The Hardest Part is Letting Go {Falsettos}

Marvin?

  "This is fucking insane."

  Of the years Marvin knew Charlotte, he knows damn well by now that she isn't one to play around. Immediately after Whizzer had explained everything to Trina and Mendel, they all unanimously decided to tell Charlotte and Cordelia, revealing the secret of Whizzer's return to the entire family. Upon seeing Whizzer for the first time since his demise, Charlotte paced the room with wide eyes for close to ten minutes, while Cordelia opted for Jason's reaction and fell to the floor, unconscious.

  Now, nearly two hours later, Charlotte has the family in her and Cordelia's living room with Whizzer on the couch, thermometer in his mouth and blood pressure cuff around his arm.

  "Char, with all due respect, you're not gonna get any results. I'm dead." Whizzer protests for the thousandth time.

  "Shush, and keep that thermometer under your tongue before you fuck up the final temp," Charlotte warned, pressing two fingers to Whizzer's neck and staring at her watch to check his pulse. A couple second pass and she sighs in frustration. "If I could just find your heartbeat...oh wait."

  Jason bites his lip to keep from laughing, although his snickers echo the quiet room regardless. Suddenly, the thermometer beeps and Charlotte pulls it out from under Whizzer's tongue to check the results.

  "So? Am I suddenly alive again, or?" Whizzer asks sarcastically. He pulls Marvin, who is standing next to the seated Whizzer, into his lap by his waist and kisses his cheek.

  Charlotte hesitates before speaking up. "You're about as dead as they come..."

  "Wow, never would've guessed."

  Marvin rolls his eyes at Whizzer's sarcasm but smiles nonetheless when his lover kisses his cheek.

  "I just don't understand how this is possible..." Charlotte mumbles.

  "Do we really need to question it, Char? He's back, and he's not sick anymore. That's all that matters to me." Marvin counters with a sigh, then a cough.

  Charlotte nods slowly, taking a seat on the couch. "It's just a lot to take in at once."

  Everyone nods in agreement, and there's a moment of semi-awkward silence before Whizzer comes up with an idea. "If nobody has any plans for tonight, maybe we could all have dinner at our place?"

  That's how they all end up in Marvin and Whizzer's dining room an hour later, chatting and laughing just like the old days. Back when Whizzer wasn't sick and nobody was dying and life was just...normal.

  "...I didn't forget to run! I was just surprised I even hit the ball in the first place!" Jason protests as they recount that fateful baseball game where he actually did something besides strike out.

  "So were we! I had never seen your mother so excited before." Marvin laughs, covering his mouth to cough. Whizzer sends him a confused look, but Marvin shrugs it off. "Allergies," He mouths, clearing his throat.

  "I remember afterward when we all went out for pizza and Marv and Whizzer wouldn't stop staring at each other." Cordelia giggles, taking a bite of food that she helped Whizzer cook. Surprisingly, it isn't burnt and it tastes really good compared to the other disasters the duo had attempted every time they had tried to cook together in the past.

  "I know right? I was shocked they didn't leave early to go make out somewh- Marvin?"

  All eyes are then directed to Marvin, who's staring at a spot on the wall with furrowed brows, visibly distant from the conversation.

  "Marv? Marvin, what's the matter?" Whizzer asks worriedly, shaking Marvin a little to try and snap him out of his trance.

  Marvin looks up to meet Whizzer's eyes, a confused look on his face. "I...nothing. I'm fine, just spaced out I guess." He lies with another cough, which he masks as him clearing his throat. He looks away from everyone to hide from the fact that everything's turning blurrier and blurrier with each passing second. After all, it's probably just him getting tired.

  A chorus of relieved sighs echoes throughout the room. "Good, I don't think my brain can handle any more surprises," Trina says with a laugh.

  Marvin nods along, although he seems rather distant as he stands up from the table. "I'm gonna go grab some more wine, alright?"

  Everyone nods or makes noises of approval, continuing the light and happy conversation with laughs and joking arguments. Marvin shuffles towards the kitchen and gets about halfway there before suddenly he's on the floor, ears ringing with a high-pitched noise and head pounding fiercely.

  He hears Charlotte curse loudly and everyone running over to him, then there's a blurry outline of a terrified Whizzer next to him before everything fades to black.