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Chapter Text

Blitzen woke slowly, to a horrible skull-pounding headache. He groaned in pain and curled in on himself a bit, wondering just how much he'd drank last night to wake with such a painful hangover. But that didn't seem right. He really wasn't much of a drinker, and the rare times he did he held his liquor very well, as any proud dwarf should. He kept his eyes tight shut as he struggled against the aching pain in his head to remember what had happened. Blitzen didn't recall drinking at all, the last thing he could remember was going out in Nidavellir to gather some supplies for a project he was planning. Traveling in his homeworld was always a risk but he couldn't get reliable ethically sourced magical ingredients anywhere else. 

But what had happened and why was he suffering the worst headache he'd ever had in his life? He definitely remembered getting everything he needed and was heading home, but he… 

He hadn't reached home. 

Things were still foggy, but he could vaguely remember turning a corner only to be met by some kinda blunt object to the face, followed by instant darkness. 

A mix of annoyance and gnawing dread settled in the dwarven demigod's stomach as he started to realize what had happened. To be attacked so openly out of nowhere, Blitzen could only think of one person who both had it out for him and could get away with that. Of course. He really shouldn't have let his guard down. But it was hard to believe Junior was still clinging tight to a grudge that by all logic was settled already. Cautiously Blitzen opened his eyes a bit, trying to figure out where exactly that bitter old dwarf had taken him. The place was poorly lit but even that low light stung his eyes right now, making him winch, but he forced himself to keep them open. Dazedly he scanned the dark room and took stock of his situation. He was laying on a cold and very hard ground, concrete he quickly realized. 

The dwarf also quickly realized his hands were bound behind his back with some rough itchy rope that was already rubbing his wrists raw. Taking in the room it seemed to be some kind of disused warehouse, still in Nidavellir judging by the earthy smell and dampness in the air. Must be in the factory district, there were tons of warehouses there. Of course, dwarves had no use for normal factories since even the cheapest disposable objects were carefully handcrafted and unique. But they did still need materials for their work, both magical and common resources, most of which required some type of refining before being suitable for use. That was the work done here. Needless to say, those who owned resource factories had a ton of power. Which of course meant the biggest and well-known company belonged to, who else, Junior's family.

Blitzen resisted the urge to groan with exasperated annoyance. 

Junior had been getting on his last nerve but he wasn't foolish enough to think the old dwarf was harmless. It seemed Junior was getting annoyed with their whole cat and mouse game as well as he'd been getting more and more aggressive lately. Clearly, he was sick of it too to pull such a bold move as this. The open attack didn't bother Blitzen as much as waking up from it finding himself tied up in a semi-remote area like this. He should already be dead if that was all Junior wanted, but since he was still alive, clearly there was more to it. He worriedly mulled that thought over as he laid still, doing his best to pretend to still be unconscious. 

Junior was a prideful bastard, the younger dwarf could easily guess the humiliation losing to him had caused was the real motivation, so who knows what he would be in for. Hopefully, he wouldn't be sticking around to find out. 

Blitzen had been laying there for a while now but still hadn't seen anyone. He knew they had to be nearby though. Slowly he tried to sit up, a more difficult task than expected with his hands bound. The demigod barely was halfway sitting up before there was a sharp pain in his back, the pointy end of a cane pressing him back down onto the ground, hard. He bit back a yelp as he was pinned, gritting his teeth as he twisted to try and look over his shoulder at his attacker. 

"Well well well, finally awake erh? Get enough beauty sleep?"

Junior drawled in a mocking tone as he loomed over the younger dwarf, twisting his cane to dig more into his back. Blitzen stifled a sound of pain, refusing to give Junior the satisfaction of hearing him whimper.

"Really Junior? Aren't you sick of this whole thing?" 

He huffed tiredly. The demigod was hoping a more exasperated and unbothered tone might de-escalate this at least a little bit. Truthfully, he was thoroughly terrified. Challenging him to that contest had been a very obvious attempt on his life, and it had only been luck and a lot of help from his friends that the attempt failed. Junior used to mostly just ignore him back when he was younger, just a powerless kid from a discredited family, but now that he was well into adulthood the old bastard clearly wasn't holding back anymore. 

"Oh I'm sick of it alright, you little upstart brat" 

Junior growled with a vicious glee in his voice as he idly kept grinding his cane into Blitzen's spine. 

"I've let you get away with humiliating me for too long. It's about time I put you back in your place" 

"I didn't humiliate you, you humiliated yourself"

Blitzen snapped back with a huff, unable to help himself. He was expecting the blow that followed him mouthing off but that didn't really dull the pain at all. 

Junior cracked him upside his head with his metal cane, sending shooting pain through his already aching skull and making his ears ring. Blitzen didn't catch whatever the old dwarf said next, dazedly aware he was speaking but unable to register the actual words, dizzy to the point of feeling nauseous. Apparently Junior took the lack of response as being ignored and struck him once more before Blitzen could fully recover from the first one. Things went black for just a moment as the ringing in his ears got louder. Fuck he was going to pass out again if Junior kept this up. He was still trying to see straight again when rough hands grabbed him, pulling him upright, forcing him onto his knees. Two of Junior's burly goons held Blitzen up by his shoulders as he blinked rapidly, trying to force his eyes to focus on Junior looming over him, who was practically fuming with rage. 

"Humiliated myself!?! You made a stupid little duck, and necktie out of chain mail!!! You can barely weld two pieces of metal together, and yet! And yet your wimpy little pansy-ass bested me! Me!!!! In front of everyone for all to see! And you dare to say I humiliated myself!?!"

The old dwarf spat, waving that damn metal cane around, making Blitzen flinch a few times when it swung a bit too close to smacking him again. 

" Everyone knows there's no way you could actually best me! You barely have the right to even call yourself a dwarf the way you fumble around in a forge. You're just as pathetic as your father was, even more pathetic, so weak you had to cheat just to barely squeak by a win against me" 

Junior ranted and raved as Blitzen grit his teeth, much more enraged at the insult to his father than any of the ones aimed at himself. 

"You cheated! Admit it!!!"

The old dwarf ended his rant with that command, jabbing the end of his cane in Blitzen's face threateningly. The demigod blinked, absolutely flabbergasted by how childish the 500 year old grown ass dwarf was being right now.

Was that really what this was all about? 

"Of course I cheated, you crusty old bastard, everyone cheats at crafting contests! Hell, you tried to cheat too and you definitely didn't need to!"

Blitzen snapped back, unable to continue curbing his tongue any longer despite the dangerous position he was in. 

"You're right, I should have lost, but if I did you'd have killed me! And not only that, you'd have caused Ragnarok if I hadn't gotten you to hand over that damned rope! So yeah, I cheated Junior, sorry for not wanting to be murdered, oh and you're welcome for preventing the end of all nine worlds!"

He growled as Junior's face flushed angrily. He knew everything Blitzen said was true, but a dwarf's pride tended to be stronger than their common sense. Especially when they would have to admit they were wrong.

"You shut your mouth you little brat!"

Junior snarled, having no snappy comeback he did the only thing he could think of, hitting the younger upside the head with his heavy cane once more.

This time the cane came away smeared with blood. 

The repeated hits split open a deep cut on Blitzen's forehead which immediately started to bleed profusely, covering his face with blood. If not for the two bodyguards holding him upright on his knees the demigod would have most certainly collapsed, the world spinning before his eyes and unable to hear anything besides a deafening ringing for several seconds. Distantly he thought he probably had a concussion by now. His head lulled forward limply and darkness blurred the edges of his vision, but there was an incessant poking of Junior's cane at his chest keeping him awake. 

"Don't you dare pass out Blitzen, I need you awake to make sure you're getting the full punishment you deserve"  

Blitzen groaned as he lifted his head a bit. Only pure willpower was keeping him awake at this point, he really didn't want to pass out when he was already in such a helpless position.

"Nnng… P-punishment? What're you gonna do to me?" 

He managed to choke out, trying and failing not to sound too scared. He'd already been beaten badly in just a few minutes and was well aware of Junior's desire to see him dead. Who knew what the old bastard had planned for him. He couldn't stick around to find out, the young tailor knew he absolutely had to get out of this situation if he wanted to live, and fast. And he very much wanted to live. Things were finally starting to really get good and peaceful in his life, he couldn't afford to lose it. Focusing on that thought he managed to pull himself together and sit upright a bit more.

"You gonna finally kill me?"

Blitzen asked it almost sarcastically like the very idea was ridiculous in another weak attempt to de-escalate. Despite his casual tone, his eyes were darting around desperately, looking for any escape. But he couldn't see anything useful. In fact, it just made him feel even more scared, gaze landing on a nearby table where he could just catch the glint of weapons and tools, as well as extra rope and chains tucked nearby. Clearly, Junior had been preparing this for a while and had a lot more than just killing him planned…

Junior snorted with amusement. He saw right through the younger dwarf and could tell he was terrified. A smirk crossed his wrinkled face, gleeful to be causing such fear. 

"No, not yet at least. A quick beheading like I originally tried would be too good for the likes of you, too quick and painless"

Junior crackled like the evil bastard he was. 

"You're going to suffer for quite some time before I finally send you off to reunite with your oh so beloved father"

He finished with a sneer. Blitzen stared at him with shock before going limp in the hold of Junior's guards, like he was overwhelmed by the thought, defeated. 

"Don't… Don't ever talk about my father again, you old bastard!"

He snapped, suddenly jerking against the guards' hold and kicking back at the same time. 

His deception worked and the kick hit it's mark right in the stomach of the dwarf on his left. They'd loosened their grips a bit when he'd gone limp, thinking he was too weakened and wounded to struggle. A big mistake on their part, making it so much easier for the demigod to jerk free. Blitzen quickly scrambled to his feet and darted away from the two goons. He nearly stumbled from how lightheaded he felt after all the cane wacks but desperation and determination to escape helped him keep going. His hands were still bound but he could worry about that later. Right now he had to get away, shouldering past Junior harshly to run for the door. The old dwarf wailed dramatically as he was knocked over, limbs failing, landing flat on his back. The goon Blitzen hadn't hit had been right on his heels but paused to attempt to help his felled boss back onto his feet. Evil or not he was still a pretty frail-looking old man. 

However Junior wasn't having it, shrieking with fury as he whacked at his own guard with his cane. 

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING YOU IDIOT!?! GO! GET HIM GET HIM, DON'T LET HIM ESCAPE!!!!"

He howled like a banshee, sending both guards scurrying after Blitzen. They were both limping a bit, one from the demigod's well-aimed kick and the other from their own boss lashing out. But still, they were very muscular and well-trained guards. Blitzen didn't have much of a head start before he heard them both right on his heels. He didn't look back. He didn't dare. From his experience in quests, he knew escaping enemies was way easier when you focused on what was in front of you rather than the foes behind. So he just picked up the pace, turning down a long hall after getting out of the room, looking around for more doorways or halls he might be able to escape through. He had to get out of here, just had to. He had people at home he desperately wanted to get back to in one piece... But alas his escape attempt was short-lived. Blitzen was just reaching a sharp turn at the end of the hallway when he suddenly got knocked off his feet. The full force of both big burly guards barreled into him from behind, slamming the young dwarf into the wall, hard. He gasped in pain as all the air was forced from his lungs and his already throbbing skull hit the concrete wall. More blood smeared on his face as he felt the familiar snap of his nose breaking and it started to bleed. His vision went black for a moment but Blitzen fought to stay conscious. 

No, no he couldn't let things end here, not after everything he'd been through. He refused to have survived fighting Fenris wolf, getting a death prophecy, and standing up to a dragon, only to be murdered by a bitter old dwarf. 

"Gnk-! G… Get off me!!!"

Blitzen wheezed as he struggled to push the two stronger dwarves away. Unfortunately, while plenty strong in other ways when it came to physical strength other dwarves were always going to beat him. He just didn't have the years of working bellows and hammering metal all the rest of his kind did. Normally he was able to find other ways to fight, but right now he found himself wishing he'd put more effort into his childhood smithing classes. With his hands still bound and seeing double from all the hits he'd taken to the head today Blitzen didn't stand even the slightest chance against the two well-trained bodyguards. 

He was spun around to face them and immediately punched in the stomach. 

Blitzen choked on his own spit as what little air he'd gasped in was again knocked from his lungs. Ever since getting stabbed there, he'd been squeamish about his stomach being even lightly touched, so needless to say a blow there completely took him out. The demigod went limp for real this time as he gasped and wheezed for breath. The guards weren't about to let him get away from them again, not loosening their grips even a little despite all the ability to fight going out of him. 

"Shut up maggot. You're not going get out of this"

One snarled as they started to roughly drag Blitzen back towards the room. He groaned weakly as he forced his eyes open to look at the two. 

"C-come on guys, you… You're really ok with him killing somebody? Killing a fellow dwarf? He can't be paying you that much…"

He tried in a last desperate attempt to talk himself out of this, having no other cards to play. The guard he'd kicked earlier gave him an ice cold glare and snorted. 

"Fellow dwarf? Hardly. Ya just one of Freya's brats, and one less of her mistakes around the better" 

He sneered, completely unsympathetic. Blitzen grimaced at the cruel words as he was dragged back into the room and tossed at Junior's feet. He'd heard it all before but it didn't hurt any less, especially right now when it sure seemed like he was about to be killed. Reluctantly he looked up at Junior, trying hard to keep a stoic look on his face.

Junior snarled back down at him for a moment before his expression changed to a smirk and he chuckled. 

"How pathetic. That's really the best ya can do huh? All that talk about how you saved all nine worlds and you can't even take two simple bodyguards? I suppose you've always relied on your powerful friends to save you, huh? The child of Loki and the one of Frey, and of course that little pet elf of yours. People with real power, actually demigods, not the unwanted motherless bastard you are"

The old man laughed as Blitzen struggled not to let it show how much his words hit right at his weak points. 

"You really are just a living receipt for some mediocre earrings your father made. Maybe I'm doing you a kindness putting you out of your misery"

He continued to taunt as the younger dwarf bit his lower lip, fighting back the urge to cry. It was just like Junior to not only kick him while he's down but perfectly aim at his insecurities while doing so. He couldn't show it affected him, that'd just encourage him and give Junior the satisfaction he was seeking. 

"Junior-" 

Blitzen started in a voice tight with a mix of pain and rage, not even sure what he was about to say before Junior talked over him, completely ignoring him to speak to his goons. 

"Soften him up some more. I don't want him struggling or trying to run again when we start the actual fun"

He ordered before walking away to grab himself a chair. The two guards loomed over Blitzen's prone form, snickering and cracking their knuckles. The demigod's heart sank with dread of what was coming. Clearly, this was just getting started, and he was helpless to stop it. All he could do was try to curl up in a ball and protect his face as much as possible while he shut his eyes tight, trying to pretend he was literally anywhere else but here. As the blows and kicks started he found himself praying for someone, anyone, to come and save him. But that wasn't going to happen, he hadn't been gone long enough for anyone to worry and he wasn't sure they'd be able to find him here even if they were looking. No one was coming to help him. All he wanted was for this to stop, for it to be over so he could go back home and curl up next to Hearthstone, like he'd been earlier this very day. That seemed a lifetime ago now as he lay on a cold warehouse floor getting brutally beaten.

Thinking of Hearthstone had tears welling up in his eyes despite Blitzen's best efforts not to cry. Gods, he hoped if he did die here Hearth would be alright. His dear elf had already suffered so much in life. He really didn't want to be another tragic loss on top of all the others Hearth had suffered, but was utterly helpless to stop it from happening. The only thing he was able to do was to take the beating and try to dissociate from all the pain. But Blitzen couldn't even keep that up as a very hard stomp to his chest caused a sickening crack followed by unbearable pain blooming from his side. He'd broken bones before, mostly his nose and his arm, but never a rib. That pain was indescribable and each fresh blow after reawakened the burning agony anew. 

His floodgates broke and he just couldn't hold back the screaming and sobs of pain that filled the empty warehouse after that…. 

Hearthstone paused in the middle of the book he was reading, an uneasy prickle going up his back. He just got the sudden feeling that something was wrong, unease settling in his stomach like a lead weight. At first, the elf couldn't figure out why. It was a perfectly normal and nice Sunday afternoon in his and Blitzen's shared apartment in Midgard. Free time wasn't a luxury he was used to so Hearth enjoyed every minute of it he got. He was having a quiet day to himself to relax and read The Hobbit, a series Blitzen teased him endlessly about enjoying so much. It was all in good fun but still nicer to read it while his other half wasn't around. They didn't really spend that much time apart even now their questing was over, but every couple enjoyed some time to themselves without their partner once in a while. 

Right now Blitzen was out getting new fabrics and magical materials, a chore Hearthstone had come to dread for how Blitz spent literally all day agonizing over which fabric was better and talking about all the pluses and minuses of the different types. As much as Hearth loved seeing his partner so excited and passionate about something, all the technical talk still was absolute nonsense to him. And he knew very well how Blitzen found the fantasy books and movies he loved rather boring. They each had their own tastes, nothing wrong with that.

So a day every once in a while where they both got some space to do the things the other didn't enjoy was pretty nice.  

Or had been at least until this horrible feeling had seized Hearthstone and wouldn't go away.

He sat up and scanned his surroundings warily, worried he was picking up on some danger he'd yet to notice. But there was nothing, no disturbance, the apartment was as cozy-looking as ever. But when Hearth went to close his book and stand up he realized what exactly set him off. 

The palm of the elf's right hand was glowing. 

That was definitely new. Though as a rune wizard strange occurrences in his body were to be expected. Rune magic was wild and often had unpredictable long term effects on the caster, it was part of the price paid. Just last week his hair turned blue for several hours out of nowhere. Curious to see what strange thing was happening now he turned his hand over. A rune was softly glowing in the center of his palm, and as soon as Hearthstone recognized which one it was he bolted to his feet. That horrible feeling of dread doubled as panic rose in his throat. 

There, glowing almost a cheerful gold color, was Algiz, the rune of shielding and protection. 

Hearthstone had only ever cast this rune twice. The first time to protect his friends when they faced Fenris wolf, making heather sprout up around them. The second time, well… Hearthstone wasn't exactly proud of himself for it. The night after healing Blitzen with the Skofnung stone and saving his life, while his dwarf slept in his arms totally exhausted from the very long day, he'd secretly used that rune to cast a charm on him. He only felt bad because he hadn't told Blitzen he'd done it. It was a bit selfish of him but he had to do something for his own peace of mind. Their quests were dangerous and Blitzen was brave to a fault, throwing himself in harm's way repeatedly to protect those dear to him. 

Hearthstone couldn't fault him for that, but Blitzen was very much dear to him , and he had to do something to make sure he could protect him. Or at least know when Blitz was in trouble anyway. For his own sanity really, definitely helped his anxiety during the times they were apart. He couldn't help it, his mind always went to the worst possible scenarios whenever he wasn't sure where exactly Blitzen was. Just knowing that his dearest dwarf was safe kept Hearthstone from acting in ways he was well aware weren't healthy.

