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Getting back from being dead wasn't the most exciting experience that Nimona have had. Like yeah sure, she was gone and then back, but it all was mostly anticlimactic.
One moment she was a phoenix, glowing brightly and burning with blinding, pink flames that didn't burn her and the second she was just standing right next to that damned well looking around all confused. Like you can see, nothing too interesting. It didn't change the fact that she was glad she got to get back. In the end it was all worth it. World changed, even if a little but changed nonetheless. She was a hero now, which also was something she never really expected to happen but it still rocked. Mostly she was glad she was back.
Mostly is a key word here.
If she wasn't back then she wouldn't have to deal with this situation. But let's not get ahead of ourselves here.
It all started when she got back. After a tearful reunion with Ballister and learning she was gone for almost a year (A YEAR!) things seemed perfect.
Except for one, huge, glaring, blond haired issue named Ambrosius Goldenloin. He and Ballister got back together in her absence which definitely wasn't, in her opinion, the brightest idea Ballister ever had, but at least he finally stopped mopping around like a kicked puppy. (How many break up songs can one man listen to? That definitely wasn't healthy AT ALL). Well no matter what her opinion was, it looked like golden boy was there to stay, whether she liked it or not.
So here she was. Exactly one week after getting back, living under one roof with her best friend and the guy who chopped his arm, who also happens to be a direct descendant of a girl who started all this mess. It definitely wasn't ideal situation.
This brings us to the current issue at hand. Golden boy caught some nasty flu and was currently knocked out on the sofa. That part didn't particularly bother Nimona. She couldn't get sick so it really didn't matter to her that he was spreading his germs all over the place. No, no, no, no. What mattered to her was the current debacle she was having with Ballister.
"Please Nimona, it will be quick. I'll be gone for tops 2 hours. In and out."
"Boss why can't I run this errand? I'll do it faster than you can say 'Rhinoceros riding a pink bedazzled bike' And besides I'm terrible at taking care of people! Especially sick people!"
"You did amazing taking care of me. Also, like I said, I need very specific things and it will take me shorter to find them than you. He really needs to get that medicine soon." he pleaded, looking straight into her eyes. Damn it. Those big brown eyes broke down her defences.
She sighed, resigned.
"Ugh fine, I'll babysit your lover boy. But! It comes at a price. You will get me those spray paints I wanted and also no dishes for a week." she offered.
"I'll get you one can of paint, no dishes for 2 days and I won't tell on you for breaking the leg of the coffee table" he countered, crossing his arms over his chest.
"UGH! OK, fine! Just go get this stuff and get back fast." she whined and was seriously beating herself up for not jumping out the window when she spotted Ballister first entering her room.
"Thank you Nimona. I really won't be long." while saying that he hugged her close to his chest. She kinda wanted to resist but his hugs had really something different about them that made her melt no matter what.
He got out of her room, and she went back to mindless scrolling on her phone. The internet was being weirdly calm today. No doubt there would be some photos of Ballister floating around later since every time he left the home it made the news but right now it was just people repeating old things and sharing stale memes.
Boring.
Ballister came once again into her room, this time in his street clothes and a tote bag hung over his metal arm. He almost looked like a normal person, not an ex-(kinda)-villain. It made Nimona's heart swell just a little bit. Who would've thought it all would turn out like this.
"OK I'm going now. Like I said, two hours max. No maiming, threatening or biting!" he warned pointing a finger at her in accusatory way.
"Yeah, yeah. Standard stuff 'do nothing and get bored to death' got it Boss!" she responded sarcastically. That response got a chuckle out of him so before she could stop herself she gave him a little smile.
And off he was while she was playing a babysitter for a grown man. Amazing. Catch sarcasm here.
Her task was fairly easy: don't be too loud and give golden boy some water when he wakes up. Easy peasy, she could do that no problem. Well there was one problem. Her stomach was very loudly and violently reminding her it was time to get something inside it. Task which in itself was fairly easy but included walking through the whole flat without making too much noise which wasn't her greatest suit.
Regardless, she quickly went to the kitchen, retrieved some snacks from the cupboard, giving just a quick glance to the man currently passed out in the living room. He looked so stupid like that. His mouth hanging open, (he was probably drooling but Nimona didn’t want to risk waking him up for a closer look), his usually perfect hair was a complete mess, resembling something akin to a rat's nest. She considered changing into an actual rat to just sit there but decided against it. There were snacks to be had.
She quickly retreated to her room and was careful to slam the door just with enough force to make the point to the cruel universe, but not loud enough to wake golden boy up. She wasn’t cruel, she wouldn’t wake a sick man even if he sent shivers down her spine every time he looked at her that one specific way. Even though it was a millennium ago and their eye colour wasn’t exactly the same, he had her glare. Out of all the things to pass down in the genetics it was the glare. She doubted that his hair was even naturally blond but never caught him with dark roots, so she really didn’t dwell too much on that. Sometimes he just looks too much like her. Like right then, just stupidly sleeping on the sofa and hogging it all to himself. She didn’t know how exactly to feel about that.
Nimona had to admit that he wasn’t the worst of the worst. There were worse people, like the extremely punchable guy. But he definitely wasn’t in her top ten ideal roommates list.
She had to give it to him that he was trying. It was clear that he tried to be respectful and not to push anything on her but sometimes he was just so insufferable. Nagging her about not putting her feet on the table, doing things “properly” whatever that even meant, and those weird looks he kept giving her! So what if she unhinged her jaw to swallow a whole slice of pizza, nothing to see here! Move along!
