the archer

I told myself that I wasn’t going to leave this character without any resolution, so here it is! It’s been about a month or so since I last posted on this account and while I don’t know the future of Velia, I just wanted to tell you all that I’m super grateful for all of you and all your wonderful characters! I got so incredibly attached to Hades, and have probably written thousands upon thousands of words for him, and I know I will continue to do so on my own. 

Now though, I just wanted to give him a happy ending. 

-

All he remembered was light. 

He had been broken, and bruised, and his bow splintered in his grip from overuse... but they had won. With one final blow to the horned devil’s eye, the last boss exploded in a thousand black pixels that rained down on them like soot from a newly erupted volcano... 

And then light. 

They were given no time for celebration. No time for goodbyes. No time to take one last look at the world they had all been living in these last few years. Instead, he was given just a few seconds to look Cerberus in his red eyes, only to watch the light flood his vision entirely.

And after the light came the darkness, followed by the muffled sounds of whirring and beeping. Had they really won? Was he back in Nova? Or was he somewhere in the middle? Floating between reality and Velia?

... Things felt different though. Real. More real than he had felt in a very long time. Slowly, he opened his eyes. A slow fluttering that had him groaning in pain. But he wanted to see. 

And the first thing he saw was a window... and rain... and a sky he knew all too well. It was too real to be programmed. Too imperfect to be digital. 

“Welcome back to the land of the living, Mr. Ronan.” Beside him stood a man he didn’t know, green eyes twinkling behind glasses. No one needed glasses Velia. 

“I-” 

His voice was rough, throat dry from misuse. 

“We’re all very excited to have you back.” Leo’s brows furrowed slightly in confusion. 

“W-We?” 

He was alone, was he not? He had lost everything. He had no one. 

The man smiled before looking to the doorway. Leo followed his gaze, only to freeze at the sight before him. He hadn’t even realized he had been crying till a hand rested against his damp cheek. 

“S-Sa-” 

“Shh... Welcome home, big brother.” 

-

Jude’s fingers tightened around the edge of the table until her knuckles turned white. She wanted to yell at him to stop, not to say things he couldn’t take back, to get her hopes up again just so she would crash even harder when he changed his mind. She had finally forgiven him for leaving, finally wrapped her head around what he really wanted, finally decided he was right–that he had needed to take care of himself and maybe he couldn’t do that with her and Rowan by his side. But she’d never let go.

She gave a small laugh of disagreement, still not looking up, not meeting his eyes.  “We didn’t let go, Leo; you cut the rope.” A few months ago, that sentence might have been said in anger or sadness; now, it was just the truth. They had had to let go because there was nothing left to hold onto. But she had never stopped loving Leo, and though she and Rowan had stopped talking about it, she knew him well enough to know that he hadn’t either. But if they didn’t pretend otherwise, if they didn’t push down their feelings, they were going to lose a friend and split a guild. So they had sucked it up, taken one for the team. But they’d never forgotten. 

She stiffened as he touched her cheek, though every part of her wanted to lean into the touch. “You said love wasn’t enough,” she reminded him, voice barely more than a whisper now. “Do you still believe that?”

He was quiet for a while before he nodded his head. 

“You’re right I did, and you know why I had to. I needed to be alone.” He swallowed the lump in his throat before hesitating slightly, only to finally rest his hand against the warm skin of her face, cupping her cheek fully so that she may look at him. “I hated to hurt you. I hated to have to put you both through that... But I couldn’t bear... I couldn’t live with myself if I kept hurting you the way I did if I had stayed.” They’ve talked about this, he didn’t want to have to bring it up again. 

“And every time I looked at you. Every time I would see and Rowan... I would think to myself, they’re why I’m doing this... I want to be better for them. I want to learn how to love for them... and for myself.” He took in a deep breath before moving even till he was but a breath apart. 

“And yes... One day, love may not be enough. I stand by that.” He licked his lips, eyes darting down to her own. “But what I hold for you... It’s so much more than just love. It’s respect, and trust and-and a feeling I can’t even begin to describe.” He wanted so desperately for her to believe him. 

“You’re more than just love, Jude. You’re my happiness...” It was her. It was always her and Rowan. “And I will fight for you this time.” And with that, he closed the distance between them and kissed her.

He believed him, Rowan believed that he meant what he was saying. And he couldn’t help but let out a sigh of relief.  Eyes drifting close as he held onto him. Savoring his touch, the feel of him. Leo’s words was the savlve he knew his heart needed. Feeling it expand, welcoming Leo in.

Home.

It wasn’t a building, it wasn’t a country or city. Home, is the starting place of love, hope and dreams. Filled with the people you love, the hope for a better future for them and dreams that their greatest desires can be attained.

Catalys was home. Venus, Mars, Ares and Reverie were home; warm and familiar. Jude was his home his hearth, made complete with Leo.

For someone with such a big heart, why did it feel so full in this moment?

Cupping both sides of his face, Rowan’s nose ran along the light stuble on Leo’s cheek. Leaving soft kisses along his jaw. “ Good, because I was getting tired running after you.” he teased. His eyes meeting Leo as they shown with love. “I don’t plan on letting go of you again Leo. You are as much mine as I am yours.”

