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Marc ran across the sand, searching desperately for any sign of Steven. He wasn’t going to stay in the Field of Reeds while Steven suffered. Never in a million lifetimes would he leave behind the one who had protected him, shielded him from harm.
The one who had saved him.
The one whom he loved.
He saw a dark shape half-buried in the sand and ran towards it. Approaching it, he found Steven, partially covered in sand. He walked up to him slowly. “Looking pretty rough there, man,” he joked, trying and failing to hide the tremor in his voice.
He knelt before Steven. Steven’s eyes were glazed and empty, his face and body covered in a gray crust. “I don’t know if you can hear me,” Marc said. “From the moment you arrived, way back then, we were so young. You saved me.” He looked into Steven’s eyes, glazed over and seeing nothing. Steven’s hand was still outstretched, reaching for Marc in a futile gesture.
“I survived because I knew I wasn’t alone. You were always there, alive, full of hope.”
Marc looked at Steven, tears welling up in his eyes. “And I tried to protect that, and I failed. I couldn’t protect you.” He tried to reach his hand up to grasp Steven’s, but it was pulled back down to the sand. The sand was creeping up his body, encasing his lower half in a hard crust. “But you didn’t abandon me. You didn’t abandon me,” he said, the tears now spilling down his face and landing in the sand below.
“And although that field back there was looking…it was looking pretty good…” he said with a watery laugh. “There is no way in hell I’m going to abandon you.”
The sand was higher up now, all the way to his neck, slowly covering him. He looked at Steven. “You are the only real superpower…I ever had,” he managed to force out before the sand claimed him. Just before it did, he managed to lift his hand with sheer force of will and place his stone heart in Steven’s outstretched hand.
Darkness. Endless nothingness, stretching on for eternity. It was silent here, no sound whatsoever, just Marc alone with himself.
Then, suddenly, light.
Marc’s eyes blinked open slowly. The first thing he saw was Steven, who gasped as the sand crumbled off of his face and he was freed from its grip.
“Marc?” Steven asked in a tremulous voice, looking as if he could hardly believe the sight he was seeing. Marc stared back at him, drinking in Steven’s bright eyes and beautiful face. They both struggled to their feet, still holding hands tightly.
“You came back? What the hell’s wrong with you?” Steven asked breathlessly. Marc laughed. “Well I did a whole little speech there,” he said with a grin. Steven shook his head, smiling.
“It wasn’t that little.”
Marc laughed out of sheer joy and pulled Steven into a tight embrace. Steven hugged him back with equal strength. They pulled apart and their lips crashed together. It was a messy, rushed kiss, but Marc was just happy to have Steven back.
He held Steven in his arms tightly, knowing that they needed to go but never wanting to leave.