Chapter Text
Silence echoes through the apartment as the clock slowly ticks away, and the message stays on screen with each crevice covered in a mocking red.
“You died. Died from fall damage. Would you like to Retry or Return to Main Menu?” The message blinks periodically, almost mocking. He doesn’t react to it, he only stares. It almost feels like he is glued towards the screen.
It’s 11 : 56 pm, Dec. 31st. New Year’s Eve. The bags in his eyes only crack out exhaustion, no emotion showing within the dark room.
11 : 58 pm, Dec. 31st. New Year’s Eve. He still doesn’t move. He doesn’t touch the screen. He is scared- hopeful, but not necessarily both. He waits, he wishes for something to happen.
11 : 59 : 01, Dec. 31st. New Year’s Eve. His phone is not blinking on and off, and unironically, outside his dorm, he hears so many cheers, so many of them.
11 : 59 : 30. Dec. 31st. New Year’s Eve. The seconds are ticking in his own brain. And finally, finally, he feels something. Not happiness, nor sadness, just quiet... acceptance and apathy, yet, tears fall. It has been too much. 15 hours, and all of it has gone to waste, and the one that knows and understands him more than himself, has come to perish. He knows it, and he finally breaks down. And with that,...
0 am. Jan. 1st. The New Year. The fireworks go off, yet everything is drowned out by sobs and shivers. He knows what happened to him, to Derek, and it makes him sick to his core. He almost vomits after a while. Outside, the fireworks continue flashing green, red and white, as if the world had already moved on. But he didn’t. He knew that.
He shouldn’t be mourning, but he is. And he cries, for not only his loss, but of how pathetic he is. He remembers who is. He remembers who he was. He doesn’t close his computer, he only curls up in the chair as the fireworks slowly stop flying up.
The New Year ends, and Avery is left asleep, still crying as the screen stays still in time.
Avery doesn’t dream. He never has, only sees black. This brief moment of consciousness inside here is but suffocating, even if it lasts for the fraction of a second. Though, tonight was different.
Avery opens his eyes, or at least what seems to be gaining consciousness, inside a plain place. There he saw a golden gate, just like when he was in that world. Everything was identical, from the walls to the church. He goes towards the church. There’s nothing wrong with it, only that there’s a small book at the top of the altar. He looks at it from a distance. He knows what happened here, and he leaves the church.
Outside the church, the walls that once were there had disappeared into nothing, leaving only infinite grassland. In front of him, he sees two graves, one already having a set of peace lilies on the gravel. The second seems to be newer, as the grass around it doesn't seem to grow like the last one.
He sees a single set of roses out the corner of his eye, and he picks them up. Despite knowing he can’t control the body he is seeing through, he lets it happen. He lets the body tie the roses together with his bracelet. He lets the body watch the grave. He lets the body have peace, for this is but a drop of peace in his tiring, cold life.
He doesn’t wish to wake up.
But he does.
And he regrets it.
x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x
Avery is at the rooftop of his dormitory. He stares across the city layered in the midday light and then at the ground far beneath his feet. Twelve stories worth of height, 120ft all for himself.
He feels so cold. He’s tired.
He’s ready.
He pulls a picture of him and his family, and he looks at it, really looks at it, how happy they all looked. The way he and his sister stay underneath the perfect silhouette of their parents. It looks so perfect. But it’s all a lie. He can’t bear to see it. He crushes the photo. And then, he steps forward.
He can only dangle a foot for just a second when he hears a scream. The scream of a man. It doesn’t sound familiar, but it makes his head turn.
“AVERY!” He hears his name called out the second time. He sees a stranger there, but despite the guy being a stranger, Avery slowly stops in his tracks and fully faces the person.
“.... Hi, Avery.” Says the guy in a black hoodie and ripped jeans, sweating profusely. The guy holds his other arm like he got shot there, but there is no gunshot marks on the hoodie.
Without a second thought, Avery hugs him. And finally, he cries. The guy wraps his arms around Avery, burying his face across the brunette’s hair. The guy slowly gives pats to his back, only letting Avery push out his tears. He doesn’t react, almost as if he knew this would happen.
“... Derek.... How are you alive?”
x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x
Dec. 31st. 11 : 58. Derek can feel everything much more this time, like he was just skinned and is now exposed to sunlight. The king’s corruption has only made it worse for him. He needs more time, time is what he needs. Just one message. One message for Avery will be enough.
