Lander Oneshots <3

Deceased Loved One🪦

Genre: Angst💔 & Small Fluff💗
Dead Luke Au!!

Zander's POV🍇:
A dark, deathly mist suffocates the cemetery border. Heavy rain pours down, every drop slamming against the pavement. Thunder strikes echo through the streets, threatening to hit someone. Crying can be heard from the cemetery, cutting through the empty space. The one sobbing is me, kneeling down in front of a grave. Hailey is standing next to me, her own eyes welling up. The club was with us, but they left a couple of minutes ago, waiting outside the cemetery gates. Milly was crying hysterically with Sean attempting to calm her down. Jake walked beside them, emotionless. They mainly left to give me and Hailey some time with the grave to mourn. I look up at the gravestone, my eyes blurry from the thick cloud of tears I've been crying out for at least an hour now. I read the words scraped into the grave in my head:

'Name: Luke Peterson.'
'Age: 16.'
'Cause Of Death: Car Crash.'

There's some quotes from his family members but I don't pay attention to them, not feeling the energy too. More hot tears stream down my cheeks, warming them up. I stand, stumbling as I hoist myself up. I clutch Hailey's arm, sobbing into it. She pats my head, allowing the few tears from her dull eyes to fall. Me and Hailey were closer to Luke than the rest of the club, so we were grieving the most. But especially me. We were best friends for countless years, ever since we were six. I never got the chance to tell him how I truly felt... suddenly, Hailey pulls me into a tight hug, sobbing into my shoulder. I squeeze her back, knowing how she feels. After a moment, we pull back, staring at the grave again. We've slightly calmed down, but not by much. She sighs, holding back her tears as she says, "You probably want some time alone with him before you say goodbye." The wind shoves past her, making her hair stick to her face. She brushes it behind her ear and nods at me, walking off to join the club outside the cemetery. I look back at the grave, my eyes slowly flooding with the familiar tears. I blink them back, trying not to cry again. I kneel back down in front of the grave, staring at it for a moment. Why did this have to happen? Why is life so cruel? Why isn't it my body in the coffin instead? Luke didn't deserve it. He and his mum were driving home from going to the supermarket and his mum crashed straight into another car. She was apparently a little tipsy. In some twisted way, I'm glad his mum died. If she hadn't, I would have gratefully done it myself. She took away my only light in life, the only person that actually makes me feel like I have a purpose. I sense a tear drip down my cheek, falling onto the gravestone, making a slight stain. I quickly wipe it away with Luke's hoodie sleeve. I suppose if he isn't here anymore, what's stopping me from wearing his clothes? It isn't helping me to get over him, if anything it's just making me miss him more, but it comforts me. I sigh slowly, taking a gulp of the refreshing air. A thunder bolt flashes down, reflecting onto the grave. I flinch, I always hated thunder. Stop, Zander, this isn't about you! Focus on your... dead crush. I clear my dry throat, "Um... hi, Luke..." I say, trying to stay calm. "I uh, I miss you. A lot..." I feel more salty tears wanting to emerge, resulting in a lump forming in my throat. I swallow it down, "I hope you're doing well in the afterlife, supposedly in heaven. Well, you must be in heaven, going to hell isn't even an option for you. You always cared for others, even if the damage they did to you could be permanent. And... you put up with me all these years, I'm honestly surprised you didn't walk up to me one day and tell me we weren't friends anymore. But, I knew you wouldn't do that because your soul is way too pure." I pause before saying something that I've wanted to say for years. "Look, I'm just going to get this off my chest... friendship with you has been everything I ever could have wanted, probably past any of my expectations. But, a little fraction of me always wanted something more..." I sigh, my cheeks turning into a light pink colour. "Whenever I was around you, I'd feel all warm and fuzzy inside. My heart would pound rabidly and my face would get super warm. I think I first felt this in... middle school? Soon enough, I realised it was a crush. My first and last crush. Not to mention my jealousy shot through the roof when you were around other people and I felt the need to protect you, even if the person you were with was completely innocent. I didn't tell you because I was scared I would ruin our friendship..." A wave of regret washes over me, wishing I told him my feelings sooner. Now I have to deal with the aching in my heart until I forget him, which I doubt I ever will. "And I know saying this now is useless because... well, I'm talking to a grave. But, just to finish it off, I need to say that... I love you, Luke." I smile at the grave and spin my head around when I hear Hailey and the rest. They're calling my name and pointing to the sky, supposedly signalling to the weather. I look up and use my hand to shield my eyes from the rain. The clouds are almost pitch black, the thunder being the only source of light. I check my watch, tapping the screen to see the time. 23:37pm. We have school tomorrow so we definitely need to set off now. I turn back to the grave and stare at the name, still not believing he's gone. "Um, goodbye, Luke. I'll try my best to visit, but I can't promise anything because of school and the competition." I position myself onto my knee, preparing to get up. Just then, I feel something wrap its arms around me from behind, knocking me back down fully onto my knees. It feels like arms, but I don't see anything. I shiver, it feels like a freezing breeze just wafted past me. Maybe I've watched too many paranormal movies but feeling cold in a cemetery seems suspicious. Even though the weather isn't the best right now, this breeze is different. Is it... a ghost...? My eyes drift back to the grave, specifically the name. Luke. I slowly move my hands to my chest, where I imagine his hands are. I smile, "Hi, Luke..." I speak quietly, not wanting to sound stupid incase it isn't him. Eventually, I stand up when I feel reasonably warm again, meaning he's moved away from me. I notice the bouquet of white roses that were ditched on the floor when me and the club were crying. They look more of a dirty white now since some mud has smeared on them, but they're in alright condition still. I gently pick them up and place them on the grave. I nod at it and begin to fast walk to the club, wiping my dry tears away and pulling my coat tighter around me. Well, if I ever feel randomly cold, at least I'll know why.

A/N: Some more angst for ya!! <3

1285 words <3