Archive of Our Own ^beta

“You think he’ll go over there…?” 

Lasko’s voice was harsh and low in Huxley’s ear, the air elemental gripping onto his varsity jacket with both hands. His food was untouched in front of him, eyes darting around the restaurant instead. 

Huxley had been laser-focused on his food, chewing with a tilt of his head as he followed Lasko’s gaze. He swallowed, holding back a smile at the sight of the Freelancer, leaning against the counter and eyeing the menu overhead with such concentration it looked similar to when they would study into the late hours of the evening. 

“What do you—”

A noise left Lasko as he motioned toward Huxley’s left, the earth elemental turning his head to see Damien with his arms crossed and dark eyes narrowed in the direction of the Freelancer. Again, Huxley looked over, peering past them to see a group of people watching them in cruel amusement. They would glance over while whispering to each other, only to laugh soon after without any sense of discretion. How he hadn’t noticed at first when one practically had a phone pointed at the Freelancer, he wasn’t sure, but what he did know was that Damien was warming at his side and soon, the people at the booth next to them might begin to take notice. 

Frowning, Huxley attempted to figure out what had earned the group’s attention in the first place. It wasn’t as if the Freelancer was in the way or anything. They weren't in clothes that demanded attention, either. They were just hanging out, reading the menu overhead as they chewed on their lower lip.

I’m not used to eating out, Huxley recalled them mentioning, only convinced to come at the mention of it being a way to celebrate the upcoming start of their second year at D.A.M.N and Huxley’s last. 

Gavin had chuckled to himself at their words, eyes glowing pink until Damien shot him a look of warning. All Gavin responded with was a wink and a finger to his lips, earning a scoff from Damien and nothing more.

As much as I would love to show you the ins and outs of fine dining, I’ll have to take a rain check on this one, Deviant. 

His final glance to the Freelancer was curious, owlish as they waved in farewell. Gavin’s hand lifted in response, waving stiffly, fingers uncharacteristically clumsy in their movements as he disappeared into his rift.

It took only a second for him to slip back into the room on the other side of the Freelancer, leaning through the rift to press his lips to their own. 

Until next time, Freelancer.

Damien had snorted at the display while Lasko watched with his mouth agape, not having known the two had gotten so… close. The Freelancer had shrugged it off, but the smile they wore as they welcomed the brisk spring air was enough to show Gavin had made the right move. 

“Hux, I can feel his heat from here,” Lasko hissed, growing antsier in his seat the longer Damien’s stare-down went on. 

Huxley placed his food down onto his plate, wiping his hands with his napkin. He then placed one hand on Lasko’s back, patting it to soothe. “Chill out, man. Dames won’t do anything unless they, like, make a move or something,” he assured. “It’s a day to celebrate…he wouldn’t make it all tense and shit knowing the Freelancer has never done this before.”

“Don’t you remember the walk here?” Lasko reminded him without missing a beat. Huxley, in the middle of taking a sip of his drink, pushed the air from his nose at the memory, sending the drink upward instead of down. He coughed, covering his mouth and nose with a hand as Damien and Lasko both turned their attention onto him.  “Shit! I—I mean, sh—shoot! Let me get you a napkin, Hux.”

As the air elemental went to ask for some extras, Huxley worked on easing the burning in his nostrils and breathing properly. 

“You alright?” 

Huxley eyed Damien as he gave a few more coughs. “Oh yeah, just glad it didn’t like, shoot out of my nose. That would be the worst.” 

Damien’s lips curled slightly at the corners, Huxley finding it a lot more natural than the one he’d worn earlier. With a pat on his shoulder, Damien looked away. 

“Yeah, the worst.”

The walk, apart from some minor aspects, had been relatively normal despite Lasko's concern. In fact, Huxley clung more so to the relief that had surged through him at the sight of the Freelancer talking without second-guessing every word that left their mouth. It had taken a lot of convincing to work out their anxieties, their sincere laughter welcome after months without it. 

