When Val wakes up the next day, just a few hours after going to sleep, her body's aching. Her shoulders lock when she moves her arms, her palms rough and sore. Her groin and inner thighs feel as if they went through fire, and her chest. God, her chest. It's panging and panging and she regrets ever deciding to be a hero.
She knows the pain will just disappear after a while, like it's done all the times she's hurt herself in this world, but right now she can't stand the idea of feeling like this while still having to deal with her messy emotions. So, she gets out of her bed and starts stretching. She has never done it before, but she guesses it'll help. Somehow. She should stretch before going out, too, if she has time.
She ignores the events from last night while she stretches, because honestly, she just woke up, and she can't deal with that shit. Not without breakfast.
...okay so she's just making time. No one can blame her, tho. She almost died yesterday.
...she thinks.
...
...she can't ignore it anymore.
After taking a hot shower and getting dressed, she makes her way downstairs, serves herself a cup of chocolate milk and plops down on the couch. Taking a sip, she resigns herself to go through yesterday's events.
The flight was good. Amazing. She's gonna start carrying a camera to record those. The sight was just too good, a mess of dark blue and vibrant lights, San Fransokyo's night life making itself known. There was music too, she thinks. Music that sounded clear on her ears despite how high up above she was. Maybe Blackwell somehow made it play through her helmet? To set up the mood? She'll have to ask. Non important, though.
After Toothless flapped his wings everything went downhill. They fell down and hard and fast, the ground a shining blur that grew closer every second. She thought she was gonna die. Again.
That shouldn't have happened. Obviously. But she just can't figure out why.
Why did that happen? What went wrong?
She mulls over her thoughts for a while, until her brain finally clicks.
The wings were made of resistant, light metal, so that it could fly. But not catch air. They could glide for as long as the wind accompanied them, but the moment the wings were flapped, the momentum was cut, the aerodynamics messed up, and the wings, being so heavy, didn't catch air. They just added weight to Toothless. Made him sink.
So fuck those wings. Val hates them. Those stupid, useless wings.
If it weren't for the emergency thrusters, she would be dead now, a bloody mess in the streets of San Fransokyo. She didn't even add them as emergency. Their only purpose was to help Toothless go faster if a villain was outrunning them.
She's so glad she installed them. She's making sure they work every night from now on.
Also the handles. Toothless couldn't fly if she wasn't holding them in the right position, and only if she was the one holding them. It was also a way of controlling where he went, if he were to panic or fail or needed an extra help with sharp turns or stops. She probably wouldn't be alive if it weren't for those, either. Or if she hadn't seen the roof. Which brings her...
Felix.
For whatever reason he was there, in a deserted street, and he saw her in full hero gear, riding a dragon, with her visor up. He recognized her.
At that moment she couldn't grasp exactly what that meant, just that it somehow meant danger in one way or another, and almost had a panic attack. Well, a second panic attack, she already had one when they landed after the fall, and wow, wasn't that terrifying.
But now she's safe in her home, and she knows what Felix knowing her means. Or, well, she thinks she does. She was never much into superhero stories.
It means that he can try and manipulate her, either exposing her identity or threatening her family. It also means that he could be in danger: If someone figured out he knew her secret identity they might try and beat it out of him. Or something. She really doesn't know. But she knows it's bad.
Or that it should be bad.
Cause Felix helped her.
He didn't smile that evil smile that all cartoon villains seem to do when they got a plan, nor did he radiate an evil aura, like she remembers Obake did.
He just...helped her.
He brought her down from a possible panic attack, coaxed her out of the rooftop, and took her and Toothless home. He spent the whole ride trying to make her come back to her senses, she half remembers. He kept talking and gesturing, though she can't recall his words.
Then, he waited for her to get inside her home before leaving, making sure she didn't fall.
She thinks he even gave Toothless a toy of sorts, but that bit is especially fuzzy and she can't figure out if it really happened or if she just made it up.
What really matters it's that Felix helped her, and she, once again, just can't figure out why.
