lance alvarez (powpowpow) wrote in valloic, @ 2022-09-22 16:59:00 |
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Atreus didn’t remember much of the fight. He remembered the searing pain of being impaled by a long horn, of the blood not starting instantly, until he was yanked into the air and dropped as his body fell off the horn. Before his eyes had fluttered closed, Atreus had seen the raging body of his father fly through the air and rip the large daemon in two, his axe sliding down the body with relative ease.
He didn’t remember Kratos picking him up and carrying him to Freya, the whispered words of reassurance and frustration on his father’s lips as he lay passed out in the older god’s arms. He didn’t remember the quiet pleading with her, as a desperate father clung to the hope that Freya could heal him.
He didn’t remember the actual healing, either. All he knew was sleep and dreams. Atreus saw his mother, who told him it wasn’t his time, but stroked his hair lovingly while he waited to be brought back. He saw a glimpse of rainbow, of large gates.
It didn’t last. He was pulled back before he could approach the Gates of Valhalla, and from there he had seen the kind face of Freya looking down on him before passing out again. Then later, he felt his hand held, words murmured lovingly.
Finally, when consciousness took hold, he squeezed the hand that was in his and blinked wearily. His throat felt like it was on fire, dry and hoarse. “That was fun.”
The past couple days had been such a mess of fear and worry that Lance wasn't entirely sure how long it had been. Long enough that his phone had died somewhere along the way and he hadn't bothered with it. Long enough that more than a couple rounds of food had been shoved into his hands with a you need to eat something. Long enough a change of clothes had been brought by. Long enough to flip between it would be fine he just needed to be patient to the sinking and god awful feeling of what if it wasn't fine and back again a few times.
But he tried hard to focus on the rise and fall of Atreus' chest that said he was at least breathing and as long as that was happening then the worst hadn't happened. Yet, at least. And that as long as Atreus was breathing he could breathe too, he could keep himself from running wild with the terrible thought of having to go through all this again. Could keep the worst of the dark thoughts from sneaking up, the black hole of grief he'd only just crawled out of from informing his reaction to all of this.
He'd been so lost in focusing on just that, he'd almost missed the little squeeze of his hand. But he caught up with it quick, especially when he heard Atreus speak.
Days of tension bleed from him in that one moment, more than visible in the way his whole body just seemed to… deflate. His head fell to their joined hands, shoulders shaking softly with a tight laugh that was more the sheer anxiousness leaving his body than anything else. His free hand rubbed hard at his eyes, as he lifted his head
"That's what you're going with?" he tried to joke back, though his voice cracked and was about as hoarse as Atreus' was. He lifted their joined hands and pressed Atreus' to his mouth for a moment.
"We really gotta stop doing this," he said. Or at least space out the whole one of them being unconscious more than the less than the two months they'd gone between these ones.
“Seriously,” Atreus agreed with a murmur. He smiled slightly (or so he thought, since he felt the tug on his face) and attempted to look at Lance through his hooded gaze. It was a blurry shot, but he took in every moment of it that he could get. “Glad this one wasn’t you.” He wasn’t glad it was him necessarily, but he knew not everyone could come back from a wound like-- well. This. “Ouch.”
His free hand drifted to where he felt the bandages. Not soaking with blood, at least, so there was that. Atreus was careful to not shift his body and pull anything that might change that (he really didn’t want to get yelled at as he first woke up) but he did feel around where the wound was as his mind started to clear and things got pieced together.
“Is my dad okay?” Almost if on cue, he heard the telltale roar of a frustrated Kratos stomping away from the house, and likely Freya? Or Shiro? Or someone outside probably attempting to calm him. Atreus smiled again. “Nevermind. Give him a minute or two. You’re much prettier and nicer to deal with.” His hand flagged out to Lance, probably nearly hitting him as he wasn’t quite sure where he was going, before it settled onto his boyfriend’s chest. “Hi.”
Lance got where Atreus was going with the statement. Atreus had barely survived the injury himself, most wouldn't have even gotten the barely. And it felt really fucking sobering to Lance to realize that sturdier than most still didn't mean entirely invulnerable. Usually when he got lost in the bad thoughts of losing Atreus it had always been so wrapped up in one of them just up and vanishing one day, on the worst of his sleepless nights the odd thought that Atreus might one day realize he could do much better. But he'd never really thought on this scenario.
He'd helped Freya change the bandages a few times, the current set doing a lot better than some of the ones before. He supposed at least there was that. Atreus wouldn't pull his hand away covered in his own blood.
He still felt more than a little shell shocked by the whole situation and he knew it probably showed on his face, that Atreus could probably feel his heart beating wildly with the hand against his chest. But he tried to give Atreus a smile as his unfocused gaze turned his way. It was shaky at best but got a little better at the prettier and nicer to deal with, his free hand moving to brush some hair out Atreus' face.
"Hi," he replied back, smile softening and he squeezed the hand he had hold of gently, gaze focused on Atreus. There was another sound from outside and Lance's smile tightened. "He'll be okay, it was just… we almost…" lost you was something he didn't quite feel emotionally prepared to throw out there so he didn't.
