Hey everyone!

Sorry it's been a while, but here's the next chapter. This takes place two weeks after the 'Reunion' episode, and now takes place during Season Two of the show.

Enjoy!

Aftermath

Ethan watched the sun rise over the horizon, his eyes tired and bloodshot. A few bugs flew nearby, buzzing in his ear, but he ignored them. He was used to bugs by now, and it sounded like white noise in the background.

"... Ethan?" He turned around to find Percy standing at the door of the old mill, a worried expression on his face. "Are you doing okay?"

"Yes," the teen said a little curtly, turning back to the horizon and trying to keep himself from falling asleep. "Go back to sleep."

"But it's morning," the toad said warily. "Have... you been out here all night?"

"No."

"Oh… Did you have another nightma-"

"I'm fine," Ethan snapped. "Leave me alone." He heard the toad soldier hesitate, as if he wanted to say something more, but soon heard him walk back inside. Sighing, the human hugged his knees to his chest, his hands shaking a little.

It had been two weeks since the life-changing events at Toad Tower, and a lot had happened in that time. Ethan had nearly been killed, Sasha had been killed [by him, Ethan Day], Hopodiah and the other frogs had escaped with Anne, and the Toad Army had crumbled into nothing, much like Toad Tower. All of their hard work rebuilding the fortress and strengthening the army, had been undone in about five minutes.

None of the soldiers had ever seen Captain Grime so enraged, and he took out all his anger and frustration on them. However, after a few minutes, most of the soldiers got annoyed at being called incompetent and stupid, so they gave their leader a few choice words of their own. Insults flew back and forth, and the next thing anyone knew, all but two soldiers had abandoned Grime, leaving him alone in a forest clearing.

Things only went downhill from there. Some of the former soldiers must have complained to someone in Newtopia, because wanted posters for Grime started popping up outside of towns, on trees… everywhere. They said he was a traitor to Amphibia, and that if he were caught, he would go to jail for the rest of his life. Now he, Ethan, and Percy and Braddock [who had been the only soldiers to not desert him] were on the run and hiding from the law, sleeping in forests and old barns before finding this hidden cottage.

Ethan had Percy and Braddock help him bury Sasha, digging the hole just inside the forest near Toad Tower. He had been quiet the whole time, only speaking to briefly direct the toads. His eyes had still been red from crying, but he did not cry as he helped Percy lower the girl's body into the grave before grabbing a shovel to fill up the hole.

He had not cried since that day, and the nightmares started that evening.

He saw Sasha's lifeless eyes staring up at him, saw Anne's furious face as she brought down her sword to kill him, saw Grime yelling at him for failing… He always woke up in a cold sweat, shaking so bad that he could barely sit up until he had calmed down. He was scared to fall back asleep, so he decided to stay awake, despite having only a few hours of sleep.

Eventually, as the sun started to rise higher, Ethan stood up, stretching his limbs and yawning loudly. The old mill was located in a small clearing surrounded by forest, a small stream snaking nearby. Taking a few deep breaths of fresh air, he turned and walked back inside.

"Good morning, Ethan," Braddock said when he walked in, looking up from her backpack, which she was packing with supplies. "I was just about to go get some breakfast; wanna come?"

"I'm fine," the teen replied, kicking aside an empty can of Bog Grog. "I've got training to get to."

"Well, Captain Grime's still asleep," Percy said, pointing to a lone sack of flower in the far corner of the cottage. "I think he fell asleep watching that human show of yours."

"I see." Ethan grabbed a nearby bucket, going back outside to fill it with some water from the river. Going back inside, he strode over to the sleeping toad, took the phone from his limp hand, and dumped the water on him.

"GAH!" Grime woke with a start, sputtering and flaying his arms as he shot to his feet. He nearly slipped on another empty can of Bog Grog, but managed to right himself, looking around with wide eyes that narrowed when he saw the human.

"You," he growled. "What was the meaning of that?!"

"Sorry Captain, but it's time to get moving," the teen said, unfazed by the toad's outburst as he tossed the bucket aside. "And stop taking my phone!"

"If I want to watch Suspicion Island, I'll damn well do so," the toad retorted angrily. "I'm still your superior!"

"Some superior," Ethan replied, looking the captain up and down. His armor was gone, and he wore a simple shirt and pants. Some stubble had grown on his face, and he was starting to look a little rounder around the middle [which was no surprise, given the amount of Bog Grog and snacks he had consumed]. "You're starting to look like post-Infinity War Thor."

"I don't know who that is, but I'll take that as in insult," Captain Grime said, pushing past Ethan and going over to a small nearby cooler. He took out a can of Bog Grog, popping the tab and downing the drink in nearly ten seconds. "Ah... That's better!"

"Yep, you're gonna end up fat and pathetic by the end of the month," the teen prophesied. "C'mon; we've got training to do."

