#mcd laurance x reader

[my-writing-street]

i accidentally posted this when it wasnt finished so I lost the ask but thankfully I ss fucking everything

anyways some warnings for blood

enjoy!

wc: 1.5k

Once more, you headed into the forest.

Recently, Lord Aphmau asked if you could travel to the woods and collect some herbs for Lady Zoey. You, of course, were ecstatic to help! Lord Aphmau had already done so much for your little village, the least you could do to repay her was collect a few measly herbs.

And so, every day, you would head into the forest. But not alone. Lord Aphmau had assigned you a guard to keep you safe.

Well.. it's more truthful to say that he assigned himself. Sir Laurance, second in command of the guards, had taken it upon himself to keep you free from dangers while you trek through the woods. It was.. eye-opening, to say the least.

Many would say that the two of you made an unusual pair, a respected guard and a humble villager. And at first, you would agree.

You and Sir Laurance had seemingly nothing in common, and you would often question why he came with you in the first place. His answer was always the same.

("I could never let a pretty thing like you wander alone in these dangerous woods now could I?")

Always accompanied by a cheeky grin, his words lit little embers in your heart, and soon you found those embers growing into a steady blaze. How lucky you were to have a guard, a sworn protector of your very village, smitten with you.

Every morning, you would wake up, get ready for the day -however, you have begun to put more effort into your appearance lately- and look forward to your trip with Sir-

("Someone as lovely as you need only call me Laurance.." his words echoed in your mind, interrupting your morning routine with his soothing, sultry-)

Ahem.. Every morning, you would wake up, get ready for the day, and look forward to your trip with..Laurance into the woods.

The trip itself was nothing special, and definitely not dangerous enough to warrant a guard- it was a simple hour-long trip there and back.

The herbs you needed grew by a small river and usually, it was the perfect resting place. The cool water provided much-needed refreshment for you and it often soothed your sore muscles.

Crouched down to the river, you splashed a bit of water on your face to cool off, it had been particularly hot today and Laurance’s not-so-subtle flirting certainly hadn't helped you cool down either. He was always present behind you, but never too far that he wasn't able to voice his silly one-liners.

(“It’s lovely weather for a walk, isn't it?” His voice echoed through the winds, somehow meddling wonderfully with the forest’s own calm and serene symphony.

Your head turned to gaze at him. He stared at the treetops while the sun peeked through the leaves, seemingly lost in thought. But just as you were about to answer, he locked eyes with you and tilted his face towards yours, smiling mischievously.

“But not as lovely as the beauty in front of me.”)

Cheesy, yet endearing: if you hid a smile or a small laugh behind your hands then it would forever remain unknown to anyone but you.

You say on your knees, face peering up to look at your -hopefully- equally smitten companion, intending to restart the chatter that had died down when the two of you reached the river. 

But.. something was off. 

Instead of looking at you -like you had suspected- Laurance was instead looking into the surrounding forest, a hand tensed on his sword’s grip. As if he was waiting for something to strike.

For all your trips into the woods, never once had you seen him like this. No longer was it your charming and silly Laurance in front of you. It was the second in command, Sir Laurance of Phoenix Drop, tense and waiting for battle.

His posture screamed danger and the hair on your arms stood at attention. Like a deer in the path of a hunter’s arrow, you remained still, ready to bolt at the moment Laurance gave a sign.

But you were never prepared for that hunter’s arrow to fly right by your face, only thrown off course by Laurance's quick sword. A thin red sliver opened up on your left cheek, steadily dripping as the arrow lodged itself in the trees behind you.

Laurence was already gone, dashing through the woods. A hastily yelled “Go!” was your only sign to start running.

…

Rushing through the woods, the only thing on your mind was Laurance. He was the second in command so surely he was fine. But those people in the woods.. They were unlike anything you had seen before.

..That's not true.

Once, before Lord Aphmau settled into Phoenix Drop you saw it. Saw him.

A man with eyes so red they could pass for blood. He was covered head to toe in blood with a crazed look in his dark red eyes. He was.. too far gone to notice you in his haze. But you would never forget the crimson and coal armor he dawned.

And it was only a glimpse, yet you saw it. The bow that had carved through your cheek was held by red claw-like gauntlets. 

Trees blurred past you and you found yourself running faster as if spurred on by the sight of ill-gotten crimson armor. You were going too fast and knew that it was only a matter of time until you slipped and fell onto the harsh ground below. Yet you continued on, perhaps putting enough distance between you and the battle would at least allow Laurance to fight at his best without having to worry about protecting you.

Cold, rocky ground met your palms as you inevitably tripped over something and fell. Harsh breaths fled from your lungs out into the air and hoped your heaving wouldn't give away your position. 

“Oh Irene,” you prayed, hands clasped over your heart and kneeling despite the pain in your legs. “Please, watch over Laurance. Let him come to no harm and-”

*Crunch*

A frightened, high-pitched noise left your lips and you cursed yourself as you scrambled to get up. They're coming for you, you know it.

Their footsteps were loud in the quiet forest. They had nothing to worry about if they were making this much noise. You tried to run, but your earlier fall had injured your legs. All you could do was pathetically scamper, each step held up by your hands fisting tree bark.

Tears cascade down your cheeks. The salt stung your wounded flesh but you paid it no mind. You had to get as far as you could-

“..me].”

They were gaining on you. Gods, is this how you die?! 

“-ame]..!”

You were just a simple villager with an interest in plants and this is where it gets you? You would have stayed at home today if you knew this was going to happen. In fact, if you make it out alive today you'd make it a point to never go into these damn woods ever again! No matter what Lord Aphmau needs, it's certainly not worth your life-!

You nearly jumped out of your skin as a cold, clammy hand gripped your shoulder.

“[Name]!”

It was-

“Laurance!” Flinging your arms around his shoulders, you almost managed to topple the both of you to the forest floor when you jumped on him.

