#does it count as a druig fic if he's never really mentioned?

[cdragons]

Revenant

Summary: Kol Mikaelson's soul manages to leave and travel while he still remains daggered in his coffin. While he wanders around and bitches about his life, he meets an unexpected friend. Warning(s): VERY HEAVY crack fic, technical crossover of fandoms, weird shit, Kol is a horny-ass gremlin, Druig & Kaety are obsessed with each other, Kol has a thing for witches bc he got mommy issues, Klaus is a bitch

Note: Merry Christmas to all who celebrate it! This fic came from an idea that I shared with @ethereal-athalia, and it is VERY much a crack fic. I don't have any plans in continuing this idea, but I wanted to write it out as a Christmas gift to @ethereal-athalia for how much of a good friend she's been to me. I never would have been able to do any of my fics without her in my corner. I own only my Hecate!OC. I do not own either Druig from Eternals, or Kol from TVD franchise. Also, Druig still very much exists in this fic and world bc I physically CANNOT write Kaety without Druig. Stay safe and hope that your upcoming year brings you all good health and happiness!

Kol hated being dead. Truly dead. Dead in a way that he couldn’t move or speak or live.

At least when he turned as a gift Mother Dearest he could still walk, even if he couldn’t use the arcane anymore. But of course, he would still always find his way back to witches and their magic. He couldn’t help it if he exuded that charm that made him so irresistible.

Gods, just remembering how pathetically sex-deprived his physical form was currently almost made him weep. He couldn’t wait until the moment he got that fucking silver dagger out of his chest. Nik was going to get it when he finally got out.

Sure, he may have crossed a line when he stated that Nik had a pair of buttocks flatter than a sheet of paper. But was he the one that gave his brother such lacking assets? No. That fault lied entirely with their mother and his biological father, thank you very much.

But alas, here his soul was, walking in a forest in the middle of some mosquito-flooded country.

At the very least, his gorgeous body was safe from the onslaught of bug bites and sweltering humidity. Only in the fucking Amazon did winter feel like summer.

Kol audibly groaned once more at the thought of his immaculate figure rotting away thanks to Nik. He couldn’t bear to think about how his illustrious fair skin being that dull grayish hue from being confined by death. At least when Bekah got daggered, Nik had the decency to make sure that her body remained stored in proper conditions and carefully encased in magic to prevent any harm coming to her. He had no guarantee. No, such love and devotion only went to ‘Lijah and Bekah when it came to Nik.

Story of his life: always an outsider, even with his own fucking siblings. Gods, he wanted nothing more than have his powers return to him. At least with magic by his side he’d finally be able to show Nik he wasn’t the only one with threats, he’d show him, he’d –

“Well, well, well,” came a new voice, “aren’t you a strange sight?”

Kol immediately turned his head to locate the mindless idiot that dared to interrupt his thoughts. Did humans devolve so pathetically that they no longer understood that when they see a soul wandering alone, that soul would likely be uninterested in any attempts of conversation? But looking at the individual who spoke to him, he was shocked beyond himself to witness such a devastatingly gorgeous woman before him. She had dark almond-shaped eyes and tall with legs that went on for miles. And her thick and illustrious raven waves practically flowed down the middle of her back like a black waterfall.

Dare he say it, this woman was almost as beautiful than him.  

But regardless of how pleasing her outward appearance may be, she still would not be spared from his fury.

Pity, he would have loved to wrap those legs around his waist if he were actually here.

The corners of the woman’s lips went upward, and the cupid’s bow of her mouth was slightly pursed as she smirked, making her lips look plumper and more bitable than how they had right to be in the Original’s opinion. It was only a few seconds before the succubus burst out laughing. Her entire body arched with her back as she simply couldn’t contain herself.

“I’m sorry,” she said once he began to calm down, “but I’m afraid that I happen to be very happily married. In fact, I have been for the past near seven thousand years.” After making a quick glance up and down Kol’s near transparent form, she continued with a cat-like grin. “And I highly doubt someone as woefully young as you could satisfy a woman like me.”

Oh, now he was offended. Not being able to satisfy– did this woman have any idea who she was talking to? The list of names of men and women that swore they only believed in Heaven when Kol fucked them was so long that it would wrap the Earth twice. And she better believe than each time was more than consensual – they were begging him very enthusiastically to say the least. Who was this lady to assume –

Wait, did she say seven thousand years?

As if she could hear his thoughts, all the woman did was smiled before extending her hand.

“I think I’d like it very much if you and I became friends.”

Extending his own, Kol was surprised to see that his hand didn’t just pass through like it normally would for most physical objects. He could actually grasp her hand and feel the warmth passing through it. For the first time in…forever, Kol felt warmth flooding through him. He stared into her eyes, wondering how on Earth someone could live for seven thousand years. Even if she had the gift of mediumship, his presence was too well-hidden for even the most gifted and powerful medium to sense him.

Kol had to know more of her. He’d go mad if he didn’t.

“What are you exactly?” he carefully asked.

He could sense that this person was a being of extreme power. In the top of her finger, she likely contained far more power than Nik could possibly imagine, even in his wildest dreams. It seemed that being an invisible soul floating in the wind had its perks after all. If he was alive, walking and about, he’d never come across this marvel of a woman.

“I’d prefer if you began that question with ‘who’ than ‘what,’ but I suppose that matters little in this situation. My name is Kaetlyn, I prefer Kaet for my friends, but you may know me better as-”

“Hekate,” he whispered in awe, “Goddess of Magic. Titaness Mother of Witches and Monsters.”

“Surprised in a good way I hope?” Kaet asked with one brow raised.

