August 9, 1998
517 W 135th St,
Harlem, New York City
12:32 AM
Heru
Wade was exhausted, Heru could tell by the way his smiles didn't quite make it to his eyes, in the stiffness of his movements and the heaviness of his voice but he continued to insist he was fine. They had reached the school shortly after ten thirty and Heru had excitedly introduced himself to Professor X. He'd listened as Deadpool had filled them in on what happened and he was relieved when they agreed to help. They'd taken the refugees inside the mansion, offered them a safe place and Heru had given Beast the disk with the schematics for the collars so that he could work out how to safely remove them. After they were lectured on the proper use of a telephone and they had promised to call the next time, they ditched the truck and "borrowed" one of Wolverine's bikes. It had been a long day, even though it had been successful and both of them felt relieved and proud that they'd been able to prevent that year's Zion auction. It would be the last that Kenal Industries would host. Although he didn't need to tell him that the selling of mutants wouldn't stop for another generation or two, it was progress nevertheless and he wouldn't spoil the victory for him. However, it meant it was over, the story was drawing to the conclusion and they both knew it. He understood Wade's sullen attitude; he didn't want it to end either. They'd only made it home a few minutes ago and Wade was in the shower cleaning up. He would have joined him but he'd told him he needed to pack up his stuff except now that he was standing in the living room staring at the few possessions he had, he didn't want to pack. He looked around the apartment and realized that from the moment Wade had unofficially moved in, it had become home. Before that, it had just been the place he killed time in, where he passed the linear part of his existence while working. An ache shivered through him as he thought about how he wouldn't need any of these creature comforts for the next eight months. He had intended to send his possessions back through time and was going to take a break from being linear. It was typically how he spent his time between Deathday presents and really the only thing that had managed to help him maintain any semblance of sanity. Or maybe it was just another reason his humanity had rapidly been dissolving and he'd been so disconnected he hadn't realized it. He would step back and simply work, reap without interacting with anyone and the time always passed much quicker that way. Now though, he looked over at the bed tucked against the wall, Louie's cage and the pile of dirty clothing Wade had been adding to every day.
'Let's stay'
[You can't]
Just for a little longer?
'What difference does it make really, if we stay for a time?'
{There's work to do}
[You're not a part of the living. Why try to delude yourself that you can be?]
It was true, he wasn't alive and to pretend like he could live a normal life, even with someone who wouldn't grow old and had Wade's near immortality, was likely a bad idea.
{You've tried this before}
He sat down on the couch and chewed his lip, the shower stopped and Heru could hear the curtain as it was pulled aside. When he had first become a reaper, he had maintained a normal, human life. He had gone to university, had even managed a minor career on Broadway before returning to L.A. and teaching drama at U.C.L.A. He'd done that for twelve years, reaping in the night hours when he would otherwise have been asleep. Then Andreas had died and everything had changed. After a couple hundred years of basically wandering from one point in time to the next, he had settled down again with Relanni. Her race had a much longer life than humans and for a while, he was content to return to her tower for hours every day. Except she had passed as well, too soon for her kind, and he'd had enough. He had pulled away, had used his time with his Deathday presents as the only time he would actually settle into a time stream. It had become too painful living in the world while never actually being a part of it. Except… he picked up the Taco Bell wrappers Wade had carelessly discarded in the direction of the coffee table. Now he wanted to do it again.
{You truly are a masochist}
[You will give up this human fallacy eventually]
"Maybe," he said, crunching up the garbage, "but not for a little while longer, regardless of what this writer wants." Wade strode out of the bathroom, a towel wrapped around his waist and another over his head. Heru grinned at the pointlessness of the towel twisted atop his bald head.
"What's that muffin?" he asked, going over to the dresser and rummaging for a pair of clean pajamas.
"Nothing," he tossed the food wrappers in the garbage and checked on Louie's water before climbing onto the bed. He propped his head on his hand as he watched Wade finish drying off before pulling on a pair of plaid pajamas and held out a hand, "come here," he patted the bed and pulled him into his arms when he obliged.
"I thought you were going to pack," he pointed out, glancing over at all the game systems and other possessions left exactly as they had been.
"Mmm, well about that…"
[Be smart about this]
"You gonna stay?" Wade asked, his tone nonchalant but he could see the fearfully hopeful glint in his eyes and he wanted nothing more than to say yes. Instead, he pulled him in for a kiss, letting his body express what he'd never been good at saying with words. He reveled in the passion Wade kissed him with, his soul pouring into him as he wrapped him in his arms. Heru was desperate for him to know just how much it all meant to him, to be held and to be loved when he had grown so cold. Life energy pooled in the center of his chest, drawn out by Wade's feather light kisses across his chest and Heru pushed the flood of energy outward so that it mingled with Wade's energy. He smiled when Wade gasped, and he was over top of him, his mouth on his again kissing him with a new intensity.
Mine.
August 9, 1998
517 W 135th St,
Harlem, New York City
4:22 AM
Wade
Wade wrapped Heru's arms around him tighter, Heru's forehead pressed between his shoulder blades, his smaller body curved around his much larger one. For a while, he laid there, eyes closed and just savoring the feel of him.
I love being the little spoon.
{He's leaving}
He didn't say that.
{He didn't say he was staying either}
He pulled his arms away and rolled over so that he could face him, brushing his hair from his eyes.
Can't we stay here forever?
"I love you," he whispered, pressing a kiss against the bridge of his nose. He felt Heru's body relax even further against his as he drew in a deep breath. He pulled away enough to look up at him with those wide and ancient eyes, the words still trapped behind them. He smiled weakly and kissed him gently, "you're not staying, are you?"
"It's… complicated," he stated as Wade curled around him and rested his head on his chest, Heru traced the curves of his skin lazily, "there are certain souls like Bradley's that require me to stay still," Wade frowned up at him, "in time I mean, I have to have this linear existence where I'm a part of that timeline, sometimes as long as three or four months. Then I get to go whenever I want and that's when I could be here, with you… for you it wouldn't be any different. It would be the same as when I would go see Bradley. It'd only be a matter of hours that would pass for you but it would be a lot longer for me. Does that make sense?"
"Mm so you'd still be here every morning when I woke up?" he asked, his thumb casually flicking his nipple ring.
"Yea, and I'd be here every night, stay the weekends with you and just appear to have a regular day job," he explained, his breath catching slightly at the pleasant sensation caused by his movements.
"But months would pass for you while it was only hours for me?" he questioned, his face pensive.
"Yep, that's the simplified version," he said, a forced lightheartedness in his voice as he watched him consider it, "it's that or…" he trailed off, not wanting to say the rest.
"Or you leave for good and I never see you again?" he said, finishing the thought for him.
"Basically," he sighed and Wade curled into him.
"Stay," he whispered, pressing a kiss against his heart, giving him the hope that maybe, just for a time, it was possible that neither of them would have to be alone.