Heavy sobs racked your body as you relaxed in his arms. Calloused and steady hands brushed the tears from your face before his fingers caught on the cut on your face.

He pulled back from your embrace and guided you to look up at him.

“Hey, its- it's ok.. Just a small scratch..” his voice was a soft, steady thing for you to focus on while he tried to placate you.

Though his words remained drowned out by your cries, you still found solace in them and managed to calm your sobs enough to get a good look at him through your tears.

Your vision was still blurry so you started with what was closest to you, his hands. Faint scratches marred them and you could smell an iron scent emanating from his palms. 

Gods, he was probably more hurt than you and here you were, crying like a baby in his arms because of one measly scratch.

You wiped your eyes, surely smearing dirt all over your face with how dirty they were. But you couldn't care less, you just had to see him. You had to make sure he was alright.

His hair was disheveled and a leaf or two aly beneath light brown strands. Sweat dripped down his forehead and mixed with dirt, likely from the fight before.

His eyes were-

You pushed him away.

“Wha- [Name]?-”

He looked at you, confused. You were just clinging to him a second ago, what had happened? He took a look behind himself to see if any pursuers had managed to get back up and follow him but he was met with nothing but forest.

He turned back to you. You were slowly backing away. It was odd, had he done something?-

A soft whisper broke the rising tension between the two of you.

“..Your eyes.” your voice was faint.

Blood-red eyes locked onto you.

(Just like the man from before, with bloodied armor, bloodied hair, and bloodied eyes.)

[starhvney]

𝐏𝐀𝐓𝐂𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐌 𝐔𝐏

𝐅𝐄𝐀𝐓𝐔𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐆: mcd garroth, gene, laurance, travis

𝐓𝐀𝐆𝐒: fluff? literal hurt/comfort

𝐂𝐖: mentions of injuries but no in-depth descriptions

𝐀/𝐍: me when i spend more time finding the pictures for a good picture header than actually writing. i also did not proofread at all so i'm so sorry for any typos or hiccups in my writing

𝐌𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓

𝐆𝐀𝐑𝐑𝐎𝐓𝐇

the fight has long since been over, yet after searching every corner of the village, you still saw no sign of the head guard. as your last resort, you hurriedly rush across the ruined plaza, climbing over rubble as you descend into the village mines. 

you find him there, tucked back in the main tunnel and slumped over as he holds a cloth over a gash on his side. his gloved hand fumbles with some medic supplies, though his shaky hold renders himself useless as they tumble to the floor.

“garroth,” you sigh, relieved but also annoyed by his insistence on never asking for help.

he flinches, caught off guard by the blood loss dulling his senses. even now, he stoically has every layer of his armor on except for his chest plate, even his helmet stays firmly against his skull.

“i’ll be alright, my lady,” he starts, though the pained wince he lets out a moment later immediately discounts him for his claims. 

quietly, you approach him, kneeling in front of him and pulling the first aid items out of his grasp. while you can’t see his face, you hear him inhale sharply to protest against you. you silence him with a stern glare, to which he sinks back into the uncomfortable stone without a word. 

“you are much too stubborn,” you chastise, reaching to his other hand to remove it from his wound. “your pride will get you killed.”

you cringe as he peels away the blood-soaked cloth to reveal a deep gash along his side. it's a slash and not a stab, thankfully, but it would still need stitches.

it seems he already knew that, based on the thread and needle he had yet to even tie together. while maneuvering the stitching thread into the eye of the needle, you listen to his shallow and shaky breathing underneath his helm.

“aren’t you having trouble breathing with that?”

“…no.”

your eyes dart up, narrowing at the eye slits of the metal in front of you. 

“it's just me. i understand you want to hide your identity, but when it comes to your health—“

you lift your hands up to his helm, firmly placing them on each side before pausing, waiting to hear for any protests. when you hear none, you slowly lift the metal, sliding it off of his head and revealing what was underneath.

for just a moment you freeze, eyes locking onto his. his hair was a stunning sandy blonde that brushed over his brow line in soft curls. they stuck to his forehead, that had a sheen of sweat over it. you could tell his stunning eye color was dulled over by pain, eyelids drooping and his lips pale.

“…there,” you set the helm down, focusing back on his wound. “now you can breathe better, right?”

“…yes.” he winces, leaning back on your command and revealing his wound again.

carefully, you stitch the wound closed, lifting his linen shirt up enough to allow yourself to wrap the bandaging around his stomach. when you’re done you sit back, wiping your hands against your already dirtied clothes and releasing a deep sigh.

you look up, watching as his jaw clenches and his eyes dart to your feet. he still looks pale, but he at least looks more stable than before.

“garroth.” you call, voice barely above a whisper.

his eyes trail up to yours, hesitant and full of a strange sort of guilt.

“you did a good job protecting me. protecting the whole village. but even the strongest need help,” you take his hand in yours. “at least let one person take care of you in return. i was really worried about you.”

he doesn’t say anything, but you know he understands, swallowing down his deep-set need for independence to put himself in your shoes for a moment.

“there’s a cot down here. why don’t you rest, and i’ll bring you back some food and drink to help you regain your strength.”

𝐆𝐄𝐍𝐄

you knew something was strange, when the beginnings of the evening cricket chirps grew silent, a heavy feeling settling around your cottage. despite the uneasiness and natural instinct that told you to run, you instead looked around the area for the source.

despite the lack of night critters, you notice a strange fluttering of butterflies dispersing from the other side of some shrubbery. you push through the leaves and twigs, noticing the further you advanced the more wilted the plants became. 

on the other side was a man in strange armor you hadn’t seen before. the metal must’ve been smoldering hot, somehow, because the grass around it wilted and burned away from its touch. despite the strange sense of uneasiness in your chest, you take a few steps towards the man, his form slumped over a large stump.

“sir? are you alright?”

he flinches, hand moving unnaturally quick towards a large sword you didn’t realize he had by his side until now. you stumble back with a startled gasp, hands raising in surrender. dark circles line deep blue eyes, black hair stuck on his face where blood poured from a wound.