It's not really that hard, actually. Felix saw a girl, a kid that he met some weeks prior, freaking out in a dangerous situation, and decided to help. But it just feels wrong.
She had made up her mind about being a hero. She knew how it would go. She would have her dragons, and Blackwell, and maybe her parents, if she ever let them on in the secret. But that was it.
No one was supposed to know her identity. Not the heroes, not the villains, and especially not some random civilian.
But he does know and it's messing her up bad and she doesn't know how to make it stop.
...
...so that's what happened last night.
...
'God, it's too early for this shit.'
Not even her parents are up!
"Good morning, my love."
'...okay, fuck you-'
Her mom comes down the stairs, slipping a hand up the rail to ruffle her hair as she goes. Her dad is just behind her, grumpy as he is, complaining about this and that, with their alarm clock being the main target of his hate. It was the coffee machine, yesterday. Val wonders what it'll be tomorrow.
"Arriba." She half-heartedly calls out, her inner turmoil momentarily forgotten to poke fun at her dad. Her mom goes to the kitchen to make breakfast, and her dad leans against the couch to look at her. He glances at the TV, still off, before glancing down at her.
"Had a rough night?
She huffs, mumbling something barely resembling "you have no idea" before standing up and joining her mom in the kitchen. She washes her cup and hands two clean ones to her mom, who in turn handles her some eggs. They spend the next few minutes in silence, her dad turning on the news and cleaning up the table so they can eat. Once their eggs and coffee are done, they all sit at the table and do their own thing. Her mom is paying full attention to the reporter, her dad is eating like this is his last meal, and she's checking Tumblr, half listening to the TV.
It's when they're cleaning up and getting ready for their day that their routine is interrupted.
Someone rings the doorbell.
Val pays no attention to it, going up the stairs and planning to ask Blackwell for help with Toothless. God knows she can't handle social interactions and she's still drained from yesterday's scare to even try.
What she wants doesn't matter, because as the universe likes to remind her, things will never go her way.
She hears her mom opening the door. And what does she hear after?
"Good morning. Is this the Storm-Romero household?"
Felix.
Val stops dead on her tracks, heart skipping a beat at his voice. Fear clouds her mind for all of a second before it disappears, leaving her panicked and hurt and moving. In a second she's at her mother's side, eyes going wide at the man. He's dressed in a suit, looking nervous as ever, but he lights up once he sees her there.
"Val."
"...Felix."
Her mom looks down at her, one eyebrow raised. "You know him?" And her mom, bless her soul, knows her. Her troubles with people, how she never leaves her room, her tendency to go non-verbal when she's out.
She's asking if she's okay.
...she doesn't know if she is.
She turns her gaze to Felix, and searches for...something, in him. In this cartoony style is easy to read people. Their postures, their expressions, their aura. And Felix...
...he's smiling. An insecure smile, but a smile nonetheless.
His eyes are bright, his posture relaxed and open.
Harmless.
"...yeah. We've met." She turns her gaze back to her mom, trying to communicate to her her nervousness and her confusion, but also her confidence. Yeah, she doesn't know what's happening and that terrifies her, but Felix means no harm.
Her mom sees this, somehow -she'll never figure out how-, and turns to the unknown man standing at her door. The man that somehow knows her daughter, and who she somehow seems to trusts. She raises an eyebrow, and the man takes his cue.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Storm. I know it's pretty early in the morning and I apologize for that. But, if you'll allow me, I'd like to discuss some matters about your daughter."
"What matters?"
"May I come in? I think it would be better if we had this talk inside."
Her mom fixes the man with a steely gaze, trying to figure out his intentions, much like Val did seconds ago. And like her daughter, she finds no ill will, and so, after a quick glance at her to subtly ask "is this okay?", she leads Felix inside.
Her dad, having overheard the conversation, is already sat at the kitchen island, chairs drawn out for everyone to sit on. He, like her mom, fixes the man with a stern gaze. But Val can see through it. He's curious.
They stay in silence for a while. Felix, like Val had already guessed, it's an anxious person, and while her parents accommodate themselves, he drums his fingers against the table.
