#and it all started out with how thomas was reassuring varian but then it just. eyes. mouths. blurriness. bliss.

[amyriadfthings]

Please don´t send help but provisions I´m lost and melted between hundreds of frames of the lovefry reunion kiss at the villa in ep 1 🫠🫠🫠🫠🫠🫠🫠🫠🫠🫠

[whitecatindisguise]

Ummm, ok. You said you took oneshot requests so...hehe, you don’t have to do this at all, it’s just an idea. But what about a little oneshot of Human Ruddiger au? Idk. :P

Okay, let's do this. Hope it turns out well 😅

TW: blood, injury

Little Raccoon Boy

Varian was walking through the forest near Old Corona, humming softly. He had a leather satchel draped over his shoulder, already filled with several herbs and flowers which he could use in his alchemy later.

Suddenly, he heard a quiet whimper from the nearby bushes. He stopped, intrigued, and slowly approached the source of the sound. He pushed away the branches and to see what was going on.

To his surprise, and horror, he saw a young boy, probably around 7 years old, lying on the grass and crying. His left leg was stuck in the bear trap villagers put out in the forest to keep the animals from stealing their crops.

Varian's mind froze as he observed the scene, the blood visible on the kid's leg. He gulped down the wave of coming nausea at the sight of blood. No time for that.

He quickly, but carefully emerged from the bushes and approached the crying child. The boy startled at his arrival, and tried to shuffle away, resulting in the trap burying itself deeper into the leg. The boy cried out in pain.

"Shhh, hey. It's alright." Varian raised his hands in the air to show they were empty. "I'm not going to hurt you. I only want to help."

The boy ceased his crying, but was still watching Varian with wide, terrified eyes. Varian slowly came closer and kneeled next to the boy, suppressing another wave of nausea.

"O-okay. I'm going to open the trap now and get our your leg." He said and looked up at the kid.

The boy was silent and eyed Varian fearfully. His grey eyes slowly moved to the trap and back to the young teen. Finally he seemed to understand and slowly nodded his head. Varian took a deep breath and grabbed the sides of the trap.

"This is going to hurt, but I'll try to be as gentle as possible." He warned and gave the boy a reassuring smile.

The kid let out another cry of pain when the trap opened, and Varian worked fast to move it away, before releasing his hold, the sharp metal smacking shut the moment he did so.

The child's leg didn't look so good. The metal went in deep and the wound was bleeding heavily. Varian's vision swum for a moment, but he shook his head and untied his apron, securing it tightly around the injury.

"This needs to be cleaned and bandaged properly." He said more to himself than to the kid. He eyed the terrified boy and weighed his options. He could take him to the medic, but he knew for a fact the man was absent right now, taking a trip to the capital in need of some medicines. Or, he could take the boy back home with him, which was actually closer than the clinic, and had some of his own medicines which would be able to help.

Making up his mind, Varian stood up and held up a hand to the kid. The grey eyes stared at him perplexed, the boy cocking his head in puzzlement.

"Come on, I'll take you home. We can take care of your leg there." The alchemist said and smiled in a way that, hopefully, would calm the kid down enough to trust him.

The small boy seemed to think for a few moments, before he reluctantly grabbed the held-out hand. Varian gently helped him stand up. The boy suddenly hissed in pain and fell back down, when he unconsciously put the weight on the injured leg. The grey eyes welled with tears and Varian took only a moment to assess situation and decide on the next course of action.

Slowly and calmly explaining what he was doing, he picked up the kid to secure him safely on his back and made his way home. He could feel the boy stiffen when they entered the village, but also look around in, what seemed like, curiosity.

Dad was working on the pumpkin patch in front of the house when they arrived. He looked up to his son and his brows furrowed in the unrecognizable expression at the sight of the boy on Varian's back.

"Found him in the forest. His leg got stuck in one of the bear traps." Varian quickly explained. "Dr. Therry is in the capital today, so-"

Dad's eyes landed on the kid's leg, blood starting to seep through the apron and he nodded quickly. They entered the house and dad motioned for Varian to set the boy on the kitchen table, while he left to bring bandages and water to clean the wound.