“i’m not an enemy!” you quickly say. “that injury looks bad, i can help. i’ll go get some bandages for you.”

you quickly run back to your cottage, retrieving your satchel of medical supplies before he could say a word. whoever he was, he seemed dangerous. and the faster you help him the quicker he’ll be on his way and the less likely anything else dangerous is led to you. when you return, he’s still there, though he’s propped himself up in a sitting position and leaning back against the stump.

“i don’t need any help.”

“well those wounds look pretty deep. and… you’re the one who ended up near my home, so,” you carefully approach him, heart beating erratically fast in your chest. it felt like you were approaching a predator—a wild animal pretending to be a man. “the faster i help you, the less likely whatever did this to you comes near my garden.”

his gaze stayed trained on you for a moment, piercing into you as you kneel next to him. his eyes were a beautiful shade, yet so strangely unsettling and dull. as you glance at them, it almost appears as no light shines from them at all. he smirks, a strangely amused laugh leaving his lips like he found your assistance to be completely entertaining.

“ah, there’s the motive.”

you ignore him, instead using a cloth to wipe away the blood from the side of his head.

“what’s your name?”

“what’s yours?”

you restrain a sigh, biting back the sarcastic quip you wanted to return and instead reciting your name back to him.

“…gene.”

“nice to meet you… gene. how did you get this hurt? are you…” you glance down at his strange armor and sword. “a guard, our some kind of soldier…?”

he says nothing.

“alright, then,” you clear your throat. “no more questions.”

you finish cleaning his head and neck, where another wound was, and carefully place the healing ointment you made from your own magicks herbs. trying to ignore the strange sense that you needed to run away, you finish up your work by placing bandages over the gashes… that seemed to already be healing pretty quickly. 

“there. you’re set.”

a small, “thanks,” leaves his lips, and the two of you met eyes. he seems to contemplate something, before another huffing out another amused laugh.

“you’re very…naive. you should be careful.”

“…what?”

his hand is suddenly in front of your face, cold fingers touching against the skin of your forehead and dragging down, brushing your eyelids closed. somehow your eyes grow impossibly heavy, your head too much to hold up as you slump over, landing in the arms of ge…

…of…who again?

the birds chirp the next morning as you groggily wake from what felt like a coma of slumber. you feel like there was something important you needed to take care of, but you must’ve fallen asleep early last night. you must’ve been exhausted… you don’t even remember carrying yourself into bed. 

oh, that’s right! you had to help… you had to… what was it you were up to last night?

your slump from where you sit, blinking at the floor in confusion.

it must not have been too important.

𝐋𝐀𝐔𝐑𝐀𝐍𝐂𝐄

it’s terrifying, looking into blood red eyes where iridescent pale blue ones had been before. it had only been a split moment—you two were ambushed, a thief’s sword grazing against your cheek and knocking you backwards in surprise as a whole gang of them emerged from the tree line.

laurance suffered an arrow wound, but before you could panic it wasn’t his blood that soaked the ground… but instead the whole dozen of men who tried to attack you.

you stare horrified as dark red drips from him, unsure if it was his own or from the bodies around him. he’s breathing, so heavily, face turned away from you as he stills in the center of his carnage. a few moments pass like this, your eyes trained cautiously on the dulled shade of caramel hair that lays messily on his head. 

“…laurance?” you call out quietly, your voice barely a timid whisper.

he turns to look at you, eyes red and glazed over as he begins to trudge towards you. something about the dark circles and his paled skin splattered with blood frightened you, your uncertainty heightened by his silence and now much taller frame. he towers over you, breaths heavy and sword still tightly gripped in his hand.

“it’s me!” you shakily yelp, regretting your reaction immediately when he flinches, eyes widening.

“…and i’m me.” he frowns, his larger hand brushing against your injured cheek. “you’re scared of me.”

“…no.”

he stares at you, eyebrows pinched together. he doesn’t call you out on your bluff with words, but the look he gives you is enough.

“i felt that something was off. i should’ve done something sooner.”

“it caught me off guard, too. we’re both tired, so—“

“i’m supposed to protect you. now you’re hurt.”

“it’s only a graze, laurance.” you silence his anger towards himself, your hands reaching up to cup his cheeks. “you’re hurt more than me.”

you reach in your satchel, pulling out some healing ointment and bandages you were sure to pack for the journey. he begins to shake his head, hand engulfing yours as he stops you.

“i’ll heal on my own. you know that shadow knights—“

“this will help you heal faster. and help with the pain.”

he sighs, taking a seat on a nearby rock and complying with your insistence despite the lack of need for it.

there were only a few gashes that were deep enough to not be sealed up immediately, dark red blood oozing from the lacerations. you put your focus on cleaning each one, swiping on the ointment and wrapping the bandages carefully onto his wounds.

when you look back up at his face those calm blue eyes have returned, staring back at you as they dart over your face. he takes the ointment from your hands, and with two fingers he motions for you to come closer.

you do so without much hesitation, allowing his finger to dip into the ointment and dab it across your injured cheek. he lingers his hand there for only a few moments longer, before looking away and putting your things back into your satchel.

“thank you, laurance.”

“stay right next to me,” he looks back up, tone and eyes insistent. “for the rest of the way. okay?”

it’s more of a demand than a request, but you simply nod in agreement, unable to refuse him.

“okay.”

𝐓𝐑𝐀𝐕𝐈𝐒

“take your shirt off.” you sigh, sitting next to travis as you dig through your bag.

“woah!” he laughs, a cheeky smirk stretching across his face. “way to be direct.”

you pause, glaring over at him with an unimpressed stare.

