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Death was an old friend to Theo.
It wasn’t as if the concept was anything new to them. Almost every person in their life abandoned them, usually by being killed, so it wasn’t exactly new.
Moreover, Theo thought death itself was quite…beautiful.
It was an inevitable force that every being- human or otherwise- would succumb to, something that binds people together as well as breaking them apart. The only truth in this universe of delicate falsehoods.
And now, teetering on the edge of reality with their consciousness on the way to the infinite abyss, they couldn’t help but still find death beautiful.
Yet they felt the grayness in their body spread to cover the last of their face, they couldn’t help but feel bitter.
They had come to terms with the fact that they would die long ago, understood when it would happen all too recently. So why did they feel so… empty, when it was their time?
Maybe it was the sad realisation that nobody would miss them.
The realisation that everything they had worked for was for nothing. That nobody would care, would bother to come to the funeral that Stark was working on. Even after doing so much harm and finding so many ways to help, Theo knew that their name would only end up a faint stain on the Organisations perfectly crafted persona.
Well, at least they managed to burn one of those stupid buildings down.
The rotting colour was taking over now, cracking across their bones. The real world had started fading into darkness as it spread across their right eye.
The hallway seemed clearer than ever now, the people inside it marching onwards to the afterlife. Soon, Theo would join them, in the final stretch to see their fate.
Would they be reborn? Or maybe the universe would reflect on all of their sins and send them down to hell. Maybe all those god awful preachers would be right about that place.
Maybe they would be allowed to see the stars. Theo had always wondered how they looked like up close.
Soot stained their lungs and creeped into their heart.
The darkness was welcoming now. Freedom from the neverending headache this painful existence granted them. They couldn’t see anything, but the sounds of the busy city were still roaring in the distance.
Vaguely, they remembered someone saying that sound was the last sense to go when dying. Well, that at least seemed to be true.
As they embraced their final moments, Theo’s sadness and pain melted away, and they felt the numbness the gray brought spread into their very soul.
Their unfeeling lips twitched as a sense of calm and strange… joy washed over them.
Maybe they wouldn’t be missed, or even remembered, but fuck if they didn’t make the best of their shitty life. They knew that someday they would meet Vi in the hallway, Sev and all the others too.
By then, Theo vowed to be ready to help them. To support them through the darkness of the now fully brightened hallway and tell them that it would all be okay. That Theo was here now, and would be here for all eternity with them.
Their heart beat one final time, and then there was nothing.
———
When the fuzziness subsided, Theo opened their eyes to see… the end of the hallway?
They tried to look around them, although it was possible they weren’t supposed to be able to see because everything seemed to be changing and moving around them.
They felt two small hands grab onto their left leg.
“Are you okay?”
Turning around brought a little girl into view.
She couldn’t have been more than five, the- light? Was that what it was?- highlighting her squishy, soft features. The most prominent being the blood dripping from a gash in her head.
Theo remembered her. They had guided her to the afterlife a couple days previously.
“I…” Their voice came out scratchy, and they cleared their throat to try again.
“I’m… fine. Why are- why are you still here? I thought…”
The little girl smiled at them kindly, a sort of pure care in their eyes that only a child could show.
“We came back for you!!” She giggled.
Came… back for them?
Wait… we?
Theo looked behind her and was shocked at the sight of what had to be hundreds of people. People of all ages and genders smiling at them like Theo was something to be cared for, something to be loved.
“I… I don’t understand.”
A kind old man hobbled up to them, sporting a bright red glow from somewhere inside their chest.
Heart attack, Theo remembered. He told them that he had a heart attack while they were helping him through the hallway.
“You were so nice to us in our time of need, dear. The stars gave us a chance to return the favour.” He smiled at them like it was the easiest thing in the world.
Theo felt tears welling up in their eyes. All of these people- Theo had helped them because the opportunity was there, sure. They hadn't- they didn’t think that all of them would do the same.
It felt… it felt so, so nice. It felt like the kind of affection Theo hadn’t felt in- since fucking birth probably.
They felt a hand brush away their tears.
Looking up brought them the sight of a young adult only slightly older than Theo. They had a magnitude of bruises all over, but their face held only warmth.
“It’s okay. We’re here for you now. All of us.”
It took all of their willpower to not break down at that moment.
They nodded, not trusting themselves to speak, and the kind person smiled at them taking their right hand.
Theo felt then what can only be described as a pure rush of joy as suddenly, a big, fluffy blur barreled into their legs.
They looked down to find a white dog running around their legs in an eight figure, and finally let out a laughing sob.
Instantly they were surrounded by people. Someone raised up the dog and Theo gladly took it into their arms, hugging it so tightly that if they weren’t in the afterlife they would probably have been concerned about it’s health.
They found themselves being led to the doorway, and allowed themselves to shut their eyes and just feel for a minute.
Who cares what came after that? Who cares what came before? Right now, Theo was happy, and that was all that mattered.
Death was an old friend to Theo. And it was worth the fucking wait.