#wgq

I’m not valid, fyi. This, of course, takes place in the same universe as Won’t Go Quietly. (This will be up here with the rest of my Balance prompt fills.)

Tagging @fantasysamsclub​.

TW: Non-graphic depiction of a body, grief

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“You’re sure about this?”

Avi nodded, shoulders hunched. “I have to… Mags, Igotta see him. I owe him that much.”

“All right.” Magnus had an arm wrapped tightlyaround Avi as they made their way through the halls, into the elevator. Avithought, distantly, that it was probably a good idea – he could feel himselfshaking, and didn’t know what would happen if Magnus let go.

The moonbase was all but deserted. Everyone hadleft, gone down to the surface to help fight the Hunger. A few of them had stayedon the base to make sure it didn’t fall out of the sky, and a few had come backto stabilize it, make sure it was still intact.

To make sure the people were, as well.

Avi wasn’t. He knew he wasn’t, and Magnus knew ittoo, knew he would fold like a house of cards if he took his arm away. Avi wasdizzy with disbelief, left stunned and reeling in the face of his worldtoppling inwards. The moon had stayed stable; Avi had not.

There was no music playing in the elevator.

“I’ll be able to bring him back up,” Magnus wassaying quietly. “I know what it’s – I know sometimes you have to see them, that…I…” He trailed off, seemingly at a loss for words.

“I don’t wanna leave him down here,” Avi agreednumbly.

“Yeah,” Magnus said. “Yeah. We won’t. I promise.”

The hallway to the voidfish’s chambers had neverfelt so deserted. Avi had been set to guard it with everyone else in rotation –at least, until he’d been put in sole command of the cannons – and heremembered trying to always get the spot nearest to the door so he could listento Johann’s music. He hadn’t even met Johann himself until his third shift, whenJohann had stumbled out of the room holding a sheaf of papers, bumped directlyinto Avi, and asked him what day it was.

Avi had stuttered out the answer, Johann had pattedhim on the shoulder and thanked him, and then collapsed directly into his arms.His excuse, later, had been that he’d been inspired and had forgotten to leave tograb food. It hadn’t been the last time it happened, but it had been the lasttime it got that bad. After that, Avi did his best to check in on Johann oncein a while. Never left him alone down here for more than a day or two at a timeif he could help it.

“Avi?”

They were at the door, and Magnus was looking athim with something that wasn’t really pity in his eyes. “D’you want me to comein with you?”

“Yeah,” Avi said. “I… please.”

“’Course.”

The door was already ajar, and opened easily toMagnus’s gentle push.

It was both better and worse than Avi hadimagined.

There was no carnage. Just a layer of ash andwater, and the shattered tank in the center of the room, and –

Avi pulled out of Magnus’s arm to go to him.

Johann’s body was mostly untouched, aside from twodark wounds made visible through the slashes in his tunic, bloodstains blendingin with the water from the tank. Avi had heard people describe the dead aslooking as though they could be sleeping, but he didn’t see how anyone couldmake that mistake. Death was as present there as if the Raven Queen herself wasin the room.

Avi knelt down beside Johann, water soakingthrough his pant legs. He opened his mouth, but it suddenly felt like therewasn’t any air in the room, like he couldn’t breathe –

“Avi. Avi.”Magnus was beside him again, heavy hands on his shoulders, turning Avi’s facetowards him. “Breathe with me, buddy. In. Out.”

Avi took two short, sharp breaths, then sobbedonce and folded in over himself, letting Magnus pull him to his chest.

“I can’t do it,” Avi said between strangled,heaving sobs. “I can’t – he’s – fuck –”

“I know,” Magnus said, and then Avi realizedMagnus was crying too.

“I’m so sorry,” Magnus said, and half of Aviwished he could wrap his arms around Magnus like Magnus was doing for him, butall he could do was clutch them around his own chest like he was trying to holdhimself together. “I didn’t – I couldn’t – I woulda saved him if I could’ve.”

“I know,” Avi whispered.

His heartbeat, his breathing, felt erratic, and inno more than a brief flash of understanding, he thought he knew what Johann hadmeant when he talked about his heartbeats being numbered, his breaths being countedout wrong.

Oh, good question! I haven’t really thought through a lot of straight-up Johann songs, but my Johavi playlist is this:

 - Honeybee by Steam Powered Giraffe

 - Won’t Go Quietly by Company of Thieves

 - Left and Leaving by The Weakerthans

 - Made Your Mark by The Jane Austen Argument (this is definitely a Johann song!)

 - Sun Tomorrow by Ira Wolf

 - My Heart’s the Same by Jukebox the Ghost

Chapters: 4/4 Fandom: The Adventure Zone (Podcast) Rating: Not Rated Warnings: Major Character Death Relationships: Avi/Johan (The Adventure Zone), Background Brad Bradson/Magic Brian, Referenced Magnus Burnsides/Julia Burnsides, Avi & Magnus Burnsides Characters: Avi (The Adventure Zone), Johan (The Adventure Zone), Magnus Burnsides, Taako (The Adventure Zone), Merle Highchurch, Carey Fangbattle, Brad Bradson, Magic Brian (Referenced), Garfield the Deals Warlock Additional Tags: comfort/hurt, if that's even a thing, Pining, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Friendship, Magnus the Matchmaker, Sad Ending, listen... we know how this is going to end, and when I say major character death I MEAN IT, Grief/Mourning, Foreshadowing, Dramatic Irony, Fate & Destiny Summary:

Do I even have to say what this chapter’s about? You know.

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Tagging @fantasysamsclub. It’s finally here.

Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU to @missmashmain and @hannahlady, my betas. This is my first betaed fic, and you two helped me out so much every step of the way.

Chapters: 3/4 Fandom: The Adventure Zone (Podcast) Rating: Not Rated Warnings: Major Character Death Relationships: Avi/Johan (The Adventure Zone), Background Brad Bradson/Magic Brian, Referenced Magnus Burnsides/Julia Burnsides, Avi & Magnus Burnsides Characters: Avi (The Adventure Zone), Johan (The Adventure Zone), Magnus Burnsides, Taako (The Adventure Zone), Merle Highchurch, Carey Fangbattle, Brad Bradson, Magic Brian (Referenced), Garfield the Deals Warlock Additional Tags: comfort/hurt, if that's even a thing, Pining, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Friendship, Magnus the Matchmaker, Sad Ending, listen... we know how this is going to end, and when I say major character death I MEAN IT Chapter Summary:

It's been almost a year, and what started at a carnival has grown and blossomed beyond what either of them had imagined. But the best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry.

Alternately: we each only have so many heartbeats, so spend them wisely.

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Tagging @fantasysamsclub​, who knows for a fact that I did not know how this chapter would go when I started it. That is my only defense. I’m real sorry.

Thank you thank you thank you as always to @hannahlady​ and @missmashmain​ for being amazing betas! I dropped this chapter on them with INCREDIBLE urgency after writing 2500 words in a single afternoon, and they performed admirably under pressure.