Once her parents stop their "intimidation" act, though, he stops.
"First of all, I apologize again for the time. I don't know where or when you both work, and I simply couldn't wait to come by."
"We know." Her mother deadpans, because why else would this man come pay them a visit at six am? Felix, on his side, gulps.
"Well-"
"Please stop that. You seem important, and we've got work, so just say whatever it is you want to tell us."
Again, Felix gulps, but ultimately manages to speak:
"I'd like to sponsor your daughter."
A beat of silence.
'What-'
"Excuse me, what-"
"Miss if you'd let me-"
"No what the fuck-"
"Julian!"
"What?!"
"Felix?"
In a matter of seconds, the chaos came and went, but it sure felt like it lasted longer considering how much it altered her.
'Felix? Sponsoring me?'
Her parents stop talking. Felix looks sick. She feels tired.
"You want to sponsor me?"
"...yeah."
"How would that work?"
Felix looks at her parents.
"...may I drop the fancy talk?"
Immediately, her dad answers "please", and Felix instantly slumps in his seat.
"Okay long story short, I saw Val's project in Tendercho's annual engineering competition and wanted to help her get in SFIT."
Engineering competition at Tendercho?
She remembers that.
Tendercho is a district of San Fransokyo where technology it's pretty much at its peak. There's many tech shows and nightlife seems to always be present there, and it's also known as the red light district. Which means many illegal robobattles take place there.
Every year the people there hold a few engineering competitions showcased online. She participated in one, even managing to pass a few rounds, but then she saw Hiro there, and, well. She left. Not like she had any chance of winning if he was participating, anyways.
She was ten at the time. She made a robotic panther. Her parents were very proud.
They're staring at Felix in disbelief, probably incredulous he decided to come all this way for a kid he saw in an online competition.
Val doesn't know why they're so surprised. They live in San Fransokyo. This shit is to be expected. Not like that's his real reason to be here, but. Still.
"...you saw her in a show once and decided to sponsor her."
"...yes."
"..." Her mom takes a deep breath. "San Fransokyo."
'San Fransokyo,' everyone else seems to agree.
"...okay. How would this work again?"
At that Felix turns to her.
"You said you wanted to get into SFIT in a few years, right?"
She nods. Her parents' concern grows.
"Do you know how to get in?"
Her brows furrow, because yes, she does know how to get into the Institute, but he's asking anyways so she probably actually doesn't.
"You showcase an invention in its annual exposition? And if you're good you get in?" At that, Felix smiles that little sad smile of his, and her tiredness becomes dread. She whispers, "...that's not how you get in?"
'But...that can't be right! When Hiro said he wanted in, Tadashi said the only way was to compete and win! Impress the judges! And that's what actually happened, I'm not remembering it wrong, not this time! So what-?!'
Noticing her internal panic, Felix tries to sooth her.
"You can be admitted in if you participate in the exposition. But chances are low. You'd have to present a world changing invention. And a twelve-year-old girl, no matter how genius, just can't do that." And then his smile becomes more hopeful, more real. "At least not without help."
"...how would you help me? How do I get in?"
"Like you do with every other college. Applying."
...
'...what.'
"...applying."
"Yes."
"...how do I need your help again."
Felix huffs a laugh. Her parents are more confused by the second. Val is completely lost.
Of course she'd have to apply to get in. There's no way for them to have so many students if they admit only through a competition and not an actual fucking test. Obviously.
But if all she has to do is apply, then Felix wouldn't be here. There's a catch in there somewhere, and honestly all Val wants to do is bang her head against a wall.
"The admission applications are simple: You state your name, your gender, your high school, and your major. Then you'll have to write a reason why you think you should be admitted."
"Okay but what's the problem and how do you know it."
Again, he huffs a laugh. His eyes seem to shine.
"I studied at SFIT, kid."
...
'It really is too early for this shit.'
"Could you hold up, just for a minute? I just- I can't."
"Alright."
"It's too early for this."
"It is."
"I just woke up."
"Kid, it's completely- ...is that a duck?"
