Chapter Text
Three months, three weeks and six days.
That's how long it has been since the very selfless, stupid sacrifice Derek made to save the world. To save him.
And he feels so very guilty for not being able to help, for not being smart enough to get his adress and call an ambulance.
Because of him, his friend was dead.
For his and the world's sake, maybe, but he was dead.
Avery's weekend was going as well as it could have gone, painfully slow and extremely uneventful.
He sat there, on his couch, head in his hands, unable to take his mind off of the events of new year's eve no matter how hard he'd tried.
It was pathetic, really. If he could have; he would have taken Derek's place without thinking twice.
Knocking.
Great, now he's also gonna be bothered by some random people, probably preachers again. Not like he knew about the existence of something above all of them and their god.
Before he could spiral and rant to himself, he made his way to the door and slowly opened it.
The man standing in front of him was dark skinned, with brown eyes which, if the sun hit just right, you could see the faintest glow of gold in. He wore glasses and was using-
"Avery." He spoke with a gentle tone, looking Avery straight in the eyes.
What the?
He just stood there, trying to process what just happened. He lightly shook his head as if to snap out of his daze.
Avery took a breath before finally replying, stammering just a little.
"Sorry.. How did you-?" He sounded a little nervous. A random stranger shows up at his door and just happens to know his name?
The stranger seems almost emotional, a very subtle smile creeping up on his face.
"You're not a very hard guy to find, you know?"
And just then, in that very moment, something clicks within the tan man. There is absolutely no way.
Avery's breath was getting heavier, his mind and heart racing. He felt his hands begin to shake.
"Derek?..." Avery muttered, his voice shaky and unsteady.
The curly-haired man just nods, finally letting his smile shine through, his eyes welling up with tears.
Avery stays silent, trying to calm his shallow breaths as much as he physically could. He began to say something, but couldn't hold back anymore. He practically jumped at Derek, almost knocking both of them over as he wrapped his arms around him, squeezing his body as gently as he could. His emotions got the best of him; the tears which he held back for what felt like an eternity just flowing down his cheeks, his breathing erratic and completely uncontrolled.
After just a moment, Derek used one of his arms to hug back as tightly as possible, being careful while also holding himself up with the other half of his crutches he was now forced to use.
Derek buried his head in Avery's shoulder, giving the other time to calm down. He wasn't against the physical contact anyways. Quite the opposite— he really could've used a hug at the time.
After a few short minutes, Avery finally let go of his friend, wiping his eyes and taking a few deep breaths, trying to not sound as choked up as he really was.
"Sorry, sorry, I just.. I can't believe you're actually alive."
Avery explains, his voice sounding like he'd just sobbed his heart out. (He did.)
Derek steadied himself, lightly chuckling to himself before replying.
"Trust me, I don't believe it either, Avery." His voice sounded even more soothing that Avery could have ever imagined. He couldn't help but stare, taking in every small feature of the man who he has never seen facet to face before. His eyes were probably the strangest he's ever seen, but they were beautiful at the same time.
Following what felt like ages staring at the man in front of him, Avery invited him in.
Once they both settled down on the couch, Avery was first to speak up, trying to not make too much eye contact as to avoid creeping Derek out.
"So, um.." He paused, fiddling with his finger while trying to find the right words. They haven't spoken in months, let alone the fact he thought he would never even get to see him in person.
"What happened after?.." Avery decided to avoid saying what he meant directly, he would probably start sobbing again if he had to explain.
Derek took a moment to collect his thoughts, his memories were sort of a mess, like another puzzle he had to solve. He sure doesn't miss those.
He took a breath before explaining
"After I... pushed you off of the platform, my mind merged with the King. I recall my head felt as if it was going to explode. It was even more intense than the pain I felt the time I received infinite knowledge," His voice trailed off a bit, still refusing to meet Avery’s gaze.
Avery looked at Derek with visible concern, patiently waiting for him to continue. He would be lying if he said he didn't feel any guilt all over again.
Derek straightened his spine, sitting upright before resuming.
