Chapter Text
The building was crowded. Some had expressions filled of fear and anguish, some had looks of shock and disbelief, while some had faces with glee and a faint calmness.
For Caelus, it was the former, as his one and only was now in the Emergency Room, undergoing a diagnosis. He didn't know exactly how long it's been. It could've been a few minutes, yet it felt like a decade or two.
He didn't even know exactly how his day resulted in this, but that didn't matter to him. All that mattered was finding out exactly what was wrong with her.
Not long after he had that thought, the doors to the ER opened, and out came his friend, a doctor that had been working here for quite a while now. He rushed straight to her.
"Nat, did you find out what happened to her?"
"...Before I tell you, could you come to my office first?"
Her response instilled a cold fear to creep into his mind. If what happened was so serious it needed to be said privately, it wasn't going to be a simple disease. Regardless, they walked over to her office, and once they arrived, they made their way inside.
"Take a seat." she said, with Caelus taking her offer. Silence filled the room for a while, before it was broken by Natasha.
"...I'll get straight to the point. Firefly has...."
_____________
"Woah! Moving a little too fast aren't we? I know you're curious about what happens, but these things require more build up than this. So, let's rewind a little bit so we know exactly what happened, shall we?"
_____________
The afternoon sky gleamed over the world, brightening those who live in it, and giving warmth to those who needed it. Granted, the summer rays can sometimes do more harm than good. Regardless, people push forward with their days, be it with a feeling of sadness, or with a gleeful happiness. Despite what they may feel, they continue to look ahead.
One such person facing the would be Caelus, who is currently facing a rather formidable dilemma. Sometimes, he imagines near impossible things he could be doing right now, be it in a fantasy realm or the reality he lives in. Maybe he has to reignite a city's will to live, maybe he has to carry something in his body not knowing what it may do, or maybe he has to convince an entire dreamscape to wake up while dancing like a pro.
Yet, no fantasy that he could conjure up would compare to his current issue. For the source of all his problems....
Was a small black box in his hand, inside a ring made of silver, with a diamond embedded on it.
Now, how could that be?! It's just a box, what makes it so much harder than any form of conflict he's ever faced in his entire life? Sure inside contains something that could probably fetch a high price when sold, but it was something else.
To put it simply, he was going to ask a simple question to his girlfriend, Firefly. However, now that the time to ask said query finally came, a severe feeling of anxiety began coursing through his body.
Trying to shake off the nervousness in him, he pulled out his phone and called a certain someone using said device.
"Hello?" A voice could be heard from the device in his hand. Truly, modern technology is still a sight to behold.
"Hey, Firefly. Are you ready for today?" he asked.
"Of course! I'm just waiting for you to pick me up." Firefly said, her voice sounding bright and cheerful.
Attempting to hide his nervousness, he responded. "I'll be right there."
After, he hung up.
Yet a part of him wished he didn't.
The trip to Firefly's apartment was an uneventful one, right up until he reached the building. Climbing up the stairs to reach her living quarters, he soon found himself in front of her door. Steeling himself, he knocked the door.
"Firefly?" No response. He knocked again.
"Firefly? Are you in there?" Again, no response. This was when he realized that her door was unlocked. Curious, he opened the door and went inside.
The room was tidy, with not a single trace of any garbage. It was bright, with the windows open and it being a rather bright afternoon. The figurines on her shelf were neatly organized, one depicting a tall white mech, an orange mask adjourning it's face. Nothing really seemed out of the ordinary.
Well, except for Firefly, who was on the ground....
Motionless.
Caelus immediately rushed to her side. He knelt beside her, gently shaking her shoulders.
"Firefly, can you hear me?!" he shouted, his voice trembling.
Yet, there was no response. Panic began to well up inside him, but he forced himself to stay calm. He decided to check for a pulse. It was weak, but she was alive. He quickly called emergency services, urging to send help immediately.
The rest was a blur to Caelus, as he now found himself back at the office of his friend.
________________
"There we go, you're all caught up now! So, now we can finally see what happens. Trust me, I'm just as curious as you, so let's just jump into it."
________________
"....I'll get straight to the point. Firefly has been afflicted by a new disease." she simply stated. Caelus, unable to process exactly what she said, gets agitated.
"What does that mean exactly?!" he shouted.
"Caelus, please calm down! I'll explain everything." she shouted back in response. This successfully silenced him, and he slowly collected himself.
"...Sorry. So, what exactly happened to her?" Caelus asked, after he successfully calmed down.
Natasha took a deep breath, and began explaining.
"We're not sure of the origins of this disease, but Firefly is now suffering from a condition known as the "Entropy Loss Syndrome"."
"Entropy Loss Syndrome?"
"It's a sort of terminal illness, that disrupts the brain's normal processing of reality and dreams. It makes them unable to differentiate between the waking world and dream land, leading to profound psychological distress and physical deterioration. As the disease progresses, the patient becomes more and more detached from reality, eventually slipping into a permanent dream state. It's a very rare condition, and there's currently no known cure." Natasha explained, her voice tinged with worry.
Caelus sat in stunned silence, his mind struggling to comprehend the gravity of the situation. Firefly, his beloved, was facing a disease that threatened to take her away from him, not just physically, but mentally as well.
"What... What can we do?" he managed to say, his voice barely above a whisper.
"We're doing everything we can. We've put her on a treatment plan to manage the symptoms from getting worst. Still, I'm afraid she doesn't have too long to live before it takes her."
"How long... does she have?" he asked, his voice weakening even more.
"... We've never had a patient with Entropy Loss last longer than one month."
Natasha's words hit Caelus like a baseball bat. One month. Just 30 short days. The weight of the news stabbed him like a frozen lance, and he was this close to breaking down right then and there.
However, something fell out of his pocket. It was the box. The box that was once the source of all of Caelus's problems. He reached out to pick it up, as everything clicked together for him.
He won't crumble. That wouldn't be what she wanted. He had to stay strong for her, to cherish every moment they had left together.
Besides, he still hasn't popped the big question after all. So he's not gonna let this stop him.
Determined, he stood up and looked at Natasha in the eyes. "I'll make every second count."
Natasha nodded, seeing the same expression of strength she had always known him for.
"I know you will." she said, as she headed towards the doors of her office.
"Let's go. I'll take you to her room. They should be done by now." she ushered for Caelus to follow, with him doing just that.
The walk was filled with a heavy silence, the seconds blurring together. Until finally, they reached her room.
"I'll wait here outside. Let me know when you're done." she said, with Caelus nodding in response.
Here he was. Beyond this door was his one and only. The love of her life, clinging to a fading life. Still, he wasn't going to let that stop him. He loved her. Nothing's going to change that.
With that, he opened the door.