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“I can’t protect you from this. Go!”
“I’m not leaving you trapped here killing the world while I watch!”
“If you stay, you’ll die!”
“Then I’ll die!”
“NO! Martin please! I can’t lose you. Not like this..”
“Tough! Okay? Where you go, I go!”
“That’s the deal.. Okay.”
“What?”
Jon’s face was not confident, but it was determined.
“Do it! The knife’s just there. Let them go.”
“I’m not going to kill you!” Martin sobbed.
“Cut the tether. Send them away.”
Jon paused.
“Maybe we both die. Probably. But maybe not. Maybe- maybe everything works out, and we end up somewhere else.”
“Together?”
“One way or another. Together.”
“Are you sure about this..?”
“No, but I love you.”
Martin’s heart wrenched, and he let out a small sob.
“I love you too.”
And he kissed Jon, distracting both of them from the blade he stabbed into his lover’s body.
Jon let out a sharp cry, and Martin a loud sob, and then it was silent.
Martin groaned quietly at the headache pounding at his skull. Wherever he was, it was uncomfortable, though the birds chirping in the distance were pleasant. He felt bony arms around his torso in a rather strong embrace and a head resting on his chest. The breath of the person was warm, but erratic- they were crying. Whoever was wrapped around him was sobbing against Martin’s body, fingers clutching his sweater in a bone-breaking grasp.
“Hey- hey hey- what- what’s--”
Martin paused when he saw who it was. Everything flooded back.
“Oh- oh Jon- Jon we- we’re okay!” Martin sighed, smiling as he wrapping his arms around Jon and sat the both of them up.
“Not- Not quite-”
Jon’s voice was rough and broken. It sounded as if he’d been weeping for a century.
“How do you mean..? We’re alive.. You’re here, you’re safe. I’m safe.”
“We’re.. Martin.. We’re not alive. Wherever this is.. It’s. It's the afterlife. Not hell nor heaven, but it’s not limbo either. I don’t- I- I don’t quite know where we are but I do know we’re dead.”
Martin was silent for a long while, the silence only filled by the chirping birds hidden away in the surrounding sky.
“Oh.. Are- Are you hurt- oh- Christ Jon I’m so sorry- I didn’t want-”
Martin began to sob as Jon hushed him, a scarred hand running through his hair as he rested their foreheads together.
“Martin- Martin, love, darling. It’s okay. I told you to and you didn’t have another choice. I’m not hurt anymore. Neither are you.”
Jon explained, a sad smile on his face that Martin couldn’t see through his watery eyes.
“But I-”
“Martin.” Jon interrupted, one hand on each side of Martin’s face now as he pulled away.
“I told you to do it. If anyone was going to do it, it had to be you. You just did as I told. Thank you, by the way.”
Jon thought Martin had gone silent, lacking the words, but Martin let out a sob, and Jon realized he’d been holding it in. Jon’s eyes welled up as he wiped away Martin’s tears. The bigger man wrapped himself around Jon, body shaking with sobs that Jon joined in. Martin’s tears were hot and wet on Jon’s neck, but Jon’s were the same on Martin’s chest. They stayed like that for what could have been hours, (who knew if time even worked here?) before either of them could speak. It was Martin’s voice to end the silence, broken and raspy.
“We’re safe now, right?”
“I can’t See anything anymore, but I.. I suppose we are. Yes. We are safe, Martin.”
Jon rubbed Martin’s back, his breathing slowly returning back to normal.
“Thank fuck..”
Jon let out a snort at the sudden profanity, something he’d have to get used to with Martin. And then there was a voice- no, two voices. They were calling out, calling to the two men on the ground.
“Jon! Martin! Over here!” the feminine voice called.
“Hey guys!” the masculine one called.
Jon and Martin pulled away from one another with wide, hopeful eyes. Jon looked past Martin to the source of the voices, and he smiled, tears filling his eyes again. Martin turned around as well, and he gasped, letting go of Jon, who was already attempting to stand.
The voices had belonged to Tim and to Sasha.
“Tim!”
“Sasha!”
