derzimt | this verse might be the literal death of me.
their bedroom door is standing wide open, as it always is when
beca isn’t in it. adeline is asleep on the bed and beca’s decided
to try and ignore the looming silence by busying herself with her
work-related emails. it’s easier for her to pretend to look at them
than to think about how much thinner and paler adeline has been
lately, and how little energy she’s had. but, eventually, she does
manage to shake these thoughts for a little while. and as soon as
she does she hears adeline’s voice calling her name. the second
she hears it she immediately abandons her laptop and goes.
“ hey baby. i’m still here.
--can i get you anything? ”
even as she asks she’s already thinking about running to the
kitchen and fixing her a glass of water, or maybe even a small
plate of food to see if she can hold it down. anything to add a
little more color to her face. instead of doing this though she
stops, completely frozen in the doorway when adeline speaks.
her only request comes in the form of, “ just hold me. ” &
beca feels her stomach turn to stone and her heart to lead. she
doesn’t move from her place in the entryway. it isn’t the words
themselves that have thrown her into chaos but it’s the tone in
which the words have been spoken. adeline knows something
and beca now knows it too. she’s shared a secret with her but
without actually saying it. and she can’t escape it regardless.
beca hesitates, even thinks of telling her ‘no’ and going back to
the other room; but the look on adeline’s face tells her that to do
either of these things would be a mistake. so she gathers up as
much courage as she can muster and she slowly puts one foot
in front of the other until she reaches their bed. she’s been sick
for too long now. so long that beca’s lost count of the days. all
she wants is for the love of her life to stop hurting, but despite
this wish she selfishly also wants her to stay with her.
she crawls into the bed, limbs numb and heart pounding so
hard it hurts, and she sinks beneath the blankets, arms
winding around the blonde woman and pulling her close.
she’s been avoiding the thought of death, actively avoiding
it. she knew from the start it wasn’t the healthiest way to
deal with it, and now that she’s literally holding a dying
woman in her arms she knows putting it off was the
absolute worst approach; but there’s not much she can
do about it at this point. her mind is racing with anything
and everything she might want to say, but she’s afraid
of opening her mouth to speak for fear that all she’ll do
is cry. her chin rests atop the crown of her head for a
moment before she presses her lips there instead.
her fear of crying is validated when her voice comes out as
nothing more than a croak. with the way she feels, she wishes
she could just let go and die with her. if her body came with
an off switch she knew she would use it right now instead of
sitting alone in the room when adeline’s fight left her. and despite
how hard she was trying she couldn’t keep hot tears from spilling
over onto her cheeks. as soon as they do she feels her lover shift
and suddenly she’s the one holding beca, and beca feels more
helpless than she’s ever felt. there’s nothing she wouldn’t give up
to keep this woman with her, to have someone to grow old with.
“ please. -- please don’t go. ”
it’s definitely the most selfish thing she can ask of her but she’s
desperate. she feels adeline nuzzle in against her hair, feels tiny
kisses being pressed against her head, and she hears the soft
sound of adeline shushing her. she turns in against her and she
wraps her arms around her waist, face burrowing in against her
shoulder, and she silently cries. tears freely streaming down her
cheeks and jaw clenched despite the burning in her throat and
the ache in her chest and stomach. she gives herself several
seconds to get it out of her system before she pulls back to get
a good look at her wife--her soulmate. it’s heartbreaking to her
how utterly exhausted she looks. and no matter how much she
wants her to stay she’s so ready for her suffering to be over.
a hand comes up to gently cup adeline’s cheek and she feels a
wet line where she must have shed a few tears as well. her thumb
brushes her cheek and she mimics this motion with the other hand.
“ i wish i could go with you. ”
to which she’s met with a stern, but weak, “ beca. ” and beca nods
simply to signify that she knows. adeline would never wish this, but
beca wishes it with every fiber in her being. but instead of arguing
she leans in and presses a soft, sweet kiss to her lips, and then she
presses another to her forehead. her entire body feels hollow when
she speaks again but she knows if she doesn’t say it now she’ll end
up changing her mind and never saying it. she knows it’s the single
hardest thing she’ll ever have to say, giving ‘permission’ to let go.
“ adeline i’m so proud of you.
you’re so, so strong. the single strongest
person i know. and i love you more than
i’ve ever loved anything or anyone. ”
her tears have returned, relentlessly flowing down her face as she
keeps adeline’s face in her hands and her eyes on those icy blues.
“ i don’t want you to hurt anymore.
( & she’s pausing to keep from crying. )
just relax, baby. stop fighting.
i love you. i love you. ”
and she repeats it several more times still, like a mantra. her own
homemade lullaby to lull her into sleep, because if she wants her
to know anything before she goes it’s that she loves her; and that
she’s never going to stop loving her, even after she’s gone.