Chapter Text
Avery.
That's the only thing Derek could think of as he felt a sharp, stinging pain in his head. He let it thud down on his desk, his shoulders slumping.
His breaths were labored and shaky, his eyelids heavy. His head stung even more when he let them flutter shut. His ears rang loudly, contrasting the soft whir of his PC.
He swallowed, letting out a shaky exhale. This was finally it, huh ? He was going to die, right here, right now.
As a teen, he imagined he'd die of old age, or maybe a cool motorcycle incident that would have his mom worried to death. Not in front of his computer like some lazy chud. He chuckled weakly to himself (though it sounded more like a sigh, and it made his head throb painfully). Here he was, living his final moments, and cracking jokes like it's just some random Thursday, and this was a regular occurrence. What an idiot, huh ?
What would Avery think, huh ?
Well . . . that's a trick question, Derek already knew what Avery was thinking. What he was going to do.
Avery was going to kill himself. And there's nothing Derek can do about it except hope that he fails. Even though he knows the other boy won't. He knows just how he dies, how the ambulance is going to come once someone finds him. He doesn't like it.
He tries to think of something else. Maybe how things could've been different if he had more time with Avery.
He prayed to whatever God was out there that that would happen, that they'd meet again somehow. Maybe in the afterlife ? In heaven (or hell) ? The Underworld ? (he'd turn around for Avery if he had to.)
However they'd meet, Derek hoped that they'd have more time. Maybe with some luck, the universe will pity them, and let them enjoy life together. He wanted to spend more time with the boy that won his heart.
The fireworks crackled outside, beautiful colors scattering across the dark night sky, painting gorgeous hues and sparkles for everyone to see. Derek didn't need to wonder if Avery was watching them.
Now that he could think about it, Avery never really got to hear his voice, they just talked through the Minecraft chat. He'd heard the other boy's voice in his videos, it was beautiful. he wanted to hear it every day, all day. He could listen to Avery talk about everything and anything and never get tired of the sound.
A soft grunt escaped his throat as his head throbbed again, he was in a repeated cycle of disassociation, fighting his body to stay conscious.
Derek let out one final sigh as he felt himself finally give in to the way his eyes burned, his head spun and his stomach churned. His heart pounded in his chest and he felt like anyone could hear it if they were in the same room as him. Derek could practically feel his brain and mind deteriorating, turning to mush. He opened his eyes for one last time, looking at the white google document displayed on his screen.
With a final sigh, he let his eyes droop shut, letting death take over.
Avery was in no better of a situation. He stared at the text on his screen, eyes wide.
'You died ! TheMostMayo fell from a high place.'
He couldn't move, didn't want to. Just stared at the screen like he was in a trance all over again. He tried to blink back the tears but they just kept flowing, over and over again. He finally found someone who saw him as a person, who cared for him, and he lost them just as fast.
In a blind fit of sorrow and rage, he popped the champagne bottle next to his desk open. He drank swig after swig, slowly growing more and more drunk. In the end, he had finished the bottle and was seeing double.
He stood up with a sniffle, stumbling over to his window and poking his head out, looking at the fireworks overhead. They were beautiful, casting bright colorful glows all across the city streets. Avery wondered if Derek could see them right now too—or if he was dead already.
Right, Derek was going to die.
It shouldn't bother Avery this much, he knew nothing about the guy besides his name. So why did the thought of the other boy dying make his chest ache ?
A choked sob escaped his lips as he reached up to wipe his tear-streaked cheeks. He took one last swig of the champagne, hissing at the sting in his throat before letting the bottle drop to the ground. He watched as it emptied onto his carpet, and took in his room one final time. The figurines he had on his shelves, the countless posters he hung up on his walls. He even smiled tearfully at the post-it note on his laptop. 'You are real. You are special. Remember who you are.'
He turned back to his window, wide open, letting the night breeze in. Avery steadied himself with two hands on the windowsill, climbing up on it and standing upright.
he had to hold onto the windowsill so that he wouldn't fall, even though he wanted to jump anyways.
He thought about Derek for one last time, he really wished that he'd gotten to know the boy better, maybe in another universe life would be better than this. Avery imagined it. Imagined them in a Discord call, giggling together as they played Skywars. Or maybe they would have their own little Minecraft world where Derek explored for them and Avery built their house. He smiled, an actual smile, so big his cheeks hurt.
His tears blurred the streets below his apartment window, and he muttered one last phrase before letting go, so quiet that it could've been lost in the night.
"Maybe we'll meet again, Derek."
Avery let go, stepping off the windowsill.
His body wasn't fount until hours after he jumped. The sight was gruesome. The doctors couldn't do anything, it was already far too late to save him.
Death wasn't how Avery or Derek expected it to be. They didn't end up in heaven, or hell, not as ghosts either. They felt warm, like two halves finally combining into one, their souls intertwined in a warm, longing embrace.
Neither of them could hear or see anything, except for light whispers in the dark, then a fluttery feeling overcame them both, a bright light illuminating their sight.
They were being reborn.