Work Text:
"Hey, wake up. You need to sign this."
Neil blinked, blearily taking in his surroundings. Brett stood in front of his desk, looking at Neil with a mixture of annoyance and amusement. His desk was a mess of papers and small trinkets that children often gave to him as gifts. He kept every single thing, keeping it on his desk or at his home. Brett uncrossed his arms to set a packet in the center of the mess.
"You should clean this up. I was going to inform you that a town was requesting your presence on a case, but I'll go instead. You clearly need to catch up on work." Brett started to walk out of the office before stopping and turning his head. "You know, you should actually sleep at home instead of bringing work there. Let me or Iris take some of the load off of your back, Captain. We need you in top condition." He left, already calling for Iris to get back to work.
Neil rubbed his eyes and smiled. He couldn't believe how much Brett has changed since he had first joined the force. He didn't hate humans anymore, focusing more on catching the bad than disliking the good. In fact, fifty years ago, he would be shocked that Brett would want to go to a town to talk with locals without Neil accompanying him. He supposed the little girl, Efina, really changed his way of thinking. Well, not so little anymore, Neil thought as he skimmed the papers on his desk.
Teobaldo had died two years ago, that he knew. Efina, now fifty one years old, had asked him to attend the funeral and he complied, even making a temporary truce with the Phantom Thief and her friends. It didn't really matter to bring in the criminal to Neil anymore; she stopped breaking the law long ago, and she had retired since. He was worried as to what Efina would do now that her caretaker was gone, so he had asked her to join the police force. She agreed, and now two years later she was working with Iris in the investigation unit, her skill being interrogation.
For Neil, it was a happy life. He was doing the thing he loved, with people he knew he could trust with his life. It was worth putting up with the endless stream of paperwork and cases to hear Efina and Iris bickering over what pizza toppings to get on the police station's Game Night, to see how much Brett has matured into taking on cases alone and solving them within a week. He wouldn't trade it for anything at all.
***
Neil stood, face void of emotion, as the gunshots went off in succession, as the casket was lowered into the ground. He was only one hundred seventeen when the shot was fired and he went down in the middle of a gun fight. Neil had gotten there too late, he saw the gun being pointed, he had started running forward, shouting at him to move. It was all for nothing, and he watched his subordinate-no, his friend- go down. It was a shot to the head, not even leaving time for last words.
He could hear the suppressed sobs of the two girls next to him as ceremony ended, and he tried to comfort them. Iris's wrinkled face was wet with tears and Neil tried to tell her it's alright, he's in a better place now. He drove the two of them home, making sure they'd be okay before heading home himself. It was only when he was on his own bed, with a framed picture of all of them smiling, standing together in front of the station, did he allow himself to cry. He didn't have to be strong for the others in the privacy of his house, so he cried. He cried and he cursed anything that was listening.
He cursed himself that he was still alive, and that Brett Graves was six feet under the soil, with a tombstone that Neil designed himself. He was only 117, half of his lifespan as a dragon.
***
Neil sat silently in his office, listening to the sounds of unfamiliar voices. He had officially been captain of the force for about 250 years now, and no one was familiar anymore. They were just faces with names attached to them. Iris was gone now, she had lived to about 216 before death finally took her, Efina eventually following. Neil had taken down the pictures of the four of them, wanting to throw them out but finding he couldn't let go of them. They were in a box somewhere; he had forgotten where.
Neil's desk was tidy, empty of of the trinkets that had once adorned it. He had long since stopped visiting the orphanages, either not finding the time or just not feeling up to it. The days passed by, time losing all its meaning. He barely ate anymore, his life became just a cycle. Wake up, work, go home, sleep, repeat.
He sometimes thought of the times when Efina would come to him when she had a bad dream, when Brett would wake him up when he fell asleep on his desk, when Iris would try unsuccessfully to teach him how to interrogate. She had always said he was too nice, and that wouldn't fly with the worst of criminals. He had laughed and didn't think much of it. Now, however, he realized he should have cherished the time they had together more.
***
Neil knew what whatever he tried, it wouldn't work. He used to think of his immortality as a blessing, but now he realized it was a terrible, terrible curse. Yet, he continued trying. Trying to end his life, pulling the trigger only to wake up a few hours later. He began hating himself, telling himself that he was too weak, that he couldn't even let go of his friends and move on. Neil supposed he should go get help, but he could barely get to work in the morning, much less start seeing a therapist. Besides, he told himself, you'll just outlive them anyways. It's better this way.