He starts typing with the struggle of the king. He can’t see anything. He types mindlessly as his vision is filled with a disgusting analog yellow. He starts hearing voices, but he still types. Then, his vision turns black. He can’t see anymore, nor can he move. He stays there for a moment before blacking out. The king is dying, but as “it” dies, so does he.
….
When Derek wakes up, he is but shook. He knows everything that happened last night was all real, so why was he alive?
As he tries to sit up, there’s a black liquid on the spot where he passed out. Ichor? Tar? He doesn’t know. Though, he only knows that it is his blood now. With a quick swipe, he wipes the black liquid away from his desk. His monitor is turned off, and immediately, he tries to process what the hell he has to do (or wants to do) with all his knowledge.
Naturally, he just hopes there’s something more to do with his knowledge because the world doesn’t really have any options for him that make it look suspicious. Not because he has infinite knowledge, but because he’d look like a prodigy, and he always hated fame.
In disgust, he wipes the tar-like liquid and takes a shower for the first time in... a day? He doesn’t know how long, but a day at most.
Derek turns on the shower, reaching a hand towards the droplets to test the temperature. It was cold at first, then warmer. With the affirmation, he steps in and hangs his towel aside. Inside, his mind goes blank as the headache increases in pain underneath the water, almost as if the “blood” in him is writhing to escape, but it can’t. He can’t even begin to make a thought when he feels a droplet of the ichor fall onto the shower floor. Despite the fact that it hurts like hell, he shakily washes himself.
He steps out of the shower, drying himself as he shivers. The tremors of his blood make it hard to stand. Though, he does try to take a look at himself.
He sees himself. He looks tired. The once lively person with the light in his eyes has now been replaced with a brownish yellow hue on his pupils.
Derek starts changing into something more comfortable. He puts a hoodie on lazily and closes his computer. He can barely wrap his mind across the fact that he now has infinite knowledge. Not because he has a headache trying to grasp the concept and the other stuff on his mind, but because despite having this power, he has no way to use it. He can try, but there’s no way to utilize it actively... as of right now. The only situations he would use this to it’s full potential is to become a scientist and discover things for the government and any organization, or he could be a lawyer. Though, that seems rather inconvenient, including the papers needed to become one in the first place. And he’s only eighteen.
Or he could just become a teacher. He has barely picked out his future courses anyways, and he’s currently taking psychology classes. So, with that taken into account, being a teacher is his laziest option, and may even be a bit safer than being a lawyer or a scientist.
He decides it. He’ll be a teacher,
He stands up, his headache pushed off for a split second to relish in the motivation. He feels energy again. He hasn’t felt this motivated since he got accepted into a university, and even then, that opportunity was bad. But, he then realizes, he needs actual food and to attend his job. He’s been absent for a day unannounced. His salary will probably drop much more than it already has. But hey, at least he saved the world without anyone knowing, and he now knows full well he has someone mourning his death when he didn’t actually die.
He hopes Avery finds out he didn’t die.
Or, actually, he does know....
He genuinely realizes what type of knowledge he has gained.
With that realization, he skims through all (which was a lot) he knows about Avery, and surely, he knew Avery had hope. He lets out a sigh of relief. But, right now, he needs some money, food, and to get to his job on time.
Though, as if his memory came back to hit him, he stops. He knows what’s happening to Avery. He knows where he lives and he knows his emotional state….
Oh no.
He rushes out towards the door still in these clothes and gets into his shoes and gets into his car. He drives as fast as he possibly can and he arrives at the apartment. He can see him.
Dear god.
Avery looks broken. Even with his vision, he knows that he can’t take it any longer. He twitches a bit at the sheer adrenaline in his body, but he doesn’t care anymore.
He parks the car hastily to the side and rushes out, not even bothered to lock it. A few people are staring as he rushes inside the dormitory, not leaving any second to waste. He doesn’t take the elevator, but he asks someone to open the stairs, and they reluctantly comply. Finally, he reaches the roof and screams his name.
Everyone looks now, whether it be passing civilians or the students in the dormitories, everyone just stares.
Then, he feels it, a hug. Following it came a wet feeling to the side of his neck as Avery buried his face into it. He knew Avery wasn’t the type to cry, and he hadn’t in a long time, but even then, he buried his own face into Avery’s shoulder, as if to soothe his own empathy.
