After the End (Julian and MC)

6

Scout huffs and waves us on, pacing down a corridor that stirs a memory in the back of my mind. I think we went through here when I was looking for Julian... Yes, I remember catching glimpses of him in the glass reflections. I take his hand in mine and lace our fingers together, smiling at him when he turns his head to look at me.

"This... This looks like Lucio's wing... Or, what's left of it." Julian tells me, taking a deep breath as he looks around at the reflections.

"I came through here with Scout when I was looking for you." I reply, gently squeezing his hand as we follow Scout.

We're relatively safe here, I think. I remember coming through here with Scout, and I don't remember having to run from anything... But I don't know how long Julian and I have been in the Hanged Raven, I don't know if anything has changed here. The realms of the Arcana have merged with ours, the rules are different from both worlds. I'm not sure what to expect.

I'm not sure how long we've been walking for when we exit the wing and step out into the maelstrom outside. Scout begins to run, and Julian and I follow without hesitation. We race after her, holding onto each other's hands tightly as the world around us morphs and twists into unfamiliar shapes.

After what seems like an eternity of running through the hectic storm, Scout leads us back to my shop, flinging open the door and waving us inside. Julian and I race inside, dropping to our knees on the ground as we catch our breath. Scout shuts the door and slumps against it, huffing a sigh of relief. I turn to look at Julian, smiling as I wrap my arms around his neck and close my eyes. He holds me close, breathing a sigh as he gently lays me down on the ground and rests on top of me.

"Are you alright?" I ask him, gently stroking the hair at the back of his head.

Julian swallows hard and nods, slowly moving to look at my face. He cups my face and smiles, kissing my forehead before sitting up and pulling me with him. I sit on my knees and hold him, looking over his shoulder at Scout. She's unfolding a blanket from her bag, gently laying it out on the ground and settling down on it.

"Are you alright too, Scout? Do you need anything?" I ask her, slowly getting to my feet and helping Julian up.

Scout shakes her head and presses her paws together before putting them to her cheek and closing her eyes, indicating that we should rest. I smile and nod at her before shifting my gaze to Julian, noticing the weary expression on his face.

"We should get some rest, too." I tell him, taking his hands in mine and slowly walking backwards towards the stairs.

Julian smiles at me and follows, his eyes lidded and his cheeks flushed. I giggle softly as we reach the upper floor, leading him over to the bed and sitting down. Julian sits beside me, and I press a kiss to his cheek before slipping off my shoes and sliding over to the wall. Julian smiles at me before peeling off his gloves and kicking his boots off. He crawls over to me, slipping his arms around my waist and kissing me sweetly.

I inhale sharply and wrap my arms around his neck, smiling into his lips as my chest lightens. He moans into my mouth as he brings a hand up to cradle my head, keeping his other arm wrapped around my waist and pulling me into himself. We slowly break apart, our noses almost touching as we stare at each other through hooded eyes.

"Y-you know, anytime you want to turn around and go back, we can. If you decide to-"

I press my lips to his to silence him, kissing him for a moment before breaking away and shaking my head at him. "If we turn back now, we might as well have never started. We're seeing this through. I know you're scared, I am too, but we can do it." I assure him, smiling sweetly as he stares at me.

Julian nods and relaxes, his eyes softening as they meet mine. "Thank you, MC. For everything." He smiles, kissing my forehead before slowly resting beside me and holding me close. "For saving me, for staying with me... For loving me." He murmurs, staring at me as I curl up against him.

"You don't have to thank me for that." I assure him, wrapping an arm around his torso and resting my head against his chest. "Just promise me you won't leave me again, no matter what." I ask softly, stifling a yawn as I close my eyes.

"I promise, MC. I'll never leave you again." Julian nods, closing his own eyes and resting his chin on top of my head. "You know, after all that time in the Hanged Raven, I'm not sure I remember how to sleep." He chuckles, holding me into himself as he yawns.

I smile and nod my agreement, sighing softly as every muscle in my body relaxes. "You'll remember." I murmur in response. In the Hanged man's realm, we didn't need sleep, all we did was drink to pass the time... But here, in the safety of my shop, with Julian by my side, I can finally sleep again, slipping easily into a dreamless slumber.