And that was exactly what the charm he cast did. This glowing mark on his hand, was because right now, somewhere out there, Blitzen was in mortal peril. 

His dwarf must be in intense pain and fearing he was going to die for the charm to activate. 

Hearthstone clenched his fist tight as fear coursed through his veins, body starting to tremble. No. No, he wouldn't let that happen. The spell didn't tell him where Blitzen was or what exactly was happening to him, but that wasn't about to stop the elf from saving his dearest friend and love. 

He would find him, and completely destroy whatever, or who ever, was hurting his dwarf. 

Moving rapidly Hearthstone snatched up his bag of runes and headed for the door. The thought of a person hurting Blitzen quickly replaced the fear in his veins with righteous anger. How dare they. He'd pay them back in kind for any harm done to the kind and brave dwarf. Though he wasn't sure where exactly he'd find Blitzen he had a good idea where to start. Blitzen had been going to visit his homeworld Nidavellir. It was a good bet to start there.

Thus filled with protective rage the elf headed to the underground world of dwarves, about to rain down hellfire on whoever dared to harm his dwarf…

At some point time lost meaning to Blitzen. He couldn't begin to guess how long the two burly bodyguards beat him for. He'd passed out from the pain at least twice, forcefully pulled back to wakefulness each time sputtering and coughing from a bucket of ice-cold water splashed in his face. The fight had long since been beaten out of his body by the time Junior called his goons off. They both backed away, leaving him shaking on the floor soaking wet and covered in his own blood. Distantly he thought he should try to run again, this would be such a good chance… But he found he couldn't move. 

His whole body ached with horrible pain, and even though the broken ribs had faded to a throb now the slightest shift set them off again, nearly blinding him with agony. 

They'd succeeded in "softening him up" alright. 

Blitzen pressed his forehead into the cool concrete floor as he tried to catch his breath, blackness once more bleeding into the edges of his vision. Before he'd been struggling not to pass out but now he couldn't help thinking maybe he'd be better off unconscious. He couldn't escape, couldn't fight back. But if he passed out at least he wouldn't have to feel the pain anymore… 

Before he could let the darkness take him, freezing water was once more dumped over his head. The tailor gasped for breath as he writhed on the floor, his body's natural survival instincts forcing him awake. Blitzen shook water out of his eyes as he panted, blinking up at the guard who'd poured the water still standing over him and then over at Junior. He hadn't exactly been paying attention to what his main tormentor was doing while he was beaten but now he could see the old man was casually leaning back in a nice plush chair, having some mead as he watched the young dwarf being tortured. 

Bastard. 

The splash of cold water had cleared Blitzen's head a bit at least. He pulled himself together and tried to think of something he could say to convince Junior to let him go. 

"O… Ok… So maybe I….nng… Deserved that for cheating, but you're not really going to kill me. Nidavellir still has laws, not even you can get away with murder"

He panted, hoping a bit of logic and the beating he'd already taken would be enough to make Junior relent. It didn't work of course. 

"I can and I will. This isn't murder, this is about justice! You're going to pay not just for the humiliation you inflicted on me, but all that your fool of a father did to hurt my family's reputation too!"

Junior just scoffed as he put down his cup, going to pick something up off the table covered in weapons and tools. Blitzen wasn't sure what it was he was looking at first, some strange fire poker-like object with extra buttons and gears on its wooden handle. The most striking thing was it didn't end with a point, but rather an intricate design. The demigod shuddered nervously. It looked a lot like a wolf with its teeth bared in a snarl, something like a backward C grasped in its jaws… Junior hit a button on the handle and suddenly the business end started to glow red, heating up rapidly. It was only then that it clicked what it was, Blitzen's eyes widening in terror. Junior smirked back, savoring the younger dwarf's fear. 

"What do you think of my latest creation, son of Freya? I call it The Shame Brander, crafted by my own fine hand obviously, the pocket branding iron. At the push of a button, it can heat itself up to 850°F in seconds. The perfect tool for getting revenge on the go, marking your enemies to make they can never escape their shame" 

He explained casually as Blitzen managed to push himself upright, ignoring the pain in his ribs as he tried to scoot back away from the old dwarf. The guards didn't let him get far, one pressing their foot against his back as Junior stood up. 

"What's that look on your face? You should be honored. I made this just for you Blitzen"

Junior cackled gleefully as he approached, looking a lot like a wolf closing in on wounded prey it knew couldn't run. Blitzen's energy was renewed by fear, trying to struggle away but just didn't have the strength, easily held still by only one of the two goons. 

"W-wait, wait hold on, Junior please-" 

The demigod sputtered desperately, long past clinging to pride. He'd beg and plead all Junior wanted if it would get him to stop. Unfortunately, it just seemed to encourage the sadistic bastard. At a nod from Junior, the goon not currently holding him reached over and ripped open Blitzen's vest, then the dress shirt under it, sending buttons flying and tearing the fabrics. 

Blitzen couldn't hold back a small whimper as his clothes were ripped to expose his chest. They were most certainly already ruined from his own blood staining them but still. Everything about this situation was horrible enough without the extra jab of the clothing he spent so long making by hand being thoughtlessly destroyed… With his chest now bare the second bodyguard grabbed onto Blitzen as well, both of them holding him tight as Junior lowered the glowing brand. 

It hovered inches from the demigod's chest, right above his heart, more than close enough to have him squirming as he felt the intense heat radiating off. 

Compared to normal humans and elves, dwarves were pretty resistant to both intense cold and heat. Had to be to avoid heatstroke during the hours upon hours most of them worked in burning hot forges, hammering metal into the shape they desired. However, that heat resistance wouldn't be all that helpful in protecting against red hot metal getting pressed into bare skin. 

Blitzen was struggling not to hyperventilate as he tried to lean as far back as possible from the heat. Not so much trying to hide his emotions anymore and more that breathing that quickly with broken ribs hurt like hell. 

"Don't, don't please-" 

He started to beg but Junior spoke over him, smirking a grin that was all teeth and evil intentions.

"Another thing about The Shame Brander, it's got a secret ingredient. When I made it, I added just a few drops of fire giant spit"

Junior paused a moment to watch Blitzen's eyes widen even further, immediately understanding what that meant.

"I know you're barely half a dwarf with no appreciation for real craft, but even you must know just how hard it is to work with that ingredient, and I'm sure you have to know what effect it has on the finished product" 

He continued as he slowly inched the brand closer and closer to Blitzen's skin. 

"No… No no no, you can't- You wouldn't-" 

The demigod was barely able to choke out in a strained hoarse voice before Junior lunged forward and jabbed the brand into his chest with all of the old dwarf's strength, which was quite a damn lot despite his age. He dug the brand in deep and hard right over Blitzen's heart, the horrible smell of burning flesh filling the air along with an equally unsettling sizzling sound. Blitzen had told himself he wasn't going to scream, trying to grit his teeth and bear the pain, but it almost immediately proved impossible. There was a beat, just barely half a second, where he managed to stay silent. 

Then he took a very sharp inhale, followed by a gut-wrenching scream. 

He just couldn't take it. He'd been through a lot in his relatively short life, been stabbed clean through and nearly bled out with barely more than a whimper, but this, this was unlike anything he'd ever experienced.

It burned , burned like the molten core of a planet or a star imploding in on itself.

And the feeling wasn't just in his chest, it was like his very nervous system was on fire, spreading through every inch of his already battered and broken body. Distantly through all the soul-searing pain and throat-shredding screaming Blitzen thought that the lessons he'd had as a child that taught about magical crafting ingredients hadn't even come close to describing the pain fire giant touched weapons could cause.  And Junior just wasn't stopping. He kept pressing the brand deep into Blitzen's flesh, for what had to have only been minutes but felt like an eternity. 

He had to stop, needed to stop. 

If he didn't pull that brand back soon Blitzen was sure it was going to melt through his flesh and bone to burn all the way down to sear his heart. Maybe that was just what Junior was trying to do, how he'd finish him off in a horribly slow and painful way. 

But no, finally, finally , the brand was pulled away.

The two bodyguards let Blitzen go once it was, who immediately collapsed forward onto his side. He lay there gasping, struggling to catch his breath. It felt like he just couldn't get any air in his lungs at all. The pain had receded some once Junior pulled the brand away, but it just wasn't... Wasn't stopping. The horrible burning feeling was still eating away at him as if the brand was continuing to dig into his flesh all the same. Blitzen squirmed and writhed on the floor as he gasped like a fish without water, completely and totally overwhelmed by pain. 

That was the most horrible thing about weapons crafted using ingredients from fire giants and the thing Blitzen feared so badly. 

The wounds inflicted by them would burn, burn forever and ever, never stopping, even if they healed and scarred over. Even a small cut would be miserable to live with. He couldn't begin to imagine what it would be like to live with this horrible brand constantly burning on his chest. Though… it seemed like he probably wouldn't actually have to. Junior and his two goons were still standing over him, laughing at his suffering. Blitzen whimpered pathetically as he curled in on himself, body trembling, before hissing in pain as he was sharply reminded of his broken ribs. He was going to die here, Junior was going to make sure he did. And at this point he found himself hoping it was sooner rather than later… 

But gods, he really didn't want to die.

Even suffering as he was from this unending burning agony, Blitzen desperately wanted to live through this somehow and get back home to his elf. Which was a new feeling honestly. There had been plenty of times in his life Blitzen hadn't feared death, times where he would have thrown it away without a second thought. It was why he'd completely dismissed a death prophecy, how he was able to ignore the crazed squirrel Ratatosk's devastating taunts and stand up to a dragon without even a second thought. But recently he'd finally started seeing real value in his life. He had all he ever wanted, appreciation for his tailor skills, a whole shop to sell his craft, and an elf he loved with all his heart who loved him back. It was a life he very much wanted to continue, but he just couldn't find a way to escape Junior.

Blitzen felt utterly helpless and hopeless, pathetically weak on top of all the physical pain… 

Suddenly Blitzen was pulled out of his thoughts as a rough hand grabbed his hair, one of the guards forcefully pulling his head back to look up at Junior. He blinked his eyes open and was surprised to find his vision blurry with tears. When had he started crying? 

"Well, Blitzen, how do you like The Shame Brander? Is it working as intended?" 

Junior asked with a smug grin, enjoying torturing the young dwarf far too much. Blitzen didn't reply at first but then the goon gripping his hair gave him a shake, sending fresh waves of stabbing pain through his body. 

"Ngk! Y-yes! Yes, it's, oh gods- it's working!"

He choked out through groans of pain, fighting the urge to just start screaming again. 

"Please…. Please Junior stop… Isn't this- Hnng-! Isn't this enough for you?"

Blitzen pleaded as more tears dripped down his face. He just didn't have the energy or focus to try and stop them anymore. The young demigod choked back a sob as the guard let go of his hair, allowing him to hang his head in utter defeat. 

"I just… I just want to go home… I'll never come back to Nidavellir, You- Nng-! You'll never see me again…" 

He offered desperately, truly meaning it. The only thing that held him to Nidavellir was having grown up here and if he had to give up visiting to live, it wasn't that difficult of a choice. Junior seemed to mull the offer over for a moment, looking down at the younger dwarf with a thoughtful hum. 

"Well well, seems like you're starting to see some sense. I'm finally getting through that thick skull of yours hm?"

Junior chuckled, considering it for a few more seconds before continuing.  

"You've been such a stubborn little brat, even when you were just a boy. But I always did like that about you… I'll tell you what Blitzen, we can call this an appropriate punishment and I'll let you live, but only on one condition"

Blitzen looked up in surprise, having not actually expected any mercy from Junior at all. That condition part made him nervous, but the unrelenting burning pain radiating from his chest was making it hard to think clearly. In that moment he would have done anything to get away from here and back home to Hearthstone. 

Or at least that's what he'd thought.

"Anything, whatever nng you want Junior, just let me go" 

He replied quickly, making the old dwarf smirk evilly. 

"Sure it's simple. All I want is for you to admit your father was just a stupid fool and completely in the wrong for all the grief he gave my family" 

Blitzen opened his mouth and then shut it again with an audible click of his teeth. All his determination to just do whatever he had to do to get out of this alive was suddenly gone at that request. He should just say it, he knows he should. It's only words that just Junior and his stupid goons would hear it didn't have to actually mean anything. Just agreeing with Junior so he could escape this alive wouldn't actually be harming his father's memory. In his heart, he knew if his father was still alive Bíli would want him to just say it. Bíli had always been such a loving dwarf who would have given his pride and even his own life for his son without a second thought. 

But that was exactly why Blitzen couldn't bring himself to agree with Junior.

His father had been selfless, and kind, and loving. Sure he'd been hard-headed and stubborn, refusing to let things go, but so was Blitzen! Everything Bíli ever did in his life was for the good of others, especially the consistent nagging he gave Junior. And he'd been right to do so. Junior had already admitted he didn't actually check on the wolf, and Blitzen saw how loose the rope had become in that time with his own eyes. Bíli had given everything trying to prevent Fenris wolf from escaping, even his own life in the end...

Blitzen gritted his teeth as he glared up at Junior angrily. It was this old fool's fault his father was dead in the first place, not doing his one simple job of checking on the wolf while lying the whole time that he was. Even in unbearable pain and at the threat of his life, Blitzen refused to let Junior get away with that, to let him disrespect his father for simply caring about the safety of everyone in all nine worlds. 

"No" 

He replied shortly, voice steady despite the intense pain he was suffering. Junior blinked, seeming genuinely surprised by that answer. After all, when he'd been on the chopping block he'd given in and admitted he was wrong and Bíli had been in the right pretty quickly, and he hadn't even been tortured first. 

"No?" 

"No, I'll never ngk I'll never let you tarnish my father's reputation ever again. You… You know he was in the right, you've already admitted it I'm not gonna let you take it back" 

Blitzen replied, stubbornly determined even as his voice trembled from pain. Junior eyed the younger dwarf for a moment, seeming genuinely a bit impressed. Then he snorted with amusement as he shook his head. 

"Ya got iron guts alright, I'll give you that son of Freya. But we'll see how much longer that lasts. That was your last chance to walk away in one piece"

He muttered before turning to look at his table covered in weapons and tools. Blitzen tensed nervously to prepare himself for whatever torment was coming next. Part of him was cursing himself for not giving in, but he found he just couldn't regret defending his father's memory.

"Let's see, what to do next…"

Junior was really taking his time deciding what torture he was going to do next, leaving Blitzen to squirm as the unending burning pain from the enchanted brand continued to radiate through his body. He wouldn't desecrate his father's memory but he desperately wanted to do something besides just sitting there, letting Junior continue to torture him. Unfortunately, his body was just so completely beaten and broken at this point he wasn't sure he could run even if he could shake off the bodyguards and get on his feet. 

"Ah I know"

Junior said gleefully as he seemed to finally decide what he was going to do next, turning around holding a large gold-plated motorized bone saw. Blitzen's stomach dropped at the sight, mind racing imagining the hundreds of different tortures that could be inflicted with that, each new thought more horrible than the last. 

"Nice isn't it? This is Marrow Cleaver, famous among surgical tools, crafted by my private assistant, Nurse Bambi" 

Junior introduced the tool, gesturing for his guards to bring Blitzen over to the table. He tried to resist even the smallest bit as they hauled him up, but at this point, his body was so battered and in so much agony that the demigod couldn't even keep himself upright. All he could do was stay limp in the guards' tight grip as they dragged him over to the metal table. 

"What… What're you gonna do with it?"

Blitzen couldn't help asking as he looked at the saw fearfully. Junior was back to that evil smirk as he flicked it on, watching how the blade rapidly spun.

"You know, there's a lot of things I hate about you, Blitzen. Everything your father did, how you just wouldn't drop the situation with Fenris wolf, that arrogant attitude of yours. And of course, you're just inherently an embarrassment to dwarves everywhere as a child of Freya. But do you want to know what infuriates me the most about you?" 

He asked as he admired the spinning blade.

"Not really"

Blitzen mumbled back, keeping his eyes locked on the saw as well, weakly continuing to try struggling free from the two goons. Junior obviously didn't care what he wanted as he told him anyway. 

"It's the way you make an absolute disgrace of the craft. Bíli lacked any real talent but at least he knew how to use a forge. You meanwhile have no talent or smithing skills" 

He explained as he glared contemptuously at the younger dwarf. 

"I love my craft. The rest of you are the ones who don't consider it a real one!"

Blitzen snapped angrily, unable to help himself. Insulting a dwarf's craft and skills at it was one hell of a serious offense. 

"Because it isn't one! You're just fiddling around with scraps of fabric. The times you actually do use metal you make completely ridiculous and useless nick-nacks!"

Junior snapped right back. 

"I'm going to make sure that nonsense is over even if you do somehow escape this place alive"

He finished ominously before looking at his goons. 

"Get his hands untied and pinned to the table"

Blitzen faltered as the two burly dwarves started to do as their boss ordered, cutting the rope binding his arms with a small pocket knife. It didn't exactly take a genius to connect the dots and realize what Junior was going to do with that saw. 

The very idea made Blitzen's stomach churn and panic flare up anew. 

Thinking of having their hands cut off would reasonably freak anyone out, but to a dwarf, with their culture so focused on the importance of crafts and the art of making things by hand, it was a fate much worse than death. It would be like cutting the fins off a fish, or the wings off a bird. No matter if it was the traditional weapon making or more unorthodox crafts like Blitzen did, dwarves' hearts and souls were their art. One would be hard-pressed to find even a single dwarf who'd choose a life unable to make their craft over just being killed. Unquestionably it was the worst and cruelest thing one could do to a dwarf.

"NO!!!"

Blitzen cried out in panic as the guards tried to pin his newly freed arms down to the table, struggling with renewed vigor. His body was weakened and still very much in intense pain, but fear and adrenaline numbed all feelings besides the desperate need to escape. And for a minute or two, he seemed to actually stand a chance and really be giving the guards hell. The young demigod fought them more like a wild thing than a dwarf, biting and scratching with all the strength he had left. He desperately scrabbled at the metal table the same way a feral cat would attempt to escape, knocking the tools and weapons that had been oh so neatly organized everywhere. 

Junior stumbled back a bit to avoid getting sliced by any of the scattered weapons or hit by Blitzen's flailing arms. He pretty quickly grew annoyed and fed up by his guards bumbling around, struggling to restrain such a badly beaten and supposedly weak little tailor. 

"What the hell am I paying you two for!?! Get him pinned already, break his arms if you have to!" 

He shouted angrily, wailing on the nearest guard with his cane. Said guard grunted in annoyance before doing exactly as Junior suggested, managing to grab Blitzen's left arm and yanking, hard . The sickening wet snap of it breaking was a lot louder than the dull thud when his ribs broke. 

The guttural scream he let out sounded just about the same though. 

