.
Hektor didn't know a dream could feel this intoxicating.
He blinked rapidly, trying to get ahold of himself, pulling his leg away from the wing.
He lifted his gaze, breath hitching at the sight of huge claws for hands- but he noticed how the fingers fidgeted nervously together.
He had to crane his neck up to take in the full figure before him.
Bright, glowing eyes pierced through Hektor's soul, pinning him in place. There was a ruffle of feathers from a random twitch, and Hektor realised that the other wing was covering the majority of the creature's face, and Hektor was suddenly hit with the absurd notion that the creature was shy.
But Hektor wasn't sure how it could be shy in any way- because this was the most beautiful person that he's ever laid eyes on.
There was a dangerous beauty about the creature, one that froze you in place and took your breath away- and would never give it back.
The longer Hektor stared, the more he tried to take in the being before him, trying to print the ethereal figure into his brain permanently, and he soon realised that no amount of time would make this sight any less extraordinary.
Hektor didn't know what to say, or if he even should say anything. Still, he opened his mouth to speak- and then the bird's eyes widened, and he frantically stumbled back a few feet, its footsteps shaking the ground beneath them.
'This is a dream,' Hektor reminded himself. Nothing was going to happen to either of them right now, even if it felt like reality didn't matter one bit anymore. There was nothing to be afraid of.
"Hello," Hektor spoke, his voice coming out soft and unsure. Maybe the creature wouldn't even understand what he was saying. Still, it felt wrong not to try.
He sat up straighter. "Are you the bird that lives in the woods?" he asked in a whisper, and he saw the way the other's brows furrowed, and then Hektor began to believe that it really didn't understand him.
A tiny part of him was disappointed at that thought.
But then the bird tilted its head to one side, then the other- and it was such a funny image, seeing an imposing creature look so-human.
It just made Hektor giggle.
The small sound burst out of him before he could stop it, and then he slapped a hand over his mouth and felt his face burn in mortification at what he had just done.
But then the bird's eyes widened, and Hektor could swear he even heard a soft gasp come from it.
The next thing Hektor knew, the bird took one giant step towards him, crouching down so fast that it made Hektor jump in fright.
But then the bird in the woods was towering over Hektor.
It still had a wing covering its face, and its entire body looming over him made Hektor feel like a mouse about to be snatched by a fearsome hawk.
Hektor held his breath, now forced to lean back to look at the bird, so many of its feathers grazing his legs that it made his limbs feel heavy and numb.
Hektor couldn't look away from it.
He didn't know why, but he felt- calm in this moment, like nothing bad was going to happen to him with the bird so close.
The bird lifted a large hand, and Hektor tried not to tremble at their proximity, but he couldn't help it. He's never felt anything like this before in his life.
The hand came closer, and when it cupped his cheek, Hektor let a choked gasp out, not sure whether to pull away or lean into it. Both options seemed dangerous.
"You are beautiful."
Its voice was soft, yet still rough and low, a perfect blend of both. It made something within Hektor long to hear it forever and ever, like that was his purpose in life- to listen to that voice.
"You are so lovely," it whispered. "Oh, how I've been waiting to hear your voice. It's been so long. I've been so alone."
It sounded so relieved- like it had been suffering for so long and Hektor was its salvation.
It made his heart flutter.
Hektor couldn't tear his eyes away from it, from this poor beast who wasn't a monster at all. It was just lonely, and Hektor always had a habit of helping unloved things feel wanted.
It barely felt like a dream anymore, as the bird gazed at Hektor with so much love in its eyes. Nothing that was called a monster could look at Hektor like that.
"But I've found you now," it softly said. "We found each other, and we won't let each other go, right?"
Hektor didn't even realise he was nodding.
The bird let a sigh of relief out. "Now I know what you sound like, what you feel like. Now we can be together. We can finally start to be who we were always meant to be."
Hektor's heart was pounding, and he lifted a hand up to gently place it over the bird's much larger and scaly one.
