the end.
There are no words, not for something like this.
How could there possibly be enough words in the goddamn dictionary to spell out what is running through his mind? Like a train rushing through a track, the thoughts churn and churn, faster and faster until he's left out of breath, panting and using all his energy just to stand.
He’s... he’s saying goodbye.
How many years have you wished for this? And how many have you spent dreading it?
When did things change from When will I leave? to Will I ever leave? to Do I have to leave? When did the thought of returning to where he once hailed become so frightening, so dreaded that he’d much rather spend his days dying over and over than face whatever was back home? When did he start to treasure the time spent here, in this shit city that he’s damned more times than he can count?
When did Hive fucking City become home?
Dio can’t breathe; he’s barely even standing, legs trembling and arms scrabbling at the foundations of the house he’s grown to love. He’s clinging for dear life, utterly afraid of what’s to come. There’s so much here that’s become the norm for him - he’s turned into someone he can’t even recognize anymore... someone he actually likes. Someone who the old Dio would be ashamed by, and that’s somehow okay. Because he knows that his past self would hate who he’s turned into, and that means he’s improved enough. He’s become a better man, a better Dio to himself and those around him - moreso than he would’ve ever thought possible as just Left clone D-10.
But no. He’s not Left. He’s Dio - he’ll always be Dio. He’s not going to forget that.
Without really thinking, he lets his two Pokemon out of their Poke Balls. They chirp happily upon being out, but soon realize that something is horribly, terribly wrong. Fitz is not pecking at his hat, and Lyra is not rubbing against his leg. They simply stare with him, their eyes not able to conceive why or how the world is breaking down before them. But Dio lets them watch - he can’t deny his treasured partners the sight of their own farewell.
The sky is bleak as he stares over the rim of his top hat, his vision blurry and wet. He chews on his bottom lip, trying in vain to keep the tears at bay, but he’s become weak to them. They overwhelm him in that quiet moment, trickling at first but gaining speed and duration fast until he can’t help but let loose a sob. Falling to his knees, Dio yells, his fists tightening and slamming into the ground. Everything - everything will be gone, and he doesn’t even know if he’ll remember it.
Goddammit, he finally found what he needed, wrapped his greedy claws around it, and it’s being ripped from his fingertips. And the absence of it already aches, his chest burning with enough anger and sorrow and grief to last a lifetime.
The end is near, but he has enough time to say goodbye to those that matter. He doesn’t even care if their phones are no longer active or if they’re in this city anymore - he’ll send it to anyone that once mattered but didn’t any longer, and those that will always matter.
To: Frisk, Magilou, Yuan, Luna, Rika, Terezi ...[expand for more...] From: Dio [txt]: this is it, then. [txt]: thank you.
And of course, for those that he’s grown the closest to, there will be no words spared. He knows this is it.
To: Marceline, Peridot, Travis Love: Dio [txt]: none of it was wasted. [txt]: i’ll miss you more than you know.
Hitting the send button is a bit more difficult than he realizes, his fingers trembling as he types it all out. He wishes he could be with at least the most important three right now - he wishes he could at least go out with them. But he’s here, he’s watching the sky evaporate before his eyes, and he fears what’s next. He fears what’s to come, he fears going home or to Hell or to the nothingness that’s claimed him so many times before. He’s just so unsure of what will happen, but he’s learned by now that being a coward does nothing. No, he must stand now, and meet his end like a man - like a much better man than he was when he first arrived five years ago.
With a few deep breaths, he’s able to get back on his feet, hands still leaning against the house. But he needs to let go of his home - the place he’s spent so many years living in with people dear to him - and face whatever’s happening with courage. It’s time to let go.
It’s time to go.
He finally lets go of the wall, fists clenched at his sides. With his Pokemon released, his loved ones texted, and the last of his reluctance broken, he has no choice but to stare it in the face. The sky splits apart, the ground crumbles into pieces, and Dio feels the numbing sensation envelop him, too.
In spite of it all - and perhaps just to spite whatever is forcing this to happen - he lets one last trademark smirk cross his lips before he meets the end.
