Druig stops Isis as she heads from the dark tunnels of the Domo toward the light of the sunset at the end of the hallway. "Where are you off to?" He leans against the wall, doing nothing in particular.
"Phastos mentioned that there would be a meteor shower tonight, so I'm off to see that."
"You're going with him?"
Isis retraces her steps back to where Druig stands. "Actually, no. He said he's too busy working on his next great invention."
"Mmm," Druig laughs to himself.
"You should come with me." She takes one step closer to him — close enough to see all the shades of blue in his eyes. "I think it will be wonderful."
"Wonderful, you say?"
"Yes," she smiles, already walking away. She knows he'll follow her, and he does.
They walk along the crest of a hill on the outskirts of the city. Without realizing it, he traces her exact steps as he walks behind her, his hands held in front of him.
"Do you think we'll stay here much longer?" she asks as they walk.
"In Babylon, you mean?"
"Mhm. We haven't seen a Deviant in a long time. I love this place, but I feel that our purpose here is finished."
"It shouldn't be," he thinks. The lack of Deviants from outside the city walls has only made him more sensitive to the conflict inside. He often roams the city only to find more suffering than from the day before... and for what?
He opens his mouth to express the conflict in his mind, but before he has a chance, she points to the sky: "Look."
He glances up to see the stars and the moon and the meteors running across the cosmos — running somewhere far from here. He forgets for a moment that they themselves are cosmic beings. On this night, they can pretend that they are just human beings.
"It's beautiful, isn't it?" she says.
"It is," he answers. She's thinking about the sky, but he is thinking of her.
She takes a seat, cross-legged on the hillside. He takes his place beside her, elbows propped up on his knees.
"What do you think will happen when our purpose has finally been served? Not here, but on Earth?" she asks.
"You mean like when the all Deviants are gone?"
"Yes. Well, actually, I'm still not sure if your purpose is only to eat your way through everything on this planet."
And just like that, she is extraordinarily pensive one second and effortlessly magnetic the next. He thinks he admires that about her.
"I don't know if that's fair to say," he says defensively but all in good spirits.
"Really? And what's that there?" She steals the secret snack concealed in his pocket, and he tries — or rather, pretends — to stop her. She rips off a piece for herself before tossing it back to him. He takes a bite, too.
"If this is my purpose," he says, mouth shamelessly full, "then consider it fulfilled."
She smiles into her lap but only briefly. "I am serious, though. What do you think will be next for us?"
"I'm not sure if I've given much thought to that," he responds, dusting the crumbs off his hands.
"I think about it a lot. Sometimes I wonder if we'll ever be able to live like humans."
He looks across his shoulder at her. "What do you mean by that?"
"Humans — they create their own purpose. I wonder if we'll ever have the chance to do the same." She looks across her own shoulder to meet his gaze. "What would you do if you could create your own purpose?"
He raises his eyebrows, but ponders the question in earnest. "I would want to do something good, or create something good. You know, help people out if I can."
"You already do that."
"Yes, but it's not because of the purpose we were given, is it now?" There's an uncomfortably noticeable resentment in his voice.
"Sorry." She looks away.
"Hey," he nudges her shoulder with his own. "It's nothing to do with you."
"You do know that they are not your responsibility, right? All the people of this planet?" The sadness in her voice is hard to miss.
"I know. But they're on my conscience." He looks up and notices the conflict in her eyes.
"Isis," he gently takes her hand. "Let's just enjoy tonight, though. Come on." He leans back on his elbow and gestures for her to follow. She's reluctant at first, but she lays her head down and looks up at him looking down at her. He doesn't look away.
"You understand we came here to admire Earth's beauty, right? Not to stare at me?"
He gives in and lays down beside her; she tilts her head to rest against his shoulder, and it's pleasantly warm that night.
He responds, "It's all the same to me."
YOU ARE READING
somewhere in time {Druig}
Fanfiction'It's beautiful, isn't it?' she says. 'It is,' he answers. She's looking at the sky, but he's thinking about her. OC x Druig (Marvel's Eternals)