He had started making a habit of cleaning everywhere. He wasn't exactly sure why, but he would find himself aimlessly wiping his desk, or vacuuming the floor of his bedroom. He was cleaning out his garage when he found a worn box. It was sagging and it had the scent of mold, but Neil brought it into his bedroom anyways. When he opened it, he found faded pictures, and he felt tears leaking from his eyes as he stared at them. He picked a faded photograph up, holding the delicate picture in between his thumb and his pointer finger
They were all standing there, the four of them, drenched in whipped cream. He remembered that day, when Iris and Efina bought ten cans of whipped cream and stationed themselves in Brett's office. Unfortunately, Neil was with Brett when they walked in, immediately getting creamed by a giggling Efina. He could hear Brett's shout of surprise. They had certainly gotten their revenge when Brett wrestled Efina for the can and sprayed her and Iris, sparking a whipped cream war.
Neil blinked away tears as he was pulled into memory after memory, of happiness and playful bickering. As he shifted through photos, he realized just how much he wanted to see them all again. He wanted to see Iris and Brett, Efina and Teobaldo. He even wanted to see the three troublemakers, Teobaldo's siblings. He didn't want to be immortal anymore.
Neil wondered if this is what his caretaker felt like before he appeared.
***
Neil saw himself as seven years old, running and laughing in a field. He knew this was a dream, since the young dragon ran right through him. His caretaker was chasing him, being the "tickle monster." He wished his days were as simple as this, rather than the pain of outliving anyone he ever decides to get close to.
"Neil." Neil whipped around, recognizing the voice almost immediately. The former police captain was standing there, her hair gray and her arms open wide. Without even thinking, he embraced her, his head far over hers.
"I'm sorry, Neil. I'm so sorry." She spoke, pulling him closer. "I realized that I went and did the very thing that lead to you appearing, and I passed on my curse to you." Neil could feel tears, but he didn't care. He had missed her so much.
"This is why I’m here, Neil. I was selfish, and I need to fix my mistakes." They separated, and his caretaker put her hands on his shoulders. "Neil, I'm relieving you of your duties. You no longer have to be the force's captain, and you can rest easy. I won't be mad if you step down, okay?" Neil nodded, and she smiled.
"Then, goodbye for now. You've made me so proud."
When Neil woke up, he felt a light, happy feeling that something has changed for the better, but he wasn't sure what.
***
It was only forty years later did he realize something had changed. Neil was aging, and his injuries were staying and even scarring. He was shocked and scared at first, at the realization that his immortality was fading fast. Eventually, his movements became slower, and the people at his station started suggesting retirement.
Which he did. He stepped down, after over 500 years being captain. He began to travel, trying to visit as many places as he could before death finally came for him. Neil started visiting children's homes again, letting the kids dress him up and play games with him. He wasn't sure what came after death, whether it was just silence or something more, but he was ready for it. After over 500 years on this earth, serving for the greater good of dragons and humans alike, he figured he deserved a break.
***
Neil was younger again. He didn't remember going to sleep, or waking up in this void. He took a few steps forward, squinting to try to see into the darkness.
"Finally. We almost gave up on you."
Neil turned, and there stood Brett and Iris, Brett with his arms crossed in annoyance and Iris grinning like mad. Neil just stood there, staring, until Brett finally shook his head.
"Jeez, Captain. You can probably guess what happened." When Neil didn't respond, Brett rolled his eyes, although his smile betrayed his true feelings. "You're dead, Captain Neil. Everyone's waiting for you. Efina, Teobaldo and his siblings, even those two from the resort, William and Ms. Sophie."
Neil was silent for a few seconds before answering. "Is my ca- I mean, is the former police captain there?" Brett shook his head.
"No, our caretakers chose to be reborn. You can stay in the afterlife for however long you want, and then get reborn. Although, me and Iris managed to find mine before he left." Brett grinned and Iris jumped excitedly.
"We beat him up!" She cheered, pumping her fists in the air. "I even got to kick him in the crotch! I've always wanted to do that do a guy!" Neil smiled, although he made a mental note to not get Iris mad.
"So, everyone's waiting then?" Neil asked, and the two dragons nodded. "Then, let's not waste any more time."
Iris and Brett lead him towards a small light, and his last thought before passing through was nothing lasted forever, not even him.