“i will add to those injuries. just do it—“

“okay! okay!” he raises his hands up, wincing at the pull of his skin against his wounds. “ow…”

he begins to peel his bloodied tunic from his skin, wincing as he attempts to lift it over his shoulders. you restrain another sigh before you take a glance down at his injuries, instead feeling pitiful at the state he was in. standing in front of him, you help him slide the fabric over his head and off his arms, leaving his whole torso exposed. 

a few previous scars litter across the skin, dipping into different divots of chiseled muscles. he was well built—he had to be for the large claymore he wielded—yet he was still lean, muscles standing out due to the low body fat he had.

“like what you see?” he smirks, catching your gaze that lingered a bit too long on his bare skin. 

“no.”

he flinches at your quick refusal, jutting out his bottom lip.

“ouch, you’re so harsh.”

“why would i like seeing all of these wounds you’re covered in? you’re lucky it wasn’t any worse or you wouldn’t even be conscious right now,” you scold. “what were you thinking?”

“so you were worried about me…” he peeks up at you through his lashes, lips once again turning up in a satisfied smirk.

you roll your eyes, not saying anything as you begin to clean up his wounds. you can never catch a break with this guy, can you? despite his annoying flirtatious jokes, though, you really couldn’t help the worry and care you felt for him. 

he hisses between clenched teeth as you accidentally press against a laceration too harshly, one of his hands reaching up to clasp against your wrist.

“a little more gentle, sweetheart.”

“sorry,” you mutter, shaking your head as you realize what you were thinking.

he doesn’t say anything, instead going quiet as you continue to patch him up. it’s not until you’re dabbing on ointment and healing potions that he speaks up again, his voice strangely soft and unsure.

“you were worried about me, right?”

you pause, glancing down at him. his eyes are strangely… pleading, cool green shining as he searches for an answer on your face. 

you gently place your hand on the back of his head, running your fingers through the soft white strands and pulling him forward and pressing a kiss against his forehead.

“yes, i was. don’t be so reckless next time.”

when you pull away, his cheeks have turned a soft shade of red and his eyes have widened, practically bulging from their sockets. slowly, his jaw opens, mouth gaping as he starts to speak.

“you–”

“shut up.”

©starhvney, 2024. please do not steal or repost my works as your own.

[arienic]

LAURANCE x FEM!READER — laurance angst based on this work. you know i love him but unfortunately for the both of us i love angst so much more

includes: angst (unrequited love), implied garroth/unnamed person

"I love her," Laurance says. It comes out in a single breath. It's quiet, soft, small. If they were outside it would've been lost — to the wind, to the birds; to the rustling grass and old, creaking trees.

Garroth's swiping a cloth along the dirty underside of his sword when Laurance confesses. His head whips up. "What?" he blurts.

He says it again: "I love her," he whispers.

It'd be an impossible feat, missing the way Laurance's voice cracks.

"It's pathetic," Laurance continues, looking out across the plains. "The way I love her is pathetic. But I love her. It's — it's horrible, Garroth. I don't know how to — to…" His head hangs low, bangs coming forward to cover his face. "It's just… it feels horrible. And so heavy."

He can't help it. "Why?" asks Garroth.

"Because… because I —" Laurance breathes out shakily, curling his finger around a blade of grass. A few seconds of silence pass between them before he continues. "Because it's… not the sort of love I'm sure she can return. Because — because I have so much of it, so much of it, that it makes me feel heavy. It makes me feel light. It makes me feel like I'm capable of so much and that I can never do enough. I'm filled with it, Garroth, right up to the brim. I have so much love for her, and she doesn't want it." His friend's face is angled away from him, and he's slouching, hands limp in his lap. "I know she doesn't. I have so much and she doesn't want it. And — and I can't have it, because it's not mine; it's not meant for me. And I can't give it to anyone or anything else because it's not theirs — it's not meant for them, either. 

"It's not meant for anyone but her. It's hers," Laurance whispers, voice suddenly so gentle. "It's hers, all hers — it is and it always will be — and there's nowhere else to put it. It's so fucking heavy, and I have nowhere else to put it."

The silence that follows, stretching on and on, broken up only by the sounds of the natural world around them, is far from unexpected. Garroth doesn't speak, because of course he wouldn't. Not when he doesn't have the words. Not when he'll never have the words.

But he understands. Of course he understands.

So they sit in the grass, in the silence, and when the night passes over them they'll come to a quiet understanding: that this is to be kept between them, and that it is never to be spoken of again.

[mycringysideblog]

also here smth very sweet I thought about for MCD self aware au,,,, Imagine Garroth, Laurence or Danta accompaning you during your mining/resource trips,, Especially protecting you whenever you go afk

Yes!!! Your brave guards need to protect you of course! It's almost hilarious how many times you have to remind them that Someone has to head the guard when all of them volunteer to join you on a simple mining trip

Now I could end this here, but seeing as I am an X reader blog :3c Put under the read more because it's four whole ass paragraphs lol

Garroth: He would come fully stocked. Extra food, extra coal for torches, some wood in case of emergencies, spare iron for when your pick breaks (If you're not at mending level yet) but most of his pockets are dedicated to useful things. He brings his sword and wears his armor of course but he knows you know how to fight. To he sees it less as protecting you and more as one of the few times you can hang out uninterrupted

Laurance: Ever the charmer he would probably bring the bear extra supplies needed and focus on bringing something nice for you. I'm partial to the Let's Do mod series so he'd occasionally reward your efforts with chocolates, sweets, maybe even some wine to share? Oh, he knows you're busy with this new build but you've been working so hard, you deserve a break dove

Dante: Being the rookie of the group Dante is the most paranoid about your actual health on these trips. He keeps a level head to be sure, but he just wants to keep you safe! And if that means running head first into a situation you could have handled yourself and needing to be patched up after, you bet he's charging in there

And for aus like this one, you know things that are going to happen in advance, so you can plan better. And maybe even sway some folks to your side, like!

