#verso angst

Sorry it's probably really silly I'm not very good at articulating this sort of thing.

Please feel free to ignore, I hope you have a wonderful day and your writing is really lovely.

Ashfall [Verso Dessendre]

words: 1.5k

pairing: verso x reader

thank you all for your requests i’ll try to write them asap 🩶

The nevron’s shriek tore through the air like the sky itself was splitting open. You didn’t think, didn’t really want to—you just moved.

Verso was standing way too close. He was trying to pull the others back, to cover their retreat—but the nevron was faster. Huge. Its claws raked the air as it closed the distance in a few pounding strides. But you saw the angle. You saw the opening.

It was an instinct at this point, an innate urge to simply throw yourself out there and act like a shield, as if you were immune to the perils of the hostile continent.

And so, you ran.

You managed to shove Verso back just as the thing struck.

Pain bloomed sharp and sudden as its claw carved a path up your arm, ripping fabric and flesh in a hot, jagged arc. Your body folded inward with the force and you hit the ground hard, cheek scraping dirt, vision half-swallowed by darkness.

You heard someone shouting. Then relentless slashing. A few moments later, a flashbomb went off—blinding light, the nevron staggering.

Then the world fell quiet.

⸻

Later at the camp, the fire hissed low, fed with wet branches and too much silence. You were patched up—sort of. Bandages coiled tight around your arm, blood still seeping in patches. Your fingers felt stiff.

Verso sat across from you, knife in one hand, whetstone in the other. But he wasn’t sharpening it anymore, not really. Just running the blade back and forth like the sound might drown out whatever he was holding back.

Eventually, he decided that it didn’t.

“I need to ask you something,” he said, voice rough, careful.

You didn’t look at him. You were watching the fire break apart a log, one glowing crack at a time.

You knew very well what was coming. You’d spent nights hoping that nobody would notice, and if they did, they’d take it for bravery, courage, determination.

Verso waited a bit before continuing.

“Why do you keep getting in between?”

You blinked. Your arm throbbed in time with your heartbeat.

“You’re welcome, by the way.” Your attempt to play it off but it did not work in the slightest.

“I’m serious.”

“So am I.”

He stopped sharpening, metal paused on stone.

You finally found the courage to look up at him, with a hint of shame. Like a child who broke something in secret and was scared of getting caught.

There was something on his face—frustration, sure, but something more than that. Concern, guilt, maybe. A cocktail of things he was used to masking rather than wearing on the outside. And yet, he looked like he actually cared.

“You didn’t even think,” he pointed quietly. “You just jumped.”

“I saw an opening.”

“It wasn’t yours to take.”

“But it saved you.”

“And it could’ve killed you. My wounds heal, remember?”

You didn’t flinch, but reality landed hard. You looked away again, jaw tightening. He was right. Verso wasn’t like the others. He could protect himself, and even if he were to be caught up in a critical moment, it was impossible for him to perish.

So, what was the point, after all?

He didn’t push you, instead just let the silence roam the atmosphere for a couple of minutes.

You stirred the fire with a stick. Watched embers scatter.

“I don’t have a death wish, if that’s what you’re thinking,” you said eventually. “It’s about not watching someone else get hurt or even worse, die. Again.”

“I remember every face we’ve lost. Every damn one of them. And not just how they died. How they looked before. The way Triss laughed when she was half-drunk. The scar on Leon’s chin. Hell, even Haye’s stupid tricks. I carry that around like a ledger. And it’s haunting, it’s haunting to think that they’re gone, and I’m….miraculously still here.”

Your eyes were tired, not hard for Verso to tell. Flat. Like you’d been hollowed out and just kept walking.

“I survived when they didn’t,” you concluded. “So yeah. I stepped in. And if I have to do it again tomorrow, I gladly will.”

Verso looked down at his hands. The fire made his skin glow like old copper.

“I get it,” he said finally, voice quiet. “I do.”

You raised an eyebrow.