The pain stunned him long enough for the two stronger dwarves to get him under control, shoving him down face first on the table, each pinning one of his arms as the guard on the right also gripped the back of Blitzen's neck. He let out another yell of pain as they did. Having his chest pressed hard into the table was putting pressure on the constantly burning brand, and they were gripping his freshly broken arm much too tight. On top of that, bent over as he was, the edge of the table was digging into his stomach, right into his broken ribs. Blitzen attempted to break free again only to immediately freeze up with a choked whimper. With the injuries he had, in this position even the slightest shift caused immediately overwhelming pain. 

The demigod had no other choice than to go still in their hold, letting out a sob as fresh tears rolled down his cheeks. 

Junior only approached again once he was sure there'd be no more thrashing around or tools sent flying, huffing with annoyance as he raised the whirling bone saw. 

"Tch. I don't know why I thought you'd be less of a brat about this after so stubbornly sticking to your guns even when I offered you a way out. I would have almost respected it, if you were anyone else"

He muttered, using his free hand to grab Blitzen's, going for his left one first since he especially couldn't move that arm. Couldn't even twitch his fingers as Junior took his sweet time lining the blade up just below his wrist. 

"No no no please Junior, not this, anything but this!" 

Blitzen begged, crying openly now. Junior just sneered and chuckled at his suffering. 

"You brought this on yourself Blitzen, remember that" 

The evil old dwarf leered as he brought the blade down. The loudest scream yet tore from Blitzen's ragged throat when it sliced into his arm, blood spraying as the saw cut through his flesh as easily as warm butter. 

But despite its speed, it was barely even able to nick the bone before suddenly and inexplicably, the warehouse wall closest to the four dwarves exploded inwards in a burst of thick black smoke. 

Chapter Text

The black smoke filled up the room, thick and choking with the smell of ozone. It was impossible to see through, causing instant chaos and confusion. 

"What the-!?! What's happening!!?"

One of the goons cried out through choking coughs as he let go of Blitzen to cover his mouth. 

"Don't let him get away!!! If Blitzen escapes I'm not paying either of you!!!!" 

Junior shrieked furiously, struggling to finish cutting through Blitzen's wrist. But he was still an old man and the smoke burned his weak lungs, forcing him to drop the bone saw before the job was done to cover his face, choking on the smog. 

Blitzen for his part was also very confused by what was happening, eyes watering from the smoke now as he struggled not to cough with his broken ribs. It took him a minute to catch on. If not for all the agony and fear he was in he'd probably have realized sooner, but even through the haze of pain that smell of ozone with just a hint of sulfur underneath, he knew that smell. Knew it very well. That was the scent of powerful rune magic. And there was only one person in all nine worlds with rune magic who would come bursting in here so dramatically. 

Blitzen didn't know how, but his elf was here.

The demigod's eyes snapped open, hope reignited, giving him a burst of energy. Junior had cut pretty deep into his wrist but not into the bone. He was still in one piece despite the tortures he'd endured. Escape was so close with Hearthstone here, he couldn't give up. 

Quickly Blitzen tried to pull away from his tormentors. He knew he was too weak to fight but if he got down Hearthstone would be free to unleash without worry of him being in the way. Unfortunately while Junior and one goon had let him go in favor of trying to block out the smoke, the second goon seemed much more determined not to lose his paycheck. That one was still tightly clutching onto Blitzen's arm, Blitzen's left arm, the broken and now badly cut one. His attempt to pull away ended quickly with a shout of pain as he was yanked back by his wounded arm. He nearly threw up as he felt his broken bones shift under his skin, arm twisting at an unnatural angle. The young dwarf had no other choice than to allow himself to be manhandled to get pinned back down on the table. As strong as it was, his determination just couldn't override that level of pain. 

The burly dwarf pinned Blitzen down more securely this time, one hand pressing down between his shoulder blades and the other pulling his wounded left arm back ready to be twisted again to force him once more into submission if he tried to escape again. He had the wounded demigod truly good and pinned, no escape possible without help. 

"I got the brat, ya take care of whatever- Whatever that monster is!" 

The guard shouted to his companion with a jerk of his head towards the figure emerging from the slowly fading smoke. Monster was a damn good description, in the eyes of Junior and his hired men at least. 

So much taller than any dwarf ever could grow, eyes glowing a radioactive green color as it stalked closer completely unaffected by the smoke, residual magic crackling over its arms like lightning. The one and only mortal rune caster was here, and he was furious . 

The second goon hesitated as he stared at the intimidating figure. Clearly this was a bit more than he signed up for. Junior snarled at his pause, still coughing a bit even as the smoke was starting to clear up. 

"It's just that damn elf of his, he's not actually that strong. I've seen his magic before, he's weak without sunlight, he can't do much of anything before passing out. It's all some showy tricky, don't be such a coward!" 

He growled, whacking the reluctant guard with his cane to spur him into action. It seemed to work, the burly dwarf stumbling forward a bit from the hit before grinning confidently and cracking his knuckles.

"An elf huh? Never beat one of them before, I bet all them hollow bones snap like twigs"

The goon sneered before charging into the smoke to meet the elf head-on. 

It hadn't taken Hearthstone very long to track Blitzen down, only a couple of hours, but the rune on his hand never stopped glowing the whole while. It was too long, too long knowing his dwarf was suffering somewhere out there. The rune was helpful though. He hadn't intended or done it on purpose when casting the charm, but as it turned out the Algiz rune glowed brighter the closer he got to Blitzen. That helped track him down much faster, tracing the trail in a very high-stakes game of hot or cold that he couldn't afford to lose. When Hearth finally narrowed it down to an empty-looking warehouse every single ounce of his soul wanted to burst in immediately without any hesitation, but he'd forcefully gotten his righteous anger under control. 

He couldn't risk letting his emotions make him act stupidly right now. He needed to figure out the situation before just rushing in. If he wasn't careful he was sure it could cost Blitzen his life... The elf had crouched down next to the far back wall of the building, carefully picking through his runes to find the best one. Ah, of course, Ansuz would be perfect. The rune of Odin, standing for insight, knowledge, and revealing truths. He'd been working on a spell using it that would be perfect for this.

Hearthstone gripped the rune in his hand before pressing it up against the wall of the warehouse before casting, focusing on the interior to see what was happening. Well, it wasn't really like normal seeing, though it did give him a very clear understanding of the layout as well as where both enemies and friends alike were, but not a ton of details besides that. It was hard to describe but more like sensing auras and vibes than truly seeing the people they belonged to. Hearthstone had been developing this spell specifically to help him in the dark. He was just so vulnerable when he couldn't see, unable to hear threats coming or where his friends were. With this spell, he negated that problem. The other unintended use he'd discovered that was so useful right now was it allowed him to see through walls when he focused. 

The warehouse was made up of a twisting labyrinth of long hallways and big empty storage rooms. It would take forever to pick through each individual room. But luckily for Hearthstone, it seems the fates were favoring him because he could only sense four life forms in the whole building, and they were all in the room right on the other side of this wall. It was easy to pick out Blitzen's aura among them. He could easily find his dearest dwarf's energy out of a crowd of thousands. Though he wasn't good enough at this to tell if he knew any of the other three in the room with Blitzen. All he could really pick up from them was that they were also dwarves, and full of malicious intentions. Hearth could also tell what their physical positions were. Though it was hard to tell what exactly they were doing, all three seemed to be holding Blitzen pinned down against some sort of furniture, a table, or a cabinet; it was hard to make inanimate objects out. 

But the thing that really made Hearthstone snap, what made him lose any semblance of self-control and reason, was the overwhelming amount of agony and terror he could feel in Blitzen's aura. As soon he got a taste of just how much Blitz was suffering, he acted without thinking. Before Hearthstone even really knew what he was doing the rune Thurisaz, Thor's rune, was in his hand. 

Though when he slammed that rune into the wall, he was thinking. Thinking about how much he was going to make the people hurting Blitzen pay for doing so. 

The thick black smoke didn't bother Hearthstone one bit as he stepped through the new entrance he'd made into the room. It did sting his eyes and his throat, but the stone-cold focused rage and continued use of Ansuz kept it from actually affecting the elf. Still seeing auras he saw the aggressive dwarf come charging at him long before his attacker could properly make him out through the smoke. Hearth didn't even blink, didn't hesitate for even a second. He drew back a fist, still crackling with lightning from the Thurisaz rune, and met the oncoming dwarf with a direct punch to the face. Instantly on contact, 300 million volts of electricity coursed through the attacker's skull. 

The blast sent the dwarven bodyguard flying backward, landing flat on his back by the feet of Junior and his fellow guard. Dumbstruck, they could only stare down at, what they both quickly realized was, his body. Smoke rising from skin blacked and burned, blood slowly weeping from his ears and nose, and a permanently frozen expression of a confident smirk on his face. This dwarf was dead as dead can be. Dead before he could cry out or even really realize what was happening. 

The remaining guard looked from the charred body of his dead comrade, to the rapidly approaching furious elf covered in crackling electricity, and then down at the younger dwarf he had pinned beneath him. Despite all the pain he was suffering Blitzen couldn't help smirking back up at him, chuckling weakly. 

"You… You've really gone and done it now... My "pet" elf is here now, and he Nng-! He sure doesn't seem happy with you lot" 

He panted as he looked at Junior with a shaky smirk. The black smog that had filled the room was clearing up now, letting them get a better look at Hearthstone and Hearth get a better look at them in return. The remaining goon had looked like he was still considering the money worth all this and still holding Blitzen pinned, riiiight up until the moment he locked eyes with Hearthstone. 

The intense fury, the cold-focused hatred, the overwhelming protective outrage. It all was crystal clear in Hearthstone's sharp grey-blue eyes. Way too much for a simple hired goon to face. Quickly he released Blitzen and rapidly backed away, putting his hands up in surrender. 

"Th-This is crazy!!!! I thought we were just taking out an annoying Vanir spawn, You didn't say anything about psycho magic elves!!!" 

He snapped at Junior panickedly as he kept his eyes nervously locked on Hearthstone. 

"I'm out, I don't want anything to do with this!"

Unfortunately for the dwarven goon, he made the mistake of raising his hands, hands splattered with Blitzen's blood from holding him pinned and twisting his wounded arm. 

Hearthstone didn't see a damn word of what the strange dwarf said. He was far too focused staring at the red on his hands to be reading his lips. That was blood. Blitzen's blood. Hearth didn't like the sight of blood in general but seeing the blood of loved ones in particular, that awoke something in him. Something very dangerous and deadly. The normally completely mute elf snarled. Growled like a feral animal as he clenched his fists and bared his teeth, the magical electricity arcing and crackling over his arms as if eager for another target. And find another target it would. 

The bodyguard's eyes widened in fear as he realized Hearth's rage had focused in on him, noticing the blood on his hands much too late. 

"T-this isn't- I didn't- It was all him! The old man did everything, we just held him down I swear!!!"

He lied as he hurriedly tried to wipe his bloody hands off on his clothes before pointing at Junior, who looked utterly shell-shocked. The old fool had really thought his hired goons would be able to take out the elf, as if he wasn't a powerful magic-user. As Hearthstone took a step forward it was clear throwing the blame around wasn't working in the slightest. The bodyguard swore to himself and turned on his heel, attempting to make a run for it to escape the elf's wrath. He didn't get very far. Hearthstone shot a hand forward and the lightning arched forward. It found its new target, hitting the retreating dwarf squarely in his back. He was dead before he hit the ground. 

Hearth panted, catching his breath for just a moment as his hand smoked with residual magic. Then he turned his gaze over to Junior and Blitzen. 

Blitzen was still half leaning, half laying on the table. It was uncomfortable, but attempting to sit upright hurt a lot more. All his many wounds and injuries were aching, and he was starting to feel awfully lightheaded from how much blood he'd lost. So he'd given up on trying to stand up, for now. Hearthstone was here, and he'd already taken out the main threats. Junior was strong for an old man, but he was still just that, an old man. He couldn't do nearly as much damage on his own without his hired muscle.

"I… I don't understand… This is impossible! That elf has always been a scrawny little weakling just like you, how is he doing that!?!"

Junior snapped as he glared at Blitzen, utterly enraged and confused how his plans could have gone completely awry, semi literally going up in smoke. Blitz shakily smirked back at him and chuckled. 

"You… You don't know anything about Hearthstone. He got personally trained by Odin. He's a lot stronger than me, and definitely stronger than you, old man" 

Junior scowled angrily, glancing from Blitzen to Hearthstone nervously, who was heading towards them rapidly, before scoffing. 

"So I was right, you do just rely on your stronger friends. Pathetic"

The old dwarf muttered, tightening his grip on the bloodied bone saw. 

"But that means I've still got a chance to kill you!" 

Junior crackled with mad glee as he lunged across the table, swiping at Blitzen with the saw, aiming for his throat. Blitzen was taken off guard, trying to pull back but his beaten body just didn't move fast enough. Junior managed to hit his mark, making the demigod cry out in pain as he fell back, off the table and onto the floor with a thud. He didn't get back up. Didn't move at all, body gone limp.

Hearthstone had been heading towards them to take care of Junior but hadn't expected the old dwarf to be able to move so fast. He thought the two burly guards were the biggest threat, but apparently not. He saw Junior swipe at Blitzen's face and throat, fresh blood splashing in the air as the younger dwarf fell back. Hearth froze mid-step for just a moment, eyes wide with shock and horror.

He'd thought he'd already saved Blitzen, that he had the situation under control, only to see his love be struck down right in front of him anyways. 

Junior was grinning big and laughing. He thought he'd won, thought he'd finally struck down the last of the family his own had fought with for years. But he didn't get any more than those few seconds to savor his victory before all the air was knocked out of his lungs as he was tackled to the floor. Thin but surprisingly strong hangs wrapped around the old dwarf's throat, tightening before he could gasp in. Junior choked and wheezed as he struggled, looking up at the elf pinning down with shock as Hearth glared down at him with eyes full of stone-cold hatred. 

Junior was less surprised to be attacked and more surprised by the amount of physical strength the rune caster had. Hearthstone's thin willowy frame was rather deceiving. Most people would think he was rather physically weak just looking at him, but rune magic was extremely taxing on the body and physical training was required to properly use it. That long black coat he always wore covered up broad shoulders and muscular arms. Junior might be strong from his centuries of hammering mental in forges, but Hearthstone was young and fit. His grip was crushingly tight and only getting tighter by the second. He kept that grip as the dwarf struggled and thrashed under him. Junior desperately swiped at him with the bone saw as he fought to get free. He managed to slice up the elf's arms pretty badly but couldn't reach any vital areas in this position.

Hearthstone didn't even seem to notice the attack anyway judging from his complete lack of reaction. Not even a flinch as green blood flowed from the cuts. All he was feeling was a laser focus iced over anger, completely locked on the task at hand. All he could think about was putting an end to the old dwarf and wouldn't be able to focus on anything else until he finished him.

Slowly Junior's struggling slowed down, dropping the still buzzing saw as his eyes started hazing over. It was several minutes before he went still, and only several minutes after Junior went limp and his eyes hazed over completely that Hearthstone finally let him go. The elf panted for breath for a moment as he stared numbly down at his limp body. 

He could have, should have really, just used another spell to finish Junior.

He still had the energy for at least one or two more and it would have been a hell of a lot faster and easier. But the sadistic old bastard hadn't seemed worthy to be killed by the rune magic Hearth put so much of his life into learning. The burning anger was gone now, all he felt was a very cold satisfaction in knowing Junior wouldn't be hurting anyone ever again, wouldn't hurt Blitzen again…

Blitzen… 

Hearthstone swallowed thickly as he turned his gaze over to where his dwarf lay on the other side of the blood smeared metal table. Lay still, deathly still. He wasn't sure he could handle seeing him dead… But he had to look. Had to see, despite the icy dread in his stomach. And maybe, just maybe, there was the smallest little spark of desperate hope too.

Hope that maybe, somehow, Blitzen was still alive despite the blow he saw Junior land. That he wasn't... gone. Hearthstone purposefully suppressed that hope though. He didn't want to get it up only to be immediately dashed by the horrible truth. 

He left Junior's body on the floor to grow cold without even a second glance back as he approached Blitzen, knocking the metal table between them over as he pushed it out of the way. Blitzen was laying splayed out on his back, eyes closed, unmoving. Kneeling next to the still form of his dearest friend and love, taking in his condition, Hearthstone had to clamp a hand over his mouth to avoid being sick. He'd gotten a glance earlier when he'd come charging in to drive off the attackers. But only a glance. All he'd been able to register was that Blitzen had blood all over his face and left arm. Now he could actually get a good look he realized just how horrible his injuries were. 

Dark purplish red bruises bloomed over seemingly every inch of exposed skin Hearth could see. There was an especially large one on his side, perhaps from broken ribs. The blood on his face was coming from a big nasty looking cut near his hairline, his nose, which was a bit crooked and seemed to have (once again) been broken, and a small but deep cut on his cheek.

Hearthstone could only describe Blitzen's left arm as mangled. It was twisted and bent at an unnatural angle, very obviously broken. Even worse was the gaping wound near his wrist. So deep Hearth could see a glint of white that could only be bone. But the worst thing, the most horrifying thing, was the brand burned into Blitzen's chest. 

It was horrible, the twisted visage of a snarling wolf with what appeared to be the letter C in its jaws. Hearthstone couldn't begin to guess what that stood for, much more caught up in just how ghastly everything else about it was. Junior very well knew what had happened to Blitzen's father, it was his own fault. And still. Still, he'd burned a wolf into Blitzen's chest. Not only that, but the elf could instantly tell it wasn't just a normal burn. It looked like a normal though deep burn. Despite that, Hearth could feel the lingering magic, and the much too intense to be normal heat radiating from it.  

Hearthstone grit his teeth as tears ran down his face. He didn't know what exactly magical properties were in the burn, but he could easily guess. Guess that it was to purely bring even more suffering to Blitzen. 

For a moment Hearthstone was overtaken by fuming righteous rage again. He killed Junior much too quickly, the old dwarf deserved more punishment for all he'd done. For a moment Hearth imagined traveling to Helheim, searching until he found Junior among the fields, and then torturing him. He'd rip Junior's very soul to pieces. He'd completely and utterly destroy him, grind his spirit to dust before scattering it into Ginnungagap. He'd-

Hearthstone looked at Blitzen's unmoving battered body again and choked on a sob. No… No, not now. He couldn't just go rushing off, leaving his dwarf here. Revenge could be had later right now he needed to take Blitzen home. He shouldn't be here in this dingy warehouse surrounded by the bodies of his tormentors. It wasn't right. It wasn't fair. 

None of this was fair. 

Hearth let his tears flow freely as he started fiddling with Blitzen's clothing, trying to pull his ripped shirt closed and fix his hair a bit. He couldn't begin to guess why, maybe a desire to try and return some dignity to his dearest dwarf, but he didn't get very long to dwell on the thought. 

Because as soon as he touched Blitzen, the demigod stirred. 

His chest moved in a deep stuttering breath, face twisting in a pained grimace before opening his eyes to look around dazedly. Hearthstone froze in shock, overwhelmed by a mix of emotions rushing over him.

