#raya writes

Spider leaped over another protruding root with a grunt. Since the Sky People’s return, he had often slipped away to be alone. After the ships landed, the relationship between the Na’vi and the humans who remained on Pandora had grown increasingly tense. Spider didn’t blame them, it hurt him too to watch the forest burn. Many in the clan had already lost something because of the humans, so it was no surprise they were wary around the other species.

The boy just didn’t want to get in the way, especially with his own personal problems. The warriors were busy discussing action against the RDA, while the rest continued settling into High Camp. And honestly, no one really cared much about Spider’s whereabouts, except maybe the McCoskers, who later complained about having to search for him. Well, now they were gone, and good riddance.

He sniffled before lifting his mask to quickly wipe his face, then pressed it back firmly. It hissed as it resealed. Spider sat on the root, legs dangling, stewing in his foul mood.

Even though he’d spent his whole life wishing his adoptive family would disappear, now that they were gone, he felt miserable. They were the closest thing to family he’d ever had, and they had gone, spitting in his face by taking his friends hostage. It was shitty.

Of course, he couldn’t complain about it. He wasn’t the one in danger because of all this, he just felt sick at the thought of being alone again. He’d been thinking too much about this crap, which was why he’d run off into the jungle.

He knew it was damn dangerous, and Jake had forbidden everyone from going near certain areas after another skirmish with the RDA. But the Na’vi were busy with their families, and the scientists were struggling to set up their relocated equipment. Besides, he always came back before anyone even remembered he was gone.

So he found a spot by a small stream, where he just watched the water and let his mind wander. It was quiet here, and he knew Jake wouldn’t let his kids come looking for him, this was too close to some RDA structure.

Still, the forest didn’t feel empty. After a couple of days, he started sensing eyes on the back of his neck. A shiver ran down his spine, but Spider stubbornly ignored it, almost getting used to the feeling. In a way, it helped with the loneliness, like at least the forest hadn’t abandoned him.

Spider stared blankly at his feet, swinging them idly. He’d probably cried all the tears he had over what happened, and now he was just here to clear his head. It was pretty far from where the Omatikaya usually hunted, anyway.

Spider propped his elbow on his knee and rested his chin in his palm, watching as a yerik descended to the pond for a drink. A small herd followed behind it.

A smile flickered across the boy’s face. Despite growing up on Pandora, the animals could still sense his unnatural scent, they rarely relaxed in his presence, either attacking him, fleeing in fear, or, on rare occasions, holding their ground. Spider knew it was a miracle they didn’t react worse; most humans faced outright fury from Pandora’s wildlife, leaving them scarred for life.

One male yerik suddenly locked eyes with the human boy, its head-fan flaring as its lip curled back. Spider sighed in disappointment, the creature had noticed him and was seconds from bolting.

Then the yerik’s head jerked up, staring at something behind Spider, before it spun and fled in the opposite direction, the herd scattering after it. The crack of snapping branches followed, and Spider instinctively reached for his bow, twisting to see what had spooked them.

A blue hand seized his mask, yanking him still, just as an unknown Na’vi dropped upside-down into view in front of him. She held him in place with one hand, a knife gripped in the other. He barely had time to react, still half-crouched on the root, fingers just brushing his bow. Her bright green eyes locked onto him, pupils slightly narrowed.

"I’m one of you! I won’t hurt you!" He shouted in Na’vi, trying to calm the stranger and make it clear he meant no harm.

The Na'vi woman studied him before slowly lowering her knife and releasing him, continuing her examination. She swayed as if preparing to pull herself up, but instead slipped, tumbling to the ground and nearly rolling head over heels.

Spider barely stifled a giggle at the sight, he'd never seen such a clumsy Na'vi, one who couldn't even hold onto a tree. She winced slightly and pushed herself up from the dirt.

"Sorry!" His face immediately flushed with shame when she seemed to notice his muffled laughter at her fall. But in response, the Na'vi only smiled and let out an almost silent laugh of her own.

Her tail flicked playfully behind her as she brushed dirt from her body and straightened to her full height. Spider studied her ornaments with interest, they were different from what Omatikaya warriors usually wore. Her top was woven with red and gold threads, with a leather sheath where her knife rested.