“I’ve felt it, too,” he went on. “The guilt. That weight that never goes anywhere. The way it settles into your bones, like it belongs there. Like maybe you’re only still alive because someone else isn’t.”

He exhaled slowly.

“But the thing is… that guilt? It doesn’t go away by bleeding for it.”

You shook your head. “Then what does?”

Verso hesitated.

“I don’t know,” he admitted. “But I do know it’s not this. Not throwing yourself in front of every monster that wants to rip us apart. That just makes you another name for someone else’s ledger.”

You swallowed, throat suddenly dry.

“It’s not about being a hero,” you said. “I’m not trying to be brave. I just…I just feel like I shouldn’t be the one being alive right now. Someone else could offer better, be better than I’ll ever be.”

“I know. I know the feeling.”

“Then why do you look like I’ve betrayed you?”

Verso was carrying just as many ghosts as you. Maybe more. Hundreds more of them. And there he stood, still trying his best to guide you deeper with his knowledge, sit and fight by you and your team’s side.

Verso was one strong man.

You couldn’t compare to him. You were just making futile attempts to make yourself feel better, less haunted by your comrades desperate screams and pale bodies.

It wasn’t the healthiest route, but it was the only available one.

“You think you’re the only one who hurts when someone dies?” he asked, voice cracking just slightly. “You think if it had been you lying in the dirt tonight, I’d have been fine with that? Just another name, right?”

Your stomach twisted. You really felt like a child getting scolded at.

“I’m not fine,” he said. “I’m scared. Every time you do this, I think—this is it. This is the time you don’t get up.”

You looked down at your hands. They were trembling. Was it the shock from the rawness and honesty of his words? Or was it because someone had actually managed to destroy the walls you’ve been building, seeing right through you?

You felt naked, exposed.

“I don’t want to lose you,” he admitted.

You let his words sit for a beat.

You didn’t want to lose him either. You knew that for him, things were different. But even so, just the mere thought that maybe there’s a slight opening in the loop that could break, was dreadful enough for you to defend him and offer to sacrifice your life like you would for your mortal companions.

“Sometimes I think I’ve already lost myself. Back on the first run. Maybe even before that.”

“I keep going because I don’t know what else to do. Because if I stop, if I let it all catch up, I don’t know what’s left.”

Verso reached for your hand slowly, like you were a spooked animal he didn’t want to scare off. It hovered over yours for a while, testing the waters. You didn’t pull away and eventually, his gentle touch embraced you. He caressed your hand gently before bringing it close to his lips and giving it a soft peck.

“You’re still here,” he said. “That’s what’s left. And that’s what matters. When one falls behind…”

You looked up at him, teary eyed now.

“…we keep pushing forward.” You finished the sentence with a sob.

Verso had his ways of entering your heart, such were his tricks. Conversations with Verso were always deeper, and he somehow managed to bring peace to your core.

“You don’t have to fix the past,” he reassured, scooting closer and wrapping an arm around you carefully not to worsen your injury. “You just have to stop making yourself a sacrifice for it.”

You inhaled and exhaled a couple of times in an attempt to calm yourself from having a complete breakdown.

The fire crackled.

Finally, you leaned back onto his embrace, curling your injured arm closer to your chest.

He eyed you closely.

“So….What’s the plan if it gets infected and falls off?”

You blinked. “Guess I become right-handed.”

He raised a brow. “You are right-handed.”

“Oh. Right.”

You both smiled.

“I’ve lost a lot of blood,” you added.

Verso snorted. “Yeah, I noticed. You almost painted a Jackson bloody Pollock on the dirt back there.”

You gave a weak grin. “Art’s subjective.”

He shook his head as he grabbed a blanket for you. “You’re insufferable.”

You wrapped it around your shoulders, already feeling warmer. “And yet… you’re still here.”

He muttered something under his breath and threw another log on the fire. But he didn’t move away.

Neither did you.

And for the first time in a long time, you let your mind rest.