He didn't know how, but he knew that he was making the bird- his bird- happy.
"Thank you," it said. "Thank you for being the push that we all needed. You, Hektor, are what's bringing us all together. My dream can finally become real, love."
It leaned in even closer, and Hektor had the embarrassing idea that he was about to be kissed.
The bird brushed its feathers along his jaw, and said, "You can call me Quiet," he said, and Hektor felt the name dig itself into his mind, never to escape.
"My hero," Quiet murmured, like a low and comforting coo of a raven, and that was when Hektor woke up.
-
Something had hooked itself within Hektor.
It had wrapped around his ribs and lungs and made every breath feel painful with distance.
It tightened and squeezed around his brain so that his thoughts were only of one person.
It buried itself deep within his heart and made his soul erupt in love and warmth, so hot that it felt like Hektor was going mad.
It was a thread, and it was connected to Quiet.
Hektor woke up, his mind spinning and his chest aching with a want, with a need- to be with Quiet.
That was where Hektor needed to be. He was Quiet's knight, his hero- there was no other place that he'd rather be.
His morning went by in a blur, but all he could focus on was that pull towards the woods, towards the creature that was so lonely, who deserved to have someone on his side. Hektor will be that person, because nobody deserved to be alone.
When he stepped outside of his house, his eyes caught on all the people who feared poor Quiet. Occasionally, a sudden burst of familiar warmth went through his body, but Hektor couldn't focus on that right now.
He took a shaky step forward. Then another, and another. Heading straight to the woods.
Quiet wasn't evil. Quiet wasn't a monster. Perhaps if Hektor met with him in person, he could show everyone who his bird really was, and prove that there was nothing to fear, only something to fall in love with.
Hektor can be the knight- the hero- that Quiet knew him to be.
His mind and eyes were solely on the woods, and he didn't even notice when he accidentally bumped into Shéamus, one of the sharpest minds in town.
"Sorry, Hektor! Didn't mean to- Hektor?"
He barely listened to Shéamus' words, merely catching a glance of the look of worry on the other's face, patting him on the shoulder as he kept walking towards the woods, towards him.
A hand touched his elbow, and it took all of Hektor's self control to stop, to turn and smile at Shéamus, who flinched as their eyes met.
"Hektor?" Shéamus asked. "Are you okay?"
"I'm so good, Shéamus."
"W-Where are you going?"
"To the woods," Hektor whispered, excitement and anticipation coursing through him. "I'm gonna go to him. He's not bad, Shéamus. I'm gonna prove that he's not bad, just you wait."
"What-" But the tugging was starting to painful, so Hektor easily slipped out of Shéamus' grip, turning and continuing towards the deep woods.
He missed the deeply disturbed expression on Shéamus' face, but Hektor knew he'd be seeing him again. Soon.
He smiled wide, letting the tugging guide him. It guided him out of the town, which was feeling less and less like his home.
It guided him deep down the woods, where Hektor remembered walking through on cold mornings, and every sight of an inky feather made him feel special.
It guided him deeper, until Hektor was unfamiliar with the area, and there was a path leading up a strange hill in the distance.
Hektor's breath hitched at the sight of a quaint little cabin at the end of the path.
His walking turned to running in half a second.
'He needs me. He needs me. He needs me.'
He took that final step up the hill.
'He's good. He's good. He's good.'
He twisted the doorknob.
"I am his and he is mine. I am his and he is mine.'
Hektor opened the door.
There Quiet was.
His head grazed the ceiling, and his massive wings spread out in pleasant surprise as he looked down at Hektor.
Now though, Hektor could see his full face, and the sharp and long beak that had been hidden from him in his dreams. He was breathtakingly handsome.
They stared at each other for what felt like an eternity.
"Quiet?" Hektor whispered to the bird that lived in the woods, and Quiet smiled with tears in his eyes, and whispered back, "Flock."
The next thing Hektor knew, they were rushing for each other, and Quiet easily picked Hektor up into his arms, the feathers surrounding him and making him feel so warm and safe.
