“Fao? Fao, what are you doing? I’m bored!” Finn called, for the fifth time that day.
Fao was trying to revise, his exams looming and uni places on the line. He was stressed and sleeping terribly, and Finn being so demanding was driving him crazy. He needed to do the work, he was stressed about his chemistry exams. Finn meant well, but it was infuriating.
“I’m trying to revise, Finn!” He snapped, more aggressive than he meant to be.
That didn’t stop his brother, who burst into his bedroom. “You’re always revising. So boring.”
“I have to revise, I have exams. I’m bored too, but that’s life.” He grumbled, not looking up from his notes.
“You just don’t care.”
“Come on Finn, that’s unfair. Of course I care, I’ve just got a lot on right now.”
“Whatever.”
“Finn…”
“I can help.” He reached for Fao’s notes. “Look.”
“Finn, leave it. I don't need your help, I need peace and quiet!”
“Just let me help! I can ask you questions!” Finn held them out of Fao’s reach. “I can quiz you.”
“Finn! Give them back!”
“I’m helping!” He protested, jumping up and running away from Fao. “What is the...lettuce? Oh, lattice! Lattice energy?”
“Finn! Stop it!”
“Why are you learning about moles?”
“It means something different. Give it!”
“I thought you were doing science! And you’re learning about moles!” He teased, pretending to be a mole. “Look, I can be a chemistry too.”
“It’s not the same mole! Just give me my notes back, Finn. I’m trying to revise.”
“Well, that’s boring.”
“Finn, I’m stressed!”
“I’m helping destress!”
“No you’re not! You’re making me more stressed.” Fao snapped, standing up to snatch the notes from Finn, ripping them. “Now look what you’ve done!”
“You ripped them!” Finn backed off, his teasing slowly fading. “I didn’t mean it.”
Fao sighed. “Sorry. I'm jus’ stressed.”
“Then let me help.”
“I just need quiet, Finn. I'm gonna have to write these notes again, now.”
Finn grabbed the half Fao had, trying to fit it back together. “You could just tape it here, it’ll be fine.”
“No, I need to rewrite it.” Fao muttered. “It's wrong now.”
“It’s not, it’s fine.”
“You don't understand.”
“Look, it’s all together again, it’s fine.”
“It doesn't matter.” Fao said tiredly.
“Come get it then.” Finn teased again, trying to get his brother to smile.
“Please, just give it back.”
"You need a break!"
“I need to study.”
"You need a break!" Finn insisted, turning to head downstairs. "Come on, I'll get you a drink."
Fao made a noise, reaching for his notes. “Just give the notes back, Finn!”
"No! Have a break."
“Give!” He exclaimed, following his brother out onto the landing. “I'm serious, Finn! Give me my notes!”
"I'm serious too! Mum said to make sure you ate and drank!"
“I’m not hungry and I’ve had water! Piss off!”
"You need to eat!" Finn shouted back, standing backwards on the stairs.
“Later.” Fao said, opposite Finn on the landing. “Come on, just give it back and leave me alone!” He said, grabbing at the papers.
Finn pulled back, and yelped. He lost his footing and slipped down the stairs, landing heavily on his side.
Fao's blood ran cold. “Shit! Finn!” He rushed down after his brother, notes forgotten. “Finn? It's okay, I'm here.”
Finn was more shocked than anything, curling into Fao as his brother sat next to him. "I'm okay."
“It’s alright, you’re okay. Try not to move.” He soothed, still panicked. “Anything hurts?”
He shook his head, one hand grabbing on to Fao's top. "I'm okay."
“Talk to me. Are you sure? You fell kinda hard…”
Finn nodded into Fao's chest. "It's okay."
“Try not to move. We need to call an ambulance, you fell hard.”
"You don't, please."
“‘M gonna call mum, okay? Don’t move.”
"No, 'm okay. Let's just go back upstairs and you can work again. I'll leave you alone."
