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A cool breeze gently drifted into the cozy hideaway, a tired man with silky raven locks slipped quietly into the kitchen as the kettle he’d put on the stove started squealing. He swiftly grabbed the little pot and poured the boiling water into two cups where black tea bags awaited to mix together into a life saving concoction. The poor man had bags under his eyes and slumped over the counter as he mixed the tea with a crap ton of honey in both cups and some freshly squeezed lemon into one of them. He sighed as he finished mixing them and waited for them to cool a little bit so they wouldn’t burn.
Attempting to rub the exhaustion out of his eyes, Ballister Boldheart, the bravest knight and hero of the land, was currently facing the most formidable opponent he’d experienced in ages. Ballister hummed to himself as he looked at the window, trying to relish in the small reprieve found in his quiet home.
“BAL!!!!!” a high whine sounded off somewhere in the house and the black knight’s shoulders slumped in defeat. He tested the sides of the teacups and deemed them cool enough before grabbing some saltine crackers and rushing out of the kitchen and right into the belly of the beast.
“BAL!!!” another pitiful cry of despair.
“Alright, alright, I’m coming.” the raven responded, trying his best not to lose his temper. He may be tired but that’s nothing compared to what his sidekick was going through. He rushed into the “bedroom”, an area only separated from the main area by a flimsy partition Ballister put up a few days ago to give the kid some privacy.
Pushing back the cloth Bal tip-toed into the room, there was a futon in the center of the area with a small tuft of red hair peeking out from behind layers upon layers of blanket. The dark haired man was about to approach when a terrifying sound began to emerge from the bed.
“Ah…..AH….AHH!!!” Ballister immediately backed away and tried to keep the drinks away from the impending disaster.
“ACHOOOO!!!!”
With the force of a tsunami the blankets lifted up from the bed to reveal Nimona uncontrollably shapeshifting into a gorilla and then a cat before turning back into their human form. They fell back with a whimper and turned to curl in on themselves as the blankets fell back down and she was covered once again. Sniffling pathetically, Nimona looked up at Bal, misery plastered all over their face.
“I hate this,” they said, wiping their nose with the palm of their hand. Ballister tried not to cringe as they spread snot all over their palm and sat down at the corner of the bed.
“I know, kid,” Ballister stated softly in an attempt to comfort Nimona as he held the fresh cup of tea out to them.
The redhead sat up and took the cup with a grateful smile. Nimona wasn’t a fan of tea at all until they met Bal, they didn’t know what he did differently but it was the only type she could drink without wanting to spit it back out again. Taking a heavy gulp of the beverage, the lemon and honey tasted heavenly and also eased the soreness in their throat before settling warmly in the pit of their stomach. They slumped against the wall and gave the knight a wane smile.
“Thanks, boss.”
“It’s no problem,” he shrugged, sipping his own tea and handing the crackers to Nimona as well, “Eat up, I know you’re not feeling up to eating but you need something in your stomach.”
Nimona grimaced but took the crackers without complaint, their stomach already rumbling in discomfort at the thought of eating anything. Thankfully the crackers were rather tasteless and Balliseter watched them nibble on a couple as the two of them settled into comfortable silence.
The shapeshifter was certainly a sight with their red hair mused and knotted into a wild tangled mess, some of their piercings had fallen out while tossing and turning during restless sleep, and their skin was a pale gray with deep bags under their eyes. Ballister’s heart tugged as Nimona continued to sniffle and whine as they picked at the crackers and sipped their tea.
He and Nimona had been living together for almost a year at this point, getting more and more comfortable with one another as time went on. It had been a little tense at the beginning after everything with the Director happened, but Ballister worked tirelessly to regain Nimona’s trust, with the same conviction and determination he used to become a knight in the first place. He learned more about them over time, sometimes by asking questions, but other times just by being in the right place when they wanted to get something off their chest.