The two were running at the others now, finally reaching them. They paused, staring in disbelief.
“You made it.” Sasha beamed, flinging herself around the two bewildered men. Tim soon joined in, though a little hesitant.
“We’ve been watching- not to sound creepy.” Tim said quietly, voice weak.
“Tim was upset with you, Jon, when he first got here, but…”
“I know it wasn’t quite all you.. It’s- I understand.”
Jon let out a small, weak laugh, and he sniffled.
“I- I still shouldn’t have stalked you, though. That was too far,” Jon apologized as he pulled away from the hug. He was never good with hugs. Tim didn’t disagree, but he told Jon it was alright. He forgave him.
“How about we talk by the water, hm?” Sasha suggested, and Jon said it sounded good.
They began walking, and now that Martin got the chance to, he looked around. The uncomfortable ground they’d been lying on was sand, warm and soft, but not for sleeping. The birds they’d heard were from the nearby meadow, a warm green with grass swaying in the breeze, and from overhead- which he’d been blinded by when he looked for the birds. The sun was out, and warm on his pale skin. He almost worried he’d get sunburnt.
“The sun feels nice.. Does it burn?” Martin asked quietly, hand in hand with Jon.
“Hm.. not that I’ve noticed,” Tim spoke. “Do I look like a lobster?”
Sasha giggled, happy she didn’t have to deal with much sunburn with her darker complexion.
“No, no you look like you.”
Martin felt Jon squeeze his hand, and squeezed back. He had to make sure Jon was still there, and it seemed Jon felt the same. He looked down at Jon, smiling gently. Jon smiled back with wet eyes.
Martin looked out over the water. It was a carribean blue-green, and he even thought he saw a dolphin in the distance. He had the faintest thought that he’d been here before, but it sure wasn’t with such great people.
“So.. how was death?” Jon asked awkwardly.
“Well I went boom boom.. So.. it was over fairly quickly,” Tim joked, seemingly having left behind his pain and trauma from his death.
“I don’t particularly want to talk about it.” Sasha shrugged, and Tim kissed the top of her head.
“Yeah- that- that was a stupid question, I’m sorry.” Jon huffed in embarrassed amusement, looking down at the sand. He’d taken off his shoes while they’d walked, not wanting sand in them, and the ground was warm under his toes.
“So.. you two huh? I always knew Martin would get you,” Tim grinned.
Martin looked happy, but embarrassed, and pulled Jon closer to him.
“You did,” Jon’s eyebrows furrowed with confusion, and turning to Martin, said,“Martin- how long did you fancy me?”
Martin only blushed deeper, before laughing awkwardly.
“Er.. you remember that dog situation..?”
Jon blinked. Did he?
“Remind me of it..? I don’t believe so,”
“I let a dog into the archives by accident?”
Jon paused again.
“That was.. Martin that was ages ago! You’re kidding!”
Tim cackled at the shock on Jon’s face.
“Not a bit, dead serious.”
“I- I was an absolute arse to you! How- Why? ”
“I dunno,” Martin shrugged. Tim and Sasha were watching in amusement, laughing quietly. “You were pretty.”
“I was pissy.”
“Yeah and you’re adorable when you’re pissy.”
Jon rolled his eyes, though the smile on his face gave away his enjoyment.
“Didn’t I tell you I am not and never will be adorable?”
“Yyyyeeess.. But you are, so suck it up, Buttercup.” Martin pulled Jon into his lap, who yelped, before laughing and settling down.
“You two fit together like puzzle pieces. I’m glad you worked out in the end.” Sasha smiled widely.
“And, bonus points, stopped the apocalypse!”
Sasha whispered something that sounded like “Not the lime” to him, and he apologized quietly.
“Well.. what shall we do? I suppose we have all the time in the world, don’t we?” Sasha pointed out.
“Yes.. I- I suppose we do.” Jon replied.
And thus, the reunion of the co-workers, now family, sat by the water’s edge, holding one another in a gentle peace. From here on, everything was perfect, everyone was safe. They’d have emotions to work through and trauma to face, but they’d be alright.