Hidden (Nod x Reader)

Chapter 1

Wind rushed through my hair, tangling it into knots. I tightened my grip on my saddle and leaned further forward, desperate to gain speed.

"And that's another lap down—these racers are in it to win it! They'd better be, we've got some heavy betting in the crowd today. They're clustering together..."

I tuned out the announcer's comments and patted my bird's head. "Come on, Sparrow!"

I leaned down and pushed my body flush against hers as we rounded another corner. A stick-bug on a bluebird flew up next to me. "Back down, girlie, while you still can!"

"Sorry, can't hear you!" I called back. "Moving too fast!" I zipped ahead of him, a colorful choice of words following me.

"Final lap!" a daisy holding a flag shouted as I zoomed past her, causing some petals to come loose from her head.

"Sorry!" I exclaimed without looking back. I was more focused on winning this race. A thicket of thorns came into my vision. I twisted and turned, ducked and dodged, weaved in and out of the prickly vines. One of them caught on Sparrow's wing, and she screeched.

"Shit! Come on girl, power through..."

We launched out of the thorny thicket back into clear skies.

"Is that...yes! Y/n took a shortcut through the brambles and is back in second place!"

I came up next to a brown-haired boy on a finch. He raised an eyebrow at me, then Sparrow. "There's no way you're winning on that thing."

I smirked. "Well, you must be new here. Besides, you're one to talk!"

"It's the final lap. They're beak to beak, wing to wing..."

The boy and I flew nearly shoulder to shoulder. There! I could see it, the finish line! Just a little closer...

I rushed under the branch through the sea of dandelions a millisecond before the finch next to me.

"And Y/n takes the win by a tail feather! I bet there's a lot of happy faces in the crowd right now..."

I slowed to a steady glide, soaking in the crowd's applause. Their cheers and hollers echoed in my ears.

I landed Sparrow in her stable, then dismounted. "Good girl, Sparrow! Another day, another win." I threw her a thick larva, which she happily gobbled up. After that, I spread a healing salve over the cut on her wing and bandaged it up.

"Y/n, sweetheart, beautiful job!"

I exit Sparrow's stable to meet the blue suited-toad just outside it. "Hello, Bufo."

"I must say, when you disappeared for a bit in those thorns...well. I thought we was gonna have to dock your pay!" He gave a fake, booming guffaw.

I rolled my eyes. "Cut the shit, Bufo. Just give me my cut and I'll be out of your way."

He shrugged. "Alright, fine." He handed over an envelope, which I grabbed and slipped inside my coat. "See you tomorrow, sweetheart."

"Don't call me that," I said as he walked away, but the command fell on deaf ears.

I sighed and made my way through a dirt hallway before pushing aside a leaf curtain.

A wave of noise embraced me as I entered the bar—dandelions watched recaps of the race on the small TV, a group of beetles were playing pool in the corner of the room, and a cluster of other bugs sat about, drinking.

I hauled myself on one of the barstools. "The usual, Breck."

The familiar shiny black beetle behind the counter put down the glass he was cleaning. "Nice job today, y/n."