"You're ikran makto!" Spider gasped, noticing the number of her accessories, as well as leggings worn by ikran riders and the flight mask that looked more like a headband to keep her hair back.

"You know much, human boy," the Na'vi woman murmured as she crept closer and crouched, shifting her weight to stay at eye level with Spider.

She watched Spider with interest, brushing aside one of his locks. Her fingers lingered in his hair, lightly twisting it as she examined his selfmade dreadlocks.

"I live with the Omatikaya," Spider explained, "and the Resistance. I'm Spider,"

The Na’vi woman respectfully stepped back and brought her fingers to her forehead, now formally greeting him, though a smile still played on her lips.

"Oel ngati kameie, Spider," she replied, then introduced herself, "I am Iaraen,"

"Oel ngati kameie, Iaraen," Spider raised his hand to his forehead in a respectful gesture, still studying the Na’vi’s appearance.

Her hair was beautifully adorned, her dreadlocks and tswin tied up in a high tail. Everything about her screamed that she was a warrior from another clan. Spider bit his cheek, wondering if he could ask where she was from.

"You come here often, Spider," Iaraen said, rising and walking toward the stream. She knelt by the water and drew her knife, cutting reeds growing along the bank. The beads in her hair and on her top swayed softly and rhythmically. Most of them were in shades of brown, gold, and red, though a few differed in size and color.

"You’ve been watching me?" Spider asked, surprised. He had thought he’d accidentally disturbed her peace, prompting her to attack him.

Iaraen looks at him and smiles, her ears twitching with curiosity as she studies Spider’s expression. His eyebrows, furrowed in confusion, make her laugh, loudly, human emotions seemed less expressive to her, and rather amusing.

Spider hesitates, opening his mouth, trying to be polite before questions start tumbling out. She was odd, yet strangely friendly, even though she’d tried to attack him at first. And it seemed Iaraen had no intention of offering any explanations.

He still wanted to apologize to her, though he wasn’t sure how to put it into words. He must have disturbed her more than once, maybe messed up her hunting. Maybe he’d caused trouble for her clan, even though this was still Omatikaya territory.

To the north was the Bridgehead, and to the south lay ground of Tayrangi clan, while heading east would lead only to the open sea. Though her clothing was made using a different technique, he could partially recognize the materials it was crafted from. The other clans neighboring the Omatikaya were much farther inland.

The Spider crouched and slipped off the root where he had been perched, then slowly approached Iaraen, wondering how to continue the conversation.

Though he feared he might seem intrusive, he was curious to learn why a Na’vi with such unusual eyes was hunting on foreign territory.

"Are you from the Tayrangi?" Spider stands awkwardly behind Iaraen as she deftly ties the reeds together and picks them up.

"I was raised by that clan," the Na’vi woman shakes her head before denying her current ties to them, "But they let me go, just as they once took me in. Now I wander north,"

Her answer only partially addressed the question, without delving into her true origins. Her songcord was long, exceptionally long, even for an adult Na’vi, which only raised more questions about how much she had lived through. Parts of her clothing, especially the ornaments, were made from animal components Spider didn’t recognize.

"And you, how did you end up here,Spider'evan?" Iaraen had seen humans before and knew how they usually dressed, making this human child in Na’vi garb an oddity. The humans she had encountered during her brief travel had been hostile toward anything related to the Na’vi, yet he was dressed as one of them. Though the craftsmanship of his loincloth was crude, like something made by a child still learning. "Did you come from the sky, and the Omatikaya took you in?"

"I was born on Eywa’eveng," Spider blurted out, somewhat proud that he wasn’t an alien. But then he hesitated, thinking about his place in the clan. "I live there, along with a few scientists,"

Though Spider considered himself Na’vi, he couldn’t claim to be a full-fledged member of the clan. Many Na’vi merely tolerated him, letting him help rather than treating him as a true warrior. In many rituals, he was only allowed to watch from the sidelines. But he didn’t hold it against them.

"No, you are not a warrior,Spider'evan," Iaraen said bluntly, her eyes scanning his attire. He didn’t wear the customary cummerbund of an adult warrior. Spider winced at the truth, even though the Na’vi woman’s words held no malice.

"I can’t pass the Iknimaya. I can’t make tsaheylu," Spider shook his head.

