The Stage is Set

Chapter 4: How they burned me

(Burned - Grace VanderWaal) This is a bit of Leo's past and it is a bit sad. Sirius - Papyrus (Sometimes Leo would call him Papy from his font), Gemini - Gaster (Leo's brother), Grillby - Leo's sun (As a heads up, Grillby's flames are more Rosey pink thank normal).

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Leo lays on the ground gasping for breath, tears fill his eyes as he grabs the fabric of his sleeves. He sucks in a shuttering breath as he tries not to cry. He doesn't hear the soft gasps and questions of the others. He feels the familiar heat in the room and starts to silently cry. It's not real, he isn't here. They're all gone. It's all in his head. They all dusted. He knows. The grit of their dust sticks to his hands. He can feel it stuck between the bones in his hands. He can feel it between the fabric and his bones. He can feel it. He can feel it. HE CAN FEEL IT. He can feel it.

He can feel it.

"Leo? Oh, my Leo! What happened to you?" Leo freezes and lets out a pained whine. It isn't real. He doesn't turn around. It isn't real. "Leo, why won't you look at me? It's me, Grillby."

Leo sits up but still won't turn around. He wipes his tears. Keeping his hands over his sockets, he shakes his skull in disbelief. It's all in his head. He's only hearing them again. It's not real. It's not real. It's not real. He thought he got better! Why isn't he better? He should be better! He thought he moved on! He thought he finally moved on from this phase of his life. That he wouldn't hear their voices anymore. It's not real. It's not real. It'sn't real. It'sn'treal. It'sn'treal. It'sn'treal. It'sn'treal. It'sn'treal. It'sn'treal. It'sn'treal. It'sn'treal. It'sn'treal. It'sn'treal. It'sn'treal. It'sn'treal. It'sn'treal. It'sn'treal. It'sn'treal. It'sn'treal. It'sn'treal. It'sn'treal. It'sn'treal. It'sn'treal. It'sn'treal. It'sn'treal.

It.

Is.

Not.

Real.

"No. You're not real."

"Leo? Love, I'm right here!" Leo lowers his skull as he grits his teeth. More tears come to his eyes. How much he wants that soothing voice to whisper to him. Make him feel okay. Make him feel whole again. Love him again. Touch him again. Hold him again. Kiss him again. How much he wants that to be true.

"Prove it. Tell me something that only my love, my star, would know." It's silent for a moment. His chuckle is humorless and bitter. The others remain silent, unsure of what to do with the three new people. It's clear that they all come from the same AU, but what are their relationships? Bad? Are they good? "I knew it. You-"

"'Our dance may look silly to others, but it's ours and I love it. And if it were up to me, we would do it at our wedding.'" Leo freezes and brings a hand to his chest as he feels his soul thump with the same feeling he would get around his star. N-no... He's gone. But, why does their bond feel so much more alive now? How does he feel so much more love coming from that end of their bond after feeling nothing but pain for so long? "'Just know, I'm with you no matter where you go. I will be with you if there is a sun, I'm right there. I will always love you.'" The pulses of love and care coming from the once dead bond cause him to choke as he sends rapid pulses back. It's real. He can feel it. He can feel him. His star.

Leo's tears flow down his cheekbones and he brings a hand to his mouth and cries. Sage and Green both look at each other and realize what's happening. They both smile and tear up. The others look at each other in confusion. Leo finally turns around to see Grillby, Sirius, and Gemini all standing there. Grillby smiles at him as he moves closer to Leo. Leo lets out a sob as he reaches his hands out and cups Grillby's face. His soul glows brightly as Grillby's glows as well. The sheer love between the two pulsing between them, the bond actually visible with the love they share. Grillby places his hand over Leo's and softly chuckles. Leo's smile shakes as he tilts his head to the side. His eye lights search Grillby's face before making eye contact. Grillby tears up as well as he stares at Leo, seeing the changes in his love. How he's missing an eye light. The burn scar across his skull. How the once smooth bone of his skull is rough and slightly bubbled with the burn. How the bone is charred a bright blue like the flames that burned him.