ONWARD IMAGINES

Homeward Bound (part five) | Barley Lightfoot

i love hearing you guys and your theories about what this series outcome is gonna be <333 ik i say it every time but thank u for ur support

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If you thought back to the first time you showed Barley your powers, you couldn't quite remember how nervous you were. You weren't sure how he would react. From what you had learned from your guardians, it was easier to say that you control ice and snow rather than show it.

Ice and snow sounded beautiful, but it looked foreign and dangerous, especially when being controlled by a young person who wasn't sure how to keep their emotions in check.

"It's not scary," you promised him, standing in the middle of his bedroom. You held your gloved hands to your chest. "I-I'll just make it --- make it flurry. Okay?"

He nodded, an eager smile on his face. Barley had been so excited to see your power, especially when you said you weren't a wizard of any kind. You were just a girl that didn't have any parents and instead had this thing that kept you from fitting in.

You slipped your gloves off and took in a deep breath. You opened your palms slowly. You didn't trust yourself.

"Stay back," you warned. "I-I don't want to hurt you."

"Hey, you aren't going to hurt me," he said.

"You don't know that. It could be an accident. I could lose my focus, I could get distracted! If I did, you would---"

He held up his hands. "Hey, hey." He stepped back against the wall. "Is that better?"

You swallowed nervously and nodded --- and then you opened your hands.

You looked up as snow began to fall from the ceiling. It fell softly and in huge chunks of white. Barley gasped gently and cupped his hands in front of him to catch a few flakes. In awe, he gaped.

"This is so cool!" he laughed out. He spread his arms and threw his head back, and you found yourself smiling.

He liked it.

"I-It is?" you asked.

"Look at this! I mean --- wow. Holy tooth of Zadar, that's so cool!" He tipped his head back and caught a snowflake on his tongue like he was a child. He shook his fists in the air and called out, "My girlfriend is so talented!"

Your cheeks warmed and you felt as if you melted. In your slip of emotion, you noticed the snow pick up. Fear gripped your heart and paralyzed your happiness. You pulled the gloves back on quickly.

"No," you said, voice sad. "She is just curse."

Barley's arms fell to his sides. "No, you're not."

"Yes." You closed your eyes. "I am, Barley. I---"

He shook his head. "Don't talk about yourself that way."

"How am I supposed to see it, Barley? I hurt people."

"Name one person you hurt," he said, crossing his arms.

"When I was little, a guardian yelled at me about something I didn't do. But his son lied and pinned it on me --- that I stole from the neighbor's kid's toys. I didn't. But I was yelled at and... and... and he hit me. I got so scared that spikes of ice just went everywhere all around me. No one got hurt, but they could have been. That's why I am a monster."

Barley's eyebrows pulled together. "I don't see how that makes you a monster. They hurt you."

He approached you and, before you could protest, put his arms around you slowly. His hands gently rested against your arms. You held your hands between your chest and his.