Hektor's face hurt from grinning in pure love and joy, but he didn't care, as he cupped Quiet's face, and kissed him, and it was everything that Hektor didn't know he wanted.
The thread snapped into place- and thus marked the death of everything and the beginning of everything.
do you have any TLQ shipping hcs... Sorry I've just been so insane about your quiethero/quietcold art. Literally my two favourite voices & TLQ dynamics of all time. I go crazy abt them
***I FEEL SO BAD FOR THE DELAY IT TOOK TO ASWER THIS. WHEN IT WAS SEND I WAS GOING THROUGHT HELL BUT KNOW THAT I APPRECIATE IT A LOT TTTT***
You would think this is as easy as telling you what I think is cute, dramatic or even angsty given their dynamic BUT MY BRAIN OVERCOMPLICATES IT
What I have of hc's about them could be considering just analysis or very situational (example.: post-construct, new dawn, au's and others etc...)
To think of a few that I REALLY think are shipping HC's with him (voices and the princess):
-He would regard the voices with his full body embrace, wings, hugs, darkness. Since they are incredibly used to just being a part of them as well as the voices merging into him when they are incorporeal or semi-incorporeal
-Don't know if this is much of a ship thing BUT is almost a rule of headcanon for me that The voices see traits of Quiet in eachother that makes them either stop or get washed over feelings.(aside from Hero) Broken's cries, Paranoid's laugh, whenever someone looks at Cold in the eyes, Stubborn is the tallest so the looming of his figure also get's near Quiet's height, the types of feathers in Skeptic, Coco and their jokes, Smitten whenever he extends his sets of wings, Hunted when he is pupil-less and crooks its neck, Opportunist whenever he is being sarcastic or overall contemplative, and a loong etc...
-I see Quiet as pretty EXTREMELY bashful, not at all difficult to make them blush and the Princess thinks is a lil pathetic but to be honest it makes her laugh
-Also leaning into the bird of it all, I would find it normal for them to be an extreme gift-giver
-A part of my brain imagines the voices like to sing around Quiet, or learned to so they could have some harmony and he liked so much how they worked in unison that they kept wanting to put more of those group hobbies more often
HII HIIII coming in from the rb to ask for my biannual quiet knight… perhaps “i should’ve kissed you when i had the chance.” x guilt x love letters never sent…..
alternatively if not in a quiet knight mood what if the same prompt but burned bridges pov cold 👀
(AAAHH HELLO RESIDENT QUIETKNIGHT SHIPPER!! OUGH these prompts are so good yet so heartbreaking and I love it! Enjoy!!)
(Prompt list used is here)
Hero sighed heavily as he quietly walked to his bedroom, shutting the door silently behind him so that the others wouldn't be alerted to him.
He loved his flock, really. But there were just some times where Hero needed to be alone, to not- be Hero.
He wasn't sure what had brought this on. It had been a perfectly normal day, but then his mind drifted off into dangerous territory.
It made his chest ache with something that was missing, something that used to be such an integral part of Hero. But now it was gone forever, and if Hero wasn't currently feeling this grief, he never would've known that something was wrong.
He debated with getting under the covers and sleeping, but he feared what his dreams would conjure up in this state.
It was painfully ironic. Hero was always so good at helping one special person, but that one person was the reason for this grief, and he had no idea how to cope with it.
Hero slumped against the door, his gaze drifting across his room in exhausted frustration.
It was so empty. It was so lifeless.
The rest of the flock had settled into their new life just fine with time, and their rooms always had so much personality in them, letting the world know that they were here and were living now.
But Hero couldn't do that. He couldn't move on like the others.
Because they didn't love the Long Quiet like Hero did.
Before he knew it, tears were pooling in his eyes, and no matter how much he tried to blink them away, they remained.
Hero inhaled sharply, feeling his throat sting with the effort to keep his sobs inside him, but he knew it wouldn't last long.
Against his better judgement, his eyes landed on his desk in the corner of his room.