He gave a sad smile, trying to soften the edges, as if his inadequacy would disappoint her and drive her away. As if not being Na’vi enough would make Iaraen lose interest and send him off.

"Your English is pretty good," Spider remarked. She pronounced his nickname well, without mangling the middle of the word like other Na’vi who had never dealt with the speech of the sky people.

"I knew Sky People when I was young," Iaraen replied, adjusting her grip on the reeds before slowly moving away from the stream, glancing back at Spider now and then as if expecting him to follow.

He hesitated for a moment before taking a step forward, still debating whether he was being too pushy. Many clan Na’vi he’d tried to talk to before dismissed him as a "tawtute'eveng with pointless chatter." It didn’t exactly hurt, it just set clear boundaries on how not to seem rude.

Iaraen moved swiftly and smoothly between the trees, going farther and farther away from the stream. She slowed and turned only to make sure Spider was keeping up. The boy sped up, pushing through the forest, not wanting to give her any reason to worry about him.

He gasped when the Na’vi led him to her temporary home. A long membrane was stretched from a small rocky outcrop down to the ground, forming a shelter. Strands of drying meat and a few fruits hung from threads. The place vaguely resembled a makeshift outpost, only more homely.

"Your marui is very beautiful," Spider said as he stepped inside and looked around. True, there weren’t many decorations, her heavy bow lay against the stone wall without a weapon stand, and beside it were arrows with reddish-brown feathers.

"Thank you, tawtute'evan," Iaraen laughed warmly at his compliment and tossed some reeds near an unfinished ikran saddle.

Spider shifted his weight awkwardly from one foot to the other before moving closer and crouching down, watching the weaving technique of another clan. He had seen the Omatikaya make saddles, and now he was witnessing the craftsmanship of a different clan, utterly fascinated.

"Spider'evan, why are you out here alone? Even Omatikaya warriors only come here in groups," Iaraen asked curiously, seeming troubled that a child raised among the Na’vi would wander so close to the human structures. "Do your parents let you come here?"

Spider bit his lip, scrambling to come up with a quick lie. He didn’t want to tell the truth, afraid it would reflect poorly on his clan,that no one had really taken responsibility for him. Though Na’vi rituals were dangerous, no parent would give their child permission to leap into a palulukan’s den or, well, approach human buildings.

He continued to remain silent, his muscles slightly tense, as if afraid he’d be accused of laziness or lying or something else.

"I don’t have parents, and I’m old enough that no one needs to watch over me. I just don’t want to bother anyone with my thoughts," Spider groaned, never able to come up with anything better than that. His smile wavered slightly as he realized he had bothered her once before, "Sorry for getting in your way,"

Iaraen let out a surprised sigh, not expecting the boy’s sudden apology. She had made camp in the territory of another clan to keep an eye on the strange sky person who now sat in front of her. Even if the Na’vi didn’t deny travelers rest, if anyone should be apologizing, it should have been her.

"Don’t apologize," Iaraen tosses at him, returning to weaving her saddle. Not all humans she’d known were cruel and greedy, but someone who apologized this much was a first.

Spider shut up and just kept silently watching her. It was awkward, there were still so many questions he wanted to ask but was afraid of being rude or hurting her with some memory. Quietly, he scanned her campsite.

His stomach growled as his gaze fell upon her food supplies once more. Spider had safely skipped lunch due to the dishes being poisonous to him, and he had slipped away from dinner to be alone.

Iaraen’s ear twitched at the sound of his hungry stomach, and she lifted her head. She was staring at him sternly. Truth be told, Spider had seen that look from adults before, whether they were Na’vi or Sky People. She seemed insistent, as if she wanted to make sure the boy wasn’t hungry, her tail swaying behind her.

"I gotta go, eclipse is coming soon!" Spider blurted it out almost in one breath, quick and sharp, as if he had just remembered the promise. But that wasn’t the case. He just didn’t want to be in the awkward position of refusing Iaraen’s cooking. Even if he had accepted, he would’ve had to carefully pick through the food to find something his body could tolerate. So bolting was his way of avoiding seeming fussy. "I’ll stay for dinner tomorrow. You’ll be here, right?"

