A/N: Written for the NeonClan bi-weekly tumblr contest with the prompt:
"You won't leave me, will you?"
"I'll stay here all night if I have to."
Subaru is terrified of dying, yet he longs for death.
Dying is painful. Agonizing. Excruciating. Without a doubt, Subaru can say that dying is his least favorite activity. It means going through extraneous circumstances to try to save the ones he loves, and failing. And he has to repeat the cycle over and over again. Having his stomach sliced open, being bludgeoned by a morning star, getting frozen bit by bit, all deaths that he's endured to try to save his loved ones. Yet, when he finally manages to secure a happy ending, it's snatched away yet again by larger threats, ones that can't be resolved easily or peacefully.
Death on the other hand, is peaceful. Death means no worries, no stress, and most importantly, it means he can finally rest. And he's been trying for so long. He's died countless times trying to save Emilia and Rem, tried so hard to make them understand that he's doing what's best, and he just wants to get his happy ending.
And now he understands, he wasn't meant for this world. He wasn't meant to keep trying.
"Run away with me. As far as we can go."
He thinks Rem will understand him. Rem should know how hard he's been working to save everyone, will know that it's all pointless, will know how god damned tired he is, and that they should leave while they can. If they were to leave for Kararagi, nothing would be able to stop him from working even harder, for their future. To come home and see Rem's smile, to have someone there for him… that's all that he needs.
"I know this is sudden, but please you have to choose."
"Choose?"
"Me, or someone else? …If you choose me, I'll give you all I have."
When Rem begins to talk about their futures, together, in Karagi, Subaru isn't sure whether he should be shocked or overwhelmingly happy. They would make it work somehow, Subaru knows they could. That, with their future house, their future shop, their future children, that's all he could ever ask for.
Subaru wonders why she loves him even with all of his flaws. He's useless, powerless, and worthless, yet she still looks at him like he hung the stars. How could she love how his voice, his fingers, his walk, when all of it was so mundane, so pointless?
"You really don't mind that it's me?"
"I want it to be you. I would not want for it to be anyone else."
It's all Subaru can do to keep himself from bursting into tears right then and there.
"Let us start over from square one… no, from zero! If you can't walk I'll support you… show me how awesome you can be."
"Rem… I love you. I want to see you smile, I want to help you. I want to be by your side. I want a future with you where we can laugh together. But I want to save Emilia. I'm weak, small, and fragile. Will you help me? Will you stay with me till the end? Until we get our happy ending?"
"I'll stay here as long as you'll have me, Subaru."