3:57 am | Hercahontas
There were a hundred reasons for her not to go inside. He might not even be in there––he could be off fighting. It’s late, he needs to sleep. It’s not like there’s anything for her to say, she just…wanted to be around him. And that was stupid, because they no longer had any obligation to spend time together, no appearances at festivals or diplomatic missions. And even though she hadn’t been given a new betrothed yet, surely one of the most eligible bachelors in Disney had already moved on. There could be another wedding any day now for all she knew.
She heard her name and she turned around, tense, ready to run back into the trees. No matter how long she was away from the forest, this was what she was always good at, disappearing into the scenery completely. She would be gone before they could even be sure it was her, and leave only footprints behind. She could––
But it was Herc, and oh, he wasn’t inside. For a split second she was surprised, but then the memories came back easily: all the nights they would sneak out from whatever event they were supposed to be attending, meeting up with the others at the beach or in the woods or an abandoned part of whatever old castle they were in. Talking and laughing around bonfires, listening to whatever stories Merida could tell, or songs Ariel would sing, or all the things Simba was going to do when he became King.
And then she remembered after Simba died, when they would both just have to be outside, walking in silence. In the middle of the night Poca could sometimes let her mind drift, and until the sun came up she could pretend she was dreaming. That they were walking towards a destination and once they got there, all their friends, Simba included, would be waiting for them, laughing and asking what took them so long. Since she and Herc had been separated, she’d taken many walks like that by herself. She wondered if he did too.
“Shenanigans? I was just––,” Poca gave a startled laugh when Herc picked her up, leaning easily into him. She was cold; she had no idea how long she’d been standing there but now her fingers where numb, and her nose stung. “I was just in the neighborhood. I live here again now, remember?” she hesitated, because truthfully she hadn’t realized that she could just come inside anymore. But seeing Herc’s big smile, the way he carried her as if it was the easiest thing in the world made her realize that maybe nothing had changed after all.
She kept one hand firmly pressed on his back when he set her down, and with the other she rubbed absently up and down his arm. He smelled like sweat, and she wondered where he’d been, probably doing more than just going for a walk.
He greeted her in her language, and she sighed, resting her head against his chest. She felt peaceful, all at once, and a little drowsy. She could fall asleep like this, she thought, whispering back “ μου έλειψες (gr: I missed you).”
Regrettably, Hercules hadn’t realized until many moments after holding another person very, very close to him that he probably smelled pretty gross. He’d showered briefly after training, sure, but the walk home was long -- at least a few hours. It was freezing out, but he was wrapped up in winter wear. The isolated space had heated as he’d marched over the snow and -- yep, definitely sweating. Definitely gross. Definitely something people didn’t particularly appreciate. Though Pocahontas didn’t really seem to mind... maybe it wasn’t that bad.
He didn’t know why, but it always surprised him when she spoke his language. Greek wasn’t sacred or even secret, but it was odd to hear it come from other people. Still, it was comforting to hear. He hummed in agreement. “I missed you too,” He murmured quietly against her skin, in English this time. He held her a little tighter, just for a minute, taking extra precaution not to crush her with his inhuman strength.
Hercules pulled back slightly after some time, wearing a closed mouth but still very goofy smile. “That’s right -- we’re neighbors now!” He chuckled, though the idea of them being neighbors was very weird. “Still, it couldn’t have been easy for you to get here with all the snow and --” She was still shivering. “Here, come on.” He led her farther back into the bungalow and then hurriedly fetched some blankets from the corner of the room. “Here.” He dumped two into her hands and then spread one open and tossed it around Pocahontas’ shoulders. “That should be enough, right? And I have more.” He sat down on the couch and gestured for her to do the same.
It really had been a long time since he’d seen Pocahontas last. He didn’t know exactly when, there hadn’t been a tearful goodbye or anything. Hercules was, very casually, informed that his engagement had been terminated and then his father had promptly told him that he would be returning to live in his bungalow in the woods. He couldn’t remember the last real time they had been in the same room, but that hardly mattered now that she was sitting next to him. And it was weird, because Herc knew in the time in between the last time they had spoken and now she had been missed but -- it was like her presence here and now just made it so much more. He’d missed her so much. Not to mention, he was hopeless without her.
Abruptly, he blinked hard and shoved the thoughts to the back of his mind. Now was definitely not the time. It was hard enough not to consider the idea of Pocahontas and him when they were engaged. At first, the idea seemed impossible but time kept passing and she was always around. Now it seemed stupid that he’d never considered it before. But -- everything was different now. They weren’t even supposed to be speaking, and all the royal nonsense aside Pocahontas was most importantly his friend. His best friend (sorry Pegasus), that was something he would never risk. He felt guilty just thinking it.
“So,” He said suddenly, turning towards Pocahontas. “What have you been doing? How is your family?” He didn’t think she would appear at his house at this hour without a reason, but then again Hercules was aware of just how spontaneous she could be. “Are things different?” Things were certainly different for him, that was for sure.
