❛ A PUSH TOO FAR ❜
summary 𝜗𝜚 how they react to you passing out from exhaustion/falling asleep from sleep deprivation. balor, eiland, march, ryis x reader (fem reader in balor&eiland's. use of y/n.) genre fluff, non-established relationship. cw general overworking and chronic sleep deprivation. passing out. reader is drunk in balor's. march is very tsundere (read: mean). not proofread wc 2.1k (approx. 450-650 per)
note from zanna so i wrote ryis' part first ofc being madly in love with him but it ended up being the shortest since i had to buff out the other fics to not get repetitive and then i didn't feel like going back to add onto ryis' :( and i DONT LIKE IT but we have to deal </3 there's not favouritism towards balor/march i just actually wrote those two parts last 😭
BALOR
The nature of Balor's job has him travelling a lot. His hours are early and unpredictable. Usually he'll do his adventuring for stock early in the morning so he's around town for the day, but deals with his traders can take him entirely out of Mistria for days on end. He used to not mind these work trips. He's not fond of the capital, but it pays his wages. Although he would call Mistria his current home, there was nothing keeping him completely tethered to it until you moved in.
Captivating eyes, a mischievous smile, and, undoubtedly, a love for adventuring that mirrors his own. It only took a week for Balor to start to get attached to you. It was strange. He's liked people before, but never enough to trump his passion for a free life. He's sworn that settling down isn't something he's interested in for a while. Life on the road is exhilarating. It suits him.
But he thinks you suit him even more.
He hasn't made any firm moves yet, but he knows you're aware of his intentions. He's never tried to hide them, and even the kids have caught onto his clear affections for you. The rest of the town complain whenever they catch him giving you an 80% discount on an item. Balor knows it's bad business practice, but how could he resist your smile?
This recent work trip to the capital has kept him away from Mistria for almost two weeks. He's written to you just to keep you partially satiated. But he knows it's not quite enough. He knows you're missing him badly. And he is too, which is why he's cut some corners to be able to make it back tonight instead of tomorrow.
The familiar sight of warm light spilling from the windows of The Sleeping Dragon Inn has never looked more inviting. It's nearly 2AM when Balor rolls his cart back into town. He would stop by your farm, but you're sure to be asleep by now. He'll surprise you in the morning. So he makes his way to the Inn instead, anticipating a warm bed to sleep on and a cold drink before he hits the sack.
The Inn is quiet on Monday nights, sometimes even closing early. It's usually just Balor chatting away with Hemlock about his recent finds and sales while he cleans up the bar. Sometimes Terithia will come in for a late meal after fishing. If Balor's lucky, Eiland will have a reason to talk to him about new treasures he's discovered. He's always interested in something new to make lucrative.
He expects tonight to be no different, especially given how late it is. But, to his surprise, the back table is occupied. By a very cute, very sleepy, possibly very drunk you. Balor raises a brow at the sight. Reina has answers for him.
"You're back a day early! Y/n's had a few too many tonight… perhaps you can help her back to her house?"
Balor is more than happy to. He slips onto the bench next to you, eager to see you again after a while. Your glass of beer is almost empty but very clearly abandoned. Balor shifts it over to his side and takes a sip. Still cold.
You shift a little, turning your head so it rests against your arm on the table facing him. You blink slowly. Balor can almost see the cogs turning in your head as you piece together who's in front of you.
"Ba…by?" you slur. Balor's cheeks flush a bright pink.
"I'm back a day early from my trip. Miss me much?" he smiles fondly, fighting how shy he suddenly feels under your intense stare. You have no shame while drunk.
"Miss… you s'much," you nod, reaching for his hand across the table. You don't manage to reach it, just barely grazing his arm before your arm falls limp and your eyes blink closed again. Balor chuckles. Looks like he'll need to carry you home.
EILAND
You can't help but be excited to help out Eiland with all his archeological research. For one, it's fascinating to piece together the history of Mistria and fill in your own answers to help out Caldarus. And, for two… you may be developing a small crush on the town's very own noble lord.
You look forward to your daily meetings, delving deep into the past of artifacts and scrolls, all while enjoying a fresh slice of cake and warm tea, of course. You're unashamed with your flirting, always catching Eiland when he least expects it. You never tire of the way his cheeks flush in surprise. Adorable.
Today is no different. You're excited to dig more concerning the new artifacts you uncovered during yesterday's mining trip, although you've been feeling tired since the morning. Maybe you pushed yourself too hard while fighting down there. It was too late to bother Valen when you got back home, though, and you thought you would feel fine in the morning.
It's starting to bother you more now—your eyelids falling shut every few seconds and yawns bubbling up in your chest. You hide it as best you can from Eiland. You don't want him to think that he's boring you with his research. You really are invested in it all.
But against your best efforts, Eiland's rambling is starting to mush together into sentences of gibberish. You're struggling to make out all the fancy terms he uses thanks to your brain fog, and before too long, you give up trying altogether.
Eiland startles when your head falls almost comically against the table.
"Y/n?"
He leans over the table, hesitantly poking your cheek with his ink pen. You don't budge. Panic rises immediately. What if some monster in the mines cast a spell on you and you left it unattended? Could ancient Aldarian magic be at play? Are you gravely injured and hurt? How could he not have realized before?
