Soft Spot For Radiation ~Aarmau AU~

~Hey, You~

*Play Song*

"How's the girl doing?" Derek asked, pocketing what would have been his next cigar.

"She's on a machine in the Med Wing. She...can't breathe on her own." Aaron mutters without looking his father in the eye.

Both were sitting in one of the lounges, Aaron hunched over, his chin resting on his locked knuckles. 

"I was wrong about her." Derek admits, scratching at his stubble, one slacks-clad leg crossed over the other. "She's bolder than I thought. Respectable, too. She would do whatever it takes for her vault."

Aaron raises his head. "And you wouldn't?"

"Don't start, Aaron."

"Aphmau sacrificed herself for her vault, not other people."

"And that might be what kills her." Derek nods his head to his right, where Teony and Lucinda were walking down the hall towards them.

Aaron stood abruptly, along with Katelyn, Luka, the three werewolves and others.

They did not look happy. "We did everything we could..."

Sometimes Aaron would wonder how it would feel to die. What would it be like to feel your soul fade away. Would it be peaceful? Would it be a struggle? Will it hurt?

Well, it felt like he just got his answer. Because this feeling could only be described as dying.

"No...no."

"...her heart couldn't take it."

"No...no...no..."

"I'm sorry, Aaron."

"Hey, Aaron...hey."

"Huh?"

"Wake up."

Aaron lurches up in bed, panting and sweating, muscles tense and veins pulsing.

"Hey—hey, calm down, its okay...its okay. It's just a dream."

He was in his bed, the room pitch-black and the time on the bedside alarm read 3:05.

He felt two hands massage his shoulders, before hearing an unmistakable wince.

He shoots a glance to the figure next to him, joy spreading across his face at her presence.

"Hey, you."

"Hey...same nightmare?"

Aaron sighs. "Yeah."

"You know I'm okay. I'm out of the danger zone, remember?"

"It's all I can think about." 

"Oh, yeah, I was gonna show you this in the morning but..." Aphmau squints her eyes shut, and a miraculous thing happens.

Out of her hair melds two crooked purple wolf ears, those which resembled a werewolf pup's first pair.

Aaron smiles so wide the corners of his eyes crinkled as he felt the newborn ears gently. "They're adorable...as are you."

Aaron presses his lips to her forehead. "I love you."

"I love you too."

Have a nice day my crystals!