It felt as if his heart was going to burst. He pressed his lips together and swallowed down the lump that was in his throat. God he loved this man. He sniffled slightly before getting up and propping himself onto Rowan’s lap, legs on either side of him as he held on to his face. “I’m sorry I didn’t know how to love you the way I should have.” He said quietly. “But I feel I can now... I’m going to make mistakes, I know I will. But I know this time, I won’t have to work it out on my own.” 

He moved his eyes across Rowan’s face and committed everything to memory. The straight line of his nose, his sun-kissed skin, the flecks of hazel and gold in his eyes. 

Without another word, he finally closed the distance between them and captured Rowan’s lips with his, eyes fluttering closed as he felt his lungs expand as if it was the first time he could finally take a breath: by having his love take it away from him. 

“I love you, Rowan.” He murmured against his lips as he pressed his forehead against the other’s. “I’m sorry it took me a while to make this right...” 

Clara’s brows furrowed, taking his hand but knowing Leo was doing everything in his power to take away from her worry. If she knew anything, it was that her worry for him was almost always well-founded. She wasn’t going to easily throw it away, especially not as stubborn and curious as she was. 

Clara put a hand on his arm. “Leo Ronan… Don’t insult my intelligence like that and don’t make me worry more than I have to. You know I can’t take that, not when it comes to you and especially not in here - in this hellscape of a game. I’ll go mad. What’s going on? Are you okay? Does it have to do with anyone?” She was already churning up all the ways she’d make them pay for mistreating him.

It was as if something in him snapped. He loved Clara, he loved that she cared so much about him, as much as he cared for her, and he was grateful that she wasn’t afraid to poke and prod at him, because he knew she was only doing so because she was concerned... But god, it grated at his nerves that she was forcing him to face what was really going on with him. 

“I said I didn’t want to talk about it.” He grunted, pulling his arm away from her to stalk away before he would say anything else. 

It didn’t stop him. 

“Why must you always need to know what is going on? Ever since we were children, you never let things go. I don’t owe you an explanation all the time, Clara!” 

“They’re loud, and obnoxious, and tell terrible jokes... but they were my friends. We were like a family... and I miss them sometimes.” 

Connection: The auto-shop crew

Fred Patel

The one who’s been in the auto-shop the longest. There’s talk that Doc has plans of handing it over to him, but Fred’s opened up to Leo that he doesn’t know if he wants it. They’ve all lovingly nicknamed him ‘Daddy’. 

Mina King

The baby of the group, even if she refuses to acknowledge it. She’s a spitfire and a whiz when it comes to cars. Whip smart, and has no problem keeping up with everyone else on the team. Has a tiny crush on Sawyer. 

Troy Lakes

Bad boy with a soft boi heart. Doc kinda plucked him out of a hard situation and he’s been paying him back ever since. He’s a big flirt and likes to make everyone laugh when he can. Real sad back story like huhuhu this boi. He’s a good egg though. 

Garrett Vasquez

His inability to dance

“You all know why you’re here.” 

Leo glanced down at his watch before scratching at his chin in anticipation. 

“I know why I’m here, but why did you invite all these other buffoons?” Mina snorted as she took a swig of her beer, ignoring the protests that came from all the other men in Leo’s living room. 

“You think you’re the only one who can dance, M? I’ll have you know I won third place in my fifth grade talent show with my river dancing, thank you very much.” Garrett, their resident car painter boasted. 

Leo had to roll his eyes as the rest of the men pulled out their own credentials as well, every time attempting to one up each other in their dance expertise. 

It wasn’t long till his living got too rowdy that no one even heard the front door open. Leo held his head in his hand in disappointment, not noticing Sawyer standing in confusion beside him. 

“Why is everyone here?” 

Almost immediately, all eyes were on her. Leo looked up in a startle before turning to his little sister, stunned by her sudden appearance. He cleared his throat before waving his hands for everyone to start moving his furniture to the side. 

“Well, Crick… You know… You know I can’t dance right? And I felt bad not being able to teach you when you asked me to help you prepare for that dance thing you’re going to so…” 

His inability to cook

“You said you wanted steak.” Leo pointed out.

“Yes… from a restaurant.” 

“Well, I can’t afford steak restaurants right now, so I made us some.” Leo felt his ears burn as Joseph observed the shriveled up piece of meat on his plate. He prodded at it with his fork before biting at his bottom lip to keep from laughing. 

“Baby…” 

“Forget it, you don’t have to eat it.” Leo grumbled in embarrassment, taking both of their plates and moving them to the kitchen, trying to stomp down the blush that seemed to make it all the way up to his roots. “You and I both know I can’t cook! Can we please just forget this happened and order some pizza?” He called out as he listened to Joe laugh from his kitchen, head hanging low to hide the red that was now covering his entire face. 

Wow, okay, fuck him. Here he was trying to do something nice for him, and all he could do was- 

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I just wasn’t expecting it.” Leo leant his hands against his counter as he tried to ignore the pair of arms that wrapped around his middle. Joe nuzzled his head against Leo’s neck, his laughs reverberating against his back. 

