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1. Bracing for Boiling Water by ilaris

   Fandoms: The Blood of Dawnwalker (Video Game)  

   • Mature
   • Graphic Depictions Of Violence
   • M/M
   • Work in Progress

   16 Sep 2026

   Tags

   • Graphic Depictions Of Violence
   • Ambrus/Coen (The Blood of Dawnwalker)
   • Coen (The Blood of Dawnwalker)
   • Ambrus (The Blood of Dawnwalker)
   • Toxic Yaoi
   • Tags May Change
   • Enemies to Lovers
   • not quite redemption
   • Slow Burn
   • Canon-Typical Violence
   • Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence
   • Not Beta Read
   • Hurt/Comfort
   • Emotional Hurt/Comfort
   • Angst with a Happy Ending
   • Miscommunication
   • Implied/Referenced Torture
   • Past Trauma
   • lots of unresolved tension
   • Ambrus is a proud disaster and I love him
   • Touch-Starved
   • Coen needs a hug and someone to keep him from running himself into the ground
   • Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms
   • english is not my first language
   • Graphic description of torture
   • graphic description of violence
   • Character Study
   • Spoilers

   Summary

   uhm.... I will update the tags as I go along. Probably the summary, too.

    
   What if Coen spares Ambrus, despite knowing better? Despite Ambrus doing nothing to make that decision any easier?

   What if that choice ends up threatening to overturn Ambrus' entire existence more thoroughly than the vrakhir transformation ever did? What if he gets eaten up by anger, indignity, helplessness... and something so much worse?

   And what happens to Coen, already buckling under his family, his valley, and a war he never wanted to be a part of, when this unbidden thing between them refuses to stay simple?

   I tried to stay true to Ambrus' game characterisation and not soften him just for the sake of romance. Fair warning: this gets messy. Lots of deflection, lots of Ambrus making it harder than it has to be. It gets worse before it gets better.

   Language:

   English

   Words:

   12,962

   Chapters:

   5/?

   Comments:

   76

   Kudos:

   198

   Bookmarks:

   35

   Hits:

   2,461