Phoenix/Mini Stories

**First Dance In Atlas**

Phoenix walked down the stairs, her wings falling behind her, pep in her step as she went to see him again… They weren’t doing amazing but when were they ever, she was just happy to have a friend that she could talk to… happy that she was able to be his friend, or so she hoped. She entered the bunker in the basement and saw him tinkering with some machinery in the corner of the room.
“What are you up to?”
He seemed a little tense when she spoke but then he calmed down.
“Nothing much”
“Well alright, I’ll just be hanging around if you wanna have lunch sometime soon.”
“Alright… don’t touch anything.”
Phoenix walked around the room, as much as she had been down here, she always noticed how things changed, Bronze would move stuff from place to place and would always be working on some new project or creating some new skeleton or zombie farm… always finding the quickest ways to become stronger than others. After looking around for a little bit, she saw a box sitting on a shelf, it was dusty and had some year written on it that she couldn’t make out. She ignored Bronze’s request and brought the box off of the shelf, it was heavier than she thought it would be. She opened the top and found a record player that seemed decades old.
“Bronze what is this?”
Bronze looked up from his work before shock lit up in his eyes and he rushed over and started putting the box away.
“I told you not to touch anything.”
“Wait do you have any music? Does it still work? I’d love to hear a song.”
Bronze looked at Phoenix for a minute contemplating what to do before sighing and opening the box again.
“Fine, I only have a record or two though.”
“Yay!”
Bronze cleared off a desk on one side of the wall and set the player on it. He then walked into another back room and came out with 3 disks.
“Which would you prefer?”
Phoenix pointed to the one in the middle.
“Fair enough”
Bronze put the disk in the player and slowly adjusted the reader so it could start playing. A beautiful classical melody started playing… one without words that seemed to be from a time period decades ago.
“It sounds beautiful.”
“It really does.”
“Let’s dance.”
Bronze looked at Phoenix like she was a mad woman.
“Absolutely not.”
“Why not?”
“I would never do such a thing, plus, I don’t know how.”
“I could teach you!”
“Yeah no.”
“Dang you’re boring”
Phoenix walked to the center of the room and put her arms out like she had a dance partner. She looked back at Bronze and he shook his head no. She shrugged it off and started dancing by herself, feeling the rhythm of the music and allowing herself to spin, her wings guiding her weight and her feet lighting bouncing off the floor… as the song comes to an end, she looked over at Bronze and saw that he’s mesmerized… even though he’s trying to hide it.
“See? Not that hard.”
Bronze stands and thinks for a moment.
“Fine, but I want a new song.”
He reached for a second disk and gently switches them. \*We’ll meet again starts playing\*
He walked over to Phoenix and stands in front of her… seemingly awkward and bashful.
“First you bow and I curtsy” she said dipping low. “This is ridiculous.” Bronze said as he bowed down. “Then, you put your hands here” she said guiding one hand to her waist and one into her hand, “and I’ll put mine here” she said putting her hand on his shoulder.
“This is weird”
“Hush, you agreed to it. Now I’m going to take a step forward and with that step you take one back, and then I will take one back and you take one forward, and then after that, you just follow my lead.”
“I’m pretty sure this is a lot more complicated then you’ve made it out to be”
“Shh, you’ll be great”
Phoenix began to slowly take steps back and forward guiding Bronze around the room. He seemed confused but followed her to the best of his abilities. He stumbled a couple times but is able to keep up with her as she slows down her pase to his needs. He looked at his feet and his hands mostly, trying to be as gentlemanly as possible, but every once and a while he made eye contact with her before looking away again.
He stumbled over his feet one of the times he looked at her and Phoenix started laughing. A sweet kinda laugh and Bronze smiled. The first smile he has had in months. Phoenix noticed but does not say anything, wanting to savor the moment and worried that if she commented it would bring on another scowl. They spin around the room for a minute more before he spins her and she laughs again.
He smiles again before dipping into a low bow as the song ends.
“Awwww look at you! You were amazing.”
“Yeah I’m never doing that again.”
“Whattt, I don’t believe you. We’re definitely doing that again, you’re a wonderful dancer.”
“Lies, hush or I really won’t again.”
“Fine fine fine, my lips are sealed.”
Bronze smirked before switching to the third disk, a lovely method with ups and downs, but sounds like peace and nature is almost radiating from the player. He walked over and continues to tinker with his machines as Phoenix went into the kitchen to make them lunch.

