Work Text:
"And I shall slaughter you, just as I did her." You saw red whenever this man spoke, and you knew he was just trying to get under your skin.
Rafal had his arms outstretched, a wicked smile on his face.
As a Never, you adored the thought of Evil winning. But the way he treated your friends and your love, you'd do everything in your power to be sure that he doesn't walk the Earth.
But you knew something he didn't, you had the Excalibur. You smiled inwardly at the way his aggravating smirk faded as you revealed the sword.
It took everything within you to defeat Rafal. You had nearly collapsed from his strength, but you needed to prevail. Not for you, but you needed to win for Lesso. You needed her to know that love fights for you, not with you.
Ironically, you felt as if you could finally breathe once Rafal was lying on the floor, abdomen sliced open all thanks to you.
You were hunched over, the pain from your wounds and the absence of breath in your lungs was almost overwhelming. But you noticed something, something that helped you ignore it all.
You looked up to see the redhead, the amazing fierce Dean of Evil, looking around the disarrayed room before her eyes finally landed on you.
"We did it." Your words did nothing to hide the breathlessness and exhaustion you were feeling.
"No, you did it." She clarified.
You stood up and began walking to her as she made no attempts to walk towards you, "I'm so glad to see you. Everything I do, I do for you."
She smiled softly, "I wish there was a way to thank you for all you've done for me."
You looked in her eyes, "I just want to leave with you, to go anywhere but here."
"Darling-"
"We can now, we can do it! We can go and live our lives together."
"No, we can't."
You were beyond confused, to say the least, "What? Why not?"
"Darling, I'm not... I'm not here."
"No... NO! YOU CAN'T LEAVE ME. Where- where are you?" You stuttered as the realization hit you.
You knew your power was to be able to see and communicate with the dead, but you never thought it would be as cruel as it was to play this trick on you.
"I'm just in the corridor, I was on my way to you-"
You didn't let her finish as you ran out to her. You kept running, not caring that you still hadn't caught your breath and certainly not caring about your sore body.
You kept running until you saw a familiar figure, lifeless on the corridor floor. Your lip instantly quivered as tears silently fell down your face.
You slowly crept closer, afraid of the reality laid before you. But then she reappeared next to you.
You desperately wanted to face her, to see her as you remembered her but that's not fair. You knew that wasn't how things would get to be.
"I never wanted to leave you like this."
You couldn't believe that Rafal had actually spoken the truth, the cruel truth that you never wanted to face.
You were frozen in your spot, only just a few steps away, staring at what was once your lover. Her spirit beside you, broken at seeing how destroyed you currently are.
"Please, say something," Lesso pleaded, never has she seen you so defeated, so hurt, so lost at what to do.
But you knew just what had to be done.
"I have no other choice."
Lesso was confused but remained silent to watch you continue.
You hesitantly kneeled beside her, your heart breaking all over again as you saw her pale face even paler than you've seen before. No emotions to be found on her face, at this moment, your decision was solidified.
You pushed a strand of hair out of her face, placing it gingerly behind her ear.
Her spirit watched on, knowing she couldn't do anything to console you. She tried with words, but she knew that hearing her words while seeing her in the way she was, meant nothing.
You placed one of your hands on her head, and the other on her chest above her heart. The spirit's confusion only grew.
"What, what are you doing?" Lesso started to feel funny, watching as your eyes closed to stay focused.
"I never told you the extent of my powers." You spoke in just a whisper, knowing she'd vehemently disapprove of your move.
"Okay? You can tell me."
"I can not only communicate and see the dead..." You started to feel woozy, though you weren't in perfect health at the beginning of this you still knew it would work. "I can bring someone back from the dead as well."
"There's-" Lessos spirit felt woozy as well, almost as if she were glitching, and that's when she saw her body twitch the slightest bit. "There's something you're not telling me."
You sighed, not stopping this ritual, "I can only bring back one."
"W-why would you only be able to bring back one?" Though her spirit was fading, her body was getting stronger, it was clear to you both.
Just as it was clear to her that you were fading even more, more than her spirit was and faster than she seemed to.
"Because," Your breathing was labored and your body was feeling heavy. "It's your life, for mine."
Lesso's spirit kept fading and fading fast. But you didn't mind as you saw her body grow stronger.
"Then stop! Don't, please don't do this. It's not worth it!" If Lesso's spirit could cry, it would be balling.
"I don't want to live if I don't get to live a life with you."
Just as you collapsed on the ground beside your lover, her Spirit vanished and her eyes opened.
It all happened so fast, yet it's as if it were in slow motion.
Just as Lesso finally had the strength to sit up and take probably the deepest breath she'll ever manage, she looked over to you, her freshly beating heartbreaking at the sight of you.
Now, you were the lifeless one. Body limp on the ground with flushed features. Your heart no longer pumping, lungs no longer breathing.
"That was so stupid! Why, why would you do that for me?!" Lesso wanted to be angry with you, wanted to be mad at your decision. But she also knew that if she could, she would've done the same thing for you.
Lesso moved closer to you, her heartbreaking down to dust while feeling how rapidly your body was going cold. Though she was still weak, she still found the strength to pull you up on her lap.
"No... you can't leave me too. I can't do this without you. I don't know how..." She's holding your lifeless body, frozen in time.
She mimicked the same move you did, brushing some loose strands of hair from your face. She felt shattered, so broken her body couldn't bring itself to make tears, to make a sound. She wasn't only broken, she was frozen. She didn't look away from your face, not once.
Not when she felt residual pain from her injuries. Not when people came in to see the damage done. Not when Dovey came in to count the survivors and gasped upon seeing her friend entirely a shell of who she once was.
Nothing could take her attention from you.
Nothing else matters.
Not now, not without you.
She is but a bird without a nest, without you. Without you, she has no place, no home, and nowhere she truly belongs anymore.