The Demon's Mark

The End

November 13.

The final day had arrived, looming like a shadow over the small bit of time Jack had left.

The irony of it being Friday The 13th was not lost on Jack.

He woke with a start to the sound of soft, broken sobs beside him. For a moment, he thought he might still be sleeping. But as he blinked, he saw Kyle beside him, his face buried in his hands, shoulders shaking in the dim morning light that filtered into their room. Jack's heart twisted painfully.

They'd spent their last night together wrapped up in each other, intimate, making love for the last time. It could be seen as a A final act of desperation as they tried to savor every second.

Every touch was burned into Jack's memory.

But all of it—the laughs, the quiet moments, the love, the memories—it had all been a temporary balm. Today, reality had come to tear it all apart.

"Kyle," Jack whispered, reaching out to wipe away a tear that slipped down Kyle's cheek.

"Please don't cry. I can't handle seeing you like this... not today." Jack whispered, pleadingly.

It was selfish to say... but it was true- Jack didn't want be overly weepy on his last day alive on Earth.

Kyle let out a shuddering breath and opened his eyes, red-rimmed and raw with grief. He took Jack's hand in both of his, holding onto him as if he could keep him here, as if the strength of his grasp alone could defy the impossible.

"Jack... I'm losing you. This is... this is the hardest day of my life. You and Him..." Kyle paused.

"...the two of you  brought me back, just so I could lose you." Kyle said softly as his voice broke, and he clutched Jack's hand tighter.

Jack forced a shaky smile, as his own vision blurred- tears filling his eyes.

"I don't regret our extra time together, Kyle. I'm grateful for every second. But... I feel guilty, too. I feel like I dragged you back into my mess. I was selfish, and now I've put you through this... pain. The same pain I went through, the one I never wanted anyone else to feel." Jack admitted.

After fighting over it for two years, Jack finally admitted that he was probably wrong... That he should've been the one to... As they both knew he was on the borrowed time, but he shouldn't have made this worse for Kyle by bringing him back. He should've just let him rest peacefully.

Kyle pressed his forehead to Jack's, his breath mingling with Jack's in the small, shared space.

"I'd go through it all again," Kyle whispered, his words trembling but steady. "For you, Jack... I'd do it all again. Even if it meant losing you a second time."

The room fell into a painful silence, the weight of the moment pressing down on both of them. They lay there, tangled in each other's arms, their tears mingling in shared grief. After a long pause, Jack took a deep breath and broke the silence.

"You have to promise me something," Jack said softly, his voice barely above a whisper. "When I'm gone... don't let me hold you back. Don't let this ruin your life. You deserve happiness, Kyle. You deserve everything I can't give you."

Kyle swallowed hard, his voice hoarse as he replied, "And you don't get to tell me not to grieve you. I don't even know how to breathe without you, Jack. I don't know how to keep going without you."

Jack's heart broke.

"I know...but I need you to try. And... don't you dare follow me wherever I'm going, okay?" ,Jack whispered- his voice cracked.