firstworldproblem | IC Inbox 2 (Imeeji)

[ The way he sees it it's not AS bad as being tempered had been. But even then it's not exactly pleasant either. The loud noises and the fight itself are nothing short of terrifying, and more than that, it's knowing what comes after that scares him the most. Knowing that Emet will relive this over and over again.

He feels like maybe he should have let Lahabrea intervene and keep them safe after all, but the point of this is to help Emet. And he can only hope that this won't make it worse. He'll wrap his arms around him and pull him close - trying once more to use his aether but unable to use the dream as he normally would. So it's back to physical comfort and soothing words ]

You do deserve me. I never would have known happiness without you. Nothing will ever change that.

Would hiding anywhere help here?

[He blinks in a bit of a stupor. He had never thought about that electing to sink to the floor. He takes his hand and weaves his way through the ancients that are gathering outdoors, trying to find the least crowded space and a building with fewer windows.

His grip is shaking in Five's, and the booming overhead is reaching higher and higher peaks, but he holds on tight.]

[ He will hold on just as tight, not wanting to leave him for even a second. He wonders if he could maybe use his powers to at least make the sound go away, to protect Emet from having to hear it once more ]

Would you be able to hide in my soul again?

I do not trust my control.

[He pushes open the large doors of a building, tugging him inside before closing them. It's dark in here with only sparse windows at the near the ceiling and the soft glow of crystals in lamps.

He buries his face into his neck again, holding him tight.]

[ he'll stroke his back gently, keeping him close while trying to ignore the battle outside. And he does wonder if this will play out to its fullest, or if maybe this is where it'll end. But in either case, he has to be here for Emet ]

All right. I won't force you to try if that scares you. Just this is enough.

[He holds him tighter, tears leaking at the corner of his eyes despite him trying to hold them back.

The sounds, the battle, the reverberations in the land itself go silent outside.]

Promise me-- Promise me that all we have strived for, suffered for, it not for naught.

[And only because of the silence will he be able to hear Hades' words.]

[ More than anything else he could see in this dream seeing Hades like this breaks his heart. The tears, the feeble voice - all of it just makes it that much more unbearable. He hates that he's forced to relieve this - but hates the fact it happened to begin with even more. ]

It was cruel and it should never have happened.

But everything you strived for, everything you've suffered and done, it was not for naught. I can promise you. As far away as the end goal looks now, we will get there.

And if you find yourself unable to walk toward that for a while, I will carry you.

You will be happy again Hades. We will save your people and after all that work and suffering, your biggest concern is going to be how to hide away for a nap or two.

And it's not just because I'll make sure of it. But because you have. You've worked tirelessly.

It wasn't for nothing.

[He smiles against his skin despite the tears freely flowing. He believes him. He has to. He won't be able to continue on without hope.

Though anything else to be said is lost in a roar. The searing sound of a planet being struck a fatal blow.

There is no shaking. No collapsed buildings. From the walls, the ceiling, the floor they nestle upon, color begins to leak. Dripping and pooling like sludge, smearing as it hits the floor leaving everything not even gray, but colorless.

And that sound --- the sound of breaking glass --- pops loudly. As if someone threw a lighted torch into a warehouse of fireworks. Souls shattering one by one. Though being isolated spares them the worst of it, through the few windows of the building rains down wet fireworks. Bursts of color from every stripe of the rainbow brilliantly beautiful then torn apart in jagged edges and pieces.

And he'll see hairline cracks form on his skin, on Hades' skin.]

[ He can rationalize that this is all a dream, but despite that, it feels real. There's something terrifying about seeing the world lose all color like that, losing what was once so vibrant and being fractured and stripped of everything that once made it beautiful.

He doesn't think Emet would ever be able to forget this.

And he can't quite help the way his heart jumps into his throats at noticing those cracks and for a moment he's worried about the dream separating them, making it impossible for them to find each other. So despite the cracks he holds onto Emet, afraid of letting him go at all ]

[Emet hasn't lifted his head. Using Five as a shield physically and mentally, but he holds on just as tightly.

It is Emet's soul that breaks first, color leaking like blood out of the cracks, his mouth, his ears. Widening until he, too, shatters and fractures in a burst leaving him nothing to hold onto.