**Breakfast in AfterGlow**

Final walked down the hallway of his basement towards Phoenix’s room. It was early in the morning and he had been up since 4 am working on his newest project. He opened her door and walked through as he talked. “Hey Phoenix have you maybe moved a… shiny rock anywhere?”
Phoenix sat up in bed.
“I was needing it for what I was working on and I assumed that you— oh my god.”
He looked up and immediately turned around and put his hands over his eyes.
“I am so sorry, I didn’t mean to…”
“Final it’s alright, it doesn’t bother me.”
He turned back around and looked down at the ground, his face flushed a brilliant shade of red. “I’ll just get going then, pardon me.”
“No wait, I’ll come with you.”
“It’s okay, there’s no need—“
Phoenix hopped out of bed and put on a dark green wrap dress, tying it in the front.
“I’m ready, what are you up to today?”
Final looked up at her timidly and cleared his throat before composing himself. “Well… I was working on this one thing \*insert two minute explanation that sounds very intelligent because I am just as dumb as c!Phoenix\* but since you don’t know where that piece was… I guess I’ll need to move on to something else.”
“Perfect, have you eaten breakfast?”
“Not yet, but I can just have an early lunch.”
“No no, we’re having breakfast. Come on.”
She brushed past him and started walking down the hallway and up the stairs, Final glanced at her and the bed again before sighing and reluctantly following her. He followed her up the stairs and into the kitchen on the left side of the house. Phoenix started opening cupboards and getting out ingredients like flour, sugar, and baking powder. “Hey would you grab me the skillet.”
“Where is that?”
“Right bottom drawer, shouldn’t you know where your kitchen wear is?”
“I don’t cook.”
“Today is your lucky day then, we’re making pancakes.”
“Who’s we?”
“I’m teaching you how to make breakfast nerd, unless you think you could do it yourself.” Final stays silent. “That’s what I thought, now get over here.”
Final rolled his eyes before grabbing the skillet and handing it to her. She gave him directions of a couple more things to grab and prepare.
“Pancakes aren’t that hard, it’s just flour, sugar, baking powder, eggs, milk, and vanilla. Mix it all up, put it on a skillet, and then flip it before it burns.” She mixed the ingredients together while talking and poured out the batter for the first pancake. Phoenix waited a couple minutes before flipping the pancake and then a couple more before taking it off the skillet.
“Like I said, not that difficult.”
“Easy for you to say”
“Well hope you were watching, your turn.”
“But I don’t want to.”
“That sucks doesn’t it, I’m teaching you, I’m in charge, make a pancake.”
“You’re lucky I’m in a good mood.”
Phoenix smirked as she handed the bowl to Final. She started talking as he poured the batter.
“So about this morning…”
“Uh… what about this morning?”
“You know it doesn’t bother me… since we’ve.. y’know..”
“What are you talking about?”
Phoenix looked into Final’s eyes and tilted her head.
“Do you not remember—“
She was cut off by a flicker of something dark… something not quite Final.. flashing across his eyes. She gasped quietly and looked down.
“Are you alright?” Final said gently touching her arm.
“You know what? Forget I said anything. We’re okay.” She smiled at him. “Now you probably should flip that.”
“Shit.” Final flipped the pancake, now a dark brown color, and glared at it like it was going to un-burn itself if he tried hard enough.
Phoenix laughed, and Final looked at her, the flicker of a smile across his lips.
“Now what are you putting on your pancakes?”
“Everything I guess, syrup, chocolate, strawberries, whatever we have.”
“You’re a monster.”
“What do you mean?”
“Why are you putting that much on your pancakes?”
“Leave my pancakes alone. You’re the one who forced me to have breakfast with you.”
“And you’re loving it all the same.” Phoenix told Final to finish that one and make the rest of them while she gathered their toppings and silverware.
After about 20 minutes he turned around with a plate full of slightly burnt pancakes. Phoenix was facing away from him.
“Your wings are beautiful.” Final said as he set the plate down.
“Thank you. They were a gift from my parents.” She said as she chuckled and spread them out. He stared at the wings in awe and noticed the healed slashes along her shoulder blades where the wings connected. He had noticed them before, back in Immortal, but assumed that they would’ve disappeared when her wings returned… he had always wanted to know what had happened to her, but felt like it was not appropriate to ask. He reached a hand out to touch the feathers but stopped right before he made contact and put is hand down quickly.
“You’re always welcome to.” Phoenix said and Final realized she could see him out of the corner of her eye.
“No it’s fine, I was just admiring them was all. We need to eat anyway.”
“Oh yes.” Phoenix said as they both sat down. “I’m ready to see this horror you call “how to decorate pancakes.””
“One more word out of you and I’m taking my pancakes downstairs and eating them by myself.”
“Nope, I’ll shut up.”
Final laughed and Phoenix joined in as they enjoyed breakfast together.