Chapter Text
A heart’s job was to beat.
It didn’t have to do anything else besides beating, pumping, and keeping the Paladin and all his friends intact and alive. So why did he feel like dying every time he opened his eyes and was somehow still breathing despite the aching pain?
In the end, everyone got a happy ending. No matter how many times the truth was denied, the Storyteller, in a gallant attempt to write the happy endings for everyone else, had forgotten himself in the pursuit of closure.
“Mr Wheeler?”
Mike jolted with a start. In front of him, a young intern was carefully placing a steaming cup of coffee onto the wobbly table beside his chair.
“We’re sorry for the wait. The technician said it will be another five before it begins.”
“No, no. I’m happy to wait. Take your time.” He smiled politely, taking a sip of the scalding brown liquid and proceeded to promptly sputtered all over his slate blue suit. “Oh shit, that’s hot!!,” he looked up, “I didn’t mean you. Obviously, no that’s not what I meant..”
He closed his eyes in a mortifying sigh. “I’m sorry. Can I please have a napkin?”
The young girl, Stacy, had the decency to hide her snicker behind her painted neon green nails before sauntering off, the bottom of her brown pinstripe skirt rose dangerously high above the knees. She threw an interested glance back at him as he wiped valiantly at the speckles of brown mottled on the front of his crisp white shirt, a fly of profanity already at the tip of his tongue.
“Someone is a ladies’ man tonight, that’s so dope Mike!” A familiar voice said, as a pair of strong arms squeezed his neck from behind and promptly cutting his airway.
“Seriously! Lucas, let him breathe!” Max yelled, her heels clicking against the marble floor like a siren going off before signing both of their death sentences. “You’re twenty-six, for god’s sake, act like it!”
Lucas rolled his eyes, mercifully releasing Mike’s neck before drawing his fiancée in for a kiss on her cheek. “Sorry babe, I’m just excited.”
“Yeah, no shit,” Dustin swore, the warmth in his smile obvious as he circled the chair and lifted his friend in a bear hug. “She totally has the hots for you for a moment there before you made a fool out of yourself,” he whispered conspiratorially in his ear.
“Come on, I think it was adorable,” Max rolled her eyes jokingly, her flaming red hair swirled up in a low bun. A few curls had gotten loose and tickled Mike’s cheek as she hugged him next.
“Shut up,” he smiled into her shoulder, enjoying her warmth for a moment before pulling back and looking at Lucas behind her shoulders, his coffee eyes crinkling in excitement. “All right, tell me the story.”
“Wait, where’s Will?” Dustin asked, the gold zipper on his beige explorer’s jacket momentarily glinted in the light from the chandelier above their heads. “By the way, this place is wayyyy fancier than I thought. Feeling like I’m underdressed for a moment when I see you in a suit there, Mike. Not special enough for a three-piece?”
“First of all, it’s my night, so I’m allowed to be as fancy as I like. Will just texted me and said he will be late. There was an accident on the road and his cab is stuck. And you look great, Dustin, all of you actually.” His dark eyes swept across his friends, from Lucas’s velvet suit in a deep green that complemented his skin surprisingly well, to Max in her gold heels and champagne dress reflecting the warm golden light in the waiting hall. A simple gold ring nestled on top of her left hand clinging to Lucas’s arm, a drop of diamond glittered against the drapes of green velvet.
He smiled. His heart was full of affection for the loving couple in front of him, who had been through so much and really deserved each other. “So, tell me, how did he propose?”
Not that he hadn’t heard about the plan from months ago, but Max was already glowing with a sadistic laugh on her face. “Oh my god, Mike, you won’t actually believe this shithead. He biked me to the old Starcourt mall, yeah, all the way from his parents’ house in full summer heat, two fully grown adults on a creaky bike. He told me to wear something pretty, and—”
“And she was wearing this poofy green sundress,” Lucas laughed, “funny how it flew in the wind.”
Max threw a glare for interrupting her, “and we got there, sweaty; he was out of breath, my hair was a mess; he popped the question at the Scoops after we demolished three banana splits. The girl working there was so happy she gave us a fourth one for free.” She finished off with a wave of her hand. “I said yes, of course.”
Lucas shook his head. “To be fair, I thought it would be cool to reminisce about our story where it began. Well, technically the Palace Arcade was the originally planned place, and it would be closer to the bike, but that place closed down years ago. Glorious time.”
“Yeah,” Dustin added, a twinge of sadness in his voice. “Glorious time, that was.” He looked to Mike’s left, and his face abruptly split into a wide grin, deepening the smile lines on his face that seemed at odds with his long face.
“Will! Hey buddy!” Dustin waved.
Will appeared in a shower of maroon and suede, his cologne invaded Mike’s nose in bursts of wild berries and mint; his arms clapping both him and Dustin in a full bear hug. “Guys!! I’ve missed you.”
Mike turned around and embraced his best friend. “Good to see you, Will.” All finally felt right as the last piece of their gang appeared. “Glad to see you made it.”
“What are you guys talking about? Oh, Max, Lucas, congratulations!!” Will giggled, waving his arms and herding them both into another hug. “I want to hear all about it.”
“Well, you’ve just missed it all.” Mike smirked, “But I’m sure they won’t mind if you see her again.”
“I believe that’ll have to wait.” Dustin tugged on Mike’s sleeves. “Your signal is here.”
Right on cue, Stacy was back, a headset on her clipped back blonde hair. “Sir, it’s time,” she winked.
The gang held it well, until she was out of earshot and burst out in fits of laughter. They were so unserious, and Mike was pretty sure that anyone who passed by the group would definitely think they were drunk. This was true for most of the cases when they had the rare chance to all get together.
“Sir??? And the wink?” Dustin was rolling. Will was smirking at him, as he knew full well the effect of Mike’s on the women around him despite his repeated denials.
“Shut up, Dusty Bun,” Mike said for the second time that night as he thumped his friend’s back playfully. The teenage spurt had been kind to him, as he was now the tallest of the bunch; Will and Lucas were a bit shorter; Max and Dustin remained the shortest.
“All right, time to roll.” Lucas detached himself from Max’s grip, and stood in front of him, with an easy reassuring smile that instantly calmed Mike’s increasing nausea. He reached out and smoothed down the front of his lapel, adjusting the gold pin to keep the purple printed tie in place. “We are so proud of you, Mike. Look out for us in the front row.”
Dustin placed a hand on his shoulder. “Love you, man. Remember, don’t swear.” Will, on his other side, was a warm presence on the remaining shoulder. “And we’ll be here when you finish.”
“I’m sure, she is proud of you, too.” Max placed a gentle hand on his cheek. “Wherever, whenever. I believe.”
Mike closed his eyes and nodded. He couldn’t bring himself to say that, his belief was fading, like his gaping heart that refused to do anything else besides listlessly pumping blood into his veins.
A wound that never healed.
A Paladin who killed his own Mage didn’t deserve to live out his life happy. He didn’t deserve closure. The storyteller lived on to tell the tales of their bravery, witness their friends’ epic love, and listen to the bards of stories untold while denying that love for himself.
“Please give an applause to Mr Michael Wheeler, the author of A Ballad of the Braves at our book signing event tonight. He was the youngest writer to have reached..”
The crowd was deafening in his eyes as Mike stepped out onto the raised podium, the light momentarily blinded out his view of the fans and readers below that were waiting for his speech.
A decade had passed. Should the search continue?