One Shots

choice

No prompt yet again.
900 reads!?! I know this may feel a little bit repetitive after me thanking you all so many times, but every time I notice that there's another 100, I just get so excited. Sort of childish, I guess, but I am still a child so what can you do? Thank you.
A Hardzello fanfic for y'all, enjoy!

I cram all of my things into one of two matching suitcases, one mine and one Joe's. I don't know if it's mine or his in the moment, all I know is that I need to leave as soon as possible. Joe should be back home in half an hour, which is still not enough time for me to get all of my things and have a decent head start on him. As I shove my shirts into the case, I remember a memory associated with each one.

A black v-neck still holds the smell from last week when we went to the beach nearby just for fun, a Friday night after work. It was a long week, and we decided that it would be better to go on an adventure rather than to sink into the couch and watch some shit tv. His eyes lit up at the idea, and it pains me as I shove the memory to the back of my mind and as I shove the shirt into the back of the suitcase.

I wish it didn't have to end like this, not even on our own terms, but forced upon us by someone else. The world is cruel.

Next thrown into the case is a really old shirt, the one that Joe got me on our first date, almost 7 years ago now. There are holes in the maroon fabric, and the black band logo on the front is hardly recognizable anymore, but I love it all the same. It reminds of me of how much I love him every time I see it, and holding the shirt makes tears prickle at the corners of my eyes.

I've got to speed this up. Each memory forces me to linger, so I look away and shove random things into my bag, hoping that none of my love's, no, he's not mine any longer. I need to remember that now. I hope that none of his clothes get mixed in like they usually do whenever I pack.

I rush to the bathroom after filling up the case, now stuffing all my necessary toiletries into a separate pocket on the bag. I catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror as I do so, and boy am I a wreck.

My normally slicked back hair is a dirtier blond than usual and is sticking in every direction. The bags under my eyes are more noticeable than usual, and my eyes themselves are red and puffy from all of the crying that I have been doing.

Next I go back to the bedroom to do a once over, and grab a couple things, like my phone charger and a pair of funny sunglasses that Joe got me a couple months ago.

We were at a carnival, and completely surrounded my hoards of children. We even talked about having one of our own someday, somehow. He brought me over to one of the games, and insisted that he should win me something. It took like 15 minutes before he got anything, but when he did, he was so proud that I didn't dare ruin the moment. He picked out a prize, insisting that I closed my eyes while he did so. I remember him telling me to old out my hands, and as soon as they were in my palms, my eyes opened revealing a pair of bright purple sunglasses, complete with some fake gems around the outside. Along one of the temples, it read "honey" in a lime green font, of course. I didn't take them off for the rest of the night.

With one last glance, I'm heading towards the front door of our house, but I am stopped by a disheveled-looking Joe staring at me, with tears already spilling down his cheeks.

Fuck.

We both seem to be frozen, and only the tears rolling down his face seem to disobey the stopping of time. The hurt in his eyes are all too much for me, and I have to will myself to move before I am able to even lift my foot. But as soon I as move, the feeling seems to lift off of him as well.

I try to get past him, hoping he won't stop me but knowing he will.

He says my name so quietly that I almost don't hear the pain that accompanies it. He knows I won't leave now that he's done that.

"What?" I say, trying to keep our conversation to as quick and simple as it can possibly be. Apparently Joe doesn't have the same idea.

"Ben, I know why you're leaving. I figured it all out, and I just wanted to tell you a few things before you go"

He's not stopping me?

"I love you. I love you so much. More than anyone I've ever loved before. More than my friends, hell, I even love you more than I love my parents. And I know you love me too. Maybe not as much as I love you, but I know it's there"

He's still crying, new tears cascading down his face every time he blinks.

"I also know that this is out of our control, so I'm not going to make this any harder than it needs to be"

Now he's walking over to me, not to try and keep me from leaving, but to hug me goodbye. Goodbye. It's never something I thought I'd never have to say to him, the love of my life. As soon as he embraces me, I start sobbing as well. I know I need to leave or they'll be suspicious, but I can't seem to break myself away from him. This will be the last time I see him, why would I ever want to let go. Luckily, he's stronger than me, and he pulls back.

Before I leave, there's a few things that I must tell him, too. For his safety and for closure.

"Joe, I've got to tell you a couple things before I go"

I've mostly composed myself now, only an occasional tear slipping out from my eye.

"You said that you found out why I have to go, yes?"

He nods.

"Alright," I continue, "well you can't tell anyone that you know. Nobody. If you do, then you'll find yourself dead, or worse. I don't want to have to worry about them calling me up and telling me that they've got you, okay?"

He nods again.

"And I love you too. More than anyone"

And with that, I swiftly exit out beautiful home, with years of memories stuffed inside. I wanted to grow old in that house with him. I wanted to raise a child, or maybe two with him. I wanted to be happy.

A/N:
Sorry I haven't updated in like 8 years, school has been really rough the last couple of weeks and I've been squeezing in writing when I can, but when I can is not very often.
Thanks again for 900 reads that's insane.
Bye!