Right on time, Val's pet, Lucas, happily walked into the kitchen, looking around with merry eyes.
"Quack!"
...
"...I'm calling in sick."
Okay, so.
Val's mom went to tell her boss that she wouldn't go work today, with her dad in tow to assure she didn't say anything she'd regret, so Val was left alone in the kitchen with an anxious man and a honking duck.
Please note that when she said honking, she did not mean a kid friendly version of fucking, but actual honking.
So yeah Lucas is a loud bitch.
Val loves him.
Anyways, she's doing her best to ignore Felix. Not because she's freaked or anything, she just needs time to process what happened.
Or, well. Not really process what happened because she got that, Felix wants to help her get into SFIT, he was a student there before, she gets it.
But it happened so fast.
One moment she's in her bed, the next she's having breakfast and going through yesterday's events, which is basically being there again with how fresh the memory is. Then her parents are at her side, and she's helping make some eggs, then they're eating, and the news are on, and then Felix. Sure, it's been a whole hour since she woke up, but shit, that hour went so fast and Val still can't fully grasp that it's just been an hour. That that mess of a conversation just happened, an hour after she got up, and that hour is already gone.
...she's spiraling.
And she still doesn't know why Felix is here.
Sure, sponsoring her, helping her get into the Institute, she knows. But he only came here because he saw her last night, and why would he sponsor her after that...it escapes her. She doesn't know.
Why would he sponsor her after seeing that? Why so suddenly, what is he planning?
Why is he really here what is he actually offering.
She could ask, obviously. He came all this way to explain, after all.
But now that her parents aren't there, words feel heavy on her throat. It's as if there's a weight in her chest, a knot just at the base of her neck. She doubts Felix knows sign language. Or that she could have this conversation with him in it. She would not fully register what he said if he signed it.
...so now she's just sitting at the kitchen island, Lucas sat comfortingly in her lap, as they wait for her parents to come back.
...
...the island's really pretty, now that she's looking at it.
At last, her parents come back, her mom looking annoyed, her dad looking curious.
"So. You studied at SFIT, you saw our daughter online, you want to help her get into the Institute." Her mom raises an eyebrow. "Can you elaborate?"
"Will you not interrupt me?"
Her mom raises her eyebrow higher.
"...alright. So, I studied at SFIT. So I obviously know how the applications work. The catch is your reason to get in, and your work." Seeing Val furrow her eyebrows, he explains. "They'll ask you to send them the designs you've made: Photos, videos, the process, your reasoning. That's the part where they decide if you're in or not. And also the part where I help.
"You're a bright kid, Val, I've seen it." I've seen you, she hears instead. "But I don't think you can get in on your own."
"...so you want to- what. Put in a good word for me? I want to get in with my own merit." What do you mean what do you want.
"I don't mean to put in a good word- well, if they somehow don't accept you, I would, but- I meant to help you with your work. I want to sponsor you."
Her dad, who has been silent all this time, decides now it's a good time to interrupt. "Yeah, how would that work, exactly?"
And Felix comes back to being an anxious mess.
"That's the thing. I want to offer something that's gonna help her with her projects, but it's kinda big, so...I need your approval."
"Sir please just tell us, you're wasting time."
"...I want to give her her own workshop."
"...she already has one." Her mom's sweet voice reminds him, a dangerous edge in her words.
"Yeah, in this house. I'd like to give her one of my own. In another facility."
"...what facility."
"...one near the abandoned military basements."
Her mom takes a deep breath, then turns to look at her.
"Where did you meet him again?"
Smiling nervously, Val answers. "Remember your last birthday? When I brought all those treats?"
"Val." Her mom says, disappointed.
"...the chocolate was good."
"You can't befriend someone just because they gave you sweets."
"It wasn't that! He-" Voice lowering to a mutter, Val speaks with a sort of defeated air. "He helped me."
And that changes things.
Her mom drops the accusing tone, her dad relaxes his body, and Val feels the knot in her throat loosen. You can see the moodshift in the air.
