It's update day! Very last chapter so I hope you guys enjoy this last chapter c: thanks to BlackCatNeko999, Danny3.O , Tigersfury, and HazukoInuzuka14 for reviewing last chapter!
Mal felt like everything was around him was darkening and the air was becoming immensely thin. The world was disappearing before his eyes. Mal tried to take in as much air, but no matter how deep of breaths he took, it felt like he would get the bare minimum of air. He looked around in a panic to find something or someone to help him, but only saw Zoey with a worried look on her face. He fell to the ground since his body was too physically weak to stand himself up. Last thing he heard was Zoey's pleading voice for someone to help him.
When he opened his eyes, he wasn't in the hospital. He was actually inside Mike's head. He stood up and looked around to take in the surroundings around him. Mal has lived here for basically his whole life until six months ago and things seem different. He was so used to the place in here but now it just seemed like foreign place to him. If he was here, then that meant Mike took his place, right?
"Mal." Mike appeared and spat at him in a tone full of spite.
"Well, look who it is," Mal smirked. "It's Mikey. Miss me?"
"Not exactly, Mal." Mike's fists clenched and everything else seemed to tense up. Not out of nerves but out of anger, and boy, was he angry.
"I suppose you're here to confront me or something." Mal crossed his arms together as he gave a condescending tone.
"I honestly don't know what to do." Mike said exasperated. "You were supposed to be gone last time, but you're not, and when I stupidly trust you- this happens."
"Do you expect an apology or something?" Mal asked sarcastically.
"No, I want you to stay here forever." Mike stated.
Mal's smirk broke out into laughter as Mike. "And why the hell would I do that?"
"Because you're in love with Zoey and you don't want to hurt her as much as I do." Mike said.
Mal seized laughing immediately and looked at Mike intently. He wanted to deny it, but why bother? He admitted it to Zoey and of all people to know how he's feeling, it'd be Mike. "I'm not leaving your body, I intend to do so much more."
"How are you going to do that?" Mike asked. "You realize you can't be Mal if you're with her. You realize you're going to have to lie about who you are."
Mal gritted his teeth. He wasn't going to go down without a fight as suddenly he shoved Mike. "Lying is part of Mal, it's part of me. I can do it."
"For the rest of your life, Mal?" Mike asked as a chuckle escaped his mouth. "That's incredibly stupid and you even know that."
"Stop patronizing me!" Mal threw a punch at Mike, who barely dodged it. The punch hit his arm and Mike rubbed the hit area.
"Think for a second, Mal!" Mike yelled. "You're selfishness is hiding the fact you know you lost. Just accept that!"
"I may be becoming my own person, but I'm still Mal!" Mal shouted. "I don't lose!" Mal threw another punch wildly, trying to hit something, but was unsuccessful.
Mike would throw a punch back but he knew that if he tried, it wouldn't accomplish anything. It'd just start a brawl. "Why are you here then? Shouldn't you be out there?"
"I will once I defeat you!" Mal tackled Mike to the ground. "Once you're gone, then nothing can stop me!"
"Except Zoey, and she doesn't even have to touch you." Mike said cooly.
"I've had enough of you talking!" Mal yelled as he hit Mike a few times in the face. "I can stop Zoey, just like how I stopped you."
Mike had enough and grabbed Mal's fist before it made contact with his bruised face. "Can you actually go through with it?"
Mal stared at Mike intently before he was pushed off. "I hate what I've become, so pathetic."
"If you stay here, you can revert to what you were. The Mal you once were." Mike reasoned.
Mal had quite the dilemma on his hands. Finish Mike off and go back to Zoey where only she would know who he is, but causing him to lose his malice side. Or to stay here, revert to what he once was. This was what defeat felt like. He felt this feeling once before, when he was supposed to be gone forever, and he told himself he'd never feel that defeat again. Was a girl really willing worth losing himself over?
Mal gulped. "I- I love her."
"So do I." Mike replied.
Almost immediately, Mal started feel a sharp pain in his stomach again. It all made sense to him now. He was incapable of love, he wasn't supposed to. While he was feeling love, his body thought differently and tried to mask that feeling with pain. He couldn't live like this for the rest of his life, no matter how badly.
"Are you willing to stay or is there going to be another fight?" Mike asked.
Mal looked at him in pure defeat and nodded his head. The only time he gave up and the feeling felt sickening. He didn't have a choice though, he was trapped. His eyes were sad, practically begging, and Mike was taken aback for a second since Mal was anything but the begging type.
"Just let me see her, I want to say goodbye." Mal requested.
"You actually want to say goodbye to Zoey?" Mike asked surprised.
