Airplanes

The night was cold but with Yuu's body pressed up against his, Lavi was quite warm. But that was the last thing on his mind as he stared up at the starry sky, running over the young boy's words in his head.

Cancer... Yuu had cancer... he was fucking ten years old and he had cancer. He glanced at the boy lying against his side. His arm was beginning to go numb but he didn't care. As long as Yuu was comfortable. Those beautiful eyes were also trained on the sky and Lavi could see where his tears had dried.

"How long?" he asked, his voice hoarse. He cleared his throat and repeated the question when Yuu looked at him confused.

Lowering his gaze, Yuu shrugged and snuggled more into Lavi. "Don't know... they won't tell me. Tiedoll knows, and Marie probably does, but they won't tell me and Dai'."

Lavi nodded and looked back at the sky. He could feel a fresh wave of grief approaching and the tears were quick to escape his eyes. His heart leapt when he saw what he thought were shooting stars, but then realised it was just two airplanes, and his heart near died.

He closed his eyes and turned to press his forehead against Yuu's as they both began to cry again. Please, God, don't take Yuu away from me. I could really use a wish right now, or some shooting stars, but all you keep sending me are these stupid airplanes. Please... please...

Lavi, now seventeen, looked from the starry night sky to the heat source pressed to his side. Yuu's face was peaceful as he slept on, his head resting on Lavi's shoulder. They didn't need those shooting stars anymore; they didn't have to pretend anymore. Because Yuu was fine.

After fighting back for so long, after all the tears and false hopes, Yuu had pulled through with little damage. His attitude towards others had changed drastically but Lavi had known the boy long enough not to be affected.

"Mmmm, Lavi?" Yuu asked sleepily, raising his head slightly as he finally woke up. "We're still here? What are you doing? Waiting for shooting stars?"

"Yeah," Lavi said quietly to the teen he loved. I could really use a wish right now... if only you knew how much I love you. He'd had a nightmare the previous night. That Yuu hadn't survived. That he had stood there, crying silently, as they'd lowered the coffin into the ground. The cancer had come back out of nowhere and of all tracks to be played at the funeral... he'd woken up crying, the sound of airplanes roaring in his head as he begged God for that one wish, for those shooting stars...

Lavi's eyes shot open. His cheeks were wet, his bed cold and his lone self... alone. No Yuu, no Yuu at all. Because the funeral hadn't been a dream, but the part about Yuu surviving had been... and the part about all those granted wishes on shooting stars. Because all God ever sent were airplanes.

Can we pretend that airplanes

In the night sky

Are like shooting stars?

I could really use a wish right now,

A wish right now,

A wish right now.