Huxley had hung back with Damien, watching as Lasko and the Freelancer chatted away. Damien would only intervene to instruct them on where to go with precise directions, Huxley finding him similar to a GPS if not more accurate. Anyone that attempted to plow through the duo in front of them earned two pairs of eyes motioning to walk around, some taking the advice quietly while others grumbled about the sidewalk only being so big. 

Then walk in the street, Damien had ordered through in what was meant to be a gritted smile, coming out more as a grimace. Regardless, he had silenced the strangers leaving Huxley to nudge him teasingly. 

Dude...

What? 

His response had been sharp and pointed, softening at the edges when Huxley’s eyes had creased as his grin grew wider. 

Nothing, man. So do you, like, know what you’re gonna get? I’m fucking starving.

“Here. Is your nose alright? I—I hadn’t meant to…” 

Huxley pulled him into a side hug, one hand in his hair while the other held the napkins to his nose. “Lasko, you’re all good, man. Promise.” 

“Just try not to nearly waterboard him next time,” Damien said with a slow smirk, sending Lasko into a new set of rambles. Huxley chuckled and squinted at Damien, all the while brushing a hand over Lasko's hair to bring him back down. He leaned toward Damien, keeping his voice low to avoid startling Lasko any further.

“You did that on purpose,” he murmured as Damien returned his attention back toward the Freelancer with a stern expression. 

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Huxley leaned back, taking in the fact that he was sitting in a booth with the people he cared about at a restaurant...just hanging out and existing outside of their classes or responsibilities. 

It felt…normal. And normal was nice after so much excitement. 

“You done with your order?” 

Huxley perked, the Freelancer finally reaching their table and sliding beside Damien easily. If they felt the warmth of the booth, they made no mention of it. 

The nodded at Damien as the elemental relaxed into his seat. “Yeah, though I have to say there are a lot more options than I expected,” they said sheepishly, pushing some hair from their face as if exhausted. “Do places usually have two menus like this?” 

“Not at all,” Damien stated, a frown playing on his lips. He placed a hand on their head, ruffling their hair gently. “Next time we can look some up online beforehand…see which ones you might be interested in.” 

The Freelancer insisted on them eating before the food got cold, but Lasko had claimed his food was too hot to touch while Damien pointed out how easily he could warm his food again if he truly needed to. Huxley was the only one who had dug in right away, practice having ramped up without classes to keep them from it.

No one ever batted an eye when he took the first bite, Huxley catching them smiling at him with that amused sparkle in their eyes. 

Still, his eyes met Damien’s as Lasko and the Freelancer spoke about some D&D campaign Lasko was trying to plan, their gazes traveling to the other side of the restaurant where the group was still casting glances now and again. 

“Any idea why they’re so…” Huxley started, Damien nodding and rolling his jaw as if the entire ordeal was a bother. 

“They’re McKinleys.” 

Huxley took a moment to understand what that meant, Damien patiently explaining further when the earth elemental blinked. 

“They’re competing against D.A.M.N at the E&E games this year. They’re also apparently his new alma mater.” 

The information seeped into mind, festering as Huxley’s head snapped in their direction. His eyes traveled over every person, the familiar crest solidifying that what Damien had said was correct. Huxley hadn’t doubted him at all—he was the most observant apart from maybe Gavin. 

Still, the fact that they had taken to borderline harassing the Freelancer didn’t seem like some coincidence knowing what he knew now. 

With another bite of his food, Huxley now also kept his attention on the group, chewing his food roughly until it was nothing but mush. He forced it down, the reminder that a certain water elemental was still walking around without much punishment infuriating. The Freelancer would still freeze sometimes at the mere mention of him...his influence enough to have their eyes dulling out and hands wringing on their lap. 

“Don’t worry about them,” Damien assured. “I’ll keep an eye out. You make sure the Freelancer doesn’t notice anything. Got it?” 

Huxley relaxed. “Thanks, man.” 

Shifting, Damien shrugged. “I wasn’t there to help them back then…but I’m here now,” he said quietly. 

“We’re here now,” Huxley corrected with a nod. “Even if you are the most intimidating.” 

Damien snorted, eyes trailing over Huxley in disbelief. “Me? Not the 6-foot-something unit sitting next to me?” 