It's obviously dramatized and over the top, this entire scene. Dreams altering the true reality of it as they are wont to do. How much is real? How much is not?

But he's left with the sound of crackling if he moves at all, his own color leaking from him and fourteen crystal shards around him. Shards faded and washed to dullness by overwhelming Light.]

[ Of all the things he could have seen in this dream, that's undoubtedly the worst. The leaking from the cracks, the way he ends up shattering like that, and for a moment he doesn't even realize that the same is happening to himself, worried as he is about Emet.

It's impossible to remember this is a dream in this context. He desperately reaches over for him as if just doing that will bring him back, but then all that's left are fourteen crystal shards. What is he even supposed to do now? ]

Hades!

[Don't worry, he won't be far behind.

His skin will crack and break as well as his soul is tugged in multiple directions. Is it painful? Hard to say, but his memory will be begin to slip. One by one, each experience will be erased. His loneliness in the apocalypse. Arriving here. Hades. His siblings. All that he has worked his entire life to accomplish.

All burned away by infernal light that drowns out everything.

And then he'll wake up.]

[ That is by far the worst nightmare he's ever had and when he does wake up, he sits up straight immediately, looking around as if trying to make sure this is till him and he still remembers. He doesn't know if Hades is awake already, but if not he figures he should make sure he won't be stuck in that dream for any longer so he brings his hand to his shoulder, shaking him just to get him to rouse.

And maybe to confirm he's still there with him ]

[He was not awake, but he will be after the shaking. It takes him a moment to clear the disorientation, but after he immediately wraps his arms around him and holds him close pressing his face into his hair.]

[ He's still processing the whole thing, and out of it all the hardest part is knowing this is what Emet saw and experienced when he witnessed the Sundering.

He'll wrap his arms around him and keep him close, definitely not wanting to let go now ]

Are you okay? Well. As okay as you can be.

[His tears are wetting Five's hair but he's trying not to bring attention to that.]

While I abhor that you had to see it at all... I was relieved. To not be alone.

[ and he's relieved to hear that. That was the whole point of it all after all, and he shifts so he can kiss emet's cheek, bringing his hand to his face to wipe the tears away with his thumb ]

And I will keep being with you each dream. I don't want you to relive this any more than necessary but I do feel like suppressing it will make it more intense.

And as terrifying as it is, I understand it better. The kind of pain you went through.

[He opens his mouth and shuts it nearly immediately. No one else should see this. This utter despair that should live and die within the Unsundered. But he knows suppressing it is only going to make it worse and living through it alone would be now unbearable.

The weight of realization of just how dependent he is on Five is, while not new, very overwhelming.]

Five Hargreeves, if you ever leave me, I'm going to hunt you down and kill you myself.

[A healthy coping mechanism.]

I'm going to go ahead and take that as a thank you.

[ he'll kiss his cheek again, and then just pull him close once more to properly cuddle him ]

And I have no intention of ever leaving you. I did promise I'd stand by your side for the rest of eternity, didn't I.

[He's too mentally exhausted and raw to do anything else but cry against him. He doesn't even have enough energy for a proper comeback or to turn the comfort back on Five knowing full well he also had a quite the time.

So he is just going to huddle against him and do just that for the next few hours being quite the lump.]

[ The good thing about all that is that it allows him to focus on Emet rather than himself. He's definitely not even close to sleepy right now, and even if he were he wouldn't want to even attempt it. But for him, at least, it really was just a bad dream.

He'll keep holding him and stroking his back gently, whispering a few gentle words of encouragement in ancient from time to time, just to make sure Emet will be able to listen to his voice ]

[It will be greatly appreciated as he leans into him further each time he does speak.

But he will eventually prop himself up and rub his face with his hands.]

I need a shower as do you. Did you think your washroom could accommodate the two of us?

I do need to get an upgrade for it, but yes. It will be enough for the two of us for now.

[ he's getting another kiss to his cheek, and then he pull back but offers his hand to emet immediately ]

[He takes it and pulls himself off the bed.]

Thank you. For everything.

[A little late. He leans down to kiss his cheek in return.]

Well. I am your lover and companion. Not to mention a dear friend. It's the least I can do.

And we can let Lahabrea take care of our dreams until you're ready to try again. I said you shouldn't suppress it but you shouldn't burn yourself out either.

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