A Thousand Miles And Poles Apart

and the story of us looks a lot like a tragedy now

"So there may have been something we didn't tell you," you said as you stepped to Druig's side.

He was silent as he walked into the room, his eyes on the wall beside your bed. You'd painted all the Eternal's rooms, murals of their story. And there was no greater story to you and Druig than this.

——

Babylon - 612

You walked into the room, exhausted from the latest fight. The Deviant you had faced today had been strong. To your great annoyance, Thena had been the one to finally slay it which brought her ahead in your contest. Still, now that Ajak had healed you all, you wanted nothing more than to be here, in your room, in Druig's arms. You'd been together almost a century now, and each day felt better than the last. You knew you'd love him more and more every day. You hadn't said the words to each other yet, but you felt it in your heart. You'd spent eternity falling in love with him.

Druig had sat with you while Ajak healed you as he always did, but left when you went to grab something to eat. He had seemed more forlorn than usual, and you weren't sure why. Even now, as you entered the room, he was sitting on your bed, staring at the wall.

"Druig?" You asked, walking over to him. You stepped in front of him, looking down at him as you put your hand on his cheek. "What is it, my love?"

He closed his eyes as he leaned into your touch. "I almost lost you again today," he said.

"I'm fine," you promised him, stepping forward to hug him. He wrapped his arms around your waist, pressing his head to your stomach. "Ajak healed me. And it was barely a scratch."

"Your leg was cut," he said, pulling away to look up at you. "And it could have been worse. It can always be worse. What if you don't get to Ajak in time? What if the injuries are too much for even her to heal?"

"I try to be careful, Druig," you said gently. "But I have to fight. That is my purpose here. I can't leave the others to fight on their own."

"I know," he admitted, pulling you to sit on his lap. "But today, when Ajak was healing you and you and Sersei were talking about her painting in her room, I realized something. If something were to happen to you, there would be nothing left for me."

"Nothing's going to happen," you said, though you knew you couldn't promise that. Fighting Deviants was always dangerous. But at least, you and the others always fought together. You were stronger together.

"You can't say that," he put his hand on your cheek as he sighed. "I know what I want you to paint on our wall."

You looked at him in confusion, wondering how the conversation had gotten there. You and Druig had debated for decades on what you wanted to paint on your wall, as you had for the others. But this was your space together, and nothing ever seemed good enough.

"I want you to paint our story," he said, grazing your skin with his thumb. "If something were to happen, I would have nothing but my memories to keep me from insanity. I want to immortalize this, you and me."

You smiled as you turned your cheek to kiss his palm. "That sounds like a great idea," you said. "It'll be a long project, I think. I can add to it as our story lives on."

He smiled and leaned forward to press his forehead against yours. "We'll need to cover all the walls of the Domo then," he said. "I reckon it'll have to cover eternity."

——

The Domo 2023

Druig was quiet as he walked into the room, looking around the walls. You'd spent so many centuries painting your story with Druig, how you'd met on the Domo. His eyes had taken you a long time. You wanted the blue to be as endless as the sea. You'd invented a new blue for the occasion. You'd painted the two of you sitting on top of the pyramid, staring at the stars. There was the night in Babylon when you'd admitted your feelings, and the night in India when he'd finally told you he loved you. You'd painted the cavern where you'd carved your names into the stone, immortalizing your love forever. There was the two of you on the Great Wall, staring off into the distance, and the two of you again in Troy, kissing in the rain. Moments from the long centuries you had endured together, etched across the room in vibrant colors. China, and Wakanda. Mesopotamia and Greece. Your story had spanned the entire globe over your long millennia on this planet. All your moments connecting by golden threads. The night in Tenochtitlan had been hard for you to draw, the night you'd had to say goodbye. You'd painted that and your reunion again in the Amazon after the Emergence, when you'd flown away on the Domo with Thena and Makkari.