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hewhostrikes · 1 year

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The Pup (Kratos)

A/N: Hello! This is my very first GOW mini fic/one shot/thing and I’m so nervous honestly, especially considering I’ve never written or posted anything serious on Kratos. Anyways, this was requested and honestly, I had a huge debate in my head whether to write this out or keep to bullet points. I settled for writing in the end, and I’d like to apologize for the short wait. I had a few things pop up irl and had to deal with them. But here we areeee. Also IM SORRY THE GIF JUST WORKS SO WELL.

WARNINGS: none! fluff, especially towards the end! ^^, a tiny bit of angst I guess? But like you gotta squint real hard. Old Kratos being old Kratos.

Summary: After hunting, you find a wolf cub not far from what you can assume is it’s deceased mother. Clearly you couldn’t simply leave it to die. The challenge here, however, is convincing Kratos to believe the same.

Holding back the shiver that threatened to take ahold of you proved difficult as the cold and harsh wind bit through your skin, chilling your very bones and surely freezing your brain. You’d been warned not to come along on this hunt, for Kratos had anticipated it to be rather long. At the thought of his name, you held back turning in the sled you currently sat on to look at him, knowing either he or Atreus would ask what’s on your mind/if you were alright. Hell, you were lucky Atreus didn’t notice how red your nose was despite sitting right next to you.

Instead, the boy seemed troubled, brows knit together in slight confusion as he subtly began looking around. You weren’t sure how he would manage to catch sight of anything given how Speki and Svanna were plowing through the snow at near light speed. You had to give it to them- those wolves worked hard. After a moment of watching Atreus become increasingly worried, you did your best to speak up.

“Atreus, are you alright?” Your teeth threatened to chatter as you spoke, though you managed to keep your composure- and gaze- hidden from plain sight. Suddenly, the sled came to a stop, and both you and Atreus looked back to find a tentative Kratos awaiting an answer. It seems your tone came off a bit too worrying. You and Atreus opened your mouths to speak, one intending to correct yourself and the other intending to provide an explanation. Thankfully, Atreus didn’t seem to notice your attempt and beat you to it, assuring his father that it wasn’t anything important.

“I just heard something, that’s all.” He explained, to which his father replied.

“What did you hear?” His voice, deep and true, rumbled about the silence that hung between everyone.

“A cry for help,” Atreus pointed ahead, right where you all were heading. It seemed it was on the pathway home. “If we keep going, we should find it!” His tone sounded hopeful, and it didn’t take a genius to figure what the boy’s plan was. Kratos continued on, however, indulging in his sons wishes.

Every second that passed only proved to inspire the cold to slowly poke through your exposed skin, almost making you regret your words just then. But, you knew that the suffering would be worth it, if this made Atreus happy. Besides, by this point you could hear the faint howling, one that caused Kratos to hesitate.

“Aye, lad… I don’t suppose this wolf would appreciate visitors at this time.” Mimir chimed in. You’d almost forgotten he was with you all.

“No, no, it’s a pup.” The boy replied simply, and, to your surprise, you were the only one to raise concern, at least outwardly. Kratos appeared stiffen up a bit, yet he remained silent.

“A pup? You do know approaching one of those is like stepping right into its mother’s mouth…” you tried to counter, but Atreus only sighed. If Kratos had any complaints by now, he didn’t express them, instead continuing on, albeit slowly.

“That’s the issue, there’s no sign of its mother anywhere. It’s alone and in pain.” He spoke with such confidence that you didn’t bother to press further. Kratos surely trusted Atreus, as did Mimir. It wasn’t that you didn’t, no, but it was in your nature to express at least some concern. Kratos now seemed less tense at the mention of a mother not being present.

It wasn’t long after that you had found it- a wolf pup off to the side, crying more than it was howling, pushing its nose against the neck of its deceased mother. You felt your heart shatter to pieces at the sight, though Kratos remained unmoved. Atreus seemed to be in your boat, leaving the sled, crouching down some, and attempting to approach the child.

“I… what can we do?” He asked, looking back to you and his father for an answer. Kratos attempted to take a step forward off of the sled, but by now the cub had noticed you all and nearly fell backwards trying to keep its distance. Clearly it didn’t want to leave its mother. After all, that was all it had…

“Why don’t we take it home with us?” You suggested, to which Kratos immediately cut in.

