AMOR UNUS ; unus annus/crankiplier

1: the final hours

summary:

the seconds tick away.

;

in which Unus and Annus are spending what time they have left together, but Unus isn't quite ready to accept fate yet.

—

The seconds tick away, one after another. They become minutes, which then usually turn into hours, days, weeks, months, years. But right now, they don't have days, weeks, months or years. They simply have hours, minutes, seconds.

They originally had a whole year, but it's all come down to this now: the last day, the final hours, the ephemeral minutes, fleeting seconds.

Unus sits in the grass, feeling the sun's warm light ghosting over his face for what is probably going to be the last time. Well, actually — Ethan's face. This isn't his body and never has been, he's just been borrowing it for a little while, and will continue to for only a bit longer. Hours, to be exact. A little over six of them.

There's not much time left, he knows, as he glances over at Annus, who occupies Mark's body for the time being as well. Very soon, in a bit over six hours, the clock will stop ticking for the both of them. In a bit over six hours from now, they'll both die and leave this place, as everything does eventually.

Unus, truthfully, doesn't want to go; he's not ready to leave quite yet. There's so much he hasn't done, so many things he hasn't seen, so many words that are still unsaid. He's not ready to leave Annus, isn't ready to never be able to see him or touch him again, even if what he's seeing and touching is just a temporary vessel for his love's soul. But Unus can't stop the clock, couldn't even if he tried his hardest, and so time simply slips away while they sit here together, enjoying each other's company for the very last time.

This is it, he knows — this is the end. He's known since the beginning that it was coming, he's known that this was always going to happen, and yet... he feels so unprepared. It all feels... unfair.

"Unus," Annus says softly, Mark's voice so smooth and calm and sounding so seemingly untroubled in this moment. Unus wonders how Annus is able to stay so relaxed and collected knowing that this, these final hours, are all they have left together. "Love, what are you thinking about?"

Unus swallows, so many emotions spiraling within this body. "I'm not ready," he admits, eyes focused on the ground beneath him, fingertips brushing over the blades of grass, ghosting over the colorful petals of a wildflower. "I'm not ready to go. I don't want to leave you just yet. I don't want this to be it, I..."

He stops, unsure of how to get all of the words out, unsure of what exactly it is he wants to say.

Annus reaches for his hand, lacing their fingers together.

"I know," is what he quietly says in response, tipping his head forward. The dark hair atop his vessel's head falls around his face so prettily, and oh, he's gorgeous. Even in this life, in this body he occupies. Unus loves him so much, always has. "I'm not ready either, not really. But we were given a whole year, and now... it's over. There's nothing we can do; this is our fate, this... this is the end. We can't run away from it, we can't control it. All we can do is embrace it, accept the death that awaits us, and make the most of this time that we have left."

"I'm afraid, Annus," Unus confesses in a sad whisper, shaking his head and squeezing the hand in his own tightly. "I- I don't want to die yet. I spent so, so long without you before this opportunity arose– before this year came along, and I... I don't want to lose you again. I don't want to be without you, to be apart from you. There's so much I want to do with you, so much I need to say but there's no time left. And all I want is... is for the clock to stop ticking, I want to have just a little more time with you. Just..." he stops, breathes, tries to blink away the tears forming, "...a little more time. I'd give anything."

Looking towards his lover, the tears spill over. "I want to stay here with you forever, Annus. I want to live with you, and be happy."

"Oh, darling, I want it, too," Annus tells him, using his body's thumbs to gently wipe away Unus's tears, "but this is all the time we have, my love. This is what we were given. Let's not spend it lamenting or worrying about all of the things we didn't get to do, everything we never said. Let's just be happy that we were even given the chance to spend this one last year together, and use this remaining time we have not to focus on death, and our regrets, and the things we couldn't do, but instead to reflect on our temporary life here together — everything we've accomplished, every single wonderful moment we spent with one another."

Unus wets his lips, closes his eyes, breathes in deeply, and then nods his head. Annus is right; they only have so much time left and Unus shouldn't spend it regretting everything they haven't done or said, longing for the chance to go back and make it all perfect, because life isn't perfect. You only get one chance to do everything you want to do, so you shouldn't waste it. Do what you can while you can, and try not to have any regrets in the end.

This is what they were given. One year. That's all.

"We'll be together when it ends, you know," Annus reminds him after a moment passes. Unus blinks up at him, sees the sadness in those eyes. "So it's okay. I know you're afraid, but don't be. You won't be alone; I'm coming with you when it's time to go, and I'll be staying here with you every single second that passes until then, until time runs out and we have to say goodbye."

"I know," Unus replies in a murmur, searching those honey colored eyes belonging to this body he's come to love so much simply because of the consciousness of his lover that resides within. "I love you," he adds, moving the thin hands of Ethan's body upwards to curl around tanned wrists belonging to Mark, as Annus still cradles Unus's face with his hands, "So much."

"I love you," Annus says back and gives Unus a smile, one so warm and gentle, like sunlight, and he then presses a soft kiss against the latter's lips. And oh, if only Unus could have one moment to relive forever, because he'd choose this exact one every single time.

When they break apart, Unus moves so that Annus can hold him in his arms, back to chest. Together they watch the sun as it finally sinks behind the trees somewhere, filling the sky with the prettiest colors. Despite it being their last, today... is a good day. At least, their last day together seems to be as perfect as any other ordinary day can get. For that, Unus is truly thankful — he couldn't have chosen a better day to die.

The world is comfortably quiet now. And as Unus is held in Annus's embrace for the last time, the seconds tick away.

—