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flipomatic · 2 years ago

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Lean On Me

Summary: “Are you sure you’re ready for another fight?” Seele asked, despite already knowing what both the true answer was and the lie she was about to hear.

Bronya adjusted her grip on her gun and grimaced. “Y-yes, let’s go.” Her voice was as unsteady as her steps, trembling around the first word. She lifted the weapon to aim it at the enemy and took a stumbling step forward into a haphazard stance.

Seele wasn’t buying it to say the least. A wave of both affection and annoyance washed over her as she rolled her eyes, then uncrossed her arms to rest one hand atop the raised gun. “Put this away, I have another idea.”

Author Note: Set after the main boss fight of the Jarilo-VI arc, spoilers for the end of the arc.

Word Count: 1500

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Even though the Stellaron had been subdued, its power dissipating from Cocolia in a massive burst of light, the air around Seele still crackled with a crisp chill. She remembered the spike of panic in her chest at how close Bronya was to being engulfed in that explosion, how she desperately pulled her back even as Bronya struggled against her grasp. Her heart still kicked in fear at the thought, even a whole hour later. Seele glanced over at her companion, who lingered a few steps behind her. Her cheeks appeared pale, rather than pink from the cold as they would typically be, and her steps were slow and uneasy.

Though Bronya had accepted Seele’s hand for descending the long set of stairs, after they reached the bottom she insisted on walking on her own. What a stubborn person; Seele admired her tenacity but at times like these it was troublesome.

The corridors stretched out in front of the pair and marked the rest of the long trek they still needed to make back to the Silvermane base. Since they had cleared the path earlier there were less enemies, but that didn’t mean there were no enemies. Already they had fought off two groups, though really Seele did most of the fighting. Bronya had provided a small level of backup, but her aim was far less reliable than usual and she hadn’t even tried to use her other skills.

Another enemy could be seen at the end of this hallway. It had its back to them for the moment, and when it turned around it would be sure to spot them. The two had been walking slowly between encounters, especially after the second one.

Seele clicked her tongue as she reached the end of her patience, stopping to turn towards Bronya and crossing her arms over her chest.

“Are you sure you’re ready for another fight?” Seele asked, despite already knowing what both the true answer was and the lie she was about to hear.

Seele wasn’t buying it to say the least. A wave of both affection and annoyance washed over her as she rolled her eyes, then uncrossed her arms to rest one hand atop the raised gun.

“Put this away, I have another idea.” The weight of her hand alone was enough to push the weapon down; she wasn’t even trying and yet it tilted easily towards the ground. It was just another sign of how exhausted her friend truly was.

When Seele pulled her hand away from the weapon, she waited to see how Bronya would respond. Bronya was looking down at the weapon, grey eyes unblinking and clouded. After a few seconds she sighed heavily, and then stowed the gun on her hip.

Even though Bronya didn’t speak or so much as look at her, this appeared to be silent compliance. “Come here,” Seele tapped her right hip twice, “and put your arm around my shoulders.”

“Seele…” Bronya said her name slowly, in a voice that faded in strength before it could even finish the last syllable. Her hands clenched at her sides, forming small fists that opened almost immediately. “I can walk.” She looked up to meet Seele’s gaze as she insisted in a stronger tone, echoing the same claims as earlier when she first released Seele’s hand.

At that, Seele cracked a crooked smile and shook her head. Though she’d been fighting alongside this woman over the last couple days, she clearly still had no idea what Seele’s powers were truly capable of.

“Trust me.” She said confidently, her smile only growing on her face.

Bronya blinked a couple times as she considered the offer, before letting out another long exhale. She stepped towards Seele so they were side by side, practically close enough for their hips to touch, and lifted her left arm over Seele’s shoulders as requested. When Seele wrapped her right arm around Bronya’s waist, she almost flinched back from how unexpectedly cold her body felt. She had told Seele that she was cold earlier, but now she could feel her shaking and could feel the chill from her skin.

“Dang, you really are freezing.” She couldn’t stop the quip before it left her mouth.