He shouldn't. He told himself he needed to stop this.
But when he couldn't get that voice or that smile out of his head, he knew he had no choice.
His knees trembled as he scrambled towards the desk, pushing the chair back with a loud scraping sound, but Hero barely paid it any mind as he fell into the chair with an urgency.
He laid his palms flat on the wooden desk, dried ink blending in with the dark wood, accompanied by scratches of frustration from his claws.
Hero stared at the drawer down to his right. He swore that last time would be the final one.
But he still opened the drawer.
An overflowing pile of envelopes peeked out from the edge of the drawer, all sealed for someone who will never read them.
Guilt crashed over Hero like a tidal wave as he stared down at the dozens of letters inside. Each letter was bursting with so much love and loss and Hero genuinely feared opening one and seeing what he wrote.
They were love letters. Every. Single. One.
Everytime Hero was reminded of his love for Quiet, he found himself coming to this desk and pouring his heart out into these letters, and then sealing them away, never to be seen again.
Besides, it's not like these love letters could be sent to the one that Hero desperately wants to read them.
He dug his hand into the drawer, shoving aside letters that had been there since the day they moved into this cabin, and taking out a fresh, blank page.
His grip on the quill was tight as he stared down at the page, his guilt sinking in on him.
He shouldn't be doing this. It's wrong. Hero should've moved on by the first letter. Was he that lonely? Was he that desperate?
It was so hard to love someone that you know isn't coming back for you. It's even worse when you know that they're happy and you had a hand in it.
Quiet made the choice to leave with the Heart of the Shifting Mound. The Princess and the Long Quiet had gone through so much together. They deserved to live the way they wanted to live, with no voices or Narrators to hold them back.
Hero knows how Quiet felt. Hero wanted Quiet to have that freedom with the Princess.
He doesn't regret what he did. He just regrets not being selfish and saying how he felt, even just once.
So now he's just left with this love and devotion, that kept twisting into this guilty mess- and the only thing Hero could think to do was get his feeling out on paper. What else could he do?
He bit his lip as he slowly lowered the quill to the page, his hand stilling, and letting a dark blot grow on the page.
He froze, his vision becoming blurry.
What could he say?
What could he possibly say that would fill the permanent hole in his heart, that his Quiet had taken from him?
Quiet was Hero's entire world. But Hero was just a sliver of what Quiet could experience.
His quill dug deeper- and then there was a drop on the page, not one of ink, but of a tear.
Before he knew it, there were tears cascading down his face, and his wrist flicked as he softly sobbed to himself.
His heart broke with grief, guilt, love, loss- as he messily scribbled one sentence over and over again on the page, right up until the final line.
'I should've kissed you when I had the chance.'
His chin wobbled as he repeated the phrase over and over again, until he was whispering to himself, tasting salt in his mouth.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry," he whispered, his whole arm shaking with the effort to keep going.
Hero shook his head in shame at himself, at the fact that he couldn't just move on. But his love for Quiet was all he ever knew, and it was all that he was going to know, right up until it haunted him in his grave. Hero's love couldn't be silenced, no matter how much he longed for it to.
He started mumbling the phrase, and it only made his heart break more, the possibility that there was a world in which he could've been happy, could've lived without the guilt that haunted him.
"I should've kissed you when I had the chance," he whispered, and fuck, was it the truth. He would've given anything for just one kiss.
Finally, Hero got to the bottom of the page, sighing heavily with tired eyes.
He signed it with, 'Love, Your Hero.'
He stared down at the letter miserably. Usually he was much more eloquent and descriptive than this, but today had been a particularly lonely day, it seemed.
He carefully picked up the love letter, his gaze never moving from the words full of desire and longing. Then, he brought the page up to his lips and kissed over the word, 'Love,' on his signature.
He closed his eyes, and his face crumbled, the page shifting with the movement, and it sounded just like his heart twisting painfully in his chest.
"I love you," Hero whispered, but he knew nobody would answer him.
