Apocalyptic Love

Chapter 10: End Times

 Months went by, and things were looking good. The outposts were finished, the bombing went off without a hitch. Some outposts were being overrun with scavengers, and so Michael had been kept busy with trying to protect them. Eventually, he got word of the Hawthorn outpost being run in a different way than he would have liked. And at this point? He needed to select his final few so he could begin to rebuild the world.

 Elliott had finally found his way back to the witches academy, but there was nobody there. The brunette figured that if he simply stayed put, Michael would come and find him, despite their bond being blocked. But after six months of nothing, he finally gave up. The boy headed back towards Hawthorne, hoping to find any clues as to where Michael had gone, but all he found were people panicking about a bomb threat. Just as he made it back to the school, people had ushered him inside, claiming that he was on some sort of 'list.' Barely explaining anything, just that it was a safe place for very few people to survive the bombs. And after the bombs hit, that's when he realized that it was Michael's plan. He was continuing the plan, which meant he was alive and okay.
And yet, he never came. A horrible, long eighteen months at Outpost Three with Miss Venable and these other idiots had him praying for death every single day. It was horrible, they were all loud and whiny and annoying. But Elliott kept quiet and well behaved and kept his magic hidden. His hair had grown out a little bit longer, his curls surrounding his ears now, and he was quite a bit thinner from the lack of food in the outpost.

Michael had now been to every outpost, not one having any sign of Elliott. As he entered this one, he had damn near no hope left. He stood in front of the group of people after he had explained his presence and as he scanned the room he felt his heart swell with love and joy as his eyes rested on his beloved Elliott for the first time in a little over two years. He fought hard to stay professional as he gave a spiel about interviews and such. Elliott had gotten thinner, and his hair had gotten longer. He quite liked the way the dark curls brushed over his ears, oh how he wanted to run his fingers through those curls once more. Michael, on the other hand, seemed to be a bit thinner, but not as much as Elliott, and his once barely chin length, tight blonde curls had grown down to his shoulders, loosening out into waves that curled at the end. He wore a deep black velvet dinner jacket over a black button-up, a red piece of fabric around his neck for accent. His pants and shoes were both pitch black, and he wore red eyeshadow on the inner corners of his eyes. He didn't look like a young, lanky teen anymore, he had the presence of a man, wise but not old. "Elliott Grey, you will be my first interview." He announced, walking down the hall and expecting Elliott to follow.

Elliott could feel his heart stop when he finally saw Michael for the first time in two years. He could feel their bond again, finally, and damn... he looked so good. He'd grown up so much in the two years he was gone, and he'd grown out his hair and he'd apparently grown more confident too. Elliott knew he shouldn't look too excited to see Michael if anyone noticed it could be dangerous. Everyone had begun protesting Michael's methods, but he sat quietly until his love called his name. Most everybody fell silent at that point, and he slowly got up, walking down the hall and towards the room Michael would use as an office. As soon as the door closed behind him and he was sure nobody could hear them, he rushed forward to hug him tightly. "Michael," he whispered, absolutely relieved.

 Warm tears streamed down Michael's face as he held him close, enchanting the room so that they could speak freely. "My love..." he breathed a sigh of relief, holding him tight and never wanting to let go. "I've missed you every second of every day." He kissed him lovingly, holding him close still. "This outpost wasn't supposed to be like this...not at all. I'm so sorry it took me so long to get to you...I tried everything, and when nothing worked, they convinced me to work out my plan and that you would come back to me when the time was right." He explained, running his hand through those beautiful curls at long last. "How I've missed you..." he said, voice choked up through his joyous tears.