despite it all, these had been the best years of her life. twenty-five years before and she hadn't lived, not really. she never knew love - and not just nomi's, but
gods, she's never
loved anyone like that before either.
hours-long dinners filled with laughter and chatter. rarely was there ever silence, especially with the likes of
skyler dross and
Gunner Graves and
angelo vestri all in one room together.
Naomi Sato and
GIDEON GRAVES on the sidelines, trying and failing not to laugh, until a little bit of drink break down the rest of their crumbling barriers.
and longer days on the field, hurting, battered and bruised. taking nasty hits protecting the walls. fighting, by herself like she's used to. but when those bruises start disappearing, when she can take more shifts, she realizes why.
how some of those blows meant for her are getting deflected, how the people beside her are protecting her, and she them. even without realizing it. years of these corrections, this shapeshifting, until it becomes instinct.
she knows them as well as she knows herself and she's never known either before this started.
it's the ending that she forgets first. it's the slumbering weald, the dazzling vision of titans fighting up, up in the heavens. it's the joyous peace and the sweeping relief and nomi's face, smiling so hard it hurts. it's her arms, circling her, picking her up and twirling her and thinking
we're okay, we're okay, we did it, we did it.
their companions are still on the field. there will be time, later, to rejoice with them. to share drinks and celebration at
skyler dross and
angelo vestri 's cottage. but now?
parker holds a palm to nomi's chest, noses her pink hair. her eyes are closed when the world's outlines start blurring. rain patters on her head and she rouses, drawing back - not too far, never too far - and she is seized, suddenly, at the watercolor landscape around them.
the fog rolls in.
"wait, i - nomes? nomi."and she forgets minute details.
angelo vestri 's f̸̢̢͎̤̟̟͓̟̓̈́̓a̵̭̰̣̠̦̦̤̟̜͍̕v̸̨͇̆̈́͝ͅo̵̭̗̝͎͉͕̣̘͆̈́͜ͅr̵̛̭̤̩̱̊̃̅̉͊̂͆͂͗̇ȉ̴̟͖͍̍̽̉̌͛̉̀͌̿͛ẗ̶̢̠̮͍͓̭́͂̈ë̴͖̟̻ ̶̢͉̲̱̤̞̬̖̒͛͋͑̚̚c̴͓͇̭̎͋̿̀͌͝ô̷̢̼̟̈̔̍̾̎̚͜͝͝ḽ̴̨̱̦̩͙͐͌ȯ̶̥̹̞͓̈́̈́̑͒͛͘̚̚͜͝͝ȑ̵͎̰̩̺̖̦͙̲͋̊͘͝.
her horrible ā̸̛̛̤̻̈́̏̓̄͛͝t̷̛̞͕̲͇͈̩̩͚͉̞̤̔̄̆͐̒̕ẗ̵̢̛̼̖̟̱̪̣͉̬̘̻̀́̈́̽͛ē̸̱̹̝̲͖̦̎̾̔̆̃̑̆̕m̸̛̺̦̜̟̀̎̾̈p̵̡͕͇̤͚̦͔̩̀̈́͋̎t̸̹͚̘̙̘̘͓̲̙̘͊̅ ̶̧̛͎̜͂̆͌̒a̷̗̥͓̖̣̰͐͜t̷̺̻̞͎̦̜̝͐͊̓̂ ̴̡̧̹͕̠̘̣̈́́͐̐͋͘b̵̧͇̝̗̘͆͋̽̍͐̓͗̀̋̽̋ȩ̸̧̮͕̥̫͑̒̈̎͝ͅi̷̙̜̤͉̦͕̝̲͊̅̔̓̌̋̕n̸̪̥̤̟̮͍̼̖̠̬̰̒̀̑̂͗͠g̶̛̙̹͖̹̼̣̙̺̓͊͜ ̶̡̖͉̥̝͚̯̣͉̬͍̇͊â̷̡̹̰̌͘̚ ̸̧͘ẅ̸̞̿͋͑̋͊͌͝i̵̡̟̗̬̜͉͎̅͌̎n̸̩̼̹̥͈̲̤͚̯̝̅̾͗̽̄g̸̯̙̝͎̳̟͂̌͑̚̚͠͝w̷̺͓̣̯̱͙͓̙͉̹̍̾̔̈́̊̈́̂͘͠ȯ̵͍͔̞͕͉̪̹̥͈͗̈́́͛͝m̷̤̼̂̎a̶̢̨̢͖͉͖͐͂̌̓͐̂͠n̷̨̲̭̠̬̓̇̿̆̆͊͌́͐̚̕ for
Gunner Graves .