Zenix: After confronting him on being a Shadow Knight and showing him kindness despite it (And helping him confront how Gene's lied to him) Zenix has dropped the "poor rookie who doesn't know how to hold a sword" act and is one of your most lethal guards. That being said, he's also a goober at heart. What I'm saying is you two have some very fun banter broken up only slightly as Zenix snipes a skeleton half way across the cave from you and then continues like nothing happened

[starhvney]

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐂𝐀𝐋𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐆

𝐏𝐀𝐈𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐆: mcd laurance x reader

𝐒𝐔𝐌𝐌𝐀𝐑𝐘: the very thing that he wishes to protect is the same thing that causes him torment.

𝐓𝐀𝐆𝐒: angst, reverse comfort, love confession, lots of self loathing from laurance, violence, i love elaborating on how terrifying shadow knights are

𝐂𝐖: mentions of violence and gore, he is in fact going crazy, he almost kills you whoops

𝐀/𝐍: that boy is a monsterrrr mo mo mo monster that boy is a monsterrrr (me after writing more mcd laurance angst instead of finishing my requests)

𝐌𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓

the constant traveling your group has had to endure has been difficult on everyone, but lately it seems as if laurance has been even more on edge, barely hanging on to his temper by a thin thread. he's usually reliable for being calm and collected when tensions are high, yet somehow it seemed like any little thing or comment sent your way was some sort of veiled threat. it wasn’t a mystery why he was acting this way, with the calling tormenting his thoughts and chipping away at his sanity.

you'd hoped to coax him into talking about some things that had been on his mind, and possibly calm the build-up of stress that he seemed to constantly carry on his shoulders. however, the walk through the woods went from anything from tranquil, the thread holding him together snapping when bandits had decided to ambush the two of you. you wanted to stop him, to calm him down. but when the meadow was covered in blood and that same shade of hellish red turned to you in the form of fury-filled eyes, you found yourself frozen in terror.

weapon still in hand, laurance stalks towards you with his sword raised, only seeming to gain back a piece of awareness when a frightened sob leaves your lips. he stumbles back, horror in his eyes as he looks down at you, nothing but pure self-loathing on his face when he sees the pure fear in your eyes.

your breath shudders and you quickly gulp back the tears that threatened to fall from your eyes. you knew that if you didn’t speak now he’d distance himself from you, closing himself away for the sake of your safety. “…laurance?”

he falters at his name being said, snapping out of his own thoughts as he stares down at you. his lips curl in an unmistakable expression of mental anguish.. "…you're…you're scared of me. you're scared of me."

the tone of his voice was something you'd never seen him have before. self-hatred, horror, and the sheer amount of pain in his tone was nearly overwhelming. you find yourself in one of the few moments where you've ever seen laurance nearly speechless.

shakily you stand up to your feet, clearly trying to deny his claims. your silent attempt was not very convincing, though, with the trembling of your body and your eyes blown wide. blood from the practical slaughter of the men had splattered onto you, smearing on your skin and soaking into your clothes.

“no…” you breathe, shaking your head as you gulp, taking a shaky step closer to him. “i’m not. i'm not.”

“yes. you are. you should be. i’m a monster, and you should not be getting closer.” he practically snarls out the words, though the look in his eyes was desperate.

“no, you’re not.” you quickly say. there’s a pause as you take another shaky breath, staying in place. “they were going to kill you and me—if not something worse—if you hadn’t done something.”

a flash of anger resurfaces and flickers across his face at the slightest suggestion of that outcome—of you ending up hurt.

“that doesn’t change the fact that i’m a shadow knight.” his voice is nearly a hiss, his sword shaking loosely by his side. “it doesn’t change the fact…that i almost hurt you.”

you take another small step closer to him, chest heaving unevenly as your mind raced. he was right. he did lose his grip on reality and almost eliminated you in his crossfire. what were you supposed to say to that? what could you say to that?

“you may be different, now… but you’re still laurance. my laurance. even after all this time, that will never change.” you whisper.

he’s visibly trembling, jaw clenching and breaths short as he stares at you. he almost stumbles when you take another step forward, eyes squeezing shut as a shuddering breath leaves his lips. 

“don’t. don’t come any closer, please, i may lose control again.” he pleads, voice a hoarse whisper. 

“no, you won’t. i know you won’t.” you say, voice still hushed and soft, and the trembling in your tone still there. “…sheathe your sword, laurance.”

slowly, he sheathes his sword, the loud noise of it sliding into its case sounding loud against the silence of the forest. yes, you realize, any animal or insect nearby has stopped its chatter, sensing the danger of laurance’s presence and likely fleeing in terror. any living being should, if following their instincts.

slowly you close the distance between the two of you, relying on his closed eyes and concentration on self-control to keep him from backing away from you again. he’s usually so observant, so alert. the fact that he wasn’t even reacting to your approach was telling in itself. 

you know the risk of approaching him now. how dangerous it is. in order for him to succumb to the calling all he’d have to do is lose control and kill the person most precious to him, and here you were serving yourself on a silver platter.

“you’re here. with me. you’re not going to hurt me.” you’re just inches from him now. raising up on your tiptoes, you wrap your arms around his shoulders, pulling him into an embrace.

the moment your arms wrap around him, a shuddering sob leaves his lips, his arms flinching to hold you back yet hesitating as if to push you away. his brain is in a constant state of internal conflict, one part of him screaming at him to shove you away for your safety and the other part begging to hold you closer.

the possessive part wins.

unnaturally hot armor presses against your ribs as he pulls you up into his arms, his face burying into your neck. shuddering breaths brush across your skin, heated against your collarbone while you watch the flickers of embers leave his armor. 

“you didn’t hurt me. i’m fine.” you murmur near his ear, reaching your hands up to run through the hair near the nape of his neck.

your fingertips meet the sensation of thick warm blood, and for a moment you’re frightened it’s his before you realize it must just be from one of the bandits he’d torn through.

laurance’s breathing stutters again when your fingers soothingly scratch against his scalp. he slowly drops to his knees, bringing you down to the ground with him and cradling you to him.

