Tony couldn't help but feel like the Teachers had made a lot of bad choices in their hurried escape from the warehouse. He still wasn't sure whether extracting Roy's memories was something that would work out for the better or for the worse as time went on. Maybe he'd go on to live the rest of his life in a somewhat normal state, minus the fact that he'd probably always feel like he was missing a part of himself. Or maybe not.
But what truly haunted him was the thought that they'd left without doing anything whatsoever to prevent Roy from ever going back to Clay Hill. He may not have had his memories anymore, but he still had his free will, so there would be no stopping him from returning to the town if he so wished to. In all fairness, Tony didn't know if he would remember that Clay Hill existed, but still, the thought of him ever showing up there again left him chilled to his core. The possibility of him returning... oblivious to the rest of the town's hatred and fear of him... Where could that lead?
Someone could report to the police that he'd been sighted again, and then before anyone knew it, he could get dragged into an interrogation. It was far too easy to imagine him sitting across from a police officer, being bombarded by questions he didn't understand and accused of atrocities he didn't remember committing. What if they thought he was feigning his cluelessness and landed him behind bars? What if no one believed this new version of him was true?
And what if it wasn't? That was a thought he couldn't believe hadn't occurred to him until this moment, but now that it did, it gave him awful shivers. What if he'd only been pretending? But then again, surely he wouldn't have known what Tony was doing until it was too late, and he could feel memories being pulled out of him by the cruel hands of the command he'd given.
And... There was one question Roy had asked, in particular, that had been bouncing around in his head ever since he'd heard the words.
"My son. My wife. Where are they?"
He'd looked and sounded ten years younger in that moment. It had felt so surreal to be there, hearing him ask the question, seeing the look of genuine confusion and fear on his face. The fact that Doi had been standing right in front of him made it even worse. But when he thought about it... when he'd asked about a "son", he must have been picturing a baby, or at most a toddler. It seemed like, by taking away his memories, he'd reverted him to a version of himself that was long gone, that had lived a (presumably) happy life with a wife and son.
That was who he thought he was now. Time had moved on without him, and he didn't even know.
But when he'd asked about his wife... that was an entirely different story. Who was Roy's wife? None of them had ever heard anything about her, but she clearly existed - or had, at some point (though he hoped that wasn't the case). Doi had never spoken a word about his mother, and it had never crossed any of their minds to inquire about any other possible parental figures he may have had. Maybe that was because they subconsciously thought it would be better not to.
And the accidental murder. It had been so brief, but it still stood so vividly in his mind's eye. The moment he'd seen the blade of the axe slice through Cash's chest was the moment the image had been ingrained into his memory forever. He had only been able to stand there and watch as blood pooled from his wound to the ground below, as he screamed in unadulterated agony until his lungs gave out, as his eyes became glazed over and any emotion that had remained drained out of his face.
What about when Roy inevitably walked downstairs and saw the body hanging unevenly against the shelves, and with the axe through its chest? Would he recognise it as Cash? He didn't know what version of himself he seemed to have reverted Roy to, so he had no way of knowing whether or not he'd known Cash at that point of his life. And even if he didn't, what would he have done in reaction to seeing a dead body back then? He was sure the version of Roy he knew best would be unfazed by the sight of something like that - he may even be the cause of it. But this Roy? He had no idea.
He was pulled out of his thoughts by the feeling of a hand on his shoulder. Not to his surprise, when he looked over, he found it to be Colin, smiling softly at him.
"You did it. You stopped him from hurting us. That was you." There was an appreciation in his eyes, a shine brought about by their cheerful brightness, or maybe just by the sun above them.
It was just like the dream he'd had last night, he realised. But this time, he knew it was real, even if it didn't feel like it was.
"I know," he said quietly and somewhat incredulously. "That was me."
When he cast a glance at him, he recognised the look of fascination he'd sworn he had seen on Colin's face in the dream; he was looking at him as though he was the most incredible thing to ever happen to the world. And he suddenly knew he'd been right about everything he thought he'd seen in that dream. The smile was there, as was the affectionate gaze that almost seemed to physically warm him. Colin was here to accompany him on the way home, to praise him, and he was really proud of him.
Just like in his unconsciousness, he felt Colin intertwine their fingers, and then he pulled Tony to face him and pressed their lips together in one swift motion. In this moment, he knew it was real. He didn't have to pretend it was. He didn't have to long for it. It was happening. Colin was here, all for him. Now, when he grabbed his hands tightly and kissed him more deeply, it was a thousand times better because he knew it was real and true.
"You're brilliant and amazing and I don't really know what you even did but I love you," Colin started gushing as soon as they pulled apart. Tony laughed, a little guiltily, as he remembered that he'd probably created new problems they'd have to face in the future.
But he thought that maybe it would be best not to bring that up just yet, so, "I don't really know what I did either, but.. I love you too. And for the record, we might have to move out of this town."
"Why? You took out his memories, didn't you?"
"...You know... Just in case."
YOU ARE READING
Plan B
Fanfiction*I'm mildly embarrassed I wrote this and desperately want it off my profile, but people liked it so I'm only keeping it up for people's sake* What if the pulling of the plug wasn't truly the end? What if the long-awaited sense of peace it brought wi...