"Only if you come back to the stream tomorrow,"

She beamed, baring her white fangs. Her eyes crinkled slightly with amusement, a playful glimmer shining in them. Her tail flicked happily, the tip tapping against the ground.

Spider found himself unable to suppress a smile when this Na’vi woman was so open and kind toward him. She gazed at him in wonder, as if he were something long-awaited. He was used to most adults not caring much about his existence.

Spider rose from his crouch and stepped out under the open sky, tilting his head up to gauge the time. Normally, he’d already be back at High Camp by now, with the eclipse so close. Though he loved climbing among the bioluminescent plants, the twilight held plenty of dangers even for a Na’vi, let alone a human, who was many times more fragile.

He turned to see Iaraen calling after him, telling him to be careful, before disappearing into the trees. Alpha Centauri always set quickly, plunging Eywa’eveng into dusk in no time.

The plants began glowing in shades of blue and violet as night approached. Spider loved the night—the shimmering colors cast an illusion, making his skin appear blue.

A syaksyuk tribal group swung from tree to tree, nimbly leaping and climbing across the branches, rustling the leaves above Spider’s head.

A light rain began to fall as if from nowhere, pattering softly against the ground. Mud grew slick under Spider’s feet as he pressed on through the forest toward Ayram Alusìng.

He returned faster than usual, covering the distance from the stream to High Camp in record time. The village had grown quieter, many Na’vi mothers were putting their children to bed, humming soft, melodic lullabies. Spider tried to slip as quietly as possible between the maruis, careful not to disturb the families as he made his way toward the portable biolab module.

Passing through the Na’vi living area, he reached the section where the avatars and humans were stationed. He wished one of the avatar drivers goodnight before being cornered by Lo’ak and Kiri.

"Bro, where were you? We were worried," Lo’ak said, placing a hand on Spider’s shoulder. He looked genuinely surprised that his friend had been missing all evening.

"This skxawng told Tuk a nantang ate you, and she started crying over it," Kiri shot a glare at her brother, who just rolled his eyes, apparently, the youngest Sully had taken the joke too seriously.

But Kiri, too, was eyeing him with concern, having returned only after dark. Spider’s sudden disappearance had sent both of them scrambling to make sure he was just off doing his own thing and not in trouble.

"Long story, but I met a Na’vi from another clan," Spider seemed eager to share the details of his unexpected forest encounter, gesturing animatedly. "She’s a wanderer, and she has these really pretty eyes–"

Kiri let out an annoyed snort, earning a teasing nudge from Lo’ak, who grinned at the chance to mess with his sister.

"Oh, I thought you said Kiri’s eyes were the pretty ones," Lo’ak joked before getting a light smack on the back of the head from Kiri, who now looked slightly flustered.

"You should shut up before I start listing all the girls you've chased after," Spider shot back, giving Lo'ak a playful shove to shut him up.

He immediately cringed at the memory of his own awkward attempts at romance, nothing more than childish crushes. Like that time at nine years old when he'd confessed to his friends that he was in love with Ikäe, a warrior barely younger than his parents.

Kiri burst out laughing, savoring the chance to pay him back for all those jokes about her unknown father.

Their laughter was abruptly cut short by Neytiri, who was striding toward them with purpose. Lo'ak squinted slightly, realizing he and Kiri were about to get an earful,her lashing tail and pinned-back ears made that much obvious.

"Ma ay'evi, your father told you to go to sleep," she said curtly, leaving no room for argument.

"We were looking for Spider–" Lo'ak tried to explain before his mother cut him off.

"I'm sure he was heading to bed too. There was no need to leave your little sister alone,"

Neytiri's tone turned sharper as she glanced at Spider, prompting him to nod and step toward the lab, letting her herd her kids back to the marui. Her eyes narrowed slightly before she turned away in approval, refocusing on her son and daughter.

Lo'ak grumbled a bit with his mother about curfew and his concerns for Spider, but in the end, Neytiri made him go back to sleep.

Kiri waved at Spider before following her sulking brother and their mother. Spider waved back, then ducked into the lab and sealed the door tightly behind him. The airlock hissed, and the inner door slid open, granting access to the filtered atmosphere inside. He pulled off his mask, rubbing the spots where it had pressed into his skin, leaving faint marks. He greeted Jocelyn, who was practically asleep on her feet, before slipping into the main section of the lab.

