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"I'll tell you what's going on soon."
Derek wasn't able to look at Avery while saying all of this. He stared at anything else, the ground, the yellow irises, his dirty armor, full of anxiety at the King's eyes staring at them. Hastur will fuse with him at any second, Avery can't be here when it happens.
"No," answered the younger. "I won't go! Tell me what's going on, now!" he pleaded, and it made Derek's stomach turn. Avery's a stubborn one, he knows it. But they don't have time.
"I will, afterwards."
"I don't believe you!" Avery yelled with a scowl, shoving the other forward.
"Avery," the knight finally looked at the other, desperation behind his helmet. The impact surprisingly made him stumble backward. Avery was incredibly strong, being a skywars champion. "I need you to leave, or this will all be ruined."
"I'm not going until you tell me what's going on!" Avery stepped closer, impatiently jabbing a finger at Der's chest plate. "What is this place, and what are you doing!?"
"Avery I'm not asking," Derek stepped back, away from his judgement. His hands shook as he felt worse and worse. Almost helpless, as if he was facing something far harder to drive away than the King itself. "I'm telling you. If you don't leave, I will kill you." the knight raised his humble wooden axe. It was completely worn out and held on by a thread. A pathetic display against the sword Avery had on his back.
"Will you!?" the slime reached for said sword, pointing it at the lord. "Well I'll kill you first! Tell me what's going on!"
"Avery..." Derek said, his voice had a hint of both defeat and annoyance. "The only way to stop this thing, is to have it merge with someone whose mind is already gone," he began. "If I force it to enter my mind, as it deteriorates, it'll go down with me. It'll be trapped! We will win! But I need you to leave this area, or it won't work. If you stay here, it all falls apart, I have it under control, just leave!" Now Derlord was the one pleading. He watched Avery's expression change upon learning the truth.
"And what will happen to you?" he asked after a moment of silent processing. Derek stared.
"I don't know." He gripped his axe harder.
"Don't lie to me." Avery scowled.
"I said I don't know!" Derlord swung his axe at the younger, yet it broke at impact almost immediately. It didn't phase Avery in the slightest, simply making him grip his sword tighter. "My mind is gone anyway Avery, it doesn't matter what's gonna happen, I can't look away from this computer without horrible pain!!" He helplessly stepped up to Avery, the other's sword brushing against his arm as he pushed it to the side. "Soon I probably won't be able to think at all! If you stay here, it'll probably merge with you too, that's exactly what it wants!" He stepped even closer, seeing the other's eyes look more glossy than usual. "It'll be free in the physical world, do you want that!?!"
"I don't care." Avery took a step back to hide the tears gathering in his eyes. "I'm not letting you do this. There has to be another way, not this one." He stood his ground.
"We don't have time Avery!" Derlord went up to him again and grabbed his hand tightly in both of his, as he begged him to finally listen.
"Yes we do!" The champion snatched his hand away and pointed the blade once more to make the lord back away. He hated the way the touch made him feel at the moment. Vulnerable. It made him soften up, and he wasn't about to agree to leave. "There has to be another way Derlord. Please.." his voice shook, feeling lime tears leaving his eyes without a way to stop them. "There has to be another way..."
"Avery.." Der's heart ached. "You can't stay here, you have so much life to live." almost immediately, the slime cut in.
"And I owe it to you!!" he desperately put a hand on his chest, the other hand barely gripping the sword handle.
"No you do not!! That is an insane thing to say, you don't know me!"
"You warned me, Derek!" the name felt painfully familiar on his tongue, as if he was always meant to know it, to yell it out. "You're only part of this because it wanted me! It's not your fault you're here, I'm not letting you die for me!!" For the first time, Der felt completely powerless against something. Someone. Every inch of him burns with desperation, he'd do anything for Avery to listen.
"Avery, if you don't go, we'll both die!!" Derlord yelled out, grabbing onto the sides of the other's arms. This seemed to make the younger pause.
He was alone either way. No family nor friends to spend the new years with, and this man... He may not know him, but he did more for him than anyone else in his entire life. He wasn't just about to give up on him after he spent so many hours searching. He didn't want to die, he was scared, but he would take a bullet for Derlord, no matter how long they've known eachother for. Call him a fool, but he had enough.
"I don't care," replied Avery after what felt like hours. Hours of staring into those desperate eyes hidden in the shadow of his helm. Everything was becoming blurry from his hot tears.
"Why!?!" Derek yelled, gripping Avery hard to the point of hurting. "Why do you throw your life away!? Avery, there is nothing left for me, no hope, no matter what we do! Please," his voice cracked under the weight of his words. "I have to do this..." the older's head hung low, staring at his feet. He released the grip on the other with shaking hands, and backed away slightly.
"I! Don't! Care!! You saved me! I won't leave you, I can't!"
