Work Text:
•Parasitic Revival•
Till lightly strokes the sleeping kid's hair as he stares into nothing, lost in thought. Alien Stage, more like, the worst nightmare he managed to live through, was over. Sua was dead. Mizi, once his crush, was missing and probably wandering around somewhere, laying low, blaming herself for everything. She was now called a "witch". Till couldn't help but wonder if he'll ever see her again. Luka was still somewhere under the aliens. No one really knew for sure what happened to him. Hyuna was dead too, having apparently sacrificed herself for Luka. Like Ivan did for Till. Ivan...oh, Ivan.
Till rapidly blinks to hold back the incoming tears. It took him a while to realize Ivan's intentions in Round 6 and his feelings. And now? He was too late to understand. Ivan was dead. Probably. Probably? Till was gaslighting himself now, and he knew it. But what else could he do? The only constant he had in his life, his best friend, died for HIS sake, as he later understood more clearly, right infront of his eyes.
Yes, Till survived. Yes, Till even saved the other kids. But what now? Living on, he supposed. For the kids. For his friends. For Ivan, most importantly. Even though it was going to be hard.
If only he could see Ivan or Mizi or just any of his friends ever again...
- . . -
Till played some chords on his guitar. He got himself a new one, since he destroyed his last and also didn't want to relive his traumatic memories. Especially not now. The kids silently watched, mesmerized. He was amazing, like always. Even if he'd never say that. He never really took compliments, he brushed them off as a joke as best as he could. Even though mostly he'd later smile to himself, silently, happy.
He played on, just letting his fingers play over the familiar chords. Music was his escape from everything. He loved it more than anything. He'd play for fun or comfort. For reassurance or to just entertain or sooth the kids. He'd sometimes tell them about the past, about the times in ANAKT garden for example. Though, he tries not to tell them too much about the Rounds. Especially not Round 6. The kids secretly had figured out more than what Till thought they knew, but never mentioned it, not wanting to sadden Till or bring up unwanted memories.
- . . -
Ivan slowly blinks.
He didn't know where he was. He felt weird. As if something was crawling inside him. A parasite. Deep within him. Keeping him secretly alive, somehow. He slowly stands up, groaning. The bullet wounds were still there. But that wasn't that important right now. Memories came flooding back, but the first thing on his mind was Till. Like always. Where was he now? He was alive, right...? He had to be. He couldn't have possibly lost, he was too good to loose. Till's music was always amazing. Till itself was amazing.
Ivan decided to explore where he was, despite his injuries. He realised he was still in the ALNST sanctuary. To his surprise, it was almost completely burned down. Why? Who set it on fire and how? He also noticed he was alone. It was empty. Did the others escape? Probably. Ivan sighted in relief. Till was probably safe then. Mizi too. It was all that mattered to him. He wandered around, sometimes holding himself up on some remaining wall. It all looked so old...how long was he "dead"? He himself didn't quite understand how, but he was grateful. After a while, he found old computers of the aliens. Some recordings from the Rounds. Ivan shuddered. He typed a little, skipping over the ones he watched himself and watched what happened after his..."death".
He reached Round 7. Till versus Luka. He gritted his teeth as he saw how shamelessly Luka manipulated Till. If he ever found Luka again, he was probably going to want to strangle him. He realized how Luka mimicked his antics, how he used him and his death to manipulate Till to loose. Oh he was so gonna strangle Lukaof he ever saw him again. Then, the video reached the end of the Round. Where Till "died". Ivan didn't, couldn't, know that Till was in fact alive. The videos were the only things he had right now. As Ivan watched, he froze. A wave of nausea hit him. Till couldn't have died. No. It just couldn't be. Luka couldn't have possibly won that goddamn Round. Ivan subconsciously clenched his fists so hard if he had long nails, he would've pierced his hands. Tears started to run down his face. Washis sacrifice really futile?? He wanted to be mad at Till for "dying". But he couldn't. He could never be mad at Till. His beautiful Till.
Only his sobs could be heard in the wast emptiness, the tape ending in the backround.
- . . -
Till parks his motorcycle infront of the burned down ALNST sanctuary and peels his helmet off his head. He breathes in deeply. Why was he even here again? Simple. Because of his damn memories, of course. And his foolish, fragile hope of finding something he couldn't even name. He stares at the faded, black walls and ashes on the ground. He silently thanked Mizi for burning this place down. He slowly steps inside through the mess, mentally reliving the whole experience again. He shudders. Why did he decide to come here again...the kids even wanted too, not wanting to "leave Till there alone", but Till firmly denied. He didn't want them into this, not back here. He saved them to they'd ever experience what he went through, not to come here and well...see everything. Or better said, what remained of it.
As he wanders around, he spots a burned alien corpse. He almost smiles. He mentally thanked Mizi (and Hyuna since she built the rocket) once more.