He was alive. Blitzen was still alive .

Hearth didn't understand how. He saw Junior strike him, there'd been a spray of blood, how…?

He quickly scrambled to check Blitzen's throat, worried he might still be in danger of bleeding out. But there was no wound to be found there. There was blood yes, but it seemed that it was all just run down from the cuts on Blitzen's face. What Hearthstone did find around the dwarf's neck was something glittering and metallic. Hearth didn't know if he wanted to laugh or cry harder when he realized what it was. Once again, Blitzen's own genius and unique skills had saved his life. 

There around his neck, splattered with blood and just a bit dented, but still in one piece, was one of Blitzen's patented chainmail bow ties. 

That spray of blood had come from the smaller cut on Blitzen's face Junior caused with his wild slice, but he hadn't been able to even scratch his throat. The thing invented during Junior's last attempt on Blitzen's life had saved him from the second one.

Blitzen managed to focus his gaze on Hearthstone's face and weakly smiled. 

"Hearth…"

He muttered before faltering and frowning slightly. He moved to reach a hand to Hearthstone's face before hissing through his teeth in pain, reminded his left arm was in no shape to be moving right now, and switched to using his non-dominant right hand to cup the elf's cheek. Hearthstone couldn't resist leaning into his touch, letting out a shuddering relieved breath as he placed his own hand on top of Blitzen's. He was ok, Blitzen was still here, he was ok. 

Well, not ok exactly. Clearly the dwarf was in very bad condition and probably a lot of pain. But he was alive, and he'd be able to heal, to recover. He wasn't ok right now but he would be, in time. Hearthstone was going to make sure of it. 

"You're… Nng… You're crying… What's wrong? Are you alright...?" 

Blitzen mumbled, bringing Hearthstone's attention back to the present, while clumsily trying to wipe away the elf's tears with only one hand. Hearth blinked in shock, utterly flabbergasted by the question. 

" You're asking me if I'm alright?"  

He repeated the question, wondering if he somehow misread his lips. Blitzen didn't answer him right away, instead carefully grabbing Hearth's wrist to get a better look at his arm. Hearthstone could feel how weakened his dwarf was and could have pulled free from his grasp with zero effort, but he allowed Blitz to have his arm for a moment. There wasn't a lot he wouldn't let his dwarf have, especially right now. 

Blitzen was looking at the cuts and scratches Junior had left on Hearthstone's arms while struggling against him, frowning with concern. Some of the cuts were a little deep but still small. The deepest required a bandaid at most. 

"You're all cut up… Did Junior do this?" 

He asked with an angry scowl. Hearthstone could only stare at him blankly, unable to believe that somehow as beat up as he was, Blitzen was still more concerned about him. Angry at Junior for this, as if these small scrapes were anything close to whatever hell Blitzen had clearly been put through. 

"I swear I'm hng g-gonna kill that old bastard this time, how… How dare he- Ngk!!!!"

Blitzen had tried to sit up before seeming to only now really remember just how badly wounded he was, crying out in pain. Hearthstone quickly pushed him back down by the shoulders while shaking his head, carefully avoiding the burn mark and as many of the bruises as he could. 

"Stop. You shouldn't move, it's ok. Junior is gone"  

He assured him quickly as Blitzen struggled to catch his breath. His breathing seemed strained much to Hearthstone's alarm. He couldn't guess what could be causing it but none of the possible answers that came to mind were good. Thankfully Blitzen didn't fight him, letting the rune caster gently push him to lay back down. 

"Gone?"

He repeated uncertainty. Hearthstone couldn't put a finger on the emotion on Blitzen's face when he asked but nodded reassuringly in confirmation. He did not miss the shudder of relief that ran through the dwarf's body, even as he closed his eyes and muttered. 

"Almost feel bad… Didn't really want him dead, but he just couldn't leave the damn feud alone… Better off for everyone that he's gone"

Hearthstone frowned a bit at that reply. It seemed like Blitzen was downplaying just how dreadfully Junior treated him. But he needed to save his concerns about that for later, right now they needed to take care of Blitzen's physical wounds. Once he wasn't on death's door they could work on emotional damage. 

"He had it coming"  

Hearthstone signed, simple and short. 

"Don't worry about him, let's get out of here. Hold on tight to me"

He told Blitzen, who went to nod before faltering with a wince. Seemed even just that little movement hurt him right now…

Hearthstone swallowed thickly as he forced the renewed waves of sadness and rage that spurred back down. That wouldn't help anything right now. Right now he needed to focus on getting Blitzen home, picking out the Raidho rune, rune of travel, from his rune pouch as Blitzen grabbed onto his jacket with his uninjured arm.

Hearthstone carefully grabbed onto Blitzen's torn vest in return, leaning over him slightly as he clutched the rune in his right hand. Really he'd prefer to scoop his dwarf up into his arms but didn't dare risk it lest he caused him more pain and damage, so this would have to do. Hearthstone closed his eyes as he focused on their home, on the exact point where he wanted to get them to, before casting the spell.

With a slight pop the two vanished, leaving behind the room that had borne witness to so much pain and bloodshed, now only occupied by the bodies of the three who caused it, and the lingering smell of smoke in the air. 

Chapter Text

Blitzen couldn't help letting out a pained whimper as he and Hearthstone landed back home in their Midgard apartment. Hearth had aimed well and teleported them perfectly onto their bed, soft and familiar with way too many pillows. But still, even with a soft landing the sudden shift jostled Blitzen's broken body. Hopefully Hearthstone didn't notice. He was trying really hard to cover how much pain he was actually in. There was no need to worry Hearthstone even more than he clearly already was. But his adrenaline was starting to fade away now he was out of immediate danger, making it a lot harder to ignore the burning agony of the brand on his chest. Blitzen bit his lip to keep himself from starting screaming again as he watched Hearth sit up and start fussing over him. 

Normally he'd brush his elf off and assure him he was just fine, no matter how he was actually feeling. But he was too weakened and pained to even do that. Besides, Hearthstone was clearly really upset, and trying to take care of him seemed to be helping the rune caster calm down at least a little. It wasn't exactly the most horrible thing to tolerate. Hearth was being very careful with him. Gentle like he was something fragile that could break at the slightest wrong touch.

And if Blitzen was being totally honest with himself, right now he very much was. 

The elf got him pillows, made sure he was laying as comfortably as possible, and even pulled his torn shirt closed much to his relief. That last thing Blitzen wanted to look at right now was the horrible brand on his chest. And even though he knew he was now safe and it was just Hearthstone here, suddenly having his chest exposed felt too… vulnerable. He had no idea how Hearth could have guessed that but was very much grateful for the small gesture. 

However when the rune caster went to get up and walk away, suddenly panic and fear flared up in Blitzen all anew. He knew Junior and his hired goons were dead. He knew that. So why did the very thought of being left here alone, unable to defend himself in this state, fill him with total and complete terror? 

Before he could stop himself he quickly darted his uninjured hand out, grabbing onto the edge of Hearthstone's jacket before he could get too far. 

The elf immediately stopped and turned back to look at him, concern and worry so openly clear on his face. Blitzen swallowed thickly but he'd already acted, couldn't take that back now. 

"Where…. Where are you going?" 

He choked out, hoping his fear wasn't too obvious. 

"To get the phone, so I can contact Magnus. You need healing"

Hearthstone replied simply, seeming a bit confused why Blitzen was asking him. The thought should be a relief. Magnus could heal him up in no time, no more pain, likely not even scars left behind. But the idea of calling the teen demigod up just for his help… 

Junior did have a point didn't he, you've always relied on your powerful friends to save you. That's what just happened now, Hearthstone had to come to save you because you can't even take care of yourself. Why do you even deserve his healing powers?

"I-I'm alright, don't bother him Hearth… I can just... Sleep it off"

Blitzen muttered, very much aware of how insane it sounded when he said it out loud. Hearthstone gave him a very reasonably confused and a bit horrified look with just a hint of flabbergasted exasperation. A look he was well familiar with. The look Hearthstone always gave him when he was being stubborn about something ridiculous like starting to get petrified in the sun or ignoring a death prophecy. 

"Your head wounds must be worse than I thought… Blitzen, your arm is twisted like a pretzel, and I know that burn on your chest is enchanted"

Hearthstone pointed out bluntly. 

"There's no way you can just sleep this off" 

Blitzen huffed unhappily before flinching as the deep breath caused a jab of pain from his broken ribs. 

"I know, I know but…. I… I don't want to be alone…"

He mumbled, which wasn't a total lie. He didn't want to be left alone right now. But really it was much more that he didn't actually want him contacting Magnus. Hearthstone's expression was soft and sympathetic, taking a moment to comfortingly squeeze Blitzen's hand. Still, he shook his head no. 

"I'm sorry but we need Magnus. I'll be fast, less than a minute" 

The elf promised before slipping away. Blitzen fought down the panic he felt watching him step out of the room. Was the dread he was feeling from guilt for being a burden on the people around him, or was it fear from being left alone? He couldn't tell. Either way it was a horrible feeling. Or maybe it was just that without Hearthstone here he didn't have any distraction from all the pain he was in. It seemed suddenly much more overwhelming without anything else to focus on. Blitzen pressed his face into the pillows as he resisted the urge to writhe in pain, knowing it would just aggravate his wounds even more. Inhaling the familiar mixed scent of himself and Hearthstone helped just a bit.

It had to have only been a minute or two but it felt like an eternity of laying there in agony before his elf returned to the room. He'd closed his eyes but the sound of footsteps approaching made him startle, snapping his eyes open to look around with alarm. Blitz knew the only person it could be was Hearthstone and yet it still scared him anyways. His anxiety must have shown on his face as Hearth was looking at him with a mix of concern and sadness as he sat on the edge of their bed. 

Blitzen silently chided himself as he let out a shaky breath. He had to pull himself together, for Hearthstone's sake. In pain or not he was still safe and at home now, there was no reason to be getting jumpy. 

If Hearthstone noticed he thankfully didn't comment on it, just put the things he'd grabbed down on the bed. Not just the clunky old burner phone they'd gotten really only for contacting Magnus, but also the slightly battered first aid kit normally tucked away in their medicine cabinet, some ice packs from the freezer and a few damp washcloths. 

"I already texted Magnus, he'll be here soon. But I can still help clean you up and treat your wounds at least a little right now"

Hearth told him before going to open the first aid kit and digging through it. 

Hearthstone had noticed Blitzen's fearful reaction when he returned. It wasn't a surprise. Hearth wasn't sure what exactly Junior put him through but seemed like straight-up torture from the look of his wounds. Of course he'd be traumatized and still on high alert. The rune caster forced down a fresh wave of anger towards the old now dead dwarf. Not helpful, Junior was gone now, but Blitzen was here, and badly hurt. Hearth needed to focus on taking care of him, he could be angry later. 

Blitzen nodded a bit but didn't say anything as Hearth picked up one of the washcloths, very carefully starting to clean him up and wipe away the blood. The dwarven demigod was being very stoic and quiet even as Hearth cleaned open wounds, only flinching once or twice. Anyone else would assume he was just tough and he really wasn't in too much pain. But Hearthstone was better at reading him than Blitzen thought. Him laying there without a word, staring at the ceiling with a carefully schooled blank expression on his face, was just as alarming as him screaming and crying out in pain. 

The elf pursed his lips unhappily. Blitzen had always had a hard time admitting when he was hurt. But Hearth decided against calling him out on it. He knew if he said something Blitz would just dig in his heels even more and insist he was fine despite how very obvious it was that he wasn't. Strangely as Hearthstone tended to his wounds he found himself remembering an interesting fact about cats he'd read somewhere. Cats instinctively hid their pain, trying to protect themselves from being seen as weak lest they become targets for stronger animals. They were so good at it in fact that for a period of time, people believed cats couldn't even feel pain at all. The way he grew up Hearthstone could understand the instinct, but it still bothered him how stubbornly Blitzen stuck to it. He worried there might be wounds he'd miss because Blitzen didn't think to mention them, or accidentally cause him more pain because of how much he masked it… 

It concerned him, but obviously now was not the time to address it. Hearthstone just would have to make extra sure not to miss anything, keeping an eye out for any injuries he hadn't noticed as he cleaned away all the mostly dried blood off Blitzen. Once the blood was gone and open wounds tended to Blitz looked a bit better, though his left arm was still dirty with dried blood. Hearth didn't dare touch it with how twisted it was. All he could do for the extremely deep cut on his wrist was loosely wrap some bandages around it to steam the bleeding, and even just that made Blitzen squirm from the pain. Must have been pretty horrible for him to show any reaction when he was so clearly trying to hide his suffering... No, Hearthstone wouldn't be messing with that arm anymore, he'd just cause even more pain needlessly when Magnus was on his way to magically heal Blitz. 

Speaking of magical, Hearthstone decided to move on to the only wound he might be able to really help with. But he hesitated, hands hovering over Blitzen's chest. The nature of the burn wound seemed oddly personal, sensitive. Probably because of just how cruel it was of Junior to choose a wolf when he was the one responsible for driving Blitzen's father into the jaws of one. 

"Can I look at the burn wound?"

Hearthstone requested. His guess that it was a more emotionally weighted injury than the others seemed to have been correct as Blitzen immediately tensed uneasily. 

"I won't touch, I know it must hurt. But I want to see if I can do something about whatever the enchantment on it is"

Hearth explained. It hurt his heart to see Blitzen so very nervous around him, he wanted to make the dwarf feel safe, but wasn't sure how. The best he could do right now was trying to tend to his physical injuries, if Blitzen would allow him to anyways. Blitz shook his head a little bit like he was shaking off a thought.

"R-right, yeah of course"

He agreed, pulling open his ripped shirt just enough to expose the burn. Pointedly the demigod was looking at literally anything else besides his chest, choosing to stare at a spot just over Hearthstone's left shoulder.  

"Junior- He… The brand used… It was made using fire giant spit, that's where the enchantment came from…"

He muttered. Hearthstone hated having to make Blitzen uncomfortable like this, he so clearly didn't want to talk about the burn or anything else that Junior did to him. It wasn't like they could just let it go by never talking about it, but not now, not when it was so very very fresh. Hearth didn't know nearly as much about magical crafting ingredients as Blitzen and should probably ask him more questions, but resolved to figure it out himself. 

The heat still coming off the burn gave him some clues. The first thought to come to Hearthstone was that the burn was enchanted to stay just as hot as it had been when first made. But no, that couldn't be right. He knew Blitzen was tough but even he would surely be incoherent from that type of pain. Maybe he should just ask the dwarf what was up with the burn even if it made him uncomfortable. Before Hearth could make up his mind about it Blitzen tensed again and looked towards the door. 

"Sounds like Magnus is here…" 

Blitzen muttered. He'd heard the sound of the front door opening and hurried footsteps rush into the apartment. Magnus was the only other person who had a key so even if he didn't already know the healer was coming that was the only person it could be. Sure enough, that was quickly confirmed by the sound of Magnus calling out. 

"Hey hello!?! Blitz, Hearth, are you guys here? What's going on!?!"

Hearthstone quickly got up to go meet him, leaving the bedroom door open just a bit. Blitzen let out a shaky breath when he was left alone again for a moment, half-listening to the sound of Magnus' voice, frowning slightly as he heard Alex's voice as well. Though not surprising those two were starting to get as attached to each other as himself and Hearthstone were, he'd really rather not have her see him like this too.

He was already pushing himself to let Magnus be here… The dwarven demigod tried to compose himself. Soon enough this pain would be gone, he'd just have to endure Magnus' healing first. Idly he wondered if Magnus was also made uncomfortable by how he could accidentally end up getting a taste of people's emotions and memories while healing them. Surely he must be, the kid only recently was getting a hang on opening up to others and definitely understood the value of privacy. The last thing Blitzen wanted was anyone else in his head, but it just couldn't be helped. He knew Magnus couldn't control it and the depth of his injuries meant he'd surely be getting some kind of deeper look. But hopefully, if Blitzen was able to focus and steel himself he could keep it from being too bad…. 

Meanwhile, Hearthstone was explaining to Magnus, and also Alex, what little he knew about what happened. Really not all that much to say besides Blitzen was very badly hurt and whose fault it was. 

"I don't know what exactly happened, but J-U-N-I-O-R had him. It's… It's bad"

Hearth wasn't sure he had the signs or time to explain just how bad it was, he hoped the look on his face got the idea across. It seemed to, as Magnus scowled angrily.

"Man, I thought the mean old dwarf was gonna leave Blitz alone after we beat him, but of course he wouldn't. He was such a prideful jagweed" 

The young demigod huffed. 

"Sorry but I'm lost, who's Junior?" 

Alex asked. She was holding a pink-colored Starbucks drink and seemed just a tad exasperated. Hearthstone guessed he'd caught them in the middle of one of the little outings they'd been doing pretty often lately. He didn't feel bad about interrupting it with just how badly Blitzen needed healing, but still, he should probably apologize. Later. Once Blitzen was alright. 

"I'll explain once I heal Blitz up. Sorry Alex, do you wanna wait out here or go back home…?"

Magnus replied but Alex shook her head. 

"This might be one of the worst dates we've ever been on, but it's fine I'll wait" 

She said as she sat down on the sofa. 

"Besides, I might not have whatever deep familiar bond you have with them but I'm pretty fond of Blitzen and Hearthstone too. So quit talking to me and go help your dwarf Maggie" 

"Right ok. Come on Hearth"

Magnus nodded with determination, quickly moving to the room Blitzen was resting in with Hearthstone right on his heels. 

Magnus had been pretty alarmed to suddenly get an emergency text from Hearthstone. It had been a while since they'd prevented Ragnarok and life had been good since then, peaceful. When he got the SOS he'd been worried that'd be the start of yet another dangerous quest, that somehow Loki had escaped again or some other new threat from Norse mythology had popped up. So learning the attack had been by Junior should have been a relief. Should have been. After all, while full of hate and rage, Junior had still just been an old dwarf. How much damage could he do? Magnus tried to convince himself of that, but the look on Hearthstone's face…. It was rare to see the elf so scared. 

It made it hard for Magnus to convince himself it couldn't be too bad. 

That feeling wasn't helped when he reached to open the door and Hearthstone grabbed his wrist, stopping him before he could with an uneasy expression on his face. 

"It is bad, but try not to make too much of a big deal out of it. Blitzen is a bit… Fragile right now"  

Hearth explained. The sign for fragile involved a movement that looked a lot like snapping something in two, which seemed especially ominous in this situation. 

"Right right, got it. I'll try my best, because you telling me that definitely helps calm me down"

Magnus replied. Normally Hearthstone was one of the biggest fans of his sass but now he shot him an annoyed glare. 

"Sorry. Just… Worried. Nervous"

Hearth let out a slightly shaky breath but nodded understandingly. 

"Me too. But this is serious, I've… I've never seen him like this before Magnus. So none of that Chase snark right now, alright?"  

The rune caster requested. Magnus swallowed thickly, none of what Hearthstone was telling him was helping his worry, but nodded anyway. 