Because her parents know her, and love her, and trust her. Because this is San Fransokyo, where there's people of every kind and their daughter was born special. Because she can read people like an open book and this man is harmless to her.
Because in San Fransokyo, the home of most good and evil known to walk the earth, this man saw her daughter and helped, in some way.
And maybe is the way she said it, because it's just her word. Her word against their suspicions of an unknown man in a dangerous city.
But Val has never been wrong about people, not once.
So her word is enough.
"...what's your name, sir?"
"Huh?"
Her mom smiles sweetly, laughter hidden behind her lips.
"You haven't told us."
"Oh! Yeah, sure- I'm so sorry, I- ...I'm Felix. Felix Fletcher."
"Felix Fletcher..." And with his name on her tongue, her mom's last defenses drop. "Well? Will you show us the workshop?"
Felix lights up, and his anxiety seems to fade away.
"Of course."
And then they're on their way.
When they reach Seacliff, the sun has long risen.
Samir, Felix's chauffeur (Who Val suspects very strongly was the one to bring her home last night), drives them all through the streets of Old Town District, and all the while, her parents and Felix chat. Just because they trust her doesn't mean they'll let her work with a stranger. They gotta know him, judge him. See if he really is trustworthy.
Val has a feeling he is.
The only thing that bothers her is why the fuck would he do what he's doing and what the hell is on with his train of thought.
But she can't just ask him that in front of her parents.
So she waits.
Turns out Felix majored in Biomedical Engineering, and managed to revolve his career around that. He's apparently made lots of advancements in the healthcare industry all around the world, and is constantly helping with fundraising for charity.
And Val can see that he's harmless. Sees that he's no evil man. But she checks with Blackwell, just in case.
(Everything is true).
Her parents don't have great stories about how they revolutionized a branch of science, but they have funny anecdotes about that one lady with a pet toucan, and that one special teen that seems to be cursed with bad luck.
Her parents are average people, with average jobs and average lives. Average names, average looks – though that can be disputed, since they're in San Fransokyo, the world's most culturally diverse city of all time.
The only thing that's not average about them is their daughter, who sees legends in the clouds and creates life like it's a game.
She kind of likes it that way.
She doesn't think she would have gotten away with half the stuff she's done if she had any other parents.
(She wouldn't have survived if they weren't like her own).
Hazel Storm. Julian Romero.
...she loves them. She really does.
(They're not them).
After her mom's story about the disappearance of one of her coworkers a few years back, they reach the last unrestricted streets of Seacliff.
See, in Seacliff there's the ruins of some old military battlements, and though some of them are open to the public, most of them are surrounded by fences and a few police officers. Restricted.
Samir drives them up to a gate, and after a few seconds, they drive past it. Through the windows, Val can see the ruins, the abandoned bases. Some are small and destroyed, clearly worn by time. But then there's the big ones, tall and strong despite the years. Those are huge.
They drive to one of those.
They park just outside the entrance, a dirty path overgrown with nature leading the way to a door, and after some encouragement from Felix, she walks to it. Having learned that staying in place gives way to fear and anxiousness to takes hold, she opens the door with no hesitation.
And it's...well. Small.
It's a small room, bare of furniture. The walls are grey and rotted, and there's a dusty smell in the air. Light comes dim and in short bursts from a bunch of lamps hanging from the ceiling. Only thing in the room apart from that is a big double door and she really hopes that's the entrance to the bigger parts of the base because she really can't make anything in this tiny, bare place.
And okay, maybe she shouldn't be getting attached to the idea of Felix sponsoring her, because she just can't do that in good mind without knowing what the hell is going on and why, but fuck it. She can't have an army of dragons in her attic, and if Felix unknowingly offers her a good way to solve that last-minute problem then she can live with her panic.
Well, no, actually. But- she's just so tired of thinking. She's probably gonna accept whatever the fuck Felix actually wants her to do, just for the sake of not having to deal with him more that day. For the sake of carrying her plans, too, because really, she needs a place for her dragons to live.
...she should be panicking right now. Maybe she just didn't sleep enough, and that's why Panic Mode hasn't kicked in yet.
