Chapter Text
You were honest with your islanders when you left. You didn’t know when you’d be back - if you’d be back at all. They understood; defending humanity was your purpose, and so you had to leave. They watched from the neighbouring fields as Kingo’s private jet took off for America.
The pilot only really spoke to Kingo and Karun, and you didn’t blame him. A small band of immortal superheroes chilling in the back of the plane probably wasn’t an everyday occurrence, nor was it one many would be keen to get too involved in.
The jet was cruising through the clouds. You kicked your feet up on the headrest of the luxury leather seat in front of you and tried to get some rest before landing.
Kingo took this opportunity to borrow your lute. He quietly said to Karun’s camera, “This lute is thousands of years old. It was a gift to Y/n from ancient people of the north after she saved them from deviants. Aside from Druig, this gives her the most joy.”
Druig gave the camera a deadpan look before closing his eyes and trying to rest too.
“Now,” Kingo said with a whisper, “There’s not much I can’t do, so let’s see if I could be the next god of music.”
He foolishly tried to tune the strings. That combined with the cold temperature up in the clouds meant that the second he tried to strum a tune…
One of the strings snapped with a screech.
Kingo yelped and all Eternals looked to you for a reaction. You didn’t even flinch. Your eyes remained closed and you simply said, “I hope there’s a hospital near the airport, for the sake of whoever did that.”
The camera caught all of this of course, yet Kingo still tried to pass off the problem onto Sersi. He handed her the lute before rushing to the farthest seat from you and acting natural.
You opened your eyes and stood up, immediately scoffing upon seeing Sersi looking worriedly at you with the lute in hand. You announced to the Eternals, “Sersi would never do anything like this. Can we at least pretend it was someone believable? Like Sprite, or Ikaris. Or…” You spun, temples and ears glowing with gold coils as your enhanced hearing caught a rapid heartbeat in the back of the jet, “Kingo.”
He winced and held his hands up in defeat, “Look, I’ll buy you a new string as well as the guitar Thena broke.”
“Thank you,” you said with a smile.
“As you can tell, the goddess of music can be scary when she wants to be-“
“Kingo!”
He jumped, “Sorry!”
You fell back into one of the sofas beside Druig. He draped an arm over your shoulders and you leaned into him.
“So,” you asked Ikaris who sat opposite you. “What’s Phastos been up to? I’ve not heard from him in a while.”
“Last I checked, he settled down in Chicago.”
With a curious frown you asked, “Settled down like me or settled down like-“
“He has a family,” Sersi answered. Your question had been, between the lines, ‘Settled down like an Eternal or settled down like a human?’
A family, you thought to yourself. You’d never say it out loud, but you were a little jealous. You didn’t need to say it out loud for Druig to hear it in your thoughts though. He gave you a squeeze and smiled down at you comfortingly. And when you thought about how much you loved him, you noticed the corners of his mouth twitch to hide a grin and how he turned his head to hide his reddening face from everyone.
~~~ Chicago ~~~
“Ikaris and I will talk to Phastos,” Sersi told the group as you all walked through the suburbs. “You guys can go… somewhere.”
“Why can’t we go with you?” Sprite asked flatly.
Sersi and Ikaris gave each other an awkward glance before Ikaris said, “Phastos probably doesn’t want to hear about anything Eternal-related for the next thousand years. Might be best if two of us go instead of the whole group; break the news gently.”
“Like you did for me?” you remarked with a raised brow.
Sersi sighed and said, “This is different. He’s got a family now. He’s married. Telling a dad that the world’s ending in a few days is no small task.”
You understood that. Kingo suggested, “Why don’t you go buy a new string for your lute? There was a store with old instruments in the window a few blocks back.” He handed you some cash and said, gesturing to himself, Sprite, Thena and Karun, “We’ll just go get frozen yogurt or something. Maybe Baskin Robbins.”
The group parted ways. Sersi and Ikaris continued along in search of Phastos’s house. You and Druig ventured back the way you came until you came to a very old music store.
