2021
Happiness, relief and uneasiness all washed over you after finally being reunited with your fellow eternals. It had been 500 years and while you knew each of them could fend for themselves, you loved them too much not to worry in their absence. You began to feel uneasy when you realised some of your friends were missing, Ajak in particular, because you doubted that any major undertaking of the eternals would escape her presence. Your worry was justified when you heard of her death, the true meaning of your mission and the return of the deviants.
Just this morning you had woken up with a content and safe feeling, tucked away safely in the depths of the Amazonian rainforest with Druig, it seemed like nothing could hurt you. Turns out you were very wrong.
Druig had been quick to react and decide that he was not going to help, and as much as you wanted to run after him and change his mind, you decided staying, and helping come up with a solution for your problems would be the better option. You quickly reconnected with all your friends and realised that, despite your happiness here, you had missed them awfully.
Not long after Thena and Gilgamesh left to get some air, the rest of the eternals disbanded and went on to explore the village. You figured that finding food and a place for them to stay was better than giving a tour, so of you went to find snacks.
In your house you found Druig, he seemed calm and acted as if nothing happened earlier, as if the rest of the eternals weren’t even visiting. He greeted you and watched you as you went around the house trying to find if you had any quick food to serve your friends. Upon realising the house was entirely snack-less, you wanted to see if you could find anything in the mess hall but before you finished putting on your shoes, you heard Druig coming up behind you.
“So, are you going to leave me then?” he said, and you turned around to face him, one foot still shoe-less. “That’s a very loaded way of asking whether I will be helping save humanity and this planet.” You wanted to reach for his hand, but he held them behind his back. “But yes, of course I will.” His cold stance didn’t escape you; it was the way he acted towards the villagers. “You’re free to join, they don’t show it, but I know the others have missed you too,” you grabbed your other shoe and hopped to a stool to put it one.
He turned to you again but before he could say anything cynical, like you knew he would, you told him, “and after we save the world we’ll come back here and live in peace and quiet.” You knew that wishful thinking wasn’t going to convince him but at least it lifted the grim ambiance that had been surrounding you since the others arrived. Or so you thought.
He couldn’t put a finger on the strange feeling that overcame him, but Druig was not satisfied. Maybe it was the fact that you had been together for over 2000 years and now you were leaving him to maybe never come back. Or that when you followed him on those stairs in Tenochtitlan you chose him and chose to the others behind and now you were choosing them and leaving him behind. Whatever it was, he didn’t want to lose you and, as selfish as it might be, he would do anything to make you stay.
You made your first steps towards the door and as you did, Druig grabbed a hold of your hand semi-spinning you around until you were in his arms. To stabilise yourself you put one hand on his chest and when you realised how close you were to him, you giggled a little. “What?”, he asked. “Well, it’s just such a contrast, all day you’ve been closed off and cold, not just towards me but towards our friends. Who, mind you, we haven’t seen in 500 years! And now, here you are spinning me around and holding me so close, like you haven’t seen me in 500 years.” A smile still played on your lips but when you saw his serious face your mind finally decided to do some thinking. It didn’t take long; the puzzle pieces fell together almost instantly.
“Wait a minute, are you jealous?” you said, far too amused for your own good. “No, absolutely not,” he stated in the same tone as when he denied your friends his help, but you knew better. “Um, I think you are, and it is adorable really, in 2000 years of us being together I have never seen this and my oh my what a shame.” Druig could feel your glee and before being able to form any coherent sort of protest you added, “and it looks really good on you.”
“I am not jealous, I am worried.” He looked directly at you and seemed completely unfazed by your entertained look. “You could get yourself hurt or even killed, and then what? I would be completely alone forever, wallowing in grief.” “And self-pity,” you added.
Despite playing it of for laughs, you had been worried about dying and how, if Druig didn’t come with you, you would never see him again. Never be able to look into his eyes again and never be able to tell him you loved him so very much. Your face darkened but Druig knew you would never voluntarily stay and leave the others to fend for themselves. “And maybe,” he continued, “just maybe, I am a little jealous.” He waited for you to say something, but you remained quiet. “When you followed me down the stairs in Tenochtitlan,” he started, a little insecure about how you would feel, “you chose me, you left the others behind to follow me and live god knows how, god knows where.” He lifted his hand, the one not holding you and held your face. “And now, you’re running of to god knows where and leaving me.”
You didn’t know what to say, you understood his feeling and had even been worried this might come up. You tried opening your mouth to say something but decided it much better to just kiss him instead.
For a little while it seemed that there were no problems, no deviants, no end of the world, just you two, close together. He held you tightly, if it were up to Druig you would never be farther away from him than this, but in the end even eternals need to breathe, and you pulled away.
Before either of you could say anything, you heard a loud noise and turned your heads towards the door in shock. Hearing an all-too-familiar roar, you spoke quicker than you could think. “Deviants.”