(IMPORTANT UPDATE) vanished (airy x reader)

13

sorry for not updating. there is a better explanation for my absence on my ao3. much love to you all if you're still here

"You probably shouldn't have gotten out of bed so fast." Airy was saying to you.

"Yeah, I know." You laid on the makeshift bed, staring glumly at the wall. After following Airy into the cave you had collapsed, leaving him to carry you back to the shed. You woke up on a cushy bed of reeds, and covered in even more of them like a poor excuse for a blanket. Apparently your fall into the lake had taken more out of you than you'd previously thought.

"You have hypothermia." He said, breaking into your thoughts.

"What? How do you know that?" You struggled to sit up, but your body worked against you.

"Try not to move..." Airy protested weakly at your attempt. "Um...I just know...I..." he trailed off without finishing.

"Yeah? Do you know how to treat it?" you had felt fine before this, right? The onset surprised you.

"Um...yeah. You need to be kept warm." Moving a little closer, Airy held a hand to your forehead. Your face warmed at the gesture. "I started a fire earlier, after I brought you back. I...thought you'd be fine if I left for a few minutes so I covered you in reeds..."

The reeds had done very little to keep your temperature up. All in all, you felt miserable and possibly close to death.

You really didn't want to go back to that place again.

You shakily stood up, allowing yourself to lean on Airy for support. He slowly led you outside towards the fire pit, being mindful of the times where you stumbled. This amount of consideration by him surprised you.

You sat down on the log, Airy next to you, leaning as close as you could towards the fire. The flames licked orange, flicking embers into the sky and steadily warming you up. A kind of warmth you hadn't felt in a long time otherwise. You relaxed considerably. Compared to the cool air of the forest, this was welcome.

Airy was quiet, not meeting your gaze, instead staring into the fire. You turned to him. "Hey, uh...thanks."

"Huh? Oh, yeah. You're...welcome." Airy seemed startled, as if he'd forgotten you were there.

"You kind of...saved my life, I think." You were sheepish, suddenly unable to meet his gaze.

"Oh." That was all he said in response to this revelation.

"Y...Yeah." You kept your head bowed, feeling sudden urge to turn away.

All was silent. You stared into the fire, keeping your gaze trained on it, as if looking away would prove deadly and sap the warmth out of your body.

"...You're still pretty cold." Airy said suddenly, moving close. His flame came on with a soft click, and you went rigid as you felt him close the gap between the two of you.

"Ah..." you looked at his flame, a little startled. "Isn't that...?"

"What?" Airy tilted his head at you. You got a good look at the crack in his face. He seemed to have recovered from it, thankfully, but part of his face was now missing. Occasionally the flame in his head jumped, making you flinch.

"Is that dangerous? Doesn't it hurt you? Because of–" You broke off, unwilling to bring up his injury. "I'm sorry."

"Sorry for what?" Airy seemed confused. "It...doesn't hurt me. I use my flame all the time." He shifted and looked back at the fire. "Sometimes...when I can't get a fire going it's all I have. I also need it to...see at night..."

"Oh. Yeah." You couldn't see Airy as someone who ventured out into the woods often, let alone at night. Shivering, you found yourself leaning into him as a brisk breeze exacerbated your ailment.

If Airy minded, he didn't say anything. He even accommodated you, putting an arm around your back. His metal body was cool to the touch but was steadily being warmed by the flames.

You felt something cold suddenly drip onto your face and you shook your head, looking up with a soft and delighted gasp. "You didn't tell me it snowed here!"

"Huh? Oh–" Airy looked up at the sky. Sure enough, snow had begun to fall. It wasn't much, but it explained the cold weather. "Y...yeah. It does snow here. Not often, though..."

Despite the cold, you smiled. You hadn't seen snow in a long time. "It's pretty, isn't it?"

"Uh...I guess so." A tiny smile appeared on Airy's face. "Yeah. It is."

You were quiet again, your brain working to recall things you had thought long forgotten. "I...used to love the snow as a kid. I didn't think I'd...see it again."

"Why is that?"

"Uh..." You froze, voice trailing off and getting lost in the cold. "I-- We-- my family-- We moved. Th-That's why. Uh, have you seen the snow? Like, at all? Or-- or did you not...ever..." Your attempts to change the subject fell pitifully flat. It wasn't like you were AVOIDING it. You'd talk about it when you were ready.

"Uh...no. I don't...think so." Airy blinked slowly. "I didn't...where I lived....didn't have snow. I think."

"Oh." Your voice dulled into the biting chill. That could have gone better. Airy turned back to the fire wordlessly and the two of you sat together until white began to dust the grass around you and the fire began to die.