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The worst part is Derek knew it was probably going to happen. He took too long finding the binding spell and Avery would see through his attempted distraction as soon as he made it up the tree. He had hoped he could be quick enough, but when the eyes return and Derek turns around, there he is.
A Minecraft skin of a slime in a floral shirt and shorts. If Derek thinks about it, he could know his real face in seconds and technically already does, but it feels like a violation of privacy to do so. Still, he can imagine the blazing determination on Avery’s face as he confronts him all the same, unwavering and unwilling to leave him behind.
Trying to trick him goes nowhere, Avery now too wary to fall for his attempts to get him to log off, even with the promise of giving him answers later that he knows he can’t keep. Avery stands his ground, refusing to leave until Derek explains, and eventually, he has no other choice. He gives an abridged version but he needs Avery to understand why it’s so important that he logs off now. Why he needs to go.
“Not without you.” Avery keeps insisting. “We can face it together. Either we both make it or neither of us do.”
“Avery, if you stay, he will take you.” Derek stresses. “He wants you. You’ll doom the whole world if you stay.”
One sacrifice for billions of people is a more than fair price to pay. Though, if he’s being honest, Derek mostly cares about Avery getting out of this. His kindness and determination— Derek can’t let him die for it. He came all this way for him even though he barely knows him. He’s… Too good of a person to die.
Derek won’t let him, but Avery still isn’t swayed. He pauses, seemingly trying to think over what he told him and decidedly not trying to leave like Derek told him to. It’s frustrating. And endearing. Endearingly frustrating.
“You said he needs a clean mind, right?” Avery says after a few moments. “So what if we corrupt mine too?”
“No.” Derek tells him firmly. The very thought of it makes him sick. “It’ll slowly kill you to take on infinite knowledge like that. It’s slowly killing me, Avery. You need to go.”
“What if,” Avery says, not budging an inch, “I take on half of yours? Would half kill me?”
Derek goes to protest but pauses mid-sentence. Thinks about it. Rolls the question around in his vault of infinite knowledge to find…
Damn, that actually might work…
He might not be on the King in Yellow’s level but infinite knowledge definitely came with a few perks. Just as his well of knowledge was forcefully imparted on him, he could, theoretically, give Avery half of his. It’ll hurt like hell, mostly for Avery but won’t be fun for him either, and they’ll both probably have chronic migraines for the rest of their lives, but…
They could… Probably survive just having half. Not unscathed, not unburdened, but they would survive.
It’s not a burden Derek wants to impart onto Avery but it’s greatly preferable to him dying. He won’t leave, he’s not backing up, and Derek’s wooden axe broke. If Avery wants a fight, he’ll win. Derek is running out of options here, and as far as those go, this isn’t… It’s not the worst idea in history.
Not the best— Derek had a better plan before Avery showed up— but Derek knows Avery isn’t going to back down from this. He can see infinite possibilities and Avery giving up and leaving him isn’t one of them, no matter what he says.
But, he has to at least try. “Avery, please just leave.”
His previous brief pause didn’t go unnoticed. “It’ll work, won’t it?” Avery moves his character even closer, daring. “Whatever it is, do it! I’m not leaving you!”
“It’ll weigh you down for the rest of your life. Think about that.”
“I don’t care.” He really means that, Derek knows. Avery truly doesn’t care about that. “Will it save both of us, yes or no?”
Derek briefly shuts his eyes, sighing. He’s forced to open them again when his head pulses, then types out, “Avery, press your forehead against the laptop screen and brace yourself. This is going to hurt.”
He knows the exact moment Avery does as he is told before Avery even types out, “Ready.” He knows that no matter what he says, Avery isn’t going anywhere. That he trusts him wholeheartedly.
Derek doesn’t want to burden him with knowledge like he has, but he can’t let him die either. He’s forced to meet him in the middle.
With a sigh of defeat, Derek presses his own forehead against the screen, imagines Avery in his mind's eye, and begins to force half of his knowledge into his head. It goes in easier, both because Avery is willingly allowing it and because they’re both in the King’s domain, but he knows Avery is still gasping in pain regardless.
Some tiny part of him, having gotten so used to the idea of infinity, doesn’t want to give it up. But he fears losing Avery too much for it to matter, so Derek hardly even notices it.
The process only takes around a minute to complete but it feels like a lifetime has passed when Derek pulls back, head dizzy and body threatening to give out on him. When he looks away from the screen, his head pulses, but it’s manageable. He can live with that.
More importantly, Avery’s mind is corrupted and he is no longer the perfect vessel for the King. With both of them present, the King’s power will be split between them, scattered rather than whole and unable to overpower them. Hopefully, at least. Derek is no longer as sure about that as he once was. Only fifty percent of infinite knowledge is in his head now.
Fifty percent of infinite is still, theatrically, never ending, but Derek can attest that it’s much easier to handle than the full hundred percent. It’s as if a huge weight has been lifted off his shoulders, his body light, weightless, and—
Oh. Oh, never mind, that’s just his body actually giving out on him, flopping to the ground and causing his gaming chair to spin slightly. A low groan escapes him and it takes a few minutes for his head to stop spinning. Derek peels an eye open, looking up at his computer screen and squinting at the text popping up there.
TheMostMayo: Oh my GOD
TheMostMayo: You really had all of that in your head all this time?? This is only half?? How did you not lose your mind????
TheMostMayo: Oh you fell over. Wait why do I know that?
TheMostMayo: Hey uh. Having half of infinite knowledge kinda doxxed you for me but something tells me it’s the same on your half too, so. I guess we're even.
TheMostMayo: Okay you’re still down there. Jeez man, you need actual food, not just smoothies
TheMostMayo: I’m coming over. I’m probably not in a state to drive but I don’t care. Don’t try to get up, I know where your spare key is hidden
Little by little, tension is released from Derek’s shoulders. The thought of Avery coming over is too comforting to cause any other sort of reaction. He doesn’t think he can get back onto his desk to type a response without knocking something over so Derek opts for remaining on the ground. His eyes shut as his mind swims.
He focuses on the thought of him and can see Avery getting into his car to drive over, a man on a mission. He can see him driving above the speed limit to shave down on time. He can see him pulling up to his driveway, snagging the fake rock, unlocking the door, coming down the hall…
Derek opens his eyes right as Avery rounds the corner. He’s a little embarrassed that he’s in such a sorry state during their first meeting— when was the last time he took a shower again?— but also knows Avery already knows what he looks like. Knew from the moment Derek gave him half of everything he knows.
If anyone understands what having a sudden slew of seemingly never-ending information in your head feels like, it’s Avery.
“Hey.” Derek breathes out, head still spinning.
Avery looks down at him, relieved. “Hey.” He greets back, a smile tugging at his lips. Derek already knew he gets dimples when he smiles but it’s something else entirely to see it in person for himself.
“Come here often?” Derek finds himself joking. A stupid joke, but Avery laughs anyway, like he knew he would.
“Nope.” Avery says. “But I think I could make a habit of it.”
Derek hopes he does. When Avery offers his hand to help him up, Derek takes it, finding it’s a lot easier with a little help.