I do not recommend to read this before you had finished Act 1 and 2

ENGLISH IS NOT MY FIRST LANGUAGE, I try my best, please be gentle. And I don't have finish the game yet, so some description are going to be unclear because I don't now the why from the how and the for what of the question.

This is an idea, not my best, but the best I can do without having finished the game yet.

It takes me 4 days, I am not gonna lie, I'm happy to be free form this story now TvT

TW : mention of dead, near-death experience, mourning, angst but fluffy ending.

You were part of the expedition Zero with Verso. For the first expedition everyone was naive enough to be happy to "save the world". Nothing would had never prepared you to the truth.

At first, neither you or Verso see a problem to the immortality. It was before realizing you were having to kill everyone who will ever try to save the world too for keeping it. Quickly, you had decided to live with your life choices but without hurting anyone who had never the luck to choose.

Renoir was a problem. This man will always be a problem as long as he will breath. So when it was appearing clearly that Verso will not continued to help him, he had tried to separate you and Verso. Killing you was according to him the best way to do it. Renoir was convincing himself that without you Verso will finally see the true.

Tough luck, you were not likely to make his project easier and Verso was not to. You had would to run away with Verso by your side. But Verso, stubborn he was, only desired to fight his father. He convinced you to go away without him, saying he will found you later. Accordinf to him, your priority was to escape from Renoir. You had hesitated a long time before finally leave without him. After all he seemed like if he was knowing what to do more than you.

When he found you, three weeks after this event while you were sure you had let him die, he was looking exhausted. But the main shock come from the scar on his face. It was still fresh. Worried for him, you proposed you help that he refused. He had passed the night alone, in an isolated corner of your makeshift camp.

Since, your life with Verso was "peaceful". If we take apart all the remorse, the pain and the distress you shared. The life was certainly boring and dangerous sometimes, but you were grateful to be both in this, and not alone. Being alone in this world where the time had seemed to stop for the objects, when for trade with the Gestrals you have to fight (Monoco who the only hobby was to fight everything and everyone was just the icing on the cake) and with the giants Nevrons. Even if it's on some point of view this was an amazing place and that in despite of everything you were liking Gestrals, anyways, you also had good reasons to go crazy.

Your relation-ship with Verso was complicated. He did not share anything about his life, the conversation you can have were always vague and unclear and he was having this odious habit to disappear without any warning. But, he was having a good heart, always carrying even if he kept distance between you and him, always ready to help and always the first to have problem for his friends. Like this day when you were looking for Esquie's stones and a Nevron taken both of you by surprise. But most of the time he was distant with you when he was more open with Monoco or Esquie. Till an event that had made him change his behaviour…

Verso had disapeared again when you chosed to do something for keeping busy your mind. It was better than waiting him to return to the camp with anxiety. You decided to hunt some Nevron that were making your camp in danger those last days because pf their proximity. During the hunt you had faced a Nevron really strong. Type of them you usally avoid because they are so tall that they can eat you. You had tried to bypass it, but a wrong sum of distance made you fell. The Nevron turned to you and throwed his hand on you. You started to run but can not escaped from the giant hand. You felt your body been lift in the air. You tried to cut the Nevron's fingers but your sword had strayed on the ground. You used an another sword but it was more little than the one you had losted.

At the same time, you saw the mouth came closer. Your first thought in this situation was to Verso because if you die like this he will be alone. And the second was that you will absolutely not die by beenning eat. The Nevron maked a strident scream as you cut permanently one of his finger. In a desperate way to slow uour fall, you stabed your dagger in the Nevron body, which cut it all the way down because of your weight and the strenght with which you had fallen on him. You had done the half of the distance which separated you from the ground when your dagger go out the Nevron's body. You fell free during less than ten metre. Your body touched the grown with violence as you heard disgusting sound from your left leg. If the bones were only broken you could were lucky. The Nevron was now focus on his injuries more than you and gathering what was remaining of your determination, you ran untill the forest where you had will at least be protect from the giant Nevron.