Deciding to not dwell about him any longer, she put on her headphones and got back to spray painting the walls. When Ballister showed her the room she would be living in it was bare, had grey walls, simple wardrobe, bookshelf and a bed. She was ecstatic when she got full range on decorating the place with only rule being to not smashing through the walls. She strung up the lights from the "evil lair" on the ceiling and already hung a few posters, most notably, her and Ballister's wanted posters. And looking at them now they could use some upgrades. With an idea in mind she abandoned spray paint and picked up sharpie lying around. Few bolts and two crowns later she was pretty satisfied with the result. Then another idea came to mind. Looking at the marker decision was made that since she's been doing so good so far she deserved a little treat. Also, marker wasn't permanent so it wouldn't cause any harm and technically didn't break Ballister's rules. A little bit of rebellion never killed anybody, right?
Taking form of a bird, and putting a marker into the beak she flew closer to the sofa while being careful to not make too much noise. She softly landed right next to man's face and changed back into human form to have a better grip on the marker and set out to draw her master piece.
It turned out fabulous, she really outdid herself this time. Timeless, yet innovative. Simple moustache and glasses, plus a lighting bolt on a cheek for a little razzle dazzle. One of her greatest work, definitely deserved a spot in one of those fancy shmancy museums. She kinda regretted not taking her phone with her but knew she would have another chance to take a photo. For the memories of course! And she even managed to do all that without making golden boy as much as a stir in his sleep. She got spooked one time but it was a false alarm since he just snored very loudly and then slept on. Taking form of a bird once more she returned to her room and put back the evidence with the rest of art supplies.
Satisfied with mission well done she threw herself on the bed and resumed mindless scrolling in hopes of maybe stirring up some drama.
Just as she was getting into some very juicy debate she heard coughing coming out from the direction of the living room. Right golden boy. She almost forgot. Resigned she put her phone into a pocket and made her way towards the living room. Just as she predicated, guy laying on the sofa looked like he was about to cough his lungs out and then maybe also sneeze his sinuses out just to spice it up. She approached him, making a point to make her foot steps loud enough not to startle him.
"Come on Golden Groin get up" she said successfully gaining his attention. Wow, he really looked beat up, not even registering the insult. She sighed and moved to help him sit up.
When he was up, she made her way toward the kitchen and filled glass with water and then brought it back him. He gratefully took the glass and immediately started chugging it down. She sat on a arm chair next to him just to make sure he didn't choke. Ballister would definitely have her head if his lover boy died while she was on babysitting duty.
"Boss is out to run some errands and will be back in like..." she checked time on her phone "I guess in like an hour so you're stuck with me for a while"
He kept on silently drinking his water and when he finished put his glass on the table. Awkward silence ensued. Few moments passed until he spoke.
"Thank you, Nimona." It was quiet, his voice hoarse from all that coughing.
"Don't thank me, Boss made me babysit you, it's not like I'm doing it from my own good will." she responded not looking him in the eye. His stupid eyes made her anxiety settle in her gut.
More coughing ensued and then:
"No it's not that. I mean also thanks for the water I really appreciate it. It's just that" he stopped, and she lifted her gaze to look at him.
Man, he really looked like crap.
"Thank you for being there for Bal when I wasn't."
This one she didn't expect. Like at all. It kinda shocked her since she wasn't used to getting thanked all that much. She mostly thought they would just not talk about it and tried to fake normalcy until one of them broke down. He continued.
"I was a major asshole back then. Sometimes still think I am. I didn't stand in Bal's corner when he needed me the most and it's the biggest regret of my life. I still don't understand how he forgave me, I don't think I even deserve it, but he did and I vowed to try to repay him for it until the end of my life. So thank you for helping him and being there for him when I was too much of an ass to do so." he finished and looked directly into her eyes.
His gaze wasn't hard, cold, full of rage and accusations. It was soft, warm, full of regrets, guilt and love. His eyes looked so much like her old friend's.
"When Ballister first told me that you two got back together I wasn't very happy. I mean I agree you are kind of an ass. But I see how you make him happy. How he makes you happy. And his happiness is most important to me." she said and then stopped, he looked expectantly at her. She reached her arm to him. "So I guess truce?"
Ambrosius took her hand without hesitation and shook it. They both exchanged smiles. It was awkward for few moments until she spoke again.
"Wanna see some of Boss' funniest photos I found online?"
When Ballister was climbing up the stairs to their flat he was half expecting to see chaos everywhere. As much as he trusted both Nimona and Ambrosius he knew how awkward they were with each other and this was the first time when the two were left alone together. He put keys into the lock and opened the door. Stalling himself to hear sounds of the argument, yet when he entered the flat only thing he could hear were sounds of laughter and shuffling of paper. Big smile crept up on his face. It seemed like everything turned out all right.
He entered the living room and froze in place. The picture before him looked both adorable and completely bizarre. Nimona and Ambrosius sitting on the couch, pressed side by side. Around them there were scattered photo albums and photos lying around. Ambrosius' face was full of drawings made by marker and it seemed like he hadn't even noticed. Both of them were laughing so hard that they almost fell off the sofa and didn't even notice him until he cleared his throat to get their attention.
Weirdly, both of them looked at him, looked at each other and started laughing again. After a while Nimona managed to speak.
"Boss why didn't you tell me you had an emo phase!" she howled before collapsing into a fit of laughter again with Ambrosius who never stopped.
He blinked a few times before a huge smile crept on his face once again. Well it really seemed like everything turned all right.