Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Ren’s POV

It was a cold day.

That of course is a bit of an understatement, considering the seemingly endlessly falling snow covering everything, and of course the absolutely bone chilling cold that is the norm for Everwinter.

This extremely on the nose name of course, suggests that unlike every other biome, here the cold is persistent and the winter seems to go on forever.

Ren was almost thigh deep in snow trying to make his way to the hopefully dry shed that holds most of his firewood.

Considering the fact that he did NOT want to freeze his arse off, he decided to get the most wood he can into the house, before he’ll become a walking, talking icicle.

Walking on the path to the back of the house where the shed was, he thought of what’s on the agenda for today.

First, he definitely has to eat something as he is absolutely starving.

Second, he’ll probably sharpen his knives for seemingly the 100th time this week.

Third,… uhhh

Maybe try some crocheting or something?

Yeah maybe that’ll keep him busy.

Is that bit too mundane? Sure, maybe, probably. But Ren doesn’t really like to sit around and do nothing. Plus there isn’t much he can do around here so it’s best to take interest in the smaller things.

While deep in thought and freezing snow, he’s putting log after log into the small crate, that with,  he almost certainly has to make at least two rounds to get enough back to the house.

Just the sounds of wood against wood, and snow crunching under his feet. Until.

His doglike ears perk up first, his brain lagging behind and only registering the sound a few seconds later.

Crunch, crunch, dragging. Crunch, crunch, heavy breathing.

More dragging and more crunching, and even heavier, almost heaving breaths echo through the surrounding woods.

Ren realises that whoever’s making that noise is on the brink of passing out, if not on the brink of death.

He takes off running, movements still a bit slow and stiff, but fast nonetheless.

Slowly his sluggish movements warm up and quicken, but he’s careful and makes sure, that he doesn’t miss a single noise, an indication of where the person might be.

Looking around frantically trying his best to make out a shape that could resemble a human, in the blinding snow reflecting into his eyes.

Of fucking course it had to be sunny today of all days.

Trees in the distance, snow. That’s a rock, more snow. Some form of animal carcass, even more snow. A… log? Is that a log?

A log, but white, and brown, and green, and red.

Red?

Red. Holy shit the guy is bleeding. Like a lot!

Ren can’t even properly make out what counts as his clothes, and what his hair. Everything blurs into one big sticky mess, almost highlighted against the pure white snow.

All he can think of is, run.

Run, and help as fast as you can, otherwise this man will not live to see tomorrow.

So he runs. To the dark red mess that if you squint might resemble a person.

As he gets closer he can hear something that might count as talking, but if his hearing wasn’t good he most certainly wouldn’t have heard it.

“Pl..ease…h..elp.. Ple-..ase … h-” The man keeps repeating over and over, in between heavy breathing.

He doesn’t realise he’s yelling, trying to make sure that the person below him is still conscious enough to recognise that he doesn’t have to go any further, and that he won’t have to die right there and then.

Ren picks him up into his arms, thanking himself that he was smart enough to keep training even when not necessary.

“You’re gonna be okay, I promise. I won’t let you die dude. I’ll make sure you’ll survive.” He said while hurriedly taking the now unconscious man back to his house.

“Who is he?”

He wonders, trying to think of why anyone so hurt and most definitely not weather appropriately dressed would come anywhere near the unforgiving mountains of Everwinter.

-

After awkwardly fiddling with the door for a few minutes he barges into his house and after closing the door, immediately begins to inspect the man looking for injuries.

Annoyingly Ren is unable to make out anything because of the sheer amount of blood covering every inch of the poor man’s body.

“A bath might help. Hopefully.” He says, mainly to himself.

Hurriedly he takes the injured man to the bathroom and starts the excruciating process of scrubbing him down carefully to avoid his injuries.

Thankfully he wasn’t in as bad of a shape as Ren originally thought, he just seemed to lose a lot of blood from smaller cuts.

Well… most cuts were small. All, except one that seemed to be a deep stab wound near his stomach.

Ren bandaged him up as best one can an unconscious man, and took a step back from him when he finished.

He looked at him, inspecting his new guest.

The man had bright blonde hair, which was now quite fluffy due to the shower and intense cleaning up. Pale skin filled with scars, slightly pointed ears, and of course his clothes. 

The clothes were strange, they were definitely not built for the cold weather of Everwinter.

It’s dark cargo pants, with a bright green hoodie that has a swirl design, and a white shirt underneath. The shoes are pretty basic, just some kind of cheap trainers.

He also seemed to be wearing some sort of bandana on his head but Ren had to take it off due to a bandage needing to replace it.

Surprisingly the clothes were still intact, in good shape even, contrasting their owner, who was covered in bandages.

Ren laid the man onto his bed, making sure to get him comfortable.

He pulled out a chair for himself and sat down.

“Hmmm… maybe I should start that crochet thing. That’ll keep me busy.”

Chapter Text

Martyn’s POV

Cold.

So. Bloody. Cold.

Not just your usual cold day kind of cold.

No this is an unbearable, painful, unforgiving, ruthless cold. The coldest Martyn ever felt in his entire life. Well not really felt as for quite a while he has been unable to feel much besides numb pain all over him, due to said cold.

It hurts. Really does. Thankfully the cold blocks off most of the horrible pain that he is supposed to feel right now.

…

Crawling. Breathing. Yelling. Loud, so damn loud.

Cutting. Stabbing. Punching. It hurts, so so much.

…

Martyn is dragging himself. Where? He doesn’t know. All he knows is that he’s going to die soon. He’s crawling, but what for? He doesn’t know. All he knows is that there are footsteps.

Loud, loud footsteps. And yelling.

Just simply loud.

He can feel himself talking, saying something, but he doesn’t know what.

And then-

Being picked up.

Strong arms cradle him, and he can feel himself leaning against something warm, soft and nice.

…

Just for a moment, as if to make sure he isn’t dreaming he opens his eyes. Just a little bit.

A small glimpse, a glance. Hope.

Dark brown leads his vision, curling and waving beautifully, mesmerising him. Due to the harsh light he’s unable to see the face of his saviour.

Slowly his eyes close once more, pulling him unconscious, and making him dream of curling and waving beautiful brown ribbons and strong steady hands holding him gently.

-

Martyn woke up with a dull ache all over his body.

He could feel something soft and warm enveloping him, giving him much needed warmth after all that happened.

He can still remember the painful, unforgiving cold, haunting him. He shudders at the thought and turning a bit, he starts to open his eyes.

A harsh, blinding light shines right into his eyes, forcing him to close them back immediately, and making him hiss at the brightness of it.

Then slowly, very slowly he opens them again.

He’s looking up at a wooden ceiling, and much to his surprise and joy, he is lying on an extremely comfortable bed with two thick, warm blankets on top of him.

He looks to the side, only his head turning, as the blankets are quite heavy (not like the immense pain all over him would let him move anyway).

Beside him sits a small wooden chair with a thinner blanket draped over it.

Glancing at the window next to him carefully, as to not blind himself again, he looks out. Pure white is all he can see. It looks like he died and went straight to the heavens.

Well he probably wouldn’t go there anyway.

Turning once more to his right he searches the room for anything notable. 

He realises that the person who saved him, is nowhere to be found. He doesn’t really remember what they look like, but nonetheless he still wants to thank them for it.

Martyn should probably sit up now at least, considering he’s been lying for who knows how long. Moving slowly he starts sitting up.

Then suddenly an uncomfortable pain shoots through his body and he involuntarily winces making a small hissing sound.

The world seems to turn as he sits up carefully, making sure not to move more than necessary. All the moving makes him slightly dizzy.

He hears a fire crackling somewhere out of sight, alongside noises that can only be described as bustling and busy.

The bustling stops and loud footsteps combined with plate clattering reaches Martyn’s ears making him freeze mid sitting up.

The footsteps get louder as Martyn tries to think of what to say to his saviour. Sadly said words seem to escape his mind as the stranger walks into the room.

The man was tall, even for Martyn, and he wasn’t really the shortest man. He had doglike ears and a tail, and had a small scruffy beard. He wore some sort of tinted glasses, black trousers and a dark red flannel shirt.

Then there was the hair, long beautiful, ribbonlike hair, with a deep chocolate brown color. It was all tied back into a low ponytail, and for a brief moment Martyn thought about what it might look like loose.

His thinking was interrupted by the man sitting down into the chair smiling at him brightly.

“Dude you finally woke up! You were out for a while and I was starting to get a bit worried you might not wake up ever again!” The man said, chuckling.

He was still grinning at him, Martyn on the other hand, looked like a fish, staring at the cheery stranger.

“Here, I made you some soup to eat since you must be starving.

Oh and also have some water before you do anything! Can’t do much when you’re dying of thirst.”

As he said that he put the bowl he was gripping in his hands before, down onto the small nightstand, next to a big glass of water.

Martyn, actually returning back to his thoughts, hastily grabs the glass, almost spilling it, and proceeds to chug the entire thing. He slams it back down to the nightstand, sighing loudly.

“Hah! Much better huh?” The man says, still looking at Martyn.

“How are you feeling, friend?” 

He realises that it’s his turn to speak now.

Clearing his throat, his voice still a bit hoarse from not speaking for a while, he starts to talk.

“Thank you so much for saving my life, man. I really don’t know what I can do to repay you for all this.”

“Oh dude, don’t you dare say that! I couldn’t just leave a man to die, when I can do something about it!” He said it in a joking manner, but Martyn could tell that he meant it.

“But seriously, how are you feeling? You had some mainly mild, smaller injuries except for the one on your stomach. I tried to patch it up the best I could, but bandaging up an unconscious man is not an easy job.” He looked a bit worried as he said this.

“Well I feel okay I guess. Body’s hurting like hell but the bandages feel fine, thanks.” 