He found himself near Max and the computer that stored all the scientists' records. You’d think they’d have run out of things to study after 14 years on this planet as allies of the Na’vi, not to mention the extra years under RDA’s thumb.

"Hey, Max. We still have some RDA archives, right?" Spider stared at the holoscreen where the scientist was inputting notes. After the first few nerdy jargon-filled words, he gave up trying to decipher the wall of text.

"Pretty sure we’ve got a few. What’s got you so interested, kid?" Max turned to him, looking surprised by the boy’s sudden curiosity. Spider hadn’t asked to watch old vlogs in ages, and when he did, it was usually just stuff about Na’vi traditions.

"If I can’t find what I’m looking for, I’ll ask you or Norm," Spider kept peering over the scientist’s shoulder, waiting for access to the files.

"Here, just don’t stay up all night," Max vacated the chair with a stretch before heading toward the living quarters.

Spider quickly hopped onto the seat, crossing his legs and leaning on one arm as he scrolled through the video logs. His thoughts were fixated on Iaraen’s origins, he couldn’t shake the fact that she’d interacted with humans as a child. He didn’t know of any other clans that had cooperated with humans besides the Omatikaya.

Unfortunately, some of the old logs were missing. Some hadn’t been backed up before the RDA left, taking their data with them, while others had simply been deleted due to limited storage. Most of what remained were military records, Spider still didn’t understand why those had even been copied over. Probably just a desperate attempt to salvage whatever they could before it was lost forever.

Spider groaned when he saw the unpleasantly familiar face, which fortunately he had only seen on the holoscreen. He grimaced in disgust, wondering why the scientists had even kept this. He hesitated for a moment, considering deleting it, but in the end, he just clenched his teeth and ignored the video of his father’s face, focusing on all the other recordings instead.

He clicked on a vlog by an unknown RDA employee in a white lab coat and slightly turned down the volume to avoid disturbing anyone while he watched. As expected, he didn’t find anything interesting on the first try, skipping forward slightly as the person on the holoscreen rambled in overly technical terms about loreyu.

He turned off that recording before moving to another one, skimming through it while half-listening to what the various scientists were saying in their vlogs. Spider grabbed a small piece of paper and a pen, doodling little sketches of whatever came to mind. He tried drawing Iaraen from memory before switching to what he was better at –drawing his friends.

“Do you, Tom Holland, take Y/N Y/L/N as your lawfully wedded wife?” He asks again, while Tom looks at you with nothing but adoration in his eyes.

“I do.” And everyone cheers once again, and you gently squeeze his hand.

“So I shall now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride.” The priest says lastly before getting off the stage and as if on queue, Tom sweeps you under his arms and holds your waist before pressing his lips to yours. The moment was wholeheartedly content, his and your parents, both with tears in their eyes, even Paddy and Harry shed a few, because the moment was so pure to just not cry at. Tom kisses you as if he was the luckiest man on Earth, like he had achieved something which he thought he could never. He pulls back to look at you beaming with the biggest smile he’s seen on you in years, and smiles to himself once again.

This was the best day of both of your lives till now, and there was no doubt about it.

After 4 years of being together, Tom finally proposed to you, and then forgot where he kept the ring, but you couldn’t care less because the man you were in love with was now, going to be a forever favourite in your lives. And today, he was now your husband from your fiance, and you couldn’t be anymore happier.

You both settle down after roaming from one place to another greeting every guest that had attended your wedding, finally for a drink and some food. Harrison sits right behind you, completing the duties of best man with all his will, and you smile at him. The twins and Paddy come in a bit later, but your eyes are looking for someone else. Where’s Tom? Your question was answered when you hear the clinking of a glass, just to find your handsome husband there.

“May I have your attention please?” He looks directly at you and you blow him a kiss, him pretending to catch it making everyone laugh. Actors.

“Thank you all for attending and being a part of our very wonderful day, I swear you guys are our favourite people” He says while chuckling.

“Today is the day I married my wonderful and stunning lover, Y/N and in recognition of that, I decided to give you the best gift of this evening.” He says, making you wonder what he got for you.

