#omfg undertale whump in 2024 is this healing or deterioration

[grandselfmythologizing]

GUIDING STAR— a UT Yellow fanfiction.⋆₊˚⊹♡

Fractured Dawn, Heaven-Bound; Part Two of Indeterminate . ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ In the dim light of a dilapidated, poorly-maintained clinic, the frail traveler wakes from fevered dreams to find themselves under the care of the eccentric sheriff, North Star. Amidst the pain and weakness, a fragile bond forms, offering a glimmer of hope and the promise of healing in the heart of the Wild East.

Trigger Warnings: Moments suggesting disability and/or chronic illness(es) although never explicitly stated, and body dysmorphia due to aforementioned hints. Please heed said warnings and stay safe.

The world was a haze of ache and fevered dreams. The child stirred from the depths of their unconsciousness, their body heavy and unresponsive, as though anchored to the bed by an impossible, insurmountable weight. The clinic, identified as such by a swift observation, around them was a far cry from any sanctuary of healing— its walls were cracked and peeling, the air thick with the scent of apparent neglect. The thin cot they lay upon wes draped in unwashed sheets, stiff and stained, adding to the pervasive sense of discomfort that clung to their every breath.

Their mind, still clouded by the fever's grip, struggled to piece together the unraveled fragments of their journey. They remembered the bleak corridors of the Underground, the harsh landscape that seemed determined to break their spirit, and finally, the vibrant chaos of the Wild East. And then, the sheriff— the eccentric, almost comical, caricature of a Western dream— catching them as they fell and subsequently faintined, his presence a strange amalgamation of absurdity and comfort.

Now, in the dim light of the clinic, the child felt the full weight of the ordeal settle into their weary bones, oppressed with fatigue and weakness. The adrenaline that had driven them forward was gone, replaced by a creeping pain that gnawed at their edges. Every movement was an exertion, every breath a struggle. They felt as fragile as glass, teetering on the brink of shattering.

A deep sense of abhorrence welled up within them, a loathing for the weakness that held them captive. They had always prided themselves on their resilience, their ability to push through adversity. Yet now, their body betrayed them, refusing to obey their will. They tried to sit up, to fight against the tide of their own frailty, but the effort was too much. The world tilted, their surroundings doubled in their vision hazed in weakness, and they sank back into the bed, defeated.

Fuck.

It was then that the door creaked open, and the familiar figure of the sheriff stepped into the room. Although less glorious removed from the traveler’s delirious stupor, his presence encompassed the entirety of the space, larger than life, his usual theatrical bravado tempered by a genuine concern that flickered in his eyes.

"Well, howdy there, partner," he greeted, his jubilant intonation yielding a warm, rumbling affection. "Glad to see you're awake."

Despite their near mental unravel the mere moment prior, the child managed a faint, weary smile, though it felt more like a grimace. The figure approached the bed, his movements surprisingly gentle for someone so flamboyant. He pulled up a rickety stool and sat down, and the traveler, nevertheless how delirious and exhausted, mentally remarked on how his eyes never once left their face.

Admittedly, it made him look kind of a dork— his back hunched, his limbs drawing the chair to his backside, and subsequently jolting forward nearer, and his attention undivided in almost discreet, meticulous observation of the traveler’s expression. How endearing.

"You gave us quite a scare back there," he said, his tone a mix of humor and earnestness. "Just collapsed right into me. Talk about a first meeting, huh?"

Succeeding an embarrassed flush, the child’s lips part agape a weak chuckle, which quickly escalated into a vehement cough. The cowboy’s expression softened further, a rare glimpse of the man beneath the sheriff's persona.

"Hey, listen, kiddo," he continued, "you're in pretty rough shape, yeah? We got a clinic here, but as you can see, it ain't exactly top-notch. We're doin' the best we can with what we got. But you need to rest, let yourself heal."

Huh, “kiddo”…

That was nice.

The child nodded meekly, the effort of even that minuscule, nearly indiscernible movement rendering them breathless. North Star extended a hand in reach for them, his hand resting lightly on their shoulder— swiftly obscuring a grimace upon the sharpness of bones prominent against the child’s flesh upon touch.

"I'm North Star," he introduced himself, a strained, although reassuring smile playing on his lips— and a sudden, boastful air of pride. "Sheriff of these parts, for better or worse. And you, my friend, are under my care now. So you just focus on gettin' better, and we'll take it one step at a time."

Inexplicably coaxed by the tenderness thus offered, the child's eyes fluttered closed, a sense of weary relief washing over them. It was almost against their will, instinctive— to fall so vulnerable, to the extent of unconsciousness.

For the first time since their fall into the Underground, the hope they so desperately clung to was eased and satiated. In this dilapidated clinic, under the watchful eye of a most unconventional sheriff, they had unwittingly secured themself a sanctuary, however eccentric.

And as North Star sat beside them, humming a soft tune that echoed with the warmth of a bygone era, the child drifted back into a fitful sleep. The pain and fever still clung to them, but there was a promise now, a fragile bond that whispered of healing and the strength to endure.

“When you get better, I’ll take you out for Ice Cream, yeah?”

p.s/mod’s note: rip starlo u would have 💘ed Backburner … guess i won’t ever minddd crisping up on ur backkkk burnerrrrr (distant echoes of “back burnerrr” over and over again)

also hi an update ?? to this fic ?? um …i kinda projected for a moment erm oops !! just needed a little bit of comfort ermmm damn !! IDK bro but part one here !!:

reader will get a little better maybe in the next chapter ?? and possibly meet the posse !! and Ceroba !! also here’s ur tag lemme know if u want me to stop with it LMAO @schnozzlebozzle