Work Text:
11:55pm.
Derek stared at the blank document in front of him, his fingers resting on the keys of his keyboard.
Minecraft sat in the background idly, after just having pushed Avery off.
God, how his head pounded.
It's incomparable from the first time he saw the king, more so that he's actually merging with him. It felt like a hammer bashing into his skull - sending shockwaves of white-hot pain in his brain.
It made him aware of everything - how the skin of his fingertips stuck to the hard plastic of the keyboard. How the whirring of the fan buzzed in his ears. How his room felt hot and suffocating, making him sweat. The beads of sweat rolling down his face were impossible to ignore.
But that didn't matter right now.
He just needed to write that final letter. no matter what.
Then, what seemed like a millennium, he started typing. He lets his fingers glide on the keys, letting the words flow out naturally.
It's funny, he thought. how he was writing this letter, five minutes before the New Year.
The very thought of being forgotten is akin to being left in a dark corner of a closet - sitting, collecting dust; It terrified him.
He just wanted to leave a small, indelible mark before he left for good.
In his own dorm room.
Every school break, he always stayed back in his dorm room. While all of his schoolmates would go on vacations, travelling to a new place, hanging out with friends, Derek would stay cooped up.
Derek has never been really significant in anyone's life, other than his family. He never really stood out. just a quiet kid on the sidelines, left to his own devices.
He never really thought to reach out to people, to join clubs or extracocurriculars. Most of his hours after school were spent playing Minecraft, learning everything that it had to offer. It gave him comfort and a distraction from the ever-changing world.
Though, what did he expect, as a college dropout and a shut-in? to be remembered? To be immediately found on his desk, unmoving and still?
Would anyone even think to check up on him?
Maybe not.
Alongside the pain, pessimistic thoughts crept into the corners of his mind. He knew he wouldn't be discovered immediately. It's the holidays - New Year's, for goodness sake.
But despite the persisting pain, only one person bled through his throbbing head.
Avery, TheMostMayo. Oh, sweet, kind Avery.
Avery, only knowing Derek for half a day, sought him out. He, who was fully and willingly ready to sacrifice the world just for him. Avery, who should've turned back the moment he saw the book, yet still pushed forward.
Avery acted as a soothing balm to his mind. Despite knowing everything about him, it doesn't make his head writhe in pain.
Avery, who remembered Derek, even after forgetting.
And maybe that's why Derek truly cherishes Avery.
Even if the people he knew forgot about him, Avery would remember.
After gazing upon the King, he could see the kind-hearted soul that would try to save him.
Derek could only imagine the overwhelming worry Avery felt now. The angry spams in chat for tricking him to click away from his main view.
It was a shame that he never got to meet him more properly.
Yells coming from the other college students staying also at the dorm echoed, now counting down to the new year of 2026. And here Derek was, lying on his desk, motionless.
12:00 am, January 1st, 2026.
The vibrant colors seeped through Derek's blurring vision as his head felt heavy. The bright light of the monitor illuminated the dim room, along with blurs of various colors on the walls.
Derek knew that Avery would blame himself. He hoped Avery would find his letter - his final proof of living.
Please don't think you failed, Avery.
A small smile stretched on Derek's face as the fireworks boomed and popped outside. The loud cheers from outside were muffled by the thick walls.
Derek could feel the pain reaching new heights as time ticks down to the inevitable—The King merging with his corrupted mind.
And his final moments were spent imagining Avery living peacefully.
…He wondered how Avery would look in real life now, rather than in his mind.
Would he glow as the colors of the fireworks kissed his brown, freckled skin? Would his obsidian eyes sparkle with tears and stare at him with worry? Would his lips contort into a relieved smile?
God, how his heart wrenched and rebelled against his logical thinking.
Whatever you do at the crossroads, keep moving forward.
He wished he could spend the New Year's onward getting to know Avery. He wished that he could hang out with Avery, wishing he could spend time with him every day.
But he knew it wasn't possible - not in any universe.
To the unwritten tomorrows, he hoped Avery would remember him forever in his essence, just as Derek knew all of him.
To the unwritten tomorrows, Derek made sure that Avery shall live life to the fullest.