“i could’ve hurt you. had i been a little later, had i lost a little more control…” his voice is nothing but a strangled whisper.

the thought alone nearly sends him spiraling into a panic, arms almost squeezing you uncomfortably tight against the firm metal of his armor.

“no, don’t think about that,” you say, gulping as you let him mold you against him how he needed. “you’re fighting something bigger than you, than both of us. you… you just…”

you trail off.

it’s true. if he hadn’t regained control just a moment later, you’d likely not just be hurt—but dead—and laurance would’ve completely transformed into a shadow knight.

“that’s the problem.” he hisses out through his teeth, the horror in his tone replaced with frustration and hands trembling against you. “i’ve barely been holding on by a thread, one wrong word or comment, and i could lose control. and i could lose you. because of me. what about the next time this happens, huh? when i can’t control myself anymore?”

you’re stunned into silence, mouth opening to speak but no words coming out. “i…”

hands clench against your shoulders as he lifts his face back up, his irises a duller shade of red as he stares down at you. the look in them was silently begging for you to say anything, anything to distract him from the monster he felt himself deteriorating to.

“i could kill you, and you’re defending me. why do you defend me?”

tears fill your eyes as you stare up at him, breath hitching as you reach up to brush your hand against his cheek. “because i love you.”

a quiet groan leaves his lips, eyes squeezing shut and his face tilting to rest his forehead on yours. 

“i’ve dreamed of you saying those words to me.” he murmurs, voice thick and full of emotion. “but it was never supposed to be like this. i’ve wanted you so long, and now i can’t have you.”

“you can.” you quickly say, eyebrows twisting up and chest constricting in pain. all this time he’s waited for you to reciprocate his feelings and now he can’t act upon them, with this horrid overpowering urge to harm what he wants most in his head.

a ragged breath leaves his lips, the sound a bitter, frustrated noise. 

“no, i can’t.” he sounds like he’s forcing his voice to be harsh, the tone gruff yet trembling in pain. “i want you. i want you so badly, it’s eating me alive. but i can’t have you, not with the calling.”

your lips tremble and tears finally spill over the lids of your eyes. a moment later you’re leaning up and kissing him, hand cupping his cheek and the other over his chest.

the sudden action pulls a strangled sound from his lips, his whole body tensing and freezing in place. for a moment he stays that way, not even breathing before he breaks all at once.

he makes the most pathetic noise against your lips, wrapping his arms around your waist and yanking you flush against him. the way he kisses you back is desperate, his lips trembling and hands attempting to pull you impossibly closer to him.

you could feel his internal struggle with every tremble of his muscles against you. it was like he was begging you to stay while screaming for you to run away from him while you still could. having you here in his arms now, after all this time, felt like both the highest blessing he could receive and the worst curse sent to torture him for eternity.

“i love you.” you breathe against him, barely able to get the words out in the times you part before his lips crash down against yours again.

“don’t.” he mutters against your lips, his next sentence barely a gasp against your lips. “you’re going to drive me mad, saying those words. you should hate me. you should leave me.”

his body continues to contradict his words as his hands squeeze against you. he knows he needs to let you go, but he’s starving for the feel of your body against his. he knows he needs to push you away. but the selfish… the possessive part of him wants to mold you to his body and to keep you there.

“i love you,” you repeat, fingers digging into… not into firm, unyielding armor, but soft shoulders through the fabric of the linen shirt he was wearing before.

you can’t bring yourself to pull away, too caught up in the feeling of his lips against yours to confirm that he’d transformed back into his human form. but you know. he feels closer, like you’d stepped back into your home and smelled the familiar scent of your belongings after a long and tiring journey. 

drinking in each shuddering breath and soft murmur from your lips, he’s pulling you in like you were his first drop of water after wandering through the desert for years. finally, you pull back, regaining the air in your lungs as you look up into his eyes.

and there he is again.

the hellish flicks of firey ashes no longer surround him, and the red veins that showed through his sickly skin have receded, leaving the familiar olive tone of his skin under your fingertips. no longer are his irises an unsettling bloodthirsty red, but back to the cool grayish blues. for a moment, you think you even see a flicker of the green that resided there all that time ago, but then it’s gone once again in the next second.

“…you just need to remember who you are. to ground yourself.”

his eyes squeeze shut at your words, still struggling to catch his breath as he attempts to gather himself, leaning forward into your hands that cup his cheeks.

“…i feel like i’m slipping away more and more.” he whispers out suddenly, voice breaking slightly. “it’s like i can feel it eating at me. i don’t want to lose myself.”

“i won’t let you.” you quickly murmur back, thumbs brushing under his eyes. “you’ll still be you, and i’ll still be me. no matter how much time passes.”

laurance can feel himself leaning further into your touch, desperate for the comfort of it. when he looks down at you again, his eyes look so… incredibly exhausted, dark circles lining underneath them.

you glance back towards the bodies of the bandits around you. there was so much more that needed to be said. to be discussed. but you know the energy to say anything was lost between the both of you.

“let’s go back and rest for now. okay?” you whisper, eyes trained on a splatter of blood against the grass, before looking back up to him.

laurance tenses, following your gaze to the bodies surrounding you. he looks horrified, lips pursing in disgust at the amount of bloodshed and gore he’d left behind. it was easy to forget while in that state, but now, looking back at the lives he so easily extinguished, he feels nauseous.

before he could spiral again you turn his face back towards you, brushing your fingers across his skin. he tears his gaze away from the death surrounding you, hesitating for half a second, before slowly nodding.

“…okay.”

©starhvney, 2024. please do not steal or repost my works as your own.

taglist: @wasting-away-on-the-internet, @bakugocanstompme 

[starhvney]

𝐁𝐀𝐂𝐊 𝐓𝐎 𝐌𝐀𝐈𝐍 𝐌.𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓

(𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐞 𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐳𝐞𝐝 𝐝𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐥𝐲 𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞'𝐬 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐩𝐨𝐩𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐢𝐭!)

