“It’s about time.” An annoyingly familiar voice said from above, pulling Carmichael from his plotting at his desk.
“You know, every time you show up I feel like I’m loosing mymind again.” Luken sighed, glancing up at the god floating above, “What do youwant?”
“I was just saying, it’s about time.” Ennis repeated,pointedly looking down at the ring box.
“Well, four years isn’t that long.” Luken mumbled, faceflushed as the god rolled his eyes.
“You’ve been chasing those baby blues for your entire creationthat’s all.” The god huffed, arms crossed as he floated on his back.
“We’ve only known each other for four years. You make itsound like we’ve known each other for ever. I thought my life span was a pinprick for you gods?”
“In every life your soul has ever lived you’ve been playingcat and mouse. I’m merely stating that it is about time the relationship hasprogressed to this point. You got close last time but, eh, cancer and humanlaws.” The god shrugged as the man on the ground rolled his eyes and shook hishead.
“I’m trying to plan my proposal. So if you aren’t going tobe helpful dear uncle please fly through a light.” He groaned.
“Why not just ask? He asked you last time, you said yes. Whynot keep it simple?”
“And why exactly, no, just no. I’m not falling for thisagain. You’re going to offer me knowledge and my head is going to be killing mefor a month if I accept. So no.” Luke sighed, waving the god off as the godfloated closer.
“Human, so stupid.” Ennis huffed, waving his hand around the room and manipulating the world around them, “Now, dear nephew, watch and learn.”
“That one? You’re sure.” The man asked the boy who wasexcitedly nodding, “He’s just a boy, can’t do much work.” It looked like Greece or maybe Rome, he couldn’t really tell. They both looked the same to him. Clearly this was a slave market and someone was being bought.
“He’ll be a great slave, just look at those arms father.”The boy said excitedly, pointing to the young slave with piercing blue eyes. “You’recoming home with us and we’re going to be friends.” He declared.
“That, that’s just, no. I mean that’s not how-“ Luke denied, shaking his head, “No.”
“You ended up lovers.” The god smirked as the images fadedto the two persons, older and in bed. “Fine how about this time.”
“Why, why would you waste your life like that? Working forthe enemy against the crown?” A knight asked a man in a cell. “How could you dothat to me?”
This time the roles were reversed, the blue eyed man beingthe one who was free. “Answer me.”
“What makes you think the crown in right in this crusade? It’snot our land to take, the church.” The prisoner began as the knight hit thebars.
“You’re being put to death when the sun rises.” The knightsaid softly, leaning against the cold metal.
The prisoner reached through the metal grate as he pulledthe knight in for a heated kiss, “I don’t regret what I’ve done. My only regretis that we haven’t had enough time.”
“That’s depressing as fuck why would you show me that?!” Luke exclaimed
“Because it explains the next part.” Ennis said bluntly asthe sun began to rose and the two men were shot down by arrows as theyattempted to make a run for it.
“Okay, I’m not, I’m not sure how I feel about that one butgo us? What the fuck am I a hooker?” Carmichael asked, eyes wide as the room clearly shifted to look like a very sketchy brothel type place.
“You were a forced sex slave but that’s beside the pointlook.”
“I’m going to get you out of here. You deserve better,freedom at least the world at most.” Luken knew those piercing blue eyes anywhereeven if the face looked different.
“And you can give me that? You work all day on the dockspulling in boats, you smell of fish. You really think you can buy my freedomand give me the world?” Carmichael didn’t have to see the face of the individualtalking to know it was him.
“God am I always this snarky?” Carmichael groaned, shakinghis head, “Are there any where we both don’t die immediately after we, youknow?”
“Aside from this life you live? Hmm, there’s this one.”
There was dirt flying everywhere and shots ringing out. “Though,you did both die you never, hooked up as you children say. See, there you are.”He said, pointing to a medic, applying pressure to a wound as he dressed it. “Andthere he is.” There was another man, a distance away who’d just been shot. Themedic ran towards him only to be shot as well.
