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Eirika blinks in front of the mirror, then adjusts her headband for the fiftieth time that afternoon.
"Sis! Are you ready? We'll have to book it to get there on time!" Ephraim yells from downstairs.
"Five more minutes!" she yells back, fluffing her dress and turning around once for good measure. This isn't the first time she's attending a school dance, but she still fusses like she's a freshman. It's because I'm on the homecoming court this year, she lies to herself. She scurries down the stairs, almost tripping on her heels. Ephraim catches her.
"Maybe if you would have gotten done an hour ago, like I did, you wouldn't fall down the stairs." Eirika huffs but doesn't argue. He finished so early because he only threw on a sweater. He didn't even style his hair. It looks like a mop on his head.
"Maybe you would have taken longer if you had a date," she says, sitting in the passenger's seat and buckling in.
Ephraim laughs and smirks at her. "Has that stopped me from wearing sweaters before?" She sighs and shakes her head. "Dad made me do my hair the first year, but after that, I was home free!"
"Maybe you were, but I wasn't!" Eirika reminds him. "You didn't have to listen to Tana complain about how awful the pictures turned out Sophomore year."
"You're feeling awfully nostalgic, aren't you?" he changes the subject. "What brought it on?"
She frowns and turns towards him. "Are you serious? This is our senior year! Why wouldn't I be thinking about the other dances we went to?"
He shrugs. "I just think you should be more focused on this one, you know?"
"I...I'm trying not to think too hard about it," she admits, drumming her fingers on the armrest. "I feel like I'm going with my brother."
"News flash, you are going with your brother," Ephraim jabs. "I'm driving."
Eirika glares daggers. "You know what I mean."
He shrugs and makes a turn. "I do. I also think that you just need to relax and have fun. He's your best friend, Eirika. Nothing that happens tonight will change that."
She remains silent and stares out at the road in front of them. Maybe he's right. Maybe this will be like other dances with friends. She's getting worked up over nothing.
***
"Can't catch me!" a young Eirika squeals, scurrying down the sidewalk and away from her pursuers.
"Can too! Run faster, Lyon!" Ephraim directs, tugging the boy along by his sleeve. Eirika can hear them getting closer, and she tries to run even faster.
"Ephraim! I can't keep up!" Lyon's soft voice wheezes behind her. She's more worried about her brother catching up until she hears a sharp inhale, then the sound of flesh scraping against cement.
She whirls around in an instant, charging towards her fallen friend. "Lyon! Are you okay?" Ephraim is already at his side, helping him sit up.
"I'm fine," he says weakly, closing his eyes and forcing a smile. "It's just a scratch--nothing I can't handle." The 'scratch' continues to bleed, and the twins have to stand on either side of him to make sure he doesn't topple over. He comes back from the doctor with another new medication.
***
"And they all lived happily ever after. The end." Eirika finishes, closing the book. Ephraim is fast asleep in one of the uncomfortable hospital chairs. "I'm sorry the book was so predictable. You probably would have preferred something with more twists and turns."
Lyon laughs feebly and shakes his head. "It was wonderful. I've been reading schoolbooks for so long...it was nice to hear a novel."
She sets the book down and rests her hands in her lap, letting her eyes wander over the medical contraptions her friend is tethered to. "Did they say anything about when they would release you?"
He shakes his head again. "They'll be monitoring me for a while. They're trying a new treatment to regulate my heartbeat."
Eirika nods and stares blankly in front of her. This isn't the first time Lyon has been hospitalized for an extended period of time, but the potential of never seeing him again haunts her. She snaps to attention when she feels his fingers brush against hers.
"I'll be fine, Eirika. Please don't worry about me." He's smiling warmly, but his voice betrays how frail he's become. She wants to say something, anything, but her words catch in her throat. She cries instead. He wipes away her tears.
***
Ephraim pulls into the parking lot and opens the door for his sister. "Hey Eirika, we're here!" She's pulled out of her thoughts and thanks him politely as she steps down. "You didn't say anything for the last half of the trip. Still stuck in nostalgia land?"
"Something like that," she mumbles. Ephraim pulls her arm through his elbow and leads her in.