♡ star's personal favorites, ❀ fan favorites (most liked)

𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐂𝐀𝐍𝐎𝐍𝐒

there's nothing here for now!

𝐃𝐑𝐀𝐁𝐁𝐋𝐄𝐒

patching them up | ft. garroth, gene, laurance, travis ❀

calling them husband | ft. garroth, gene, laurance

𝐎𝐍𝐄𝐒𝐇𝐎𝐓𝐒

back to you | garroth x reader | angst hurt/comfort

goodnight, my darling | garroth x reader | fluff, established relationship

stay | laurance x reader | angst, hurt/comfort, hidden feelings ❀

couldn't compare | laurance x reader | fluff, established relationship

for you | laurance x reader | angst, hurt/comfort

the calling | laurance x reader | angst, reverse comfort ♡

© starhvney 2024. do not plagiarize, feed to any AI, or repost my works to any sites.

[starhvney]

𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐘

𝐏𝐀𝐈𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐆: mcd laurance x fem!reader

𝐒𝐔𝐌𝐌𝐀𝐑𝐘: he's lost too many people he's loved, he can't lose you too

𝐓𝐀𝐆𝐒: diaries!laurance, hurt/comfort, laurance and reader aren't explicitly said to have a relationship or feelings for each other but it's implied, reader and laurance are travelling for a mission together

𝐂𝐖: nightmare, descriptions of blood but no specific description of injuries or violence, mentions of character death

𝐀/𝐍: why is it so hard to write endings >:( anyways kind of short drabble but i needed to get this idea out

𝐌𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓

before he could ever see anything, he could smell it.

that familiar metallic scent of blood soaking into the ground. he smelled it when joh was shot right under his nose. he smelled it when he was in the nether and the scent of his own blood was his only reminder that he was still alive. when he was barely conscious but felt the life of ungrth draining next to him, that same sickening smell invaded all of his senses.

it can’t be happening again. his chest fills uncomfortably with panic, his rib cage feeling like it could break at the seams and burst through his skin. not again.

one second you were right in front of him, that sweet smile on your lips and that certain sparkle in your eyes that you seemed to reserve just for him. he must have blinked, or turned for only a slight second, but that was enough for you to slip from his fingers and out of his sight.

for a moment he froze. the sight of blood trailing into the dark forest ahead replacing the warm image he had of you just a moment ago. it’s deafeningly silent, before a scream echoes ahead. your scream. his feet carried him forward before he even realized he was moving. wind rushed past his ears and twigs snapped under his feet, your name frantically falling from his lips. he usually ran faster than this. why couldn’t he run any faster?

and the smell. it nearly staggers him to a halt as it hits him like a tidal wave.

he finds you, sprawled in an uncomfortable heap on the forest ground. your chest heaves unevenly, every gasp of air was followed by a pained whimper. and your blood. it was everywhere. smeared across your skin. seeping into the moss below you. there was so much he couldn’t even tell where it was coming from. 

he drops to his knees next to you, lifting you up to hold you in his arms. he moves your hair out of your face, cupping your cheek and rubbing it like it would put more life into the paled, blood-drained color.

“come on. don’t do this to me.” he says through clenched teeth, hoping for some sort of response but getting none.

not you. not you. not you. 

he repeats your name, his voice strangled and desperate. he feels your blood staining into his clothes, that metallic scent seeping into his skin.

he lightly shakes you as he’s once again met with silence. complete silence. your chest doesn’t heave for air, and your body now lays completely limp in his arms.

it feels like suddenly his own blood has been drained, all feeling in his limbs numb as he cradles your body to his chest as you go cold.

no, no, no.

“laurance…? …up…”

no. no. no.

“…wake up. laurance, wake up!”

he shoots up from his bedroll in a panic, barely giving you enough time to move back as he nearly bashes his head into yours. his panicked breaths fill your shared tent as you contemplate reaching out to him.

“woah, woah. it’s okay,” you try to reassure him, leaning over to catch his gaze.

frantic eyes meet yours, and before anything could be said, you’re yanked forward into an almost crushing hug. laurance’s hands grip on to you like you could disappear at any moment. fingers thread through your hair as he holds the back of your head, tucking you into the crook of his neck as his other arm wraps around your waist.

“you were having a nightmare… it’s okay.” you whisper to him, voice slightly unsteady.

you’d never seen him so shaken. not since he thought hayden died, or ungrth sacrificed himself. even then, he managed to keep some sort of composure. now, his muscles tremble and tense weakly, the adrenaline from his dream dissipating and wearing him down.

“…laur-“

“just. stay here. for a moment.” his voice hoarsely strains out.

you go quiet, hugging him back. a few minutes pass like this. with your chest pressed against his, you feel his rapid heartbeat eventually slow to a less panicked pace. he regains some control of his breathing, each breath in your ear shaky and stuttered. 

“what did you dream about?” you ask tentatively. 

he doesn’t respond at first, but you feel his breathing and hesitate pick up for a moment. 

“stay with me.” his voice is muffled in your hair.

“…what?”

“don’t leave my side. don’t go out of my sight for the rest of the journey.”

“we’re only two days away from phoenix drop, i’ll be-“

his arms tighten around you, squeezing some of the air out of your lungs. you try to squirm to get a better look at his face, but you can’t budge even an inch. 

“…okay.” you agree, hoping to calm whatever anxiety had been caused by his dream.

“promise.”

“i promise.”

his grip slowly relaxes again, but he still doesn’t let go. instead, he leans back into his bed roll, taking you down with him. you make a small noise of surprise as he does, grasping into his linen shirt to steady yourself as you practically lay on top of him.

“…do you want to stay like this till morning?” you ask hesitantly, moving your head to finally get a look at his face.

there’s a light sheen of cold sweat across his face, his eyes shut tight as he seemingly tried to focus on his breathing. slowly, he nods, exhaustedly extending his arm out to grab the blanket from your bed roll. he yanks it over you, respectably keeping contact with you while using your blankets as a barrier.