“More or less, but I did imagine you about 30 feet taller with the night sky for skin and two more heads.”

“Well,” she softly chuckled, “I hope I didn’t disappoint you with my appearance. Now I’ll forgive you just this once for interrupting me. But only if you allow me to take you to my home.”

“Oh?” Kol asked, a salacious grin spreading across his face. Now things were getting interesting.

“Save it Kol Mikaelson-” ordered the ancient goddess as she raised her hand to her face as she pointed at him in warning- “I am taking you to the village that I run with my husband. So, I suggest that you keep your hands to yourself because he has a nasty little habit of being showing exactly how off-limits I am to youngsters such as yourself.”

“I never told you my-”

“You were once a witch, and I am the mother of magic. All witches and their magic came from me, including you.”

It really was so unfair how good she looked while talking over him. Oh well, he might as well play along. Finally, something interesting was happening in his life.

“So, who is this husband of yours, darling? And how can you be so sure that your husband could be a threat to me? You know who I am, what I became. What makes you so sure that once I enter your village, I won’t use my ghostly ways to end him.”

When Kol finished, he immediately felt a shift in the air. It was as if the sun had disappeared and the jungle went silent. It seemed that the animals that served as their audience went dead silent as if they were in anticipation for his end. The kind and amiable mirth of the chthonic witch shifted to dangerous and cold.

Kol had lived for over 700 years and after everything he done and witnessed, he had never felt such chill run down his spine.

“Listen well,” she began – her tone laced with the power and authority that came from someone of her position, “I won’t try to humor you with answering that ridiculous question, nor do I intend to let you presume that my kindness can be mistaken for naivety. My husband is one with abilities as ancient and powerful as mine. If you truly knew what he was capable of, you’d be far more terrified of him than you ever were of your father. That being said, if you ever try to threaten my husband or even think about go so far to joke about it again, I promise you that I can produce torture and incite fear that would make the devil weep in pity for you.”

Oh fuck, even as a ghost, Kol should not have been as aroused by her threats as he was in that moment.

But soon the tension dissipated and warmth from the sun returned to pass through him once more.

“Now that we have that matter cleared up, we really should get going. The sun’s about to set and you never know what or who would be lurking at night.”

With that being the final word, The Good Lady of the Night and Shadows turned around and made her way back to where he presumed to be the location of her home village. And what else could he do but follow her by how the slight sway of her hips seemed to beckon him.

Threats and chills mixed a beautiful witch with magic more ancient than time itself, Kol couldn’t remember the last time he felt so alive.

Authors' Note: And when Kol enters the village, he tries to flirt with Kaet in front of Druig like a dumbass, and his soul gets a major ass-whooping.

Tagging: @ethereal-athalia, @valeskafics, @klauslove, @carolineforbae, @misssophiachase

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[fireinmoonshot]

CONTAINS SPOILER FOR ETERNALS.

PART ONE | PART TWO | PART THREE Summary: In 1521, the Eternals disbanded and Druig left you despite the lengthy past you'd both shared. Now, you're forced back together by the Emergence, but after 500 years apart, neither of you are quite the same as you were. But a love like the one you shared hundreds of years ago never quite goes away. Pairing: Druig x Fem! Reader (slight enemies to lovers) Fandom: Marvel's Eternals Warnings: ETERNALS SPOILERS, mentions of death, implied smut (nothing specific). Word Count: 7740 A/N: So... it's been a while, huh? I had intended to write and post this before the end of 2021, but with all the chaos of working retail at Christmas, it didn't happen, and then somehow work has been crazier at the start of 2022 than it was at Christmas, which is why it's taken me so long to get around to posting the final part now! Thank you to anyone who has stuck around waiting for me to post it and I'm sorry for keeping you waiting for so long! I'm really proud of this fic as a whole, it was a real challenge for me, and I'm happy with how this final chapter panned out. I hope that if you've been waiting since December for this, it doesn't let you down and that you enjoy it as the final part of this fic! Thank you all for the love and support you've given me as I've been writing and posting this and I hope this lives up to your hopes! <3

THE DOMO, PRESENT DAY

Druig isn’t disappointed when you let go of his hand and walk away to try and calm your mind down after Ikaris and Sprite leave. He watches you carefully, though, as the atmosphere in the room gradually simmers down to something resembling normality.

You end up sitting atop a desk, taking some time to revel in the silence before the others all start talking again.

It’s been clear all along to you that Sprite is in love with Ikaris, and you couldn’t blame her. A long time ago, you would have gone to the ends of the earth to be with Druig, you would have done anything for him because of that same love. Love does that to people.

Druig has moved to sit a little behind you on the same desk, resting his arms over his knees as he looks out at everyone talking.

The last thing either of you expect is for Kingo to decide to leave.

“Wait, where the hell are you going?” Phastos looks up at him, just as surprised as the rest of you are.

“I can’t help you guys. I still think Ikaris is right,” Kingo says, and you can’t fault him for being honest, especially when it’s quite clear now that there’s been a lot of lying going on for your entire time on earth.

Phastos, however, isn’t impressed by Kingo’s choice. “So that’s it, huh? Just gonna follow him?”

“I love the people of this planet, but if you stop this Emergence you are preventing so many other worlds like this one from being created.” He pauses and lets the words sink in for the rest of you. “I still have faith in Arishem, but I refuse to hurt any of you for my beliefs.”

You glance across at Druig and he looks at you at the same time, sensing you. He meets your eyes and gives you a small, sad smile. It’s proof that things like this never change, no matter how much time passes, because you can both tell what the other is thinking without saying a word.

Makkari stops Kingo by placing a hand on his shoulder. “We need you,” she signs.

