I only own Merle, Fina, Ambra, Hareth, Gulru, and Egan. Everything else belongs to Square Enix.
ENJOY!
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Healing salve / Heatstroke / "If my pain will stretch that far."
The Lynari Desert was a dangerous location, according to locals. With the intense heat and the quicksand spots that littered the desert, not to mention the monsters, the Tipa caravanners had to be careful as they traversed. Lest they would die and shrivel up in the desert heat.
Right now, Merle and Fina separated with the group to find materials. Merle was walking fine—being a Yuke, she didn't have to worry about the heat, as she was just a suit of armor. She didn't need to drink anything unless it was to heal her wounds.
Her girlfriend, Fina, on the other hand, wasn't doing well. She was shaky on her feet, and her attacks even had less accuracy than normal. Usually, the Selkie was accurate when it came to landing blows. Merle knew that something was wrong, but decided not to push it—right now, they had to focus on getting materials.
After another hard battle, Merle realized that Fina wasn't doing well at all. She tilted her head, studying her lover for a moment. Her skin was red, her face more so, and she was panting. Likely from the heat exhaustion.
"Fina," Merle began.
Fina turned to face her, one of her eyes twitching in agitation. "What?" She groaned.
Merle took a step back when Fina answered her that way. Usually, she teases Merle, even making jokes. But her being agitated was… unusual. She never saw Fina angry or irritable.
"Are you okay?" She questioned.
Fina hmphed, shaking her head. "I'm fine, Mer. Just need to find the right materials."
"...You are definitely not well," Merle pointed out. "I can tell. Your fighting prowess wasn't the best in that fight, and it seems like you are about to pass out."
"I'm fine, Merle," Fina growled, not even bothering to call Merle by her pet name. "Once we get the stuff we need, we'll be outta here."
"You need rest, Fina," Merle sighed. While Fina was the teasing type, she can be stubborn at times. Merle talking to her usually helped Fina not be stubborn, but the Yuke noted that it wasn't working right now. "You are more likely to pass out if you keep going."
"Sheesh," Fina let out an annoyed sigh, "can't you be any more annoying? Look, we got a mission to do; we can't back out now!"
Merle sighed again, shaking her head. Of course. This heat would irritate even the calmest of people. It was only natural that Fina was like this. "Fina, I do not want to argue. It's for the best that you get rest."
"Didn't you hear me?!" Fina cried, her voice going up to nearly a point of screaming, "We. Have. Stuff. To do! Good Cosmos, Merle, can't you take a hint for once in your life?!"
Merle took a step back; if she had eyes, they would be wide right now at Fina's outburst. Fina never acted like this; when she was in the wrong, she would usually apologize and vowed to not do it again. But the heat was apparently getting the best of her, and it worried Merle.
"Fina—" Merle tried to protest.
"I don't wanna hear it," Fina cried, "just leave me alone and—"
Dizziness took a hold of Fina, as she held her head. She groaned, nausea hitting her. Her skin grew redder, and sweat poured down her face so much Merle feared that she would be dehydrated right now. The Yuke watched as Fina swayed from side to side like a ship on rocky waters.
"Fina?" Merle questioned, her voice laced with concern.
"I…" Fina whispered. "I don't. I don't feel so good…"
Without warning, Fina fell on the desert's sandy floor; the last thing she heard was Merle's cry of her name before darkness took her.
____
Fina groaned, darkness in the corners of her eyes as she began to wake up. Her head throbbed somewhat, although the dizziness wasn't as bad as it was last time. Something cool was on her forehead, and her skin was a little cooler to the touch. Was she saved? What happened?
"O-oh! She's waking up!"
Fina recognized Gulru's voice, as her vision began to clear up. A wooden ceiling met her sight, but she recognized it right away. She was in the caravan's carriage, safe from the heat.
Hovering over her were her friends—Ambra, Hareth, Gulru, even Egan. The others were somewhere, likely close by. And Fina noted that Merle was nowhere to be found.
"What…" Fina questioned, "what happened?"
"You passed out in the Lynari Desert," Ambra answered, "Oh Cosmos, you had us worried when Merle brought you to us!"
"...Merle?" She asked, "She saved me?"
"Yeah," Hareth said with a nod, "she looked upset about what happened, and she told us to take care of you while she was gone."
Merle was gone? Where was she?
"She's in the Lynari Desert now, getting supplies," Egan spoke up, as if he read Fina's mind, "she said she'll be back in an hour."
Fina's eyes shot wide then, as she sat up quickly. However, the dizziness hit her again, and she grunted in pain as she held her head. Ambra and Hareth gasped when Fina tried to sit up, before Ambra gently pushed her down.
"Fina—" Ambra protested.
"Merle! She could be—"
"She's fine, Fina," Hareth tried to soothe, "she's stronger than you'd think."
"But she could be lost! She—"
"F-Fina?" Gulru spoke up in his soft voice. "I'm sure she's okay. Not only is she strong, b-but Yukes like her and me don't have to deal with the heat. She'll be fine, I-I'm sure of it."
Gulru's words relaxed Fina somewhat. While she was worried for her beloved Merle, she knew that Gulru was right. Merle had fought through worse than what happened today, and with her powerful magic, she could go through anything no problem.