Finally safe the adrenaline had started to leave slowly but surely your body as your leg started to hurt more and more. When you had realized you were lost, it was clear that you will not survive. You were ignoring where Verso can be, and anyway, you were alone in this forest. You were laying against a tree, closed eyes trying to forget the pain in your body as you were accepting the fatality.

When you regained consciousness you were laying on something definitively more comfortable than roots. You started to look for Verso around you but trying to move was harder than you expected.

"Do not dare to move, you have had enough issues today don't you think ?"

That was Verso voice without a doubt. Now he had changed his position you perfectly saw his figure against the light. He helped you to sit up a little more straight as he holded you a bowl of water.

"How did you find me ?" You asked once you were rehydrated.

Verso placed the bowl and looked at you. His gaze was grave. His skin seemed pale.

"You are very lucky because for the first time in my whole life I had decided to listen to a presentiment that made me looking for you. My way had crossed the way of that giant Nevron greatly messed up. And what was not my surprise when I found your sword on the grown and you were nowhere. When I had found you, you were breathing so fraily that I believed you were dead. That's how I found you."

You were thinking he was mad at first, but the light had reflected a tear running down his cheek. He seemed in fact, more hopeless than angry.

"I'm sorry." Was the only good thing you found to say. You move your hand on his, making him feel you were alive.

"Be more careful the next time. You need to rest now."

After this event, you became closer to Verso than never before. None of you ever said to the other that you were loving him, or at least liking his company. You had shared particular alchemy which needed no words to exist.

It was just living through your actions. Verso had taken the habit to check on you discreetly after each fight and reciprocally you did the same. But there are a lot of other things.

Like how you had learned to appreciated Verso's fighting obsession and you were always supporting him when he was fighting against the Gestrals or Monoco. You were so supportive that one day you had strated a street fight to "defend his honour" as you said. Reciprocally Verso learned to love your dancing obsession by watching you dance until late in the evening during quiet day.

Or how Verso was so surprise to learn that you were a dancer before the fracture as you were surprised to discover his love for write poems. One night he was observing you dancing. He approched you discreetly as possible. You did seen him only during a pirouette that make you end at two step of him. "You are magnificent" he whsipered so low that you had thinked to dream at first. You smiled adn thanked him. Later, when you gone to sleep, he had confided to you that he will love to see you dance while he was playing piano.

And even some days, when the weather was not pleasant, you were sleeping together because it will be unnecessary to get sick by catching cold.

Now, Verso was not going anywhere without you and you were more comfortable with his company than never before.

During three decades you lived pacified of your remorse, sharing them with each other the days when they come to haunt you. Three decades during which you had learned to love each other without having the need to tell it a single time. It was just in the exchanged look, in the air between you and your way to communicate.

When you were going out, Esquie was the first to tease Verso about why he does not proposed you. After all you were living together since so long and your mutual affection was clear. Worst, you were even not a couple because someone was too scared about his father to live each moment to the full. to Verso was always having the same answer : he was not loving you like a husband can love his wife or like a boyfriend is supposed to love his girlfriend. Esquie was always laughing at him, saying he was too hung-up and that on day it will be to late to make a move.

Sometimes Verso was surprising himself to wish he had listened to Esquie teasing more carefully.

Everything seemed to be fine while you were eating with Verso and Monoco at the top of a mountain after having defeated a lot of Stalacs and others Nevrons of all kinds. Monoco and Verso were, like they used to, argued about which one had killed the most of Nevrons. Of course, they were disapproved mutually the numbers they proposed to each other. You would been laughing with them if you did not felt sick. Since you woke up this morning you were feeling sick but a sickness really weird. You said nothing to your friends because you know they would haved postpone this trip. And despite your state, you were awared of the important for Monoco and Verso to pass time together and Verso would haved never leave you alone if you had been honest.