"It was horrible. The worst migraine you can imagine times a thousand. What made it worse was the blood that started seeping from my ear." Avery furrowed his brows, imagining what that would feel like, making him scrunch his face. Derek takes note of this, nodding lightly.
"Yeah. And after writing that letter to you I just," Silence filled the air again. "passed out. I was taken to the hospital, went into a coma, and now I’m here." He shrugged, finishing his sentence.
Avery hummed, looking in front of himself.
"What about the crutches?" He asked carefully, his voice carrying a sense of worry and compassion.
The other man sighed before answering.
"My legs got extremely weak from malnourishment. I was sat in that chair for..." His eyes moved around, he tried to recollect the exact amount of time he had to sit there. No normal food, water, or social interactions.
Derek seemed to get lost in his thoughts a little, but soon enough he shook his head to snap himself back to the present.
"Gods know how long.. the hospital staff prescribed them for an «uncertain» amount of time. They don't know if I'll ever walk normally again." His eyes were now directed towards the floor, the sheer thought of having to use crutches for the rest of his life made him sick.
Avery placed a hand on Derek's shoulder.
"We'll get through this." Avery said in an attempt to make the situation seem like it's under control. In reality though, both him and Derek were equally uncertain about their future.
Derek knew that.
Derek nodded.
"I sure hope so."
...
An awkward silence filled the room, the space between the two of them seemed so small; one of them could easily reach out, which, admittedly, felt strange for the both of them.
At the same time, however, it seemed impossible to even speak up.
"...Do you wanna crash here for a while? Just until we figure out how this whole" Avery gestured with his hands
"thing affected you permanently?" It was such a bold question. So bold, that Avery felt his stomach drop after he realized what he'd just said.
Where did that even come from?
The other man finally met Avery's gaze, making his face just a fraction more heated. Something a regular person would never notice.
Not Derek, though. He noticed.
He chose to not question it, responding to the question after a short time of thinking on the offer
"That is.. not a bad idea, Avery." He smiled softly.
Avery's eyes practically lit up, even though he himself didn't exactly know why he wanted this so much.
There's something about a stranger wanting to save you by sacrificing themselves that draws you to them.
"Do we need to get your stuff from your apartment?" He questioned, ready to bring Derek's belongings all by himself if he had to.
Derek slightly grimaced, something coming into his mind.
"Well, my apartment is actually being decontaminated at the moment", he said it with so much shame in his voice, even though it wasn't his fault. "so my stuff is at my mom's place. I reckon she is really worried about me still, but we can work something out." He proposed. It was evident that Derek really cared for his mother, not wanting to worry her even more after almost dying.
The two took Avery's car over to Derek's childhood home.
It was cozier than Avery imagined, with soft carpets and pleasantly colorful wallpapers covered with all sorts of patterns. In a way, it reminded Avery of his own old house, which held so many memories that are dear to him.
Convincing Derek's mother to agree with the temporary move took a while, but eventually, after making a few compromises and promises, she allowed it.
She gave Avery a list of phone numbers for all sorts of occasions. The hospital staff wanted to make sure if anything happened, they could be reached, hence all the available doctors.
Derek also had to attend therapy, as well as physical therapy to make up for the lack of active movement and reduced muscle mass, which, of course, he wasn't a big fan of.
After just a few minutes of embarrassing goodbye's, they sat in the car again.
"I'm sorry that she treated you as if you were my other caretaker.. it's quite unflattering." Derek spoke with embarrassment still fresh in his words.
All Avery could do was laugh, it was a little awkward, but what else can you do when such a serious health concern arises.
"You're all good, man. I'll take care of you." He joked, playfully leaning closer to Derek.
This got a good chuckle out of him, the first he'd heard since they first met.
"Yeah, yeah, just drive." He snapped back.
Silence filled the air once more, but it wasn't uncomfortable anymore. It was normal, it was nice to just be in each-other's presence and to know you'll be fine.
As they arrived back at Avery's apartment, Avery began helping Derek unpack.
The second bedroom in his apartment stood empty for as long as he's lived here, only an occasional friend occupying the space every once in a while.