“Oh so, we didn’t hook up because we died trying to save theworld that’s great. Wow, yeah, please never show me my past lives again. Thisis depressing as fuck. Isn’t there one happy ending? Like, do I ever get to dieof old age?”
“Well yeah, but you die alone.” The god scowled, changingthe scenary to a house on a street in who the heck knew where America. “Yourown fault since you threw him in jail for stealing. Honestly, this cat and mousegame the two of your souls have been playing is getting old. I have a bet withAphrodite that this time we both get it right. So far, she’s done her part and nowit’s on me.”
Carmichael sat quietly, watching as another version of himreally did arrest another version of Brett for stealing, a car, for fiveminutes, to rush someone to the hospital. “God I was an asshole cop, the judge didn’tgrant leniency? What a douche, we were both douches.”
“You were both white men in power, in the south, during jimcrow america and he was black. You were raised by a klan man in this life.Honestly it’s the worst life you ever lived and you felt horrible about it.”
“Still. I deserved to die alone in that one. No, I take thatback, I deserved to have been murdered in that life. There are no words for howpissed I am at my soul for that. Such a dick. So this, current time, is theonly time we’ve ever been, semi happy?” Carmichael mused with a frown as hewatched the world change again.
“You were once rival pirate captains. It got bad, fun towatch your crews lock you two in a room together but watching you blow eachother up over a treasure neither of you had was a bummer.”
“That, that actually sounds really cool.” Carmichael smiled,a shit eating grin growing as the imagescame into view.
“That’s probably why you both did that and died. You twowere idiots in this one. ‘I bet I can find the cursed treasure first.’ ‘No Imgonna find it first’ ‘I was cursed to never be satisified’ ‘well I was cursedto never die’ You two were insufferable.” The god ranted, “This was myfavorite.”
“It, it doesn’t look that long ago.” Carmichael frowned, thecars outside the window looked to be in the 80s or 90s.
“It was your last life, just shut up and watch.” Ennis scowled, watching as the room changed, pictures hung on the walls much like the did in Luke’s office currently. Clearly the two men in the photos loved each other.
“Same time?” Luken’s soul asked, eyes heavy and clearlyupset as Brett’s soul nodded.
“Will you be my life-” “ I’m dying” “Wait what? What do youmean you’re dying?” The blue eyed man looked all sorts of shocked as he set thering box on the nearby table.
“Cancer. They don’t um, they don’t think I’ll make in twoyears.” The man’s eyes were filled with tears as his whole body shook. “I wouldsay yes to your question but I don’t want you to waste your life on me. Youhave so much more to do and I don’t want to hold you back.” He said, tearsfalling freely.
The other man engulfed him in a tight hug, “I’m not goinganywhere without you. You and me remember? Death do us part and all of thatjazz. You and me and our silly little mutt of a dog.” They were both reduced totears as they sunk to the floor.
“How long did I live after that?” Luke asked, lower lip quivering,“Did they, did they at least get to say goodbye this time?”
“You lived for a year, they got to say goodbye. He died afew months later. Car accident. He was walking the dog. Driver went to jailover it.” Ennis replied. “So now you see. Just ask him. Nothing fancy orcomplicated just say “Brett, with your soul chasing blue eyes, will you marryme? He will say yes. This time we got it right. Neither of you is supposed todie for a long time. You’re both happy. Just asked him.” The god huffed, armscrossed as they appeared back in the living room, Carmichael at his desk.
“Right because Brett will you marry me? Is so original.”Carmichael groaned as he spun his chair and froze, wide eyed. “Well, that’swhat I get for thinking out loud. Hey hun, how long have you been standingthere? You know what? Forget that.” He sighed, grabbing the box from his desk,walking over and taking a knee. “Will you marry me? I fully realize you wontwear your ring in public and we’ll still be insanely discreet. But, I dunno,four years, I feel like we’re ready for the next step. What do you say?”
