Thsc One-Shots

(Request; Ellry) The Perfect Timeline

Request: I have a Rosemin request.
The Pardoned Pals route happened but Henry was always strangely protective over Ellie. Whenever she was in danger he cared for nothing except her safety, this man who always hid his superpowers suddenly busted them out without hesitation, throwing caution to the win. He killed Grigory with Reference, froze the Bukowski twins with ice magic, and even was preparing to metalbend the helicopter before recognizing Charles as the pilot. Ellie always found this weird given the secrets Henry kept, but knowing he never had a partner before and that he brought down the Toppats not just to avenge his father Terrance Suave and get revenge on his mother Carol Cross for abandoning them to the Clan's wrath, she thought it was loyalty born from his mommie issues.

That's what Ellie thought until she overheard Henry telling Charles he betrayed the government and stole the Romanian Ruby to become The Wall's top priority and get captured at the same time they got her. It doesn't make sense, Henry didn't know she tried to steal the Norwegian Emerald at the time, he had no reason to help her or know The Wall was after her.
So as Henry sleeps that night she reads his memories with The Force and finds the truth. She learns of Henry's first route, Toppat Civil Warfare, and how the remorse brought by her parting words as she died in his arms drove him to rewind time, giving up on his victory all the riches he could ever want to set things right.

How the greatest criminal in the world changed his ways and stole her heart.

*** 

'Meet me outside. On top of the hill looking out at the horizon' 

After reading the simple note a couple more times knowing what to do next in reserved understandment, Ellie heaved a hearty sigh she'd been holding in when taking the first step. The red-headed woman knew something was up; it didn't take anyone with a single brain cell to understand why she was being called by the other where they'll be alone together to talk in privacy. Now she didn't know what the note meant, causing her to worry just a little bit, familiar inner turmoil swimming in the pit of her stomach yet despite it she kept up a strong outlook. It stayed that way until it slowly crumbled apart when she walked the steep hill finding he was waiting for her arrival with an unreadable expression on his face. From how she saw it he didn't notice her presence at least at first noting he was pacing back and forth, twirling his thin fingers as he murmured to himself.

"Hey, Henry. You wanted to see me?" She asked puzzled, growing more worried then she'd like to admit out loud with the man's nervous tics coming to the surface. 

"O-oh. Yes I'm so glad to see you here, Ellie" Startled by her sudden voice breaking the silence, body involuntarily stiffening, Henry nodded chewing at his bottom lip, "I needed to talk to you about something. In private. Just you and me" 

The ex-convict stood in front of her stiff like a statue, sweating bullets, red-faced, struggling to speak coherently and she walked up to him with a hand laid on his shoulder, "Relax, alright? Whatever you have to say to me shouldn't cause you to be a nervous wreck. I'm a big girl, I can handle it" 

"Okay. But I have to warn you now. It's. It's bound to get rough and confusing. You may not get it. I hope you do"

Then in a sudden, hesitation was long gone, it finally broke loose, the floodgates were forced open, Henry spilled everything he wanted to tell her he couldn't do in person last time. How he was helplessly stuck in other timelines where he had to struggle making the right choices if he didn't want to fail - or rather die - and in the end meant nothing. What was worse in his wet eyes filled to the brim with fresh tears is being left in the Toppat Civil War, feeling dead then empty inside witnessing his love who despised him die in his arms. Even afterwards in a new one, be it in ones befriending the fiery woman he was still scared shitless about her wellbeing where he tends to be overly protective doing whatever it takes to keep her safe. If it means having to leave destruction in his path then so be it, he did much worse back then anyways so he can live with it. 

"I would've never thought it was like that? So many timelines. Yet so little control over it or your choices. All the failures and short lived successes..." Ellie managed to speak in breathless huffs, already knowing small bits due to shamelessly using a rare ability, The Force many nights ago on the man who remained unsuspecting in a deep slumber once curiosity got too much to bear though the power itself can only go so far however she never told a soul on the matter instead allowing him to tell the full story, her magenta eyes sparkled in the moonlight, it was more than she initially expected in her fever dreams, "... I. I'm not surprised you didn't tell me what's going on earlier. Or anyone else for that matter. Nobody would've believed you. I knew you weren't feeling well. There was something plaguing your mind and I wanted to help when I didn't know how. I did things myself I wasn't proud in either" 

In the corner of her eyes, unable to muster the strength in herself to face the other although she did manage to see through blurred vision that the man nodded back with a depressed look on his pale face.

"There wasn't much I could've done, Ellie. At the moment back then or even now and I did try. I really did to have the perfect timeline" Henry tiredly sighs. 

"I think it's perfect how it is now. You have me, Charles and even everything else you can want?" 

Shaking his head, the rail thin man ran his bony hands down his drooping face, dull eyes struggling to stay open with heavy, dark bags laying underneath, "I suppose. But there's a part of me thinking that this would end any moment. That tomorrow I'll wake up to see everything reset again. I can't do that again. I can't lose everything, everyone I have. I won't lose you" 

"It won't, Henry. You said it earlier with Charles that it's been months since anything happened. Maybe that thing, whatever it was, grew tired and let you be. Allowed you to finally live a comfortable, safe life" 

Inching closer yet keeping the distance between them Ellie slipped her hands down in order to hold Henry's own gently squeezing them in reassurance. 

"Yeah… I love you. A whole lot and I hate to see you get hurt or worse" Giving his best smile, Henry's crystal blue eyes staring back at Ellie attempting to relax with varying success. "You don't know know I'll do for you" 

"I love you too. Just allow me to take care of you too every once in a while. Don't bottle it all up on me. You deserve attention and love" 

Abruptly Henry gave Ellie a tight hug, nuzzling his face into her neck shakily clinging on for dear life as if she would've disappeared once he let go. His messy black hair that under the moon's light glowed beautifully tickled against her jawline. Soon his long, slender arms slid around her waist drawing them in close, bodies pressed together almost intimately and she didn't hesitate to do the same around his neck. Warm heat radiating in waves off the pair, keeping the cold to never disturb them in their loving embrace lasting for what seems to be an eternity. Then inevitably they separated when Ellie made the first move pulling back, wiping the tears away with her thumbs as she cupped his damp face. 

"We mean so much to one another, I know that for sure. So let's try to be open, learn to enjoy our time together without worrying all the time" Peppering in a few, carefully calculated kisses along the way, she ran her hands across the man's face, "I'll always have your back and love you through everything thrown our way"