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1. Put Your Arm 'Round My Collarbone, and Open the Door by PayloadOfGeckos

   Fandoms: Fallen Hero Series - Malin Rydén  

   • Mature
   • Major Character Death
   • M/M
   • Complete Work

   06 Apr 2026

   Tags

   • Major Character Death
   • Sidestep/Steel (Fallen Hero)
   • Ortega/Sidestep/Steel (Fallen Hero)
   • Steel (Fallen Hero)
   • Sidestep (Fallen Hero)
   • Ortega (Fallen Hero)
   • Ortega is Named Ricardo (Fallen Hero)
   • Male Sidestep (Fallen Hero)
   • Implied/Referenced Character Death
   • Implied/Referenced Suicide
   • Self-Harm
   • POV First Person
   • sidestep Raz Becker
   • technically Ortega is just dialog at the end and the throuple isn't overtly referenced but i felt remiss not tagging
   • Title from a The Antlers song

   Summary

   "Raz..."

   He's here, waiting in the quiet, sitting on the edge of my bed with his back to me. If this room was real he would be looking towards the window, but the walls are all he gave himself. My jacket— the one I know that I am wearing now, outside of this thought— doesn't do enough to hide that Raz looks fragile. Like the only thing holding him together is the breath he still hasn't taken. He denies fragility, no-matter how many times he's been broken, but I know the truth is that parts of him grew back brittle. I know how I got here.

   After everything, there is always an end.

   Language:

   English

   Words:

   1,090

   Chapters:

   1/1

   Comments:

   10

   Kudos:

   25

   Bookmarks:

   4

   Hits:

   186