He lowered the letter again, not wanting to seal it just yet, because that meant he had to ignore the feelings, and go back and pretend to be happy with his flock, and he wasn't ready for that.
He took a deep breath in, and his eyes wandered back to the drawer full of love letters, whose words would never see the light of day again.
For the pairing of the voices... how does Hero/Quiet sound?
(Oooh, that sounds interesting! Especially because I know how much Hero cares for TLQ-it makes me ill how much Hero loves him and wants what's best for him. Also, usually whenever I refer to TLQ I capitalise Him and He no matter what, but I won't do that for this one because it'll look annoying to me. Anyway, enjoy!)
Sometimes, when Hero dreamed, it felt like he was back in the Long Quiet's head. Sometimes the Long Quiet was even in his dreams. They usually left him feeling empty yet warm somehow. Hero always tried not to dwell on it.
Tonight was no different, except for the fact that this dream felt more real, probably the closest to being back in Quiet's head, in Hero's opinion.
Hero opened his eyes, and he was met with a dark abyss that felt vaguely familiar. But he couldn't concentrate too much on that, not when he was in the palm of the Long Quiet's hand.
He looked up, finding the big guy smiling down at him fondly. He was huge, and Hero couldn't help but feel like a bug that would be gone in a second, should Quiet choose to do so.
Instead, Quiet cupped Hero with his palms gently, gazing down at him with such love in his eyes that it made Hero's heart ache.
Hero opened his mouth, but he had no idea what to say.
Quiet seemed to realise this, and brought him closer and softly said, "Hello, old friend." The sound of his voice rumbled through his dreamscape, sending a shiver up Hero's spine. He had missed the sound of the Long Quiet.
Hero chuckled in awe, then awkwardly waved up at him, face burning at how stupid he must look. But Quiet's eyes seemed to get brighter at his movements, and he leaned his head down further, as if anticipating his next move.
Slowly, Hero began to relax under the exceptional gaze of a God, his God, and said, "Hey big guy, it's been a while."
Quiet nodded, something akin to guilt flashing in his eyes for a second, before it was replaced with fondness. "I've missed you."
Hero gulped, swallowing the dark mass of complicated emotions that threatened to turn this dream into a nightmare. To avoid that, Hero focused on the longing in his own heart and replied with, "I've missed you too. But, to be honest, sometimes I envy you, because you don't have to deal with the rest of the flock anymore."
Quiet laughed softly, tilting his head to the side curiously as he asked, "How are they?"
"Loud," was Hero's first thought that he blurted out, "loud and chaotic. But I-" Hero lowered his head bashfully, then continued, quieter this time, "-I love them all, despite the headaches. They're all so brave in their own ways, and watching them decide what to do and who to be has been an amazing experience."
Hero didn't realise he was smiling at the thought of his flock, not until he heard a low rumble in the space around him, and judging from the look on Quiet's face, he could immediately tell that he was aww-ing at him.
Hero flushed harder at softness in Quiet's eyes, and quickly started to just blurted out anything that would come to his head. "I mean, Stubborn's always going out and trying to pick a fight with anything that moves in the forest, so it's always fun to watch that." He started to rock back and forth on his heels, doing anything to make him look not as stupidly lovesick right now.
"Also! Some of them have gotten some fun hobbies! Smitten loves baking, and he's so good at it. Skeptic and Opportunist are always either playing cards or chess, and sometimes they'll be at it for hours and-"
Hero stopped, finding tears suddenly pooling in his eyes. He forced himself to ignore the worried look Quiet subjected him to, ducking his head and taking deep breaths in, just like he would instruct Paranoid to do.
But then he felt the very tip of a claw under his chin, and just an inch of movement from it was enough to make Hero look up at Quiet.
"What's wrong?" Quiet asked, "Did I upset you?"
Normally, Hero tried to be nothing but kind and supportive to the Long Quiet, sticking with him and his decisions to the very end. But right now, he was feeling too many things to keep being kind.