"Yes you idiot, do you think I'd say that if I didn't mean it?" Mal snapped.
"Calm down, all you have to do is relax." Mike replied but then said more serious. "But you have come back."
"Alright, alright-" Mal rolled his eyes.
Mike grabbed his shirt. "I'm serious, Mal. No tricks or games this time."
Mal shoved Mike away and straightened out his shirt. "No tricks. Trust me when I say I'm doing this for myself than you."
"Good." Mike stated as he waited for Mal to fade away.
Mal closed his eyes and relaxed to switch back into Mike's body and out of his head. Just a second later, her opened his eyes to see him back into the hospital bed and Zoey asleep by his bedside. Her head and arms were on top of the bed while the rest of her body was seated on a chair that seemed anything but comfortable.
Mal wishes he could say that she looked peaceful but really, she even looked troubled in her sleep. Who can blame her when his body nearly shut down in front of her? Mal knew he didn't have much time before Mike was able to charge right back in, so he couldn't waste time. Mal nudged her awake.
Her eyes fluttered open and then widened as they saw her. "Mal, you're okay!"
"You're actually concerned?" Mal wondered.
"Despite you being you I'm not awful and hope you would die. I was seriously worried!" Zoey exclaimed.
This made it all the more harder- she was actually worried about him. "Don't say that." Mal tried to say through his gritted teeth as he tried to suppress the pain in his abdomen.
She tilted his head in confusion. Before she could ask why, Mal spoke first. "I don't have much time and I know that you probably hate me because I'm something that you wanted gone from Mike. The thing is, you weren't supposed to be in the way, you were just supposed to be part of the plan. Jeeze, I was wrong."
"I don't hate you." Zoey said. "I should, but I don't. I'm just angry that Mike lied to me, you lied to me, and I fell for you."
"I could say that we'd be happy together and I'd be great but I won't because I'm Mal, I put myself first before anyone else. That's why I made this decision, I can't be with you. Whenever I'm with you, I get this sharp pain and I can't live my life like that. Because of that, Mike is able to come back and leave me behind." Mal explained.
Zoey sat up in the chair and held herself as she crossed her arms. She looked down sadly and nodded. "The times I've had with you has defiantly kept me on my toes. Now I'm just confused, I don't know if it was you I was in love with or Mike. Either way, I was in love with the idea of Mike."
Mal looked up at the ceiling for a second. He understood, she didn't love him, not the actual him. He turned back to her slowly, and said lowly. "I will always be with Mike. I don't think I can escape even if I wanted to. I'm too weak to even try anyways."
Zoey understood what he was trying to say, but didn't want to say to lose face. "Stay with Mike. You love him like he loves you. You need each other. Don't let your fear of me coming back stop you." Then, ever so slowly, Zoey leaned down and kissed Mal's lips very delicately.
Mal kept the moment in his mind forever since he knew he'll never have this opportunity again. It was weird. From before, the thought of a kiss made him want to bash his head. Now, he was holding onto the memory while he can. Mal held the side of her face during the kiss, and when she let go, he held his hand there. His hand kept her there as he was able to stare into her eyes. Zoey was able to get the message without any words. "I love you."
Zoey tried to keep her tears back as she felt terrible for Mal. Odd thing. He was becoming his own person and almost succeeded if it wasn't for love. If he became someone else though… Mike would be gone- forever. This was all for the best. Mal could feel Mike fighting his way out, he couldn't suppress him anymore. He didn't have the strength. He closed his eyes and relaxed, to let Mike out.
With a deep gasp of breath, Mike finally came through. He looked around and then finally found Zoey's face. He asked quickly. "Zoey?"
Zoey hesitated for a moment. "…Mike?"
She stared at him for a moment, deep into his eyes. When she saw they were full of excitement like the old Mike. Zoey cheered. "Mike!"
Zoey jumped on the bed and wrapped her arms around Mike in a tight hug. Mike reciprocated the hug by holding her close to him. There they lay together, holding each other like one is about to leave the other again on the hospital bed. Zoey said softly into his chest. "Don't leave me again, please don't ever go away."
"As long as you also promise to stay." Mike replied holding her tighter.
Zoey was able to let her head go free and kiss his lips with much longing and want. It was a kiss that should've been shared 3 months ago. The kiss meant so much more to them, more than an unsaid tie together. It was an unspoken sentence. "I promise." And for each other, they would stay.
FINISHED! Finally! I'm so happy to be ending this story, to be honest I didn't really like this one. Next one will be much better, I promise! I already have the first chapter written out so maybe I'll update tomorrow. If you like this one then you'll love the next story, if you didn't, then you'll like the next one C: please review and let me what you think!