“Well that’s good then!” He beamed.

“By the way” Martyn said “Don’t wanna be rude or anything, and not address you properly, so it’d be good if we got each other’s names.”

“Ah of course, of course! My name is Ren, it’s nice to meet you!” The man, Ren, extended his arm.

“The name’s Martyn Littlewood. It’s nice to meet you as well, Ren.” Martyn placed his hand into Ren’s, and shook it with a smile.

Chapter Text

Ren’s POV

They didn’t talk much after the introduction since Martyn was still quite tired, so he ate the soup and went back to sleep. Ren went back to the kitchen to clean up and eat, and made himself busy with things to do around the house.

It was strange for Ren to actually share a space with someone else, as he hasn’t had a proper guest in quite a long while.

It’s not like the company was bad or anything, no, quite the opposite actually!

The guy, Martyn, seems like an absolutely lovely person.

He talked in a respectful way to Ren, and insisted that he should help with something around the house as a way to repay him. Ren of course will not allow him to do anything that would lengthen his recovery time in any shape or form.

It was quite lonely in this cabin before, considering no one would dare come anywhere near the mountains, save for some travelling merchants, who sell their wares for anyone they come across.

Of course that's not the same as having a companion or a roommate. In that regard Ren has been completely alone for years now.

He doesn’t even properly remember what it was like, sharing a home with someone.

So yes it was quite strange to have someone besides him inside his house, and to have to talk to someone.

The thing is: Ren is actually an absolute extrovert, and could waffle on and on about the most simplest things, and could literally talk someone’s ears off with his constant talking. He’s quite the talker, yes, not only that, he can really understand people’s feelings based on their body movements and facial expressions alone. He really prides himself in his ability to read others.

And yet he still lives in absolute isolation.

He has his reasons of course, but it still pains him even after all these years of living this life, to be so incredibly alone.

But. It’s different now. He has someone to talk to!

He can finally share a space with someone again. Of course that’s because of the fact that his new friend is literally unable to do much besides sleeping.

But Ren’s gonna do this right! He isn’t going to scare the man away by annoying the hell out of him with his constant talking! No, not this time.

Plus it’s not like Martyn is in any condition to leave yet.

Is that selfish? Being happy that someone has to stay with him, even for a little bit?

It probably is, but Ren is happy that just for this short while, he doesn’t have to be all alone in this stupid house, on these gods forsaken mountains who’ll serve as his lonely, ice cold grave.

“Yeesh! Maybe a bit too much thinking today huh?” Ren said to himself.

He returned to what he was doing, which was currently trying to clean the rust off of his axe.

He really does hope that a merchant will come soon. He doesn’t have nearly enough things for two people, especially not if one is wounded.

-

Ren was in the kitchen making some breakfast when Martyn sluggishly walked into the room.

“Hey hey! You’ve supposed to be still in bed, dude! You shouldn’t move around yet!” Ren said, surprised by the presence of his new guest.

“But I literally haven’t moved in like who knows how long! The bed might be comfortable but I need to stretch my limbs a bit, otherwise I’ll go crazy.”

“Ah fine, this once is okay. But you keep your moving to a minimum! We don’t want your wounds to open up again.” Ren said sighing.

He turned back to the breakfast he was preparing and continued to work on it while talking.

“So I’m guessing you haven’t slept very well?”

“Ah I wish. I slept terribly. My bandages are so damn itchy mate, it’s absolutely unbearable.”

Ren took a glance at him.

Yeah Martyn looked absolutely terrible. The poor lad seemed like he hadn’t slept a wink all night, which is strange considering he has been sleeping for a whole day, after his initial waking up.

There must be something Ren could do to help.

“Ouch, so sorry to hear that bro. I could help you switch your bandages for new ones. You should also take a bath as well considering you’ve not had one in a while.“

“Yeah a bath would be nice, I feel absolutely disgusting.” Martyn groaned, plopping down onto a chair next to him, by the table.

“Oh right, there is the question of what you could wear.” Ren said.

“Your old clothes still need to be washed and dried a few times, they’re quite dirty. And that’s not even mentioning the tears on them! I plan on sewing them up after.”

He did have a few spare clothes but most weren’t comfortable enough for the man to sleep in.

Martyn looked down at himself and then asked turning back to Ren.

“Wait what am I wearing right now?”

“Oh the pants are mine but they’re old and quite uncomfortable, it was all I could find at the moment.”

“Ah okay, alright.”

Martyn still looked incredibly tired, like he was about to fall off the chair at any moment now, so Ren thought it best to get this done as quickly as possible.

“Alright! Made some bacon and some beans that I had left over from the last merchant that was here, here you go. Eat up!” Ren said, smiling, and turning to his friend to give him the food.

“I’m gonna go prepare a bath for you so just eat all you can, dude! Yell for me if you’ve finished and I’ll help you to the bathroom.” He was already almost at the door when Martyn yelled after him.

“Wait, aren't  you  gonna eat? I’m fine as is don’t worry.”

“Nah dude, you have to eat, I’m alright, but you haven’t eaten properly in like three days!”

“Nuh uh, not true, I ate some soup yesterday.” He said with a cheeky grin on his tired face.

“That soup was nothing and you know it! Now eat, I’ll find something later for myself.”

“Geez, okay okay fine I’ll eat it.” He said, still smiling.

Chapter Text

Martyn’s POV

God damn Martyn was tired.

It felt like his limbs were filled with lead, making him stumble around like a fool.

After (begrudgingly) he ate all the food Ren made for him, he went into the bathroom to see what his new friend was up to.

Ren was searching for something in the cabinet when Martyn entered the room. He immediately stopped and looked at him with a wide smile on his face, pulled out a towel and pushed it in his hands.

”Hey dude, I was just about to call you over. Here you can use this after you’re done with your bath!”

Martyn did his best not to pay attention to how much Ren’s tail was wagging, and tried not to think of how adorable that is.

“Yeah thanks. Sorry for the inconvenience, I know you must have enough stuff for only one person.”

Martyn mumbled, looking around the room.

“I told you it’s all good! Seriously you don’t have to keep apologising, it’s not an inconvenience at all!

Plus it feels good to actually have some company for once.” Ren turned slightly red after that last bit looking away sheepishly, laughing awkwardly. Martyn chuckled at that, he must have been quite lonely here.

“I mean, you know. I don’t really get a chance to talk to anyone out here, so yeah…”

“Yeah I get ya man, I know how lonely it must be here in the mountains, living in solidarity.”

“Ah great, right, anyway! I’ll let you do your thing, be sure to call me if you need help with anything! I’ll be doing stuff around the house so feel free to yell for me!”

Ren was about to leave, but Martyn grabbed his arm, making him stop and look at him a bit confused.

“I just wanted to say thank you again. It means a lot to me that you’re so kind to me even though we barely know each other.”

He meant it. No one was really this nice to him before, so it came as a surprise. A pleasant one of course.

Ren gave him a big toothy grin.

“You don’t have to thank me dude! It’s basic manners to NOT leave a man who is literally on death’s door out in the freezing cold! But if you insist, then you’re welcome.” He gave a warm smile, a smile that said ‘it’s okay, you’re safe here, I’m right here with you.’

It truly melted Martyn’s heart, and due to his immense tiredness, he almost started tearing up at the warmth and comfort of that knowing smile.

He smiled back, unsure if his, would be able to convey the happiness he was feeling. Still, Ren looked happy at that.

“Seriously, I'll let you be now.”

“Yeah, of course.” Martyn laughed.

After Ren left (for real this time), he started to mindlessly get ready for the shower, zoning out completely.

Even while painfully having to sit into the bathtub, his mind was elsewhere.

The warm water hit him and oh it was magnificent. Just like on a nice summer’s day, the warmth enveloped him like a blanket, making him slowly dip deeper into the water.

Slowly but surely, sleep took over him. It was a nice sleep. One without dreams, and without having to worry, or think about anything.

Only a single, small thought came into his mind, and only for a moment.

Oh how great it would be to live like this.

-

Martyn woke up for the second time that day. Well that is  if  it was the same day.

He looked around confused, remembering he was still laying in the tub, he started to sit up. Good lord it hurt like hell, the water was freezing now, making him shiver. He needed to get out of the bath right now.

Extremely disoriented and dizzy, he slowly started to sit up again.

Suddenly there was a knock on the door, startling Martyn, making him freeze up.

A slightly muffled Ren started talking to him through the door.

“Yo dude, is everything alright in there? You’ve been there for quite a while.”

His voice was curious but also worried, which again, Martyn did not want to think about.

“Yeah I’m all good. Might’ve fallen asleep in the bath though…” His voice was still a bit rough from just waking up, so it took a bit of effort to talk just yet.

He could hear Ren starting to laugh from behind the door. He was doing his best to speak to him while cracking up.

“S-sorry dude but that’s quite funny!” He was still laughing, and Martyn could feel his ears get a bit red from embarrassment.

“Yeah yeah I know, you can shut up now thank ya very much.” He spoke, trying  to sound confident, and trying his best to hide the embarrassment from his voice.

Ren was now very much holding his laughter back. Still chuckling, he started to speak.

“Alright, alright, do you need help with anything?”

“I uhhh…”  Did  Martyn need help?

He looked down at himself, then suddenly he saw the reason why he was very much still dizzy.

The bigger wound, the one near his stomach, had opened up slightly and blood was seeping out of it straight into the water, painting it with a dark crimson colour.

“Shit!” He hissed quietly, but it seemed like not quiet enough, because the next moment came the flood of worried questions.

“Is everything alright in there Martyn? Did something happen? Did your wound open up? Should I go in? Do I need to get you anything?”

Ren sounded extremely worried, and Martyn could hear him moving around anxiously.

