Good Things Never Last

Chapter 84

I hadn't slept.

How could I when all I could see when I closed my eyes was the image of my brother standing over the pool of glowing liquid, contemplating if he should take his own life.

Yet the feeling of his lips still haunted my own, sending a rush of anxiety throughout my body at the thought of having to face Clay once again.

And I couldn't do anything about it.

Every door and every window had been locked. I'd checked after I was certain the masked man had gone to bed. Some of the windows had even been boarded up with wooden planks, making the house much darker than usual.

He really didn't want me to get out.

Sighing, I sleepily made my way down the stairs, completely ignoring Clay as he peered over his book to stare at me as I wandered over to the kitchen, yawning as I did so. I wasn't in the mood for his shit but the silence did make my mind wander. Reasons upon reasons ran through my head about how Dream could've done this all for some morally right reasons.

Something to make it seem like the guy I had ultimately fallen for was a good person deep down.

But I found no solution.

"Why?"
The air stilled as I broke the everlasting silence, regretting my decision as soon as I did.
"What?"
I kept my back turned from the blond as I reached up and grabbed my mug, the mug that he would usually get for me because he assumed I couldn't reach it.
"Why'd you take me?"
I could hear him shuffling in his spot on the couch, yet I refused to give him the eye contact I knew he so desperately desired.

"No yelling, no bullshitting, just the truth. Tell me"
For a few moments, the room was silent as the blond behind me contemplated his answer.
"I had a plan-"
"Bullshit"
He was attempting to appear as if he had everything planned out in front of him, as if he had everything under control, but he never did.

He didn't like the power taken away from him by what one would call fate.
He despised not being in control. So So when things didn't go as planned, he was irritated, and he made it quite evident in his tone. The man let out a long sigh as he slowly rose to his feet, already knowing I had seen through his little scheme to try to manipulate me once again.

"Because you would've chosen Wilbur"
His words were only a shy murmur, yet I was able to pick up on every syllable. I found myself frozen in place, my grasp on the mug tightening dramatically as I kept my back to the man behind me.
"That doesn't answer my fucking question Clay, you need to tell me more than just that"
My grip loosened on the mug as I placed it on the counter, taking deep breaths as I did so in an attempt to stay as calm and rational as possible.

"It's the answer to everything Y/N"
He was more confident in his words. It was clear from the way he spoke and how his voice rose ever so slightly.
"What are you trying to say Clay"
I listened as he started pacing behind me, his footsteps echoing around the nearly empty room.
"If I didn't stop you, you would've gone after him. He would've hesitated instead of pressing the button. He would've listened to you instead of feeling disappointed that you didn't follow, the only person he thought he had left, leaving him like everyone else. He would've walked side by side with you instead of dying in that room. You would've ruined everything. All because of love"

I slowly swivelled around on my heels, my tired eyes meeting with a pair full of confidence, yet there was something there I hadn't seen in a while. Something I hadn't seen since our days together in Pogtopia.
"You're jealous"
His eyes suddenly darkened as he stepped forward, making me step back straight into the counter. He let out a little scoff as he shifted his gaze and scanned the room before returning it to me.
"Why would I be? He was nothing but an asset to me. Why would I care that you fell in love with each other?"

I knew Wilbur hadn't told anyone if he did feel something for me.
He had always been a rather careful person when it came to stuff like feelings, never trusting someone apart from himself or maybe me when it came to it. I just stood there as the cogs turned in my head, the scene of when I saw Wilbur last replaying over and over again in my head.

"It's beautiful isn't it? After all the years of hard work, it really is a masterpiece"

"You are the most beautiful girl I've ever laid eyes on Y/N"

"It's always been you"

I could sense he wanted to say more, but I couldn't figure out what was stopping him. 

My eyes widened in recognition as everything began to fall into place, and my glare hardened as I stared down the blond before me.
"You were there"
His smile only grew as he took another step forward, his taller figure towering over my own.
"Indeed I was"
As he glanced down at me, he paused for a moment, his grin swiftly turning into a malicious smirk.

"I'm surprised it took you this long to work that out actually, I thought it was rather obvious"
"Why though? Why were you there?"
He just rolled his eyes and tutted while running his tongue along his teeth.
"What would be the use of a completely loose cannon? I had to make sure he'd complete his job"
His menacing glare was slowly starting to get to me as his eyes bore down onto me.

"How though? How did you-"
His hand quickly came in contact with my lips as he shushed me, making my eyes widen in shock at his bold move, yet I was too stunned to do anything about it.
"You sure do ask a lot of questions don't you?"
His tone could almost be considered passive-aggressive as he took a step back, giving me back some personal space, but not enough.

"I'll put it simply for you. I told him it was you or him"
His expression quickly turned smug as my jaw dropped in horror.
"What..."
"I told him that if he failed or if he chickened out, I'd put an arrow straight through your heart and let him watch as the life drained from your eyes and then I'd make him suffer the same fate"
He brushed it off like it was nothing as tears slowly began to cloud my vision, yet I refused to let them fall.
I wouldn't be beaten by the psycho that stood before me. Not yet.

So I did the only thing I found reasonable.
I slapped him across the face.

The noise echoed throughout the room as everything stilled.
"You are a fucking sicko you know that?
You practically killed the guy!
You pushed him to the point where he knew he'd be better off dead, where he knew he'd be safe from you. Fucking hell would've seemed like heaven after all the shit you did to him and everyone he cared for Clay!"
He rolled his eyes as a bright red handprint quickly made its presence known across his face.

"It's not my fault he ended up how he did, it would've happened anyways"
I gritted my teeth as I sharpened my glare.
"It's never your fucking fault. Is it?"
With that, I turned and walked away, intending to shut myself in my room for the foreseeable future.