A bell above the door jingled when you entered and a member of staff waved welcome. Other staff were bustling about with instruments, playing guitars and stocking shelves.
“I’ve always wanted one of these,” you said with a gasp, sliding up to a grand piano.
“You’re thousands of years old, just get one,” Druig encouraged.
“Believe it or not, it’s not easy to transport huge pianos onto remote islands.” You laughed at Druig’s mild dejection as you played a beautiful piano solo.
One of the staff members approached you. He must’ve been about twenty-something, had a scruff of beard and mane of sandy blond hair. “Hey guys, looking for anything in particular? Something for the piano?”
“Actually,” you presented him with the lute from your back, “Lost a string.”
The man was stunned by the instrument. Not often an instrument older than the Bill of Rights found itself in front of you. “No problem,” he said after a moment of gawking. He disappeared into a back room for a moment and you shared a rare moment of laughter with Druig. The clerk returned, you handed him the cash and after stringing your lute back up, you strummed a tune.
“You remind me of this old story my grandma used to tell me,” one of the other staff members said from the back. “She was Irish, told me this old wive’s tale about a singer with h/c hair and a lute who always wore an orange scarf.” He paused, piecing together more of the story. He chuckled, “What’s weirder is that this singer at some point had a boyfriend who dressed in black.”
“Yeah that is weird,” Druig agreed with a shrug.
“No idea where that idea came from,” you shook your head.
The man brushed it off, “You never know. Aliens and gods are all real, apparently. Maybe you’re actually this mythical singer!”
You all laughed until Druig opened the door again and you escaped onto the street.
Taking Druig’s hand in yours, the afternoon sun flickering between leaves from trees on the sidewalk, you realised what the strange feeling coming over you was.
You felt human.
What about this was anything other than a human couple going on a date? A trip to the music store, a sunny walk to a friend’s house, spending time together.
“Don’t think about it, just enjoy it,” Druig advised. He brought your hand to his lips, pressing a kiss to your knuckles. “I’m certainly enjoying it.”
You decided to search for Ikaris, Sersi and Phastos. Together, you and Druig wandered the suburbs until you came to a quiet street. The houses were well-kept, built for families. Kids bikes lay on the grass outside them, people walked their dogs and waved hello as they went past. It was a pleasant place.
On this street was a house, between you and which was a garden, and within this garden was a man and boy playing catch. Father and son.
“Hi,” waved the dad as you and Druig stopped outside the garden. “Can I help you?”
“We’re looking for our friends,” you explained. “One of them lives around here. Phastos?”
“That’s dad!” The little boy exclaimed eagerly. “Are you superheroes too? The guy with laser beam eyes is here. He’s so cool.”
“Did Ikaris pay you to say that?” Druig asked with his dry tone of humour.
“Nah, I saw him on TV!” The boy must’ve been about ten, clearly a big fan of superheroes.
The boy’s father patted his head, “Slow down, Jack.” The man approached the end of the drive, “I’m Ben, Phastos’s husband. You must be his ‘friends from college,’ or so he says.”
“Is that what he’s calling us these days?” You smiled. It made sense; Phastos wanted a normal life, and it was perfectly normal to make friends in college. Less normal to make friends battling monsters and saving humanity.
“He’s inside, make yourselves at home,” Ben offered kindly.
He and Jack led you to the front door. Jack opened it and promptly yelled, “Dad! More of your superhero friends are here!”
Phastos gave Ikaris and Sersi an unimpressed look in the kitchen, but when he came out to see who it was, he was pleasantly surprised to see you. “Y/n? Didn’t expect to see you here.”
You hugged him tightly, “Always good to see you, old friend.”
~~~ that evening ~~~
It was taking a while for Sersi to convince Phastos to join you all again. In the innovator’s defence, his life here was bliss. A loving husband, a son he wouldn’t change anything about, a beautiful home.
Why would he leave that to risk his life for the humans who had for centuries used his technology to destroy each other?
Druig was foraging for a snack in the kitchen whilst you sat on the porch. They had some really lovely garden furniture out here, so you slumped into a wicker chair and played your lute as the sun began to set.