“Yeah I might need some help actually, if you don’t mind…”

”Okay I’ll be right back, I’ve brought you your own pants, they’re gonna be right here. Put them on and I’ll be back with fresh bandages and patch you right back up! Hang tight!” As he said that, he, just slightly, opened the door and slipped Martyn’s pants onto the floor. After closing the door he ran off with loud and fast footsteps.

“Shit.” Is all Martyn could say, jumping out of the tub, trying to keep pressure on his wound to minimise the blood loss.

Quickly he patted himself down with the towel, and then he fiddled a bit with putting his pants on. It wasn’t that easy with only one hand.

After he finally managed to get the damn thing on himself, he could hear the footsteps approaching.

“Can I come in now?” He said loudly.

”Yeah, please hurry Ren, it's not really fun to bleed out...”

Chapter Text

Ren’s POV

Ren was absolutely panicking.

Of course his wound opened up, he barely had time to heal! How on earth could he be so damn stupid to take his eyes off the man for so long! Seriously, how could he forget that someone with a stab wound probably shouldn’t be moving around so much?

He ran around the house picking up everything he might need to make sure that Martyn doesn’t bleed out on the spot. He put on a white button up shirt that he wouldn’t mind getting dirty to make sure his actual clothes stay blood free.

After he felt like he had everything needed to make sure no disaster happens, he ran straight towards the bathroom.

Just as he got there he was met by Martyn walking out of the room, his hand planted firmly on his stomach trying to not make a mess with the blood seeping out. Thankfully the wound didn’t fully open up, the amount of blood was pretty manageable.

“Okay dude, hold this against the wound instead of your hand and let’s get you quickly to the chair in the kitchen!” After he handed him a rag, Ren hurriedly led the way, Martyn following closely after him.

The kitchen table was the closest and probably easiest to clean out of all the options, hence why Ren decided it to be the best place to deal with this mess.

“Okay, okay. I’m just gonna patch you up quickly, and nothing bad will happen!” Ren tried to sound as reassuring as he could.

“Are you saying that to calm me, or yourself down?” Martyn chuckled, completely unfazed by the situation, a stark contrast to his friend, who was very much panicking. He looked at Martyn with an expression that read: ‘Haha you’re hilarious, but now is  very much  NOT the time!’

Martyn rolled his eyes in response.

“Gee sorry, just trying to lighten the mood. But seriously you need to chill. It’s not too bad, not like I’m dying on the spot or something.”

“Martyn.”

“Sorry, sorry.”

-

Well this was a bit awkward.

Ren did his best to try not to think about how close he was to Martyn as he was wrapping him up.

Just focus. Just stay chill Ren. Just don’t think.

He quickly glanced up to see if his friend was comfortable.

Martyn was looking away, looking pretty calm about the situation, save for a slight tint of red on his pale face and ears.

Ren decided to finish this as fast as possible.

-

Well at least that ordeal was over.

Ren finally managed to properly wrap up Martyn in bandages just tight enough to put enough pressure to hold back the blood, but not so tight as to squeeze it right out of him again.

Ren leaned back a bit checking to make sure that everything was safe and secure, before putting down the medkit on the table.

Martyn was still sitting on the chair and he decided to join him on the other side of the table.

His friend was staring off into space, clearly  thinking about something.

“Geez I should have remembered not to leave you alone just yet when your wounds haven’t healed properly yet. Next time you’ll have to use a basin and a rag, and I’ll help you as well.” Ren said that in a joking manner. He was very serious though. He wouldn’t let his new friend get in trouble because of his own stupidity.

“I told you to stop blaming yourself mate.” Sighed Martyn. “I was also stupid to fall asleep in the bath, but it’s all water under the bridge. Or blood under the bandage.” He chuckled, and grinned at Ren.

The man just stared at him.

“Tough crowd huh?”

“Please stop joking about your injuries.” He sighed.

“Though that was funny I’ll admit.” He continued, now with a grin of his own.

“That’s the spirit!”

They were quiet for a bit. 

Suddenly Martyn broke the silence, speaking with an unreadable expression on his face.

“So how come you’re staying all the way out here in the middle of nothing? I mean it’s not like you want to live here all alone right? Or at least you don’t really seem antisocial or anything. So how come?”

The question hit Ren like a truck. Sure the man seems quite smart, but he wasn’t expecting Martyn to ask something like this so soon.

“Oh. I uhm… well…”

The blonde turned to look at him, his face still bearing that expression that Ren just couldn’t quite place.

“Are you like a criminal or something? Did you get mixed into the wrong crowd and get exiled?”

“What? No, no of course not! Why would you think that?” He had his reason for being here, but it wasn’t something that he was comfortable with sharing. If he told him, Martyn would probably run away as soon as he could, and not stay with him a second longer.

Instead of answering he decided to ask his own question, one that has been bugging him for a while.

“And how did  you  end up half dead on the Everwinter mountains, with clothes that are not even close to being weather appropriate?”

Silence. Very awkward this time.

“Well… that’s… I don’t really want to…”

“Exactly. It’s a private matter, we’ll both tell the other our story when we’re comfortable enough to say it.”

“Fine, fine. I was just a little curious… sorry” He said softly. “You're right.”

“Of course I am dude!” Chuckled Ren. “Everything has its time to be said.”

This was better. The awkwardness was no more, leaving the space to be comfortable again.

Martyn seriously needs to learn to actually stay silent.

“So what do you actually do around here to not die of boredom?” He said, a cheeky grin on his face.

“Martyn…” Ren sighed, a smile appearing on his face as well.

“Wha-hat it’s a genuine question! I need you to actually answer this one or I’ll die.”

“You can’t die of boredom dude. It’s simply not possible.”

“Nah, you very much can I think.” The grin still plastered on his face. 

During their little back and forth, Ren decided to take off the shirt he was wearing to protect his other clothes, and placed it on the table.

Martyn started talking about generic stuff, and started waving his hands around while talking, trying to articulate the story he was telling, the best way he could. Ren laughed a bit at this, it was quite a sight to watch the man just flailing his hands around. It was strange to see, since others used to tell him that he did, and probably still does, the same thing.

Suddenly Martyn slammed his hand down onto the table, right in the middle of the white shirt that Ren took off mere moments ago.

As he lifted up his hand, all they could see was a large, crimson coloured spot, smack bang in the middle on the back of the fabric, that looked awfully like the shape of Martyn’s palm. It seemed like the only thing they forgot to clean was his hand.

They looked up at each other.

And suddenly burst out laughing.

“God, Ren I’m so sorry!” Martyn said in between laughs, his hand a few inches above the table, unsure where to go.

“It’s okay dude don’t worry!” Ren replied, laughing just as much as the other. “I did bring it so that it gets dirty instead of me.”

“Hey, it looks kinda cool! Hold on, let me put it on.”

Martyn put the shirt on and turned his back towards his friend. “See it’s really cool looking!”

“Yeah it’s not too shabby! The wrinkles kind of make it look like there’s an eye in the middle here.” Pointed out Ren.

“Huh, yeah you’re right. How about we keep it like this?”

Chapter Text

Martyn’s POV

After the whole wound fiasco, Martyn was very much done for the day. He still needed to clean himself after the whole bloodbath, which was a very awkward process of having Ren pat him down with a wet rag. Martyn’s face was turning red like crazy, and he was doing his best to remain calm as his friend helped him get cleaned up.

After they were done, and had their awkward fidgety moment, Martyn went straight to bed.

Or, at least he would’ve.

There was a slight problem however.

You see Martyn finally made the discovery that he was very much taking up Ren’s bed up until this point, which was for a few days now apparently. He felt kinda shitty for not letting the man sleep in his own bed, so he had to do something.

Communicating this to Ren was of course not the easiest task.

“Hey so I can totally sleep on the couch now so you can sleep in your bed.” He tried to continue but was interrupted.

“Geez dude how heartless do you take me for? There’s no way I’m letting you sleep on the couch! Not till you’re fully healed.” Ren spoke firmly, but also he could hear the care in the man’s voice, which made Martyn’s heart flutter for a moment until he realised this is very much hindering his plan.

“Ren, seriously, I’m fine sleeping there, it's not too bad of a couch. Plus I’m a guest, I shouldn’t be so rude as to-“

“Exactly! The couch is fine enough to sleep on,  and  you’re a guest, which is why you  should  sleep on the bed!”

“You’re really stubborn, you know that?” Sighed Martyn.

“Yes, I’ve been told.” Said Ren with a smile.

They stared down each other for a moment. In the end it was Martyn who gave in. Dang it he can’t say no to those dark blue eyes and beautiful long hair!

“Ughhh fine you win, bed it is.” Said he, sounding completely defeated.

“Yayy, that’s great!” Ren said, sounding way too cheerful about something so unimportant.

But it did make Martyn smile to see him so proud of himself.

“Alright then! Let’s get you to bed. When you wake up I’ll cook something up for us and then switch your bandages if needed. Does it hurt anywhere? I can give you some medicine.”

“I’m fine as is, don’t worry.” Said the blonde, slightly embarrassed.

“…”

“What?”

“… Are you really fine?”

“I’m fine.”

“…”

“God, don’t you give me that look Ren! Stop it. Stop.”

“…”

“Geez, fine, fine, okay. My head hurts slightly, but it always does! Chronic headaches or something.”

“Aha! I knew it! Alright sit tight let me get you some water and medication real quick. Back in a moment!” And he ran off excitedly wagging his tail, happy to be helpful.

Dear god this sucked. Martyn could feel his face warming up. He was very much not used to being pampered, or cared for really. So it was very different for him.

And dang it, it felt really good.

…Not like he’d ever admit that. No, no, that would be so damn embarrassing.

-

After Ren returned (and made sure Martyn took the meds) they chatted for a bit, but he wanted to let Martyn sleep, so he left him alone.