“Oh~ so you think I’m a unit, huh?” 

A shove as Damien rolled his eyes, a soft laugh escaping under his breath. 

“Weren't you starving on the way here? Shut up and eat your food, you ass. ”

Huxley grinned. “Yes, sir.” 

He began working on the fries, munching on them as he listened to the steady flow of the conversation. His eyes moved between whoever was speaking, every word logged to memory even if the topic seemed mundane or unimportant. He wasn’t one to take things for granted, a lesson he's learned from his moms that he had slowly forgotten in the craziness of the magical world. The point had been forced back to the forefront of his mind by the fact that the Freelancer had almost slipped through their grasp not once, but twice in the same school year. They hadn't even known about the demon that had visited the Freelancer in the middle of the night, Gavin having thankfully taken care of it somehow. 

If only Huxley could have done the same with that slimy water elemental. 

With a sigh, Huxley's frustration eased when the Freelancer’s eyes lit up once the server came over with their food. They thanked them while inspecting their plate, earning a quiet laugh from Lasko and a look of approval from Damien. 

“This looks amazing,” they said in awe. “Is this what the food always looks like?” 

“Yeah!” Lasko assured, “W—Well, it depends on the place, really. Some places aren’t the best, so you should be c—careful. Where you go, I—I mean.” 

“Right,” the Freelancer murmured, nodding as they took the information to heart, beginning to eat with stars in their eyes. 

Huxley couldn’t understand how the person in front of him had gone through hell and back yet managed to look so…not innocent. That wasn’t the word, his brain scrambling to find the correct one as he held a fry to his mouth while he thought. 

‘Bright?’

“R—Remember to drink water, Freelancer!” 

“And to chew. Jesus, when was the last time you had a decent meal?” 

With cheeks full of food, the Freelancer lifted their head, a smile forming on their lips as their eyes creased to the point of closing. They swallowed, licking their lips only to take an equally large bite, much to Damien's displeasure.

‘Tenacious? Closer, I think.’

The table fell into a comfortable silence as they worked on their respective meals, each in various states of concentration. Damien was keeping tabs on the McKinley students while Lasko was trying his best to eat his food without bringing up another topic. Huxley was the first to finish and opted to glance out the window until the Freelancer let out a deep breath. He turned to see they had polished off half of their plate, now staring at it and pushing it around with their fork. 

“So,” they started, swallowing the remainder of their last bite and clearing their throat. “Do you think those McKinley students know Kody…?” 

The three elementals froze, the Freelancer continuing to poke and prod at their food. It was obvious they weren’t doing it to prepare for another bite, but rather because they just needed something to do. 

“W—What? What do you mean?” Lasko tried to play off, Huxley and Damien silent as the Freelancer tried their best to smile. 

“They weren’t exactly subtle in their staring,” they admitted. “I hadn’t noticed they were from another school until two of them walked by. They mentioned him and D.A.M.N.” 

And me, was implied, though the Freelancer had opted to remain silent after their confession. 

“Mentioned what, exactly?” 

“Talked about which one of you was next. To transfer because of me. Wondered if all human-borns at the academy relied on underhanded tactics to get rid of the competition.” 

Huxley expected the booth to turn into a sauna, though just as the temperature began to rise, the door opened. A gust knocked into the McKinley table as a few of the students shrieked. The entire restaurant turned to stare, their glasses knocked over and their drinks dripping off the table and onto their laps and the floor. One plate was turned over onto the tiles floor as well, shattered and making the meal unsalvageable.

“Oh, goodness.” 

The three turned to Lasko who was calm for once, gaze icy behind clear frames. His arms were crossed, similar to Damien’s apart from how much looser Lasko’s arms were, almost lazy. 

“That’s a shame, isn’t it?” he asked with a terse smile. “They chose the worst place to sit considering the weather. It can be pretty temperamental!” 

Huxley let out a breath he hadn’t known he was holding. The Freelancer was still casting a glance over to the table, not sure what had happened as Damien bit back a smirk. 

“Did you say anything back?” Huxley asked, sure that Damien had wanted to know as well. The pads of his fingers thrummed against the table, no doubt slow to avoid scorching it. 