“I remember when Y/N once told me that she always loves heartfelt and handmade gifts filled with love more than people buying her the gift of her choice. She likes the element of surprise, as she likes to say. So Y/N my darling, I thought you might notice and scold me for it but you didn’t, not even once in this 4 year old relationship, and trust me this is going to shock you. I’ve managed to record every important and goofy moment of our lives, from falling on a staircase to the time I proposed to you, I have it all. I’ve compiled them into one sweet video for you, while your favourite singer of them all, Mr. Clinton Kane sings a song for us! Please give him a huge round of applause!” You jerk your head to the place where Clinton enters from, and he waves at you making you wave instinctively as well.

You look back again towards Tom, who was smiling sweetly at your little fangirl moment and continues.

“I’d also like to thank Harrison and Harry for helping me edit this video, because I’m literally so dumb without anyone of these four with me.”

“Can you put the lights out and start the video please?” He asks one of the workers there at the venue, and jogs up to sit down beside you, giving you a small peck while you take a hold of his hand.

And on queue, the lights are dimmed and the video starts to play. You can hear the faint strumming of the guitar that Clinton is currently playing, but you aren’t able to identify the song just yet. You look ahead towards the screen, and your eyes light up when you see Tom dressed up in his wedding tuxedo, you finally realising that this bit was filmed just a few hours ago.

“Hello my lovely wife! Well, I’m filming this part before the ceremony starts but I think I’m pretty certain on showing you this video after we’re married. This was...boring. Anyways, I hope you enjoy the video my love, and don’t hit me when we get home! I love you so so so much, enjoy!” He says before shutting off his camera, while everyone laughs at his goofiness and you glare at him playfully. The video rolls again and you look forward, but suddenly realise the song. It’s ‘I Guess I’m In Love’, you say to yourself. Tom had proposed to you after a few days when the song came out, and somehow on the night of him proposing, this song was played. You labelled it ‘our song’ and he happily obliged. 

“Haz hold the camera correctly for god's sake...” You hear your husband’s voice and move your head towards the screen, smiling brightly.

“Oh I’m obsessed. With the way your head is laying on my chest.” Clinton starts, immediately soothed by the presence of your lover and the melody in your ears.

“I am holding the camera nicely mate bugger off! Nikki taught me well!” Harrison says in the background making everyone giggle.

“She’s coming shut up” 

“What’s this Tom?” You ask him, as he looks at you like a kid in love.

“Y/N”

“Tom” You say in the same manner, feeling anxious by the second.

“So we’ve been dating for 4 years and trust me those have been the most beautiful four years of my life. I know this is so out of the blue, but Y/N Y/L/N, will you do the favour of marrying the person who loves you immensely? A.k.a. Tom?" He says and you laugh. You hold on for a few seconds, looking in his eyes which were filled with desperation.

"Yes" You say and his face lights up like a Christmas tree. He can't stop beaming and searches for the ring in his pocket, only to find out that he didn't have it.

"Oh I'm a mess. When I overthink the little things in my head."

"I have the ring I promise." He says, moving frantically.

"Tom-"

"I swear I kept the ring in my pocket-"

"Tom-"

"How can I be this stupid you probably don't want to marry me anymore-"

"TOM!" He jerks his head towards you as you shout his name.

"It's okay. I just want you right now." You say and he immediately hugs you, the tightest of them all.

The clip ends and you knew the tears were coming very soon, Tom senses the action and rubs your knuckles., giving you a hearty smile.

The second clip rolls in soon, your eyes brightening almost instantly.

"You seem to always help me catch my breath. But then I lose it again, when I look at you, that's the end."

"Why the hell are we on the top of the Eiffel Tower? And why do you want your phone to crash?" You ask him, while he struggles to make a video with his phone while the winds roar at the top of the monument.

"Because I want to remember this moment!" He shouts, making you smile even more.

"My goof"

"Your goof"

"You're lucky I love you"

"I wouldn't have it any other way darling" He says and gives you a quick peck on the lips, this moment too pure to realise.

"Why do I get so nervous when I look into your eyes? And butterflies can't stop me falling for you."

"Now we may invite, a very handsome young lad, who happens to be Spiderman, Mr. Tom Holland!" Harry shouts in the video, while you all pretended to have a grand gala when you couldn't attend Tom's premiere.