“Work doesn't matter now. You're way more important.”
"I don't need mum to know."
“We need mum to help, it's okay.”
"We don't. I'm fine."
“Even though you're fine. Just make sure, yeah?”
"She'll tell me off."
“It was an accident, it’s okay. She won’t tell you off.”
"She will. Please don't call."
“She won’t. I won’t let her.”
"...okay."
“Promise you.”
"If you're sure."
“She can get mad at me, if anyone.”
Finn sniffed. "'kay."
“Are you sure nothing hurts?”
"It's fine." He lied. "Nothing hurts."
“Are you sure?”
"Just scared me."
“Scared me too.”
"Sorry." He pressed closer, wrapping an arm around Fao. "I was just trying to help because- because you seemed really worried and not fun."
“Finn, I told you not to move.” He said weakly. “It's okay. I know I'm being a crappy brother right now. I'm sorry.”
"I'm okay though."
“Sure? Nothing in your back hurt? Your shoulder? Arm? You landed really hard.”
Finn could see the worry on Fao’s face, so he shook his head.”Nothing.”
“Not even a bit achy?”
“No.”
“Did you hit your head at all?”
“No.” He shook it to prove his point. “All fine.”
Fao was quiet for a minute. “Okay. Stay there, I’m gonna call Mum.” He said, moving to get his phone out.
“Do you have to?”
“Just in case.” Fao murmured.
“Okay.” Finn hummed. “Can we go to your room?”
“Think we should stay here a bit.”
Finn sighed. “Fine.”
“Just for a bit.” Fao mumbled, struggling to find Sheila’s number in his phone.
“I’ll just get up.”
“No, Finn, please.” Fao hated the way his voice wobbled.
Sheila answered the phone on the first ring. “Please tell me you haven’t killed each other.”
Fao cleared his throat. “We were arguing and then Finn slipped and fell down the stairs and he said he’s not hurt but I’m worried and I don’t know if I should take him to hospital or call an ambulance or what. ‘M sorry, Mum.”
“I’m fine, mum!”
“Oh, Fao. Take a breath, you’re not going to help anyone if you’re worrying. It’s okay, these things happen, it was an accident.”
“I don’t know what to do. What if he’s hurt and I make it worse by helping him up?” His voice was low.
“It’s not the first time he’s fallen down the stairs, it won’t be the last, he’s clumsy as anything. If you’re really worried, you can call an ambulance, but if he’s saying he’s not hurt, not hit his head, then you should be fine. You can take him down yourself if he needs it. We won’t be too much longer here.”
He took a deep breath and nodded. “Okay. Yeah, that’s okay. I panicked.”
“You’re going to, I’ve left you two alone and Finn has - like always - hurt himself. That’s not your fault. If he’s saying he’s okay and acting like normal, just let him up and keep an eye on him.”
“Okay. Finn, it’s okay. You can get up, I’ll make tea or something.”
“I told you I was fine.” He said, carefully wriggling out of Fao’s grasp. “Bye mum!”
Fao sighed, standing up to go to the kitchen and put the kettle on. “Do you want anything, Finn?”
"No thank you." Finn said, scrambling back upstairs and running to his room.
Fao sighed, biting his lip. But he made tea for himself and hot chocolate for his brother, complete with marshmallows. After a chat with Sheila, who said she'd be home soon, he headed upstairs to his brother's room.
“Finn?”
"Go away!"
“I-I brought you hot chocolate…”
"I don't want any!"
“I put loads of marshmallows on.”
"No thank you!"
“Please can I come in?”
"No, it's okay."
“Please, Finn?”
"It's okay."
“I’m really sorry about what happened.”
"Wasn't your fault."
“‘M still sorry. Let me in?”
"I'm getting changed?" Finn tried.
“I can wait.”
“I’ll be forever.”
“Why are you getting changed?”
“Uhh…” He hesitated. “I just wanted to get changed.”