The Freelancer chewed at their lower lip, ripping the skin from it without a flinch. 

“Freelancer…?” 

“If I bite, he wins. They’ll see anything I do as an admission of guilt just like he did. Even when I'm right, I'm wrong,” they said softly. “It’s better to choose my battles. God knows I’ve had enough to know how to.” 

Their voice sounded as if they truly believed the words, Huxley wishing he could hug them if not for the seating arrangement. 

“Freelancer…don’t you ever get tired?” Damien asked, brows furrowed in confusion. 

“Damien!” Lasko tried, but Damien continued as if no one had spoken at all. 

“Isn’t there a limit to kindness? Why bother extending it to people like that? Neither Kody nor those dickheads deserve anything from you other than an overdue ass-kicking. You not doing anything is just allowing them to continue pushing you into a corner and that isn’t fair. You’ll have to stand up to them and his lies at some point.”

“And I’ll do exactly that,” they said easily, the earlier nerves threatening to consume them gone and replaced with a neutral expression. Their hand had gone still, Huxley hearing the groan of the plate at the pressure being applied to it by their fork. “At the games.” 

Huxley felt his eyes go wide, the confirmation not how he had imagined but still making him all the more excited for it. 

“The only claim they could throw out is that D.A.M.N rigged the games somehow, but with a stadium full of audience members that just wouldn’t fly. Even if they aren’t in the same category, I’ll show them how I don’t need underhanded tricks like they do to be seen as strong.”

The sound of distant chatter filled Huxley’s ears, mind ringing like a timer as his gaze softened. 

‘Sanguine,’ Huxley thought finally, watching as they lifted their head.

“I won’t let them drag anyone into this, either,” the Freelancer promised earnestly. 

“That’s not the iss—”

“Thanks, Freelancer.” 

Damien shot Huxley a frown, the earth elemental holding his stare until the other looked away with a huff. 

“We appreciate you looking out for us. Really, but you’ve gotta put some of that energy into yourself, man,” Huxley said slowly. “We can protect our honor. So please, for all our sakes, protect yours.” 

The Freelancer watched him with wide eyes, lips parting as they attempted to come up with what to say next. They started down at their plate again. 

“My honor?” 

They sounded confused, Huxley's heart aching at the realization that they probably hadn't thought they had any to protect. They had made it known that they felt all their problems had been solved by others, no doubt causing them to feel as if they hadn't overcome anything despite the fact that they had. 

And with a grace that had no doubt taken the majority of their energy to maintain. 

“If we can’t do it,” Damien grumbled, “then that leaves you. You’ll do great. However you decide to approach it.” 

Relief flooded the Freelancer's expression. “Thanks…all of you. I’ll do my best.” 

“Right,” Damien muttered. “Now, are we just going to sit here or are we going to get what is left to go, pay, and get out of the McKinley air?” 

“I’ll go ask for the bill,” the Freelancer offered. They slid out of the booth, walked over to the counter, and began to talk to an employee while Damien sat with his eyes closed in deep thought. 

“W—what are you thinking about, Damien?”

“Oh, nothing,” Damien said unconvincingly, not bothering to hide where his attention had once again been drawn. “Just…looking forward to the games, all of a sudden.” 

Huxley and Lasko shot each other a look, watching as the area beneath Damien’s fingers began to smoke. By the time they had paid and gotten their leftovers packed, four black dots were seared into the table in a very familiar shape.

When one of the McKinley students scoffed as the Freelancer walked by, Damien shot them a smile that was all teeth making them scowl. 

Once they had finally left the restaurant, they walked by the large window display.

Huxley could see how the same student moved to his feet, nearly falling on his ass as his phone sparked, now burning before his eyes. Muffled and panicked voices were somehow funnier with the thick glass separating them from the actual chaos.

The Freelancer and Lasko were none-the-wiser, arm in arm as they walked back toward campus.

When Huxley turned to Damien, he bit back a grin. 

The younger elemental had a somewhat evil smile on his lips, eyes flickering like the very flames he’d left in his wake.