Martyn wasn’t against this of course, as he felt absolutely washed, and some proper sleep was in order.

As he settled into the bed, all nice, soft and cozy, his mind wondered. He thought about today, and how silly the day had been, which made him snicker a bit. Then he thought of what they might do tomorrow. Wake up, eat, chat, joke around. Ren did say he wanted to show Martyn how he did things around here. He was actually looking forward to seeing what tomorrow might bring, which in his case was rare.

Then his mind wandered somewhere it shouldn’t have. Thoughts of how he got in this mess, and other past memories filled his brain, making his stomach twist and turn.

With remembrance came the memories of betrayal and hurt, leaving an ashy, burnt taste in his mouth.

He was fine right now so why is it that his mind was racing with one bad experience after the other? It was so exhausting. If there was a power off button on his head, Martyn would’ve pressed it immediately to stop this spiralling.

He squirmed and turned in bed, trying to go to sleep as fast as possible, but the tiredness from before seemed to disappear, his mind going in circles. The bed that was so comfortable mere moments ago, now felt like he was laying on the hard ground, pushed into the mud. His wounds and bruises flared up from the memories of how he got them. His entire body felt like lead, dragging him deeper and deeper into the storm that seemed to consume his mind.

Happy things. He needs to think happy thoughts, and calm himself down so he can finally sleep. He needed a spark, an ember of a good memory to help him get out of the cold icy wind that occupied his mind.

There was a slight problem. 

He didn’t really have the best experiences, so this proved quite difficult. He was doing his best to concentrate, and to ground himself.

God, at least his head didn’t hurt. It usually feels like his head is gonna split whenever he starts spiralling like this. It must be thanks to the medicine Ren gave him.

…

Ren.

He’s very strange isn’t he?

He cares for him even though he doesn’t get anything out of helping the pathetic man. 

He feeds him, helps him recover faster, and makes sure he is alright. He’s even being stubborn about Martyn taking care of himself properly.

It really makes him happy to have someone look after him like this.

No, happy isn’t quite the right word for it.

Glad? Is that the right word?

Whatever it may be, it was helping him. Thinking about today, and how Ren saved him, made his heart jump, dragging him out of the icy cold storm of bad thoughts and memories, into the warmth of a small cabin, filled with care and happiness .

It nearly made him cry with joy, to know how much better this was than back in the village.

Slowly but surely he managed to calm down, his mind finally letting him drift off to a deep sleep, his dreams this time filled with warm hands wrapping him up gently.

Chapter Text

Ren’s POV 

The couch was okay.

It wasn’t the most comfortable thing to sleep on, and it did make his back hurt after a while, but there was no way he would make Martyn sleep there.

Ren would sleep on that stupid couch if it meant that he had someone to share a home with. Hell, he’d sleep on the floor if necessary.

It might sound a tad bit too excessive, but for him it was worth it. He has felt so alone lately, even more than usual, and it has been at least one and a half months since he has seen another person due to it being the coldest time of year.

Martyn being here felt like a fever dream, something that his mind came up with to deal with his extreme loneliness. The longing for company has felt like torture, and he was free from it.

Well, not like it’ll stay this way for long.

Martyn is gonna heal up eventually, and leave, continue whatever life he had, and Ren -idiotic, lonely Ren- is going to be all on his own again.

His mind was racing, thinking of scenarios where Martyn might not leave, when suddenly his thoughts were interrupted by noises coming from the bedroom. 

The room was relatively close to the living room, and the walls of the house were pretty thin, so it didn’t really come as a surprise, but it was still strange.

Just a few minutes ago, Martyn seemed like he was about to fall asleep at any moment, and now it sounded like he was restlessly rolling around in the bed.

Ren stood up and walked to the door without a thought, and only as he was about to grab the doorknob, did his mind catch up with his body.

What was he doing? Martyn was in there trying to sleep, he definitely doesn’t need another distraction. He started pacing back and forth trying to decide if he should go in and try to help his friend, or not.

When he decided and stopped, so did the noises.

It was quiet now. 

Ren slightly cracked the door open, he saw the outlines of Martyn’s face illuminated by the small light from the other room. He looked peaceful, and from the looks of it, he was squeezing a pillow to his chest and hugging it tight. Ren smiled at that, it seemed like he wasn’t the only one who was feeling lonely.

He closed the door, letting his friend sleep in peace. He too, should probably hit the hay soon.

-

Ren was in the kitchen trying to cook up something acceptable with the leftovers he still had from the last purchase, which frankly wasn’t a lot.

Gosh they really needed some new supplies.

While he was debating if he should open up some canned peaches, he heard sluggish steps getting closer to the kitchen. As he turned around he was met with an extremely sleepy looking Martyn. His clothes were very wrinkled and he had the biggest bed head Ren’s ever seen. He smiled at the sleepy mess fondly. 

“Well good morning to you dude, looks like you slept well today huh?” Ren laughed.

“Mhhhmm.” Was all Martyn could get out, as he plopped down onto the chair, which made him laugh even more.

“Are you hungry? I’ve got some more bacon and canned stuff if you’d like. Not the most fancy stuff, but I’m sure we’ll get a visit soon!”

“Wuzzat?” The blonde said, pointing at the peaches on the counter.

“Ah, good eye my dear friend! It’s a little something I thought would make a great dessert! Lovely canned peaches.” Ren said, trying his best to sound enthusiastic about their dire food situation.

”Mhmm okay. Yeah I’ll eat something.” Yawned Martyn.

-

After lunch they plopped down onto the couch to relax for a bit.

Martyn still seemed a bit tired but after eating and washing up (with less problems this time), he looked a lot more awake.

Sitting on either side of the couch, they chatted about random things.

“So yesterday you said you’d show me what you do around here for fun…” Martyn started.

“Yes yes, we can do something if you’re feeling bored.” Chuckled Ren.

“And what exactly is this ‘something’ you speak of?” Asked Martyn with a grin. “If you could elaborate, that’d be lovely.”

Ren just sighed, and did his best to put on an annoyed expression, but his stupid toothy grin was plastered all over his face.

“Well you’re still not well enough to move around too much, and I’d rather not have another situation like before, so something easy…” Ren thinked for a moment. Then it hit him. ”Ooh I have an idea!” He exclaimed and jumped up from the couch excited.

“Ah wait. Uhm… it’s slightly embarrassing.” He chuckled awkwardly, making him slowly sink back into the cushions.

Martyn looked at him with a questioning face.

“Mate I’ll do anything to stop me from dying of boredom.” He said with an exaggerated sigh. “Plus I won’t judge you, don’t worry.” He added with a smile.

That warmed Ren’s heart. It felt good to be listened to for once. He excitedly started chatting.

”Well, I can get quite bored out here with nothing much to do, so I tend to learn new crafts quite often! One of my favourites is woodcarving. It’s very relaxing once you get the hang of it, and it’s a nice distraction.”

Ren yapped on and on, about his hobby, not leaving out a single detail, like how important it is to start with a softer wood type, or the angles on which you hold the knife, so on and so forth.

And then there was Martyn.

While he spoke, Ren took glances at his friend, and noticed something. He had that expression on his face again. The one that Ren’s stupid brain couldn’t quite place.

He looked… comfortable? Not really the word for it, but it was the closest he could think of, so he went with it.

The other man was listening to him intently, nodding, and asking when needed.

He listened.

He actually  listened .

Ren could barely contain his excitement. This was all he ever wanted. And he could enjoy it for a while longer.

Chapter Text

Martyn’s POV

It was a new day.

Martyn was lying in the bed, all bundled up, comfortable, nice, and cozy. In his head he was mulling over things that happened yesterday.

He and Ren chatted for hours on end, while they carved small objects ranging from wooden spoons, to small figurines of animals.

Ren was an amazing teacher, he explained things in great detail, demonstrating everything, and helping Martyn when needed.

A few moments left him a blushing mess even remembering them.

For example, one time he just couldn’t get the angle he needed to carve something just right, and Ren helped, by getting behind him, taking his hands gently, and guiding them. Martyn’s brain was close to short circuiting as he felt how close Ren was to him. He could feel the man’s warm hands holding his carefully, his breath on his neck, and see his dark brown hair curling, tickling where it touched him. He thanked Ren for the help and awkwardly turned to his project to avoid looking into the man’s eyes.

Just remembering that made him turn red, so he decided it was best to get out of bed now. It was probably already midday now anyway.

After he got up, stretched and cracked every body part (damn his joints), he walked out of the small room into the living room.

Martyn wanted to beeline straight to the kitchen to find something to eat, but his ears caught a small murmur of voices somewhere near the entrance that made him stop and turn around.

That was weird, Ren did sometimes sing or talk to himself when he thought Martyn couldn’t hear it (something he found absolutely adorable), but these were definitely two different voices.

Curiosity got the better of him, as he started to walk towards the door. The voices got clearer as he got closer, and strangely the other voice besides Ren’s seemed oddly familiar.

He could now make out what they were saying.

“-t’s really cold her-

“y-, I -as a bit busy lately but I still have a big supply of goods to trade, so show me all that you’ve got my dude!”

“Oh trust me I’ve got the finest wares for you my friend. You can have a look in the cart if you’d like.”

“How wonderful! I must say it has been a while since I’ve seen you around here. You couldnt’ve  gotten here at a better time!”

“Well you know how the weather here can be, plus I had to go back to the desert to restock the supplies.”

As the two talked, Martyn finally reached them and stood next to Ren.

As he looked at the visitor to inspect him, he saw it.

Oh no.

Oh  shit .

Why is he  here !?

“Ah good morning Martyn, hope you slept well! I want you to meet my regular trader friend, Scar!”

Ren said with a bright smile on his face.

Martyn was panicking.

Scar! He was gonna expose his secret, he was sure of it.

