𝕮𝖔𝖇𝖎𝖊 𝕾𝖒𝖚𝖑𝖉𝖊𝖗𝖘 𝕴𝖒𝖆𝖌𝖎𝖓𝖊𝖘

Arcana | M.H.

[Minor Angst/Fluff]
Inspired by EPICA's 'Arcana'

The night was thick with silence, broken only by the occasional rustle of leaves as the wind played through the trees. You sat alone in the shadows, watching her from a distance, your heart racing in a quiet rhythm. Maria Hill always seemed like an enigma—strong, reserved, powerful—but that night, something about her drew you in more than ever. Her shoulders were stiff as she stood at the edge of the balcony, her eyes lost in the distance, her thoughts seemingly a million miles away.

"Maria?" you called softly, the sound of your voice breaking the stillness. She didn't move at first, but when she turned, you saw the flicker of recognition in her eyes. It was as if she had been expecting you, even though you hadn't intended to come.

She sighed, a small, almost imperceptible gesture, and took a step toward you. "I didn't hear you come in," she said in a low, rough tone—almost as if she had been carrying something heavy for longer than she was willing to admit.

You moved closer, your footsteps light on the soft grass beneath your feet. You always felt cautious around her, always aware of the distance she tried to keep, but that night, something felt different. There was a vulnerability in her you had never seen before, a fragility that cut deeper than any physical wound.

"Maria..." you said again, this time more softly. "You don't have to hide from me."

Her brow furrowed, and she turned her gaze back to the distant horizon, her lips pressing into a thin line. "I'm not hiding."

But you saw the way her shoulders slumped, the way her eyes avoided yours, the way her fists were clenched at her sides. It was in the smallest details that you recognized the truth. She was hiding. Hiding from herself, from the weight of everything she had been through, from the way she felt in moments like this. You saw the fight in her eyes—the battle between who she was and who she wanted to be.

"You don't have to carry it alone," you said, stepping closer until you stood just a few feet away. Your voice was barely above a whisper, but it held a strength that only she could hear.

Maria's eyes met yours, and for a moment, everything fell away. The night, the silence, the world—it all faded into the background, leaving only the two of you standing in the quiet, sharing this fragile moment. The weight between you, the tension, the pull—it was almost tangible.

"Don't say that," she replied, her voice strained, but soft. "I don't need anyone to fix me."

"You don't need fixing, Maria," you countered gently. "You just need someone who sees you. All of you." You paused, letting the words settle between you. "I see you, Maria."

There was a long pause, a stretch of silence that hung between you, thick and heavy. Her eyes flickered with something—something you couldn't quite place—but it was there. A crack in the wall she built, just wide enough for you to see through, just enough for you to catch a glimpse of what was really inside.

"I want you to heal, Maria," you whispered, stepping closer, your hand reaching out to gently touch her arm. "I want you to be free of the pain you're hiding, to let go of the weight that's crushing you."

She flinched at the touch, her eyes narrowing slightly, but she didn't pull away. Instead, she stood still, her eyes locked on yours as if trying to gauge the truth in your words. She had always been the one who carried the weight of the world, the one who stood alone in the darkness, guarding herself from the things that might break her. But that night, you saw her differently.

"I'm scared," she admitted quietly, her voice barely above a breath. "I don't know how to stop fighting."

"You don't have to fight anymore," you replied, your voice soft, but unwavering. "You don't have to fight alone."

Maria's eyes searched yours, looking for something—something she had been missing, something she had been denying. You saw the weight in her gaze, the unspoken pain, the years of battling on her own. But there was something else too—a flicker of hope, however small, that maybe, just maybe, she didn't have to carry it all anymore.

She stepped closer to you, her gaze never leaving yours. And for the first time in what felt like forever, she let herself soften. She let herself breathe, let herself be seen. It was a vulnerable moment, a quiet one, but it was powerful. It was the moment where everything changed.

You reached for her, your hand gently cupping her face, and you felt the heat of her skin, the way her breath caught in her throat. She didn't pull away this time. Instead, she leaned into your touch, her eyes closing as if to savor the connection.

"Let me heal you," you whispered, your voice low and full of something more than just words.

Maria's breath hitched, and for a moment, you thought she might say something, might push you away, but then she didn't. Instead, she leaned in, her lips brushing yours in a slow, hesitant kiss. It wasn't desperate. It wasn't urgent. It was something softer, something more real. Something that had been building between you for far too long.

You felt the weight of her kiss, the years of pain and struggle, the quiet desperation to be seen, to be understood, to be free. And in that moment, everything else faded away. The darkness of her past, the walls she had built around herself—all of it disappeared, leaving only the two of you standing there, in the light of something new.

You pulled away just enough to look into her eyes, and you saw it. A crack in her walls, a softness that had been buried beneath the surface for far too long. She wasn't invincible. She wasn't untouchable. She was just human, just like you.

"You don't have to be strong all the time," you said softly. "Let me in, Maria. Let me help you heal."

She didn't answer right away, but the way she looked at you—the way her eyes softened—told you everything you needed to know. You weren't just a distraction. You weren't just a passing moment. You were the one she had been waiting for, the one who would help her rise from the shadows, the one who would free her from the chains she had been carrying.

And in that moment, as you stood together in the quiet of the night, you both knew that this was only the beginning. The future was uncertain, the path ahead still unclear, but together, you would face it. Together, you would heal, you would rise, and you would be free.

The darkness no longer had a hold on her, Maria. She was alive, and she was finally ready to step into the light.

<3