Chapter Text
Derek’s breathing is fast- panicked as his mind struggles to contain the king in Yellow. He’s dying- he can feel his brain give out, his organs failing him one by one.
But he did it.
The king fell to a lord.
And he should feel happy about that, right?
But something’s wrong.
The air’s- no- no this isn’t just the air.
Something…everything is wrong….
If- if the king is dying with him.
What is this other presence!?
It speaks to him, golden eyes and green miasma dripping on the floor, Derek can understand it- time freezing as his body refuses to shut down.
It will not let his body shut down- it won’t ALLOW it.
A scream tears trough the apartment complex, and as cops break down the door they find a man, bleeding from the nose and mouth and unresponsive- eyes wide and unfocused.
But he’s alive.
⊹₊꒷︶︶꒷︶︶꒷ ꒦︶︶ ꒦ ꒷ ꒦︶︶ ꒦ ꒷ ꒦‧₊˚⊹︰
On the other side of the continent, Avery is ugly crying as fireworks go off. A new year has begun, but to the blonde-haired man it feels as if the world has ended- as if reality itself was shattered.
After D3rlord pushed him off of the platform, he had tried desperately to get back, but his computer glitched, causing it to shut down.
Avery tried to turn it back on- he had to get back! Had to save Derek! Derek had been willing to DIE for him he couldn’t just-
But by the time he launched minecraft again, the world was… gone.
No matter how he tried, he couldn’t find the world that held the king and D3rlord.
It was… gone.
Avery had scrambled to look trough his footage, to decipher the code D3rlord send him, and after a while, he found it.
The footage.
And the letter.
To say that it broke him would be an understatement.
Even now, hours after finding that letter, Avery couldn’t stop crying, knowing that somewhere out there, someone had died for him.
Someone smarter, more capable and more deserving of life had died for him.
His heartbroken wails couldn’t be heard over the fireworks outside, but inside, two worlds slowly appeared at the very bottom of the letter, highlighted for a second, before being pasted at the document, over and over and over again, until the letter had gotten five additional pages.
When Avery finally looked up, planning to scan the letter again for any sort of sign- any sort of clue that what had happened somehow hadn’t, he was met with a wall of text, with just two words in it.
But before he could grasp them, the screen flickered, a loud snap sounding as it went black, the upper-left corner cracked like something had hit it.
Confused, all Avery could do was stare, as the cracks extended, forming the same two words his mind had trouble comprehending just seconds ago.
“HE’S ALIVE”
While Avery questioned how… and who was telling him this, a soft whisper reached his ear.
“Allow me to show you exactly how to get to him”
Damp, bony hands covered his eyes and before Avery could even react, pain consumed him.
It was brief, sudden and more than the young man could bear, and Avery blacked out before he could even scream.
⊹₊꒷︶︶꒷︶︶꒷ ꒦︶︶ ꒦ ꒷ ꒦︶︶ ꒦ ꒷ ꒦‧₊˚⊹︰
Avery dreams of the platform, but there are no eyes. There’s no king in yellow looming over him and no knight to protect him- no knight to shove him away from danger after tricking him into checking his inventory for something, ANYTHING that can change fate.
There’s just him.
And another him.
One who's minecraft skin is tinted a sickly yellow-ish green.
a message pops up
TheMostMayo: Hello
Avery blinks.
What?
AveryTheMayo: What?
His words come out as chat messages.
TheMostMayo: So we can talk like this
TheMostMayo: good
TheMostMayo: very good
TheMostMayo: You wouldn’t be able to handle otherwise I guess
TheMostMayo: You were lucky
TheMostMayo: You never got to see the king
Avery frowns
AveryTheMayo: I didn’t.
TheMostMayo: You got very lucky
AveryTheMayo: Who are you?
the minecraft player in front of him seemingly shook his head.
AveryTheMayo: Seriously who are you and where am I?
TheMostMayo: I’m you
TheMostMayo: Or rather another you
Avery blinked, confused, but before he can ask more, the ‘other him’ speaks up.
TheMostMayo: You were never the smart one, so I’ll explain it in ways even you’d get.
(Avery feels like he should be offended at that, but the other him is right)
TheMostMayo: Marvel movies have a multiverse right?
TheMostMayo: Now imagine you
TheMostMayo: In the multiverse
TheMostMayo: You get to live in the one universe where D3rlord actually managed to protect you.
TheMostMayo: I wasn’t so lucky.
TheMostMayo: He never asked what was in MY inventory.
Avery feels a chill go up his spine.
AveryTheMayo: So I got taken over by the king?
TheMostMayo: In my universe, yes.
AveryTheMayo: Wha happened after?
