star [ wroetostar ]

12 june 2021

25 years old

Linoleum flooring.
The scent of quarantined wards.
The inconstant beeping.

An eerily loud silence fell over the hospital ward as a mix of shoes squeaked quietly across the faded green tiling. No talk or chatter echoed around the misted hallways or hazy wards.

Wires.
Buttons.
Tears.

A morphine drip, vampiresque, pierced into faded cinnamon. Not taking, but giving, funnelling life into the half dead body it was abandoned inside.

"What have you done to yourself, star?"

A flood of tears slid down a mourning boys cheeks as a shaking hand came to run down a cancer patients cold cheek.

"I'm sorry."

Vik raised frail hand as he croaked out an apology, holding his fingers around Harrys hand as the younger sobbed.

"I'm not ready to let you go, star."

Harry broke down.

"They promised me a year. I had plans for us, star. Why is everything always cut short?"

Words were swapped for cracking sobs and choked cries of misfortune. Limbs shook and collapsed onto a weak body.

A breath caught in Viks throat.

"Haz."

"Star."

"Kiss me."

"I can't do that. Gotta keep that mask on. Gotta keep you burning, star."

The plastic cup of air surrounded Viks mouth, giving him easier access to oxygen and assisting him with his breathing. Fingers laced themselves with their lovers, running soothingly over warm and glowing skin that contrasted so sadly with Viks faded cinnamon skin of ice.

"I'm burning out."
The elder breathily hummed.

"Don't say that."

"It's true."

"No. Stop."

"Harry, face it, I'm dying."

A broken man sat on the side of a hospital bed, legs coming up to curl around his husbands.

Now laying and comfortable, Harry spoke.

"All stars do, star. They shine bright, they explode, they burn out. Billions of stars die everyday and yet, the human race still sees them shining."

A weak chuckle left chapped blue lips

"Did you just quote me?"

"I did."

Nostalgia. Washing over the duo as they bundled together; watching for wires, careful of weak limbs and making sure no one noticed their linked hands and intertwined legs.

Vik struggled for breath.

"Haz."

More tears slipped down painted pink cheeks.

"Haz, babe, listen to me."

Harry couldn't speak.

"I love you."

He couldn't move.

"I love you like I've never loved anyone before."

Couldn't talk.

"You're my best friend."

Couldn't look.

"My husband."

Couldn't feel.

"My everything else."

Couldn't breathe.

"And nothing can ever take that away from us."

He couldn't even feel his heart beat.

Because he knew.

"I'm not ready for you to go."

Harry worked up the energy to speak.

"You don't have to be ready, you just have to be prepared."

Harsh sobbing.

"Kiss me, Harry."

"You know I can't do that star."

A hand came up to caress a cold cheek once more.

"Harry, please. I want my last moment to be with you; with my lips on yours and my hands in your hair and your fingers on my thighs. I want my last feeling to be the feeling of warmth radiating from your body as you kiss me. I just want my last minutes to be spent with you."

A small whimper of a plead left Vik.

"Fuck it. I want to be with you star. I want to be on you."

A mask was slipped off, and lips replaced plastic.

Shortage for breath was not an issue, and neither was the relentless pain felt by Vik as he struggled.

Only they mattered.

Only Vik and Harrys last moment together mattered.

Vik pushed back, tears in his eyes.

"I love you, Harry."

Blond broke down.

"I love you, star."

Cinnamon gasped for one last breath.

"Haz, I can almost touch the moon"

Blond remembered.

"I'm sure you can, star."

Cinnamon exhaled.

"I'm sure you can."

And Blond stood as Cinnamon faded to a pale oblivion, and left one last mark on the boy he fell so beautifully in love with.