Peter Parker & Tom Holland Imagines

armor heart pt.4

I can't help but feel a torrential mix of emotions as I join Aedan and the others around the bonfire, where the celebration has long since been underway. He smiles as I approach and takes my hand to spin me around. "It certainly must be aontacht if you're wearing a dress."

"A dress of sorts. This is one of the ones that Emryss made." I lift the hem a bit to show the pants built in underneath for comfort and ease in combat. "Still, I can't break the tradition."

"I'd be very upset if you did. Which reminds me, would you consider taking on a mentee while you're here?"

"Well, we'll be here for about two and half months before we have to journey back to the capital. I'm assuming you have someone in mind?"

"Yes, but if you have something else to take care of, you can do that first." He glances across the celebration to where Tom is sitting and watching it all with a distant expression. "Emyrss has been keeping him occupied, but he's been like that since after I found you. Any ideas about what you're going to do?"

"I'm—I'm going to tell him—everything. Well, everything he wants to know, at least." I sigh and look back to Aedan, "Please, tell me this isn't going to be a huge mistake."

"You know I don't think so." He shrugs and offer a hand, "How about a dance first to distract you? And also introduce you to someone as well."

"Fine. Lead the way." I jokingly roll my eyes and take his hand. We both try not to laugh as we step in time to the music in the same fluid steps the rest of the crowd is, which if fitting for us considering aontacht is all about creating, solidifying, and revealing the bonds between people.

It eases the nerves of my impending conversation with Tom still making my hands shake until they're pushed to the back of my mind. By the end of the dance, the both of us are clutching our sides and struggling to catch our breath. "That was more fun than I remembered."

"I mean, it has been a few years." He says with a shrug. A smile breaks across his face as he motions to a boy nearby, "Oh, perfect. Xenia, this is the boy I thought you could mentor—Asier."

The boy, Asier, looks up at me with wide eyes, "I-it's nice to meet you, miss."

"No need to call me 'Miss;' just Xenia is fine." I tell him with a grin as I crouch down to his level.

"Asier," Aedan says as he ruffles the boy's hair, "is one of my mentee's, but I think he could learn a lot from you since he's—he's folamh."

The mere statement makes Asier drop his eyes to the ground in apparent shame. I move to catch his gaze and offer a knowing smlie, "I'm sure Aedan told you already, but I am too. You wanna know a secret I learned?" He nods with a glimmer of excitement growing in his eyes. "It's actually a special power—even better than magic. If you want, I can teach you more about it, if you want?"

Asier beams and looks to Aedan before wrapping his arms around my neck. "Yes, please!" He cheers with a barely distinguishable lisp before dashing away. Tears brim in my eyes as I watch him go. "That's the first time I've ever met another folamh, you know."

"I know." Aedan confirms. "Thought you two could help each other. He's a strong one—almost as strong as you—and always brightens everyone's days. We found him in the orphanage when he was three. His family just left him there."

"That's how most of the stories for people here go."

"It maybe how they start, but not how they go from there or end." Aedan replies with the same tone Lakren used to give us when we needed to hear something but wouldn't listen. "Go talk to him. You can't live with an armor heart forever."