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In this universe, Derek couldn’t save Avery.
In this universe, Derek was gazing at Avery’s hollow eyes after desperately searching for the guy’s home.
In this universe, Derek was screaming Avery’s name to try and see if the man was still alive.
But silence came. Derek doesn’t even know how he found Avery’s home, if it was his infinite knowledge or just pure fear, but he found it. He didn’t take time to see how Avery really looked, even if he already knew from his visions.
He just wanted to be sure that Avery was alive, because right now, Derek couldn’t see the future.
“Please… Please just answer me…” - The knight put his hands on Avery’s shoulders, shaking the man’s hollow body to see if there was any life left. The King wouldn’t simply kill his vessel, would he?
More silence came, and Derek was starting to give up. He couldn’t save Avery, he couldn’t save the world. He knew that probably, when Avery came back to his senses, it wouldn’t be the slime guy, it would be the King.
Derek gazed one final time at Avery’s body on the chair. He was finally going away when he heard a loud gasp. He turned back to see Avery’s eyes opened and wide. The poor man was so afraid.
“Avery?! I-Is that you?! Please, please be!” - Derek screamed as he ran over to hold the man’s shoulders. Avery breathed heavily, his hand weakly rising to his own chest, showing a pain that Derek couldn’t see.
“I-It’s okay, it’s okay… I-I’ll take care of you.” - The knight soothed the man who clearly was holding back a loud scream from his lungs.
Derek picked Avery up. The slime guy was heavy, or Derek was just weak, but he eventually made it to Avery’s bed. He put the man there and ran, as fast as possible, to the kitchen and picked up a glass of water.
His mind was flowing with information. It taught him how to take care of a person with a fever, a person who was having a panic attack… At least this time he could endure it, and not have that immense pain from when he looked away from the screen.
Derek doesn’t know if it was because the King was now in Avery’s body or if it was intense adrenaline from everything that was happening. However, he didn’t care enough right now to try and understand it.
He came back to Avery’s bedroom, leaving the glass at the bedside table, watching as Avery’s eyes locked on the roof.
“Avery?” - Derek tried again, his hands pressing into fists in his legs.
“D-Der…” - A weak answer came from the slime guy’s mouth, his head slowly turning to see Derek’s face. - “Y-You’re…”
Derek knew Avery would pass out, so he immediately asked for the other man to stop talking.
And Avery stopped, slowly closing his eyes and sleeping in front of the smarter man. Derek stayed the rest of the night watching Avery, to see if any sign of the King in Yellow would appear.
~
Avery woke up with a headache, not that strong but still different from the headaches he used to have. He looked to his side to see a man who clearly hadn’t slept in days. How did he know so easily that it was D3rlord- Derek?
“… Derek?” - Avery called, and the man beside him immediately woke up… If he was sleeping, because Avery doesn’t believe he was.
Derek opened his eyes and turned to Avery so fast that the slime guy jumped on the bed. - “Oh fuck- Sorry, I… I’m glad you’re alive.”
“If anything, I’m glad that you’re alive!” - Avery retorted, trying to sit right on the bed, but his body being too weak to move. - “Shit…”
“You had some sort of crisis last night. It’s better if you stay on the bed. I brought a glass of water. If you’re thirsty.” - Derek said, trying to keep his tone calm, but his voice and his hand, which was picking up the glass, were shaking intensely.
“I am, thank you.” - The slime guy picked it up and started drinking it. At the same time that the water was relieving, it also burned his throat.
“I know this is too early to ask, but I need to know: how’s your mind? Have the King contacted you or something?” - Derek asked. Avery could hear the man’s feet stomping on the ground with anxiousness.
“No, but I can feel him slowly consuming my body. It’s weird, it’s like he’s only in a tiny part of my body. I don’t know exactly where, but he’s there, I can feel him. Also, I’m feeling an intense headache…” - Avery tried to explain, but he stopped once he heard a loud sigh coming from Derek. - “What?”
“I think that the King is still forming in your body, somehow, and if it’s slow, that means we have time to solve this, to solve everything that happened, and you’ll be still alive!” - Derek explained, excited, but Avery could see the worry in the other man’s eyes.
“You were planning on sacrificing yourself for someone you didn’t even know properly and now you want to help me. Why?” - Avery asked, putting the empty glass of water back at the bedside table.
“… I put myself in this whole situation, while you weren’t supposed to be. I’m the responsible one, not you.” - Derek said, his body tensing.
“Well, but now I’m part of this mess. I’ve let the King fuse with me or whatever he’s doing with my body now, so I’ve made myself part of this.” - The slime guy retorted, gazing directly at the knight. - “So don’t try to sacrifice yourself again.”
Derek didn’t answer, only nodded with his head. Silence came over again.
Avery turned to Derek once again, pulling the man’s hand. - “So we should start planning the way to defeat the King, right?”
Derek got surprised for a second, but smiled weakly, holding tight to Avery’s hand, to prove to himself that not only had he met Avery in person but that he’s also alive.
“Yes, we need to.”