“Even with my help we’re no match,” Kingo shakes his head. “It’s Ikaris.” He pulls away from her and continues to walk to the door. The look of disappointment on Makkari’s face makes you feel awful. “But I hope to see you on the next planet.”

With that, Kingo turns and walks away, leaving the Domo and the rest of you behind. Phastos throws his hands in the air and you let your gaze drop to the floor and sigh, disappointed to have lost someone else.

Karun stops and looks out at all of you before thanking you for everything and telling you that he’ll miss you all. It’s a painful reminder of what you’ve got to lose. Humanity rests in your hands – those students you teach every day, the ones that all of the languages you’d learnt came in handy for, are counting on you without even knowing it.

You all watch him follow Kingo.

There’s a few moments of silence before Druig speaks.

“Look, if I’m gonna get myself killed going up against Ikaris, we’ll need to have a backup plan,” he says, scarily nonchalantly.

You tense up. You don’t like the idea that enters your mind at his words. Druig, getting himself killed going up against Ikaris. Preparing a backup plan for what might happen if he dies. Druig dying… can’t be something that you let happen.

“All of our powers, even if they’re amplified, are not enough to kill a Celestial.”

“Well, Sersi did turn a Deviant into a tree.”

You look up, eyes going straight to Sersi in shock. When the hell did she do that?

“I’m sorry, what? You didn’t wanna tell me that?” Phastos asks at the exact same time that you ask a variation of the same question.

Druig, behind you, answers softly. “My place, the Amazon. You were elsewhere.”

Elsewhere as in passed out, you assume. You give him a nod in thanks and look back at Sersi and the others.

“You’ve never been able to do that before,” Makkari is just as shocked as the rest of you who hadn’t witnessed it happening.

Sersi looks a little alarmed. “I don’t know it happened, okay,” she starts, “and I’m pretty sure I couldn’t do it again.”

“Well, now is the time to try, don’t you think?” It’s clear that Phastos is sick of waiting around.

“Phastos, that Deviant is dead! Our plan is to put Tiamut to sleep, not to kill it,” her voice is full of worry. “I can’t kill a Celestial.”

“Sersi– Sersi–”

“We can’t!” She raises her voice, scaring nearly everyone in the room. Sersi has never been the type to raise her voice or get angry at you all. She’s always been the voice of reason when others were fighting. “We can’t.”

The atmosphere in the room is suddenly uncomfortable again, but it’s not for long. Druig is too quick to put himself into the firing line again, taking the pressure off of Sersi.

“It’s okay, Sersi,” he interjects. “I’ve got this.”

He sounds sure and confident, but there’s something underlying that you recognise immediately upon hearing his words. He’s not sure if he can do this. Truthfully, you’re not too sure if you want him to do this either.

You’ve already lost Gilgamesh and Ajak, and you’ve essentially lost Ikaris, Sprite and Kingo now. Half of you, gone. You can’t even let your mind entertain the idea of losing someone else, let-alone Druig. Let alone the biggest and only love of your life.

Glancing back at Druig, you find him staring down at his hands, knotted together in front of him, and frown to yourself. He can’t die. You won’t lose him. Not again.

~~

When Sersi leaves the room, Phastos sits back down to try and figure out a way to re-create the uni-mind with only the few of you that remain. Thena goes to talk to Sersi and Makkari sits down to prepare herself for the oncoming battle. It leaves you and Druig alone, and eventually you shuffle closer to him, forcing him to look up at you.

“Are you sure you want to do this?” You ask him.

He watches as you spin the rings around on your hands in front of you and wonders if he should reach out and take your hand to stop you from fidgeting. You’re anxious. It’s a habit of yours that he’s noticed since you started wearing rings.

Druig had wondered what it would feel like to add one to your ring finger once.

That was after he’d left you, though, when he’d fallen into memories of your time together and found himself pondering his life if he hadn’t walked out of yours. It was his way of torturing himself over his decision.

He wasn’t going to torture himself over his choices any longer.

“No, but I’ve got no choice,” Druig admits with a shrug. “It’s the only way if the uni-mind doesn’t work, and Sersi has been through too much already to have to have all of this riding on her shoulders.”

You glance up at him for only a second before staring down at your rings again. “You could die though,” your voice is smaller than you mean for it to be. “You could die. You’re being stupid and irresponsible and reckless, and you could die because of it.”

Druig smiles to himself. “Not the first time either of us have been reckless, is it?”

You narrow your eyes as you look up at him, frowning. “This is different, Druig. This isn’t just fighting a Deviant. This is putting a Celestial to sleep, all while Ikaris tries to stop you. Ikaris being the most powerful out of all of us. Don’t you see how this could end badly?”

“I do,” he nods. “But it doesn’t mean I’m going to give up and not at least try.”

His words are getting on your nerves. How can he be so casual and nonchalant about all of this? About possibly dying? It makes no sense, and you wish you could knock some into him, though you have a feeling it probably wouldn’t even work if you tried.

He can see that you’re getting irritated with him as he speaks more, and it makes him smile a little. It’s cute, the way you’re pouting, the way you’re spinning the rings on your fingers faster. He finds you endearing all of the time, but especially when you’re worried about him.

“You’re finally understanding how I felt all of the times that you were being reckless and risking your life to kill Deviants, are you? Only took you seven thousand years,” he chuckles to himself and shakes his head.

You look up at him, glaring. “This is not the same thing, Druig!”

“Oh, and how isn’t it?” He raises his eyebrows. “That was me being worried that the person I liked was going to die, and this is you being worried that the person you love is going to die. Is that not the same thing?”