TheMostMayo: You’d lose your mind if I showed you
TheMostMayo: What matters is that what D3rlord managed to do here caused a ripple effect, that gave me the chance to fight back against the king and beat him
TheMostMayo: I’m free now.
TheMostMayo: World’s still fucked tho
Avery frowned, saddened.
TheMostMayo: But that’s not why im here
TheMostMayo: He saved you
TheMostMayo: He deserves to live
TheMostMayo: and you owe him
TheMostMayo: you owe him everything
TheMostMayo: and I am making sure you can GIVE him everything.
TheMostMayo: When you wake up you’ll know exactly how to get to him
TheMostMayo: Do not disappoint me.
And then, Avery is falling again, falling for what feels like hours.
⊹₊꒷︶︶꒷︶︶꒷ ꒦︶︶ ꒦ ꒷ ꒦︶︶ ꒦ ꒷ ꒦‧₊˚⊹︰
When Avery wakes up, his head’s pounding, but the other Avery was right;
he had a plan on how to get to Derek, on how to tell his family who he was, and-
and more, much more information on what to do until the inevitable end of his own life.
(Because Other Avery wanted to make sure Derek would outlive Avery, because that’s what he deserved- he deserved the universe and eternity and-)
Avery shook his head.
He had a plane ticket he needed to buy, and if he did so now he could get on a flight this evening and make it to Derek the next morning.
“I’m not letting you slip away this easily.” Avery muttered, getting up to ask his sister to borrow her laptop.
⊹₊꒷︶︶꒷︶︶꒷ ꒦︶︶ ꒦ ꒷ ꒦︶︶ ꒦ ꒷ ꒦‧₊˚⊹︰
It should’ve been concerning how easily Derek’s family bought his lies.
To them, he was Avery, an online friend who had been gaming with his pal D3rlord when he had heard something go wrong over the voice call, and called 911 to check in with his friend.
To them, he was the one who had saved Derek from certain death.
But Avery knew that without him, Derek may not have been even remotely close to death.
But meeting the family had calmed Avery down a little, but that calm vanished when he was sat at Derek’s bedside, replaced with a sort of jittery anxiety that made the blonde want to pace around the room.
He stayed put though, and decided to just… take in Derek’s appearance.
Derek was… actually quite skinny, but whether that was due to the amount of time he was forced to stay at his computer or prior lack of food and exercise Avery did not know.
And the fact he didn’t know worried him.
That was for later though, for now he’d have to be there when Derek woke up- he just had to be. He had to tell him so many things.
He’d have to scold him for just pushing him off the platform like that
Thank him profusely for protecting him, and-
And he’d also… definitely have to ask for a hug.
Avery sighed, the events of the previous 24 hours finally catching up to him.
He had survived
Derek had survived, but was currently in critical condition
Another him had given him a lifetime worth of instructions on what to do and how to try and make Derek happy
There was a multiverse-
Nope
Not going to think about that last part now
Just-
Going to stay by Derek’s side.
….and maybe get some sleep.
⊹₊꒷︶︶꒷︶︶꒷ ꒦︶︶ ꒦ ꒷ ꒦︶︶ ꒦ ꒷ ꒦‧₊˚⊹︰
Derek knew he wasn’t gaining consciousness. He wasn’t conscious. This was a dream.
That’s the only reason he’d be back on that damn platform again, but this time not as his character, but instead as his human self.
He was also being held by something- or someone.
Someone… who shouldn’t exist.
“...Avery?”
The hold on Derek tensed for a second, before the other relaxed, allowing the dark-haired man to really feel how skinny Avery had become.
“...hey.”
“...What happened?”
“Long story”
“I’m used to those by now”
Avery sighed.
“...I… couldn’t let you die. Not again.”
“Again?”
“I’m not YOUR Avery”
Derek blinked, before he remembered.
“...You’re one of the other Averys, aren’t you? One from another universe?”
“One where you didn’t ask what was in my inventory”
Derek couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow.
“THAT’S what saved you?”
“If you hadn’t asked that, he would’ve fought back- the king would’ve taken over his body and the world-”
Avery didn’t finish.
He didn’t have to
“...I’m sorry”
“Don’t be. I don’t blame you- you… retroactively saved me”
“How?”
Avery sighed.
“What you did caused a ripple effect; you kill one king, and all the others are weakened, allowing us to fight back, and win, and the more we win and take back control”
“The weaker the remaining kings become…” Derek finished.
“...You saved all of us” Avery spoke. “And I couldn’t let you die. I have the power of the king now, so I…”
Derek was quiet, processing all of it. “...Thank you.” He eventually spoke.