“try to go back to sleep and get some rest.”

you wrap your arms around his neck, running your fingers through his hair and shifting up to tuck your chin over his head. laurance releases a shaky breath, steadying himself as he relaxes further into you. soon you hear nothing but the crickets outside of the tent and his deepened breaths.

“i’ll be here when you wake up.”

©starhvney, 2024. please do not steal or repost my works as your own.

[starhvney]

would it be possible to ask for a laurance x reader where they share a romantic date stargazing? mcd preferably!

𝐂𝐎𝐔𝐋𝐃𝐍'𝐓 𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐄

𝐏𝐀𝐈𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐆: mcd laurance x fem!reader

𝐒𝐔𝐌𝐌𝐀𝐑𝐘: you hadn’t been able to see much of laurance since he had taken on more night shifts for guard duty. you both missed each other's company, so he promised to come get you after his shift to spend a night with you. 

𝐓𝐀𝐆𝐒: fluff, it's established you and laurance are lovers (canon), headcanon lore on laurance and ungrth? constellations based on mcd lore

𝐂𝐖: none

𝐀/𝐍: idk how i feel about how i wrote this one, hopefully you still like it! idk i love the prompt but i feel like my brain was scattered writing it (also guys writing kiss scenes is hard btw)

𝐌𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓

you had been anticipating seeing him all day, barely able to contain yourself once he came into view. sleepy eyes light up when his gaze lands on yours. 

“darling, it’s too cold out here,” he sighs, his steps quickening when he realizes you’re standing outside of your doorway. “you’ll get sick.”

your hands wrapped around your arms, the thin dress you wore not enough to shield you from the chilled night air of phoenix drop. quickly, he unclasped his cape from his armor, draping the thick material around your shoulders. 

“i’m fine.” you insist, leaning forward to wrap your arms around his broad, armor-clad shoulders. “besides… i couldn’t wait to see you.”

he sighs again, weakly giving in to your argument as he leaned in and buried his nose in your hair. 

“i’ll change first, and then we’ll go.”

he takes your arm in his as the two of you walk to his home, letting him change out of his clunky armor into a soft linen shirt and pants. before you could turn for the door, he grasps out onto your arm, pulling you forward and securing a thick cloak around your shoulders. after he deemed he had fussed enough over your warmth and comfort, he places a fleeting kiss to your forehead. soon enough the both of you are walking side by side through the moonlit streets, hands laced together.

he had told you he had a spot in mind, a place he had gone to a few times before to clear his head. as you passed through the front gates laurance pulled you closer to him and scanned along the tree line, something that was probably an instinctual habit as a guard. his hand gently held your own, securing you against him when you passed over ditches and roots along the forest floor.

for now, the two of you didn’t say anything, only listening to the faint bristling of the breeze through the tree leaves, the soft footfalls of your steps, and the distant noise of night critters. finally, the two of you come upon a clearing, the trees breaking their cover from the moon and revealing the clear, constellation-filled sky.

soft white light reflected down onto the grass and beautiful white flowers that sprouted around the small field. laurance doesn’t release your hand, his rough hand engulfing yours as he guides you to the center of the clearing. you both lay back into the soft flora beneath you, gazing up at the twinkling lights above. 

“i used to do this back in meteli.”

you lightly hum in response, squeezing his hand.

“when i was a kid, too. it’s how i met ungrth.” you look over to see him staring up at the stars with a wistful look on his face. “i stupidly wandered too far one night and got lost. i was upset at something that happened at the orphanage.”

“good thing you met him.”

“yeah,” he lets out a quiet chuckle. “if i had entered the territory of another wyvern, it wouldn’t have ended so well. a scrawny kid like me would’ve been easy pickings.”

“he used to point out constellations,” he continued, leaning closer to you as his free hand points up to a string of stars. “that’s the matron, see how it looks like a praying maiden?”

you nod. “was it named after irene?”

he nods, looking at you briefly with a small smile before he shifts his hand over to the left.

“that one over there is the protector, it looks like a knight with his shield. and above it is the wanderer.”

you watch him trace out different constellations, both ones that he was taught and others he has made up for fun as a child.

“it’s beautiful.” you breathe.

“yeah.” laurance softly replies.

you turn to see his gaze already fixed on you, gray-blue irises darting around the features on your face. he lifts his rough and scarred hand—proof of his hard training with no gloves—and brushes away loose strands of hair that have fallen in front of your face.

blood rushes to the surface of your skin, heating your cheeks as his fingers tenderly brush against the side of your face and trail down to your jaw. his thumb lightly traces over your lips, his eyelids heavy.

“the most beautiful thing i’ve ever seen.”

he gets up on his elbow, body shifting to lean over you. your eyes flutter shut as his lips ghost yours, breath stuttering in anticipation.

you wait a moment. then another.

“may i?” he whispers.

you grab the sides of his face with your hands, patience running out as you tug him down against you. slightly chapped lips clash into yours, not hesitating for a moment as they quickly mold against the shape of your own. he continues to gently caress your face, his touch stealing your breath away as his fingers trail down to your waist. his hand slides underneath you and lifts you closer to him, as if he couldn’t stand having any distance between the two of you. 

“beautiful.” he whispered.

the kiss breaks, allowing you to finally catch your breath. his forehead rests against yours, your breaths mingling as he leans down to steal another chaste kiss.

slowly, he parts from you, looking down at you as he rests on his elbows. his eyes drift to something above your head, and he reaches out to pluck it from the ground. one of the clearing’s white flowers comes into view, as he spins the stern in his fingers, observing the soft petals closely.

“all of the stars in the sky and any flower i pick couldn’t compare.” he whispers, tucking the sweet-smelling blossom behind your ear.

©starhvney, 2024. please do not steal or repost my works as your own.