Chapter Text
“Goodbye my friend”
The words have been staring at him.
Avery can’t look away. He’s been searching through the files on Derek's old laptop, Derek's videos for any clue. For anything.
He can’t.
This can’t be how it ends. There had to have been another way, there must be a way to find Derek. Avery needs the peace of knowing his friend is okay. He can’t deal with the other outcome; the idea eats away at him. The survivor’s guilt is tearing him apart.
Avery holds his head in his hands; it’s been hours since the letter. Energy drinks litter his apartment, fast food boxes and trash are spewed across his room.
He looks corpse like.
Vibration. Avery looks down at his desk; his phone is ringing. His mother. He hasn’t visited in a while. He studies mostly from home, so it’s not like he gets out much to socialize, that’s why his mum made him come to family dinner once a week. Avery remembers being excited for it each week, looking forward to laughing and chatting with his family. But the past few days… weeks, have been hard.
Has it been weeks. Has it been that long and he still hasn’t got. One. lead. He doesn’t remember; he’s losing his sense of time. His face begins to crumple, is it all useless. No, saving someone isn’t useless. Hes the useless one. He can’t save Derek. Is there even a point to trying anymore when it’s been weeks.
His hands slowly grabs the phone, stealing his face he answers the call, “hi mum.”
“Hunny, it’s been so long. Why don’t you come over, I made your Favorite, Lasagna!” Her sympathetic cheerful voice booms through the phone, she never quite understood that she doesn’t need to yell to get her words across.
Avery looks at the mess his room is, he’s barely been sleeping. He’s behind on his assessments and all his homework. His life is falling apart… Dose he even deserves to enjoy what he has left, when he can use it to find Derek-
“Avery. Please, everyone is worried about you. No one has seen you for weeks, please just come for one dinner. I want to talk to my son.” His mother’s voice has softened.
Avery’s fists clench ever so slightly, if he wants to find Derek he has to have his life in order. Focus. He slaps himself before answering. “Yeah, okay. I’ll be over in twenty.”
His motions are swift as he has a five-minute shower, dressing himself, putting his jacket on, grabbing his keys and walking out into the cold winter. The air stings his lungs and uncovered skin. Avery never liked the cold. He loved the snow though, it reminded him of clouds, but you can play with them.
His feet find a repetitive rhythm of steps. His childhood home isn’t far away from his apartment; His mother never liked her son to far away. In a sense it is a bit controlling, but he doesn’t mind. He loves is family, even his older brother and sister, his sister is the middle child. But they’re all close in age so they get along like siblings do.
Avery holt's, spotting the playground he would play at when he was younger across the road, it holds a lot of pleasant memories. There was one time he and his friends played capture the flag, his team wasn’t the brightest but there were a few that pulled the team to victory. He doesn’t remember any of their faces.
Remember.
Avery looks down, what does he have to remember? He shakes his head before he continues to walk.
His mother welcomes him with open arms. He smiles for the first time in weeks. This was a good decision. He’s missed this, being in a happy atmosphere. His brother is still a huge jokester, his kids as well. His brother got him a niece and nephew; his sister is still talkative, and single, which she despises there older brother for poking fun of.
Hes missed this truly, It’s just that he’s forgetting something. Avery doesn’t know what it is, and it’s giving him a headache.
“You wanna watch a movie or something, we can have a family movie night? like good old times” Avery’s hearing had begun to static out, but his brothers questioning brings him back.
Avery nods, “Sure, you guys can choose.” He stands from the dinner table ruffling his niece’s hair as she runs past to the living room, racing her brother “I’ll do the dishes while you choose.”
“Ha, I remember when you were a kid and you’d fight and hackle us for the tv remote.” His sister snickers, “you really are all grown up.”
“I guess. Haven’t we all?.” Avery smiles, stretching as he walks to the kitchen.
The house is lively and loud, but in a comforting way. Avery smiles, joking with his mum who insisted on helping him.
“Avery, I wanted to ask you something.” Her voice turned serious, glancing at her son. “What happened? You stopped answering calls, you stopped visiting. It’s been weeks Hunny, has anything happened I should be worried about?.”
Avery freezes, the dishes in his hands dropping into the water. He’s been depressed for a while, and he knows it. His apartment explains it all. It’s just that he’s forgotten why he’s ended up this way.
Remember.
“Missing person Derek Williams is still missing; the police have yet to find a new lead after 2 months. He’s now been missing for 2 and a half months. The police are suspecting he ran away-”
Avery’s eyes dart to the tv, the kids were fighting to much, so it looks like his sister changed the channel.
“Derek…” Avery whispers softly, glancing at his mother.
“Hunny, what do you mean?”
“I’ve got to leave; I’ll be by next week I promise. I-” Avery starts to walk towards the door, before he can reach it his mother takes his hand.
