Phoenix Drop University- Freshman Year

Chapter 22: I Love You...

This is the final chapter that pertains to them being at school, though there will be a few summer chapters coming out after this.

Aaron glares into darkness, everything numb, muffled whispers around him and everything seemingly fading in and out, is this what death feels like? Is he dead?

But wait. Something shiny catches his attention, ink! He had to stop it, but he can't move, as he stares at it, he slowly realizes that it's not ink at all, rather, a pair of half-moon spectacles.

His vision slowly comes back to him, and he looks into the kind, smiling face of Headmaster Forestter, a package in his hands.

"Welcome back. We missed you." Aaron, with a confused look on his face, glances around, he's in the medical wing, and he seems to be the only one still there.

"What? W-What happened?" His voice is hoarse and dry, his bones are sore and his head is tender.

"Drake is gone, at least for now, everyone who was under his grasp has been set free-"

"Aphmau? Is she okay?" Aaron interrupts him, and Headmaster Forestter nods, setting the package he has in his hands down on the nightstand next to the white cot he was on,

"She is fine. Though getting used to her new....you know." He chuckles, noticing the frown on Aaron's face, and Headmaster Forestter pats Aaron's shoulder.

"You did what you thought was right Aaron, she's not upset at you, in fact, she was the first person to come see you." Aaron looks up and then sits up, making his head wobble.

"She...She was?"

"This package is from her, she's in Professor Wyatt's office, but she'll be back any moment I'm sure." Aaron grabs the brown box and opens it, and inside is something he never thought he'd see.

It's a photo, of them. Framed with purple and red wolves on the front, it's the same photo they took when he left high school, the one Aphmau has perched on her nightstand at home.

He smiles, and Headmaster Forestter starts to rise off the bed, but Aaron stops him, having a billion more questions.

"Headmaster, when I fought Drake, I had this warmth, and a golden glow, what was it?" He asks, and the headmaster smiles, but shrugs his shoulders.

"I have no idea, but I do have a theory, and my theory's are usually correct." He smiles and looks away for a moment, thinking, before explaining:

"When Drake invaded your mind, he left a trace of himself to feed off of your bad thoughts, but when your mind fought back, it recycled this trace and regurgitated back at him, creating a ring of positive thoughts, which caught him off guard, and destroyed his physical form."

Aaron thinks on this, is still confused, but drops the subject, he was just glad he wasn't going to be doing it again any time soon.

"So, is Drake gone? Like, for good?" Aaron asks, running his thumb over the framed picture.

" I do not think so, you merely delayed him, but if what you said is true, and you did absorb some of his power, then he won't be trying it again for awhile." Of course, they never go down the first time, but the door opens and Aphmau slips in.

A lavender set of ears poke out of her head and a long, lavender, shaggy tail sways hesitantly, when she looks over at Aaron and see's him awake, her eyes light up.

"I will take my leave, you two need your privacy." Headmaster Forestter seems to float out of the room, but Aaron doesn't care, when his eyes landed on Aphmau, the guilt came back.

"Aaron!" She flings herself into him, hugging every inch of him, but he just stares at her ears, and deep into her eyes when she pulls away.

"I was so worried! After I woke up Grey said you went to take on some monster, and then you came back and you weren't moving-" Aaron stops her, trying to hide the tear run down his face.

"You didn't have to worry...." He voice cracks, and Aphmau pulls her ears back, her soft hand lacing around his calloused one.

"What? Of course I did. I thought you had died." Her voice is only a little above a whisper but he can hear every word.

"I would have deserved it... look what I did to you...when you were scared...I'm sorry." Aphmau cocks her head in confusion and tilts his head so she can see him, and he's holding back tears.

"What are you talking about, I was never scared of you." Aaron looks at her, not being able to hold it back anymore, tears slipping quietly of his face.

"You should have been, I'm a monster, I let you get sick, I should have known, I never should have drug you into this, you got hurt because of me." Aphmau smiles and leans so close to his face that it makes him blush.

"Aaron, we both know I would have gotten myself into it anyway. And you never hurt me, you saved my life." She holds his cheek and kisses him, and he kisses back, gripping her arm and caressing her cheek.

"I don't deserve you..." Aaron laughs, because if he doesn't laugh he'd cry, and Aphmau has a few tears forming now too.

"Well you have me...fluffybuns." Aaron snorts, and buries his head into the crook of her neck.

"Moodkiller." He replies softly, pulling back and running his thumb against her cheek, looking into her eyes.

"I love you...Aphmau." She looks down and with a single tear running down her face:

                        "I love you too."

Epilogue:

After finishing the rest of their year, now with everyone and their mother knowing Aaron's furry secret, he got pretty popular for a few weeks before it dies down again. Sylvanna came over to shout at him, but she wasn't as angry as usual, she understood that Aaron had saved her daughters life, but they still didn't tell her they were dating, they still enjoy living.

Katelyn finished her year with flying colors, Garroth is still a prat, and Travis...well...he passed.

Let's just say, everyone is excited for summer.