"Serious, got it. I can do serious"

The young Einherjar muttered as he went to open the door, raising his voice as he did so. 

"Blitz? We're coming in" 

Magnus had always hated Valhalla's daily battle training. It was miserable, just because he'd regenerate didn't mean dying didn't hurt. But suddenly, having to see one of his oldest friends, a dwarf that was like a brother to him, wounded so badly in such a horrible way, he had a new appreciation for it. Having to be on a battlefield and see your fellow Einherjar get cut down around you every day could get you real familiar with all the most gruesome ways bodies can be broken real fast. Still, there was a pretty big difference between the carnage left from battle and the aftermath of what Magnus could only describe as vile torture. Pain inflicted for no other reason than to just cause pain had a different taste than pain inflicted to try and kill someone.

The only other time Magnus could recall getting a taste of pain like this was disturbingly the time he'd witness Loki in his bindings, acid endlessly dripping into his eyes and tied up by the entrails of his own sons. 

At least those experiences helped Magnus school his expression now as he looked at his friend's broken body, feeling the agony radiating off him. It was almost enough to make the blonde demigod run right back out the room. But he steeled himself and walked closer, trying to force a smile he hoped didn't look too pained. 

Blitzen managed to give him a weak grin in return despite the rough shape he was in.

"Hey kid…. Sorry to have to call you here for this…" 

"No clue what you're apologizing for Blitz, you guys know you can call me anytime"

Magnus huffed back, looking Blitzen over. 

"Especially when you're looking so… Not good"

"Jeez kid, really not sugar coating it for me huh?" 

Blitzen snorted sarcastically before wincing a bit from his injured ribs. Hearthstone shook his head but was smiling just a little.

"Humor, that's a good sign"

He repeated words Magnus had once said about him the last time he'd been badly wounded.

The blonde demigod took a step closer to look at Blitzen's injuries. When he saw the horrible image of a snarling wolf burned into the dwarf's chest he turned pale, for a couple of reasons. One being his own well-known hate of wolves, the second was knowing Blitzen's hate of one particular wolf, and the last was the unbearable amount of pain he could sense radiating from it. Not even Blitzen's left arm was radiating that much pain, despite how broken and horrible it was looking. 

" Junior did this?" 

Magnus asked with disbelief and no small amount of rage. 

"Yeah… He just couldn't let losing to me go"

Blitzen grumbled. Magnus had to be quiet for a moment as he was utterly and completely overwhelmed with rage. Junior had a lot of fucking nerve. He knew very well what had happened to Blitzen's father, it had all been his own fault after all. Burning the image of a wolf into Blitzen was on a whole other level of cruelty. Magnus looked up at Hearthstone. 

"Is Junior-"

"-Been taken care of"

Hearth replied before he could even finish the question, signing with short sharp movements that conveyed a heavy level of finality. Looking into the elf's eyes Magnus saw his own intense burning rage reflected back at him. He nodded slowly, feeling a grim satisfaction in knowing the one who'd done this was dead as he looked back down at Blitzen's injuries.  

"... I get why he went for a wolf, but what's the C stand for?"

Magnus couldn't help himself from wondering aloud as he glared at the horrible brand. 

"Cheater"

Blitzen answered with a tired sigh. 

"He was still… Nng… Still really mad we cheated, even though he knew I'd have to even stand a chance" 

"Wait but didn't you say cheating at crafting contests is dwarven tradition? Junior cheated right back, I definitely remember flying darts and random dwarves with battle axes charging at me" 

Magnus frowned 

"Yeah, it is. That never Hng-! stopped Junior before though" 

Blitzen replied exasperatedly through teeth gritted in pain. 

"Shit I'm sorry Blitz, I should be healing you, not standing around just asking all these questions first. We can talk about how much of a sick bastard Junior is- erh was I guess, later" 

Magnus remembered himself, instinctively reaching out to soothe his friend's pain. But to his surprise, Blitzen brushed his hand away before he could. 

"W-wait. Heal Hearthstone first" 

Magnus stared at the dwarven demigod utterly baffled before turning to look at Hearthstone, who looked just as confused. He'd noticed the cuts on Hearth's arms but had been much more distracted by the state Blitzen was in. Magnus could certainly heal them easily but couldn't possibly figure out Blitzen's logic here of prioritizing those cuts over his own much more serious wounds. 

"Uh… Hold on Blitz, let me check you for brain damage first-" 

"I don't have brain- Erh well I might actually, did get hit in the head a lot. But if I do it's not that bad" 

Blitzen snapped as he smacked Magnus' hand away again. 

"Heal Hearthstone first, because nng-! B-because I get the feeling that after you heal me you're not gonna be up to heal anyone else for a good while" 

Magnus blinked in surprise. That actually made sense. Just from how much pain he could feel without even touching Blitzen it was going to drain his energy completely for at least a day, maybe more. But healing Hearthstone's scrapes wouldn't take any energy at all.

Besides, knowing Blitzen's stubborn streak it would be much faster just doing it than arguing with him, and he didn't want to put off healing him any longer than they already had. 

"Alright alright. Hearth?" 

Magnus sighed as he turned to look at the rune caster, holding a hand out.

For just a second he thought Hearthstone was about to fight him on it. That mix of exasperation and heartbreak that so often crossed Hearth's face when Blitzen was doing something stupidly noble at the risk of his own safety was once more in the elf's eyes. Magnus was sure Hearthstone was going to put his foot down and insist he heals Blitzen first, which would make Blitzen dig his heels in more, and then they'd have to fight before Magnus would be able to heal either one. 

But then Hearthstone let out a deep sigh and held out his arms. A look passed between him and the healer before Magnus nodded and put his hands on Hearthstone's wrists, almost instantly healing up the cuts. Obviously Hearth had just had the same thoughts run through his head. He'd reluctantly accepted this was the fastest way to get Blitzen to let himself be healed. 

Once Magnus was finished Hearthstone turned and showed Blitz his freshly healed up arms, not a single scratch or scar left behind. 

"There. See Blitz, Hearthstone is all healed up. Now can I please heal you before you either pass out or die?"

Magnus asked. Blitzen let out a relieved sigh to see his elf's scapes mended, nodding in agreement.

"Ok fine, l-let's get this... over with kid" 

Magnus took a deep breath before carefully putting one hand on the unburned area of Blitzen's chest. The healer forced himself not to jerk his hand away but couldn't help grimacing.

It was too much.

Way too much pain.

Magnus staggered a bit as he struggled to keep from being overwhelmed. How was Blitzen even still conscious, let alone able to speak coherently?! He knew the dwarf was tough but not this tough.  

Focus Magnus, focus. 

He pushed through the overwhelming agony to lock on the actual injuries, hands starting to glow as he sent healing warmth through Blitzen's body. Smaller easier to heal wounds first, then he'd build-up to the bigger more painful ones.

Bruises faded, cuts sealed themselves shut, broken nose snapped back in place as broken ribs knit together and the lung they'd punctured reinflated. Moving on he realized Blitzen had been correct that he did have some brain damage though only a concussion, carefully repairing the damaged tissues and a small fracture in his skull. 

 Next was that horribly damaged left arm. Magnus grimaced at the sound of the bones twisting and snapping into place, making Blitzen let out a pained shout. Hearthstone grabbed the dwarf's uninjured right hand, giving him something to squeeze as his bones were rearranged. But once Magnus got them back in the right place it wasn't too hard to heal, reattaching the bones as the deep cut on his wrist filled in with fresh scar tissue. 

Magnus took a second to take a deep breath as Blitzen panted and trembled, Hearthstone doing his best to comfort him. He really wasn't looking forward to this part. As soon as he'd started healing Blitzen Magnus had realized the burn had some magical property to it. It was the source of the most pain out of all his wounds, like a red hot burning coal of suffering that had nestled itself in the dwarf's chest. Again he marveled at the dwarf's ability to stay not only conscious but still talking coherently through this type of agony. 

But enough stalling.

Magnus knew this was going to be the most difficult to heal and take a lot out of him. Putting it off wasn't going to help any though, all that was going to do was let Blitzen suffer longer. After taking a moment to brace himself the healer dove back in. 

At first the burn resisted his powers completely. For a moment Magnus feared this was about to be a repeat of when Blitzen had been stabbed by the Skofnung sword, a magical wound that refused to be healed. But thankfully it slowly started to give. It was still resisting but not completely, and he could feel it slowly but surely healing. Slowly cooling down as the burn faded bit by bit. It was tough work, that was for sure. Magnus grit his teeth as he put both hands on Blitzen's chest, pouring all the healing magic he could into his core. And as he poured his magic into Blitzen, Blitzen's memories leaked out into him. 

He saw Blitzen as a child, only 6 or 7, getting picked on by a group of other dwarf kids. He was taller and bigger than all the other kids in his class, growing a bit faster thanks to his demigod heritage, but he was alone. He had not even a single friend. He was an outsider and a bit of a strange kid, the others ganged up on him. Two boys shoved him down into the playground dirt as the others laughed. 

"Haha, you suck Blitz! How come you're so weak? You're so big but hit like a girl!" 

One of them jeered. 

"No he hits worse than a girl! My dad says your mom is a Goddess. How come you're not strong or at least got magic or something?"

A girl questioned as Blitzen tried to get back up only to be shoved down again as soon as he got his feet under him. 

"It's cause he's just that lame! He can't even craft right, what a loser!" 

Magnus felt Blitzen's mix of hurt, anger, frustration and shame as the other kids laughed again. 

Then Blitzen was just a bit older, standing next to his father, struggling to bend a piece of metal into the correct shape with some pliers. He growled in frustration as he threw it down. 

"I can't do it! This is dumb, It's too hard!" 

Blitzen shouted, crossing his arms and pouting. His father sighed sadly. He was a kind-looking dwarf, had Blitzen's soft, friendly looking face and same black curly hair, long and done in dreads. His son was already a bit taller than him at only 9 years old. 

"Blitzen, why don't you just go back to sewing? You're so good at it and I know you love doing it"

He muttered softly. 

"Cause it's stupid. 'S not a real craft"

Blitzen grumbled back, tears welling up in his eyes despite his best efforts. Bíli took a deep, sad sigh. This was a conversation they'd had several times now. 

"It's not a recognized craft. Just because people don't appreciate it doesn't mean it lacks merit"

He replied as he put a comforting hand on Blitzen's shoulder. 

"I don't have to explain that to you, I know you know that" 

"Yeah… I know..."

Blitzen reluctantly agreed as he rubbed at his eyes, glaring at the floor.

"It's just… I'm sick of being weird… Everybody already picks on me, I wanna do normal crafts, but 's too hard…" 

He mumbled before looking up at his father. 

"Why do I have to be so weird dad? I keep trying and trying to fit in but it never works…" 

Blitzen asked. A strange look crossed Bíli's face, almost like guilt.

Later in his life Blitzen would realize that was exactly what it was, guilt for taking Freya's offer, knowing it would bring a new baby Svartalf dwarf into an unaccepting world. 

Guilt for making Blitzen the way he was. 

But at the time Bíli had just pulled Blitzen into a hug, rubbing his back. 

"I… I don't know kiddo, but I know it's hard… I'm sorry" 

A new image, only a year later, Blitzen clinging onto his father's shirt who had a pack slung over one shoulder, looking like he was going somewhere. 

"But why do you have to go?"

Blitzen was asking, a pleading tone in his voice and tears in his eyes. 

"I'm sorry Blitzen, I just can't trust Junior is actually doing his job. I need to see the wolf bound with my own eyes to be sure, and if it's not bound I'll have to replace the rope myself"

Bíli replied, gripping a silvery ball of thread in one hand. Blitzen sniffled and pouted unhappily. 

"So you're going just to prove Junior wrong? You always told me to just ignore him..."

"No! No, no that's not what this is about at all"

Bíli replied instantly, shaking his head. He gave Blitzen a soft look, putting a hand on top of his head. 

"Listen to me kiddo, I know you're scared, but I promise you I'll be back. It's a short journey I'll be home before the next moss glow" 

He assured before smiling slightly.

"And this isn't about proving Junior wrong. This is actually about you"

Blitzen blinked with surprise, having not expected that answer. 

"It is?" 

"Yes, it is. I'm going because of you Blitzen. I want to make sure you get to have a future. A bright shining future and long joy-filled life. And I can't be sure you'll get that until I know if Junior is truly doing the work he claims to" 

Bíli explained with a soft smile. Blitzen thought about that for a moment before asking. 

"Then can I come to help you? I could protect you if the wolf is free"

Bíli chuckled a bit as he shook his head. 

"You're very brave Blitzen, and I appreciate that offer. But you're still a few decades too young for fighting wolves" 

He said, pulling Blitzen into a tight hug. Blitzen was pretty disappointed to not get to go with him but still hugged his father back tightly. 

"Now, don't stay up too late. Dinner is in the fridge. I'll be back tomorrow"

Bíli said as he pulled back, heading for the door. He paused to look back, smiling. 

"I love you Blitzen"

And then he was gone.

That was the last time Blitzen saw his father. 

The next memory Magnus saw was in Folkvanger. Blitzen was still 10 years old, but the loss he'd experienced seemed to have aged him a bit, a sad faraway look in his eyes. His father hadn't come back. He'd waited at home as long as he could, but he was still just a child. He couldn't take care of himself for too long. Lacking any living family on his father's side, and no other dwarves wanting to take him in, he had nowhere else to go besides seeking his godly mother out. 

Blitzen glanced back at where she was sitting on her throne, petting one of the many giant cats that lounged around. She was beautiful, strong, and tall, really really tall, but… Cold. Distant. She didn't seem to know what to do with him. Gave him food and a roof over his head, but besides that…. 

Blitzen sighed as he turned to look back outside at the endless meadows, leaning against the large door frame of Sessrumnir. He was watching some older teenage demigods sparring with the dead warriors that occupied the fields, practicing for quests. During the short few weeks Blitzen had been staying there he'd met several half-siblings. They all came to seek guidance and wisdom from their mother. They were humans mostly, and a few elves, but so far he'd yet to see even a single other dwarven demigod like himself. 

All his half-siblings were just as if not more awkward around Blitzen as his mother was. But he hadn't really cared to have a relationship with his half-siblings anyways. What he did care about were their powers. They had them first of all.

They all had them. 

As he watched, an elven half-brother flipped his hair and batted his eyelashes before making all the deceased warriors around him fall to their knees with just a word. Then a human half-sister came charging in with the strength of someone 20x her size, tossing people around like they weighed less than a bundle of grapes. 

Blitzen huffed as he turned around and walked over to Freya, looking up at her with a confused frown. 

"Mom?"

Freya gave him an awkward smile, the kind reserved for strange children approaching you in public, not ones for a mother smiling at her own child. 

"What is it dear? If you're hungry you know where you can find food, you don't need to ask me"

"No, it's not that"

Blitzen replied before bluntly asking. 

"How come I don't have any powers? All your other children have something that makes them strong" 

Freya instantly became uncomfortable, avoiding eye contact and playing with her hair. 

"Oh well, you know… You're just… Different Blitzen. You have plenty of skills of your own already dear, I mean you have that erm interesting earth shaping magic!" 

She replied vaguely before adding offhandedly. 

"Besides, giving out powers isn't part of the deal" 

"Deal?"

Blitzen repeated. His mother seemed to be getting more uncomfortable the longer they talked about this, huffing with annoyance like he was asking stupid questions. 

"Yes Blitzen, the deal. The deal I make with dwarves? The one I made with your father, the reason you're here? Giving powers to resulting children isn't part of that deal" 

Freya explained exasperatedly. Then she chuckled a bit. 

"I mean, can you imagine what it would be like if I did? Dwarves are skilled in making weapons and beautiful jewelry, but they could never handle that kind of power."

She laughed and then added as an afterthought. 

"Oh of course no offense to you dear. You're one of the good ones"

Freya assured as she scratched under her oversized cat's chin. Blitzen didn't reply. He just looked away as he tried to figure out how that could possibly not be offensive. As his gaze fell back on his half-siblings outside he wanted to feel bitter resentment and anger, but mostly just felt a depressing sense of being useless and unwanted…

Then a year later Blitzen was running through the streets of Nidavellir, chasing someone down with a fresh mix of sorrow and anger burning in his veins.  

"Junior!!!" 

He shouted and the old dwarf stopped, turning to look at Blitzen with an annoyed expression. 

"Blitzen son of Freya. What do you want? Shouldn't you be in school or something, gods knows you need it from what I hear"

He asked as Blitzen stopped a few feet away, panting with fists clenched tight in rage. 

"My father… He's…"

Blitzen started to say but choked off, unable to say it. Junior rolled his eyes. 

"And you're just figuring that out now? It's been a year since that fool ran off. You really do need to be in school if you're so stupid that you believed he was actually coming back this whole time" 

Junior snickered. Blitzen grit his teeth as fresh tears welled up in his eyes. 

"He went to that island because he thought you weren't doing what you were supposed to! And he didn't come back because he was right about it!!!"

He shouted before charging at Junior. In his grief all he wanted was to make someone pay for his father's death, determined to make Junior take accountability. However, he was only 11.

Junior slammed him back with his cane before he even got close to landing a blow, and then grabbed him by the throat, shoving the young dwarf against the brick alleyway wall. Blitzen cried out in pain as he was slammed against the wall, struggling to get free from the old dwarf. 

"You've got a lot of nerve, Vanir spawn brat, I'll give you that"

Junior snarled furiously as Blitzen tried to kick at him or bite his arm. 

"But if you're going to be as much of a thorn in my side as your disgrace of a father was, maybe I should just snuff you out right now" 

He hissed venomously at the young dwarf. But before he could follow through on that threat two dwarves passed by the alleyway, pausing to stare at Junior, holding a child pinned against a wall by his throat. Junior forced a smile as he dropped Blitzen to the ground, who gasped for breath. 

"Nothing to see here, just trying to teach Bíli's son a lesson is all, not going to really harm the boy. Don't want him ending up like his father" 

He laughed, waving the two away. Blitzen glared up at him angrily from the ground. Even at his age, he knew Junior with all his social status and money still wouldn't be able to get away with harming a child. Once the passers-by were gone Junior glared down at the young demigod angrily. 

"Now you listen to me, son of Freya. I'm going to show mercy this one time, but only because you're still so young and empty headed. But if you ever try me again I will end you" 

He growled, kicking Blitzen in the face as a warning shot before he walked away, leaving him on the ground. 

Blitzen sniffled as he sat up, his rage dampened by shame that he'd been unable to do anything. He whipped at his face and his hand came away bloody, Junior's kick having broken his nose.

His feelings of heartbreaking loss mixed with anger towards Junior and stewed inside him. For a moment the young dwarf was possessed with the desire to chase after Junior, to keep going after him until either the old man admitted his wrongdoings or followed through on his threat and killed him. Blitzen had been brought into this world just as the living receipt of a deal with a love goddess who had no love for him, why shouldn't he just dedicate his useless life to seeking justice for his father? 