...
Oh yeah the workshop!
Knowing everyone is right behind her, she opens the doors in a rush.
And it's giant.
The walls are still gray and rotted, and she can see millions of little dust spots in the air, but it's spaceful and bright and full of sockets and it can work. She could install so many more machines here that in her attic, the ones she had to resign for lack of space or immediate necessity. And sure, maybe she won't fit an army here with everything set up, but this place is much better off than her attic.
So much better off.
Her parents look in awe at the giant room, but she knows that they don't see it like her, see the potential this one single room has. But there's still more.
Felix places a hand on her shoulder, and when Val turns to him she can see this look on his face. Slightly furrowed brows, meaning behind his eyes. He finally decided it was time to talk. Val nods, her own expression changing to convey understanding. Turning towards her parents, she calls out.
"Mom, dad? I'm gonna talk with Felix for a bit!"
Not waiting for an answer, she pulls Felix away, until her parents' voices aren't more than a quiet murmur in her ears. Looking up at Felix, she allows herself one second of preparation before asking, "So? What do you actually want?"
Felix's expression sours, hurt. "I do want to sponsor you. SFIT's projects aren't cheap."
"Well yeah, but the only reason you're doing this is because you saw me." Crossing her arms over her chest, Val tries to not let her frustration seep into her words. "Why?"
"...you want to be a hero, don't you."
Felix's expression had turned somber, and Val was left with confusion pooling at her gut.
"Uh- yeah? I thought that was obvious."
"Well, no. You could have made dragons for toys, or for transportation, service. But you were riding it in the middle of the night, all suited up. You wouldn't have done that if you were planning to sell it, or to expose it." Lowering his voice when her mom glances their way, he continues. "And that's it. You made a dragon. A conscious, flying dragon."
"Yeah?"
"...you're taking the hero stuff seriously. Nothing I say will make you change your mind, kind of seriously."
Val relaxes her posture, her brows furrowing against her will. Of course she's taking this seriously. San Fransokyo will be in a lot of problems in a few years and she knows the risk. And of course she won't change her mind, no matter what he says. Not like she could, either, now that Toothless is already done, now that she's spend so many years on her future. And she can't let people suffer, not in good mind, knowing what she does. Not even if it's just a scare.
Slowly, she shakes her head. Felix sighs.
"Yeah, I guessed." Wistful eyes turning to the ceiling, Felix's face stills in a pensive frown. "...there's been a lot of villains in San Fransokyo. Dispersed through the years, they were never really that dangerous, but that doesn't mean they didn't cause trouble. People got hurt. Sometimes civilians, sometimes heroes. And it became clear that the villains were always somehow better armed, better suited to the fight. Only a few heroes were equipped enough to come back to fight every day."
Face lighting with surprise, Val tries to figure out where Felix is going with all of this, how he knows so much. She didn't know there were other heroes apart from Fred's dad before Big Hero Six.
"I think it's because they were good people at heart. They wanted to help, even if they weren't up to the task, or ready for the dangers. They were unprepared, and all ended up hurt. Or worse. Dead." After his words, the atmosphere turns somber, and Val can't help but cast her eyes to the floor.
Silence settles over them like the moon over the stars, beautiful and ominous and with a silver glowing of fate.
"I don't want you to end up like that." His eyes turn to hers, and the determination behind his stare burns as bright as a hundred suns. "If I can't make you change your mind, at least I can be your aid. Being a hero is dangerous, and if I can't make you turn away from it, then I'll make sure you survive. Help you be prepared for the dangers, how to patch your wounds when you can't avoid them, provide the tech, the money, that you need so that broken dragon of yours can fly.
"I'll make sure you stay alive long enough to actually help."
...
...that was...
Huh.
Felix's still staring at her, determination still strong in his eyes, in his posture, in the remnants of his voice still echoing around.
He's serious.
He wants to help.
...