He walks in wearing a black tuxedo, his shirt buttons open from the top, looking dashing.

"Thank you for inviting Harold, but please, call the star of today's night." Tom says, making everyone groan about how in love he was with you.

"Patience Thomas. Now may I present, the queen of today's night, Ms. Y/N Y/L/N!" Everyone applauds as you walk down the stairs as you hear your name. You reach the door wearing a red and black dress, the clothing complementing your body more than ever. Everyone seems to keep clapping but your attention is towards that one dummy, who's standing like he's seen a ghost.

"..Oh wow." He's speechless, and everyone knows it. You blush at your boyfriend's gesture and nudge him in the shoulder, as a signal to stop staring.

"I hope you all understand that I scored a jackpot, thank you" He sees and everybody laughs.

You laugh along with the other guests, remembering the faint memory from over two years back. This was one of the most fun nights you've had with Tom. While you laugh at the clip, all Tom can do is stare at you in awe. How did he get so lucky, he thinks. He watches how your face glows when you see someone happy on the screen. He truly was blessed.

"And darling this is more than anything I've felt before. You're everything that I want, but I didn't think I'd find. Someone who was worth the wait of all the years of my heartbreak. But I know now I've found the one I love."

"Please don't go" You sniffle on Tom's shoulder, asking him to stay one last time before his flight leaves for Atlanta.

"If it was in my hands darling I'd never leave your side." He says, trying to hold back tears.

"It's okay, I understand." You say, pulling back and clearing your throat.

"Awh Y/N please don't cry." Tom tries to persuade his emotions by telling you to stop, but a tear falls down his cheeks in an instant.

"I'm sorry." You say, chuckling lightly, making Tom chuckle too.

"I'll be back before you know it."

"I know you will be"

"Please board the flight for Atlanta which leaves at 1330 hours" The flight attendant announces, and you know it's time to let him go.

"Come back home to me soon okay?" You say, wiping your tears.

"As soon as possible"

"I love you" He says.

"I love you more."

"I love you most." You can't argue with that now.

"Bye bubba" You say, giving him one last kiss, a very long one indeed, that left you both searching for oxygen.

"Bye darling" And he leaves to board his flight. You look in the same direction until he disappears and you turn around.

"Harrison, are you crying?"

"No-" He sniffles and you laugh.

You knew you were going to cry as soon as you saw the location. This was one of the hardest moments of your life, letting your lover go away from you for so long, and you weren't ready for that. You wiped your tears while Tom rubbed your hand with one of his, the other cleaning his tear stained face. You look back to see Harrison crying once again, and you laugh a bit at him before giving him your hand for comfort. He really was the best man. You blow a kiss to your family and Tom's, who were currently high on emotions. Even the brothers had tears in their eyes. You really did get the best family.

"And I love the way. You can never find the right things to say. And you can't sit still an hour in the day. I'm so in love, let's run away because us is enough."

The rest of the video were some clips of you and Tom being goofy and so in love, which were a delight to watch. The song played in the background, adding its own special touch, which was necessary to bind this moment together. All these moments which Tom managed to shoot secretly were a lifelong reminder of how much your person loved you. He loved you.

And that is all you need.

The video gets over and Tom looks at you with puppy eyes.

"So, how was it?"

"You're the reason my makeup is ruined and I have mascara stains" You say, laughing while crying.

"That good, huh?"

"That good." You say and he pulls you in for a hug and kisses your forehead.

"I love you bubba"

"I love you more" He says, kissing your cheek.

"I love you most." 

He couldn't argue with that.

"But I know now I've found the one I love."

--------------------------------------------------------------

tagging some friends who'd like to read!

The premise is that Genos and Sonic chance upon each other in an abandoned quarry that both had intended to use as a training area. It’s a large area, devoid of wildlife ever since those monsters showed up, so it’s perfect for trying out new weaponry. The monsters are gone now, so it should be safe.

Getting territorial upon seeing each other, Genos and Sonic end up fighting, which in return leads to them falling into a mine below. Between the fight and fall, both of them have received serious injuries.

