Edited on 11th June, 2021 for better clarity.
Shirou Emiya could not sleep. Despite his injuries, despite his strained magic circuits and the long day, he still could not sleep. Nightmares plagued his mind, along with memories that were not his. He knew of dream sharing with Servants. He had been in many battlefields, observing them and the tragic heroes within from the perspective of the Valkyries.
The memories that prevented sleep from taking root were different. They were invasive, unwanted, and too real. He saw hills, he saw swords, he saw a man that had been betrayed by everything he believed in. He hated it, he loathed it, but it also made his heart break.
He rolled around for the fifth time that night, he was hot inside his futon, and so he threw the covers off him. He was bare chested, because he had believed that it would be enough to stave off the heat. Alas, it had not helped at all.
He put himself on his left side, looking at the entrance to his room. What could he do? What could he achieve now? No matter how much he thought about it, he could not come up with anything to save Thrud from Caster's grasp.
"Master?" He heard a voice. A shadow appeared behind the sliding door. "Requesting permission to enter quarters." It was quiet, subdued, polite. It was Ortlinde's.
"Y-Yes, come in," The black haired Valkyrie entered his room, floating above the floor, before landing next to his bed. He incorporated, trying to cover his upper body with his sheets. "Is everything alright?" He asked.
"Yes. Hildr is asleep, healing from her injuries," Shirou winced, remembering the pink haired Servant's body, pierced by her sister's own weapon. His chest tightened. He felt cold. He had caused this.
"I'm sorry," Ortlinde's eyes widened, but she said nothing. "If it hadn't been for me, If I hadn't tried to save Fuji-nee, then, Thrud would still be here." Shirou closed his eyes, bearing the pain. It hurt, to be open, to accept his mistakes. He wanted to have no regrets but every event in this Grail War made it difficult.
"We are going to rescue her, are we not?" Asked the black haired Servant, looking at him with an impassive expression.
"I sure as hell am going to try but, it's likely Tohsaka already has a plan. And if she does, she'll probably succeed, and then I wouldn't blame Thrud for allying with her instead of me." His admission hurt, but it was true. Rin was a fantastic Master who never gave up, and had the talent and power to prove it.
"Thrud is unlikely to abandon us, Master." Ortlinde war right of course. Thrud's care and loyalty to her sisters was apparent from the moment they had made the pact with him.
"Well, you could always go with Tohsaka as well," Shirou heard Ortlinde gasp, it was slight, but he had good hearing. He looked at the girl beside him. She had a hand to her chest, and her eyes were glistening.
"Master? Could you please clarify?" She asked. Her voice had remained neutral. Shirou sighed, this had been coming for some time.
"I'm just saying; you three would be better off without me. You'd win the grail in no time for sure," Lancer said nothing for a moment, and looked away for him. He did the same.
As if on cue, the door to his room slid open once again, revealing the pink haired Hildr.
"What's going on, sister?" Asked the Valkyrie, walking on the ground to sit at his other side, opposite of Ortlinde. They had him trapped.
"Hildr, you should be resting," Shirou said. However, she ignored him, and looked at her sister instead.
"Master was considering surrendering our contract to Tohsaka Rin. I believe that to be a poor decision." Said Ortlinde. Hildr's eyes widened, mouth opening.
"Eh!? Really?! Why Master!?" The pink haired girl was now shaking him slightly. Ever since they… kissed; she had been sticking to his side. Calmly, he grabbed her hands and got them off him with a smile.
"I just think that you'd have better chances with Tohsaka. Archer was right, I'm just some kid that's lost and broken. I'm not… I'm not the hero you guys are searching for." he hung his head. His weakness was now out in the open. Any half decent Servant would leave, even if he hoped they would stay.
"Master. Permission to speak freely," after some time, it was Ortlinde who fixed him with a stare that he could not look away from. He was confused for a moment, but gave his answer nonetheless.
"Okay. I-I mean, granted." He tried his best to sound formal, but he was very bad at it.
"You performance is disappointing," She said robotically. That one was true.
"Your decisions were poor," Added Hildr. That one hurt.
"Your skills are lacking," That one hurt more, coming from the usually chummy Valkyrie.
"And you disposed of our sister like a tool, which is something you promised us you would never do," And that one would have killed him on the spot if it was a weapon. The shame threatened to swallow him whole.
"Yet, even now, you are still trying to save everyone. To save our sister. No matter how many defeats you suffer, you always get back up. That's why…" Ortlinde stopped, and the boy looked at her wide eyed. She was blushing heavily.
"… We want to see you reach it. We want to be there when you achieve your dream, and when you do, take you to Valhalla." Hildr finished for her sister, blushing as heavily as she did.
"But… I don't want that. I want you to be free. To experience life and happiness, and I don't want to get in the way of that." Shirou's chest was warm, yet his eyes were strained.