When the large man came back, the kid seemed to tense, eyes wide in fear. He started to tremble and unconsciously hid behind Varian, hands gripping the teen's shirt.

"Hey, it's okay. It's just dad." The alchemist tried to calm the boy down with a reassuring smile. "He might look scare but he won't hurt you."

After some more cooing, the kid finally let dad approach and unwrap the wounded leg. The father and son duo worked together at cleaning and treating to the injury, Varian leaving only for a moment to bring some ointment of his own design which helped in healing wounds faster.

When he came back from his lab, the boy almost jump down from the table to hug him, if not stopped by dad.

"He seems to feel comfortable around you." Quirin commented as Varian spread the medicine over the wound and let his dad bandage the leg. "He tensed up the moment you left his sight."

"I wonder how did he even got in the forest. I've never seen him around the village." Varian pondered as the kid once again reached for his sleeve and grabbed to it.

"Neither have I." Dad nodded and looked up at the kid, who shrunk a little under the man's gaze. "He's also strangely quiet."

"Didn't say a word since I found him." The alchemist confirmed. Dad finished wrapping the bandage and smiled gently.

"All done, little one. Luckily the trap didn't break any bones or muscles, so it should heal in a week or so." He brushed the boy's head in a friendly manner.

The kid tensed at the touch at first, but quickly noticed it didn't mean any harm, so he eagerly leaned to the touch. Varian smiled at the boy and helped him down, the kid quickly wrapping him in a hug once he was standing on the floor.

"Oofff, you need a bath, kid." The alchemist scrunched his nose. "You smell like you haven't washed for MONTHS."

"I'll get the water ready." Quirin chuckled and Varian nodded in appreciation.

"Come on, let's see if any of my old clothes will fit you. Yours need a proper washing too." The teen untangled the boy from around his waist and took his hand instead, leading the boy upstairs.

By the time dad came back, saying the bath was ready, they managed to find some grey shirt, black trousers and a pair of shoes which were almost the kid's size. The shoes were a little too big, and the shirt needed a belt around the waist, but the could work with that until his own clothes were clean.

Varian helped the kid undress and wash, the boy very interested in bubbles that filled the tub. He didn't seem to mind Varian scrubbing away the dirt from his back, humming in delight the whole time.

"Say... do you have a name?" Varian asked as he helped the kid dry with a towel. Grey eyes looked up at him, the head cocked to the side in puzzlement. "A name. Like... I'm Varian." The teen pointed at himself and then at the boy. "And you?"

The kid blinked and then grinned cheerfully, but not saying anything. Varian sighed. Great, he was probably mute.

"Okay then, but I can't keep calling you kid . Do you want me to choose one for you?" He asked and the boy thought for a moment before nodding fervently. "Okay... how about... Damien?" The boy scrunched his nose in disgust and shook his head. "No? Then... Thomas?" Another shake. "Nate? Brian?" Two shakes again. "Flynn?" Varian asked hopefully. The kid seemed to think for a moment but shook his head again.

Varian sighed as he watched the boy put on the trousers and the shirt, wondering how easy it was for parents to choose the name for their children. They didn't have choice in the matter. If your parents decided you'll be called Glenn or Stanley, then that's what you were stuck with for your whole life. But choosing a name for a 7-year-old kid?

"Ruddiger?" He tried again, remembering the name of the dog they used to have when he was younger. It died of old age few years ago, but Varian still kinda missed him.

The boy stopped at his attempt to put on a shoe and looked up at Varian, eyes glistening. He nodded once, twice, so many times the alchemist thought for a moment his head is going to fall off.

"Great! Ruddiger it is!" He confirmed with a small chuckle.

"Boys! The dinner is ready!" They heard dad's voice from the kitchen. Varian grabbed the kid's hand and led him downstairs.

Little did any of them know, this was the day little Ruddiger came into their lives and was there to stay.

------

Okay, so that escalated quickly. As you requested, fluff with a speck of angst. Hope you like it.