“No.” It was harsh, a statement nailed to the ground. You wondered why he would let you all stop here if he was only going to let it die. Atreus opened his mouth to argue, but Kratos spoke up once more. “Nature will take its course, this isn’t our concern.” You and the boy frowned and spared each other a glance, though Atreus seemed to give in easier than you were going to, taking a few steps towards his father.

“We can’t just leave it here..” You trailed off, looking over into the panicked eyes of the cub. It struck a cord in you, unleashed something that would not be swayed. Kratos seemed displeased with your answer, taking another step forward, towards you this time. But you cut him off before he could speak. “We can’t abandon it! There’s plenty of room at the house, and it won’t be too much of a leech regarding food, especially not now.” Your frantic pushing to change his mind earned you a drawn out grunt from the god.

“We cannot save every living thing we encounter. It is a deadly habit.” He argued, standing tall before you now. To this, you scoffed, causing him to narrow his eyes slightly.

“You saved me.” This garnered no response, and at that moment you knew you’d at least done something to make the gears in his head start turning. Atreus was standing a ways away from you two, cheeks puffed out as he quickly looked to his father for the reaction. A moment passed of pure silence, the breeze blowing past you four having long been tuned out from adapting to such weather. Kratos moved to look at the whimpering pup that still cowered next to its mother, then at Atreus, and finally back at you. “Let me take it with us, just this one. I promise you, you won’t regret it.” Another minute passed, as Kratos now looked into your eyes, and it felt as if your soul was constricting and simultaneously being pulled apart and looked at.

Whatever it is Kratos saw in you, it seemed to soften him just slightly, and he gave a curt nod. You and Atreus could barely contain your excitement as you both turned to face the shivering wolf. Atreus was about to approach, when Kratos put a hand on his shoulder. A silent way of saying, ‘this is her life to save.’ Atreus smiled up at him and nodded, noticing how you had already made it over to the pup. It looked awful, patches of fur matted and physique far from ideal.

“Hey, shhh, it’s ok little one…” you gently held out your hand, allowing the animal to sniff. Once it seemed to relax a bit, you turned back to Atreus. “Am I doing this right?” Your words made the boy laugh a little before he nodded and offered you a smile. Standing up straight, you took a few steps back and patted your thigh. “Come on, come with me. I’ll help you.” You explained, and the cub hesitantly began to follow you, stopping once to look back at its mother one last time before continuing on its new path.

“Enough to make a grown head cry.” Mimir chimed in as you now wandered past them in the direction of the sled. That earned a chuckle from Atreus as the three followed along behind you, as did the pup. You slowed down enough to walk beside Kratos, a habit you’d had from the beginning of your journey with him and Atreus. He didn’t seem to mind by now, though you recall a time where he made you walk in front. You teased him about how it was a chance to “check you out,” to which he gave a disapproving grunt and nothing more. You were happy to see him slowly trusting you more and more. Hell, you’d even argue that he seemed fond of you now.

It wasn’t anything grand, the things he did for you. To anyone else it may just come off as kind gestures. But you knew that it meant so much more to Kratos. What started as a simply providing for you so you could be useful became going out of his way to provide not just necessities, but small comforts as well. It was clear now that this little side quest was mostly to spend time with you and Atreus.

“You’re lucky he likes you, lass.” Joked the swinging head at the god’s side, earning a giggle from you, a huff of laughter from Atreus, and silence from Kratos. It was something the god could neither confirm nor deny. For his feelings were complex, especially considering his past love life. Perhaps, however, he would open up his heart to love eventually. His mistake, however, was assuming it would take ages. As you all settled down on the sled, you allowed yourself to open up a bit.

“Gah, It’s a bit cold, huh?” This time your teeth did chatter, but before you could process their reactions a heavy fur coat was being wrapped around you. Looking up, you saw Kratos, who then scolded you slightly for not saying anything earlier before taking his position at the back of the sled once more. The warmth that bloomed in your heart combined with the equivalent to a weighted blanket was almost enough to make you immune to the cold. Atreus merely grinned beside you, though he remained silent.

Again, it wasn’t anything grand, what he had done for you. But you knew it meant so much more than that to the god, and that was enough for you.

BONUS

“What do I call you?” Kratos says, stonefaced as he gazes down at the wolf cub currently panting at his feet.

#kratos x reader #gow x reader #god of war x reader #Kratos showing his affection is subtle ways

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