"We wondered many times, the three of us, if we were broken; if these feelings we had, the things we experienced and did were right, or if we were going astray from our path. We do not know the answer but... we want to discover it. And it's thanks to your kindness and encouragement that we can do it. So… we won't leave you. We'll remain by your side, making a hero out of you, and looking for that answer." Ortlinde's little speech left him without one. At his side, Hildr giggled.
"We want you to be happy, Maste– correction, Shirou."
"But, that's what I want for you. To be happy." He said, swallowing a lump in his throat. He felt arms lock around his neck, leaving his face frozen as a warm cheek met his own.
"Then let's be happy, together." Ortlinde's breath warmed his face.
"Even if I can't keep up?" It was hard for his voice not to crack.
"Then we'll make you keep up! You'll see, you'll be kicking Archer's ass flawlessly in no time." Said Hildr, hugging him.
"Were did you learn that phrase anyways?" Asked Shirou, smiling for the first time in some time.
"Well… Thrud was playing some strange games at night. They were very interesting," Said Hildr, a finger on her chin as she looked to the ceiling.
"And she asked us to keep the information to ourselves," Ortlinde was now glaring at her sister.
"R-Right… well…" Hildr blushed again.
"O-Okay you two. I need some rest now, but thanks, for everything. I promise you, I won't disappoint you." He said, determination once again a part of his being.
Both Valkyries smiled warmly at him as he laid down once again in bed. He expected them to float away, to leave him alone again, but they did not. They remained seated at his sides.
"Umm, guys?" He was extremely confused as the Valkyries looked at each other with a smile.
"Want us to sleep with you, Master?" Asked Hildr. Shirou shot up from his bed again.
"W-What!?" He felt his face grow hot. Not helped by the fact that he was in his boxers.
"You were having nightmares. It would be beneficial exchange for us to remain by your side and guard your sleep while you keep us warm." Ortlinde made it seem so logical, and yet Shirou was still apprehensive. Not that he didn't want to share a bed with two beautiful girls, but as a teenager, he felt strange.
"I-I mean…" He was about to send them away. But, after all that they said, he realised how truly alone he had felt before. He had Taiga, and Sakura, and for a time his father, but they never seemed to look at him beyond family, they never stayed with him for long. After losing Thrud, and Tohsaka's trust and alliance; he really didn't feel like being alone. "A-Alright. Please… stay the night with me."
"Alright!" Hildr celebrated by diving under the bedsheets and hugging him from behind. She did not have big assets so to speak, so it felt less awkward, but she was still woman after all.
"W-Wait. I'm not… dressed," He said, embarrassed out of his mind.
"I see. Then allow me." With a snap of her fingers, he felt the sensation of steel and cloth go away and be replaced by warm, soft skin that, underneath, was strong and muscled.
"That's not…!" he tried to say, face about to explode. He saw Ortlinde let out an exasperated sigh.
"Getting Thrud back is now more important than ever, Master." She went to his closet, before emerging dressed in one of his shirts, which for her was oversized and covered her more private parts. She also had another shirt in her hands, which she tossed to the girl behind him.
"Why must I need to wear one of these?"
"Master seems more comfortable with that on. So please…" At that, Hildr hummed before sliding the shirt over her head. It was his blue and white one, also oversized. The pink haired Valkyrie slipped back into the bed to hug him from behind. He still felt her, but it was less awkward. And he had to admit, it was nice.
"Excuse me." Ortlinde proceeded to also slip into the futon, but she went for his chest, hugging him from the front and placing her head on the crook of his neck. It was one of the few occasions were he had seen her hoodless, and he had to admit, her wings were cute.
He embraced the black haired Valkyrie and closed his eyes. It felt good. He felt safe and at the same time, felt like he was protecting something. Something precious. He could feel their breaths on his skin, and Ortlinde's head wings twitch and tickle his face.
Yet, he still grimaced. Something was missing, something vital to the three of them. And it was because of him.
He would not let this go on.
He would save Thrud. One way or another, they would all be together again.
"Guys." He muttered with his eyes closed. Both girls mumbled in acknowledgment. "I have a plan."
A/N: People wanted more, and y'all shall receive. I honestly expected this to die off into the pile of forgotten fics since the Valks don't seem to be too popular. But since people liked it, I'll keep doing it. I'll make short one shots of this UBW/HF route, showing Shirou and the Valks together in their life as our red headed boi tries to be a Hero of Justice. I'll update when I feel like it. Thank you all for reading, and tell me of any mistakes I may have missed. Did you like this chapter? How do you think this relationship should progress?
In any case, expect one more one shot so that Thrud isn't left out. This story is rated M, but won't have any smut or lemon. Maybe implied intercourse like a 'morning after' but that's all.