~A/N~
I thought I'd try my hand at a sad one shot, so here it is! Inspired by Sleeping At Last's "99 Red Balloons" (look at the very last bit of lyrics :) and a picture I found. (p.s. how the the letter starts, "Dear True Love," is actually a song by them too :) They are both perfection and I hope you listen, but I included the first song on the side so you can listen after or while you read if you'd like! <3) (p.p.s. I'm sorry in advance if I actually do cause you any tears, I cried while I was writing if it makes you feel better! ="/)
(trigger warning in this though: cancer.)
~ lots of love, Jessie
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Troye P.O.V
"Troye, please say something, anything," Tyler asks desperately, grasping my chin and gently turning me to face him. As our teary eyes lock, I manage to roughly choke out, "It's not fair, Tilly, not fair at all!"
I start to sob as he brings me into his lap and positions me so I rest against his chest, Tyler clutching me to him with all his might. Wrapping my arms around Tyler, I hug him back for all I'm worth, tight as I can. I don't ever want to let him go, and I don't want him to let me go. I don't want him to leave, not now, not ever.
"Shhh, Troyble, it'll be okay," Tyler hushes me, rocking us back and forth slightly. His voice cracks on the last word as he himself tries not to cry, staying strong, putting on a brave face. For me.
He was the one diagnosed with cancer today, and he was trying to keep it together for me.
"No, it won't be okay," I argue, sounding and acting more and more like a wounded child, not at all like the adult I'm supposed to be. "I'm losing you. I'm losing my husband, my best friend, my soul mate. We were planning to buy a house in a few months, and adopt children, watch them grow up while we grew old together..." I can't go on anymore past the lump that's lodged itself in my throat, and I bury my face further into his chest as more tears leak out, unwilling to face the fact that's reared it's ugly head.
Tyler brings his hands to the small of my back and slips them under my tee shirt, rubbing small circles into my skin with his thumbs as I soak his button down. "I'm not done yet, babe, I'm still here, and I'm going to fight," he tells me shakily, and he starts crying with me then, his tears falling into my hair and his small gasps for air mingling with mine. I let myself cling to him for what seems like hours, not once loosening my grip on him, inhaling his familiar scent untill some of the pain numbs over.
"I love you Tilly," I say after a couple more minutes, wanting to hear his voice and needing him to know that I do love him, more than he would ever know.
"I love you too Troye, with all my heart," he answers back, squeezing me to him.
"All of it?" I ask, pulling from our embrace slightly to place my forehead against his, looking into his blue-green eyes.
"All of it and more," Tyler simply states, unadulterated love radiating from every syllable, and closing the short distance between our lips, he brings me forward into a tender, loving kiss.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
My eyes sting, and I wipe away tears as I recall the memory of that fateful night, my heart aching, feeling like it was imploding in my chest. Ten years ago today Tyler told me he had cancer, and eight years since he had lost in the war against himself. A part of me had gone with him when he died, and although it's been years, it still hurts like hell.
