Hey guys! This is my second FierroChase piece so if you like it go check out my other one! Please review, I'd love to hear from you, and as always, enjoy!
I stared up at the tangle of tree branches above me, stretching infinitely outwards. My own personal atrium was one of the few places I felt completely relaxed, although it took a while for me to truly appreciate it's serenity. The first day I kinda sorta definitely punched a hole in the wall. Oops.
As I ran my hand through the soft grass I was lying down on, I took a deep breathe. It was the first one I had taken in what felt like years. I swear to Odin, I think I forgot what it felt like to not be in a constant state of stress from, oh, I don't know, the imminent threat of death?
As I contemplated everything I had been through in the last couple of days, my thoughts shifted to the people who had accompanied me on the journey. Sam, with her confidence and leadership (don't tell her I said that though, I'm pretty sure she would chop me in half with her battle ax), Hearth, with the most bravery I've ever seen in a person, (or rather, an elf), and the rest of them, too. Mallory, Blitzen, TJ, even Halfborn, with his never-ending refusal to put on a shirt. For some reason, though, my mind always seemed to drift back to a shock of green hair and an out-of-control grin. I couldn't get Alex out of my head, and it was driving me insane. His smile, her laugh, his uncanny ability to turn anything I do into an opportunity to make fun of me.
Yup. No wonder I find her endearing.
Lost in thought, it took me a second to register a knock on my door.
"Come in!" I hollered, after a moment. Still lying down, I heard the doorknob click and the hallway frame shudder. Then a very familiar voice.
"Magnus!" Shouted Alex, as if my thoughts had summoned her, "I just found this awesome new room, you have to come check it out!" Then, after several moments of me laying on the floor groaning, she said, "Or, I could just ask TJ…"
When it became clear that I still wasn't willing to move, Alex came a foot closer and kicked me in the shin. Because that's what friends are for.
"Get up! We have some exploring to do," she said. "And it's not to the death this time!"
Well, at least I wouldn't be dying today. Yay.
And yes, today Alex is a girl. Unlike a lot of people, I can tell her gender by looking at her, whereas she's constantly telling others which pronoun they should be using that day. As I said before, presently her pronouns were she and her. Usually, that just meant she's even more qualified to kill me. Double Yay.
She grabbed my hand in hers and pulled, getting me to stand up.
My skin tingled at the contact, but I wasn't about to let her know that.
"Ghurnudashaaa," I complained.
Intelligent. I know.
"Follow me!" Alex said cheerfully while hauling me out the doorway, acting as if I had a say in the matter.
We took a left and then a right, and it was at that moment that she let go of my hand.
"We're there?!" I asked, quite possibly with more enthusiasm than I had managed all day combined.
"Not yet," Alex said, and the proceeded to veer right again. The amount of hallways in Valhalla tended to overwhelm me, and I had been told that you will never run out of new rooms to find. It was all extremely disorienting, especially when you have a frantic green-haired-girl for a guide. I stood at the cross section for half a second, considering my options. I could go back to my room, but then what would I do, sleep? Think more about Alex? Think about why I'm thinking about Alex so much? Or I could go out for lunch with my hallmates, but they were all sleeping, exhausted after our journey. Once I realized that Alex had left me with no other option, I reluctantly followed her lead. Turning down the hallway, I saw no one. I thought I had lost her until I spotted a blur of pink and green appear out of the corner of my eye, only to vanish around the corner. I jogged just to keep up, but then came to an abrupt stop in front of a mischievously grinning Alex, both hands held up as if she were about to administer a hug.
Gesturing to a door on her left and lowering her voice a couple of octaves, (for dramatic effect, of course), she said, "May I present to you, the one, the only, hidden pottery room!"
Pottery! Triple Yay! (That was sarcasm, if you couldn't tell). Alex loved pottery, and every time she was creating something her eyebrows furrowed and her face scrunched up in concentration. It felt to me that she was executing magic, but she always claimed it was just talent, and that how could I understand? It's not something I knew a lot about.
She's very kind and supportive that way.
"Well," her voice pulled me out of my thoughts, "Come in!"
I complied, entering a small room that was covered in pottery-like materials. I spotted three kilns at the far end of the room, standing next to each other. Open cabinets lined the walls, some filled with clay while others were filled with paint and brushes, and still others filled with tools to sculpt. Tables were scattered throughout the tiny space, and each one seemed fit for a different stage of pottery. If you were a clay enthusiast, this room was your heaven. No wonder Alex seemed so enthusiastic about it.
"Wow," was all I managed to say. "Cool." Alex stared at me, perhaps waiting for me to say something whittier. When she realized that was all I had, she sighed.
"Magnus, do you appreciate this?" She gestured to the room around her.
"Well, if you do, then I do," I said, praying to the gods that that was the right answer.
"That wasn't the question," she sighed again, and I guessed that what I had said was not, in fact, the right answer. Suddenly I had a feeling we were no longer talking about the pottery room.
Alex's voice took on a more serious tone. "I know you think you know what you want," she said, "but have you thought it through? Do you understand what it would be like to date someone-", she stopped and gestured to herself. "-like me?" She asked, her voice cracking on the last note. It was so unlike her to show any signs of vulnerability, I didn't know what to say. But the way she tapped her foot and crossed her arms across her chest impatiently reminded me just who I was talking to.
I hesitated for a fraction of a second before realizing I needed to form a coherent sentence. Like, right now.
"Alex, I-" I started, but it was too late. She turned slowly on her feet, somehow conveying her disappointment in that one sole movement, and headed out the door. She left me standing in the pottery room alone, like an idiot. Shame washed over me. I wanted her to understand how much I cared, how much I thought of her everyday, how that single thought was enough to keep me smiling for hours on end. I may not have understood everything I felt, but I was sure about one thing. Boy or girl, Alex Fierro was someone extraordinary.
I sat there in silence, wondering what I could've done to change her mind, when a loud sound jerked my head up. Barreling towards me was a determined Alex Fierro, and everything I had been thinking about vanished from my mind as her hands slid around my neck, and she locked my lips in hers.
We had kissed before. Twice, to be exact. But this time was different. There was no wondering where we were in our relationship, no questioning each others feelings, and certainly no hyperthermia or chocolate. It was just me, Alex, and the feel of my lips on hers. I felt like every unnamed question had at last been answered, and we were finally at peace. I tugged at her waist, bringing her closer to me, and enjoyed her presence. At last, she pulled away, and touched my forehead to hers. I brought my hand around the nape of her neck.
"Alex," I croaked ruggedly, filling that one word with so much meaning.
"Magnus," she whispered back, then exhaled and chuckled softly, as if she had just expelled a large burden she had been carrying around for the past month.
"I appreciated you," I continued, before I could lose my courage, "I appreciate Alex Fierro, who has single-handedly saved my butt a million times and then proceeded to make me laugh afterwards. Who undoubtedly, in both genders, has been more courageous than anyone I have ever known, and who has always given me the strength I needed to keep going." I pulled her a little closer to me, closing my eyes with my forehead still rested on hers.
"And I guess you're not too bad yourself, Magnus Chase," she said, which is probably the most she has ever complimented me. Then she kissed me one last time before turning on her heels and leaving the room, apparently having gotten what she came for, while I stood still, gawking and trying to remember what I was doing and who I was.
Yup. Truly someone extraordinary.