That's probably exactly what Blitzen would have done, and been killed before even reaching teenhood, if a certain elf hadn't fallen out of thin air and landed on top of him at that exact moment. 

The last memory Magnus witnessed involved said elf. Blitzen was older, much older, the same age he was at present. He was standing with Hearthstone in a room Magnus didn't recognize at first, packing some bags seemingly for a quest. 

"This is too dangerous, Blitzen. You should stay here and I'll go help them"

Hearthstone was signing insistently. It was then Magnus recognized this place, the outfit Blitzen was wearing. This was Mímir's safehouse, the day Blitzen got stabbed by the Skofnung sword. 

"The boss said we both had to go, it's destiny and all that"

Blitzen replied with a huff as he turned to face Hearthstone. Despite the situation, he couldn't help a wave of affection washing over him as he looked at his elf. He needed to savor every minute he had left with Hearth. This day was likely his last. 

"Besides, I would want to go anyway. The kid is definitely going to need me for once, they're trying to get into a wight's tomb. No way are they finding that without a dwarf's help" 

Pride sparked in his chest despite the fear and dread he was feeling for the future. He was needed for this, no one else would be able to help. Even when given a prophecy of certain death he refused to be scared off. What was the point of his life if he was hiding away just to save it while letting his friends put themselves at risk instead? 

"I've seen your destiny Blitz, and it's covered in blood and death! Are you really going to ignore such a clear warning?"  

Hearthstone signed, stomping his foot angrily.

Blitzen wasn't ignoring it. He was very much aware of his impending doom. It was just that he was choosing to march forward into it rather than run and hide, despite how terrified he was. Hearthstone wouldn't understand though. Blitzen still didn't understand how but the elf had come to love him just as much as he loved Hearth. If he was honest that he was willing to accept his own death to help their friends it would just make Hearthstone more upset. If being useful for once meant he had to die, Blitzen could accept that, but he knew Hearthstone couldn't. 

No Blitzen had already decided it was better to lie.

Better to pretend he just didn't believe the prophecy, that he was being stubborn and stupid. It would make things easier on Hearthstone when his grim prediction came true. Though his quickly approaching death was weighing heavily on Blitzen's mind, he knew it was going to absolutely break Hearthstone's heart. He wasn't about to make it even worse by burdening the rune caster with his own fears. Instead, he put on a confident smile and chuckled. 

"It'll be fine Hearth, it's just a little death prophecy"

Blitzen knew it wouldn't be fine, for himself at least. But it would be fine for Hearthstone, and Magnus and Sam. That was all that mattered. 

Magnus finally emerged from the memories with a gasp, energy completely drained. That had definitely been one of his hardest heals yet. He'd never been pulled so deeply into someone's mind before, needing a second to shake off lingering feelings of impending doom that weren't his own. But looking down he was pleased to see he had successfully healed the burn.

Disappointingly it had left behind a faint scar, still able to make out the nasty-looking snarling wolf. At least it wasn't radiating heat and pain anymore though. 

Magnus looked up to say something about it to Blitzen, just in time to see the dwarf's eyes flutter shut as his whole body went limp.

Chapter Text

Hearthstone had been holding on to Blitzen's right hand to give him something to squeeze, watching worriedly as Magnus worked on healing him. Though Magnus seemed to struggle a bit he was still successfully fixing all the dwarf's injuries, much to Hearthstone's relief. But then, just as it seemed all his wounds had been healed, Blitzen suddenly went completely limp and still. Hearth let out a small alarmed sound as he looked to Magnus, confused as to what just happened, worried if Blitzen was actually alright or not. 

The blonde demigod wasn't looking too good himself, pale and sweaty, as if he'd drained his own life force to heal the dwarf. Magnus shook his head to clear it a bit before speaking. 

"It's… It's alright. Blitz is fine now, he just passed out" 

He explained between panting for breath. Hearthstone frowned a bit, no longer worried but still confused. 

"Usually you're the one who passes out after doing too much healing at once"

He pointed out. The Einherjar looked a bit upset as he answered. 

"Yeah, but I'm pretty sure it wasn't so much the healing, and rather that the pain was the only thing keeping him awake" 

Hearthstone inhaled sharply at that and then let the breath out as a slightly shaky sigh. He looked back down at Blitzen's face, taking a moment to gently brush his hair back a bit out of his face. Damn his stubborn dwarf. He wished Blitzen had said something, Hearth might not have any healing spells but he did have spells to numb pain. Really he should have just cast them anyways but even knowing Blitzen's tendency to stubbornly mask his pain he'd still been fooled into thinking the dwarf's pain wasn't as bad as his wounds looked. 

Though actually, Hearthstone isn't even sure if he'd have been able to cast that spell even if Blitzen had spoken up. He'd really pushed himself with multiple high-powered runes in a row, especially using them in the darkness of Nidavellir. The elf had been running on adrenaline alone but now that Blitzen was safe and healed up the exhaustion hit him all at once. Suddenly he realized just how sore and heavy his body felt, wanting nothing more than to collapse into bed.

But not yet. He still had work to do. 

Hearthstone looked back up at Magnus. The kid was looking pretty terrible, like he too wanted to just collapse. 

"Thank you, Magnus. Why don't you go lay down on the couch? You look exhausted"

He suggested. The young demigod was clearly relieved as he nodded. 

"Yup, good plan. I'm just gonna go… Lay down for a bit" 

Magnus agreed as he straightened upright, swaying a little bit on his feet. 

"I'll be out there in a minute"

Hearthstone replied. Once Magnus staggered out of the room he took a second to bury his face in his hands, rubbing away tears. Talk about a nerve-wracking experience. Just as they finally started to feel safe and settle into a nice, relatively normal life, he'd once again almost lost Blitzen.  He shook his head with a slight huff, chiding himself. Forget about how he was feeling, he could only imagine how Blitzen felt. The dwarf's physical wounds were healed, but he'd still been kidnapped and tortured. There was no way in any nine worlds Blitzen would be truly ok anytime soon. 

Hearthstone worried over that thought as he started fussing over Blitzen, pulling his shirt closed before taking off the dwarf's shoes. He'd like to get him into clean completely new clothing with how bloodstained his current ones were, but decided against it. He knew normally Blitz wouldn't mind him changing his clothes while he was passed out. Gods know it had happened a few times before, after a hard day or the much more rare occurrence of Blitzen getting drunk. It was just something in Hearthstone's gut telling him no, not this time. Let him keep some privacy.  

He thought about Blitzen's panic at being left alone for even a minute, the wild fearful look in his eyes when Hearthstone took him by surprise on his return, and his heart ached. Hearthstone sighed sadly as he pulled the blankets over Blitzen, carefully tucking him in. He took a moment to look at his sleeping face. Blitzen seemed so peaceful right now. Hearth hoped he'd have a nice dreamless rest, he definitely needed it. After an experience like that his dearest dwarf was going to be… Fragile, for quite some time. 

Hearthstone didn't like calling him that, but couldn't come up with a better way to describe the mental state after such intense trauma. Fragile suggested weakness, which couldn't be further from the truth. There was nothing about Blitzen that was weak, but Hearthstone was very much aware of just how painful emotional and mental wounds could be. Magnus' healing magic couldn't do anything for those.

Really the only treatment for emotional trauma was time. Time and kindness from the people around you. Hearthstone knew that first hand. 

But right now the wound was fresh, raw, and sensitive. The only thing Hearthstone could do for him was to be there by his side, comfort him as best he could, and give him support through his recovery. 

Hearth knew Blitzen wasn't going to like it one bit, but he was going to need to be taken care of while he healed mentally. That was probably going to be the hardest part, just getting him to accept help. Blitzen's self-reliance and desire to always be protecting and taking care of others was both a blessing and a curse. They were good noble traits most of the time, but damn if it didn't make him stubborn about letting himself be taken care of in return. 

Hearthstone sighed softly as he brushed back Blitzen's hair out of his face. This was going to be so difficult for him. But he'd always been there for Hearth, always been right there next to him, had his back, and gave him a shoulder to lean on. Now he was going to show Blitzen he could lean on him in return, no matter how much the dwarven demigod didn't like needing to. 

Magnus stumbled into Blitzen and Hearthstone's living room, making a beeline for the couch. He collapsed onto it immediately, not even paying mind to Alex, who quickly jumped out of the way off the couch to avoid getting squished under him. He felt terrible, utterly and completely drained. That had been a hell of a difficult heal, having really pushed the limits of his powers on the enchanted brand.

But it was a small price to pay to be able to take away all that pain from his friend. 

"Whoa! Wow Maggie, you look like shit!"

Alex said as she looked down at him sprawled out over the cushions. 

"Thanks, Alex, that's totally just what I needed to hear right now" 

Magnus replied dryly, voice a bit muffled from laying face down. 

"Sorry. Just… Never seen a healing take so much out of you before, usually you just glow like a lava lamp"

The green-haired Einherjar replied a bit more seriously, though she was also poking at him the same way a kid would poke at a dead drowned raccoon they'd stumbled across on at a beach.

"Yeah well, this was a… A rough one. Blitz was in horrible shape"

Magnus muttered as he turned his head to the side to keep talking to her without his voice being so muffled.  

"I hate getting pulled into peoples' memories. About as much as you hate it when I end up in your head" 

Alex frowned a bit, still disliking that aspect of his powers. She didn't comment on it though, looking back towards the room Magnus had just come from. 

"Will Blitzen be alright though?" 

She asked. Magnus paused before he answered. 

"Yeah, he'll be… Well. He'll live at least"

He muttered as he stared at the floor. 

"Oof that bad huh?" 

The blonde was quiet for another moment, looking somewhere between sad, angry, and thoughtful. 

"You know, I really hate being born a healer sometimes. The times I can't heal someone, or at least not all the way, it's horrible. Feels like I failed at the one thing I should be able to provide"

He said but kept talking before Alex could say anything. 

"But I never thought about… Wouldn't it be horrible to be born a demigod, still have to put up with all the monsters and saving the world stuff, but without any magical powers from it?" 

Alex blinked in surprise at that question before snorting a bit. 

"If I was still stuck with Loki as my mom but didn't get any bitching shape-shifting powers out of it I think I'd throw myself off the world tree" 

She replied, mostly joking. Then she actually processed what Magnus was saying that for, raising her eyebrows in surprise. 

"Wait, does Blitzen not have any demigod powers?"

"You just now noticed that?!"

Magnus sputtered in equal surprise that she hadn't known. 

"I thought he was just like Sam or Mallory, not wanting to use powers outta principle or it made him uncomfortable or something like that. From what little I've heard him say about Freya it sure doesn't seem like he's fond of her" 

Alex shrugged. She pushed Magnus up out of the way a bit so she could sit on the couch next to him, allowing the healer to flop back against her and rest with his head on her shoulder. 

"I just thought he didn't have any because he's a dwarf but well… I guess that is kinda true"

Magnus muttered.

"I thought it was in a biological way, but turns out it was actually in a Freya purposefully choosing not to give her dwarf kids powers kinda way"

"Damn… I'm not surprised though. I've yet to meet a god who's not an asshole in some type of way"

Alex sighed as she shook her head. 

"Egomaniacs, the whole lot of them. Guess it makes sense when you're functionally immortal and powerful enough to create whole worlds and people"

She replied before seeming to think of something.

"I wonder if they're bitter that dwarves mostly came into being without their help, unlike elves and humans. Maybe that has something to do with it..." 

The green-haired demigod mused thoughtfully. Magnus opened his mouth to give his own input on that idea but then the bedroom door opened, Hearthstone stepping out.

They both stopped talking to watch him come over and slump down in an armchair across from the sofa. The elf's eyes were looking a bit red and face damp, having obviously been crying.  Magnus and Alex shared concerned looks. Magnus had only seen Hearthstone cry once, and Alex had never seen him even tear up. It was definitely concerning. But after seeing the state Blitzen had been in, Magnus at least could completely understand how that would have the elf in tears.

"I'm sorry for interrupting your date. I'll find a way to make it up to you two"

Hearthstone told them, looking a bit absent-minded and like he wasn't truly focused on them. 

"Don't worry about it Hearth, this was obviously way more important"

Magnus replied without any hesitation. Hearthstone nodded a bit, still not totally paying attention.

"I don't think Blitzen is going to wake anytime soon, seems like he's sleeping soundly" 

The elf told them. 

"You can leave now if you want. I'll text you again if anything changes"

Magnus and Alex shared another glance. Hearthstone wasn't exactly looking too great himself, clearly exhausted, a mix of green and red blood staining his jacket sleeves. His eyes had always had a bit of a haunted look to them but his gaze seemed especially empty and distant right now. After having seen Blitzen's wounds Magnus could only imagine what exactly the elf had witnessed. 

He and Alex came to a quick silent agreement without saying a word to each other.

"Actually I think we should stay awhile. Just in case"

Alex said as she looked back at Hearthstone, Magnus nodding in agreement. The rune caster hesitated. 

"You don't have to. I think Blitzen will be alright now"  

He replied but Magnus shook his head. 

"Yeah we know, but we want to stay"

The blonde demigod insisted. 

"You and Blitzen are both our friends, practically family to me, and it's pretty obvious you two need support right now. So we'll stay for a while, and help watch over Blitz so you can get some rest too"

Magnus elaborated. Hearthstone couldn't hide the relief that crossed his face even as he nodded reluctantly. 

"That would probably be a good idea… Did push myself a bit too much, don't know how much longer I can stay awake…"  

The rune caster agreed. 

"Well don't force yourself to stay awake. Everything is alright now, Blitzen is safe, we'll make sure he won't be alone if he wakes up while you're sleeping" 

Alex told him. Despite her more abrasive personality, the child of Loki was pretty good at being reassuring when she wanted to be, if nothing else just because of how confident she was when she spoke. But still, Hearthstone frowned and looked like he was about to change his mind. Before he could Magnus quickly added. 

"We'll wake you up if Blitz wakes up, don't worry" 

That quickly calmed the elf back down and he nodded in agreement. 

"Don't let me sleep too long either, in an hour or two wake me up if I'm still asleep"

Hearthstone requested, getting nods from the two young demigods. Feeling confident they had it covered at least long enough for him to get some rest the elf moved over to the living room window. This was one of the reasons he and Blitzen had picked this specific apartment. The window seat was very convenient for Hearthstone whenever he needed some extra sunlight. It was covered by thick blackout curtains to keep it safe for Blitzen during the day, but also had the extra bonus of providing some privacy. Hearth had filled the nook with blankets and pillows too, making it a very cozy napping spot. 

The elf sighed in relief as he slipped inside through the curtains, instantly feeling just a bit better as the late afternoon sun touched his skin. Hearth just couldn't fight off exhaustion any longer now the adrenaline and fear for Blitzen's life had faded. He really had pushed himself pretty hard using so many high-level spells in a row. It had been worth it to save Blitzen of course, but now he simply had to sleep. Hearthstone was out cold before his head even hit the pillows. 

Once Hearthstone left Magnus practically draped himself over Alex. They weren't the most cuddly couple usually, but the healer was both physically and emotionally exhausted. He got cuddly when he was tired, normal emotional walls down. Alex didn't like PDA but they were alone now, so she couldn't resist giving him comfort. Magnus laid down with his head in her lap, closing his eyes as Alex ran her fingers through his hair, carefully untangling any knots she found. They sat there in comfortable silence for a few minutes before Alex ventured to ask. 

"So…. Feel like filling me in on what exactly happened?" 

Magnus opened one eye to look up at her. 

"Yeah sure, only fair I guess"

He agreed, rolling onto his back but not moving from Alex's lap as he started to explain. 

"So, there was this old bastard of a dwarf called Junior…." 

Blitzen woke slowly, feeling dazed but thankfully without a headache this time. He felt pretty good actually. A bit sore, and dirty with something that had dried crusty on his clothing and skin, but pretty good overall. There was a lingering warmth in his bones that felt very nice. The dwarven demigod yawned and stretched out his aching body before blinking open his eyes. He sighed with relief to see the familiar surroundings of his and Hearthstone's bedroom. 

For just a moment Blitzen was able to believe it had all just been a terrible, very vivid, nightmare. He did have them pretty often, and Junior usually was there in some form. Though even compared to his normal nightmares this one had been especially horrifying.

And then Blitzen sat up, pushing the blankets off, and shattered that fantasy. Glancing down at himself he realized that nasty crusty feeling was from his own dried blood. Dread settled in his stomach as he was forced to accept that his nightmare had been real. It all actually happened. 

Blitzen just sat there, staring into space for several minutes. He didn't know how to process this. All the times he nearly died during quests was bad enough, but having been kidnapped, tortured, and then almost killed was…. A lot.

Trying to take it all in felt like his brain was short-circuiting, running in circles, stalling like an old motor he couldn't seem to get to start up. He felt completely and totally overwhelmed with emotions, yet also utterly numb and disconnected at the same time. 

Blitzen absentmindedly scratched at his neck while still staring blankly, the dried blood on his skin making him feel itchy. He looked down at himself again, at his torn and blood-drenched clothing. They were totally ruined for sure, no amount of lemon juice was gonna get these stains out. He found his mind wandering away from the horrors he'd been put through and instead focusing in on his outfit. It was a shame really. He'd loved the plum-colored velvet vest and the maroon silk undershirt. Blitzen had spent a lot of time making them, carefully measuring the fit and perfecting the style…. Maybe he could save his pants at least. The jeans were a dark purple in color and hadn't been ripped, so maybe with a good washing he could get the blood out. 

Distantly Blitzen was aware he was focusing on his clothes to avoid thinking about what had just happened. But this was something he could control, something he was actually good at. The dwarf didn't know what else to do with himself right now. 

He got up out of bed still in a bit of a daze. He should clean up, maybe that would make him feel better. The dried blood was irritating against his skin. Hearth had tried to clean him up before but could only do so much with washcloths after all. Especially with his clothes still covered in blood. Blitzen hated waking up in dirty clothes, let alone ones covered in his own blood. Part of him wished Hearthstone had dressed him in fresh clean clothing while he'd been out, but a much larger part of him shuddered at the very thought. Normally he wouldn't be bothered by it, nothing Hearthstone hadn't seen before after all, but right now… 

Right now he didn't like the idea of waking up knowing something had been done to him while he was unconscious, even something as benign as a change in clothes.

Blitzen tried to push down his emotions and not muse on why he felt like that as he walked across the room over to the bathroom. He silently thanked whoever designed this apartment for giving the bathroom two doors so it could be accessed from the bedroom without needing to go out into the living room. He just really didn't want to have to talk to anyone right now. Hopefully, after a good shower, he'd feel better. More like himself. 

A nice, long, cold shower. 

Blitzen wanted to get clean but really really didn't want to feel any type of heat on his skin. That was perfectly fine he thought to himself, nothing weird about suddenly developing a preference for icy cold showers out of nowhere. Had nothing to do with the torture Junior put him through, nope not at. Blitzen was sure he'd read somewhere cold showers were supposed to be better for your skin. Yeah, that was it. Just wanted his shower to lack heat for the health benefits, that was all it was, and he wasn't going to think about the reasons any longer.

