Eddie's Dumpster

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your soul was a whisper, blended with the air

a touch of gentle and softness

your whole life you fought for a right to stand

with your words and bravery out loud

the King does not have you right in front of Him

for you are miles and seas away

but your presence is a damning thing

that He could not help but crave

you stood in front of the golden gates

with your golden armor and your mighty rage

knowledge of the past, present, and future

but one man stood above all

"his name is avery,"

your brain helpfully supply

with his kind smile and bloodied hands

you could not help but try

you fought with all your might

you fought with all your heart

you are strong and brave

but inside, you tremble

you are merely a man, despite the gold armor

you may be blessed with knowledge

but you still fear your end

for you are merely a man under it all

you have written your final woe

with bloodied nose and aching head

your fingers tremble as they type

but in your mind, he remains

you thank avery for his existence

you thank him for his company

despite the short time you were with him

you have sworn to protect him

you left the world with him behind

for his sake and theirs

with a final wish uttered from your lips

not to be forgotten

avery fulfills this

with all his might and sorrows

his sunken eyes and trembling knees

he continues to move and live

every night he whispers

hoping that you would hear

"i pray that we'll find each other again

i pray that you are here"

though his words fell short

time and time again

his sobs follow

and his hands clenched

you hear him from wherever you are

with your golden armor and will

you whisper, "i will be there"

as you wait patiently for him

Derek was a childhood prodigy pianist. He ended up working as a pianist professionally when he got older, but as time went on, he slowly realized that he isn't actually that passionate about the piano and he doesn't really enjoy his career. He eventually ends up spiraling, as he starts debating his place in life and if he should pursue something else.

Though he doesn't go out often, on a whim he decides to go to a local variety show, where he ends up seeing Avery perform.

Avery's performance catches his eye, because Avery is incredibly passionate about his music and performing. He sees Avery's passion and realizes that he (Derek) doesn't have that same passion for music----so he decides right then and there that he's going to quit his job and try to pursue his other interests.

He ends up getting into coding and robotics, and eventually starts doing freelance work.

All the while, keeping up with Avery's music career. He follows Avery's social medias. Listens to all his songs. Tries to get any merch Avery sells. And attends every show he can. (He's definitely Avery's #1 fan lol)

Avery's a pretty small artist, so he definitely notices Derek as the one guy that attends almost all his shows. He thinks that the other guy is pretty cute. And eventually decides to strike up a conversation after a show.

They end up getting along really well, and they become friends. After a couple of months, they end up together.

Eventually, Avery's musical career ends up blowing up because a song of his got popular on Tiktok

Extra Stuff About This AU:

Derek's feelings on comparing him and Avery's passion for music is based on this video. Derek only did music because he thought he was "supposed to" do the things he was good at. Meanwhile, Avery did music, because he was genuinely passionate about it.

+a bunch of random images

Even so, it's easy to see people like him being cast aside and undermined in the real world for not being 'smart' the way it'd be expected of him, and I see that manifesting in the Church section, where he needs a little push to remind himself that he's capable, after reading words that surely aimed to hurt his self perception.

I see that manifesting in the Orchards, where he felt absolutely hopeless and begged for signs, because he didn't realize the ones right in front of him. And honestly, I didn't either. I wouldn't blame him.

But he blames himself for not being as 'smart' as Derlord, even though he pushed himself to go all the way back to the last gate after being tricked out of sheer determination. Even if it takes a bit for him to figure things out, he doesn't go down without a fight.