Work Text:
I am cold…
snow is falling…
chains like soldiers of ice tighten around my throat
Thousands of people pass by…
thousands of thoughts drill into my mind…
I am being flung apart…
I have gone mad…
I am lost
As Aki’s mind yielded his body to the Gun Devil
his soul turned back one last time
and looked at the shell he no longer fit inside
In this lifetime
what had he lived for
and for how long?
He had only wanted to protect
the things that deserved
Each time he saw something worth keeping
he wanted to die for it
He wanted to hide the wreckage of his home into the lining of his suit
But my son… who will be there to protect you?
In the heart of this chaos
he remembered the angel
Oh that Angel
the one who spoke of wanting to die
yet was terrified of killing.
I had loved him.
He smiled.
I had loved him.
Ah…
I ….
I had..
I (silently)
had (unconsciously)
loved (dreadingly)
him… (helplessly)
Now, as Makima’s cold chains loosened within his mind
he stood face to face with his misfortune
that stole the breath from his lungs
As his soul bid farewell to its case
death freed his will from the devil’s grasp
Heart cried out its truth one final time
Ah, Aki…
you had loved him.
You had loved him
Like a forbidden glance lingers
in shared pauses
in the way daily conversations softened
with jokes that learned tenderness
while looking the other way
while letting your counted days pass
as if time were merciful
as if time could ever have been merciful
You had loved his untouched soul
his mocking words and timid eyes
with a heart beating beneath his careless air
But you never dared to know
You were still that child waiting for those gloves
The ones your brother couldn't bring
The ones you couldn't wear to touch Angel
Aki looked at his fate, pleading
The Future Devil watched him, laughing
Just one more minute…
give me one minute
to love the one I love
This time knowing that I love him…
It was too late now.
Now, dying was required.
And yet
he was at peace.
I am finally dying
With the sound of snow covering the ruins
As the grown Aki closed his eyes to absence
his childhood put on his coat
and ran into the snow
for one last game.