Now, sitting with them at the end of the day you were feeling the insistent gaze of Verso on you. He was clearly suspecting something. Speaking of the devil, Verso sat down by your side and taken a deep breathe before talking.

"What is happening with you ?" He asked gently.

"I do not know... I'm not feeling well. I probably need to sleep, it will go better later."

"You are sure ? Because, I did not want to be the overprotective guy of the team, more the time pass more pale you seem."

"I'm going to be ok, no reasons to worry I swear." I said during I stand up to take some deep breathe.

You were going in circles around the campfire, trying to escape to the pain, when suddenly a completely unexpected terror capture your body. Your body was paralysed, you were suddenly freezing. As you gaze met Verso you only saw the same terror than yours tormenting him. As he ran toward you, you had lowered your head looking to your body. The petals around it were gorgeous. Verso was calling you, terrified. Looking at him, you understood immediately that do not looked too good. Scared, you tried to hug him. You were not understanding what was happening but you did not had wanting to die.

Everything happened so fast, you had desperately screamed Verso name as you were walking toward him but before you even had a chance to reach him, you disappear. Literally. Of you, they were only lasting petals which were flying in the cold breeze.

And easily as it seemed to be, Verso and Monoco were now only two on the top of this moutain. The only proof of your existence was a bracelet in snow right where you just had disapeared. The one you made at the same time you made one to offer to Verso with complementary colours. Verso had never felt so distraught and useless than this day.

You were so naive to believe that after having found Gustave, Lune, Maelle and Sciel you will been capable of anything. Because the true was standing in front of you, awful and painful as always. An old man was killing Gustave in front of you and you can not done nothing to prevent this. You were hating to feel so useless, if you did not found a way to move quickly Maelle was going to die to.

You tried to save time by distracting the old man. You screamed, cried, insulted him, you had done everything you could without moving your body. The old man seemed to lost his patience enough to approach you. You continued to insult him and to demonstrate the hate you had for him. If you had to die, you had to make it something.

As the old man raised his cane to hit your face, you had closed your eyes. But the punch never came. When you opened your eyes the first think you saw was an expedition uniform. Nut it was really damaged and old. An unknow man saved your life.

Unknow did not felt to be the rightword to describe him, but you clearly can not had known this man in Lumiers because he was giving something you would never had forget if you had ever passed by him, if you had ever met him.

Even his voice when he talked to the old man seemed familiar to you.

As the old man disapear, you finally recovered your hability to move. You stood immediately and started to walk to the unknow man who disapear too before you can said anything. You did not even saw his face.

Later when you had set up a new camp in a deafening silence you finally had the chance to see the face Mister Mysterious. Maybe if you were not unsettled and tired as you were, you would asked important questions like "How do you find us ?" or "How can we be sure of your honesty ?" but the only thing question that escaped from your lips was "How did I know you ?".

Your gaze was meeting Verso gaze, you were sure this man was not as unknown for you as he was for the girls. By the way, the same girls were watching your awkward interaction with attention.

"I'm not really sure... For being honest you are looking exactly like a friend I had three decades ago. She was the victim of the gommage."

You prudently came closer to Verso.

"Since I am little, I make dreams about things I feel like I had already lived. When I wake up, I never remember exactly the people or the subject of the dream but I always feel a hole in my heart. Here, I had wrote all the things I was remembered after I wake up in this notebook since the last ten years." You said as you were holding out in the notebook.

Verso taken the notebook. When your fingers had brused Verso's fingers you felt a strange blush going to your head. You were waiting for him to say something, looking at your hands anxiously, thinking you were maybe crazy. After some time to brows your notebook Verso laughed.

"I can not understand half of this because of the lack of information, but according to what I had can gotten your dreams seems to be moments of your past life for sure. For exemple, I will never forget the day we met Esquie and François and you seem to do not having forget it too. "The strange man fell in the water and got hurt" the true would be more something like "Esquie defied him to dive in the cold water, he missed and a rock injuried his head." He said giggling a little bite.