"It's just-" Hero quietly mumbled, but he knew the Long Quiet would always hear him, "-this is just a dream. You're not actually him."
Quiet blinked in surprise, but didn't say anything, and Hero was too busy trying to keep his composure to think too deeply about it.
"I'm saying all this stuff about the flock and about how much I love them-but you should've been there with them," Hero revealed, desperately blinking back tears. "You should've been able to see them grow from just voices to the amazing birds they are now. You would've loved them."
But Hero knew that could never happen. He could never have his love and his flock in the same place. Being with the Long Quiet meant going back to being a voice, and then none of them would've had the chance to go through all the beautiful, painful growth that they had to become them. But they also couldn't of gotten that chance unless the Long Quiet left them.
It was a lose-lose situation.
Hero closed his eyes and kept inhaling and exhaling slowly, until it felt like he wasn't about to explode with grief anymore, and then he heard a nervous, "What about you?"
Hero opened his eyes, finding Quiet gazing down at him with such concern that it touched Hero's heart, that his mind was able to recreate what the God was like so perfectly.
"How have you grown, my Hero?"
Hero giggled awkwardly at the way the name sent a rush of giddy warmth through him, and he desperately tried to ignore how his face was burning. He must've really forgotten what it was like to be in the Long Quiet's presence.
Hero ducked his head, but he knew Quiet was grinning at him in that playfully way that Hero remembered, so he distracted himself by saying, "Well, I've sorta become the leader of the flock. I like it. I like that they trust me enough for that."
Quiet hummed softly, and Hero looked up as he said, "You were always the one that held us all together."
Hero couldn't help but instinctively flap his wings at Quiet's words, at how he kept being so sweet to Hero. Had the Long Quiet actually been that nice to him? Or was Hero just dreaming about something that was never there in the first place?
He pushed that question to the side, forcing a big smile on his face as he continued, "Also, turns out, I'm actually quite a decent flyer." Quiet's eyes widened in surprise. "Yeah," Hero said, nodding excitedly, "I'm actually one of the best flyers in the flock. You should see me out there, Quiet. I can't get enough of the sky."
Hero smiled at the memories that came to him in that moment, the feeling of the wind rushing past his feathers, getting to feel larger than life as he stared down at the land below him, how all of his insecurities and fears were forgotten so easily when he was up in the sky.
He beamed up at Quiet, who stroked a thumb over his wings in appreciation, and Hero tried not to shiver at the feel of it.
But then Quiet said, "I wish I could've seen it all."
Because then it hit Hero again. This was all just a dream. The Long Quiet wasn't actually talking to him. This was all just a stupid fantasy of Hero's.
He didn't realise that tears were returning to his eyes, not until Quiet brought him closer, close enough that Hero could reach out and grab one of his enormous feathers on his chest.
This time, Hero didn't fight the tears as they slowly fell down his face, much more concerned with the anger and grief twisting in his heart. He heard Quiet ask him if he was okay, but he ignored it. He wasn't okay. He will never be okay with this.
He choked on a sob, and then blindly reached out to grab the feathers in front of them, clutching them so hard that he hoped he hurt Quiet, even if it was probably nothing more than an itch to him.
He glared at the chest in front of him, sucking in deep breaths as he silently cried, and Quiet allowed him to get out his emotions without complaint, merely moving a finger to gently stroke Hero's wings in comfort, and Hero hated that it was working.
He was always on Quiet's side, but right now, he couldn't help but be against him as he quietly said, "You know-I don't think I forgive you. It's too hard to forgive you." If Quiet was shocked or hurt, he didn't let it show.
"Sometimes I'm just angry at you for abandoning us, when I never left you once," Hero spat out, because he could never be this angry in real life, so this was the closest he could get.
"I don't hate you, but I hate that you left us all alone, and you didn't even have the decency to say goodbye." Hero leaned his forehead against Quiet's chest, squeezing his eyes shut as he sobbed out, "We all loved you-I loved you."