“And Scar I’d like you to meet my new friend slash roommate, M-“

“ Martyn !? ” 

Scar looked shocked and dumbfounded after seeing him.

“Oh you two know each other?”

“Oh do we  know  each other?! Well let me tell you Ren, don-“ The man started to speak, his voice filled with anger.

“Look Scar, please, just don’t say it. Please.”

Martyn tried to ask him but he was interrupted. 

“Your new friend is a lowly thief, Ren! I told you about the time when someone stole a whole bunch of things from me and Grian in broad daylight, got caught, tried to talk his way out of it, and then wrecked our cart!”

Martyn was now panicking even more. As he looked over to Ren, the expression on his face made his heart drop. He looked absolutely stunned and heartbroken, and Martyn could feel his stomach turn just by seeing the look of shock on the man’s face.

“Well it was Martyn!  He  was the thief,  and he didn’t even pay, or even apologise for the mess he made! We didn’t even do anything to him, and he tried to kill Grian!”

“Look Scar, the cart was an accident I swear! And I really am sorry about wrecking it! And Grian, I was just trying to protect m-”

Martyn tried his best to explain himself out of this but it was too late. Scar not being able to stay quiet didn’t help with it either.

“An accident! Did you  accidental l y steal stuff off the table or did they magically appear in your pockets,hm?”

“I-“ He had no excuse. He was a thief. He did steal from them, and a lot of others, and he  did  almost kill poor Grian. He looked at Ren, his expression was unreadable. Martyn screwed up again. He’s gonna be kicked out again, he’s gonna be all alone again.

Ren hates him. How could he not.

The only thing he could do is to tell him his story, and hope that the man lets him stay just until he heals. 

“Ren I… Look, I can explain if you just give me a few minutes and…”

He was probably just making it worse. 

It was quiet.

Martyn usually likes the quiet, but not this time. Not this type of quiet that twists and turns your stomach as you wait for judgement to fall upon you.

“…”

Ren stayed quiet. He looked like he was thinking things over.

Scar, of course, cannot shut up for longer than a moment.

“Look Ren, I honestly don’t care about that anymore, so this won’t change our deal. You can deal with this all you want later. Feel free to look through my wares if you’d like.”

“…”

“Yes, supplies are the most important right now.”

He was quiet. He sounded so betrayed and distant, Martyn never saw him this still before. He always tried to lighten the mood with jokes, this Ren was almost unnaturally stoic, like a completely different person.

“Can you help me look through them?” He said to Scar.

“Yeah sure, come closer to the cart.”

Martyn felt absolutely heartbroken. He was left behind again. Ren wouldn’t forgive him.

As the two walked out the door Ren didn’t even look back. Not a single glance. He was ignored completely, it’s like he wasn’t even there.

He stumbled to the couch and dropped down onto it.

He couldn’t do anything besides staring into space. As he sat there, all he could think about was how they talked on this same spot yesterday. Just chatting about the randomest things, as they slowly slid closer to each other, their shoulders almost touching.

And now Ren wouldn’t even look at him.

The worst part was that he had every right to. Martyn understood him completely, and would’ve done the same. He was a thief and criminal after all.

-

Martyn hasn’t realised that he fell asleep, until he got woken up by a loud thump somewhere near the kitchen. 

He rubbed the remnants of tears from his eyes and sat up.

What the hell is gonna happen now?

The most important thing is to tell Ren his story. If he won’t forgive him, then so be it, he won’t force the man to deal with him.

He was lost in thought again when he realised that someone was standing in front of him.

Martyn looked up to see Ren with the same expression that he  just couldn’t place.

They kind of just looked at each other for a minute, until Ren sighed and sat down next to Martyn on the couch.

This was his only chance to set things straight with him, and he couldn’t mess it up. 

Just tell him.

Chapter Text

Martyn’s POV

…

Awkward silence. Great. Who will say something first?

…

“Ren I-“ 

“Look Martyn-“

They both started at the same time, accidentally interrupting the other.

Before this, they probably would have laughed at this, but not this time.

They just stared at each other.

Martyn sighed.

“Ren. I need you to listen to what I’m gonna say about this, and then you can decide if you’re willing to let me stay here or not.”

That seemed to surprise him.

“What…? Martyn, I never planned to just kick you out into the snow.”

He sounded so genuinely hurt just by the thought that Martyn would even consider being kicked out like this. This of course made his stomach twist again.

“Look Martyn. I don’t want you to feel forced to say anything you don’t want to say. Just explaining the bare minimum of your story is enough for me.” Ren offered in the softest, quietest voice Martyn ever heard from him.

And oh, how that made his heart hurt. He wanted to break down right there and then, and start profusely apologising to him, to beg for him to let Martyn stay for a little while longer.

But he had to set the record straight. He had to remain calm and clear.

But he had to say something first.

“Thank you Ren. I mean it when I say that your patience, kindness, and ability to stay grounded , truly melts my heart. Thank you.”

Ren looked at him, his eyes filled with sadness, glistening like the dark blue ocean.

Martyn never noticed how truly beautiful his eyes were before. Ren always wore those tinted glasses, hiding their true colours. But now, as the glasses were lying on top of the table, he finally saw how absolutely enchanting his eyes were. Oh, how he wishes he could stare at them forever.

Ren nodded softly, his voice still gentle as ever, as he spoke.

“I’m not gonna make any assumptions before I hear the truth, I’m never kicking you out into the world with no place to go. I’m sure you have your reasons for doing what you did. But I’m not keen on leaving this unaccounted for.”

Serious but kind. Oh Martyn’s heart was shattering from the emotions he felt all at the same time.

He could only choke up a quiet “Thank you.”

He had to take a moment to collect his thoughts, and think of how to explain things to Ren. 

It wasn’t like it’s complicated or anything, it was a quite literal situation, but whenever he looked at Ren and saw the expression on his face, and how patiently he waited for an explanation, the words to start with seemed to flee his mind completely.

He opened his mouth to speak, but closed it immediately, trying his best to start. This repeated for a minute, and he still couldn’t mutter a single word.

Why was this so difficult?

It’s a simple explanation; he grew up with nothing on the streets, had nothing to pay for food and other necessities,and had to resort to stealing. Of course, almost killing an innocent man was  not  in his plans. And then…there was  that .

Well…  that  he couldn’t tell him. Not yet at least. Not until he’s sure that they don’t find him and beat him up again…

Ren cleared his throat, which snapped Martyn out of his thoughts. He forgot that he still hadn’t said a word yet.

The other’s expression was still calm and gentle, but maybe seemed just slightly more agitated than before.

He had to say something.

He sighed, and started speaking.

“Look Ren. Before I say anything about what happened, I want to ask that you don’t pity me for what happened to me in the past, and that you listen to all I have to say.”

Ren, for the first time since the start of this conversation, looked away from him. Supporting himself with his elbows, his head hung low as he talked very quietly

“Well I can’t not feel bad for you Martyn.”

Martyn was about to say something but Ren spoke again.

“I care for you too much to just ignore if something bad happened to you, and I wouldn’t count that as pitying.”

He looked back up at him, straight into his eyes. 

Two deep, dark blue eyes met his.

Martyn could feel his chest tighten, his heart pounding, feeling like it was gonna spring out through his throat.

The look.

That look .

Oh it hurt. It hurt dearly.

Martyn struggled to compose himself, tried his best to keep his cool.

“I… suppose that’s fine then.” He muttered, trying to stop his voice from quivering.

Ren sat up straight again, but didn’t break eye contact.

…

There was silence for a moment. Then.

“I… oh for fucks sake. I’m sorry Ren, I don't know why my throat keeps closing up.” Martyn said, almost choking on his words. How many chances is he gonna blow away just by being so stupid?

Ren sighed.

Oh gods, he definitely screwed up this time.

And then, he smiled.

Not his usual silly grins, or bright happy smiles, but a soft, barely seeable, smile. His face was soft and kind, his eyes still sad as he spoke gently.

“I know how much pressure is on you right now Martyn. But I need you to understand that I will hear you out, and listen to all that you have to say. I’m not mad at you, and I don’t have the right to judge you till I know what happened. You’re my first proper friend Martyn, and I care for you deeply. I want this obstacle out of the way just as much as you. So please, don’t feel like you can’t tell this to me.”

Martyn was speechless for a moment.

“I- Ren you… oh for goodness sake.” He could feel the damn tears stinging his eyes. He did his best to try to hold them back, but it proved difficult. All he could do was sigh as he wiped his eyes, trying to regain his composure.

Ren looked surprised at that. Oh sweet Ren, his face always portrayed what he held in his heart, even when Martyn didn’t know what it was. But this one was clear.

“Sorry, did I… uh, say something wrong… or?” Ren asked, sounding very confused on what exactly is happening.

Martyn finally smiled. And then chuckled. What is he so afraid of? This man who sits next to him? The man who is the kindest anyone has ever been to him? The man, whose gentle and kind nature he’d seen time and time again?

He felt silly now. 

Ren still sat there, face showing his confusion clear as day.

Martyn smiled at him fondly. 

“You’re such an idiot you know.”

Chapter Text

Ren’s POV 

This day was not how he imagined his day to go.

When Ren heard the knocking, quietly so as to not wake Martyn up, he sneaked to the entrance and opened the door. Of course he knew who it was, only one other person came up here and that was obviously Scar, the trader who brings him all the things he could ever need up here in the mountains.

He was expecting him to come here soon enough, so it wasn’t a surprise. They have a little deal, where Scar gives him whatever he asks from the cart, and Ren in return gives him things only found up here in Everwinter.

What Ren was  not  expecting however, was to learn something he never expected to hear about Martyn.

A thief? Almost a murderer? This all made no sense to him. The man with whom he spent the last week and a half, seemed so kind, caring, and lovely. However, as he looked at the man beside him, he didn’t know what to think. Martyn was saying something, or rather trying to say something, but Ren couldn’t hear him over the sound of his ears ringing. He had to think about how to approach this in a reasonable manner. He had to take a breather outside.