After cleaning the bedroom a bit, dusting the shelves and vacuuming the floors, Avery left Derek to settle in while he cooked something for the two of them to eat.
Admittedly, he wasn't the best cook there is, but there were a few dishes he was exceptionally good at preparing.
In this case, he was making the same spaghetti pomodoro his father taught him to make. It was one of his favorite foods, which also brought him great comfort.
Once Avery was done cooking, he set the table. Setting it for two was surely unusual for him, since he rarely had guests stay long enough to have dinner together. He called Derek over, who made his way over to the kitchen quite quickly.
"Wow. You really put effort into this, huh?" Derek chuckled. The careful presentation was flattering, to say the least. To think that he was as important to Avery as he was to him made a warm feeling spread in his chest. He wasn't exactly used to this sort of care coming form a person outside of his family.
Avery rolled his eyes, not wanting to seem too happy about the compliment.
"Yes, I did. Now shut up and eat."
Evidently, there was no bite in his words. It was quite sweet, actually. If there was something Avery was really
bad at hiding, it was his fondness of the other.
They both sat down to eat, Avery asking a few questions, as always.
Their time together was starting to feel less chaotic, normal, even.
"So, did you have time to settle down?" He questioned, not looking up from his plate as he scooped some food into his mouth.
Derek swallowed his own before replying
"Yeah, I did move some stuff around, though. Hope you don't mind." He half-asked, as if he didn't know the answer to that too.
Avery nodded in response. He really didn't care what Derek did with the place. He was just glad he was okay, and not decomposing in front of his monitor.
"Do whatever you want, dude. It's really up to you." He smiled up at the other man, who gave him a smile in return.
After they both finished eating, Avery told Derek to just rest. He assured him that he could take care of the washing up on his own.
Derek knew that, sure, but he still felt like some sort of burden for even being there. He had to brush the feeling off, at least for now.
Derek and Avery both went into their respective rooms later, agreeing on talking more in the morning, once they are both well-rested.
Derek shut the door to his room, grumbling something in annoyance at the crutches. He truly hated using them. He found them rather inconvenient when it came to things other than walking.
He laid down in his bed, staring up at the dark ceiling. So many thoughts were going through his head, he should be used to this by now, but he isn't. Being hyper-aware at times really didn't help stop the thoughts either.
He woke up in a black void, standing on solid ground, yet not seeing any.
Derek decided to look at his hands, which to his surprise, were yellow. Concealed in armor similar to that of his Minecraft skin, except, his whole body was tinted a bright yellow.
He looked in front of himself, ever so slightly squinting to try and make out what he was seeing. It was
him.
The cloaked creature turned it's head towards him so eerily slow, that he had considered running away. He decided against it, however, he knew he could not run from this.
And that something; was the King.
It wasn't long before that same, horrible headache found its way into his head, millions upon millions of different whispers were tormenting him.
And then it was silent again.
But just as he thought it was over, an extremely loud, booming, almost incoherent voice spoke to him-
«IY NUDBJ DO RHN RNKI KVUN, TUNUF CQPSCDJO.
YKQ HNU JKP RNUU.
YKQ JUVUN WDGG AU.»
Derek woke up in cold sweat, clutching his chest as if he'd just gotten choked. He looked around the room, frantically trying to calm his nerves.
Eventually, he gave up, getting out of bed and heading straight for the bathroom. He didn't even bother to grab his crutches—almost tumbling over on multiple occasions as he hurriedly walked.
First thing he did was steady himself using the sink, grabbing onto the sides as if his life depended on it.
The splitting headache was back, making standing an extremely challenging task.
He looked at himself in the mirror, noticing that his left eye was, as absurd as it sounds, faintly glowing yellow. His breathing was labored and uneven, the severity of the situation finally settling in his mind. He lowered his head again, as if in an attempt to ignore what's happening.
Shit.
Within the next few minutes, he just stood there, waiting for the pain in his head to finally subside. And once it did, he lifted his head back up.
He could not tell Avery.