That was when he felt Quiet tense up beneath him, but it didn't matter. Quiet would never actually hear this, and Hero knew that no feelings would make them change their minds.
Quiet would pick the Shifting Mound.
Hero would pick the flock-without question.
He was forced to compose himself as Quiet lifted him up higher, high enough so that their eyes were level with each other.
Hero could see the guilt and pain in Quiet's eyes-but still something soft and tender.
"I'm sorry for hurting you like this, my Hero," Quiet said, and even though this was just a dream, Hero kept the words close to his heart.
"I want you and the entire flock to know how proud I am of you all, for the people you've grown into."
Hero nodded, but then Quiet brought him even closer and whispered, "I love you, Hero."
Hero opened his eyes, and his cheeks felt flushed and damp. 'It was just a dream,' he reminded himself, but he still couldn't help but repeat every second of the dream in his head.
-
Somewhere far else, a God wakes up and lets a bittersweet smile appear on his face. As much as he missed his flock and his Hero, he knew they had each other. He knew they were safe at last.
u know i gotta req a hero x reader fic <33333 lemme smooch that bird PLEASE...
if not then it is my HUMBLE duty as ceo of quiet knight to ask for a sequel to ur tlq x hero fic... thank u soldier ur AMAZING!!!!!!
(I should be saying that YOU'RE amazing because of how good your art is and how my work inspired you to make an AMAZING animatic!! I picked to do a sequel of quiet knight, because an x reader is not really something I do, so sorry about that! Either way, people really liked the first heroquiet one, so hopefully you'll like this one too- enjoy!)
Part One
The dreams kept coming, and Hero still didn't know peace.
Sometimes he craved them, sometimes he hated them.
It made it hard to focus throughout the day and the lead up to sleeping, because his thoughts would all be consumed with him, and whether or not his brain would torture Hero again.
The worst part was always the pounding in his heart whenever he woke up from those dreams, and the fact that the Long Quiet still had that affect on him.
His eyes burned as he stared up at the ceiling shrouded in darkness, begging his body to stay awake for a little while longer.
But as if something in the universe could sense that, he felt himself slowly nodding off, letting himself be a puppet of his own lovesick desires.
When he opened his eyes again, he was staring up at a starry sky, feeling grass against his back and wings.
He wasn't too surprised. Sometimes his dreams changed, but not by a lot. Sometimes he'd be sitting in the palm of Quiet's hand, sometimes they were both standing at normal height in a void.
He sighed, taking a moment to enjoy the pretty scenery this dream had graced him with, before he heard a rustle to the left of him.
He turned his head- and there he was.
Even when they were both at their regular height, Quiet still towered over him, his large figure and wings making it look like there was a black hole in the field.
Quiet was already looking at him, a patient and eager smile on his face, but it immediately dimmed once he saw the blank expression on Hero's face.
"What's wrong, my Hero?" Quiet asked, brows pinching in concern, and Hero sighed tiredly, before looking up at the stars again.
"If you keep appearing in my dreams like this, I'll start to think you're a voice in my head, eventually."
Quiet chuckled, which hadn't been Hero's intention, but the sound still made his heart swell with joy, even against his better judgement.
Quiet shuffled closer to him, until the feathers on their arms were brushing. He felt Quiet lean down closer to him and said, "It's a beautiful night, isn't it?"
Hero couldn't help but smile, admittedly feeling at peace while stargazing. "Yeah, it is very pretty."
"Don't worry." But then Hero felt a hand underneath his chin, guiding his head to look back at Quiet, at the pure love in his eyes as he said, "You're still the most beautiful bird around."
Hero's breath hitched, and to deal with the rising heat in his cheeks and his complicated feelings, Hero quickly freed himself of Quiet's grasp by twisting his head to look back at the sky, trying to get his heart under control.
Quiet chuckled at his embarrassment, which wasn't helping Hero at all. They sat in silence for a few minutes, and Hero tried his best to ignore the huge presence at his side, but that was a hopeless task, especially when his mind kept going back to Quiet.