Verso continued to explain you what he was understanding in your notebook while you were sitting around the camp fire. It was strange to listening to someone you never saw in your life but at the same with who you feel seen and safe for the first time since you "restart ?" it in Lumieres three decades ago.

All your life you were feeling like Lumieres was not the place where you were supposed to be. During thrity years you were feeling incomplete and as you were strating to understand why, you were also realizing that you were remembering some specific fact about Verso.

"Your favorite colour is purple." You said suddenly.

Verso looked at you surprised before nodding his head as approval.

"I can't remeber a lot of things, but I remember things like you were liking to write poems and playing piano. Oh, and we were sharing a best-friend.. Nomoco ? Comono ?... MONOCO right ?!"

"Yes it is. He will be happy to see you."

"I know I'm not supposed to ask this so you do not have to answer to this question if you do not want to. What are we ? I feel like I have a lot of feeling for you and all of them bring me comfort that I never experience before.."

"Well… We were something like close friends. If you ask to Esquie, he will say that we were a couple. But none of us ever said "I love you" because what we were sharing was just the way it was and I suppose that we never feel the need to explain it. On one hand, I am not really sure about my feeling. It's easy to say you love someone when she is the only company you have which is like you, which is understanding your pain as no one ever did. On the other hand, I am mourning you since three decades. At first I was thinking that the pain will go away with the time but it was never. When I saw you earlier, looking for trouble with Renoir I had almost lost my mind. You were here, in front of me and you were already putting yourself in trouble… And I was scared"

Verso taken a deep breath before putting his hands on yours. When he looked at you with his sweet gray eyes you had felt a familiar warmth going all over your body.

"I do not know about what the futur is made, but if you authorise me, I will appreciate to show you all the love I never show you before. I am not affraid anymore, I do not know why I am having a second chance but this time I want to make the thing great. Let me tell you about your past life. Let me tell you how much you were making me go crazy when you were laughing, how good you were at fighting and at dance. And let me show you this."

He held two bracelets out to you. He did not needed to explain because you were remembering making a dream about those bracelets. You were trading with Gestrals for some precious stones. You were wanting to make something special for celebrate your twenty years of friendship with someone. Now you were discovering who was this someone.

"This one is yours". He said, taking gently your wrist to put the bracelet on it.

You had taken time to look at it. You immediately saw the way that the pearls on your bracelet were matching Verso colour eyes and the way that his bracelet was matching pearls with your eyes colour.

"I feel complete with you. And in peace like I never feel before." You confess.

Verso came closer to you. He put his hand on your cheek and suddently hugged you tightly.

"I had wish I can hug you like this again since so long that it is feeling like an eternity. I will never let you go away from me again, never, I promise."

pairing: verso x reader

words: 600

summary: verso hasn’t laughed with you, his decade long companion, in a while. But he does with Sciel. And you absolutely hate it.

The glow of the campfire bathed the scenery in warmth, its crackle blending with the soft murmurs of the expeditioners. Stars pierced the misty night, and the air carried the scent of pine and earth. You and Verso, bound by decades of shared immortality, sat by the edge of the fire. Usually, you’d be at his side, sharing a quiet glance, but tonight, you sat apart, heart heavy with jealousy that felt both foolish and sharp.

You’d joined the team to guide them to the Paintress, their only hope to put an end to the gommage. It was a noble cause, one you and Verso embraced with steady resolve.

But watching him tonight, chuckling with Sciel, the group’s spirited scout, had cracked something in you. Her animated gestures drew his warm laugh—a sound so rare now, one that once belonged to your late-night talks. The way he leaned toward her, eyes bright, left you hollow.

Now you were staring into the fire, arms crossed. You were blinking intensely, in an attempt to prevent tears from escaping your eyes as the scene played back like an inescapable nightmare.

At least everyone had retreated for the night.

Well, almost everyone.