“.... Derek... How are you alive?”
x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x
The both of them are seated inside Derek’s apartment (our protective king). Derek and Avery just hugged on his bed for hours on end without talking, occasionally patting each other’s backs and ruffling some hair. Avery wrapped his les around Derek subtly, and he allowed Avery to do so, and he only held the crying boy tighter. Their hands found each others. They fit perfectly within each other. Derek can feel Avery’s hand quiver a bit, so he holds Aver tighter. Avery visibly calms down a bit, finally looking up at him with puffy eyes, and he talks.
“Derek....” Avery says, gaze softening as he takes in the face he sees before him. He didn’t think Derek would be tanned, but it fits him in a way. He relished in Derek’s beauty. The way his hair draped down in all the right angles, the way his lips look so... alive, more than everyone in this world. But, despite this beauty, his eyes only feigned... silence. He knew that tint of yellow and red, he hated it, and he knew what it meant.
“Avery.” Derek replies, noticing Avery’s gaze. He can't help but be flustered. He knew Avery would observe him like this, but still, Avery seemed to hit a weak spot, something precious within him. His face flushes a bit as he feels the gaze goo deeper. He turns his head away from the stubborn brunette.
Avery notices his embarrassment, and finally cracks a smile.
Derek responds to it by initiating conversation, shrinking nervously underneath Avery’s gaze.
“So, I suppose you want to ask me some questions?”
“Do you want me to ask questions?” Avery teases, waiting for Derek’s response, but he doesn’t. With a sigh, he asks takes lead of the conversation while still laying on top of him.
With a sigh, Avery starts asking, fiddling with the hem of his shirt.
“Hmm.... What’s your nationality?” He asks, moving off of Derek and flopping beside him. Derek pauses for a second before responding.
“I’m mixed. German and Argentinian.” He responds, letting his hand slide off Avery. The younger doesn’t mind, but Derek can clearly see the slight change in movement from Avery. He sees Avery move a bit to make up for the empty space he left behind.
“That’s... interesting. I thought you were French-Canadian, just a bit tanner.” Avery chuckles, pausing for a moment before speaking again.
“.... And I’m supposing you know my nationality, huh?” He asks, facing his whole body against Derek this time, smiling softly.
“Yes, I do.” He chuckles out, turning to face Avery. “I know where you live, what makes you think I don’t know everything else?”
“Valid, considering what happened…. Speaking of, what happened back there?” He asks, looking at his hands and seeing traces of black liquid in his system.
With a sigh, he brushed some hair off his face, standing up and walking to his cupboard. He pours water into a kettle and picks up a bag of tea. He boils the water in the kettle as he speaks. “I’ll start. Huddle up by my blanket-”
He says as he looks at Avery, which has nearly fell asleep huddled in his blanket. “Mmmm.... Yeah.” Avery replies groggily, stretching a bit as he watches the kettle boil and Derek himself. He mumbles sweet nothings as Derek prepares the tea. It is clear that Avery likes the scent of it, and he likes the way everything smells in general. Now, he looks like a chick tucked up and ready for a nap.
Avery notices Derek chuckle out as the kettle reaches peak heat. He pours the boiling water into two cups and sets the teabags on them. He places honey on Avery’s and a bit of lemon on his. Afterwards, he brings the cups of tea and places them on the bedside table. Derek places his cup to his lips and blows on it as Avery follows suite. As Avery gently blows the steam away, Derek takes a sip and sets it aside as he begins to tell Avery everything.
“It all happened fairly quickly, surprisingly.” He starts. “The king entered my mind, and all I could see was black. Then, it turned yellow, and there stood the king....”
“What did he look like?” Avery asks. He hums at the taste of the tea: peppermint, his favorite. Avery buries himself deeper into the blanket and cuddles the slime plush Derek has laying around. It even has a honey-like scent to it.
Derek sighs as he rubs his chin, finding the words to describe it. Despite having infinite knowledge, Derek can only vaguely say it. “He looks... yellow. He looks so pale and like he came from an illustration on manuscript paper.”
Avery takes another sip as he continues on the story.
“He talked to me.” Derek continued. “He spoke in a language only I could understand.... It’s complicated to explain.”
“Did he speak enchanting table?” Avery questioned and teased at the same time. Derek let out a small chuckle as he took another sip of his tea.
“Sort of.” Derek responds. “Do you like your tea?”