"Fine." Grime turned to Braddock and Percy. "The two of you better be back within an hour. And pick up some more Bog Grog." The two toad soldiers exchanged worried looks, but nodded. Sighing, the toad captain walked towards the door, grabbing his sword and scabbard off the floor. "Well? Hurry up, human."

I guess I'm back to being 'human' now, Ethan thought, following him outside to the nearby clearing. At least it was better than 'creature.'

"Let's get this over with," the toad captain said, stifling a burp and drawing his sword. "Attack!"

Despite being partially hungover, Captain Grime was still a force to be reckoned with, and the teen sparred several rounds with him, managing to win a few. They were still sparring when Braddock came back a little over an hour later with breakfast, pausing to eat some grasshopper oatmeal.

After breakfast, Grime complained of an ache in his back, deciding to take the rest of the day off with a couple cans of Bog Grog. Deciding to not waste his time trying to argue with him, the human trained on his own, practicing his attacks against a tree, cutting off all the lower branches. He also worked on his gymnastics, practicing flips and tumbles across the grass. All day he spent training, only pausing for meals and restroom breaks, and while he grew stronger, he also grew angrier.

Since he was no longer in charge of the toad soldiers, Ethan had a lot of time to reflect on everything that had happened. Right when his life was finally getting good, having his own room and position of command and respect, he had lost it. If Anne and Sasha had not intervened, Toad Tower would still be standing, and the soldiers would not have left, and Grime would not have become a depressed loser who watched reality shows all the time.

And I would be happy, he thought, cutting a small sapling right down the middle.

[][][]

"Dammit," Ethan muttered one mid-afternoon, realizing he did not have his phone. Striding back to the small house, he slammed open the door, waking Percy from his nap and nearly causing Braddock to slice her finger off while cutting vegetables for dinner. Sure enough, Grime sat in his haystack, watching the show on the human's phone.

"Grime, stop taking my phone," Ethan said, walking over to him. "Grime?" The toad was not responding, too fixated on the show. "Grime, give me my phone." Still no answer. "GRIME!"

He tried to grab his phone back, but Grime slapped his hand away, still watching the show. Angry, the human bent down and flipped the chair over, sending the toad tumbling to the ground.

"NO!" Grime scrambled to his feet, trying to grab the phone as Ethan picked it up. "I'm at the season finale! I have to see what happens!"

"I don't care," the human snapped. "You've got to stop this; you're turning into a lazy loser who sits on his ass all day while the rest of us do our best to survive!"

"I'm not being lazy," the toad captain said, getting to his feet and glaring at Ethan. "And I thought I told you to keep out of my business!"

"You're supposed to be helping me train, so it is my business when you're not doing your job," Ethan countered. "Percy, Braddock and I are work hard every day, keeping your sorry self hidden from the law. We could throw you out if we wanted to!"

"But you won't," Grime said. "Because I'm still your Captain, and you owe me the respect I have earned!"

"You're losing it right now!"

"I am not! Get off my back and leave me alone!" He tried to grab the phone from the teen's hand, but missed. "Give me your phone now."

"No."

Captain Grime suddenly attacked the human, tackling him to the ground. Percy and Braddock watched with shocked expressions as the two wrestled on the ground, trying to get the phone. Eventually, the toad grabbed it with a triumphant yell, kicking Ethan away.

"Stop this," Ethan yelled, getting up and grabbing the toad by the shoulder. "This isn't you; I won't let you become something you're not!"

"You can't stop me," Grime yelled, rounding on him and shoving him back. "I don't need to be babied by some monster! I'm not your father, and I never will be, so stop acting like you have a moral obligation to look after me!"

The teen gaped at him in shock, the ringing silence that followed seeming to cover the room like a blanket. Braddock and Percy were also stunned, staring at the human and the captain, waiting to see what would happen next. He shook his head, glaring right back at the toad.

"I never said you were-" Ethan started to say.

"I heard you that day," Captain Grime interrupted, pointing an accusing finger at him, his words slurring a little. "You thought I was your father, coming back to be a part of your life! I don't know what kind of misconceptions you have in your messed-up mind, but I am not and will never be your father! After that pathetic performance at the Tower, it's no wonder that your father left you; you are a weak, scared little boy who I should have killed when I first met you!"

Ethan heard the last part of his statement faintly, since he had turned on his heels and ran from the mill halfway through the toad's speech. He felt Braddock or Percy try to stop him, but he ran outside, running across the grass and disappearing into the woods. He ran for a while, jumping tree roots and bushes before finally collapsing under a tree, gasping for breath and shaking like a leaf.

"AAAAAUGH!" He let loose a loud, animalistic scream that ripped his throat raw, echoing through the trees and sending creepy crawlies packing. The teen buried his face in his hands, sobbing as he lay huddled in the crook of a giant tree root, feeling like the worst person in the world.

