A heart in need | Scaramouche x Reader

Revelation

The gentle sound of a fire crackling was the first sound that registered. It was quiet. You opened your eyes, as you saw your boss prodding the source of heat with a stick, keeping it fueled.

His head shot up at the sound of the rustling of you waking up. Within seconds, his shadow loomed over you, his duty at the fire forgotten.

"[Y/N]." He muttered, clutching your hand all of a sudden.
"Jesus fuck. There you are. Finally." You closed your eyes briefly. Scaramouche's voice sounded annoyed, but you could easily tell apart the worry that laced it.

You didn't even need to answer him, he continued to ramble on already; he'd always been such a chatterbox.
"What the hell were you doing inside of that factory?" He asked for an answer he didn't even care about. The feeling of his hand grasping yours was something you tried to focus on.

"I should've told you. That purple smog isn't good for people, especially you, and that damn weak body of yours." Scaramouche's fingers traced the back of your hand.

"It's been nearly a fucking week." The man continued to mumble. He pressed his forehead against yours, closing his eyes. As did you.
"I've been waiting for you."

The sound of the fire helped you calm down as you slowly began to process what he'd all said. The both of you stayed quiet. For a while.

Finally, you found the strength to answer him.
"I apologise, Milord..-"

You couldn't say more. The dryness in your throat got the better of you. Scaramouche noticed, and stood up. By the time he returned to your side, you'd propped yourself up against a wall. Wherever this place was, it looked like a cave.

How the fire didn't leave a smoke behind here to suffocate you both, you weren't sure. Though it wasn't something that you'd bother thinking about for a long time, as Scaramouche softly pushed a cup against your hands.
"Drink up."

The water felt comfortably warm inside of your mouth. It was good to soothe your throat. You downed the whole cup in one go.
"Where are we?" Your whole body was weak. All the energy had been sapped from it. Even sitting up was tiring. It was funny, even though you practically slept for so long, you still felt like shit.

"I've hauled you all the way to Narukami." Now that Scaramouche's relief had settled, his normal behaviour returned.
"..how?"
"Such a drag. Do you realise how slow it was for me to carry you out of that factory? There was no  way I'd carry you all the way here. I'm glad no one stole that boat, which, by the way, you left the keys in the damn thing." He grumbled, loud enough for you to hear, all the while refilling the cup on the other side of the cave.

Conveniently enough there was a small stream of seemingly safe to drink water here. All he did was keep the cup close to the fire for a while, warming it up properly.

He didn't seem angry though.
"Milord is truly too kind." You replied dryly, accepting the second cup of water when he offered it to you.
"Why aren't we back on Watatsumi? With the other Fatui, Sir?"

Instead of gulping it down, it was drank in small sips this time.
"We'll.. Talk about it later. Just rest up for now." Scaramouche's answer was curt. His tone indicated that he wouldn't allow any rejecting to what he'd just said.

He handed you a lavender melon, sliced in half. The fruit was sweet and soft, easy to eat. You accepted it gratefully. Now that your thirst had gone, the hunger set in. It didn't waste any second, either.
"Slow down on eating it. You'll upset your stomach." Scaramouche ordered.
"I'm not giving you more if you eat it so quickly."

"..Right."

Before you took another bite, you looked down at your body. You were wearing different clothes than before. You pulled on your shirt's collar, inspecting yourself silently. Scaramouche's voice startled you.
"If you think I'm desperate enough to do something like that while you're knocked out, I'll make you K.O for another week. Now shut up and eat."

While that wasn't on your mind, it was intriguing to see how offended the man was at potentially being accused about something like that. Scaramouche would've bragged by now if he accomplished something, especially a crime. Be it tax evasion or murder. Since he was rather offended, it probably wasn't a lie.

Days passed as Scaramouche patiently nursed you back to health. The strength came back, and you were right back to normal soon enough.

Scaramouche never left your side. Not while you were awake, at least. Meanwhile, he told you to stay inside of the cave for a while longer everytime you mentioned wanting to see Narukami.

"Hey, [Y/N]. Sit down."
You did so after you finished up the set of stretches Scaramouche made you do on the daily.
"Yes, Milord?"

A sudden purple glow luminated the cave. It came from the Harbinger's hand. He was holding a small, glowing chess piece. Or at least, that's what it looked like. You leaned in closer to inspect it. Inside of the chess piece, a purple, dark matter floated around, never sitting still.

"It's a Gnosis. You know what they are, yes?" The name rang a bell.

"It's related to the Archon."

"Correct. Every Archon has one. Only one." There was a small pause, before the explanation continued.
"This is the 'beloved' Raiden Shogun's Gnosis."

There was a bitter tone to the way Scaramouche spoke the sentence.

"Why aren't we on our way to deliver it to the Tsaritsa?" You narrowed your eyes. While you weren't loyal to the Fatui, you now realised Scaramouche never really had been, either.

"I want- no, I need this." The harbinger corrected himself. You didn't answer him, only watching on as he sighed.
"I canot feel anything thing that isn't a physical feeling. Unlike you, whom just refuses to emulate their emotions properly for some reason."

"You get angry on the regular." Your rebuttal made Scaramouche shrug.
"It's hard to explain. I do feel something, every now and then, I suppose. Either way, that Gnosis can give me what I truly want."
He pressed it into your palm.
"I need you to insert it."
"Where?"

The hat was placed beside him, and Scaramouche slowly took off the top his clothes, exposing his chest. In the dim lighting, you could see his skin. There were dents and lines running across his body. Something a normal human shouldn't - and wouldn't have.

Scaramouche tapped his chest, the place where a heart should be.
"Here."
You weren't listening anymore, and instead focused on Scaramouche's body.

Your fingers touched them gently, and you followed wherever they went. Suddenly, it clicked.
"Just like a doll." You murmured.
"Do you feel differently about me after you finally realised, my dense worker?" He asked.

You shook your head.
"I'll stay by your side. As you said I had to."
"You've always been loyal to me. And me alone." The Balladeer worded it as a fact. It was. You looked at the Gnosis in your hand, and slowly brought it to his chest.

The Gnosis wriggled, as if it had a mind on its own. As soon as it touched his chest, Scaramouche flinched. You were about to retract your hand, along with the glowing chess piece. His hand shot to your wrist, and you were prevented from doing so further. "Don't stop." He breathed.

Scaramouche let go, and you continued to push the piece against his chest, which, strangely, absorbed it. Once the cave became dim again, devoid of any purple glowing colour, you looked on at the man in front of you, whom had closed his eyes and sat motionless.

"Milord?" You asked quietly. Minutes passed until Scaramouche suddenly gasped, coming back to life.

"[Y/N]-"

Scaramouche couldn't say more. his hand grabbed onto your shirt as he collapsed, leaning against you. It looked like he was out cold.

Scaramouche's weight pressed against you, as your arms wrapped around his body. You slowly caressed his head.
Your fingers easily went through the soft, blueish-purple hair.

And so, you stayed. Waiting for your Harbinger to wake up.