The warmth of his body. The sound of his voice. The twinkle in his eyes whenever Hero looked at him.
It was all so much to deal with, and the dream made it seem so real.
Hero was so lost in thought, that he jumped in surprise at feeling Quiet gently intertwining their hands.
Hero looked up at him, only to find Quiet gazing down at him with pure adoration in his eyes. He gulped nervously, making Quiet chuckle, and the sound sent a rush of warmth through him.
Quiet's eyes dragged up and down Hero's body in a playful manner, and then he said, "You know your feathers are all puffed up. It's cute."
Hero immediately raked his fingers across his body, desperately trying to get rid of the evidence of how badly Quiet was affecting him.
Quiet giggled at his attempts, and Hero sent him an empty glare and said, "You know, this wouldn't be happening to me if my brain wasn't so sadistic."
Quiet's laughter stopped almost instantly, and he gazed at Hero with confused concern.
"Are you not enjoying yourself, my Hero?" Quiet asked in a soft voice, and Hero sighed and rested his head against the grass. "How can I enjoy seeing what I can't have anymore? These are all just fantasies that'll never happen."
Quiet was- well, quiet, for the next few minutes, and Hero tried to ignore how the feel of the other's gaze kept making his heart flutter.
Then, Quiet slid even further towards Hero, and Hero's breath hitched at the proximity.
"What makes you think these moments are any less real?"
"Because," Hero replied, trying his hardest not to cry, glaring up at the sky, "it hurts knowing that this is just something I want you to feel. You're not actually the Long Quiet, and you don't actually feel this way about me."
He felt a hand cup his face, and he was powerless to resist as Quiet turned his head to face him. There was something dangerously warm in his eyes as he whispered, "How do you know I don't also feel this way?"
"Because- Because you're a God, and I was just a voice in your head. You couldn't possibly have feelings for me."
"But what if I did?"
Hero's head shot up, but there was nothing funny about the way Quiet was looking at him. He was giving Hero such an earnest look that he found it hard to look away from. "What would you want me to do if I really loved you?"
Hero shouldn't. He knows he shouldn't. It'll only make waking up and the reality of everything that much more painful. He should have some self respect and say no.
But on the other hand, if these dreams were all Hero could get with Quiet, then he might as well be greedy and make the most of it-
-and Hero's always been terrible at saying no to Quiet.
"You'd hold me- close," Hero whispered, lowering his head sheepishly, and he let a little squeak at how fast and how tight Quiet held him, pressing Hero's body to his chest with his arms wrapped around him.
Hero instinctively fluttered his eyes closed, sighing deeply at how nice the embrace felt. When Quiet rubbed a hand between the gap of his wings, he almost whimpered.
It felt so nice. It felt so good.
"Kiss me," Hero desperately demanded, tilting his head up to Quiet. "You'd kiss me like you loved me."
Quiet grabbed the back of Hero's head, and all Hero saw was a hint of starvation in Quiet's eyes, before their lips met.
This time, Hero did whimper, bordering on a sob as he wrapped his arms around Quiet's neck, gasping as he tried to push his body into Quiet's larger one, and Quiet's hands were so warm and intense as they clutched and pulled at Hero.
They kissed with a primal hunger, as if the thought of separating terrified them- at least for Hero, it did.
The kiss was so intense that it made Hero's head spin, and he moaned at how soft and sweet it felt to finally kiss Quiet, at least in his dreams.
Hero's lungs burned, but he didn't want this moment to end, but Quiet pulled away for only a second, rolling on top of Hero, pressing quick, overwhelming kisses to his lips, whispering inbetween the kisses, "I love you, I love you, I love you so much."
Tears pricked the corner of Hero's eyes, but he didn't care.
He'd take this. He'd take any opportunity his dreams gave him to take what he never got before. It didn't matter if this was real or not, so long as Quiet kept kissing him with enough force to make him believe that he was in love with Hero.
