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The crackling of the flames in the fireplace soothed your mind as you snuggled up to Subspace.
"Long day today, Subspace? How's work at the lab?"
The masked scientist glanced up at you with a groggy expression.
"Hm?? Oh...not too bad..."
He yawned.
"...just the usual lab stuff. There was also this chemical that somehow melted through the vial today...just a poison I'm working on currently. Reacted with another reagent and nearly burnt down the lab. It smelt funny too...but hey, the Biografts helped me clean it up!!"
You couldn't see it through his mask, but judging by his one visible eye closing and his cheekbones raising, you could tell he was smiling.
"I love you, (Y/n)...I feel so tired right now..."
"Awww...I love you too, Subspace...tomorrow's Christmas...wanna go to that one cat cafe? So you can catch a break?"
Subspace nuzzled into the crook of your neck. his warm breath lightly tickling your collarbone.
"I'd love that, dear..."
Subspace fell asleep in your arms as you lay on the couch, watching the flames dance around the firewood, the bright, formless shapes slowly reducing the wooden sticks to nothing but ashes.
The crackling of the flames and their mesmerising movements distracted you from the fact that your boyfriend was barely breathing.
The following morning, you woke up to your boyfriend still lying beside you.
He looked so damn adorable to you. His one visible eye was closed, and a few strands of his soft hair fell over his face. Sometimes you wished you could remove his gas mask just to caress his cheek…but he told you before not to do it, and you wanted to respect his wishes.
You gave your boyfriend a loving kiss on the forehead as you slowly slid off the couch, careful not to wake him up.
“Merry Christmas, love.”
You walked into the kitchen so that you could start preparing breakfast for the two of you.
Subspace couldn’t taste anything and always insisted on eating whatever was available, but you decided to change that today. You woke up earlier than him, and this time you'd get a say as to what he would eat.
And this time, you were determined to make him something a little more filling instead of just a slice of bread or two. You wanted to make him eggs and bacon- a dish he absolutely loved eating before the entire lab incident.
During those days, when you were cooking breakfast, Subspace would look at you with those pleading puppy eyes to make him bacon and eggs, completely disregarding and ignoring whatever alternatives you offered.
And you being you, you couldn’t resist his cute expression.
It was unlike him to enjoy such a simple dish, but hey- you still loved him.
As you were cooking in the kitchen, you felt a tug on your sleeve.
You turned to your left and was met with the sight of your beloved boyfriend standing next to you.
“Darling? Can we not have pancakes today? Do we have any more eggs left?”
You laughed, amused at his groggy, half-asleep expression.
“Subspace, you’ve been eating that same old thing for a week now. When will you ever get sick of it?”
“…never…so are there any eggs left?”
“Probably. But could you try something else for a change?"
Subspace hugged your side, his actions sluggish in his given state.
"I don't wanna...please, babe?"
He looked at you with those loving eyes...that loving expression on his face you could never resist.
You sighed, admitting defeat.
"Fine, fine, I’ll go prepare it for you later…I love you, Subspace. I always will.”
You couldn't say no to his request. To others, Subspace was a renowned scientist who made multiple contributions to Blackrock. They saw him as someone who had helped Blackrock advance their military, someone who had helped multiple residents improve their lives for the better. He was a hardened scientist who pushed through many sleepless nights to make Blackrock a slightly better place than the day before.
To you, Subspace was just an adorable bean you would not hesitate to kill for.
Your boyfriend was too adorable, too precious for this world...and you couldn't help but wrap your arms around his figure in a hug.
"I love you, Subspace..."
Subspace didn't reply, but his actions said it all. You felt his arms slowly move from his side to wrap around your waist.
“…I love you too, babe…what’s that smell?”
A glance at the stove and the steady flow of smoke was all it took for you to get your answer.
“NO- my pancakes!”
You recalled the memory with such fondness. Even after the laboratory disaster your boyfriend went through, he was still the same loving demon you knew. Sure, he acted like a crazed scientist sometimes, but you knew your boyfriend was still the same sweetheart you knew all those years ago.
You spent more than an hour trying to make breakfast...because you spent 45 minutes looking back on and reminiscing about the past.
As you set the last piece of bacon on the plate, you smiled to yourself.
"Honey? Breakfast's ready!"
Usually, when you made breakfast for him, he'd immediately come rushing to the kitchen just to scarf down whatever you prepared for him with his signature grin on his face.
But just like you had different plans for Subspace, fate had different plans for the two of you.
