Baldur x Reader

Sixteen

Slowly, Baldur approached the house in the middle of the woods. The snow crunched below his feet, stones dug into his soles.

But he felt nothing. He never felt anything.

And yet, the numb heart that beat inside his chest felt different, heavier, dripping with excitement. His hands were shaking.

He couldn't remember the last time his hands had been shaking.

The excited breaths he took rose in white clouds from his bearded lips as he stood in front of the door and raised his hand to knock.

But he hesitated.

Again, his gaze jumped over his shoulder, back where you were sitting on top of the snowy ruins and watched from a safe distance. Something inside him stirred. The thought that putting you in danger displeased him filled his head.

No matter what, if a fight was about to happen, he had to be careful to keep the attention of the guardian on him.

"How strange...", he frowned and turned back to the door. "What is this... numbness I feel? It's different..."

Again, he raised his hand and nocked.

Snow rained down from the roof. Footprints were visible at the doorstep. Someone had been here not long ago.

Behind the door, nothing moved. Silence answered.

Impatience stabbed his chest.

Again, Baldur nocked. This time, it was a harsh one, making clear that he wasn't willing to wait forever.

"Come on out!", he shouted, loud enough for anybody around to notice. "It's no use hiding anymore."

Not a moment later, steps sounded. They were heavy, but careful. Whoever was on the other side wasn't willing to let a stranger into their home. And it seemed as if they knew who was waiting at the other side of the door.

Otherwise they wouldn't try and be silent.

"I know who you are.", Baldur chirped as he could see a shadow moving behind the doorstep. "More importantly I know what you are."

Something inside moved again. Noises sounded, as if some door was opened and closed again.

It made his ears tingle, but he brushed it off as a sound of panic.

And again, he raised his hand to knock at the door. This time it would be the last and he made it very clear.

"Just tell me what I want to know.", he offered, trying to be a little less brutal and a lot more approachable. "No need for this to get bloody."

He did not wish to fight. Nit just because he had promised it to you, but also because the desire for forgetting wasn't strung in him. Back when the curse had been fresh and new, he had seen it as fun to fight everyone and everything, to kill without having to be afraid about being killed.

But after a while it got boring. A torture even, because he would never again be able to feel the consequences of his cruel actions.

The steps approached again.

Baldur took a step back.

As the door opened, a large figure appeared. It was a man, grim looking and broad chested. The hate was burned into his eyes, but he kept it locked away behind a wall of calm and knowledge.

Carefully, he came closer, nit frightened but neither relaxed.

As he stepped out into the daylight, Baldur had to frown in confusion. Tilting his head, he looked him up and down.

The man was taller than he was, but not a giant by no means. He was tall, at best. But a giant would have laughed about the height of this bearded man.

"Huh.", Baldur huffed and leaned back to take another closer look. "I thought you'd be bigger. But you're definitely the one. Long way from home, aren't you?"

He met the strangers eyes, bright and burning like liquid gold.

"What do you want?", the man asked.

His voice was deep, scratchy. Every single word sounded like a warning, crawled into the listeners ears and made their brain tingle.

A smirk appeared on Baldur's lips as he nodded his head.

"Oh, you already know the answer to that.", he stepped closer, threateningly.

"Whatever it is you seek, I do not have it.", he turned away to disappear inside the safety of his house again. "You should move on."

A laugh escaped Baldur.

"And here I thought your kind was supposed to be so enlightened. So much better than us. So much smarter.", he raised his hands to do some mocking gestures. "And yet you hide out here in the woods. Like a coward."

With a grim look, he man came back.

"You do not want this fight.", he warned.

With a grin, Baldur let his fingers run through the long hair of his beard.

"Oh... I'm pretty sure I do."

Without warning, he hit the stranger across the face.

A deep gasp escaped him, not hurt but annoyed.

With his lips pressed into a thin line, the man came closer, so close, that he could have torn the attackers face off.

"Leave. My. Home.", he growled as one last warning.

Challengingly, Baldur grinned and met his gaze. He couldn't help but grin with excitement.

"You are going to have to kill me for that to happen.", he chuckled.

Again, he landed a hit to the strangers face. Two more hits landed on his chest and face before a large hand jumped up and caught Baldur's fist mid-air.

Growling, the stranger squeezed his hand shut with such force that the bones inside Baldur's hand started cracking.

But he didn't feel anything. Instead, he just stared at the man and smirked slightly.

With force, the man pulled his arm back, forcing Baldur to bend to avoid his shoulder getting pulled out of its joint.

All of a sudden, a wave of hope awoke inside of him. It was the closest he felt towards a real emotion in ages.

"I warned you.", the man hummed.

Gasping, Baldur rolled his eyes.

"Ah.", he smiled. "Finally."

The huge fist hit him right into the face. The force was enough to make his head snap back.

With a groan, he hit the ground. Mud splashed up and covered his arms.

But immediately, disappointment grabbed him.

There was nothing. He felt nothing. Like always.

It didn't work.