Bronya turned her head towards Seele to speak, her hair tickling against the crook of Seele’s neck. “You’re just too warm, is all.” Her breath felt hot against Seele’s skin, which was finally something about her that wasn’t frozen by the tundra.

For a moment they stood there, Bronya shivering and leaning on Seele as a gust of wind blew past them. The sooner they got back to base the better; now that they were this close Seele could hear the ragged and uneven sound of Bronya’s breathing and feel the sluggish beating of her heart. Her confidence faded into concern, they really needed to keep moving.

“Let’s go.” Seele said, before activating her phantom illusion. It rippled through her and jumped to her companion, turning them both a vibrant translucent purple. Bronya inhaled sharply, a slight movement that Seele could feel directly. It was followed by a small chuckle, though it lacked any real strength.

When Seele took the first step forward, Bronya followed in sync. She could feel how much Bronya was leaning against her now that she didn’t have to hold all of her own weight. They moved slowly down the corridor as they got used to walking like this, steadily picking up a bit more speed. Bronya’s shivering also decreased as they moved together, likely from Seele’s shared warmth. That was a good sign at least.

The monster turned around as they approached, causing Bronya to tense up and reach with her free hand for her gun, but it looked right through them without reacting. The heat of satisfaction swelled in Seele’s chest as they stepped around it and reached the next corridor without a fight.

Once they were far enough away from the enemy, the pair paused as she allowed the phantom illusion to drop. This made them both visible again.

Bronya immediately moved to step away from Seele, pulling her arm back and trying to move to the right. Seele just tightened her arm around Bronya’s waist in response. She refused to let go. Their eyes met with barely any space between them as Seele’s solid purple met hazy grey.

“I can…” Bronya’s protest was even weaker now, without any of the bite from earlier. Her shivering returned in full force as she leaned away with a pull that had hardly any strength behind it.

“I know.” Seele understood, but she wasn’t budging. Her arm was a vice grip around Bronya’s waist that gave her no room to flee. “That doesn’t mean you have to.”

Bronya inhaled shakily, blinking rapidly as tears formed in the corner of her eyes. “But…” One tear escaped to roll down her face, threatening to leave a frozen trail in its wake. There were more words on the tip of her tongue, Seele could see Bronya searching for how to say them. She didn’t give her the chance to keep protesting.

“I promised to protect you, didn’t I?” Seele lifted her free hand to gently wipe away that tear. “So don’t hide how you’re feeling. You can rely on me.” Her fingers lingered against Bronya’s cheek, which finally regained a hint of their usual color.

Bronya’s eyes glimmered back at her, at last clear of the fog that had occupied them to this point. She didn’t pull away from Seele’s touch. “You’re right, I… I’m sorry.” Her voice was soft, almost inaudible if not for their proximity. “I’m not cold like this.” Bronya muttered, leaning her face slightly against Seele’s fingers.

“If you keep leaning on me, I’ll forgive you.” Seele felt an odd mix of concern and relief as she replied, and she wondered if Bronya could see it. Her fingers lingered for only a moment before she allowed her left hand to fall back to her side.

This time without any hesitation, Bronya nodded and leaned against her. She wrapped her arm around Seele’s shoulders the same way she had before, and the two were able to resume walking.

They still had some distance to cover, but like this Seele was confident that Bronya wouldn’t keel over. If she did, then at least Seele was in a great position to catch her. Soon they would be back to the Silvermane base and would be able to get her some real medical care. The longer they walked together the warmer Bronya felt against her, the more comfortable she felt with their bodies side by side like this.

Seele had promised to protect her, and she intended to keep that promise, no matter what it took. Whether it was from dangerous enemies or the pervasive chill that surrounded them, she would be there when Bronya needed her.

As she supported the weight of a person she had met less than a week ago, warming her with her own body, she vowed to never break that promise.

#bronseele #honkai star rail #honkai star rail fic #bronya rand #seele #seele star rail #bronya star rail #spoilers #honkai star rail spoilers #spoilers through jarilo-vi arc #I love them #they're soulmates I will not accept debate

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