that stupid p̵̨̢̼̱̭̤̬̟͉̑̍͋́̕ǫ̵̡̤̯̫̹̹̆̃͂ẹ̵̩̰͇̾͂͒̑͑̾͒͋͜͜͝m̸̠͔͇͇̗͚̜̥̬̐ ̶͕̈́̿̿̆́̈́ş̴̨̛̘͉͙̤͇͋͒̉͝͠ḩ̶͇̬̭̠̌̂̆̇̓͠e̶̥͉̟̺̠͍̎̾̃̓ ̸̦̱͚̤̲̳̞̇̕ŵ̷͇̭͍͙̘̘̺̿̂̀̉͑̅̊̚͝r̷̹͚͛͋̽̈́̽o̶̢̖̹̊̄̊̓́̐͑̂̀̇̒t̶̳̥͈̞̻̎́̂̈̆͛́̍͘ĕ̸̬͓͈̥͂̓͆͒̀̿̚͝͝ to make fun of
GIDEON GRAVES .
an understanding, a r̵̢̠͔̦̦̭̖̮̗̫̞̃̇̏e̶͚̖̰̘͑c̷̠̠̑̀̾̍̿͘͝ơ̸̛̛̛͉̩͐̈́͂̊̂͘͜n̷͙̖̹͖̳̻̱̰̈́͑̽͑ĉ̸̛̟̖̟̫͇̜̥̣͎̪͆̋̀̐͝͝ͅi̷̧̽̆͠l̶̛̪̤̮͖̮͎͖͕͎̝͒́̐̂͊̚͝i̵̙̲̭̝̩̘̯̘͎̔ͅa̵̧͈̘̦̥̪͇͖̼͗ͅẗ̶̡̧̛̹̗͉͈̭̯͓̔̾̒̆͝ì̷̧̺̭͎̱̤̣̞̽̄͐̚o̴̳̝͈̖̹̦̒͊͂͂̄̎͠ǹ̵͎̭̻͈̫̮̥͐̓̿̿, with
skyler dross .
they had a strawberry cake at their w̸̡̛̲̖̮̞̗͓̟̬̔̈́̓̂̚ę̸̗͔̻͉̪̱̠͊́͂̂͐̈̚͝d̸̛̦̼̀̓͆͆̿̾͛̍̕d̶̪͛̔͌̄͝i̸̧̨͖̰̩̺̜̓́̀̊̒͂̆n̴̗̻̲̼̫̫̘̼̖̑̀̒́́̕͝g̵͉̈́̎̐͗̐̚
s̶͉̔̌̽̈́̄̕͝͠h̵̺͑̈́̓̏́͒̏ę̵̢̛̦͒̾͂͗̒̆́͒̐͜͠ ̸̥̬̺̖̬̘͚̦̫͙̊̏̄̍͋͑͐͝l̷̰̰̒̀͌̽ŏ̷̼̦͍̒͒͋̈́̈̿͜͠v̴̨̛͇̙̤̖̦͓̰̥͈̓́̎̇͒͂̓e̸͈̰̽̔̄̐̾̆̐͗s̶͇͊̆͂̀͊̄̃ ̶̧̲͚̾̓̂̑̓̕͘͝͠n̷̡̖͔̙̺͍̺̘̬̰̠̒̈́̎̋̈́̇͌̒͘o̴̟̗͇̎̋̈́̈́͋͒͊̓̀̕̕ͅm̴̢͎͙̏̀͒͋i̸͔̦͑̎̀͛̇̍̾̈͒̐͘͜.
l̵̖͉̠̟̗͓̹̣͒͋̓͊͗̾̍ơ̵̙͓̬̘̬͔̣͎͋̾̃͆̇v̷̡̡͍̠̆͑̈̚ḙ̵͈͑͆̋̏́̎̌́͠š̸̯̞̲̞̻̪͛͐̔͘ ̷̢̢̗̜̀͂̌͆͗̍͒͘͘͠͠n̴̨̞̾̀̇̒͝ơ̴̢̢̦̺̬̪̗̹̟͈̔̇̓m̷̧̟̱̜̩̐̾ͅͅi̶̡̡͕͎̋̍̑͑̎͝͠͝.̷̤̾͑͛̆̂
nomi.
🧁
her lashes flutter. she wakes, disoriented, with one hand clasping something around her neck. the other is clamped around someone's wrist. she shifts, blinking away dreams, and then startles straight up.
her shoulder twinges.
where are my g̶̭͍͉͎̙̐͒a̸̳͖̺̼͇̜̅̈̂u̸͙̫̽̍̌͂́̉n̴̨͂͊̃͠t̸̼͓̏l̶̘͉̖͍̰͙̼̘̋̃̃̚͘ę̴̬͓̱̠̭͓͎̮̓͒t̴̪̫̯̗̞̖͒̂̉̈́͆͘͘͘͝͝s̵̨̢̭̥̰̣̱͉̤̲̘̎̓̇̈́͝? her what?
there are more pressing issues. fuck, they're in the middle of a battle between two legendaries. she and nomi had been on her way to the tomb when -
"nomi?" the hand around nomi's suddenly makes sense. she releases her, feeling odd, and gives her shoulder a shake. others are waking up around them.
"nomi, wake up. i think we all...won? and then took a nap?"
