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To whomever this concerns,
We regret to inform you that, per the verification process conducted by Linkon City Government, Josephine and Caleb Xia have been officially recorded as deceased due to an accident. We kindly request you to bring your valid identification to Linkon City Hall to complete the necessary record adjustments and collect the death certificates.
Thank you for your understanding and cooperation,
Linkon City Hall
You were in denial up until you got that notice in the mail. While you hadn’t had much hope for Josephine considering how far in the house she was, Caleb at least—Caleb had just gone in so there was a chance that he could’ve survived, wasn't there?
But now the city that you worked so hard to protect was out to destroy you. At least, that’s how it seemed.
You were numb through the entire process of completing all the paperwork, going through the unnecessary probing over the incident, the collection of death certificates, and finally the condolences.
Even Zayne, who had accompanied you, left you to your own devices instead of attempting to make you smile like he typically would when you were down.
There were no jokes.
No pep talk.
Nothing.
Why would there be when your world was torn apart?
When you placed under Sylus’ case you didn’t so much as blink when you discovered the situation you had gotten wrapped in. Choosing to brush it off as another punishment for never being honest.
Your only reprieve from the endless hell you were condemned to seemed to be the endless number of wanderers and bounties popping up in the city.
Perhaps Jenna had sensed somethings off because after a few cases of overtime, you were barred from taking cases alone.
Tara had joked that perhaps it would make you closer to Xavier. Something that was the last thing on your mind.
“HEY!”
A shout brought you out of your thoughts, bringing you back just in time for you to dodge a bullet that was on its way to hit an enemy that was approaching you.
Oh.
Right. You were on a mission with Sylus.
“Stay focused if you want to live!”
Did you want to live?
It was a silly thought. You had so much to live for.
Your family.
Who had died.
Your dream.
Of protecting your loved ones. Which you had failed.
Your friends.
The important one having died right in front of your eyes, well within your grasp.
So, did you have much to live for?
It was a stray, borderline—if not completely suicidal thought that crossed your mind. Would you see them again if you let yourself die here?
Before you could make your decision, someone else made it for you.
“Enough.” A booming voice that echoed through the warehouse; a voice that shocked your very core commanded and astonishingly, the soldiers that were hellbent on killing you had... stopped?
The arm that barely held your sword up to block dropped beside you as Sylus stood on guard in front of whoever was approaching you, spitting out the blood that accumulated from the cut on his mouth out.
You could hear the heavy footsteps. Footsteps that sounded familiar but it couldn’t be. It couldn’t be, it couldn’t be, it couldn’t be. He was...
Josephine and Caleb Xia have been officially recorded as deceased... Josephine and Caleb Xia have been officially recorded as deceased... Josephine and Caleb Xia have been officially recorded as deceased...
You muttered the part of the letter under your breath repeatedly, trying to ground yourself like they had taught you in therapy whenever you lost a grip on reality.
But whatever weak grasp you had on reality ceased to exist when the man making the loud footsteps stood in front of you.
Sylus immediately came beside your dazed self, highly defensive while your sword clattered to the floor.
“Ca...Caleb?” Your voice was so soft that you wondered if you even actually spoke.
“Pipsqueak.” The man, who was already taller than you but somehow seemed taller than before, nodded toward you as if it was a normal day. “I thought I told you to always be on your guard.”
The words nearly made you laugh. Nearly. If it weren’t for the fact that the boy you loved that you thought had died came back to life and told you to be on guard around him.
“I...I don’t understand. I thought... What is this? What’s going on? Where have you been? No, are you alright?”
Your mind was running a mile a minute but the most important thing was whether he was okay. When you got to the latter question, you stepped forward without thinking, paying no mind to the soldiers who had suddenly become defensive, and placed your hand on his arm to examine him more closely.
At least, you had tried to until he jerked away from you to your surprise.
“What is this?”
You asked with a hurt expression on your face.
“What? Did you honestly think I would always be the kindhearted boy from your childhood?”
The words were confusing you even more than you already were.
Whenever you allowed yourself to think about a future with Caleb, whether you two were together or not; you had always believed that he would be the kindhearted boy from your childhood.
So why was he saying that he wasn’t?
What had changed?
But instead of answering his question, you decided to pose one to him: “Does that matter?”
The two men gave you a strange look. But you ignored them both.
“Why does that matter?”
Caleb was prepared to speak but you interrupted him before he could speak.
“It doesn’t! It doesn’t matter. What matters is that you’re here, that you’re alive. That you’re home. I thought you were dead, Caleb! I thought you left me and all I had left of you was this stupid necklace.”
You ripped his dog tag from under your uniform into view; words coming out in angry sobs.
“Did you think that I would give a flying fuck about the person you are now?”
There was a long pause, only filled with the sound of your heavy breathing and Sylus’ call of your endearment before Caleb answered you.
“I’m not the good man that you used to know anymore.”
His excuses bothered you immensely. So immensely, in fact, that you had found yourself pinning him against the wall with your hand tightly grasping the collar of his unfamiliar uniform.
“Shut up. Don’t do that to me. Don’t put up some wall like I’m nothing to you.”
Or were you nothing to him?
“Pipsqueak, just listen to me.”
“No, you listen.”
Your finger jabbed his chest.
“I’ve spent my life believing it would be okay if I kept a lid on things that everything would work out. That I could one day watch as you grow old with someone else because you only saw me as that little girl who used to follow you around but these past six months only made me regret how I’ve been living so far.”
Neither man seemed aware of where you were taking things and if you were being honest, you weren’t sure either.