“That was Deviants, this is a Celestial! I already covered this. This is more dangerous.”

Druig scoffs. “It’s the same thing, you’re just being stubborn as usual.” He rolls his eyes and slides himself off of the top of the desk, stretching out his legs. “I’m doing this even if you’re worried about me. I’m doing this for you. So you can go back to Japan and teach all of those children that are still counting on you. So you can have your life back.”

He reaches over and places his hand on top of yours, stopping you from fidgeting with your rings. You look down at his hand on yours, and then back up at him.

“Sacrifice comes alongside love, doesn’t it?” He shrugs. “You would have sacrificed this life for me back in 1521 if I’d let you. I think it’s about time I sacrificed something for you, don’t you, my love?”

~~

It feels a little like you’ve fallen into the past as you all stand in the Domo in your suits, ready for the battle that’s awaiting you once you step foot on the ground. Putting a Celestial to sleep isn’t an every day activity, though, and neither is fighting members of your own family. You’re not sure if you’re even ready, but you know you have no choice but to try to be.

You’re unnerved by everything right now.

Especially by the thought that Druig is ready to sacrifice himself.

He’s avoided you ever since your conversation, though it wasn’t all that long ago. Just long enough to create a uni-mind and prepare yourself for the fight of several lifetimes. You can’t blame him, though – he knows you well enough to know you’ll try and get him to change his mind, and you know him well enough to know he never would.

You pull Thena aside not long before your arrival. She’s the one thing you feel you can find certainty in.

“I know you want revenge,” you start, “but please be careful today. We’ve lost too many of us already and… I can’t lose you, too.”

Thena squeezes your shoulder gently. “I’m not going anywhere.”

It’s not a promise – none of you can promise anything – but it’s enough.

“And he’s not, either,” she adds on after a moment, nodding towards Druig.

You glance at him, confused. Before you can ask what she means, she walks away from you with a smirk on her lips. It’s as if she knows something that you don’t, which you know is entirely impossible, but it bothers you anyway.

~~

Druig sidles up to you not long before you arrive at Tiamut, surprising you since you’d thought he was going to ignore your existence until he was forced to acknowledge you. He nudges your side as you stare out the window and crosses his arms over his chest.

“Don’t say it,” he says, “I know you want to, but don’t. Please.”

You look up at him. “Who says I was going to say it?”

“Me. I know you too well.”

It’s impossible not to smile at him after that. His way with words, as usual. Words that would make you feel all fuzzy inside without him even trying. You go back to looking out of the window at the scenery passing by as you travel. It’s beautiful, and it makes you all the more determined to save it.

“Can you promise me something?” He asks after a few moments.

“Depends on what it is.”

Druig raises an eyebrow. “Oh, there are promises you won’t make me?”

“There are several things that I won’t promise you, and it’s very likely that one of them is going to be the one that comes out of your mouth soon, but go on. Do tell.”

He smiles at you and shakes his head. He’d never realised how strong love could be until he’d fallen for you. To still love you so deeply, after all this time, to still see you and hear you and feel himself grow warmer inside just because of your presence… would never be something he’d tire of. Even though the reason you were back together now was the possible end of Earth, he was glad that at least something had brought you back into his life when both of you were too stubborn to do anything about it before.

“I’ll try my luck,” Druig continues. “Your powers. I don’t want you to use them when we’re on Tiamut. Don’t use them to sense us, how we are. No matter how worried you are. How much you want to know we’re okay… you need to keep your strength and focus on you at all times.”

You pout and stare out the window. “That was on my list.”

Druig chuckles. “What a surprise,” he says sarcastically. “Can you promise that to me, though? It’ll make me feel less worried if I know you aren’t using your powers on me.”

For a few moments, you simply stare out of the window. You can see where he’s coming from. Your powers do take a lot of strength out of you, and you’ll need as much strength as possible for the uni-mind and any other fighting that might arise. But… not knowing if your family is safe?

But then… Druig will worry more about you if you do use them, which will make him less focused on his own fighting and therefore more susceptible to being hurt…

You sigh. “Fine, I won’t use my powers to sense your feelings.”

He looks down at you just as you look back at him.

“Thank you,” he says sincerely. He surprises you, then, by reaching down and taking one of your hands in his, lifting it up so he can press a kiss to the top of it. “I’ll see you when we’ve put this Celestial to sleep, my love.”

You nod, feeling a little lost for words, and watch as he walks away from you, hoping it won’t be the last time you hear the words my love from his lips.

~~

TIAMUT, PRESENT DAY

Upon your arrival to Tiamut, it feels like the world is ending already. Black ash is spewing into the air from the core of the volcano, making the air thick and uncomfortable. You’re worried about Thena, luring Ikaris back into the Domo, and worried about Druig beside you.

He glances at you as you all fix the bracelets onto your wrists for the uni-mind. You try your best to smile at him, though it comes out as more of a grimace, which Druig finds amusing.

The uni-mind forms between you, Druig, Makkari and Sersi, lifting you all into the air. You feel like you’re weightless and it’s the first time you can feel the strength of your power, yet still feel like it’s not taking any strength out of you at all. It’s a strange feeling.

You’ve lived for all these years and still, so much is new.

The uni-mind grows stronger, connecting to the other Eternals, and you allow your powers to flow through you, feeling confident in your plans until Druig, beside you, is knocked out of the uni-mind and carried into the air by Ikaris.

It fades around you, and when your feet hit the ground and you feel like yourself again, the realisation of what’s happening hits you so quickly you feel ill. You watch Ikaris – the man who had once been like a brother to you, a confidant, someone you loved – lifting the love of your life high into the air before throwing him down to the ground, blasting him with his powers into the earth as he does.

