Barrier Maiden walked proudly through the streets, smiling next to Achilles. It had been a slow day on patrol, so he'd asked if she wanted to walk with him while they monitored the city.
She was pretty sure it was a ploy to spend time with her - a welcome reprieve from Hot Rod and the constant stresses that had plagued HQ recently. Bonus since it was Achilles - she'd been dolling herself up to try and closer match his tastes ever since joining the Legion. Had it really been a whole month since then?
What a crazy month. She'd gone from useless little Haven to the powerful Barrier Maiden and the Legion had gone from a kind community to a fracturing gathering of people with little in common. Weren't they supposed to be a team? Wasn't this supposed to be her place to belong?
"Maiden?" Achilles asked, as if he'd noticed her brooding.
"Sorry!" Barrier Maiden replied, schooling her features into a perfectly radiant smile. "Just thinking."
"Might I ask what about?" She looked around at the few streams of people in this area. If it was just a little more deserted, Achilles might make a move on her. Or maybe this was perfect for him to ask her out officially.
"Just...things..." She looked away evasively. She still couldn't completely lock little insecure Haven away. Her heart was beating faster. Anxiety about her position washed over her. Would the Legion survive at this rate?
"You want to keep it secret? Fine by me." Achilles turned back to patrol, looking around for any signs of trouble.
Haven pouted at this, but Barrier Maiden was a professional. She glanced around, but nothing was out of place. Good...but there was nothing to distract her from her thoughts. What happened when they realized she was useless? What happened when they realized she was stupid?
She shook her head and looked at Achilles again.
"If you really want to listen..." she started, trailing off. Of course he wouldn't want to listen. When was the last time anyone had really cared about her issues?
"I'm happy to talk if you want to," Achilles replied, grabbing her hand. Anxiety clouded her chest, but she took a deep breath to clear it.
"I'm just...concerned about the current state of things..." She looked away, desperately hoping he wouldn't let go.
"Right." Achilles slowed his pace and sighed. "I'm not sure how things will go from here, if I'm honest. I want to believe in Lightning since she's been around so long, but learning she's a military spy - "
"Is she really though? I mean, part of what she says makes sense - "
"Even if she didn't intend for it to turn out this way, the truth remains that she's been feeding information about us to the military. Combine that with their dislike of Hot Rod and we have good reason to be cautious."
"But isn't Hot Rod in the wrong here? Isn't he basically as bad as some of the people we're fighting if he's hurting innocent people?"
"It's an honest mistake, Maiden. He'll do better in the future."
"Why won't you even consider that he might be the one you need to expel?"
"I don't want to expel anyone!" Achilles stopped and turned to face her, letting go of her hand. Now she felt cold.
"Then..." She took a step back, now back to quivering little Haven. How she hated that girl. Why couldn't she always be Barrier Maiden?
"We were all chosen. The Good Miracle Giver chose us. All of us. Me, you, Jumper, Prime, Lightning, Hot Rod, Knight Errant, Light Master, Rose, the Alchemist...we were all chosen. Chosen to fight against the minions of the Evil Miracle Giver. Regardless of age, or anything else. We are inherently good people, and we have to be allowed to operate without issues so we can fulfil our destiny to its fullest. Even those we don't necessarily think of as traditional hero types."
Haven thought through that information for a bit. Achilles started walking again and she trotted behind him to keep up.
Chosen...could someone like her really be chosen? Did some god somewhere really look at a stupid girl like her and decide that she was hero material? It all seemed so strange.
When she'd met the purple Miracle granter, they'd just said it was a gift for her.
"Because you can be so much more than you are. Believe in yourself, Haven Ingram. You are so much more than what people say you are. Take my gift and shine."
More than I am? Did they mean I could be...a hero?
Truthfully, she'd taken the Legion position because she wanted more than anything to prove that she could be more. More than a stupid girl. More than a useless barmaid whose only redeeming feature was her beauty. More than arm candy for some successful man.
"Thank you, Achilles," she said quietly. He glanced behind him, a stupefied noise escaping him.
"What did I do?"
"Thank you for being you." Haven and Barrier Maiden both smiled brightly at him. In that moment, perhaps their feelings were one and the same. Even if he turned out to be wrong, his unshakeable belief in her was something she wanted to live up to.
Hopefully the rest of the Legion felt similarly. Maybe Achilles would be the pillar of belief that made them all better.
"Sure, I guess?" Achilles sounded confused at her words, but he didn't need to understand them. Only Haven needed to know how she felt, how those words soothed her heart.
She'd been useless and stupid for as long as she could remember. If she could find a place here, she'd hold onto it and never let go.
"Achilles?"
"Yes?"
"I hope things get better at HQ. I enjoyed the times when we all more or less got along. If there's anything I can do to help, let me know, okay?"
"Of course. Thank you." Achilles reached for her hand again, and she held his gently.
After several more minutes of walking, Achilles spoke up hesitantly.
"So...I keep telling myself I shouldn't think of you this way since we're comrades and all..."
Her heart fluttered at that. This felt like an awkward confession, and she sincerely hoped it was.
"I...really like you. In the, uh, romantic sense. If you are not opposed, I'd like to...start an official relationship? And of course, if you don't want to, I'll never mention it again. I mean, this is supposed to be a somewhat professional relationship - " He sounded like he was going to keep blabbering on, so she stepped in front of him, leaned up and kissed his mask.
No one was around anymore. This moment was just for the two of them. When Achilles didn't move, she pulled his mask up just enough that she could kiss him for real.
He'd finally asked.