“Doesn’t make you laughing at me okay, asshole.” Leo grumbled. Joe hummed before pulling him away from the counter and back to the dining room. 

“I brought more dead fish.” He removed his bow from across his chest and passed it over to one of his guildmates, who reached for his quiver as well to take note of their inventory.

Name: LilacConnection: Guild mate, fellow archer and past fling

Lilac and him had been in the same training class since day 1. They joined Catalyst at the same time and had been the top archers of their batch, always going head to head for the number one spot. Their rivalry was friendly (when they weren’t hurling insults at each other) and though he wouldn’t admit it when sober, she pushed him to be better. 

And then they started sleeping with each other and things kind of got complicated. They never told anyone, always hiding in closets or sneaking around at night. It was fun while it lasted, but Hades soon was promoted to Battle Strategist and Lilac moved on to training their newer recruits. 

the younger player pouted before nodding his head and turning around, only for hades to reach out and grab him by the back of his collar. “wait! i forgot!” he moved back into his cabin before grabbing one of his flyers, shoving it into the player’s chest. “you know who to tell. come or whatever.”

Name: Lucifer

Connection: Fellow archer

The archer network in Velia was particularly close. They were a significantly small group, and Hades was familiar with a good number of them, but Lucifer was by far one of the players he kept an eye on the most. He was fast, and skilled, and seemed to fear very little. While Hades was pragmatic and methodical with his technique, Lucifer was the opposite. He was risk-taking and sporadic, and he enjoyed the thrill of his recklessness… but even so, he never seemed to miss a shot. 

“Maybe I’ll go back to working at the auto-shop. The man who owned it was like a father to me, so hopefully he’d take me back.”

Name: Abe “Doc” Dunkin

Connection: Auto-shop owner and former employer

He started working in the auto-shop at sixteen, and when his parents left, Abe gave him a full time job to work for him at eighteen. He was an eccentric one, Leo could say. He blasted out the oddest music, and he ate his donuts with ketchup. He liked his coffee lukewarm with two splendas, and he enjoyed wearing pink on fridays because it ‘brought out the grey in his hair’. Despite all of his oddities though, Leo loved him. He taught him everything he knew, really, and he had given him so much. 

His first month working full time, Abe had noticed he’d come to work late everyday. Sheepishly, Leo admitted that it was because he didn’t have a car and he had to commute from his small town to the shop after dropping Sawyer off at school (another commute going the opposite direction). Without another word, Abe guided him to a beat up accord and said one thing: “Fix it up, and it’s yours.” 

“my ex-boyfriend used to call me ‘hades’ because i would have this documentary about him on repeat when we were dating. he said we had ‘similar dispositions’ whatever that means. i guess it stuck.”

Name: Joseph NixonConnection: Ex-boyfriend

Joseph was someone Leo didn’t see coming. He was wealthy, and well-educated, and drove a really expensive car. He was also not from town, reckless and much too cocky for his own good. When he had brought in his car at the auto-shop one morning (clad in clothing that was far too nice for an auto-shop), Leo wanted nothing more than to throw a wrench at his perfect face… He only said yes to dinner to get him out of their hair (really, he swears). 

They dated for almost a year. Joseph was a good man and Leo believed that maybe at some point, they did love each other… But it was much too clear to them both that they were from very different worlds. Their fights were electric, brutal words hurled too and from one another till their throats were raw. Even if the makeup sex was always good after, they knew they couldn’t keep it up. 

Rowan swallowed thickly as he listen to Leo ‘ use his words’. His heart skipping a beat as Leo’s hands entwined with his own. Not realizing until then; how such a small act could hold so much meaning. How, he could miss the feel and warmth that radiated from him this much.

A part of him believed that this would happen. After sometime, and self reflections. Leo would come back to them he believed it more than anything. And he held onto that feeling … but, the longer Leo stayed away. From him and Jude, form the guild. Each day slowly chipped away from that block of hope he clung to. Each day, reminding himself that they were only friends took another chunk. But he powered through it, put on a brave face and endured because he could see the changes even if they were small to others.

And it was what Leo wanted.

Tilting his head slightly, leaning into Leo’s touch. “Why wouldn’t I when I’ve been hoping you say that canım.” He said his smile faltering just a little. “ You sure about this Leo?” Rowan’s hand resting on Leo’s neck, his thumb stroking the others jaw. “That I’m what you want? Because I honestly don’t think I can go through losing you again.”

Was he sure? 

Leo was not sure of many things. Back home, he hadn’t sure about whether or not his sister should go to social services or stay with him. It took him two weeks to finally realize that he could not live without her. He hadn’t been sure about his house, his bills, his jobs, his friends... 

Rowan and Jude though? This man in front of him. He was sure the moment he met him. He was sure that this man was someone he would follow through hell and back. 

He leaned into Rowan’s touch before shaking his head. 

“I’m sure about you, that was never a question for me. I will always want you, and I promise you, you won’t lose me again.” He leant his forehead against Rowan’s and breathed him in, losing himself in the man’s presence.