synopsis - laios is having some doubts, but you're there to support him. after all, what are friends for, dear reader?
pairings - laios touden x reader
warnings - unintentionally left the ending with a little angst.. sorry reader, but it seems you are stuck in the friend zone for now...
word count - 1.2k
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"Laios! I told you that you can't be embarrassed about these things!"
Marcille scolded the blond tall-man, pointing a stern finger at him with her other hand on her hip.
She was in the process of having Laios execute his healing knowledge. After testing it out on both her and Senshi, she directed him towards you who had a nasty cut on your stomach. Yet before he could chant the incantation, the embarrassment he felt quickly caught up to him and he choked on his words.
"If you say it wrong, who knows what could happen! Try again, and this time, don't be ashamed because it's just _____!" She huffed, turning towards the door with Senshi and Chilchuck.
"We're gonna go see the dungeon rearrange itself, have fun _____!" Chilchuck snickered, shutting the door with a 'thunk!'.
Rolling your eyes at his teasing, you refocused your gaze back to Laios whose hands hovered over your stomach. You could tell he was nervous by the slight twitching his hand would do every couple of seconds.
"..You don't have to heal me if you don't want to, I can have Marci—" "No! I can't just throw away this opportunity, it'll be a waste! I can do this."
'That's right, I can do this. IcandothisIcandothisIcan—' Laois took in a deep inhale before exhaling, readying himself for his second attempt.
Your brows rose in amusement, a smile playing on your lips. "Alright, show me what you've got." Resting your head against the cushion beneath you, you patiently waited for Laios to start.
You heard his breathing even out, falling in rhythm with yours as he started to chant.
...
"YAOIWWW!!"
Startled, Laios jumped back, a look of surprise and fear on his face. You, on the other hand, had leaped into a seated position, arms clutching over the injured area. Despite it being healed, that didn't account for the tremendous amount of pain and itchiness you felt afterward.
"_____! Are you alright? Did I do something wrong?" Laios rushed to your side, hands frantically waving around in the air as he didn't know what to do.
"I-I'm fine, just a bit itchy is all..." You grunted, the pain subsiding but the itchiness remaining. You moved to scratch the area before Laios stopped you, his hand gently holding your wrist.
"Marcille said that you should avoid scratching it..." He mumbled, still concerned about your well-being.
"Ah.. ok." You hummed, retracting your hand even though you so badly wanted to scratch the scar that was left behind. Moving to unwrap the bandage that was around your abdomen, Laios turned away, eyes avoiding you.
"I-I'll just look over here..."
"It's just my abdomen, Laios. You're acting like a Victorian man who just saw a lady's ankle for the first time." You laughed, bundling the bandage and tucking it away. Slipping on your top, Laios turned back to look at you with a pink flush on his cheeks.
"I'm so not!"
"You so are."
"Am not!"
"Mhm, whatever you say." With a smug grin, you leaned your head against the wall, listening as the dungeon continued repairing and rearranging itself.
There was a brief silence before Laios keeled over, clutching his stomach in pain as he lay on his side on the floor.
"L-Laios!? Are you alright?!" You panicked, scurrying over to him.
"I'm fine.. it's just that I'm seeing all kinds of colors and shapes... What's happening to me..?" He groaned, sweat dotting his brow.
"Oh.. you have mana sickness. You used too much and now—" you gestured at his state, "—this happened."
"End me now..."
Huffing a breath, you adjusted him so that he was sitting up. "Don't be silly, you'll be fine. You just need to eat something." Digging through your bag, you found a snack Senshi had packed for you the other day. "Here, eat this."
Laios sluggishly grabbed the snack from your hand, immediately chewing on it as he leaned against the wall. "Thanks, _____. I'm starting to feel a little bit better already." "I should be thanking you for healing me."
The brief silence from before enveloped the two of you once more, the sound of Laios chewing away at the snack being an exception. You were lost in your own thoughts before Laios sighed, your eyes darting to his slouched form.
"Hey.. _____?"
"Yes?"
"...Do you think.. we'll be able to defeat the Mad Mage and turn Falin back..?"
You paused, watching as Laios held his knees close to his chest, his head resting on them. For the first time throughout this entire journey of rescuing Falin, Laios had seemed so small, fragile. You felt your stomach drop, both hesitation and fear gripping onto you with its ugly hands as you tried to speak. Laios was your party leader, if he felt this way then... You shook your head. No, no matter what, you were all going to get his sister back, even if it meant eating monsters, getting your ass beat, or staking your life. Having said that, you knew what you needed to tell him. What he needed to hear.
"Laios." You finally spoke after a long drawn silence. His head didn't move from his spot, eyes glued to the ground. You breathed in a deep inhale before exhaling. "..The path that lies ahead of us is a difficult one, and I can't say for certain what will happen. None of us can." His shoulders drooped. "But what I can say for certain, is that no matter what we face, we'll try our damn hardest to get there."
You gave him a determined smile, placing a firm hand on his shoulder. "After all, we still need to eat dinner with Falin— and introduce her to Senshi's cooking again." Laios smiled at your words, his spirit slowly regaining its flame.
"You're right.. thank you, _____."
"No problem, Laios." Realizing that you still had your hand placed on his shoulder, you quickly retracted it with flushed cheeks. He was looking at you with such soft and gentle eyes that you couldn't help but feel warm inside. Then again, whenever you were with Laios, you always felt a little warm or fuzzy. Something about him just made you feel so nervous and vulnerable— as much as you tried denying your feelings for him you knew for a fact that you were falling in deep for your party leader.
As you were trying to regain your composure, you suddenly felt a warmth enveloping you, blond hair tickling your cheek. Strong yet soft arms circled around your shoulders and you felt your efforts go to waste. Laios, the man you had a crush on, was hugging you so tenderly it felt intimate— like a lover's embrace. You felt the heat rise up to your eyes.
"L-Laios..?"
"I'm so grateful to have you. Thank you for comforting me," he murmured, hugging you tighter. You slowly reciprocated the hug, closing your eyes as you rested your head on his bicep.
"Of course," You hummed, "What are friends for..."