Lance leaned forward and carefully moved into Atreus' personal space to brush his lips lightly against Atreus' forehead, letting his own fall gently against it after. "I'm just really glad you're awake." Sure Atreus was still going to need a while to fully heal but Lance figured awake and speaking meant it would be okay in the end. Awake at least meant out of the woods.
Atreus let his eyes close with the kiss and wanted to reciprocate, but had a feeling he’d get yelled at if he tried to push himself up for his own. He felt just how close he came, and how he likely wouldn’t have made it if not for the fact that godliness ran in his veins.
“I am too, dreaming like that was weird. I think it’s all the herbs Freya gave me.” Not that he wasn’t thankful, he was, without her-- well, there were others, Atreus loved one and held his hand right now, but Lance could have been too far away or-- A lot of things Atreus didn’t want to think about.
“Sorry I worried you,” he was, though he knew that wouldn’t stop either of them from putting themselves in danger when stuff like this cropped up. “Is it uh- still dark?” It looked that way just outside Freya’s windows. “How’s it going?”
"Yeah, some of it smelled pretty potent," he agreed with a little smile. He had no doubt it probably messed with Atreus' brain a little. Coupled with the whole almost dying thing. Lance could remember the mind fuck his own brief death had been, the weeks of odd dreams and waking up in a cold sweat. But going into details of what Atreus may or may not remember or be feeling about his own brush with death was probably a conversation better suited for a few days from now, when he was a bit more with it.
"It's fine, you can just make it up to me later," he said with a teasing smile, though it wasn't quite there, still a little somber in the wake of everything. Lance would never hold it against Atreus, how could he. He himself was just as quick to jump into any fight, to throw himself in the line of fire. And he knew neither of them were ready to give that up yet either. Lance was used to it though, at least as used to it as one could get. After the years with Voltron. Compartmentalize the anxiety and worry over his friends, get what needed to be done done and then deal with the fallout. It just sucked when the fallout was someone he loved this hurt.
"It's still dark," he answered, "Shiro's come by with a couple updates, seems like it's going as okay as it can," he added. He hadn't been out himself since Kratos let them know about Atreus.
The whole dark situation was on his mind of course, but right then his focus was more on Atreus. "Do you want some water or anything? I can get Freya back in if the pain's a lot?"
Atreus waved a hand lightly and shook his head. “No, let her be. I’m okay, I promise.” It was a testament that he didn’t actually get out of the bed immediately, with how he’d done in the past almost dying. But worrying Lance more wasn’t on the agenda, and he knew he’d likely be snapped at by Freya if he tried walking out that door.
So with a small wince, he slightly shifted on the bed and made a little more room, sliding himself to the edge so there was space for Lance next to him. He patted that space. “Just come sit with me for right now? I know you probably want to get back out there but-- just for a little while?” Atreus knew the desire to want to go help, he was tempted to call in a healing favor from the ones that could rapidly do it, but he also knew his own god-genetics would speed the process up far quicker than most.
So he stayed still for now. Even if it annoyed him.
"I'll do you one better," Lance said and moved to carefully lay down next to Atreus - mindful of the injuries and turning onto his side to fit into the small space. He was still half hanging off the small bed but he didn't mind, he'd been wanting this closeness for the past few days and would take what he could. He dropped his hand lightly on Atreus' chest, above where the bandages, and let the steady heart beat he felt there start to undo the lingering anxiety he felt.
"Nowhere else I'd rather be," he assured Atreus. He felt that tug of course, to go fight and help, but he knew there were enough people out there doing just that to cover for him. His arm slid more across Atreus, a gentle side hug of sorts before his hand settled back over Atreus' heart.
Besides, there was a whole line of people who would no doubt be wanting to make sure Atreus was okay with their own two eyes once they let everyone know he was awake. Lance was going to take this quiet moment for just them while he could.
This was better. It settled a calmness in Atreus’ chest that soothed him, he liked that feeling, the one that Lance seemed bring about even when he wasn’t trying. It felt right, and his eyes drifted closed again as he pulled Lance a little closer with what energy he had.
“Love you. Thanks.” He’d have to give thanks again soon to Freya, and to his father, but right now everything made him a little tired. He got quieter as he started getting more and more drowsy. “Next step is getting wolf cuddles but this is a great start.”
"Love you too," he said as he pressed himself in closer, burrowing into Atreus' side. He'd been keeping a pretty steady grip on Atreus' hand when close, but this was so much better. Lance had always been very tactile and crawling into the bed with Atreus, feeling that closeness, was what he'd been wanting to do since the start of this whole thing but it hadn't seemed safe until just then.
"They can wait," Lance said with a soft laugh. "Bed's not big enough and I'm not moving anytime soon." Though there was a little smile at the thought of getting Atreus back home, curling up in their own bed with the herd of animals. A light at the end of literal darkness of the past couple days.
"And besides, you look like you're about to pass out again," he added. Something which felt entirely less daunting now that Atreus had been awake for a little. Less like he might not wake up and more just the rest anyone would need after the ordeal he'd gone through. "Get some sleep, babe, I'm not going anywhere." Truthfully Lance wasn't that far behind himself on the passing out front, the anxious worrying of the past couple days catching up with him now. The worry was still there of course, but tempered now by the knowing it was going to be okay.