“You’ve been quiet,” he said, voice low, stepping closer. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” you were quick to say, and a little too sharp. You regretted it instantly. It wasn’t his fault you were feeling this way.

He raised an eyebrow, settling closer you on the log. “Years together, and you think I can’t read you? Try again.”

You sighed in defeat. He was right, both of you knew each other so well it was getting ridiculous. Hiding from him was impossible.

And so, defeat was a one way street.

“You’re… different with Sciel. That laugh—I haven’t heard it in so long.”

Verso stilled, his eyes searching yours in the firelight. A faint smile curved his lips, but it was tinged with something softer, sadder. “Jealousy looks good on you,” he said, voice gentle. “But it’s misplaced.”

You looked away, throat tight. “It doesn’t feel misplaced. It feels like I’m losing you, Verso.”

In an instant, his hand found yours, warm and sure, grounding you like it always had. “Losing me?” he repeated, almost a whisper. “You’re woven into every piece of me. You’re my eternity, y/n.”

The ache in your chest eased as soon as you felt his touch, but doubt still lingered. “Then why does it hurt?” you asked, voice barely audible. “Seeing you light up for her…”

He squeezed your hand, pulling you closer. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I didn’t see it. Maybe I’ve been a bit too caught up with our new friends, but it’s you I need. Always you. We’re just helping out here like we’ve always done, yeah?”

You met his gaze, his eyes fierce with truth, and the jealousy began to dissolve. You nodded.

He was right. As cruel as it sounded, no matter what, in the end it would just the two of you left again.

“I feel so stupid,” you admitted, a small laugh escaping. “Getting worked up over a laugh.”

“Don’t,” he said, his thumb brushing your knuckles. “It’s not stupid. It’s us. And I love that you care enough to feel this.”

His smile turned playful. “It’s kind of charming, actually.”

You nudged him, warmth creeping back.

“Charming, huh?”

“Devastatingly so,” he teased, but his arm around you was steady, real. “I owe you a laugh, don’t I?”

“Several,” you said, leaning into him, the fire’s glow embracing you both.

Okay so, Verso x reader x hurt/comfort

Verso helping her through something like a panic attack or something... and they kinda realize feelings exist for each other so it's also like how they get together 🥹

Please and thank you. 😊

I Notice You [Verso Dessendre]

pairing: verso x reader

words: 1.1k

It started with the walls.

Too quiet. Too big. The manor creaked like it was breathing in the most awful way possible, and every sound made your skin crawl. You were supposed to be resting—safe for the night, bedroll laid out in one of the dusty guest rooms while the rest of the expedition slept in rooms as such.

But your mind wasn’t letting you.

Your body was buzzing, chest tight. Way too tight.

You sat up fast, gripping your knees to your chest, heart thudding loud in your ears. The shadows around you felt wrong—not dangerous, but warped somehow. You couldn’t breathe right.

Couldn’t think straight.

The bravery shown for the day had evaporated completely, stripping you naked and leaving you exposed to reality.

There was no point in breathing. One more day of life meant one more step towards death. You wouldn’t make it, you believed in your core that you just weren’t strong enough to endure all this. For you, it felt like a suicide mission. All these people lost, what were the chances of survival? You know you had to keep on going, but at that moment, it was just impossible.

And just before the shadowed thoughts consumed you completely…

“Hey.”

The door creaked open just enough for Verso to slip through.

He wasn’t in full gear—just the base layer of his uniform and the usual sharpness in his eyes. You didn’t know how he knew. You hadn’t made a single sound.

But there he was, standing like he’d been waiting for something to wake him up.

“You okay?” he asked, voice low.

You shook your head fast.

It was getting worse, flirting with utter desperation.

Tears flooded your eyes.

This was the end wasn’t it? Your end. Not in the way you’d always dreamed of. Not in the way stories told.

But rather, in the most cruel, inhumane way.

Verso moved in without another word. He crouched in front of you, giving you space but staying close enough to anchor you.

