#acsparkplug

For the longest time it was simply something that was looming off in the distance. A thought so far away, an idea that was so lost, there was absolutely no chance that the particular day would actually arrive. And Will had done exactly what he shouldn’t have.

He got comfortable.

He enjoyed this world, and as much as he loved his own home planet, there was always that sense of thrilling excitement of a new world and learning new things (and possibly figuring out how to use it to his advantage.) But he had gone too far. His original plan had been to create a company and exploit the hell out of the people who lived here, and that had been going all fine and dandy until his old college-mate had called him up and told him to start teaching a newbie.

That’s when everything was thrown completely off the rails, and somehow he didn’t mind it. He had actually gotten into a routine with Parvis, his slightly airheaded ‘apprentice’. They had their little adventures now and then, and they had their arguments here and there. And dare he say it...They got a bit domestic about the whole thing. He enjoyed time spent with Parvis, no matter how weird or dumb some moments gotten to.

He remembered exactly what he had been doing when he received the message.

It was a rather slow day, a lazy day where neither of them had really been doing anything. Will for whatever reason had decided to go off to chop wood for a fireplace they had installed recently in their home. ‘For the aesthetic!’ Will had remembered Parv saying with as much excitement as he’d have with finding diamonds.

It was repetitive, and calming. He had an easy smile on his face as he continued collecting wood. That’s when he felt it, the burning sensation that he hadn’t felt in nearly years. He stopped cutting to look at his right hand, where his silver ring with the red stone was suddenly burning bright red on his finger. He set down the old axe he had been using and gently tapped the top of the ring, and a holographic screen popped up, looking staticky for a bit before becoming clear.

William, your father died two days ago. You need to come back and take over the company. We’re coming to pick you up in three days. Please be ready by then and send your exact coordinates.

-Mom

His heart had skipped a beat, and his chest had tightened considerably. He felt ill for so many different reasons he just stood there for who knows how long with his hands on his chest and the screen still shining into his eyes with the message becoming burnt into his retinas while he was just trying to process it all. He shakily brought a hand to his face when he realized that his eyes were wet, and his fingers came away with the light green liquid that was his tears.

He rubbed them furiously away before he picked up the wood he had collected and made his way back home, trying to compose himself properly so he would look completely normal when Parv saw him. And he internally breathed a sigh of relief when he was greeted with the same excited grin as he was every single day, and he was helped with the firewood as it was thrown unceremoniously into the fireplace and promptly set aflame.

Parv was content sitting in front of it, but Will hung back, watching Parv. He knew he had to tell him. It had to be soon, he only had three days left.

“Parv?”

“Hmm?”

“Let’s go sit on the roof.”

Parv turned away from the crackling fire to look at Will in confusion. “...What?”

“Let’s go sit on the roof.” Will repeated.

“But we just started the fire!” Parv whined slightly.

Will was no good at trying to be romantic or affectionate in any way like Parv was. “T-the...sunset. Stare at it with me.”

“Well alright then, but you’ll have to get more wood for the rest of the week!”

The rest of the week. He doesn’t have that long.

“Fine, I will.”

“Promise?”

A promise that he can’t keep at all.

“Promise.”

They both flew up onto the roof with their jetpacks and landed gently next to each other. The sky was already becoming tinged pink as the sun slowly began to sink. For a few beautiful blissful moments, all his worries and anxiety melted away as he stared up at the colors changing in the sky. The pinks getting brighter and being followed with shades of oranges. He looked over to see Parv smiling, his hair moving slightly from the breeze hitting his face. It was then that a dose of reality was dropped straight back onto him.

He only had three days left, and he need to tell Parv.

“Parv…I need to talk to you…”

Parv glanced over at him, the smile still on his face making it even harder for Will to get the words out. “What is it?”

“I...uh…”

Parv tilted his head slightly, waiting for Will to get the words out.

“I got a message, from my mother today.”

“Oh, what did it say?”

“I have to go back.”

He saw the change in his eyes, the happy look suddenly looking scared, worried. “Go back?”

“Go back to my home planet. My dad owned a large company and I guess I’m the one taking it over.”

“But what about Strife Solutions? What about here? What...what about me?”

Will sighed. “In the end me taking over my dad’s company is the better business deal.” He and Parv both knew he was avoiding the last question. “And I guess if my family needs me then I have to go.”

“But...What about me?”

Will clenched his fists together. “I...I don’t know Parv. I don’t want to leave, but…”

“Can’t I go with you?” The desperation in Parv’s voice was like a knife in his chest.

“Parv...You wouldn’t be able to survive in the atmosphere on my home planet. It’d kill you. And that’s the last thing I want to do to you.”

They went silent, as the darkness finally enveloped them and the sun was nowhere to be seen anymore. The wind was picking up, getting colder around them as Will began to shiver. Parv was hugging his legs staring up at the sky.

“When are you leaving?” He asked Will, not turning to look at him.

“In three days.”

“Oh.”

Will sighed and rubbed the back of his head. “We should go back inside, it’s getting cold.”

Parv only nodded and followed him back inside, the fire now forgotten embers because no one was there to tend to it. Before Parv could run off, Will leaned over and kissed him on the forehead. They were pretty much silent for the rest of the night, both of them going to sleep in their own beds.

They never really talked about where exactly their relationship stood. No official titles, not really ‘going out’, whatever it is that they had, it progressed naturally. But even though he had been content with that before, now it didn’t feel like enough. He was going home and he didn’t know where he and Parv were in their relationship, and he may never properly find out.

Will’s last few days were subdued and confusing. He simultaneously wanted to avoid Parv at all costs yet he also never wanted to let go of him. He and Parv would just hug or hold hands and then he’d go off and hide in his room alone for a few hours. But time was looming ever nearer, and he had already sent his mother the coordinates to where he lived, and she had sent him back a time.

And soon he and Parv were standing outside of the house that they had built and lived in together, standing close to each other unsure of what to do. Will checked his watch before looking up at the sky.

“They should be here soon--”

“Will?”

Will looked back at Parv. “Hm?”

“Do you love me?”

The question hit him like a ton of bricks. “W-what?”

Parv repeated. “I said, do you love me?” He looked a bit anxious.

Will’s mind was reeling. Parv was watching him waiting for an answer. He had spent his last three days thinking about it, agonizing over it to the point where it made his head hurt a bit. And at this point, at this point suddenly the cloudy waters became clear. Parv opened his mouth to ask him again, but instead Will leaned down and kissed him gently. Before they parted, Will began to feel a strange pulling sensation and he pulled away from Parv, looking up at the sky. A faint blue-green light was surrounding him and he could feel his hair slowly starting to rise from the pull that was bringing him up.

“Will?” Parv asked in confusion. “What’s going on?”

“I...I have to go.”

Will felt his feet leave the ground as the force of the pull became stronger and stronger. He looked down at his hands to the ring that he uses to communicate, but then looked at the one that was on his thumb. A simple silver band that he had had since he was seventeen. A going away gift his mother had given him before he went off to university. He was starting to go a bit higher when he quickly took it off and reached down towards Parv, putting the ring in his hands.

“Will?”

“Take it!” Will called out as he was being pulled higher. “Keep it safe for me will you?”

“But...why?” Parv yelled up at him.

“So I can come back and get it later!” Will felt tears in his eyes even though he was grinning down at Parv, and even though he was sure Parv couldn’t see his face anymore. It was going to be nice seeing his family again, even if they were going to be sad because of the passing of his father...But he wasn’t sure if he could say he was going home anymore. No, he couldn’t call it that.