“Avery, please just stay. Why are you going.” Her face is crumpled with worry, it makes him feel horrible, but he has to go.
“I’m sorry.” He shrugs out of her hold before leaving.
His feet sink into the snow, moisture gathering on his shoes. He almost forgot.
No, he did forget.
Avery holds himself, wrapping his arms around his rib cage. He doesn’t want to forget, he can’t.
Snow falls on his shoulders, drifting around him like smoke, He’s dizzied, his sight growing blurry.
He doesn’t know how long he walks for, but he makes it back to the playground, slumping down on a bench. Avery buries his head in his hands, soaking his fingers with tears.
He feels nausea's, his eyes are clogged with tears, his throat scarred with ragged breath. His head is pounding, it hurts. Remembering everything hurts, but he needs to remember.
He needs to fix it.
The only reason he's forgetting now is because he hasn’t stopped thinking about Derek. Today was the first time he put thought into anything else.
But now he knows, Derek's in the real world. A missing person, maybe it’s just a coincidence, maybe Derek Williams is just a random person. But… the chance that it’s him. That minuscule possibility that it’s his Derek; it’s tearing Avery apart.
The sun sets, crawling below the clouds. Shadows crowd the streets with noisy silence, Snow sprawls across the ground, Avery can’t take this anymore.
He walks the streets trying to calm his mind, he doesn’t want to go back to his apartment, it represents his failure.
He needs a sign, something. Is that all he’s gonna get, a report on the news of someone named Derek missing. And that’s it.
He checked all over the internet for a missing David Williams but there was nothing. Avery was holding out hope, but the case is so small there hadn’t been a article yet but-
“AHHhh!” Avery squeaks, a piece of paper slams into his face. He flails for a second before grabbing it, his eyes land on its contents. It’s his sign!
A face stares back at him, a man with dark tan skin, dreads reach past his shoulder. Green eyes painted on his face like emeralds.
Avery's eyes wander the page, big bold letters spelling out.
“Missing Person, Derek Williams. Age= 28.
Call ** *** *** *** if you find any information on his disappearance”
Well, he got his sign. And he found out that his friend is handsome in real life. A smile tugs at the corner of Avery’s lips as he looks at the picture. Avery is at his last straw, he will cling to this last hope in desperation, hoping its his Derek.
Once he got home, he finally realized what this meant. They lived in the same city, this whole time they could’ve seen each other.
The thought is so agonizingly annoying, but oh well, at least he has a phone number.
Speaking of his phone. Avery takes it out of his jacket pocket being met with over 100 missed calls from his family. He feels bad, but… the lingering hurt of forgetting hasn’t stopped. He doesn’t want to go through it again.
He strips himself of his jacket, sitting at his desk, he calls the number.
And for some reason it immediately answers.
“Hello?” his voice is cautious, he hopes Derek's voice will answer, but Avery knows its impossible.
“Who is this? Do you know anything about my son’s disappearance. Or is this another prank call? I swear to God!?” The voice that speaks through the phone grows louder in frustration… and sadness.
It seems to be Derek’s father, he sounds tired. Avery clenches the phone a little tighter, “No sir, I’m not a prank call. I just found out on the TV that Derek is missing. I wanted to ask If I could help?”
The line goes silent for a few seconds, “Why? How do you know my son?”
He’s very questioning, “I was his online friend, we played Minecraft together.”
Avery swears a pin drop could be heard through the silence. Its like Derek’s dad just hung up without pressing the button. The quietness goes on for a good thirty seconds before Avery breaks it.
“Sir? Are you still there.”
“Avery. Is it?”
Now its Avery’s time to go silent. His face scrunches up, why does he know Avery’s name.
“Yes… that’s me.”
“Meet me at ****** tomorrow at 10:00. I want to talk to you.” The man’s voice is decisive, like he’s not sure about something.
Avery quickly writes down the location on his notepad. “Okay, thank you Sir.”
The man then hangs up.
Avery smile widens; he’s finally getting somewhere.
The address is a little café in town, its perfect and not to crowded. Avery is wearing casual clothing with his hair done up into a small ponytail.
he couldn’t choose what to wear for the longest time, for someone who stays cooped up all the time he’s very picky about what he wears when he’s in public.
His feet slow down as he enters the café, he doesn’t know who he’s supposed to see. Maybe this was all a dream that his brain conjured, like a last-minute effort to stop him from-
“Avery!”
His eyes shoot up. A man in his late 50's had called his name, he has dark skin and a greying beard. His body's on the heavier side, like a usual dad bod.
“Hi sir!” Avery sits down at this table, smiling.
“I didn’t think you’d show up, my names David…Your shorter than I thought you’d be.” The man looks Avery over, sighing.