This time, there wasn't a single sound coming from the living room. The fire was extinguished right before you fell asleep, but you wished the therapeutic crackling of the flames followed you into the early hours of the morning for a bit of comfort.
"Honey?"
Still no response. Now you were concerned.
Was he okay?
You, being the concerned girlfriend you were, went outside to check on him.
You shook him.
"Subspace? Please...wake up!"
You half-expected him to jump at you with that big, goofy grin on his face that you loved seeing so much. You expected to jump backwards in fright from the scare, only for Subspace to catch you in his arms as he pressed his lips to yours in a tender kiss.
But that moment never came. Upon further inspection, you mentally facepalmed at your ignorance, cursing at yourself for not seeing the signs that something was wrong.
The once hot pink crystal floating above Subspace was nothing more but a dull pink, most of the colour gone. The once gleaming radiance of the crystal was now nothing but a dull glow.
You immediately checked his pulse. It was there...but barely. You sprinted to your phone, nearly tripping over your own feet in a frenzied panic. A quick dial later, you were arranging for an ambulance to the nearest hospital.
All you could do then was simply cradle your boyfriend's near-lifeless body in your arms and pray to whichever deity would listen.
Beep...beep...beep...
The steady sound of the hospital monitors filled the room. It had been like that for the past few hours or so.
When the doctors in the ambulance did a more thorough check on him, they determined that Subspace needed emergency surgery. You were not sure why, but they said that it was due to "severe poisoning".
Now, here you were, seated on a chair next to your still-unconscious boyfriend, waiting for the doctors to return with whatever results they had to offer. You sat in your chair, glancing at your boyfriend from time to time, hoping that the crystal between his horns would shine bright like it once did.
The sound of the door opening pulled you out of your thoughts. One of the doctors walked into the room...and he had a grim expression on his face.
"Doctor! How is he?"
The doctor let out a sigh. One that carried not hopes for the future, but carried acceptance- a sign that they had tried everything, and yet...
"I'm sorry. Your beloved will not make it."
And that was the nail in the coffin for you- the statement that confirmed your worst fears.
"Can I say goodbye to him, at least? Will he wake up?"
"No. He won't wake up. We've done a thorough and complete checkup on him. His given condition- his rot, that is, somehow reacted with more fumes inside his body. We've investigated them, and it seems that these fumes were inhaled quite recently. Regardless, it has worsened his state, causing the majority of his body to either shut down or stop working entirely. You have two choices. He does not have any known family members, so we'll leave this decision to you."
At the doctor's next words, you did not want to say anything. You did not want to accept that this was your reality- these were two decisions that you could not choose between. You knew that none of these choices would be a correct decision...they would all have harsh downsides.
"Either we pull the plug now and he dies a peaceful death, or we can give him further treatment to try and save him. The chances of his survival from this point on are low, and even if he does survive and wake up, the rest of his life will likely be painful for him to endure."
You loved Subspace...you loved him so much, and you didn't want to let him go just yet. There was so much you wanted to do with him. You wanted to finally stay with him instead of one of you just staying over at the other’s house for sleepovers now and then. You wanted to travel the Inpherno with him, just to see all the marvels the world had to offer. You wanted to be by his side for the rest of your life and wake up by his side just to hug him close to you, praising the gods for such a wonderful spouse.
And now you couldn't. Not with Subspace's condition.
You didn't want to let him go just yet.
But then again, you loved him. You wanted the best for him.
And the best route for him to go down wasn’t one where he’d be suffering for the rest of his life.
You wanted him to live happily, not live in constant pain.
You knew your decision.
December 31. Almost a week after you made your decision.
Snowflakes fell from the sky outside, coating the ground in a layer of snow.
Within the comfort of your house, the flames crackled in the fireplace, consuming everything it touched.
But even the mesmerising movements of the flames couldn’t distract you from your thoughts. Not after what happened.
Beep…
That final, high-pitched sound. That damn, cursed sound. You knew that single beep would haunt you for years to come. What you did was for your boyfriend’s sake, but at what cost?
“5…4…3…2…1…HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!”
You could hear the cheers of Blackrock’s residents from your home as fireworks were launched into the air, painting the black canvas of the sky with bursts of vibrant colour.
“Happy New Year, Subspace…”
A tear trickled down your cheek as you hugged a small photo frame to your chest.
It was the last photo you had of Subspace. A photo you took with him one day before his death.
“…I’ll always love you.”