-

When he finally dealt with Scar's constant yapping which seemed to go on forever, he returned into the warm home with all the boxes of supplies he managed to trade with Scar. 

As he passed by the couch, his eyes landed on the man laying on the couch. His gaze lingered, unable to look away from his friend. His face glistened in the sunlight seeping in through the window, tears rolling down his face slowly. Even in his sleep he looked so sad, his knees pressed tightly against his stomach.

Oh how this sight hurt him. Even if what Scar said was the truth, he still cared so much for his friend. It was strange, a man he barely knew for such a short time he’d grown so attached to. He…

Loved him…

…

Loved him?

He cared for him deeply of course, but that was what a friend should do. That doesn’t mean he loves him like that… right?

Well sure, he cannot take his eyes off him, looking at him fondly every time he sees him, his heart jumping with joy whenever he’s close to him, sometimes imagining how it would be like to just hold him close…

But that’s absolutely normal! They’re good friends, and Martyn is the first person to live with Ren in a long time. He’s just a little too attached to him, solely because of how lonely he was before. It’s as simple as that, nothing more.

At least… probably.

His mind finally returned, realising he’s been just standing there staring at Martyn sleeping. He walked into the kitchen to put some of the boxes down and started preparing some food.

As he did that his mind wandered again, trying to come up with a way to approach this situation in the least hurtful way possible.

Ren’s own moral compass was a bit off sure, but this still wasn’t a good thing. He knew that.

He knew that  and yet, he still wanted to just ignore this and continue a happy, normal life with Martyn.

He sighed, turning back to whatever strange combination of foods he was trying to make.

If he was being honest, he was a terrible cook, the only exception being soup for whatever reason. He didn’t mind it when it was just him. He could just fight through the monstrosities he created, but this time there was someone else he had to take care of. Someone who for he’d never dare to make something so terrible.

But of course his skills were on the level of a child’s, just mixing things together, hoping it’ll taste okay.

Yep, he’ll make more soup again. That’s the safest option.

-

With a loud thump, he put the last box away into the corner, having made the food.

Ren heard noises coming from the living room, and realised that Martyn probably woke up. Well it was time. He needed to make sure he didn’t screw this up.

Walking into the room his heart raced, brain going fast, he had to approach this in a friendly manner. When he reached the couch, he stopped in his tracks, looking down on Martyn.

His heart hurt seeing the man so down, what if he leaves? Will he think Ren wants him gone? He sighed, shaking the bad thoughts away, and sat down next to Martyn on the couch.

-

Oh dear he made Martyn cry. He didn’t really know how or why, but he had to fix this. 

“Sorry, did I… uh, say something wrong… or?” Was what he said, then Martyn called him an idiot? What?

He was very much confused now.

“Uhm… What?” He just stared at him like a fish.

“No not literally, I-“ Martyn laughed. “It’s fine, don't worry. I’m not crying because you said something wrong.” He wiped his eyes.

Well that was a relief then. However he was still a bit confused.

“Well okay, if you say so.”

Martyn sighed. “Look Ren, the truth is, I didn’t have much growing up. I won’t go into too much detail, but it was pretty dire. Having to plan out on what days I could actually eat something so I have enough food for the next week was tiring.

I struggled.”

He looked away for a moment.

Ren couldn’t believe what he was hearing. He wanted to say something, his mouth opened and closed but no words came out. What can he say to this? 

He stayed silent, deciding to let Martyn speak.

The man turned back to him, eyes still sometimes looking away for a moment, seemingly unable to look Ren in the eyes for too long.

“Without a home and any food, I uhm… had to resort to a less moral way. If being honest, I didn’t think much of it. If I had to suffer, how much would a little stolen food here and there hurt others?”

Another short pause.

“It was better for a while, I could actually eat at a much more regular pace, so I got a bit stronger, and the more I did it, the better I became.

Then came the time I robbed Scar and Grian.”

He gripped his arms, turning away again.

“I’m not proud of what happened. I never will be. But they had the most stock out of all the people in the market, and of course I didn’t steal from anyone who had a very few amount of things themselves.

So I chose them. It had to be done.

I sneaked up to the cart, blending in with the crowd. There were quite a number of people surrounding the two, which made this a lot easier.

Or at least it would’ve.

It only took one small mistake. One small mishap of accidentally knocking over a small cactus on the shelf, making the pot shatter. They noticed me of course, and started yelling. This caused me to freak out, not being used to getting caught, and accidentally wrecking a few other items.

The crowd scattered, leaving me completely exposed and seen.”

He took a deep breath before continuing the story.

“Scar ran around the cart to yell at me, but I paid him no mind. What I was focused on was Grian. He just stared at me for a while. It felt worse than being caught. As if his eyes were piercing through my very soul, inspecting.”

Martyn shuddered for a moment.

“I hated it. I couldn’t bear his eyes staring right at me, I couldn’t bear him just  watching  me.

It freaked me out. Before I knew what I was doing, I jumped over the cart, plunging right at him.

Even while I… uhm…” His voice quivered, unable to say anything.

“You don’t have to hear that, anyway. He was still just looking, fighting back but still,  staring .

I was frantic, I didn’t wanna hurt anyone but the way he just watched me was messing with my head.”

Martyn’s frown deepened, his eyes narrowed.

“Scar dragged me up and I ran off as he helped Grian up. He never stopped looking at me…”

He finished with a sigh. It was quiet for a while.

Ren was speechless, his mind tried its best trying to process what he just heard.

“Oh Martyn…” His eyes involuntarily teared up.

The man looked back at him, his face so hurt.

“I- I’m not sure what to even say. I…” Ren looked away, trying to come up with the best response. But as he looked back, he was met with shock on Martyn’s face. Oh no, he misunderstood.

“Don’t get me wrong, not in like a ‘ I don’t know what to think of you ’ way, but I just…“ He sighed.

“Can I uhm… give you a hug or something?” He asked, doing his best to sound gentle.

Martyn’s eyes just widened, his mouth agape. “I, uh… yes?” He sounded confused and caught off guard, making Ren smile.

He leaned in and wrapped his hands around the other, one of them landing on the back of his head and caressing his soft hair gently. 

“I wish I knew how to comfort you better, but this is all I got. I hope you never have to go through something like that ever again.”

What Ren did not see was how absolutely beet red Martyn’s face and ears turned due to the closeness of the other, as he carefully placed his own hands on Ren’s back.

Chapter Text

Martyn’s POV

Oh gods his face was burning up.

Ren is hugging him.

Hugging him.

Ren.

Martyn’s brain was lagging, trying to understand what is happening.

It felt like he was embracing the sun itself, the warmth emitted from the other, the gentlest touch he ever experienced. The careful hands on his back and head, holding him close caressing him softly.

This was amazing. Never before had he been held so gently, so carefully, so closely. He could feel Ren’s slow and steady breathing, and his own heart going faster than ever, feeling like it was gonna burst out of his chest at any given moment.

Ren held him so softly, Martyn on the other hand felt like he’s been clinging onto him for dear life. He doubted his touch could ever come close to the comfort that Ren’s provided.

He buried his head into the other’s shoulder, silent tears stinging the corners of his eyes.

He could spend an eternity like this, no worries or problems, just the warm embrace of the person that truly cares for him.

Ren spoke quietly, as to not disturb the peace of the moment.

“Thank you for telling me all this. It makes me happy to know that you trust me with the story of your past.”

And oh he spoke so softly, his voice barely a whisper. And oh Martyn felt the tears stream down.

The thing is, he isn’t a crybaby or anything, he never was and never will be. But something about the way Ren always cared for him just keeps flooding the gates.

Martyn couldn’t bear this any longer, so he gently pushed himself away from Ren, starting to wipe his tears away.

“Thank you Ren. I- I’m not sure what to say to all of this, other than thank you.” He sighed.

“It’s nothing really! You’re my friend and I cherish you.” As he spoke, a hand slowly approached Martyn’s cheek, carefully wiping off his tears.

He froze, face warming up again.

The sudden touch of Ren made him jump up from the couch in embarrassment.

“Erm, I’m a bit hungry, hah you know I didn’t really have the chance to eat breakfast, so uh… yeah we should probably go eat or something.” Yep he just made a fool of himself. He probably had the dumbest, awkwardest grin on his face right now.

Ren looked at him with a questioning gaze for a moment, but shrugged it off.

“Yeah that’s true.” He agreed. Suddenly a silly embarrassed expression appeared on his face as well. “I uhm, made some food again, but there is something you should know…” 

Now it was Martyn’s turn to look puzzled. What on earth is he going to say?

“Go on.”

“I… oh geez, I can’t hide behind having bad ingredients now. The truth is I am actually a terrible cook.” He spoke with a guilty expression and flattened ears, head turned down in shame.

Martyn just stood still for a moment trying to process what he just heard.

Then suddenly he burst out laughing, almost tripping over.

Ren’s face was priceless, he looked absolutely befuddled.

After Martyn recollected himself and brushed off any remaining tears from his face (that were now there from laughing), he tried his best to not crack up again while speaking.

“Sorry Ren, but the way you said that-“ He chuckled. “It’s fine, don’t worry! Not gonna bite your head off if you make something bad.”

”No, I mean it’s  really  terrible.“ Ren whined. “I could never feed something so horrid to you.”

“Hah! Well now I’m curious to know what your cooking tastes like!” Martyn grinned, while putting his hands on his hips.

Ren just sighed, his ears still flopped down in embarrassment.

“I highly doubt that you wanna know.”

“Oh I do, but if you’d like, I can be the one who cooks. I’m not too bad in the kitchen if I do say so myself!” He puffed up his chest with pride.