Eventually, he even learned the truth of Nimona and Gloreth’s past. To say he’d been angry would’ve been an understatement. He had to wait for the shapeshifter to fall asleep before sneaking out far into the woods, hands balled into fists of rage, punching and destroying anything in his path as he screamed at the top of his lungs until he’d been hoarse…at the end of his tirade he hadn’t had the energy to do anything else but break down, sobbing in regretful sorrow thinking of all the years Nimona had felt alone and unwanted.
He’d spend a thousand lifetimes making it up to them if he had to.
‘Ah…” a sharp intake of breath startled Bal out of his thoughts as he turned to see Nimona scrunch up their nose, eyes closing tightly. He snatched the tea from their hand immediately and backed away from the bed, “AH….AHHHH…ACHOO!!”
This time they transformed into an otter, then a bear, then a bird, before turning back into a human. After turning back, Nimona fell into a heavy fit of phlegmy coughs. Ballister put the tea bags down and leaned down to grab a rag from the bucket of water he’d been using the previous night. He squeezed out the excess water and leaned up to place the back of his hand against Nimona’s forehead. They were still burning hot, sweating and shivering.
He sighed, “Nimona, I hate to say it, but I think you need to see a healer.”
“No!” Nimona declared defiantly, the roughness in their voice causing another small bout of coughing, “No doctors.”
Ballister went to Nimona’s side and wrapped a comforting arm around them. They leaned into him as their coughs died down and sniffled, groaning in discomfort. Even after everything, Nimona had a very hard time trusting people, which the dark knight more than understood. Even though their innocence was proven and Nimona was considered a hero…some people still had trouble accepting them.
“Have you ever been sick like this before?” he inquired innocently.
The shapeshifter shrugged, “One or two times, I usually get better after a couple of days,” Nimona looked up at the knight, allowing a little vulnerability to shine through ruby eyes, “it was worse when I was alone, though.”
Bal hummed, he shifted so Nimona could lay down and he placed the damp towel over their sweaty forehead, “Well I’ve got some bad news for you, kid.”
Nimona lifted a questioning brow at the older man.
He smirked mischievously as he sat down on the bed again after Nimona had settled under the covers once more.
“I’m afraid you’ll never get the chance to be alone again as long as I’m here.” He leaned in and poked Nimona in the side, tickling them a little bit as they giggled and tried to shimmy away from the offending finger, “You’re stuck with me forever, and there’s nothing you can do about it.”
The redhead laughed again, giving a wide toothy grin at the raven, “Strong words from man that was moping in a jail with no toilet.”
“Am I ever gonna live that down?”
“Not a chance.”
“What if I say please?”
“You think manners work on me?”
“You….you know what actually, that’s fair.”
They bantered back and forth for a little bit as Nimona was too restless and uncomfortable to fall asleep. They told Ballister he could take a nap on the couch, as the man had stayed up with them all night as well. The black knight reiterated that he was fine, but as they spoke eventually he did sit up to rest his head against the wall and his eyes began drooping. Nimona looked up at him fondly as they were going on about a story of swimming in the ocean in their whale form and terrorizing a mermaid colony. Before they got to finish it Ballister had fallen into a deep slumber. The shapeshifter closed their eyes just to rest them a little, but still couldn’t find enough peace between the stuffy nose, the dry throat, or the stiff and sore muscles so that they could fall asleep. After a little bit they decided to get up to get a glass of water.
As Nimona rose from the bed, though, their muscles went lax, knees bending out from underneath them. Nimona gasped and tried to catch themself on the edge of the mattress. Their legs were like jelly, wobbling and barely able to stand. They tried to crawl back into the bed but slipped and fell, hitting their head on the wall before falling to the floor and they felt their head bounce against the hardwood. They were so weak that they barely registered the pain, mainly registering the fact that their vision was turning black. The last thing Nimona recalled was Ballister calling out their name and rushing to them.
And then nothing.
*****
When Nimona finally came too, they were greeted by a blinding white light. They’d briefly
wondered if they died, when the faint sound of voices caught their attention. The redhead attempted to open their eyes, but their eyes had not yet adjusted and they winced. Squinting, they tried to look around, but everything was a white blurb until they noticed a dark figure within the pale room.