Blitzen flicked on the bathroom light before quickly locking both doors. He let out a slight sigh of relief, feeling a bit safer in a smaller space with locking doors. Then the dwarf chided himself. The apartment was safe, there were only people he trusted in it, after all, he was just being ridiculous. He repeated that thought over and over again to himself but didn't feel much calmer. He kept the doors locked. 

Blitzen moved towards the shower to turn it on but paused as he caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror. Part of him would rather not look, but he couldn't help himself. He wanted to see, see how he looked right now, how bad it was. Damn his vanity. Blitzen turned and moved closer to get a better look at his reflection. 

Well. He sure didn't look great. Magnus had done a good job healing him, no scars left behind from the cuts on his face. But it was still covered in dried blood. Blitzen grimaced in disgust as he realized it was in his beard and hair, leaving them matted and gross. He looked tired too. His eyes were still red from crying, and even he noticed there was a bit of a wild look in them that normally wasn't there. 

Blitzen broke eye contact with himself and rubbed at his face a bit. He needed to pull himself together already. He was fine, Magnus had already healed him, he wasn't in any pain and Junior was dead. What did he have to worry about?

Nothing. He was just being dramatic. Yeah, that was all. Time to stop feeling sorry for himself.

A shower.

He needed to take shower, and then he'd start feeling normal again. He had to. 

Blitzen started to take off his ruined clothing, pulling off his velvet vest and dropping it on the floor. Looking down he noticed a scar on his left wrist. He paused to examine it. The cut had been pretty deep, but still, he'd very rarely seen Magnus' healing powers leave behind any scars or marks. Flexing his fingers on that hand he noted it felt a bit stiff and numb too... Must have been worse than he thought...

He looked back up at the mirror with a sigh as he stripped off his undershirt, and then froze in place. Blitzen stared at his chest in the mirror. Stared for a good long while.

He'd assumed that it had to be gone. Or maybe he'd just hoped it was.

But after all, the brand wasn't unendingly burning like a red hot ember in his chest anymore. Magnus had healed it, so it had to have been gone.

But no, it wasn't. Not totally at least. It was faint and faded, unlike a fresh scar. But still very much there. In Blitzen's eyes though, the visage of a snarling wolf stood out starkly against his skin, bold and bright, practically glowing. 

As the dwarf continued to stare he could feel sickly panic clawing its way up his throat, his body starting to tremble and shake uncontrollably. 

He couldn't. He just couldn't possibly deal with having such a horrible mark on his body forever. He'd never be able to forget what Junior had done to him. Never forget all the things the old bastard had done to him, and his father.

If he had to look at that on his chest every day for the rest of his life he was sure he'd go insane.

A sudden searing rage flared up, combining with the panic and horror already filling him.

How dare he. How fucking dare Junior.

He knew it was shallow, but one of the very few things Blitzen had always liked about himself was his looks. He was handsome, there was no denying that. But now… Now with this ugly mark burned into his chest... Not only had Junior taken his peace of mind, but he'd taken Blitzen's body from him too...

Next thing Blitzen knew all he could see was red. 

It hadn't taken Magnus too long to explain to Alex who Junior was and what the history was between him and Blitzen. But having to talk about the actual details of the dwarven demigod's injuries was a bit harder. By the time he finished, he was shaking in rage. Magnus couldn't stand for it, couldn't stand seeing anyone hurt his friends. It wasn't easy for him to form strong bonds with people so he would viciously defend the few people he was close with. Alex tried to calm him down a bit, just so he wouldn't charge out to go looking for Junior in the afterlife. She knew how much he detested wolves, but privately couldn't help thinking how similar Magnus was to one sometimes. He had his little pack of people and was extremely loyal to them, just like an alpha wolf. 

(Like a real alpha wolf, who took care of their pack above everything else, not the bullshit image cishet dudes had of what an alpha was) 

Alex honestly really liked that about him but kept that thought to herself. She doubted Magnus would find being compared to a wolf a compliment. Instead, she redirected Magnus' focus to food. They found some popsicles in Blitzen and Hearthstone's freezer, which cooled down Magnus' temper considerably. They hung out on the couch for the next few hours, mostly in comfortable silence but also chatting about a few trivial things. The snack and rest seemed to renew the blonde's energy some, and he didn't look as pale or sweaty anymore. The apartment was quiet for a good while as the main occupants slept and the two teenage Einherjar hung out on the couch. 

The peace was broken around early evening as the sun was starting to set outside.

Suddenly there was a very loud sound of glass shattering, making both Alex and Magnus bolt upright from their position snuggling on the sofa. They shared worried looks. Maybe one of them should have checked in on Blitzen sooner...

Magnus quickly got up and hurried over to the bathroom door where the sound seemed to have come from, knocking rapidly. 

"Blitz? Are you alright?" 

He called out through the door. There was no answer, but when Magnus pressed his ear to the wood he could hear soft whimpers and sobs. That was worrying, very worrying. 

"Wake Hearth up"

Magnus said over his shoulder to Alex, but she was already heading over to the curtained window seat to do so. He turned his attention back to the door. 

"Blitzen, I'm coming inside"

The healer called out before trying the handle. He swore to himself as he found it locked. He was tempted to try just ripping it open with his Einherjar strength, but before he could try Hearthstone was there, pushing him to the side. 

Hearthstone had snapped awake almost instantly when Alex touched his shoulder to shake him awake. The elf had always been a light sleeper and was obviously extra on edge today. He looked up to see Alex, who started speaking once she saw his eyes were open. 

"Something's wrong, Blitzen locked himself in the bathroom and isn't responding"

Hearthstone was up before she finished speaking, rushing over to join Magnus at the bathroom door. He'd been very concerned something bad might happen once Blitzen woke up, knowing he'd have to be in a not so great mental state. Seemed like the elf was right to worry. Hearth pushed Magnus to the side, already having the correct rune in hand. This was truly risky but after his nap using magic just to unlock the door shouldn't drain him totally. 

The lock reacted to the spell and Hearthstone instantly threw the door open, looking around the room with wild panic. The first thing he noticed was blood, fresh bright red, spattered over the sink and all over the mirror. The next was that said mirror was broken and glass was scattered everywhere. The sight had Hearthstone's heart seizing up in fear. What happened here?

And more importantly, where was Blitzen? 

The elf had to take a few steps into the bathroom, feeling bits of glass crunch underfoot, before he finally spotted Blitzen.

He was curled up and pressed back into a corner, whole body trembling, chest bare. Blitzen was hiding his face, pressing it into his knees which were pulled up to his chest with his arms wrapped around himself. His right hand was bloody, small bits of broken mirror still buried between his knuckles. 

It wasn't hard to figure out the dwarven demigod had punched the mirror, it was just unclear what exactly caused him to and why he was so obviously distressed. But it didn't matter the reason, seeing Blitzen huddled up in the corner in obvious pain made Hearthstone's heart ache. 

He instinctively started forward, desperately wanting to comfort him. But when he moved towards him Blitzen flinched away, throwing up his arms as if to protect his face. Hearth immediately froze where he was. He'd gotten a glimpse of Blitzen's eyes, wide and unfocused, full of panic. He clearly wasn't totally here right now.

Hearthstone didn't know what to do for a moment. He desperately wanted to comfort Blitzen, calm him down, and help him see he was safe here. But he didn't know how to. Getting closer clearly wasn't the right move. The last thing he wanted to do was scare him even more and worsen his panic. Hearth glanced back over his shoulder, looking for help. But it was obvious Magnus had no clue what to do either. The young demigod was also frozen in place, looking as panicked and worried as Hearthstone felt. Neither of them had any idea what to do. 

Then, to everyone in the room's surprise, Alex stepped forward. Like everything the child of Loki did she did it with confidence and sureness in what she was doing. She pushed past Hearthstone, shooing both him and Magnus back a bit. 

"Back up both of you, give the guy some breathing room for fucks sake" 

Alex told them with a huff before turning back towards Blitzen. She moved closer, doing her best to step on as few pieces of glass as possible. The sound of them cracking underfoot seemed to be aggravating the dwarf even more. He flinched away again as Alex approached. She stopped about an arm's length away and knelt down to be on his eye level.

"Blitzen, hey, can you hear me?" 

She called out to him, voice firm but calm. The dwarven demigod glanced at her but then away again, eyes darting around the room fearfully. He did mumble something in reply but it was incomprehensible. 

"I need at least a nod"

Alex pressed. It took a second but slowly Blitzen nodded, though he still wasn't really looking at her, or anyone else for that matter. 

"Great. That's good, really good. Take some deep slow breaths, inhale, hold it, and then exhale"  

The younger demigod told him. Her tone wasn't soft or comforting, but it was calm and confident, sounding very sure that everything she was saying was the correct thing to say.

Magnus and Hearthstone could only stand there and watch in awe as the child of Loki slowly calmed Blitzen down, easing him out of the intense panic attack with the confidence of someone who'd done it a million times.  

Once Blitzen's breathing evened out and his trembling changed from constant to occasional shivering Alex prompted him. 

"Yeah, that's a lot better. Now, I need you to do one more thing alright? Tell me three things you can see, two things you can hear, and one thing you can feel" 

Blitzen slowly looked around the room, still a bit dazed but his eyes much more focused, not as distant. 

"I… I can see… Blood on the sink… It's mine I think... And broken glass on the floor…"

He mumbled before finally focusing his gaze on Alex, then on Hearthstone and Magnus standing behind her. 

"And I see the three of you" 

Blitzen hesitated again but seemed to be growing more sure and aware of his surroundings by the minute. 

"I'm hearing… Mostly just my own voice. And also dripping water"

(It was actually blood dripping from the broken mirror but no one corrected him)

"And I can feel… Ow"

The dwarf blinked as he looked down at his right hand, only just then seeming to realize it was bleeding with shards of glass sticking out like porcupine spines. 

"My hand hurts" 

"Yeah I bet it does"

Magnus couldn't help muttering, feeling very relieved Blitzen seemed to be snapping out of whatever state he'd been in but still very worried about his overall mental state. He'd never seen him looking so... scared.

Blitzen nodded dazedly in agreement, cradling his right hand to his chest. Magnus couldn't help cringing as he caught a glimpse of the wolf-shaped scar there. Suddenly he wondered if that had something to do with Blitzen's violent breakdown. Would explain why he'd attacked the mirror... 

"We should do something about that, right?" 

Alex prompted Blitzen, who nodded again. The dwarven demigod moved to push himself up off the floor but before he could Magnus noticed something and quickly gestured for him to stop. 

"Wait! Hold on, stay there Blitz. You don't want to step on the glass, your feet already look pretty cut up" 

He pointed out. Sure enough, Blitzen wasn't wearing shoes, just thin socks that were already a bit torn and stained red with fresh blood, the soles of his feet already a bit cut. Alex frowned, having to think for just a moment about the best way to handle this. 

"Hmm… Alright, ok so… Two options. You can wait there while we clear away the glass, or Hearthstone can carry you out. Which would you prefer?" 

She decided. Yes, that should work. She knew Hearthstone was strong enough to do that having seen him scoop up the dwarf with ease a couple of times before. And if there was anyone who Blitzen would feel alright with touching him right now she'd put money on it being Hearth. 

Hearthstone had been a bit stunned for a good few minutes, frozen and feeling helpless with no clue how to help Blitzen. It was hard seeing him suffering while not knowing what he could do to soothe him. But when Alex glanced at him he realized she was giving him a way he might be able to do something besides just standing there. Eagerly he took a step forward towards him again but still hung back a bit as he waited for Blitzen to decide.

Blitzen thankfully didn't flinch away at his approach this time, but he did seem to be getting a bit worked up again. Frustrated almost, like he didn't know what the "right" answer was. 

"I don't- I- I'm not sure-"

He stuttered before Alex realized her mistake and quickly corrected it. 

"Ah yeah alright that's too much decision-making right now. Easier question, just yes or no, would you be alright with Hearthstone touching you right now?" 

Blitzen was clearly relieved to be given a simpler question and quickly nodded. He was almost a bit sheepish to admit it but at least he did seem to be being honest about it at least. 

Hearthstone was catching on a bit to Alex's approach. Keep things simple, but ask lots of questions as well. Make sure to ask Blitzen before doing anything, giving him some control over the situation as well as making sure he wouldn't be taken off guard or surprised. 

"And would it be alright for me to pick you up?"

The elf questioned before he moved any closer. Blitzen hesitated a bit before nodding again. With his consent Hearthstone closed the distance to kneel down in front of the dwarven demigod, keeping his movements slow and deliberate. Blitzen seemed tense but didn't flinch away or look any more uncomfortable with him being closer. He wouldn't meet Hearthstone's gaze though, pointedly staring at his hands instead. 

Gods, he'd do anything to help his dwarf feel better. It was painful to see him so skittish when he normally was brave to a fault.

Before doing anything else Hearth paused for a moment and then shrugged off his jacket, wrapping it around Blitzen like a blanket. He wasn't sure why exactly, he just felt like it was the right thing to do at the moment. His dear dwarf just looked so vulnerable half-naked and shivering on the floor. It seemed like he'd been correct to do so as Blitzen noticeably relaxed just a bit once covered up, just a bit of that scared tension leaving him. 

"I'm going to take you back to bed now"

Hearth informed him, waiting for Blitzen to nod in acknowledgment before going to scoop him up in his arms bridal style. He felt Blitzen grab onto the front of his shirt almost immediately, turning his head to bury his face in Hearth's chest.

Ah. He understood now.

Blitzen clearly wanted comfort and to be held, but of course, didn't know how to ask for it. That explained why it was so hard for him to just flat out say he wanted Hearthstone to pick him up when offered the choice but easily answered the simpler question of if he was ok being touched. Hearth sighed as he stood up with him in his arms. 

Just what was he going to do with this stubborn dwarf? 

Well first off he needed to get the glass out of Blitzen's hand, and possibly also his feet. Then he'd had to clean him up, all that blood on his skin, dried and fresh alike, had to feel uncomfortable. And Hearth definitely needed to clean up all this broken glass and blood too. But as Hearthstone turned around to take Blitzen back to bed he remembered that he wasn't alone here. 

Magnus was already starting to clean up, picking up the largest pieces of glass and throwing them away. Alex was wiping off blood from the sink but clearly watching Hearthstone as she did. 

"We'll clean up in here, you take care of him"

She told him seriously, giving him a look that was almost threatening. Hearth hadn't known Alex had such a sharp protective streak to her, especially over Blitzen. He could only guess she had to be relating to the dwarf's trauma on some level. From how she seemed to know exactly what to do and say to calm him down Hearth guessed she'd probably had similar mental breakdowns herself…

"I don't think I have any more heals left in me right now, but give me 20 minutes and some juice and I should be able to fix Blitz's cuts"

Magnus imputed as he looked up from gathering shards of glass. Blitzen did not move or respond in any way, seemingly taking comfort in clinging onto Hearthstone with his face buried in his chest, clearly not wanting to talk. So Hearth just nodded in acknowledgment before walking past, returning to the bedroom. 

He really needed to find some way to thank Magnus and Alex for doing so much to help. And to think he'd tried to send them away after Magnus had healed Blitzen up. He didn't know what he would have done if Alex hadn't been there to help Blitzen out of that panic attack…

Blitzen felt like he was still in a bit of a daze as Hearthstone carried him back to bed. He could only barely remember punching the mirror. He hadn't wanted to look at himself anymore, hadn't wanted to look at that scar anymore. His reflection shattered so easily. But when the shards cut into his hand, blood had spilled everywhere . It seemed like way too much, too much blood just for some cuts on his hand. All that red, he'd thought he might just drown in it. And maybe he had in a way, as his memory went completely blank for several minutes after that. 

The dwarf had only really come back to himself in the middle of answering Alex's questions. Everything else in between was fuzzy. All he could remember was feeling truly and utterly terrified like he was about to die…

Blitzen was snapped out of his thoughts as he felt Hearthstone's grip on him shift, going to put him down on the bed. 

No no no, not yet. Just a little longer, let him have this just a bit longer. 

Just let him be held a little longer, then he'd be able to pull himself together. Surely he would. He just needed to feel the comfort of his dear elf's arms around him a little longer was all, then he could be strong again. He instinctively tightened his grip on the front of Hearthstone's shirt, refusing to let go even as his injured hand ached with pain. 

Blitzen couldn't outright ask for it. Simply couldn't bring himself to. Too selfish of him, too much of a burden. So he had to enjoy every little minute of comfort he got. He could tell Hearthstone was confused when he put him down on the bed and tried to pull away only to find Blitzen wasn't letting go of him. He needed to let go. Surely he was worrying Hearth by clinging so tightly to him. But Blitzen found his body wasn't listening to him, grip only tightening as he pressed his face harder into Hearth's chest. 

It was worrying Hearthstone a good bit when Blitzen didn't let go. The dwarf was always happy to hug and cuddle, but only when Hearthstone initiated it. So it was surprising and concerning to find he didn't want to let him go. Clearly, he was really needing more comfort right now, and Hearthstone wasn't about to deny him that. 

Quickly Hearth wrapped his arms back around Blitzen, holding him close. He felt a shudder of relief go through the smaller's body as he started to rub circles on his back. This felt familiar in an odd way and it took him a second to realize why. Hearthstone had been plagued by some pretty horrible nightmares for years, and whenever he woke up crying and panicked, Blitzen would hold and soothe him in this exact way. 

The elf sighed to himself as he rested his chin on top of Blitzen's head, rocking back and forth gently. He couldn't count all the times Blitzen had comforted and taken care of him. Ever since they'd first met as kids his dearest dwarf had been taking care of him. It really was no surprise how much Blitzen struggled to allow Hearth to take care of him in return. 

It wasn't like Hearthstone didn't try to tend to Blitzen in return, but his dwarf was just so damn stubborn. He didn't like having to wear down his walls every single time he wanted to care for Blitz, it could be pretty exhausting… The rune caster squeezed Blitzen a bit tighter. He needed to do better. He vowed to do better, to do his best to help Blitzen learn to allow himself to be taken care of and be treated like the precious thing he was. 

They stayed like that for quite a while. Hearthstone waited until Blitzen had relaxed, eventually releasing his grip as he went boneless in the elf's arms before he pulled back a bit. Hearth kept a hand on Blitzen's shoulder, only pulling back enough to see his face. Blitzen obviously still didn't want to look him in the eye but did glance up to meet his gaze before looking away again. That was at least a little bit of an improvement. Little baby steps forward were better than no improvement at all. 

Honestly Hearthstone kind of wanted to stay hugging Blitzen even longer, but he needed to take care of his wounds. The rune caster held his free hand out as he nodded towards Blitzen's injured one, asking to treat it with no signs. Blitzen silently put his bloodied hand into Hearth's offered one. He didn't say a word as Hearthstone examined the cuts and glass stuck in them. 