“He didn’t talk about the Eternals much, but when he did, he talked about you and Ajak.” Ben appeared in the doorframe. He closed the door and sat with you at the small round table. “Ajak sounds great. Like a mother to you guys.”
“She was,” you didn’t even notice the smile on your face as you absentmindedly plucked out a tune. “She taught us, guided us, treated humans like they were her own flesh and blood. A fierce and beautiful woman. She would’ve loved you.”
“Wish I could’ve met her; sounds like she’s the closest thing I’d have to a mother in law.” Ben asked, “Do you know what’s going on exactly? Why the Eternals are getting back together?”
You considered your answer, tried to make it tactful, then realised that in Ben’s lifetime he had already faced at least ten world-ending events. You ripped the band-aid off. “Our entire lives were lies formed by the being that sent us here. The honest truth is that in a couple of days, the planet will be destroyed and only Phastos is smart enough to come up with a plan to stop it.”
Jack joined you and Ben before Ben had a chance to reply. The boy sat in the chair beside his father and asked tiredly, “What’s your superpower?”
“Me?” You smiled at the kid and stopped playing the lute. “I can make any part of myself stronger and more resistant.”
“So you’ve got super strength?”
“All Eternals are really strong, but yes, I’m super-super strong.”
“And you’re indestructible?”
You tilted your head and hummed, “Against most things. If I’m using my power. You should’ve seen me training with the others back in the day; nothing hurts an Eternal quite like another Eternal.”
Jack, clearly tired yet excited, nodded, “Cool.”
Ben questioned your last sentence, “Back in the day?”
“Circa seven hundred BC.”
Eventually, Ben and Jack left you as it was Jack’s bedtime. He was a sweet kid. Ben was a good man. Phastos was lucky to have them.
“What’s on your mind, m’beautiful Y/n?”
Druig sat opposite you, gazing at you as if you hung the stars in the sky. You loved him then and you loved him now. Loved him in his armour, loved him in a leather jacket and jeans. Loved him from Babylon to Chicago. Loved that he laughed at your jokes even if he’d heard it a thousand times before.
With every thought of your love for him, more and more of a smile formed on his face. When finally his smile formed dimples, you laughed softly, “Don’t ask questions you already know the answer to.”
You kicked his foot playfully under the table and he said in seriousness and sincerity, “No matter what happens over the next few days, I love you. Maybe one day we can settle down like this, get a house in the suburbs, never worry about a thing. But for now, I’m grateful to have had an eternity with you.”
“Don’t do that,” you warned with a waver in your voice. “Don’t give a eulogy to a world that’s still here. It’s not over yet. I plan on bothering you for at least another thousand years.”
“Another thousand? You’re spoiling me,” Druig teased.
“I’m just that generous,” you retorted, lifting your chin at him. He raised his in response, mimicking you. You settled back into your chair and admitted, “I think I’ve come up with a way to read your mind.”
“Oh yeah?”
Clearly he was skeptical, humouring you. The air around your temples and ears rippled gold as you enhanced your hearing to the point where you could hear every beat of his heart.
It dawned on Druig what you were doing and he became more bashful; something only you could evoke from him, and he said simply, “That’s cheating.”
“No, I’m just reading your mind a little differently. You’re basically an open book to me; a flustered blushing mess.”
He nudged your foot and defended himself, “Course I am. A goddess is telling me how much she loves me.”
“I’ve only thought it, not actually said it yet.”
He waited. And waited. All you could hear was the quiet chatter inside of Phastos and his family and Ikaris and Sersi, in the distance a dog barked and a crowd cheered. Peace. Druig said, “You’re still not saying it.”
“Do I need to?”
The man with gentle storm eyes sized you up, judging your strategy here. You felt him rifling around your head for an explanation and he finally said, “You’re just teasing me.”
“You make it too easy,” you laughed, standing from the table to go to him. You leaned over to hug him and he melted into it; only you had ever achieved that with him. “Love you, mind-reader.”
And he loved you, his sunlight heartstring tugger.