“Bal?” Nimona squeaked out, voice so hoarse it was almost painful? When was the last time they’d had some water? How long had they been out for?
They pushed themselves up to sit, but the shapeshifter’s arms were practically jelly. Immediately, Ballister was at their side, holding them up and placing a glass of water into their hands.
“It’s alright, Nimona, I’m here. It’s gonna be okay.”
Nimona took a big gulp of the water, sighing in relief as the cool liquid soothed her throat. When they were done Ballister grabbed the cup and put it to the side.
At this point, Nimona finally had the chance to take in their surroundings. They were currently in a stiff bed, everything around them was white. White walls, white ceilings, white tile floors. Nimona’s heart sank into their stomach at the sight of it all.
No…
“Ballister?” Nimona questioned, turning to him with a desperately pleading gaze, “Where are we?”
Please no…not again.
“I-” the black knight struggled to find the words, he didn’t want the kid to freak out. Suddenly another knight spoke up. Ambrosious Goldenloin stood to the side in a shirt and jeans rather than his usual gold and white studded armor, and at Bal’s hesitation, he felt the need to step in.
“You’re at the Institute, Nimona, in the hospital wing. There’s no need to worry, we’ve been having our finest doctors looking after you.”
The reaction was almost immediate.
Nimona’s reflexes kicked in, sickness be damned, their adrenaline was doing all the work for them as they pushed Ballister away and practically jumped out of the bed.
No, no, no! No doctors. No more. No needles, not again. Never again.
Their heartbeat echoed in their ears, everyone’s else’s voices muffled compared to the frantic screaming in their head.
Need to get away, need to run .
So they ran.
“Nimona, wait!” Ballister called after them in a panic. Nimona didn’t get very far, though, tripping over their own fit. Whispering and muttering under their breath that….
Need to run. Need to get away. Go away. LEAVE ME ALONE!
Ballister finally caught up and managed to get a hold of Nimona’s wrist.
NO!!! DON’T TOUCH ME!!!
“DON’T TOUCH ME!!!” They screamed.
As if it was an instinct, Nimona turned and breathed fire in Bal’s direction, barely giving the man time to jump out of the way.
“Don’t touch me!” Nimona shouted again, voice becoming raspy as they lost their balance and fell backwards onto the floor. Panting and gasping for air, Nimona backed themselves up against the wall and curled as if they were trying to hide. Ballister and Ambrosius stayed back, giving the shapeshifter a chance to catch their breath. Soon tears started falling from Nimona’s face uncontrollably and Ballister was wracked with pure guilt.
Cautiously, he approached his sidekick and kneeled in front of her.
Nimona looked at him, betrayal and anger written so deeply into their face, it’s as if they’d been carved there. Like a stone statue with no protection from the elements, every rainstorm or blizzard etched deep lines even deeper into stone until no paint nor mask could cover it. And Ballister knew it was his fault.
“I said no hospitals,” Nimona whispered defiantly.
“I’m sorry, Nimona,” the man immediately apologized, “I didn’t know what else to do.”
“I said no doctors,” Nimona stated, although it came out more like they were pleading with him.
“I waited about an hour, but you still weren’t waking up…”
“I would’ve been fine.”
“‘We don’t know that, I couldn’t take that risk.”
“I was always fine when I was alone.”
“But you’re not alone this time, I just wanted to help.”
“I don’t need your help.”
“I can’t lose you again!”
Silence. That last statement was the last straw for Bal as he broke down in tears. Nimona just watched him, too stunned to come up with another retort.
They never really talked about what happened when Nimona “died” after defeating the Director. They never felt the need to, after all Nimona had returned and everything seemed right with the world again.
But things are never that simple…
“I’m so sorry, Nimona,” Ballister cried, shoulders slumped as his head hung in his hands, “It was selfish to bring you here, I know that,” this time Bal looked up at Nimona with desperate brown eyes, “But when you didn’t wake up I thought… I don’t think I could handle losing you. Not again.”