Most of Eirika's memories surrounding Lyon are sorrowful. Her heart stings thinking about the near-death encounters he's had. Playing outside with him landed him in the emergency room. Holidays turned sour when his father had to rush him to the hospital. She's always terrified that she'll lose him. She doesn't want to imagine life without him.
"Lyon! You're looking great!" Ephraim calls out, dragging Eirika through the doors.
Lyon smiles and wheels over to the twins. "You are as well, Ephraim! Though, would it have killed you to wash your hair before coming here?"
"You sound like my sister," he laughs, tugging on Eirika's arm. "I should leave you two be, though. I have to go find Forde and Kyle. See you around!" He runs off before either of them could say goodbye.
Ephraim is right. Lyon looks more lively than Eirika has seen him in years. Though he's too weak to walk, he's able to wheel himself around with relative ease. "How is your physical therapy going?" she asks, stepping behind him and grabbing the handles of his chair.
"Well. I'm walking further each day," he says cheerfully, turning his head to give Eirika a smile. It's so familiar, so warm. She smiles back. "And you? How is off-season?"
***
"You won't be able to come this year, either?" Eirika asks sadly.
Lyon shakes his head. "The doctors say I need to rest. You have to go, though!" he insists. "And didn't...didn't Seth invite you to go with him?"
Eirika blushes and nods. "Yeah, but...it won't be as fun if you're not there with us."
"That doesn't mean you shouldn't go," he says quietly. "You need to stop worrying about me. Go, take lots of pictures, and share them with me like you did last year."
She smiles sadly and nods. "I...I will. But...promise me that you'll go with me. To the next dance you can attend."
He nods.
***
"Steady now," Eirika directs, holding out her arms for Lyon to use as support. He shakily stands up, then leans into her. "Do you feel alright?"
Lyon grins, bigger than she's seen all night. "I've never been better, Eirika. Thank you. This is wonderful."
She feels his hands press into her shoulders, and she lets hers rest at his hips, ready to catch him if he starts to fall. So many times, she's feared that she made her last memory with Lyon, but now, he's more lively than he's been in years.
So many times, she's said goodbye, figuring it would be her last, but he always found a way to keep pushing through and live to see another day.
So many times, she's tried to move on, to find someone that has a brighter future, but no matter what she did, she found herself being drawn back to her best friend.
***
"I broke up with him," Eirika says before she made it through the door. She sits down next to Lyon's bed and buries her head in her knees.
"Do you want to talk about it?" Lyon asks quietly. There's conflict in his voice.
"I didn't love him," she whispers, looking up at Lyon with tears in her eyes. His expression shifts to one of concern, and he slowly sits up and slides off of his bed, joining Eirika on the carpet. He hugs her as tightly as he can, and she gently pushes him back so she can rest her head on his chest. She hears his heartbeat--so faint. She starts to sob. He wipes her tears away from her eyes.
***
With a burst of strength, Eirika reaches underneath Lyon's arms and hoists him in the air. He's startled at first, but quickly begins to laugh jovially. He's so happy; it makes her heart soar. She wants Lyon to always be like this--to be full of life, but she realizes that even if he's really on his death bed, she wants to be by his side, making him smile.
"E-Eirika? Are you alright? You're staring off into space," he tells her from above. That's not totally true. She was staring at him.
She slowly lowers him back to his feet, but she keeps her arms secure behind his back, holding him against her. "Lyon, I..." she mumbles. There's so much she wants to say--so many ways she wants to tell him that he matters more to her than anyone else, but all she manages to say is a soft, "I love you."
He starts to cry. "They're happy tears," he assures her. "I just...never thought I'd...make it to this day..." She wipes his tears away, like he used to do for her.
"No matter what life brings, knowing that I can be with you until the end puts me at ease," she says, resting her forehead against his. Eirika almost giggles when Lyon's eyes close and he shyly leans towards her. She kisses her best friend like it's the most natural thing in the world.
Eirika vows to make more happy memories like this to outweigh the sorrowful ones. Whether Lyon has years or days left with her, she'll stay with him until the end.