Sonic has managed to break his legs after Genos landed on them (oops), whereas Genos has damaged his spine and lost an arm. But pain is not an issue as long as he maintains battle mode. Most frustrating for him is that he’s lost his eyesight, which in return means he lacks access to everything on his HUD - damage reports, his proximity alert system, the ability to contact dr. Kuseno...

It’s doubly frustrating because combining no visuals with his dulled senses from being in battle mode, it’s difficult for him to get proper bearings on the outside world. Sensory deprivation ain’t no walk in the park. Even so, after figuring out the right direction, he starts crawling towards the exit. Sonic latches on to him, so he can get out as well. Genos finds his whining annoying, but he’s not in much of a state to fight him off and, unfortunately, relies on him providing visual cues, especially when it’s time to blast themselves out of the cave.

They talk a bit with each other, mostly throwing insults, but in a moment of worry Genos asks Sonic if he appears to have any dents on his skull - he knows that he lost one eye while they fought, but he’s not quite sure when the other one went out. If it’s the result of brain damage... that’s Bad.

Sonic is surprised to learn that Genos has an organic brain - he’d assumed that he was fully mechanical, like an android. He remarks, more than once, how weird it is to think that Genos is just a brain, which Genos finds annoying - everyone is just a brain in a body, after all.

They reach their entry hole and prepare to leave, but are interrupted by a screech from outside. It turns out that monsters still exist in the area, and the commotion has attracted one of them. For Genos this is another worrying moment - if not for that screech, he would not be able to sense the monster’s presence at all in his current state, while Sonic can see it easily in the sky above them.

They decide to wait a bit before attempting to get out, and Genos decides to try doing a systems reboot in the meantime, hoping it might restore his eyesight. It doesn’t, and as he wakes up his body has reverted to its default state, and he’s assaulted by the smell of burnt parts and gravel and smoke, and the pain of all his damaged parts. He immediately goes back into battle mode so that all of that can be ignored.

They attempt to blast their way out, Sonic doing his best to help Genos steer out of the narrow passageway.

And, um! That’s about as far as I’ve gotten as I’m writing this post. I still need to figure out how they will continue once out of the mine, but they will definitely attract the monster/s again and have to get away from them in their injured states.

What I’m really enjoying figuring out though, and that I really hope I can weave into the story, is like... the strength of the mind, I guess? How we deal with... stuff.

Genos has the ability to dull his senses, so he does not need to worry about pain - or much of anything. In the beginning this is useful, as it allows him to actually move them forward, to make progress despite their injuries, but the more time passes, the more anxious and distressed he gets - he starts feeling trapped, unable to keep track of where he is, what is happening around him, etc. I’m debating if maybe his proximity alert will start going off, further making him nervous as he basically only gets the warning that someone is near but no idea who or what, but we’ll see.

Genos is... used to having access to battle mode and what it offers him. He finds Sonic’s attitude annoying, a sign of weakness. It’s only down the road, as he has to deal with his own misery, that he realizes how strong Sonic has been throughout the whole ordeal - the guy has been in constant pain, but barely complained about it, has remained clear-sighted at all times etc. He’ll (begrudgingly, I imagine) admit that Sonic has done really well, all things considered.

Still figuring it out... but I imagine they might reach a point where Genos decides to exit battle mode as he can’t deal with the lack of sensation any more, and experiencing the pain is preferable. Sonic, after being jealous and/or annoyed with his indifference to damage (including finding Sonic weak for being in pain) will probably advise against it.

Things I still need to um, figure out:

- What happens after they exit the mine? Where do they go to find help?

- At which point does the monster appear? How do they deal with it?

- They will need to find at the very least water, because I think they’ll need well more than 24 hours to get to... the state I need them to be in ( >:D )

- How are they saved? By whom?

And what I hope to weave in...

- Hiding little hints about Sonic’s state. We view the story through Genos’ eyes, and his understanding of the other’s suffering is very limited at the start, so it needs to be gradually growing, but if you go back, the hints must be there from the start.

- Genos’ slowly building anxiety, with some sort of climax to it all.

- Reluctant “pat pat good boy, easy now” from Sonic to help Genos calm down as we reach said above climax.

- I’d love to add them having a snarly heart to heart along the lines of “so what is your relationship to Saitama exactly because it’s like super weird from the outside” from Sonic lmao