Though neither of them were communicating, the atmosphere wasn't tense, rather comfortable actually. Blitzen seemed sheepish about his breakdown and maybe a bit ashamed of himself, but clearly felt better after being hugged and was obviously taking comfort in having Hearthstone's jacket wrapped around himself, much more relaxed now. After a minute of looking at the wounds, Hearthstone let go of his hand for a moment to sign. 

"How badly does it hurt? Give me a number between 1 and 10"  

At first, Blitzen just shook his head no but Hearthstone continued to stare expectantly so he elaborated. 

"It doesn't. Doesn't hurt I mean, I can barely feel it" 

He muttered, feeling grateful a bit guiltily that Hearth couldn't hear how hoarse and choked his voice sounded right now. Hearthstone gave him a skeptical, unimpressed look in return before grabbing his right hand again and very gently poking near one of the deeper cuts. Blitzen couldn't control how he flinched in pain, grimacing as he bit back a yelp. 

"O-ok ok, so maybe it does hurt, but only a little"

He huffed stubbornly.

"It's just like maybe a 2? Or a 3? You know I've had way worse, this is nothing" 

Hearthstone looked both sad and exasperated at the same time, shaking his head a bit. 

"I wish you didn't feel like you have to lie to me"

Blitzen inhaled sharply at that, suddenly overwhelmed with guilt. Damn it all. The last thing he wanted was to upset Hearthstone. He had to pull himself together already. 

"It's not- I don't- I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-" 

He sputtered, struggling to think of the right thing to say. What could he say to make Hearthstone feel better? He found himself unable to outright deny it. He did lie a lot, didn't he? But it wasn't to hurt Hearth, the opposite really. It was all just white lies. Little white lies to keep his elf from worrying. After all, Blitzen would be fine, he knew he would. He always got back up after he was knocked down. Always. That's what he was best at. So why should he put any extra burden on Hearthstone.

Hearth had always had so much weighing on him ever since he was just a child. Blitzen couldn't stand the thought of adding any extra stress on him. He knew he could handle himself. He could carry his own weight. That was how it had always been and he wasn't about to stop now. Blitzen could pull himself together, he totally had this under control. Flipping out and breaking the mirror was just a fluke. It wouldn't happen again, he was fine now. Totally fine.

After all, if he couldn't just bounce back from this like he always did then that would mean Junior would have won. It would mean Junior had broken him, and he hadn't, he hadn't broken him, he wasn't broken, he wasn't-  

Blitzen startled as he felt Hearthstone suddenly touch his face. He was confused for a moment before realizing his eyes were wet, tears having welled up unbidden.  The elf was sweetly wiping away his tears, trying to comfort him. It felt nice, but all Blitzen could feel was shame. Shame for putting Hearthstone in this position that he had to comfort him. Quickly he pulled his head away, rubbing at his eyes himself. 

"I'm… I'm sorry" 

Blitzen choked out. That hadn't been what he'd meant to say. He'd tried to say he was fine, but he just... Couldn't. Not after Hearthstone had already called him out for lying. 

The elf cupped Blitzen's cheek, gently turning his face back towards him. Blitzen reluctantly met Hearthstone's gaze. Those grey-blue eyes pierced into his very soul, full of love and pain, sadness and anger. Blitzen quickly looked away again as he struggled to hold back more tears. It was too much, emotions too intense. He didn't stand a chance at getting his own emotions under control if he was looking into Hearthstone's eyes. 

Blitzen opened his mouth to apologize again but Hearth stopped him, pressing a finger against the dwarf's lips as he shook his head. 

"No more apologies, please Blitzen I can't take it. You have nothing to apologize for"  

He signed, making Blitzen frown a bit with confusion and a bit of frustration. 

"What do you mean Hearth, of course I do! I've got a lot to apologize for. You just pointed out I'm lying about things, and- and I broke the mirror for no good reason, and if I hadn't been so stupid Junior would have never caught me-" 

Blitzen snapped back but before he could finish Hearthstone grabbed his shoulders in a tight grip, startling him into silence. He instinctively looked up at Hearth's face and faltered in surprise at what he saw. 

Hearthstone was crying. He was clearly struggling not to let tears fall but they were anyway, running down his beautiful face. Blitzen couldn't help letting out a distressed sound at the sight. The last thing in all nine worlds he wanted was to make Hearthstone cry.

"Hearthstone... No no, it's alright, I'm sorry-"

He started to say but Hearthstone shook his head. It took the elf a second before he could sign but when he did his hand movements were firm and resolute.

"No more apologies. Can't you see, that's what's making me cry?"  

Blitzen didn't know how to reply, opening his mouth and then closing it again. He wanted to apologize for making Hearth so upset, but obviously that wasn't helping anything. 

"I know you're strong Blitzen, you're so strong, even stronger than you give yourself credit for. But you just got put through hell, torture! You're allowed to not be ok. I know you're not ok. Of course you aren't. So you don't have to keep trying to pretend you are, and you definitely shouldn't apologize for it" 

Hearthstone signed rapidly as tears kept running down his face. Blitzen could feel the urge to cry rising in himself once more, biting his lip as he fought to hold it back. 

"You're allowed to be hurt. You're allowed to need help. We're all here wanting to help you"  

The rune caster continued, a nearly painfully soft and loving expression on his face. Blitzen didn't know how to handle it. Hearthstone was just so good and kind and loving, it was overwhelming. Blitzen still couldn't understand what the elf saw in him. He was nothing special, he had nothing really useful to contribute. All he was good at was making clothing. 

Blitzen really didn't know if he could accept help from Hearthstone, or any of their friends for that matter. It just felt wrong to take when he had so little to give in return… 

"I…."

He choked out, having to take a second to swallow before continuing as his throat felt dry and his voice cracked. 

"I… I just don't want to be a burden…. I know I'm not ok, I'll admit that, but- But I can get better on my own, I promise. You don't need to worry about me" 

Blitzen mumbled, refusing to look Hearthstone in the eye as he did, keeping his gaze locked into his hands instead. But it obviously wasn't the answer the elf wanted. He heard Hearth sigh sadly and then he seemed to be thinking for a moment before trying a different approach. 

"Do you think I'm a burden then?"  

He may as well have slapped Blitzen the way he jolted and snapped his head up to look at Hearthstone's face, clearly horrified by the mere suggestion. 

" No! No no, of course not Hearth, why would you-?!"

"I'm only just recently starting to be ok, probably for the first time in my life. But you've always been there for me, even back when I very much wasn't ok. I can't count the times you've comforted me after a breakdown or taken care of me when I felt too empty to take care of myself. So, does that make me a burden on you?"  

Hearthstone asked very seriously. Blitzen was shaking his head no long before he finished. 

"You could never be a burden on me, Hearth, don't even suggest that. I want to take care of you, being able to help you feel even a little better is the best feeling in all 9 worlds to me. After everything you've been through of course you need some extra care and support, and I'm more than happy to do everything I can to give you that"

Blitzen said passionately, clearly completely missing the hypocrisy. 

"So why is it when you're hurt and I want to take care of you it suddenly turns into you being a burden?"

Hearthstone pointed out. Blitzen faltered and then scowled, frustrated. 

"It's- Because- It just is!"

He snapped back. Blitzen knew exactly why, he just couldn't say it out loud. He knew it would make Hearthstone upset. It was just that they weren't the same. Hearthstone was an amazing person, skilled, smart, he deserved everything. Blitzen didn't deserve anything. 

Hearthstone sighed sadly. Damn dwarven stubbornness. 

"You could never be a burden on me either Blitzen. I'm asking you to let me help you, just like you've helped me, so many times"

He insisted firmly, not going to be persuaded to drop this. 

"I know how hard it can be to accept help. You're the one who taught me how to let myself be cared for… We can take it just one step at a time, alright? Don't have to try to change all at once in a rush" 

Hearth added a bit more gently. Blitzen was clearly still not thrilled about the thought but seemed to be all out of arguments. Even the dwarf had to admit Hearthstone had a rock-solid point. He thought about it for a while before sighing almost defeatedly. 

".... You really want to try to take care of me? You know you don't have to…"

He muttered quietly. Hearthstone nodded eagerly in reply. 

"I really want to. I know I don't have to, but I want to. It'd make me happy to be able to help you"

He reiterated. Blitzen shot him a bit of a dirty look and Hearthstone could only give him a slightly sheepish grin in return. He knew it was cheating a bit. Blitzen had a pretty hard saying no to things he knew would make Hearthstone happy. But it was also the truth. Anything he could do to help Blitzen recover and feel better would very much make him happy. 

"Fine. Fine alright, you've worn me down. I'll at least try… try not to lie about how I'm feeling" 

Blitzen finally sighed almost exasperatedly. 

"Just don't blame me when you get sick of me in a day or two" 

"Noted"

Hearthstone replied with a slight smile, feeling relieved. Not just that Blitzen agreed, but it was also nice to see him acting a bit more like himself. Blitzen being ridiculously stubborn and huffing out little quips felt refreshingly normal after so much pain and trauma. Obviously, he still had a very long way to go to truly recover, but it was nice to see all the same.

"One step at a time… And maybe you could take a step forward right now and let me treat your hand?"

The rune caster suggested, making Blitzen blink in surprise as he looked down at his bloodied hand. 

"Oh. Right yeah, I kinda... Forgot about that"

He muttered a bit sheepishly as he let Hearthstone take his injured hand once again. 

"I wasn't… Totally lying before. It does hurt but it's not that bad"

Blitzen added, wincing a bit as Hearth started to very carefully pick out the shards of glass. The elf decided not to comment on that. No need to relentlessly hammer on him, little steps forward needed to be celebrated not harped on. The dwarven demigod admitting it actually hurt rather than insisting he somehow didn't feel it at all was definitely a much-needed improvement.

Hearthstone just finished getting out all the glass pieces when Blitzen suddenly stiffened and looked up, over towards the door. He seemed to hesitate for just a moment before calling out. 

"You can come in"

Hearth glanced over as well to see Magnus and Alex peeking inside.

"Hey Blitz… How's your hand?" 

Magnus asked as the pair walked over, though keeping a respectful distance. Neither Hearthstone nor the two teen demigods had missed how Blitzen tensed up a bit when they entered, pulling Hearthstone's coat tighter around himself. Clearly, it was best to give him some space right now, try not to crowd him. 

"It's…"

Blitzen started to say and then stopped, glancing at Hearthstone before trying again. 

"Not great honestly. Hearth got the glass out but it still hurts…" 

Hearthstone couldn't help smiling and gave the dwarf's shoulder a comforting squeeze. It was small but Hearth was still proud of him for not brushing Magnus' question off.

"Also my left-hand feels kinda… Numb. And stiff"

Blitzen added as an afterthought, flexing the fingers of said hand. Hearth frowned worriedly at that. He'd noticed the scars left behind after Magnus' healing of course but hadn't thought there'd be any lasting damage besides that.

Magnus grimaced, looking almost guilty. 

"I was worried about that. The cut was so deep but I hoped the nerve damage wouldn't be too bad. I should have put more energy into healing it, but I wanted to save it for the burn wound…"

The blonde demigod apologized as he rubbed the back of his neck. A brief look of dismay crossed Blitzen's face before he quickly tried to school his expression into a more neutral one. 

"Oh. That's… That's fine. Don't worry about it kid, gods know it would have been way worse without your help. I'll… I'll manage" 

He muttered with a clearly forced smile. 

"It's not permanent! Not totally anyways"

Magnus quickly said, realizing a bit belatedly that was the impression he gave. 

"I can still fix it, it's just gonna take longer. Nerve damage is really tricky, especially when it's not fresh. But I think if I did some intensely focused healing work for short bursts I could repair it in a couple of days" 

He explained in more detail. Blitzen inhaled and let it out in a huffing breath, shoulders slumping in relief. The idea of having his dominant hand be permanently damaged had clearly been a terrifying thought for the tailor. Alex lightly cuffed Magnus upside the head, scolding him. 

"Lead with the "not permanent" part next time Maggie jeez. Lasting damage in the hands is just about every artists' greatest fear" 

"Yeah tell me about it"

Blitzen muttered in agreement as Hearthstone rubbed at his own wrists in sympathy, sharing that same fear for obvious reasons. 

"Might wanna work on your bedside manner kid" 

Blitzen added. Magnus had a sheepish apologetic smile as he stepped closer to the bed, gesturing for Blitzen's injured hand. 

"Probably. Annabeth keeps telling me that too. Says there's more to bring a healer than just the powers part. Gonna have to start working more on that" 

He said as he took Blitzen's hand, sending a pulse of warmth through the dwarven demigod's body as he fixed up the cuts on his hand and soles of his feet. It worked perfectly with no marks left behind. The cuts hadn't been too deep after all.

However, Magnus stumbled back almost instantly after and would have collapsed on the floor if Hearthstone hadn't caught him. All the color had drained from the blonde's face and he looked a bit dazed. He might have recovered some energy over the few hours since healing Blitzen initially but now he'd just drained every drop of it. 

Alex was quickly by his side, trying and failing not to look worried. 

"How about you work on not pushing yourself so much that you pass out first?" 

She huffed as she and Hearth steadied him back upright on his feet. Blitzen made a distressed sound at the sight of Magnus nearly passing out, instinctively moving to try and help him, but doing so made Hearthstone's jacket slip off his shoulders. He quickly abandoned getting up to pull it back tight around himself but looked pretty upset all the same. His eyes were wide and panicked like he was scared Magnus was going to drop dead right then and there.

"Jeez, kid if I knew that would drain you so much I wouldn't have let you do it!" 

The dwarf snapped scoldingly. Magnus managed to straighten up, though he still looked woozy and uneasy on his feet. He shook his head to clear it before smiling. 

"Yeah I know, that's why I didn't say anything first" 

Blitzen glowered at the younger demigod. 

"You're pushing yourself way too much, kid. I'm definitely not worth that, especially over just a few cuts. All those healing powers aren't gonna help if you end up giving me a heart attack" 

Magnus frowned unhappily at that, as did Hearthstone, who resisted the urge to sigh. Though Blitzen might have a point about Magnus not pushing himself so hard he wished Blitz wouldn't put himself down at the same time. 

"Of course you're worth it Blitz. I'll be fine after some food and a nap. Wearing myself out is worth sparing you pain" 

The blonde said confidently, in a tone that was hard to argue with. Blitzen grumbled unhappily anyways. 

"Yeah well I disagree" 

He huffed, as stubborn as ever. 

"Look, you, both of you, have already helped more than enough. Why don't you call it a night and go home? I'll be fine now" 

Blitzen told Magnus and Alex, staring at the floor rather than looking at either of them. Clearly, he was once again feeling like a burden after Magnus drained so much energy on him. Any progress forward he'd made was pretty much instantly erased.

"Actually, we were thinking of spending the night if that's alright"

Magnus replied, undeterred. Blitzen frowned, about to say something but Alex cut him off before he could. 

"Come on, what's the point of having a futon if you never get to use it huh? Don't you wanna pull it out into bed form and then drive yourselves insane trying to turn it back to a couch again?" 

The child of Loki spoke in a light-hearted way, like it was just any normal day, like spending the night was just for the hell of it rather than to help care for Blitzen if anything else happened during the night. The joking tone certainly had a better chance of convincing Blitzen than the truth, and sure enough, he seemed to hesitate. 

"I guess…. You guys are both pretty tired now huh? Especially Magnus… Maybe you've got a point"

He muttered thoughtfully. 

"I think they should just sleep here tonight. Magnus looks like he couldn't even make it back home at this point"

Hearthstone inputted. Magnus helpfully slumped against the elf, leaning on him as if he was truly about to collapse. Maybe overplaying it just a bit in Hearth's opinion, but it did seem to work in swaying Blitzen into agreeing. 

"Yeah, you're right. We better get the futon out before the kid collapses"

The dwarven demigod said, moving to try and get up. Instantly Magnus snapped back upright and quit his over exaggerating as Hearthstone gently but firmly put his hands on Blitzen's shoulders, urging him to sit back down.

"No no, nope don't get up, Blitz. We can take care of it, you need to be getting rest too. More rest and less worrying about me, doctors orders" 

Magnus insisted. Alex grabbed his arm and started dragging him towards the door back to the living room. 

"Yup, we can figure out the futon, no problem. We fight monsters, setting up a futon will be easy, don't worry about it"

The green-haired demigod insisted, hurrying out of the room before Blitzen could argue, pulling Magnus with her. They slammed the door shut behind them.

Blitzen blinked a few times, seeming a bit confused, and then looked at Hearthstone with a frown. 

"Why do I feel like you three just tricked me somehow?" 

He questioned. Hearthstone shrugged, seeming amused but also a bit guilty. Hard to deny that, they had indeed tricked him just a little bit. 

"They're just trying to help you. And you're not exactly making it easy for us to do that"

Hearth replied gently. Blitzen looked away again, back to pointedly staring at the elf's hands rather than his face. He looked more exhausted than before. Magnus might have helped heal his cuts but seemed to have not been as helpful for his fragile mental state. 

"I wish they wouldn't. They're just kids, demigod Einherjar kids. They've both got more than enough problems without worrying about me"

He muttered quietly, shaking his head a bit. Hearthstone frowned and sat down on the bed next to him. Blitzen still wouldn't look him in the eye but did lean closer, pressing up against the elf's side. Hearth decided not to bring attention to it as Blitz seemed under the impression he was being subtle.

"You may have a point… But you're just a kid too. Both of us are. We're only four years older"

The rune caster signed. Blitzen didn't reply or look up at him, but Hearth knew he was paying attention from the way he was watching his hands. Couldn't possibly be missing what he was signing. So he continued. 

"We're just a group of kids who've all been through…. A lot. Our family of empty cups. You and I might be the oldest but that's really not saying a lot. We're not their parents, we're their friends. They're just trying to take care of you the same way you and I try to take care of them" 

Hearthstone dropped his hands into his lap when he finished, suddenly feeling very tired again despite his earlier nap. He felt Blitzen let out a slightly shuddering breath, feeling a shiver from where his body was pressed up against his own. It didn't seem like he had anything to say in reply to that. Probably run out of energy to keep arguing and digging in his heels…

After a few seconds of just sitting there like that Hearth carefully shifted to wrap an arm around Blitzen's shoulders, pulling him closer. His dearest dwarf instantly buried his face into the rune caster's chest once again. Hearthstone gently rubbed small circles on his back and tried to pretend he didn't notice his shirt growing damp from tears. Looked like Blitzen was running out of energy to keep up even his most strong and stubborn walls too.

Hearthstone wrapped both arms around Blitzen, closing his eyes as he just held him. The worst was over, but…. They were in for some rough times. This wasn't going to be easy for either of them… However, Hearthstone wanted to take this moment to focus on the warm body in his arms, focus on the feeling of Blitzen's trembling but strong hands gripping onto the front of his shirt.

He was here, he was still breathing. He was alive .

There was still healing to do and it was going to take time and effort and be undoubtedly difficult, but it would happen. 

Things weren't ok right now, but they would be. And that was more than enough for him.