Stop crying, he thought to himself, sitting up and wiping his face. You're better than this! Don't let him win!

"I will never win," he said aloud, answering his own thoughts. "I'm worse off than if I had stayed a prisoner!" He slammed a fist on the ground, bloodying it as he accidentally hit a root. "Shit!"

Ethan, stop this! Get a hold of yourself!

"I can't!"

You can! You Can! YOU CAN!

"I CAN'T!" The human hugged his injured hand to himself, fresh tears falling down his face. "I'm pathetic! I'm a loser! I wish I never opened that stupid music box!"

"Ethan!" Vaguely, he heard someone running towards him, and flinched when someone put a hand on his shoulder. "Ethan!"

"Stop! Don't touch me!"

"Ethan it's me, Percy!" The toad grabbed his hands, trying to keep the teen from attacking him. "It's okay; calm down! Stop freaking out!"

"Don't touch me!" Ethan kicked the soldier away from him, backing against the tree trunk. "I don't want anyone near me! Grime's a piece of… I had… I never said that to him!" But deep down, he knew that he had.

"Calm down, Ethan, you're scaring me," the toad said, a worried expression on his face. "I just wanna help you!"

"How can you help," the teen demanded. "How could you possibly understand what I'm going through?! You have no idea what it's like to be me! Don't you get it; no one here does! I'm all alone, and I'm probably gonna be alone for the rest of my life!" He started to cry even harder, now hugging his knees to his chest.

Percy sat a few feet away from the human, watching him cry for a few minutes with a troubled expression on his face. Eventually, he slowly got up and walked forward, setting a cautious hand on Ethan's shoulder. Ethan flinched, but did not scream or push him away this time.

"Ethan," the toad said cautiously, kneeling in front of him, "I think you're right when you said I couldn't possibly understand what you're going through. I mean, you're a human being that's from another world, and you probably go through things that I never have and never will go through. But… I know what's it like to not have a father in my life."

The human froze mid-sob, slowly looking up at Percy. The soldier had a sad expression on his face, but continued to speak.

"I was a tadpole when he left," Percy said. "A few weeks away from losing my tail and having the rest of my limbs grow in. I still remember that night… He and my mom were shouting so loud that they woke me up, though I couldn't tell what they were saying. I watched him from my bedroom, storming out the door as my mom cried." He sniffled a little, wiping at his eyes.

"Mom… never knew that I saw or heard him leave," he continued. "The next day, she told me he had gone on a trip, and was expected to be back. However, when he never came back after a week, she finally told me the truth. I was hurt… and devastated, wondering why he would leave us. My mom never told me the reason he, and to this day, I still don't know if he's alive or dead. I… can't even remember what he looks like…"

The toad soldier was crying now, tears running down his face as Ethan stared at him with red and puffy eyes. The human was shocked, not just from the toad's story, but because he had never seen him cry. Percy was always so happy and joking around, even these past few weeks at the cottage, and to see him so upset almost scared Ethan.

"I… I can only imagine how Grime's words hurt you," Percy said, now looking at the ground. "I know that you probably didn't mean to call him that name. There have been plenty of times when I've accidentally called someone 'dad,' and… I was so embarrassed. But, there's nothing to be embarrassed about, looking up to a male figure the way you would look at a father; especially if they have qualities you wish to emulate." The toad looked up at the teen.

"I know that you're stronger than this, and that you won't let the captain's words get to you," the soldier continued. "You're still our lieutenant, and you're kind and loyal to Braddock and I. You're our friend, and our friendship is what makes you strong, and if Grime can't see that, then he's… not very smart." He said the last part tentatively, as if afraid that Captain Grime would emerge from the bushes and strangle him.

Ethan had stopped crying by now, though Percy was now crying softly, his tears falling onto the mossy ground. The teen pitied his friend, and felt sorry for having yelled at him and kicking him away. After a minute of silence, he scooched over to sit next to the toad.

"Percy… I'm sorry for getting upset with you like that," the human said, putting a tentative hand on his friend's shoulder. "And for… for acting like a jerk since I became Lieutenant. I've treated you and Braddock and the others like crap once I got promoted, and I wasn't the friend you deserved." He took a shuddering breath. "I… I hope you can forgive me."

The toad sniffled, wiping his eyes and looking up at him. "Of course I do," he said. "If you can forgive me for scarin' you earlier."

"Y-Yeah. Thanks." The two sat there for a few moments before standing up, walking back towards the cottage, their bond of friendship stronger than ever.

Kind of a short chapter, but with a warm-hearted ending. I wanted to show how Grime's slowly descending into a bad place, and how Ethan's spiraling as well. Thankfully Percy and Braddock are there, because I don't think either of them would be fine without those two to keep them in check.

I hope you liked this chapter! Feel free to follow/favorite this story and leave a review! Have a great day!

-aggiefrogger

I do not own Thor or Infinity War or Marvel