“Yes, I do.” Avery responds as he nods. He smiles at Avery’s pleasure, and he continues on.
“I’ll translate it for you... if you want me to.” He says before pausing to see if Avery is comfortable with listening to what the king had said to him. Avery nods, and he continues once more.
“He said to me: “I see what you have done. I have indeed been outplayed. Worry not, for the seed of life will outgrow this seed of knowledge.” Derek said, mimicking the king’s ominous tone. “And then, I woke up. Twelve hours after I left you....”
“Did you feel scared? Facing the king?” Avery asks, taking another sip.
“No, not at all. I had a reason to live.”
“Hah…. Was it me?”
“Yes…. And the king had sympathy as well… which was odd.” He says, taking another sip as the night slowly approaches. A sigh escapes Derek as he also huddles within the blanket. He places the teacup down as he opens the window to freshen the place up.
“…. Yeah…. Can I sleep here…? For tonight?” Avery asks, seemingly worried this time. He knew that Avery wouldn’t want to leave, and this time, he won’t leave him alone.
“Yes.” Derek responds, yawning as they finish their tea. He doesn’t talk a bit after that until Avery initiates conversation.
“So.... Do you want to tell me more?” Avery asks, watching where Derek’s gaze falls. It stays on the sunlight slowly dimming down, and Avery can only lean his head on Derek to get his attention.
“You’re zoning out…. Is something wrong?” Avery asks, nudging against Derek’s shoulder to grab his attention. Derek responds, but seems to be a bit quieter….
“Yeah…. I’m probably just hungry. Wanna order takeout?” He asks, standing up slowly as Avery unwraps from his blanket. He watches Avery get up and walk towards the kitchen, opening the fridge and checking inside. There was some ground meat, vegetables and a small number of sweets like chocolates.
“…. Do people just give you food?”
“Yes, Avery. Yes.”
….
Derek made food after a moment of thought. He didn’t know what to do with ground beef and vegetables other than make a burger, but that was plain, so he looked up some food from other places. He eventually landed on Giniling (ginaling?), a Filipino dish derived from Picadillo.
Interestingly enough, Derek found it easy to make. Just some potatoes, carrots and ground beef with soy sauce, salt, and pepper. It looked quite presentable, but Avery can tell that he he worked a lot for this.
He took the spoon and scooped up a bit of it, placing it to his lips as he thought of the taste. Unlike most times, he thought really hard this time, for no reason in particular…. That is if he didn’t know Derek was staring. Not that it was noticeable, but he was STARING at him. He could only feel flustered at the feeling.
“It’s… good.” Avery responds, taking another bite as Derek sighs in relief. He slowly opens his eyes to find him on the other side of the table, giving himself part of the meal to test himself.
Derek hums in approval.
“It is good.” Derek says as he places more of the meal on his plate. He sits down and closes the curtains but leaves the window open for the time being.
The two eat while making small talk, even making each other smile like they were actually entertained. Well, Avery knew Derek wasn’t. He seemed a bit distracted, but seemed to make light talk. He looked pained, but he still tried to smile, and Avery couldn’t stand it anymore.
“…. Derek, what’s wrong?” Avery finally asks, finishing his food as Derek sighs, finishing his plate as well.
“…. Headache.” He said, placing the dishes on the sink as he holds his head, but still makes Avery space on his bed. Though, despite Derek’s best efforts, he still quivers.
Avery rushes to his side, supporting him to sit down as he notices the way his hand twitches. After placing Derek on his bed, he feels Derek’s forehead and immediately tries to look for a cooling pack.
“Uhh…. Do you have a cooling pack?” Avery asks, which surprises Derek. He didn’t even know that the stubborn brunette could be so… alert.
“It’s in the freezer-“
“Found it!” Avery says before he could finish and puts it on his forehead. Avery then puts him down on his own bed like a child to a crib, and then, only then did Avery calm down.
“Are you okay?” Avery asks.
“Are you okay? You did all of that in my own home.” Though, that felt more of like a statement and less of a scolding.
“First of all, you have just escaped the king’s grasp and all that complicated stuff I could care less to understand. What else could be the problem here? A cold? No!”
Derek sighs at Avery’s response, but he also seems grateful, like he doesn’t know everything about him. He yawns a bit and takes off his hoodie while laying down, placing it on the floor as he slowly falls asleep. Avery dims the lights and closes the window, leaving the background noise of the apartment to soothe him as he sleeps.