All of the World (ARCHIVED & LESS BAD)

Part Seven

Frances was woken up by a pair of voices yelling outside his door. He got up with caution, tripping over his own feet with dizziness. Even though it was pointless, he placed his ear against the crack in the door. Realizing that it would be better to try and see who was arguing, he peered through the door and saw Dawn and Diesel.

"You're absolutely insane! Did you see the amount of soldiers they brought from the Mainland? I love him too, Dawn, but he can't stay here anymore! He'll be killed!" Diesel shouted, clapping his hands angrily. "Nope. You can try all you fuckin' want, but he's not going anywhere. Got it?" Dawn retorted, and Frances felt the tightness in his chest loosen slightly.

Diesel wasn't having any of it. "Look, everyone else might like you the best, but you're seventeen! You can't scare me more than you scare yourself, kid. We've all seen our fair share of shit, alright? If you really think that makes you special, think again!" Frances was in awe of Diesel's confidence- He truly wasn't scared of Dawn at all, even while she glowered at him darkly.

Frances stepped back in horror as Dawn stepped towards Diesel, a grim expression on their face. They pushed him towards the wall, and he responded by punching her in the face, nails drawing blood as he pulled away. "What the fuck are you doing?!" Frances screamed, throwing the door open and moving dangerously close to them.

He heard another door slam in the distance, followed by several others. Dart and Den arrived first, pushing the two apart. "Calm down." Den told them sternly, glancing at Dart for approval. "Yeah, what 'e said. Frances, take 'er outta' here, alright?" Frances nodded and grabbed Dawn's hand, practically dragging her outside.

The sun hadn't risen yet, and the cold morning air made Frances shiver. "Can I take you somewhere?" Dawn asked, staring at one of the many cliffs surrounding the works. "Sure." They led him out of the yard and towards the tunnel, stopping in front. She gestured to several bricks, all of which were sticking out further than the others. "Climb 'em. I'll go after you."

He grabbed one and started to climb, arms shaking with effort. When he reached the top, he sat on the edge and watched as Dawn followed him, going much more efficiently. She led him to one of the furthest cliffs, from which Frances could see the distant ocean, as well as the bright red Vicarstown bridge. Most of the cliffs were bare, with the occasional vine or bush on the top.

As he sat next to Dawn, he noticed a small sapling growing close by. "Where'd that come from?" He asked, pointing at it. "We planted it right before they put me away. It's one of those cedars." Frances recalled seeing some before, back when he still lived in Canada.

He turned his head to look at them, admiring the golden glow casted upon her face by the sunrise. In the spur of the moment, he edged towards her and kissed her on the cheek. They turned to him with adoration in their eyes, holding his face in their hands. "You're really cute, carrot cake."

"Oh I know, it's one of my best qualities-" Dawn silenced him with another kiss, which was considerably fiercer than his attempt. Frances melted into her, their bodies indistinguishable from one another. His whole life didn't matter, only that moment. After they pulled apart, Frances didn't move, hoping to preserve the emotional buzz.

"This is a bit weird, but we have to make a promise, alright?" Dawn interrupted, looking at him intently. He made a nod-like motion, head pressed against their chest. "We'll never call each other by the wrong names. Ever." Frances blinked. "Well, of course." With that out of the way, the two settled on their sides, closing their eyes without care for anything except each other.

"Thinking about it, we should have done this a long time ago." He remarked, fiddling with her braids. They murmured a noise of agreement. Frances heard a voice yelling in the distance and sighed frustratedly. "I wish we had more time." Dawn smiled slightly, standing up. "Yeah, but we at least got some, right?"

He followed them down the cliffside once again, still drunk on happiness. Splatter and Dodge were waiting for them at the gate, anxious expressions turning smug as they noticed Frances' dazed look. "Jesus, what'd you do to the poor guy?" Splatter laughed, waving his hand in front of Frances' eyes.

Dawn simply shrugged and walked back into the Main Shed, a self-satisfied smirk on her face. "Hopefully she'll sort things out with Diesel. The earth shakes when those two fight." Dodge commented, watching Pinchy snap at Dawn. The three heard her laughter from afar, glancing at each other knowingly.

The twins' expressions changed from joyful to horrified in a second, stumbling backwards and pointing behind Frances. "Got you." A voice snarled into his ear. He whirled around, the world blurring into gold, staring into Lady's triumphant eyes.