“Can you talk?”

You tried but failed miserably. You felt as if you no longer had control over your own body, barely able to react.

“Okay,” he said gently. “That’s alright. Just look at me.”

You managed to oblige after a few moments. Your eyes burned, but you did.

“Everything is alright, y/n, you’re safe, okay? Try to breathe.”

You nodded.

“Just copy me. That’s it.”

He inhaled slow. Measured. Then exhaled like he was showing you how it was done.

You followed, shaky at first, but trying.

Verso didn’t rush you, crowd you. He just kept the rhythm steady like a heartbeat you could sync to.

“Good,” he murmured after a minute. “You’re doing good.”

After a few repetitions and encouragement, you were trembling still, but your chest wasn’t as tight.

Eventually, the spinning slowed. You clutched a bit of your blanket with one hand, the other halfway to your mouth like you didn’t know what to do with it.

He saw.

“Can I take your hand?”

You nodded again.

He reached out slowly—no pressure, just presence—and laced his fingers with yours. His grip was firm, not suffocating.

“There you go,” he whispered. “You’re not alone.”

You let out a breath that sounded more like a sob.

“I’m sorry,” you choked. “I don’t even know what set it off. I was fine, and then I thought of our future and—”

“You don’t need to explain,” he said. “Not to me. I know this place is a nightmare you can never wake up from.”

You stared at the floor, blinking fast.

“I feel stupid.”

“You’re not.”

“I feel weak.”

“You’re not.” His voice was stronger now. “Look at me.”

And so you did again.

“You’re human,” he replied. “You’ve carried more than most people can handle and still keep walking. That’s so fucking far from being a weakness.”

You’ve never had the chance to explore deeper conversations with Verso. You were usually caught up in more lighthearted moments which fuelled your motivation more than you’d ever admit. You enjoyed being around him, making jokes you knew he’d get back at you for.

It made your whole journey more…

Human, perhaps.

You could tell from the way he looked at you that meant every single word he’d said.

“You didn’t have to come check on me,” you whispered.

“I couldn’t sleep,” he said. “Something felt off.”

You blinked. “You felt me having a breakdown through the walls?”

“As odd as it may sound, I just knew,” he answered. “You were too quiet today, distant. I always have a feeling when it’s you.”

That shut you up completely.

Verso realized what he said about half a second too late, then rubbed the back of his neck with his free hand.

“Sorry,” he muttered. “That was… probably too much.”

“No,” you said quickly. “It’s not. I just… didn’t know you noticed.”

“I notice everything when it comes to you.”

That sat between you like a second heartbeat.

You gripped his hand tighter.

“I always thought you were so controlled,” you said. “Like nothing could touch you.”

He smiled, a little crooked. “You touch me. Constantly.”

That made you laugh—quiet and a little breathless, but real, nonetheless.

“Did you mean it?” you asked after pausing for a few moments.

“What part?”

“That you notice me.”

He didn’t answer right away. Instead, he sat back a little, his thumb brushing lightly over the back of your hand.

“I notice everything about you,” he finally admitted. “The way your hands shake when you think too hard. The way you pace in circles when you’re pretending to be fine. The way you always try to be the one holding things together even when you’re falling apart.”

You swallowed hard.

“I notice you,” he said again. “Because I care about you. More than I probably should. More than I normally allow myself to.”

Your throat closed up for an entirely different reason.

But his words hit home. Almost like you shared the same thoughts, the same worries.

And that was why, in appreciation of his honesty, you decided to return the gesture.

You never knew what tomorrow would bring, and if it were to bring eternal darkness, at least you’d go out without any regrets.

“I care about you too,” you said softly. “I care a whole lot. I just… didn’t know if I could say it.”

“Well, you just did.”

You smiled, watery-eyed.

“I’m glad we’re on the same page.”

“Mhmm.”

“Hey, Verso?”

“Yeah?”

“Can you stay?”

He didn’t even hesitate before answering.