As he continues his wandering search after the unknown, he enters into darker places. Some he didn't even see or better said, recognized. He starts to get uneasy. Very. But some sick feeling of...curiosity drives him forward.
Then, he froze.
Was he hearing things? Did his mind play tricks on him again? Was something- or someone- ...sobbing?! Did someone remain here?? Till's breath hitches. Did he miss a child?! Did someone from ANAKT somehow remain?!? He starts running towards where the sound came from. As he got nearer and he heard the sobs louder, he full on starts sprinting. He slams a half-burned door open and saw-
- a sitting Ivan, in flesh, NOT dead, having a full mental breakdown. Beside him, some old computer, showing the ALNST Rounds recordings. Paused in Round 7.
"Ivan?"- Till choked out, as loud as he physically managed right now, which was almost inaudible. Tears were already flowing like waves down his face. Was that really Ivan? Was he hallucinating? Was this just a cruel dream that felt too real?
Ivan's head snaps towards him, his sobbing abruptly halting. He always heard Till now matter how quietly he spoke, now was no different. They stare at eachother, frozen, for 10 solid, excruciatingly long seconds where one second felt like eternity. The Till throws himself to Ivan and hugs him, pressing him suffocatingly tight, now quite believing he was truly real. Ivan instinctively hugs back without hesitation.
"Ivan are you- are you real?-"
"....Till?" Is all Ivan manages out. They look at eachother.
"...you aren't...??" Ivan lightly gestures to the recordings. Till firmly shakes his head.
"Weren't YOU dea-" Till whispers and abruptly stops, holding Ivan tighter again, like if he loosened his hold for one second Ivan would dissappear. He felt Ivan shake his head, muttering a quiet no.
"...I'm so glad you're alive, Till." Till's eyes widened slightly. He'd never seen or heard Ivan so vulnerable before. But God, was he glad he could even hear him again.
"...I'm so glad you're alive too, Ivan- I-I thought you were really gone. And I'm sorry. For taking so long to understand...-"
"...you have nothing to apologize for, Till. And I'm never leaving you alone again, Till."
- . . -
Till drove the motorcycle back home, Ivan on the backseat, Till's jacket thrown over him in an attempt to cover his wounds. He clinged onto Till, arms encircling Till's waist.
"So Till...was that Round...fake?"
"No, I...I don't really know how i survived. I just know Isaac and Mizi somehow saved me, honestly. How...did you survive, Ivan...?"
"....I have now idea. I just...woke up few hours ago, I think, feeling weird. As if something crawled inside me. And then I looked around, found the computer, and well...you can guess."
"...what do you mean you think something crawled in you??-"
Till only had a vague idea what Ivan could mean. As a kid, he sometimes saw some bug-like symbols in his room, put by the aliens, he assumed then. A parasite perhaps?
"...I don't really know. Im just grateful for it, that's for sure."
"...yeah. You're alive, that's all that matters."
"Till?"
"Yes?"
"...why were you so devastated after I "died"?"
"..."
"Till?"
Ivan asked cautiously, concerned. He could sense the slight tension in Till's shoulders as he tightened his grip.
"...HOW could I NOT be, Ivan?! You died infront of me! For me! You were the only constant in my life- of course I'd be devastated!"
"...oh. I'm sorry, Till."
Silence.
"...I wanted you to win, Till. To live. I thought it would be better like that. I never wanted to hurt you while doing so, Till..."
"Why did you even go and...sacrifice yourself..."
Depp inside, Till knew. He had more than enough time to think after he saved the kids, to piece together the puzzle too late.
"..."
"Ivan, just tell me."
"...it's nothing, I just wanted you to win."
"Ivan. I still know when you lie."
"...fine. I love you. So much. I couldn't let you die, I wouldn't accept the slightest chance of me winning and you loosing. So planned my sacrifice."
Till froze. Deep down, he knew, and it still was something different to really hear it. From Ivan personally especially after the whole nightmare.
"...I love you too, Ivan. I...realised too late."
It was Ivan's turn to freeze now. He also stopped breathing momentarily. His shallow emotions...his feelings...actually reprocicated. After the nightmare, both of them alive.
"...we'll talk properly when we get there, alright...?" Till murmured. "...there's an overdue birthday kiss for you anyway. And also, you should see the kids."
"...kids?" Ivan muttered, his brain meanwhile in overdrive from that last sentence from Till...a kiss...a real one...-
"Yeah. There were remaining kids from the gene pool. Saved them after Mizi burned that thing down."
"...where is she anyway?" Mizi still was Ivan's bff, after all.
"I don't know where she is. After all this, she disappeared somewhere. Mourning Sua, probably. She's now called a witch..."
"....oh. Alright. Hope she's safe..."
They drove until they reached Till's new home, opening a completely unexpected, new chapter of their lives.
- . . -