“Why?”
“Because.”
“Because why?”
“Because!”
“Finn, is everything okay? What are you hiding from me?”
“Nothing! I’m just in my room.”
“Then why can't I come in?”
“Because I’m getting changed!”
Fao huffed. “Get changed quickly.”
“No!”
“Please, Finn. Or I’ll come in.”
“Just leave me alone!”
“Finn, I’m worried.”
“You don’t need to be.”
“I am.”
Finn groaned. "Just go away! I wanna be left alone."
Fao pushed the door open. “‘M gonna be pissed if you’re naked.”
He spun around hurriedly fiddling with the button on his jeans. "I warned you!"
“You’re being such an idiot!”
He started pulling his trousers down. "I said I was!"
“Stop it!” Fao said, quickly turning around.
"Leave then!"
“No! Come on, what's wrong?"
"I'll take them off!" He threatened.
“Come on Finn, stop fucking about. You never hide in your room, usually I can't get rid of you. What's going on?”
"I told you." He said quietly. "I just got a fright and I wanted lion."
“It was scary, yeah? I was scared too. That's why I made you a hot chocolate, I thought we could sit together, snuggle a bit?”
Finn hesitated. "Okay."
“Can I turn around now?”
"Yeah. Didn't actually take my jeans off."
“Good.” Fao said, turning around. “You want this hot chocolate?”
"Yes please."
Fao offered it to him. “There.”
He took it awkwardly. "Thanks."
Fao frowned at him. “You alright?”
"Fine. It's hot."
“Yeah, careful. Are you hurting?”
He shook his head quickly. "No."
“It's alright. You can tell me.”
"I'm not."
“It's okay.”
"I'm fine." His voice wavered slightly.
“You don't sound fine.” Fao narrowed his eyes. “Let me see?”
Finn took a step back. "Nothing to see."
“Let me see, Finn.”
He hesitated, torn between giving in and running. The former won out and he set the mug down on the side.
"I landed on my side and my arm." He murmured.
“Let's have a look, then.”
He stuck his arm out first. "Be gentle?"
“I'm always gentle.” Fao said, and moved to look over Finn's arm. It didn't exactly look good, swollen and wrong. “It hurts, yeah?”
Finn nodded, making a quiet, pained noise as Fao touched him.
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
Chapters: 86/?
Fandom: Elden Ring (Video Game)
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Relationships: Millicent/Original Female Character, Malenia Blade Of Miquella/Cleanrot Knight Finlay (mentioned), Original Character/Other(s), Ancient Dragon Lansseax/Vyke (Elden Ring)
Characters: Millicent (Elden Ring), Malenia Blade of Miquella (Elden Ring), Miquella (Elden Ring), Morgott the Omen King | Margit the Fell Omen, Knight Loretta (Elden Ring), Latenna (Elden Ring), Cleanrot Knights (Elden Ring), Original Characters, The Formless Mother (Elden Ring), The God Of Rot (Elden Ring), Rennala Queen of the Full Moon (Elden Ring), Millicent's Sisters (Elden Ring), Eleonora Violet Bloody Finger (Elden Ring), Crepus (Elden Ring), Godrick the Grafted (Elden Ring), cleanrot knight ocs, Vyke (Elden Ring), Ancient Dragon Lansseax (Elden Ring), Roderika (Elden Ring), Maliketh the Black Blade (Elden Ring), Gideon Ofnir
Additional Tags: Family Bonding, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, sequel fic, Post-Shattering, Widowed Malenia, Eventual Romance, Slow Burn, Lots more characters will be introduced as the story progresses, Friendship, Body Horror, they all need a good hug, angst with plot, Implied/Referenced Sexual Assault
Series: Part 1 of Stolen
Summary:
A sinister note informs Millicent of her long-lost siblings, and now she and her friends must journey to Caelid in order to bring them home. However, unbeknownst to the young Valkyrie; an old enemy gathers.