You wake up in Valen's clinic, blearily blinking to try to adjust to the bright overhead lighting. Damn. You must have passed out. You hope Eiland isn't too worried—
"It's just overworking, nothing else. She needs some rest, but that's all. She should take the rest of the day off and get to bed early, but she should feel much better tomorrow. Perhaps you should limit your archeological studies to every other day? Physical fatigue can build up quickly when paired with mental strain."
You glance over at the scene. Valen stands, arms crossed, explaining your symptoms to a very panicked-looking Eiland. He's nodding quickly to everything the doctor says. You stifle a laugh. Cute.
MARCH
March had (begrudgingly) asked you to help him gather some resources for a new forging job about a week ago. He's been stuck in your company since Monday, and only God knows how impatient he is to spend Friday at the Inn and finally be rid of you for a while. He hates your stupid bright eyes, your carefree smile, your unbothered responses whenever he throws a jab at you. He doesn't know how else to make it clear that he truly wishes he had nothing to do with you. You can't seem to take even the most obvious of hints.
He first started to feel weird on Wednesday. He had accidentally snapped at you harsher than intended when you brought back the gold he needed and put it in the wrong place. Although you didn't get mad at him—only apologized and offered another of your stupidly sweet smiles—he noticed how… saddened you seemed. A glimmer behind those eyes that felt almost defeated. March wasn't sure why he even noticed it, or why he cared, but it's stayed in his mind ever since. Has he been too hard on you?
The job is almost done now, anyway. Thanks to his push for efficiency, the job is even ahead of schedule. He just needs one last bundle of silver ingots from you, and he'll be able to finish the final details. Sweat gathers on his forehead as he hammers a piece of molten metal into shape. He glances at the clock, confirming his suspicion that you should have gotten here already. He expected you to walk in half an hour ago with that annoying bounce in your step and the fresh metal. But you're nowhere to be found, and March knows you're never late to anything.
Against his better judgement and the voice in the back of his head telling him he has no reason or right to care about you, he sets his tools down and heads in the direction of the mines. He's ready to brave the ladder down and wind through the narrow passages until he finds you either wounded from a monster or stuck somehow. But the sight he faces is completely unexpected.
You lay on the ground next to the entrance of the mine, limbs relaxed in utter exhaustion. March notes the overflowing bag of fresh ore you gathered. Despite it all, you had still completed his request.
"You… okay?" March dares to ask quietly, gulping down an inkling of guilt spreading through him. Is this… his fault?
You can only groan in response, eyes shut, body too tired to even get off the ground. March isn't dumb. He can see the telltale signs. Your clothes drenched in sweat, your muscles clearly aching to the point of giving up, and your eyes barely able to open. You overworked yourself just to help him complete his job quicker—because of one comment he made about wanting to get ahead of schedule.
March sighs. He's not gonna leave you here collapsed. Damn, you always put him in such a tough spot. He hauls you onto his back, arms firmly wrapped under your thighs to keep you steady. He already knows the earful Valen will give him when he walks through the clinic door with you like this. The entire town is obsessed with you. March's pissy attitude towards you doesn't give him any favours.
He feels you slightly wrap your arms tighter around his shoulders, and then very softly he hears you whisper, "Giving me a ride? How sweet."
RYIS
Ryis, truthfully, saw this coming a mile away. He's been watching you intently over the weeks completing task after task, rushing back to your farm past midnight, waking up early every day despite it, and running your energy down to its lowest every single day. He's starting to wonder if you ever even sleep? Now he has his answer.
It's not even midday yet. You had stopped by the shop to build some new furniture for your house, telling Ryis animatedly about the design you've drafted up and how cohesive it'll all look. He's as excited as you are about it and decided to lend a hand. You ran short on wood after a few hours of cutting and sanding, so he offered to go cut some more. He's walking back from the forest, logs in hand, when he sees you slumped over his workbench utterly wiped out.
Ryis lets a soft smile form on his lips at the sight. You need this sleep badly, and if his workbench is the place you feel comfortable enough to get it, he'd let you occupy it for hours. He will, however, make sure you're fully comfortable. He tucks a blanket over your shoulders, pushing your hair out of your face, and tells his uncle to close up shop early so you can have some quiet. Then he settles down next to you with some fresh graph paper and a sharpened pencil. Might as well get some new blueprints done while your project is on hold.
You wake up three hours later, dazed and slightly dizzy. Ryis is still sitting by your side, switched to reading a bird manual. You blink at him sleepily.
"Ryis… how long did I sleep?"
He rests his cheek against his palm, pursing his lips while he pretends to count the hours. "You fell asleep at around eleven… it's almost 3 now. Hungry?"
You furrow your brow, slightly panicked at wasting so much time in the day. Adeline needs materials for a new town project, Hayden invited you over for tea yesterday, and you've set your mind on helping out Reina with fresh ingredients for her new menu. That stacked on top of your own farm upgrades hasn't given you much time to rest. Maybe you did give yourself more than you could handle.
You're about to refuse Ryis' offer for food. He's a total sweetheart and you know he'll treat you to the best meal at the inn, keep you company with good conversation and that dashing smile of his, but you already feel terrible for taking up his day with your nap. Before you can say anything, though, your stomach rumbles. Quite loudly.
Ryis laughs, "I guess that answers it."
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