“It’s the least I could do” The other Avery replied, tightening his hold just a little more.
“...What happened to your Derek?”
“...You already know”
Derek did.
The other him died.
“That’s not what I meant.” Derek sighed. “Is his soul… still around?”
Avery paused, thinking.
“I… don’t know…” The other Avery admitted. “I haven’t tapped into the whole ‘infinite knowledge that shouldn’t be known’ thing yet.”
Derek snorted. “Yeah. I can tell.”
Avery pouted, allowing Derek a moment to collect himself.
“...You should go see if his soul’s still around. Maybe… you can help him the same way you helped me.”
Avery paused.
“I don’t know-”
“He doesn’t blame you”
The other stilled.
“...You hate yourself for what happened.” Derek stated, trying to get up to look the other Avery in the eye. “Ever since I became aware of you, I knew you’d hate yourself for what would happen if the king succeeded, but I don’t blame you for any of it”
“But my-”
“And if your Derek is anything like me, then he wouldn’t blame you either, because he too got to see everything about you- and much like me, he knew you were worth dying for”
Other Avery went quiet, staring at Derek with eyes that weren’t quite human anymore.
Derek took a deep breath, deciding it was now or never.
“In truth… both our lives would probably be… better… if you were a part of them. You’re a wonderful, amazing person capable of great things. You said you have the powers of the king now, and I know, I know for CERTAIN, that you could use those for good.”
Derek smiled.
“You managed to save me, what’s stopping you from saving your own Derek? From rebuilding everything the king destroyed? You have the powers to do so.”
The other Avery seemed uncertain.
“But what if I fail?”
“Then you keep trying.” Derek replied. “Didn’t you read my letter? ‘When you get to the crossroads, keep going forward’?”
“...Or something like that…” The other Avery finished, managing a shaky smile “Since you suck at endings…”
“That I do…” Derek spoke, as Other Avery got up, shifting his hold to gently carry Derek to the edge of the platform.
“...I have… so much more I want to talk to you about…” The other Avery sighed. “There’s so much I want to tell you about…. but… I guess I’ll have to do that with my own Derek…”
“Guess so…” Derek replied, feeling himself slowly start to lose consciousness.”I imagine he’s waiting…”
“....Goodbye…D3rlord…”
Derek wanted to reply, but his consciousness fully faded before he could.
⊹₊꒷︶︶꒷︶︶꒷ ꒦︶︶ ꒦ ꒷ ꒦︶︶ ꒦ ꒷ ꒦‧₊˚⊹︰
Waking up was a slow affair, with awareness and senses slowly but surely returning to Derek’s body.
And with the return of his senses, came a feeling like he’d been hit by a semitruck. Every single part of his body was screaming in agony, but all Derek could muster was a tiny whimper.
A sound that immediately caught someone’s attention.
“Derek?!”
Oh, that voice sounded entirely too tired and anxious to belong to who Derek thought it could be.
Still, with the way it didn’t match any of his close relatives… and with how those hands grasped one of his own…
“...Av….ry?”
“Y-yes! It’s me!” The voice replied. “I’m here DErek, you’re going to be okay, I promise you!”
Opening his eyes was probably one of the hardest things he ever had to do, but when Darek eventually managed to, he was met with a relieved but teary-eyed Avery.
“You… actually woke up…”
“And… how are you here?” Derek managed, in too much pain to question if this was real at all.
“Long story, but do you need anything!? Like a nurse or-”
“...mhurt…”
“I’ll call over a nurse”
Avery pressed the call button.
….and when it took just a little too long for his liking, he began to spam it until a nurse finally showed up, who then left right away to get a doctor.
After the nurse left, Avery leaned in close to Derek.
“I promise you’ll be okay…” he repeated. “and… this time you can’t push me off of a ledge to make me go away.”
“...you’ve got other stuff to do…. School stuff.”
“I can take some days off”
“Did you…. Tell family you left?”
“Nope, they’re gonna be livid when they find out”
“...you… okay with that?”
Avery looked at Derek.
“It’s absolutely worth it”
⊹₊꒷︶︶꒷︶︶꒷ ꒦︶︶ ꒦ ꒷ ꒦︶︶ ꒦ ꒷ ꒦‧₊˚⊹︰
Elsewhere, a prince in green searches trough the ruins of what was once his homeworld, seeking out souls, just to discard them when they’re not the one he was looking for.
Derek had been right; Avery had all this power now… he should put that to use to undo what the king did, but first… he had to find him.
His own Derek
It would probably take eons, but time has no meaning for a being beyond it.
He’d find his Derek again
and when he inevitably would
Avery would give him everything.