“Oh dude I can’t just ask you to cook for me. I mean you’re still a guest,  and  you still haven’t healed yet.”

“Pfft, I don’t mind that. I’d be happy to actually do something useful for once.”

Ren looked at him for a moment then sighed.

“Fine fine. But I made some more soup since that seems to be like the only thing I can actually make, so we can eat that for lunch.”

“Alright that’s fine with me” He snickered.

-

“I have officially decided Ren! I am going outside and you can’t stop me!”

Martyn spoke with certainty and conviction in his voice. He was stuck inside for around a month now, and he was  not  having it anymore.

Ren just sighed, having heard this for the umpteenth time this week.

”Look Martyn my dude, you still need to rest your body, I told you this before.”

“Gah, always with that! Come on mate, just let me go out! I’m gonna go crazy if I have to stay cooped up inside any more time.”

“No dude, you don’t get it, it’s way too cold for you out there. You aren’t used to the weather here yet.”

“Gee I wonder why…” He rolled his eyes.

The two of them were sitting on the couch, enjoying the warmth radiating from the fireplace, and the two steaming hot cups of tea sitting on the table in front of them.

Unsurprisingly they were bickering about something silly again.

But damn it Martyn was starting to go crazy for being cooped up in the house all the time. By nature he always yearned for the outside, being near plants and wildlife made him happy.

Hence why he was going mad here.

Almost a  month .

No fresh air other than the times Ren opened the windows and door to go outside, and no plant life other than the few small indoor ones.

All week he was begging Ren to finally let him out for once.

“I’m not a princess you need to lock in a tower to protect Ren.” He said with a grin. “I know that you care about my well being, which is exactly why you  should  let me go. Fresh air is good for you ya know!”

“Martyn, your wound opened up again last week.” He retorted. He looked very much unamused, but Martyn could tell that was not the case. He was totally enjoying this little back and forth, seen from how his tail was wagging side to side in a rhythmic pace.

He was silent for a moment.

Shit, he did have a point.

“Well…true, but still, it’s kinda rude not letting me go outside.” He said, faking a sad expression.  “What are you? A dragon protecting treasure?” He grinned. “Look I know I’m very precious but no need to be so possessive over lil’ ol’ me.” He put his hands on his chest, striking an overly dramatic pose.

Ren turned red, ears flopping down in embarrassment.

“Well I- uh… I mean-“ He fiddled with his glasses.

Then a loud sigh.

“Okay okay fine.  Tomorrow I’ll go out with you on a walk. But you won’t go alone still. Who knows what freaks show up to beat you up again.”

Martyn’s smile widened, he was grinning ear to ear, as he jumped on Ren and hugged him.

“Hah it would feel weird to thank you since I could’ve just sneaked out anyway. Plus I’m not obligated to listen to you, so in reality you’re welcome!”

This time it was Martyn who didn’t see Ren’s face turning bright red, and how he was frozen in place sitting perfectly still.

“Welp, I'm gonna go take a shower now. See ya!”

And he walked off leaving a completely shocked Ren in the middle of the room.

Chapter Text

Ren’s POV

It was a lovely day.

Ren took a deep breath of the cold, crisp, and fresh air. He stood with his hands on his hips, surveying the area.

The snow wasn’t too thick today, and it was a bit less colder than usual. The sun shined brightly above, making everything glitter under the light. Other than a few birds there weren’t any animals that could cause any danger.

Okay yes, he might be worrying too much.

But look, you can’t really blame him! He brought Martyn into his home when he was on the edge of death, so surely a little worry is warranted. The guy got beaten up for goodness sake, so it would only make sense for him to be a little bit weary of letting him go outside.

He sighed and walked up onto the porch, through the door he entered the warm home, the familiar scents hitting his nose, making him happy immediately.

Listening in, he heard bustling in the kitchen.

Martyn said that he would cook for them and even since he has been busying himself with trying out different ways to prepare all kinds of food.

This time it smelled like it was some kind of pasta, maybe with tomato sauce? Kinda hard to tell with so many odours wafting about.

Walking into the kitchen he saw the other man humming away while preparing the food. Ren creeped up to him and put his chin on Martyn’s shoulder.

“Whatcha makin’?” He asked with a toothy smile.

Martyn, paying the closeness no mind, answered, never looking away from the pot.

“Spaghetti meatballs. Not sure why, just felt like it. Plus we had the ingredients. Couldn’t let the tomatoes go bad.” He spoke with a lazy smile, and after a few moments he hit the edge of the pan with the spoon and cleaned it.

After a little handwashing, he finally turned to Ren.

“Well that should be good by the time we get back!”

He grinned.

Ren smiled back at him.

“Lovely! Let’s get going then I suppose.”

-

After Martyn took off his (actually Ren’s) apron, and put on some more weather appropriate clothes, the two finally left the house together.

Martyn ran ahead excitedly, jumping about like a small child would. Ren just watched him from afar smiling, and admiring the man as he ran around in the snow.

Ren walked slowly, lost deep in thought.

There wasn’t a day where he didn’t think of the things Martyn told him about himself.

Yeah sure the man told him to stop worrying so much, but he just couldn’t. He wants to convey it to the man that he will always be welcome within their home.

Wait.

Their home?

When did he stop viewing it as his house, and started thinking of it as their home?

While Ren pondered, suddenly he heard a loud splat, and only seconds later did he feel the cold wetness on his neck, causing him to shiver.

He looked towards where the snowball came from, his eyes landing on Martyn who wore a big grin on his face, cheeks and ears already tinted with a light red from the cold.

“Wha- exqueeze me?!” He looked at the man with a shocked expression.

The other just started laughing and ran behind a rock.

“No time to be lost in your thoughts now Ren! This is a warzone now.” That last bit he declared with a fake seriousness in his voice.

“ Warzone?! And here I was thinking you would always be by my side, a loyal right hand man! How  outrageous ! ” Ren put on his best accent, and flailed his hands around for dramatics.

He grinned back at Martyn, jumping behind a log and already creating multiple snowballs.

-

Snowballs flew, splattering on every surface they hit, whether that’d be trees, rocks, or somebody's face.

It was quite the heated battle even if their fingers were freezing off by the end.

Ren had a tarp he found lying about, draped over his shoulders, acting as a cloak that moved with every movement in an overly dramatic way. He also bound together some sticks, putting it on his head, serving as his crown.

”It’s just you and me till the end, me laddie! I shall be the one to come out victorious!”

Still speaking in that stupidly obnoxious accent that he loved.

“Right. Enough of you, you tyrant king!” Martyn of course joined in on the little improvisation with a fake scowl, just barely masking his happiness.

“Take this one to the grave with you and I might put some roses on your coffin!” As he said that, a larger snowball went right for his throat, splattering.

Ren dramatically put his hand to his throat and slowly fell to the ground, his limbs splayed out.

“…Ye have bested me, me hand… but I shall forgive you, ’twas for but a noble cause. Ye shall now forget the cold.” He whispered, eyes closed.

Ren could hear Martyn approaching him, but he didn’t open his eyes.

“I’m sorry my liege… it was a necessary act. I hope we shall meet again in the coldest pit of hell.”

Martyn whispered back, collapsing onto the ground next to him.

Then they laughed, and laughed, and laughed.

This was the most fun Ren ever had in his entire life. If only he could freeze time to watch this moment for all of eternity. He would keep the memory neat and cared for, like a small delicate snowglobe, beautiful, the snow never melting, keeping his heart straight, always being there for comfort.

How does a memory in the freezing cold, body aching from the chills, make him feel such unbelievable warmth and love filling his chest, melting the snow away.

-

After that amateur theatre hour, they laid on the ground for a while.

They played around like children.

They made snow angels, Ren’s looking a bit funny with his ears imprinted into the snow as well.

After that they walked around in the forest, the endless white surrounding them.

The only sounds being the small critters, and their forever going conversation.

This was peaceful.

They just chatted like they always do, but it felt… different.

It felt so much more intimate. Like the only thing that can hear them out here were the trees that swayed in the wind, and the rocks, standing steady and solid.

-

Sadly all moments must come to an end eventually.

This one was no different. The two of them having to return back to their home due to Ren feeling a bit woozy, and of course because it was getting late, not even mentioning how much their clothes were soaked.

When they returned and quickly ate their fill of the delicious food Martyn made, both took turns in the shower, which of course Martyn was now permitted to use.

Ren took off for the couch, collapsing onto it.

Before his consciousness faded, he could hear Martyn speak, just barely a whisper.

“ Goodnight, my king. ”

Chapter Text

Martyn’s POV

Half the day had passed.

Martyn did everything at this point.

He woke up, made the bed, made some tea for the two of them, and got started on breakfast.

Three hours passed with him doing the most mundane tasks.

He even sneaked out for a bit, taking a short walk in the forest. It was a calm day, but there was something missing.

When he returned he was absolutely freezing, so he took a nice, long, warm bath, chipping away another hour from the day.

He was bored.

Why was he so damn bored? It’s not like the days before were any different. He’d done everything just the way he always does. Yet it was boring.

Why was today so different?

Only when the clock hit 2 PM did he realise the problem.

Ren .

Ren was still sleeping. 

He never sleeps this late, he’s the type of person that can be chipper all the time, even at the crack of dawn. He always wakes up early, and up to this point he was always awake before Martyn.

But not today.

Did something happen? Sure they spent quite a lot of time outside yesterday, lots of running around, so it would only make sense for him to be exhausted. But this felt off.

Martyn slowly walked into the living room, making his way to the couch, trying his best to stay quiet.

There Ren was, still sleeping, but he looked… uncomfortable?

Martyn stood there for a moment debating where or not to wake the man up. 

If he really is just tired then he shouldn’t wake him up, but if there was something else going on… he had to do something about this.