Tears spring to your eyes immediately and your knees give out, sending you to the ground. You feel as though a part of you has just died, and you suppose… maybe it has. You cover your mouth with your hand and try to compose yourself, to control your breathing, not wanting your grief to ruin the chance of the uni-mind working. Druig wouldn’t want that.

You want to use your powers. You’ve never wanted to use your powers more than in this moment… but Druig had specifically asked for you not to use them. And even if he’s not here to see you use them, even if he is truly gone… you can’t bring yourself to go back on your promise to him.

Especially when Ikaris uses his powers to send the Domo crashing to the ground.

In a flash, Makkari grabs you and Sersi and pulls you out of the path in time as the Domo crashes into the sand. She leaves you to retrieve Phastos and Thena from inside the Domo before returning to you. There’s no time for you to mourn what you assume is Druig’s death. There’s only two things: your burning desire to see Ikaris suffer and the need to stop Tiamut.

The threat still remains ever present as Ikaris lands on the beach before you all.

“Druig’s gone,” Ikaris says, and you feel another part of you splinter. “It’s over.”

Just as you’re wishing that you had powers that were useful in a fight, Makkari does the job for you, taking the words right out of your mind by running at Ikaris, grabbing him and pushing him across the length of the beach at speed.

And then, perfectly timed for the chaos of the moment, the volcano finally erupts, beginning to spew rocks, ash and lava at you. Phastos, Thena and Sersi use their powers to stop you all from getting hurt, and you wish there was something – anything – you could do to help. But there isn’t.

You’ve never felt more useless.

Your powers had been useful before – when Deviants were around and you could sense them, but now, in a fight like this, where Deviants aren’t around and you’re fighting against your own family to put a Celestial to sleep? This is different. You curse Arishem.

Sersi stops and looks up at the volcano as soon as the debris stops raining down.

“Phastos,” she says, as he puts a hand on her shoulder to show her he’s listening. “I have to try and stop this. I need to get closer to Tiamut. Keep Ikaris busy.”

Phastos nods at her. “We’ve got you. Go.”

The three of you watch as she starts to run towards the volcano, and you turn to Thena as you pull your knives out. She nods at you, giving you a small smile of encouragement, and you close your eyes as you try to focus in on yourself and the others.

You all begin to run across the beach towards where Makkari and Ikaris are fighting, just as he sends Makkari into the sand with a blast of his powers. You launch one of your knives at him, fighting in the only way you know how, missing him just barely, just before Phastos launches his own attack.

You’re about to throw your second knife when your powers appear of their own accord, taking you very much by surprise. Deviant. There’s a Deviant here, they tell you. You stop, eyebrows furrowed, and spin around, looking in all directions to try and find it.

The others are all too busy fighting Ikaris to notice that your mind has drifted away.

For the first time, you actually see the Deviant, Kro, before he sees you. In the past, you’d been able to sense when one was near, but never the exact location. They’d always still surprised you by appearing from wherever you least expected it. It’s still not enough time to warn any of the others, though. They’re all so focused on Ikaris that even when you run up to them, yelling “There’s a deviant!” they can’t hear you.

It appears, then, knocking Ikaris out of the air and into the sand. Thena uses her powers to stop it, to create a momentary break in the fight, as you reach them.

“Why are you helping Ikaris?” She asks it, spinning her weapon in her hand.

“We can’t let it absorb our powers,” Phastos warns her.

The Deviant raises a hand, showing a gauntlet of cosmic energy exactly like Gilgamesh used to use. You can sense the change in the air immediately, the way Thena’s intention changes, the way you understand her pain even more now, having lost the love of your life, too. If you could get revenge like this… you would, too.

“Too late,” the Deviant says.

Thena raises her sword and steps towards him.

“Thena, he’s trying to goad you. Don’t–” Phastos tries.

Makkari is quick to jump into action, running in circles around the Deviant, burrowing him in a cocoon of sand. But the attempt doesn’t last long. He slams his foot into the ground, the power of his strength knocking not only Makkari away and into the ground, but you and Thena, too.

You wince as your body slams against the rocks, pulling yourself up from the ground as you watch the Deviant move to Makkari, attempting to kill her and take her powers like he’d done to Ajak and Gilgamesh. Phastos uses his powers to attack the Deviant, knocking him into the caves at the side of the cliff.

Thena begins to walk after it.

Leaving Phastos to deal with Ikaris and knowing the Deviant will be busy with Thena, you run over to Makkari, falling onto the ground beside her. Your body hurts, but the pain from being thrown into the rocks is fading already.

“Makkari,” you shake her shoulders gently, trying to awaken her, just grateful that Phastos had gotten Kro away from her in time, saving her life. You can only hope that she’ll wake sooner rather than later.

~~

From your spot on the beach, you have a perfect view as Tiamut starts to rise around you. The sea turns rocky, the waves splashing up on the sand as you pull Makkari’s unconscious body further up the shore, away from the water. The ground is shaking and you fall a few times, finally giving up once you reach a spot far enough away.

You collapse onto the ground beside her, shaking her again to try and wake her, just as you see the head of the Celestial begin to rise out of the water. It’s like a sight from your worst nightmares and it terrifies you.

To your left, Thena walks out of the cave and you let out a sigh of relief as you see her. She’s alive, and she’s alone. You close your eyes briefly, reaching for your power, trying to sense the presence of the Deviant, and feel nothing.

Everything happens all at once, then.

Ikaris breaks free of his bonds, using his powers and sending a wave of them across the beach, knocking Phastos down into the sand. Makkari, beside you, wakes up from the feeling of it, and grabs you, as if she’d never passed out in the first place, taking you with her as she hurries to check if Phastos is okay.