Only five seconds pass between his words and hers, five seconds in which time seems to still. Millions of thoughts go through her brain, a disarranged mess of emotions flooding her senses – fondnesshorrorsurprisedread -, but Val forces them all down to keep hold of the growing, sudden warm feeling of hope that made itself known from deep in her heart.
And then, between all her fear and confusion and hope, one single, small thought makes it to the front of her head.
'...that...wouldn't be so bad, would it?'
Eyes dropping to the floor once again, Val allows a shy smile to grow on her face.
"Fuck, Felix, you didn't have to be so emotional."
"Language."
...
"...will you let me help?"
Huffing through her nose, she gives him a funny stare. "After that little discourse of yours?"
His smile falls, uncertainty taking place behind his eyes. Her own smile vanishes.
"...of course, Felix. It'll be nice to have some help."
Felix's smile comes back full force, and they stay a while just staring at each other, weighing the meaning of their words, what could happen from now on. Then his eyes dart to the side, and she follows his gaze. It's a door on the wall, but this one is different. While the other walls were made of brick, this one was made of steel, a Big Sliding Metal Door at the center of it. It's then that she remembers the outside of the settlement, and how, while this room was big, the walls she saw as they approached were much, much bigger.
'What's behind that wall?'
Felix looks at her again, and nudges her towards the door. Confused, she carefully places her hands against its side and pulls. She doesn't even get to open it all the way before the sight stuns her still.
It's another room, if it even can be called that. Because the room they're in right now is giant.
But this one's enormous.
It's one giant, glorious park, the ground expanding on and on and on, reaching so far away she can't even see where it ends. It's like Demeter made the room her personal garden, green of all tones overflowing the place, bushes and flowers covering the earth. Sunlight comes bright and warm and alive, and she stares in a mix of awe and disconcertment at the ceiling placed far, far above her, seeing that it's made of glass. There's a small second floor, she notes, just a small ledge compared to the rest of the place, with vines hanging from the rail. Then a tiny, sweet melody catches her attention and holy fuck, there's birds here.
Val stares.
And stares.
Then stares some more.
...it's beautiful.
And it's hers.
At her side, Felix speaks in a low murmur. "Your dragon's pretty big, and it kept turning and tossing around when we brought you back home, so enclosed spaces were off. But I may have overdone it."
"No." She immediately says, her breath sill not quite back. "No, it's-...it's perfect."
Slow footsteps indicate her parents approaching, so she pulls the door closed and turns to them. They stop when they see her, amazement clear as day on her face.
"Val?" Her dad asks, smiling despite his concern. "You alright?"
"Yeah!" She answers quickly, excitement buzzing under her skin and leaking to her voice. "Yeah, I'm just- I'm just really excited for this."
Their stares soften, and Val feels warm settle deep in her stomach. A grin grows on her face without her permission, and she starts to lightly flap her hands, joy too strong to let her be still.
"If you'd like," Felix advances a step closer to her parents, now looking far more at ease than when he knocked at their door, "I could take you all for lunch. As an apology for troubling you so early in the morning. You could also meet my wife!"
Her mom smiles, knowing at once the hidden meaning of his words - I'd like to earn your trust -, and nods along.
"That would be lovely."
And once again, they're on their way.
Later that day, when Val's seated comfortably between her parents in a booth, full and giddy and surrounded by chatter on all sides, she comes to a conclusion.
Maybe, just maybe, she doesn't need to face her future alone.
Oh!
And the Hamadas are fucking drama queens.
I don't know how sponsors work.
And we're getting to the movie, I promise-
But before we do that: In the movie it's said that the nerd gang's nicknames were given to them by Fred, and it's heavily implied those become their hero names. The series took that idea and tore it apart, claiming that their nicknames were their real names. Which is bullshit, so I'm gonna follow the movie idea and their nicknames will be the heroes'.
Which leaves me half the team without a hero identity, and half the other team without civilian names.
So if you have any please I beg of you tell me I'm cracking my head open trying to think of names but nothing fucking fits.
Also, this is my last pre-written chapter, so now I have to actually sit down and write the rest. So no updates for a while :(
With all that said, hope you enjoyed!