Across the Universe: A BFDI Oneshot Collection

Please Say Something

GB walked along the dirty, beaten path as the wind softly rustled through the leaves. The chilly air cooled the transparent surface of her helmet as she kept her eyes forward. The night was dark, with long, gray clouds dotting the sky and partially blotting out the twin moons amidst the sea of stars.

Between all of her work and duties, she didn't have an opportunity to come here much. Running an interplanetary defense coalition left little time for sentimental moments and self-reflection. But she had found enough free time to board a single-person dropship and come here, to this planet.

She hadn't been here in so long, not since...everything had started. It had all happened so fast; planets and societies were being wiped left and right. She had to work her butt off just to save the 31 that were left.

Her eyes drifted around and gazed at the empty, rotting tree trunks around her. Once so full of life and color, they only served as a stark reminder of what the universe had once been.

Harmony. Peace. Joy.

Love.

But now, there was only emptiness. Even the vermin were nowhere to be seen, having long since passed and decomposed ever since this planet was cracked in half and annihilated, oxygen leaving the lungs of all the creatures that once called this planet their home.

Her fingers ran along the ruined remains of a nearby cobblestone wall, taking in the rough and coarse texture. She found herself wondering how even this portion of a structure had survived the annihilation.

Yet as she looked around, she saw even more ruin. Desolate buildings and skyscrapers, toppled over onto their sides and dissolved into little more than heaps of brick and stone. Old and decrepit hovercrafts, lying uselessly on the sides of the roads and rusting away. Remains of once-giant neon signs and billboards, once advertising all kinds of products and services through their digital screens, now lay cracked and empty on the ground, promising nothing but despair.

This city had been his home. She'd been here so many times. She remembered his laugh, bright and cheery as the twin suns in the sky combined had been, before the planet's annihilation caused them to supernova. Now, all that remained was night—empty, lifeless night.

His smile had been one of the few things in this universe that she would always look forward to. His warm, comforting embrace, gently soothing her and assuring her that everything would be alright. Tomorrow was a new day, and he said it always held so many great things in store for her.

Being pragmatic as she was, she had always dismissed his sayings as over-optimistic folly. Now, though, walking through the desolate streets of a society long-gone, and seeing traces of his memories every time her eyes landed on somewhere they'd walked together, or eaten together, or held hands together—now, all she wanted was to hear that voice again.

Please say something.

Her mouth tightened in a slight frown as she pried her gaze away from the nostalgic sights of the city and continued down the sidewalk. It hurt her, more than she could ever explain, to be walking these familiar streets alone, without him.

She didn't want to be in charge. She didn't want any of this. But she had no choice. She did what she had to do, and the 31 remaining planets were in her debt because of it, safe and happy.

But she wasn't.

Happiness wasn't something she thought about while trying to save the universe. Right from the beginning, it had been duty and responsibility. Honor, justice, vengeance. But never happiness.

For all her awards and all her accomplishments and all her work, she was never happy. Not without him.

He was the only one who understood her. He was the only one who was always there for her, no matter what she went through. He cared about the little things in life, like making sure she got enough sleep and making her morning coffee exactly how she liked it. He was the one who always made sure she was tucked in bed comfortably, who went grocery shopping for her when she didn't have time, who would wrap her in a gentle, cuddling embrace as he whispered sweet nothings into her ear.