He leaves, then, flying away and leaving the beach empty, like he was never here and that your fight had been for nothing since he’d escaped anyway. You clench the sand in your hand, letting out a sigh.

You wish Druig was here.

“What about Sersi?” You ask, glancing at Makkari and Phastos.

“She’s got this,” Phastos says, and you can tell he’s trying to convince himself of that, too.

The four of you wait on the beach, unable to do anything but wait and hope. It’s not too long later when you feel yourself being lifted into the air by the uni-mind, taking over all of you like it had before. You feel the weightless feeling take over your mind and body again and feel it take control of your powers.

And Sersi, though you can’t see her or sense her, does the impossible.

Your feet touch the ground again and your eyes focus in on Tiamut. It’s clear to you that the uni-mind has worked, just not quite in the way you’d all intended for it to work. Before, he’d been golden. Glowing. Alive. Now, he’s marble. Tiamut… is dead. You’ve all just… killed a Celestial.

You turn to Phastos and Makkari.

“Did we just…?”

Makkari nods, looking at you with fear in her eyes.

You turn, running a hand through your hair, and shake your head. What would this cost you all? Surely, surely, things couldn’t go back to normal after this? After what you’d done?

But… Sersi. Was she okay?

The beach is quiet as you wait for her, only hoping that she’ll join you. Soon enough, she does. You see her in the distance, walking towards you all, and sigh in relief. At least she was safe and seemingly okay. She embraces you and Makkari when she reaches you. It’s comforting to have her back with you, and though nothing feels normal, the warmth of family is one that never changes.

“How? How did you do it?” Phastos asks her.

Sersi looks around at all of you. “When I touched Tiamut’s palm, I felt energy surging into me. Tiamut joined our Uni-mind.”

“I always wondered how we survived the destruction of other planets that we were on. By being connected to the Celestial as it emerged,” Phastos seems fascinated by the truth.

Makkari walks a little closer to Thena, and then looks around at the group of you.

“We became one,” she signs, “even Ikaris and Sprite… all because of Tiamut.”

Phastos nods. You look around at the group of them. Family, through it all.

Aren’t you forgetting someone?

A thought enters your mind, and you furrow your eyebrows��� that’s not your thought. It feels foreign, yet somehow familiar. You glance around at the others, though none of them are looking at you and you feel strangely certain that the thought could belong to none of them, as well as the fact that none of them could plant it in your mind with their powers alone. Your powers would have to be activated to do so, and they aren’t because of…

Druig.

Your head spins, looking across the beach to see the unmistakable form of Druig walking towards you. He’s backlit by the sunset, but you can still see the smirk on his lips.

There’s not a single moment of hesitation as you take off running towards him. He meets you half way, arms wrapping around you and even lifting you a little off the ground as you hug him, burying your head into his neck.

“How did you do that?” You mutter. “I’ve never let you in my head.”

“Your guard was down,” he explains softly. “From the fight, I assume. Sorry. Didn’t want to do it without your consent, but I could feel that you thought I was dead and I didn’t want you to think I was for any longer.”

“It’s okay,” you hum. “But how are you not dead?”

Druig chuckles at that and pulls away from the hug to look at you. He stares into your eyes for a few moments, pondering his next move, before he decides upon it. “Well, I decided that there was no way I was going to die without doing this at least one more time.”

You raise your eyebrows. “Doing what?”

He gives you no time to really think, instead he leans in and presses his lips to yours. His hands cup your cheeks, holding you like he never wants to let go of you again, and his lips move against yours with such familiarity that it’s almost like the past five hundred years have gone by in the blink of an eye. Nearly like you’re back in the 1500s, still wrapped up in the depth of your love, all over again.

Neither of you care that you’re giving the other Eternals absolutely nothing of what they want to see, and neither of you are aware that Phastos has turned away, disgusted, that Sersi and Thena are smiling sadly at you, and Makkari is amused at the surprising moment.

Things between you and Druig haven’t changed. You’re still wrapped up in one another without little care for anything except each other. Hopelessly, recklessly and absolutely undoubtedly head over heels for one another.

Druig pulls away from the kiss out of breath. “That,” he says, “doing that one more time.”

You rest your forehead against his and try to catch your own breath. “Like hell if you think that’s the last time we’re doing that, Druig.”

He smirks.

“Okay, I think that’s enough PDA for today!” Phastos calls. “Can you guys stop now?”

Both of you can’t help but laugh as Druig reaches down and takes your hand in his again and you walk over to join the others. You lean into his side as you watch Sersi offer to turn Sprite into a human, and feel completely content.

Exhausted, yes. Like you could sleep for a hundred years… yes. But you’ve always been stronger with Druig by your side, and you both know it.

~~

SOUTH DAKOTA, FOUR DAYS LATER

The fact that you’d thought that things would simply go back to normal after you succeeded in stopping Tiamut was, you now realise, a rather silly thought. It’s been four days since you left the island, and Tiamut, in the middle of the Ocean, managing to get the Domo to Ajak’s house in South Dakota for Phastos to fix before you left to find the other Eternals – leaving Earth behind for the first time since you’d arrived here.

You’d come to the decision to join Druig, Thena and Makkari without much thought.

As soon as the idea had been brought up over dinner two days ago, you’d begun toying with the idea of going with them all. For one thing, you didn’t want to leave Druig so quickly after getting him back in your life, and another was that you knew if you went back to life in Japan, you’d spend the whole time wondering about what the others were doing.