“So, whether you’re the same kindhearted boy from my childhood or not doesn’t matter. What matters is you’re alive.” Your hands still tightly grasped his collar though the furrow in your brow had smoothed out.
“You don’t know how much I’ve missed you.”
Caleb gazed into your eyes for a long while, fists balled to the sides of his body before eventually commanding what seemed to be his team.
“Everybody, out. Now. Escort Mr....” Caleb’s gaze stayed from your face to your discomfort over to where Sylus stood; probing him for his name.
“Don’t act like you don’t know who I am.”
“Escort Mr. Sylus to the compound. We’ll be there shortly.”
The soldiers surrounding them saluted Caleb with solemn expressions.
“As you command, Colonel.”
But there were no sounds of footsteps. Reluctantly tearing your gaze away from Caleb only after tightly grasping his wrist showed Sylus resisting arres-his escort.
“Kitten... Will you be alright with him?”
“I’ll be fine.” You told your partner in crime all while gazing at your childhood friend whose eyes narrowed.
It wasn’t until everyone left did Caleb drop his facade albeit by a smidgen.
“Pipsque-“
“I missed you.” You interrupted, matter of factly, though you could feel the tears welling up.
“I thought you were dead. Everyone thinks you’re dead. I have all your stuff as next of kin but... All those condolences and pitying looks... What were they for?”
“I’m sorry. They said-“
“I didn’t tell you this for you to apologise. I just want to know how? Why? Are you... Are you leaving... Again? Leaving me?”
“...”
“This was the only way to protect you. Linkon isn’t... Linkon isn’t what it seems. All those missions you’re going on serve a bigger purpose.”
“You’re trying to tell me that you pretended to be exploded to smithereens in front of my eyes to protect me?”
“It wasn’t my plan. I wasn’t... I wasn’t the one that was supposed to be in there with Josephine.” Caleb hesitated as he told you.
“It was me? I was supposed to be the one to die that day?”
The silence, something that had you had grown accustomed to since his disappearance, was deafening.
“They thought you were a danger to the mission. Being so close to me was putting the mission–and you in danger. It was either me or you.”
“And you chose for me.”
“I couldn’t watch you die!”
“And I could?” You shouted back, angry at him, really angry.
This wasn’t like that time where he purposely ruined a date for you or when ate your favourite popsicle or put your stuffed polar bear in the wash with his red hoodie. No, this was a level of anger that you had always thought was impossible with Caleb.
“You thought I could watch the man I love die in front of me? For me?”
Caleb swallowed harshly at your words.
“Don’t... Don’t say that.”
“Why not?” You asked defiantly. “I have to listen to the man that I’ve been in love with for years tell me that his death was nothing compared to anything else? Like my heart didn’t get ripped out and smashed along with what I thought was his body?”
Your laughter came out in sporadic bursts, making you feel like you’ve gotten mental.
“I knew you were something but you’re a real piece of work, you know that?”
“Don’t say that you love me. Not now. Not after everything. Not when I’m that boy anymore.”
Through the pained expression seemed to be a glimmer of something that you couldn’t identify. Caleb seemed almost fearful, though of what, you weren’t sure.
“It doesn’t matter if you’re not that boy anymore.”
Your tone came off possessively, and perhaps that really was how you felt because it was as though he would slip What’s right through your fingers if you so much as blinked.
“Of course it matters,” Caleb sputtered. “Do you think falling in love with a boy means he'll be the same one you fell in love with when he’s a man?”
“It doesn’t matter, Caleb.” You shook your head, refusing to listen to his words. “When you fall in love with a boy, you have to fall in love with the man too, don't you?”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
You drew closer, grip loosening on his collar until eventually you were caressing his chest.
“It means I fell for you in first place and it won’t stop over such a silly matter like a strange separation. I’m confident that I can love you however you are.”
Caleb was in a state of complete disbelief. Why, you couldn’t be sure.
Truthfully the real reason you were so confident about it was because though he seemed different, Caleb still felt familiar at his core. After all, despite the year separation, he still worried about you like he used to.
So... He was still your Caleb, wasn’t he?
“You’re serious.” He stated breathlessly.
You nodded, suddenly feeling nervous by the admission.
“You’ll always be Caleb to me. And I’ll always be your pipsqueak, won’t I? “
The words came out more hopeful than you cared to admit but you made sure to keep your gaze firmly on his.
There was a long pause where Caleb attempted to speak a few times before ultimately letting out a chuckle; a smile tinkering at the edges of his lips.
“Always.” His voice came out a little brokenly but you paid no mind. Bursting into your own bright smile, you jumped into his arms with a squeal.
“Welcome home. Don’t leave ever again.”
“’m home, pipsqueak. And I’ll try not to.”
You stayed in the warmth of his secure hold for what seemed like ages in comfortable silence that was filled with only the sound of your heartbeats.
“Caleb?”
“Hmm?”
“I told you that I love you but you never said anything back. Is this your way of...”
It wasn’t Caleb’s hand on your cheek that tilted your head up to gaze at him. Rather, it was his evol.
Your words interrupted; one moment you were gazing into his amethyst eyes and the next you could feel a cool warmth stealing your breath away.
Your eyes fluttered closed, relying on his body to keep you steady as you begun to lose yourself in the kiss.
“I love you.” Caleb answered your unspoken question, fingers playing with the stray strands of your hair like he usually would for stimulation. Then, as if he knew what you really wanted to hear, Caleb rested his forehead against yours after pressing his lips softly against it, “I won’t leave you alone again.”