He crouched down next to him, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder.

“Ren? Is everything alright?” He spoke softly, but there was no response.

Martyn sighed, and shook the sleeping man slightly, hoping this might wake him up.

“Ren, wake up mate.”

Ren stirred, nuzzling the pillow for a moment, but ultimately opened his eyes.

“Mhmwhat…?” Is all he said.

Martyn was starting to get worried now.

“Is everything alright with you? You’ve been sleeping for a while now.” He asked, hoping his voice didn’t give away his nervousness too much.

“What time is it?” He said after a yawn.

“Well… 2 PM.”

Ren just stared at him.

“I think I misheard you there. What time?”

“2. PM.” Martyn was already getting worked up about this. He wants to know if there’s something wrong, and Ren is  not  helping his case.

“2…?”

“Two. Yes.”

Ren sat up, but fell right back.

“I uhm… I don’t think I’m feeling too good dude.” He said in a small hushed tone with a small smile.

Martyn stared at him for a few moments trying to figure out what on earth could be the problem.

Finally he put his hand on Ren’s forehead.

“Gods! You’re burning up!” He yelped. “Hold on, I'm gonna come right back, I need to get some medical supplies.” Martyn took off, running into the kitchen and almost yanking the door off of the cupboard where the medical box was stored.

He ran back to Ren and hurriedly opened it. He rummaged around til he found what he was looking for, which was the thermometer.

He shaked it up a bit, letting the liquid settle, and pushed it into Ren’s mouth.

While that measures his temperature, Martyn ran into the room and yoinked the cover off the bed, putting the softest pillows by the head for the most comfort.

He was tired from running around but he still ran back to the couch and took the thermometer out of Ren’s mouth.

“39,7°C?!” (103.46°F)

Martyn paled.

Oh god Ren is sick. He has a bloody fever, and it isn’t low.

“Shit shit shit shit…” He inspected Ren again. He looked uncomfortable, squirming around, and burying his head in the pillow.

Martyn spoke softly to him, hiding the worry in his voice.

“Alright. I’m gonna carry you to the bed. It should be more comfortable for you that way. Then I’ll give you some medicine, and make you something to eat. Okay?”

Ren didn’t respond, but nodded his head slightly.

“Alright.”

Martyn stood up. This wasn’t gonna be easy. Sure he is plenty strong, but the other man is like a head taller than him, and is also very muscular.

It will have to be in a bridal carry.

He gently slid his hands under Ren’s back and legs, and he lifted him up.

He wasn’t light, but Martyn could handle his weight, it wasn’t too bad.

He manoeuvred around the furniture, and walked to the bedroom.

He tried his best not to think about it, but… gods Ren was so close.

Martyn could feel his face warming up, just by thinking about it.

’No! Snap out of it Martyn, your friend needs your help! There’s no time to think about that now.’ He thought.

Finally he put Ren down onto the bed, tucking him in gently as the poor guy was shaking already.

“Geez, this is probably my fault. I should’ve been more careful with the snow.” Martyn whispered.

He stood up and was about to leave, when he felt a tug at his pant leg.

He looked back at Ren who was now looking at him.

Oh that face he made. It felt a needle through his heart, the pain small, but unbearable.

In the quietest whisper Ren spoke.

“Stop blaming yourself Martyn.”

Martyn sighed and crouched down to him.

“But it  is my fault. That’s just a fact.”

Ren’s face was flushed, but his dark blue eyes shone so brightly, like the dark ocean.

“You didn’t do anything wrong. We had our fun, and we played a little rough, stayed out too long, overstaying our time in the cold. I should’ve known better. It’s not your fault .”

Martyn was about to open his mouth to argue, but the way Ren looked at him made him freeze.

“Fine.” He sighed. “I’ll go make you some food now. Here, take this medicine and go back to sleep.”

After Ren took the medicine, he passed out almost immediately, his breaths heavy.

Martyn looked at him for a moment, debating.

He brushed Ren’s long hair out of his face, cupping his cheek gently.

He leaned over, and placed a small, soft kiss on his forehead. He whispered against it.

“Get better soon, it’s no fun without you.”

He stood up and walked out of the room, closing the door quietly.

Chapter Text

Ren’s POV

He was so incredibly tired.

Ren didn’t know how long he had been sleeping for, but he knew it wasn’t just a few hours.

He kept dipping in and out of consciousness for short periods of time.

As he tossed and turned, he tried to recall what happened.

He was playing outside with Martyn, then the two of them went back in. He felt a bit woozy and decided to go to sleep.

After sleeping for sometime he got awoken by Martyn, saying it was midday, saying he was sick.

The memories got fuzzy so he didn’t remember much, but there was something else. Right before he fell asleep again, he felt the warmth radiating into him, something happened.

What was it? He just couldn’t recall.

Ren had enough, he didn’t have time to get sick, he had chores to do,  and  he had to take care of Martyn!

He sat up, the sudden movement making him woozy.

He needed to get out of bed now.

Just when Ren was about to stand up, the door opened and there came Martyn, looking like a waiter with how many plates and cups he was holding.

As he locked eyes with Ren, stopped in his tracks for a moment, then walked up, and put everything down onto the nightstand.

Now with his hands free, he crossed them in front of him and glared at Ren.

“And what might you be doing? You are staying in bed mate, no negotiation.”

Ren stared at him for a moment, his brain trying to comprehend what Martyn is saying, the words sounding like a jumble of noises.

Gods his head hurt.

“Uhmm, I’m completely fine now Martyn, I had my rest, I have chores to take care of.”

“No you don’t. You are not moving from this bed, and that’s final.” He had a serious expression on his face.

“Look I’m fine now!” With that Ren tried to stand up, the sudden moment making him dizzy, resulting in him falling back on the bed.

Martyn looked at him with a face that said ‘Oh really now?’, but not actually saying anything.

“Okay I might have a little fever but it’s no big deal!”

“Ren…”

“I mean I’m not feeling the best, but I can still do stuff.”

“Ren.”

“A-and look it’s not too bad, I’m just gonna go out to get some firewood and then-“

“ Ren .”

He stopped blabbering and looked up at Martyn.

“Ren, you are not moving from this bed. You will rest and rest, and after that rest even more.”

Ren frowned, then sighed. There was no point in arguing, was there?

“Fine. I will stay in bed.”

Martyn didn’t have to know that he was going to sneak out anyway.

“And don’t you even dare to think about sneaking away.”

“Wha…” Dang, busted. Martyn is too smart.

“Now eat this, and drink that. Don’t forget to take this medicine.” He pointed at the things on the nightstand. It all looked like a big blob to Ren, his glasses being off not helping the situation.

He pinched his nose bridge, trying to lessen his pulsing headache.

He glanced at the nightstand filled with food. It all looked so delicious.

“Did you make all this just for me?” Ren asked with a shy smile.

Martyn huffed, and scratched his head before speaking.

“Well yeah. You’re sick. I’d say good and nutritious food is the best way to deal with sickness.”

“You did make enough for yourself as well, right?” Ren cocked an eyebrow, and looked at him questioningly.

Martyn cleared his throat, fidgeting slightly.

“Well uhm, yes I made some for myself as well.”

Ren stared at him for a moment.

“Just as much as you put here for me, right?”

“…”

“Martyn.”

“A little less, yeah okay fine! But it’s enough for me.”

Ren sighed, pushing a hand through his hair. Boy he was sweating buckets. When did it get so hot?

Martyn picked up on the discomfort on his face, and started searching for something on the nightstand.

The moment he did, he exclaimed.

“There, found it! Here I brought you an ice pack, this should help with the fever.”

He stopped to think for a moment.

“You go ahead and eat as much as you can, take the medicine and sleep. I’ll take care of some things around the house so you just rest.”

Martyn walked away leaving Ren with nothing but his thoughts.

He mindlessly picked up some sort of food, he didn’t even really pay attention to what it was, just some sort of meat with potatoes.

He tried to think about things that needed doing around the house, or just anything that makes sense, but his brain felt like it was gonna overheat and explode if he thought too hard.

He aimlessly shoved bite after bite into his mouth, zoning out completely.

-

He didn’t really notice what happened, brain feeling too fuzzy to remember properly.

Ren does remember waking up to something cold on his forehead, nice and cooling.

Slowly, very slowly he opened an eye, looking up at the man who was sitting on the edge of the bed, shaking the thermometer again. His face was clear of worry, eyes soft and sad.

When Martyn noticed that Ren woke up again he smiled softly.

“Fell asleep again? Good thing you didn’t spill anything, the plate was still in your hands when I came in.” He chuckled. Oh he looked so adorable while laughing.

Huh? Did he say something? Martyn’s face was red all of the sudden, and he looked away with embarrassment.

Ren’s brain was doing its best to comprehend everything, but it felt impossible to form a proper understandable sentence all together.

His eyelids felt heavy, all he can do is sleep. Just sleep.

He felt a soft touch before his consciousness faded.

-

Snow and cold.

He’s used to it by now.

Yet somehow… it felt colder. Colder than usual, colder than ever.

He could see his own ragged breaths, snowflakes slowly falling all around him.

It was quiet.

Unusually so.

Most of the time there was at least wind rustling the evergreens, or some sort of animal snoring.

But not now. Quiet like the dead.

Dead?

Blood?

Blood…?

He touched his ear which felt numb until now.

Pain shot through him, dulled by the adrenaline still rushing through his system.

He looked at his hand.

Blood.

Blood everywhere.

Dripping on his bare feet, onto the pure white snow, a striking contrast seen clearly, even in the dead of night.

The brightest moon shone, enveloping everything in a thick, ethereal blue-ish light.

His limbs felt heavy, like he just ran a marathon.

He looked at his hands.

Blood. All over.

But… it wasn’t all his.

Who’s blood stained his hands?