"You can!" the lord felt claustrophobic in his armor. He grabbed the edges of his helmet and took it off in a hurry. He hates taking it off, but for Avery, he would show every vulnerable part of himself. Anything to make him listen, to make him go. "You can leave, you don't know me! I know you, as well as everyone that ever lived or will live on this planet, but you? You have no reason to do this! I'm done for either way!" He yelled, tears filling his eyes. "Why? That's the only thing I don't know the answer to, just.. why?" his voice shook.
Avery was stunned for just a moment. The view in front of him was beautiful. It confirmed everything the slime suspected, every feeling he was ashamed of.
"Because I love you, Derek!" Avery stepped closer. Silence fell around them. Derlord didn't seem surprised, but was definitely caught off guard. His features softened, yet Avery's tears wouldn't stop. He felt like a helpless child, especially when flinching at Der dropping his helmet to the ground.
"I know," the knight replied, breaking the painful silence. He stepped closer and grabbed Avery's hand once more, gentler. "Obviously I know, Avery. But love shouldn't cost you your life." Derek's eyes stung from held in tears. He knelt down, like a proper knight would, and held his forehead up to the top of Avery's cold hand. If he had to beg like this, he would do it. "Please," he spoke softly. "No matter what we do, I will die either way. Either from that thing, from trying to get away from the computer, or from starvation, there's no hope left. I have to die, as painful as that might be for you. But if it hurts you so much, then please, just let me have my one last wish granted. The only thing I still want in this world," Avery listened carefully, trying his hardest not to break down crying. His face felt hot. "And that is you surviving. I will die, that is inevitable, but let me have this choice, and let my death be for you, my champion." Derlord felt Avery's hand shake, and he couldn't tell if the heartbeat he heard was from him, Avery, or both of them.
The slime stood frozen. He felt uneasy with all the eyes watching this intimate moment in anticipation, but there were more important things he focused on.
"Stand up, Derek..." Avery's voice broke as he quietly commanded the knight after an uncomfortably long silence. The lord did just that. They stared into eachother's eyes with emotions mixed so greatly that it was hard to tell them apart. "You don't know what it's like..."
"I do," Derlord replied, not letting the other elaborate. "I know everything. I know you better than your own parents, I know every detail. I could never say I love you, as that is a huge understatement. A word to describe what I feel doesn't yet exist in our timeline." He put a gentle hand on Avery's cheek, trying to wipe his tears with his thumb. It was no use. "Leave, Avery."
"No.." his voice shook painfully. He leaned into the touch as if he hasn't received such affection in years. "We do this together. You can't stop me, no matter what you say."
Derek felt defeated. As if there was nothing left to do.
But there was.
"You're staying?" he asked.
"Yes," Avery replied, closing his eyes as his cheek melted slightly into the other's hand.
"You won't leave?" Der's head hurt.
"No," he opened his eyes again to look into Derek's. They were beautiful. So beautiful that he didn't even notice the suspicious silence from the other.
What he did notice, was when Derlord's irises moved down to eye his lips. His heart skipped a beat.
"Avery..." he said quietly. It was only meant for the person in front of him, not to any king. The champion tensed up.
And just like that, softer than expected from such a knight, the distance between their lips closed. It was intimate, full of emotions that boiled inside them both. It was unlike anything Avery ever felt. Maybe because he was never this in love with another person. They never wanted to pull away, or at least that's what Avery thought. He was so entranced in the kiss, that he didn't pick up on how much it felt like a goodbye, combined with an apology.
Derek's hand stayed on Avery's cheek, while his other softly moved down his arm until it reached his hand. It made the other shiver lightly. He felt the sword handle the champion still held absentmindly. His fingers were barely wrapped around it, and he paid it no attention when he suddenly didn't feel the sword in his palm at all. As the lord moved closer, he felt the coldness of his chest plate against his, and that's all he wanted to focus on.
After what felt like eternity of paradise, the slime pulled away lightly to breathe. His breathing was unsteady, and he noted that the knight had that same problem, breathing even more heavily than him. He looked like he had to pull away sooner, but he simply didn't. As if he patiently waited for the other to pull away first. Avery found it adorable. He didn't want to ever leave his side. If he had to die now, he loved that this would be his last moment.
But after that beautiful moment, he felt sharp pain in his back. He gasped in pained surprise. His eyes went as wide as ever, as he felt a sword penetrate his chest. He looked down, seeing the tip of his own sword he held at Derlord just a moment ago.
"W-wait-!" he desperately looked at Derek with tears in his eyes. Yet the other looked unbothered. On the outside, he seemed like he was almost glad that something finally worked, that he could finally get Avery somewhere safe. But his eyes behold pain. All it gave Avery in return is a feeling.
"Forgive me..." he spoke his last words before the champion turned into white smoke. The sword dropped to the ground as he felt the yellow King's gaze drill into him from behind. It's over. Finally, he's at peace.
"Until next time, my everything."