Nimona sat up straighter, they’d never known how much Balister had been suffering in silence when they disappeared. They felt a slight twinge of guilt at never asking.
“Please,” the knight pleaded, reaching out a hand, eyes fierce with solemn promise “Please let me help you, I promise I won’t leave your side, and I won’t let anything happen to you ever again.”
The shapeshifter hesitated, staring at the outstretched hand, remembering another time they’d accepted the hand of someone that was supposed to be their friend. But instead of looking up to see the distrustful hatred in Gloreth’s eyes, they saw the open, vulnerable honesty of Ballister’s.
Nimona nodded and took the man’s hand, who gripped it gently as he helped them stand and led them back to bed.
As they made the short trek to the bed Nimona couldn’t help but snort, turning a smug look to Bal.
“You really pulled out the water works for me?”
It was a joke to disguise a different question, a need for affirmation.
Are we okay?
Ballister rolled his eyes and gave an equally cheeky smile back, “Don’t go getting a big head over it, kid.”
Yeah, we’re okay.
When they made it back to the bed, Ambrosius apologized profusely as well, not knowing the full extent of the situation at hand. Nimona had rolled their eyes in joking nature and told the pretty boy to calm down before he got worry lines in his infuriatingly smooth skin. (Ambrosius thinks it’s a compliment?)
As promised, Ballister never left Nimona’s side, even for a second, as the doctors did a basic checkup and attempted to run some bloodwork. When they brought the needle out Nimona curled into Ballister and hid their head in his neck, the black knight comforting them with soft words of encouragement until it was over in less than a minute. Although they admitted they wouldn’t know what would be considered normal for a shapeshifter, they said they would do their best. It appeared to be the human equivalent of a really bad case of the flu that developed into an infection. They prescribed the necessary drugs as well as some recommended relieving treatments to make the symptoms a little easier to bear over the next couple of days.
The doctor’s recommended that Nimona also get vaccinated once they’d completely healed. Nimona was going to give a gentle recommendation that the doctor shove her vaccines up a certain bodily orifice when Ballister cut in and thanked the doctor for her time.
By the time they made it home, the sun was setting and Ballister helped Nimona take their meds before settling into a chair beside the bed to monitor Nimona while they slept.
The meds appeared to be working fast as Nimona yawned and allowed their body to relax under the cover.
“Hey, boss?”
Ballister hummed to let them know he was listening.
“I’m sorry I disappeared. And for leaving you.”
The man looked up at the redhead in surprise.
“It wasn’t your fault,”he leaned in to tuck a piece of hair behind their ear, “never apologize for something like that. If I had to do it all over again I would.”
Nimona’s eyes glistened before they blinked back the tears threatening to spill again. Can’t be getting all sappy, they had their street cred to think about.
“Thank you for staying with me.” they murmured, eyes drooping shut, breaths beginning to even out into the beginnings of slumber.
“Of course,” Ballister smiled, leaning back into the chair and picking up a book he’d brought.
“Good night, Dad.”
“Good night, Nimona.”
…..
WAIT WHAT???
Ballister almost threw his book to the floor as he stood up in utter shock. Nimona’s breath was calm and even, indicating they’d finally fallen asleep. Meanwhile Bal felt like he was gonna implode on himself. He felt his face go red as he pointed at Nimona then at himself like that would help everything to make sense.
She called me Dad?!
Yeah, he was freaking out.
He bolted out the door with the biggest stupidest grin on his face until he’d gotten a decent distance between him and the cottage.
“She called me Dad,” he started as a whispered, before looking up at the moon and screaming for the heavens to hear, “She called me DAD!!! I’m their dad!!! I’M A DAD!!!! HAHAHA.”
The man hollered and cheered with unabashed delight. Eventually he was able to walk back into the house again, stupid grin still plastered proudly.
He walked back into the room and leaned over his kid, giving a gentle kiss to their forehead.
He leaned back against the chair and just stared in awe.
“That’s my kid.”