Thena joins you in the kitchen on the fifth night. You’d volunteered to wash the dishes, knowing how it could be a good, calming activity sometimes, and thought you’d need it after the stress of the last week.

It hadn’t been that long ago that you’d been living happily alone in Japan, trying your best not to think about Druig even after all these years, and now he was sitting in the living room behind you, watching television with the others.

“Have you made your mind up yet?” Thena asks, leaning against the bench. She has no intentions of helping you wash or dry the dishes, finding such mundane tasks unnecessary.

You glance at her. “Made up my mind about what?”

“Whether you’re coming with us or not,” she says. “It’s obvious that you’ve been thinking about it for the last few days since it was mentioned at dinner. I don’t know if you think you’re being subtle or not, but you’re not. We’ve all noticed.”

With a sigh, you go back to scrubbing the dish in your hands. “I made my choice.”

“Already?” Thena seems surprised.

“Not long after you decided to go. But until we actually leave, my mind is still going to keep playing the ‘what if’ game with me and trying to convince me to stay with what I know,” you shrug and place the plate on the drying rack before grabbing another one.

Thena watches you carefully for a few moments.

“You really love Druig, don’t you? Even after all the time apart?”

“I do.” You don’t hesitate to answer her. “Even after all the time apart.”

She smiles as she notices the fond look on your face. She’d felt the same thing for Gilgamesh for so long and recognised it well. The fondness, the love, the comfort that comes with someone you love like that.

“I said this to Druig before,” she glances at him in the living room, “but you and Druig deserve to live a long life together. And the world hasn’t ended… so what’s stopping you?”

You stop washing the plate, letting it drop into the water, and look at her.

“When did you say that to him? He never told me.”

“It wasn’t long before Ikaris revealed the truth to us,” she explains. “He told me that I needed to be careful because you couldn’t lose me after feeling Gilgamesh die. I don’t think he quite realised that losing him would have hurt you more.”

You look over at him, comfortably sitting on the couch, head resting on his hand, eyes fixed onto the television, and smile at how human he looks. The things you’re used to in every day life now hadn’t been around last time you’d just been with him like this. It feels a little like you’ve got him in your day to day life, even though this isn’t home.

“No, I think he knew that. He just would never admit it to himself,” you tell her. “He’s going with you and Makkari. He told that to me that night. He said he knows we should have probably made the choice together, but that it would be what’s best for him. I haven’t told him that I’m going to come with him, yet. I don’t know how he’ll take it. He wanted me to be able to go back to my life in Japan before we stopped Tiamut.”

Thena shakes her head. “You know him well enough to know that he’s going to accept whatever you choose. You can’t love someone for as long as you’ve loved him and not know that. Don’t kid yourself.”

Her words are so blunt, so completely Thena, that they make you smile. You reach over and take her hand, giving it a gentle squeeze, before turning back to washing the dishes.

~~

THE DOMO, A WEEK AFTER TIAMUT

The warmth of Druig’s body next to yours is a type of warmth you never want to forget. Your head is rest00 ying on his chest, his hand is gently running through your hair and the events of moments before are still fresh in your mind.

It feels a little surreal to be laying with him like this. You’d expected it to feel strange – like the 500 years you’ve spent apart would make a difference – but they haven’t. Things feel as if no time has passed at all. The love you’ve both kept for each other all these years overtaking all of the awkwardness and anxiety that could have been borne of these moments. It’s refreshing.

“Y’know,” Druig starts, “when we were trying to stop Tiamut, when I stopped Sprite from hurting Sersi… I left out a bit of that story when I was telling the others what happened.”

You furrow your eyebrows. “Why? What did you leave out?”

“It didn’t feel like something the others should know, in my defense,” he hums. “I told her that this was her fight now and she… she told me to stop being stupid and to tell you that I loved you. That we’ve lost enough time.”

You smile at the thought of Sersi fighting for your love.

“And what did you tell her?”

He smiles, this time. “I told her that you already knew. But when I was waiting for Sprite to wake up, I had time to think about it all, and she was right. That’s why I kissed you on the beach. We’ve lost five hundred years, and we could’ve lost even more of that time if we failed to stop Tiamut. I didn’t want to lose another second with you.”

You look up at him to find him already looking at you.

“You already know what I’m thinking, don’t you?”

Druig nods. “I promise I’m not reading your mind. But I know. I wanted you to be able to go back to teaching but… you’re not going to, are you? You’re going to come with us when we go to find the other Eternals.”

“Those kids I teach… there will be more of them to teach because of what we did. Children will continue to be born on Earth, they’ll continue to learn, and one day… I’ll be able to be there to teach them like I’ve done all these years,” you explain. You’ve had enough time to come to this conclusion, and you’re certain of it. “When we left Ajak, she told us to live for ourselves. I did that, but something was always missing – and that something was you. I love how I’ve spent the past 500 years. But we both know that there are changes we would have made if we could have. I think it’s time I give other Eternals a chance to make those changes, to live a life for themselves like we have.”

He admires you more than anything for your words. Loves you more than he thought possible. Druig leans down to press a quick kiss to your lips. “You are too good for me, my love,” he smiles. “But is it also because you don’t want to spend time without me so soon?”

You roll your eyes at him playfully. “Yeah, that too.” You snuggle back down into his chest. “I was thinking that we could go to Japan together. Since we never actually got to back there and have that mountain home we wanted. Remember?”

Druig nods. “I do remember. That was a nice day.”

“Would you want to do that one day? When we get things sorted with Arishem and the Eternals… would you want to come back to Japan with me? You could find something to while I teach. We could have a life there.”

There’s silence for a few moments, the hand that was stroking your hair stops, and you worry that it’s because Druig is about to tell you that he doesn’t want that anymore. That the future you’d planned out in the past was an impossible one to envision anymore.