"I…" Fina sighed, "Okay. It's just that… I yelled at her and—"
"Merle forgives you," Ambra interrupted with a small smile. "She knew that the heatstroke was getting you, so she didn't think of what you said."
"...Are you sure?" Fina asked. She wanted to apologize to her girlfriend for screaming at her, but…
"She'll be just fine," Egan said with a nod, "Once you get some rest and she comes back, I'm sure things will be fine."
Fina let out a sigh, placing a hand on the wet cloth that was on her forehead. "Thanks, guys. You're all the best."
"Of course," Ambra giggled. "Get some rest. We'll check up on you in a few hours, okay?"
Fina nodded, settling on the sheets that she was laying in. The sheets felt cold, like she was laying on a large ice cube, and she couldn't help but smile as she fell asleep.
____
Fina woke up again, blinking as she realized it was dark out. She wasn't sure how long she had slept, but from how dark it was, it was nighttime.
She glanced around her surroundings. The other caravanners were asleep, all curled up in their sleeping bags. Beside Fina was a flask of water. She smiled slightly, grabbing the flask before downing it. Cosmos, she was more thirsty than she thought, as she emptied the flask in one gulp. Feeling the water energizing her again, she sighed. She needed something like that, and she was grateful to have good friends like the caravanners.
She glanced at the others again, noting that Merle was missing. She frowned; did Merle ever come back from the Lynari Desert? Of course, she had faith in her girlfriend that she would pull through, but she couldn't help but worry.
She slowly left the cool sheets, as she left the carriage. Glancing around with her keen eyesight, she spotted a silhouette of what appeared to be a Yuke, sitting beside the smoldering campfire.
She recognized the Yuke. Merle.
She frowned, remembering the moment she yelled at Merle. While the heatstroke made her irritable, she didn't mean to hurt her girlfriend that way. Merle didn't deserve to be yelled at for something the Yuke was right about.
She approached, before sitting beside Merle. Merle glanced at her for a second, before looking at the campfire again. The two sat in silence for a few minutes, as Fina tried to wrack her mind on how to talk to her.
All she could say was, "I'm sorry."
Merle looked at her again, tilting her head. "For…?"
Fina raised a brow. Did she even remember when she yelled at her? "For yelling at you. You're right as always, and I shouldn't have yelled at you for it. So… I'm sorry."
Merle scooted closer to Fina, placing a wing on Fina's hand. "It's okay. I'm not mad."
"...You're not?"
"I promise," Merle replied with a nod. "I was more worried than anything. The heatstroke was so bad, the others thought you would die from it. I…" She turned, before enveloping Fina into a hug. Fina blinked in shock. "...am so glad that you're okay."
Fina glanced up at her girlfriend, a small smile on her face. The guilt faded away when Merle said this. Merle forgave her, and everything was all right.
"I'll listen to you if something like that happens again," Fina whispered, sharing the hug. "I don't want my Mer to worry over me again."
"It's my job to worry over you, love," Merle giggled, "you're the love of my life."
"And I worry over you too, dear," Fina giggled back, snuggling closer to her beloved.
The two stared at the campfire for an hour until the two fell asleep in each other's arms, the midnight breeze cooling off Fina after that harrowing incident. She knew that she was safe, here, with her Mer.
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Charles is still in his fucking Ferrari race suit, post p-fucking-10 finish, but he's—Max is the world champion, and he's champagne-soaked and glowing, and he's finally found a moment to have him alone, still on the track, blistered under the lights. Charles holds one of Max's hands in both of his own, and the first thing he does is kiss him, mouths sloppy and slick and uncoordinated where Max is laughing into his mouth, because he did it, he did it, and Charles is all proud and not jealous at all, for once in his contest-fueled life.
And it's an impulse decision, all giddy-bright and golden, but Charles know exactly what he's doing when he gets down on one knee, still holding Max's hand, shaking fingers looping around his wrist when he says it, all messy and unplanned, "Max, I want to marry you, will you marry me?"
Max is shaking, too, and he already was, skin sticky and lips stickier where he's answering in a fumble—"yes, of course, I will marry you, schatje, get up here, oh my god"—and he picks Charles up by his waist and kisses him, speaking half in Dutch against the seam of his mouth, squeezing him so tight Charles thinks his ribs might burst.
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the
Organization for Transformative Works
f. f. ffffff. okay heartstroke 7. lots of talk of dreams in this one. also! i have finally settled on a chapter count for the fic! 10 chapters, here is 7 of 10. i see the ending so clearly in my head now and i am excited to get there hopefully that will motivate me to i don’t know actually write. anyways enjoy
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An Archive of Our Own, a project of the
Organization for Transformative Works
guess who it isssss it’s heartstroke chapter 5. the bitch is back. this one is … well it sure is! i like it. i am proud of it. thank you and goodnight <3
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the
Organization for Transformative Works
so. happy day. heartstroke six. i keep mulling over a final chapter count in my head but i haven’t settled on it yet just know the thought is there. in the meantime enjoy my new least-favorite favorite thing (charles’s mental improvement vs. max’s horrific decline) it’s going well (not)
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the
Organization for Transformative Works
oh. oh what’s this. oh. oh. i know i technically already posted today but WHATEVER. this one is for the lestappies. the heartstroke enjoyers (i know you are out there)