“Nice to meet you… huh?” Avery barely catches the last part.
“I want you to help my son… he’s, purposely gone missing.” David’s voice gets quieter as he speaks. The atmosphere tightens, like a string caught by two sides.
Avery’s heart skips a beat, he’s alive. Derek is alive. But it doesn’t sound like the situation is any better. “How have the police not found him yet?”
“Are you really his friend?” David gives him a stare, calculating and dangerous. But Avery does agree that’s a dumb question, he knows Derek is capable of more than making himself missing.
“I promise I am… but how do you know about me?” Avery slowly questions him, taking a sip of the complimentary water. “For all I know your lying.”
Davids eyes land down on the table, he looks tired. “One of the last times I saw him, he said to act as if he’s really gone missing. So, I have, I put up missing posters of him. I acted as if this was just a game, like he was a kid again. I listened to the rules and followed them.” He looks up, staring Avery in the eye. “He told me if I was ever to find someone named Avery, or if someone with that name called me. I would turn them away.”
Avery’s jaw and fists clench. Derek, why? Why are you like this.
“My son needs help… he’s smart and cares for those he loves. He wouldn’t let people get hurt because of himself, so I guessed you know more than the police or even Derek himself. He overestimated my loyalty to him.” David slides a piece of paper across the table breathing deeply as he lets go of it. “The address of his hideout. I know he pulled some strings to get certain payments of the record…”
“Save him, Avery.”
A father’s desperation is evident in David eyes; he wants his son back.
Avery stares at the piece of paper then back at Derek's dad. His throat feels so dry, its like his head is spinning.
“I promise… I will bring him back.”
Maybe it was the excitement, or the not knowing that's making Avery clench his cars wheel like its a lifeline. His knuckles are white. He’s parked outside the location, trying to calm himself down, this was his goal.
He wanted answers and he’s going to get them, but he’s scared. Scared of the answers, scared if his friends even in there.
The king… he could be-
Avery smacks himself, he’s unprepared and terrified. But he must keep going. keep moving forward.
the location is a run-down old apartment building; it doesn’t even look inhabitable. Only the desperate would live here, homeless, beggars.
Avery’s shoulders tense, his hands are wet with sweat.
D3rlord3, Derek… he saved Avery, it’s his time to help him.
Avery stumbles through the snow, his speed builds. His feet punch the ground as his walk turns into a sprint; he can feel his heart pounding.
He rams his way up the stairs, breathing like someone of their death bed.
Room 12, he’s in there.
Avery crashes into the door, slamming it open and crashing to the floor.
“Avery…” A voice. His voice. Exhausted and small, smaller then anything Avery has heard.
Avery looks up, freezing like a deer in headlights, his throat choked with knowing. “Derek please, don’t. come down from there. DEREK!”
Derek's left eye oozes with a yellow liquid, shining like a star.
He doesn’t look like anything from his missing person’s poster. He looks lifeless. And he kicked the chair. Maybe it was Avery’s imagination, but he could swear he hears a crack.
Avery scrambles up, crying uselessly as he holds Derek's squirming body. He swipes out a pocketknife, jumps up onto the chair frantically before slashing at the rope above Derek's head.
“Derek? Please no…” Avery’s voice shakes, helping his friend to the ground. He desperately looks over Derek's body, his eyes are closed. He’s breathing, but barely.
Avery grabs his phone, calling an ambulance. His ears ring while he explains the situation. Trying to grasp Derek as he explains.
Derek… Why?
The first thing that hits him is the sterile smell. He’s in a hospital; did it not work? The last thing he remembers is… Avery? But he wasn’t supposed to find him, he didn’t see a future in which Avery found him. There were a few close calls in some pathways, but he was always a little too late. It doesn’t make sense, Derek settled and fixed all he had to finish, then he would end it.
But he’s obviously still alive.
Voices, isn’t that-
“it’s okay, they told me he’s gonna live.”
“Thank you, so, so much. I can’t show my gratitude enough.”
“Why didn’t you kill yourself? Derek?”
Stop.
“If you’d succeeded, I would’ve stopped existing. My threat, wouldn’t have the chance to harm Avery.”
No, go away.
“Your still here, Derek? And Avery is only a few steps away. I could-”
“NO” Derek cracks his eyes open, his voice sounds hoarse.
His father and Avery stand next to each other, watching over him.
“Derek…” Avery’s eyes widen, staring at his friend, he still thinks this is just a dream. Nurses rush into the room, to check over him.
He has a broken neck, but other than that he’s fine. He will have to stay in the hospital for two weeks, and have a brace for a month, but he lived.
After the nurses leave, his father rushes next to him, apologizing profusely. Crying at his son’s bedside, hugging him gently.