But then his hand resumes and he hums. “I would love to have a life with you in Japan. For you to show me around your home, for you to… find a place for me in the life you have now. If that’s what you want… of course I want that, too, beautiful.”

You smile to yourself. “Deal, then. Now, let me lay here for a little bit longer before someone inevitably comes and knocks on your door and tells us they need us.”

Druig smirks. “You sure you wanna spend that time resting?”

“Druig,” you say, not moving from your spot. “When we have our mountain home and it’s just the two of us, I imagine there’ll be plenty of time for doing anything except for resting.”

~~

SOUTH DAKOTA, TWO WEEKS AFTER TIAMUT

Being back in Ajak’s house without Ajak there is a strange feeling, but it’s made more bearable by having the others there with you – even if it isn’t everyone anymore. Phastos has his family there with you, too, and there’s a strange sense of normality alongside them. You’ve spent the past two weeks here, fixing the Domo, overcoming the exhaustion from the fight on the beach, preparing for the future, and it hasn’t been terrible.

You’re sat beside Druig, your legs resting comfortably over his, as you munch on a slice of pizza. Phastos, Makkari and Ben, Phasto’s husband, all sit in the living room with you, watching the television reports on the ‘strange marbleised figure in the middle of the Indian Ocean’ that the news has been talking about for two weeks now.

“Aliens, half the population being wiped out, Gods, and they’re still wondering about what the strange marble figure in the ocean could be?” You shake your head. “Humans are fascinating, but surely they should just accept the strange at some point, right?”

Druig nods with you in agreement.

It’s not long before the calm ends, though, with Phastos making a quick exit from the couch to deal with Thena, who is seemingly scaring his son in the kitchen. You watch on, amused, knowing that Thena means no harm to the boy.

Makkari finishes off her food and goes to join them.

“You ready to head out?” Druig rests a hand on your thigh. “No second thoughts?”

You shake your head and finish your last bite of pizza. “You’ve asked me that at least twice already today, Druig. Are you trying to make me have second thoughts, or are you just being very overly cautious?”

He narrows his eyes at you. “I’m just double checking you’re certain. You were asking me if I was sure before Tiamut. It’s my turn now. I didn’t want you to follow me before when I left, so I made sure you wouldn’t. I don’t want you to follow me now just because you think it’s what you need to do to be with me.”

His words are sweet, you have to admit, though they’re entirely unnecessary. You’re sure of your choice, have been ever since you made it. And though a part of you does yearn for the comforts of your home in Japan and the excitement that comes from teaching all of your students, there’s a larger part of you that knows that the comfort that will come from being with Druig, Makkari and Thena and finding other Eternals will eventually fill the yearning for Japan until you can return.

You lean in and kiss him gently. “I’ve never been more certain of anything, Druig.”

He finds comfort in your words, too, and pulls you in for another kiss.

“Now, come on. We’ve got places to be,” you stand up from the couch, taking your plate with you, and wander into the kitchen. Druig follows you, joking with Phastos as he does, and you can’t help but grin to yourself as Phastos tells his son to stay away from Druig.

7000 years, and he’s still the very same.

~~

It’s chilly outside, the sky a cloudy grey and a gentle breeze passing by. The Domo is high in the sky again, looking as normal as it ever has thanks to Phastos’ work in fixing it. Thena heads down towards it, leaving you with Druig, Makkari, Phastos and his son.

She’s never particularly been one for goodbyes. You can’t blame her.

Druig takes lead in starting them, walking down to stand beside Phastos. “Hey, Phastos. Take care,” he says. “This world is lucky to have you.”

“Thank you,” Phastos seems truly grateful. He extends a hand. “I know you’re not a hugger for anyone but her,” he nods towards you and you grin at him, “so…”

You watch on, amused, as Druig takes Phastos’ hand and then pulls him into a hug, knowing that Phastos is probably hating every second of it, but liking it at the same time.

Makkari smiles at you and you both walk closer to the three of them.

Druig turns to you and Makkari. “You think that when we find the other Eternals out there, that they’ll accept the truth the way we did?”

Makkari nods, completely certain. “Because the truth will set them free.”

She steps towards Phastos and gives him a hug goodbye and then starts to follow Thena down towards the Domo. You give Phastos a hug of your own, then lean down and tell Jack to take care of his dad, which he promises to do.

Druig watches on, smiling fondly as he watches you talk to the young boy so easily.

“You four stay safe, okay?” Phastos says as Druig takes your hand and you start to walk away. “We’ve had enough trouble for a good long while, I think.”

You and Druig both wholeheartedly agree with him.

With a wave, the two of you start to follow Makkari and Thena down towards the Domo.

He squeezes your hand and glances at you.

“If you ask me if I’m sure again, I will push you down the hill, Druig.”

He laughs. “I wasn’t going to ask you,” he says. “I was just thinking about how glad I am that I have to back, and how incredible you are for accepting me back after what I did to you.”

“Incredible or incredibly stupid?” You flash him a playful smile. “I’m a very forgiving person when it comes to the people that I love, Druig. I would have forgiven Ikaris if he’d given me a chance to. I think that the second I saw you again, part of me knew that I would forgive you if I could ever come to terms with the fact that I still loved you.”

Druig nods. “I’m glad you came to terms with it.”

“Me too,” you smile to yourself. “I’m glad you still loved me, too.”

“It would take more than the world ending for me to stop loving you,” Druig admits. “However many lives we’ve lived that we don’t remember, or any lives we might live in the future, I am certain that I’ll have loved you in all of them.”

~~~~

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