“I’m sorry, please stay, don’t kill yourself. I don’t wanna have to outlive you… Derek please, promise me you won’t kill yourself, I lost your mother, I don’t wanna lose you.”
Derek hugs back, his eyes cracking with tears. He loves his dad; he doesn’t like seeing him like this. A father’s grief can weigh heavily on a person.
Derek looks up, his emerald eyes finding Avery's.
It’s there first meeting in real life.
Derek looks his friend over, he has tan colored skin, a shoulder length haircut, and deep-set hazel eyes. Handsome is the only word Derek can think of.
David stands again, breathing deeply before looking between the two. A small knowing smiling forming on his face.
“I don’t know what happened between you two, but I know everything will be okay. I’ll leave so you can talk.” Derek's dad starts to walk out, planting a pat on Avery’s shoulder, closing the door behind him.
The air grows tense, the bleak white walls close in on them both. It feels like hours before one of them talks. Eventually, Avery speaks.
“What happened to you?” His eyes are down turned, staring at the smooth floor.
“Avery I’m-”
“Why didn’t you find me? You should’ve found me so i could help you! Your clearly alive? I thought you died!? You almost did…” Avery stars back at him, eyes watering, his face scrunched.
“You made him mad now.”
“I spent weeks trying to find you, any trace of you, even though I thought you were dead. Now I know why I couldn’t find you; you hid yourself.”
“You should’ve looked for him. You shouldn’t have said goodbye. Instead of moving forward, you tried to kill yourself. I thought you were smart.”
"You were trying to save me by leaving? You are destroying me. I’m destroying my life for you… let me help you.”
“Avery will never forgive you; he’ll help you but will never be able to look at you the same. You tried to kill yourself, your crazy and insane.”
Derek wipes at his cheeks, swiping away the tears. The kings right, His head is pounding, no. not now. Please why…
Derek groans, holding his head.
“Derek?” Avery rushes up to him, “do I need to get someone?”
“Answer him knight”
“No, it’s okay…” his breathing is ragged. “It happens every now and then, I get massive headaches.” He groans, trying to lean forward.
“Stay still, your necks still broken dude.” Avery looks at him, keeping him still, Avery struggles to speak. He was just yelling at him; he wanted to help him not be angry with him.
After a few minutes Derek starts to calm down, his breaths evening out.
“Sorry, for yelling at you, that was uncool.” Avery slaps himself, about to do it with the other hand before Derek stops him.
“No, I deserve it.”
“You really do”
Derek takes a deep breath before continuing, “after I typed the spell, I felt like I was gonna black out. My head was mess”
He pauses, shaking slightly “I used my last strength to send you away and type you that letter… I blacked out for… I don’t know how long. After I woke up I got a head splitting headache, it’s like all my nerves flared up. Then it stopped. And I decided to disappeare, so I wouldn’t be a burden for my father any longer than I had. Now the headaches happen every few hours, at least I can look away from the screen…”
Derek looks down at the bed, clenching his hands. “The king in yellow… he talks to me.” Avery goes tense, taking a deep breath as he holds Derek's hand.
“What does he say?” Derek looks up at Avery as he speaks.
“self-deprecating stuff, and random information to stuff into my brain.” Avery’s hand tightens around Derek's as he speaks “The ritual half worked; it’s like he moved in and locked the door behind him. But he can’t do anything or take control, my eye also oozes this weird yellow stuff whenever I have a huge migraine headache. I guess a corrupted brain traps him…”
“This is all your fault by the way; I’m going to make your life a living hell.”
Derek shakes his head before speaking again, “I’m sorry Avery, for everything, I tried to escape your help because I’m scared he’ll find a way to escape my mind and hurt the people I love.… I couldn’t handle that so I tried to end my life, so there was no threat… thank you for saving me. I never wanted to die.”
Avery shakes his head, “I’m just happy you’re okay.” Avery leans down and gives him a hug, kneeling beside the bed and holding Derek's middle.
The next few weeks are a blur with police interviews and Derek's rehabilitation, as well as his curse flaring up every few hours.
The day Derek was able to come home he stayed with his dad, having to go to therapy every few weeks. Avery was the one who pushed him to go, he said he was going to help him, in every way he can. that includes forcing him to get mental help.
Derek's neck healed overtime and he was able to get the neck brace of. He gets the headaches every now and then, but he’s said they’ve subsided with medication, they also happen less frequently when he’s around Avery.
They’ve both been able to chat, Avery comes around every few days. They’ve learnt a lot about each other. Avery is 21 years old while Derek is 28, they both are obsessed with manga, and they’ve both lost a parent.
Derek lost his mum to a car crash when he was 12, while Avery lost his dad to cancer. It was comforting to talk about their parents with each other. They were both able to talk about there worries like childhood friends, it’s like they’ve known each other for years.
The cold winter days have turned warm with the wind of spring.