Knives Time

He gently pulls her towards him and lifts her up to sit on the counter. Now that she's closer, she can notice that his eyes are also a bit red, probably from the lack of sleeping. But what catches her attention more, is the couple of small cuts on his jaw.

Sylus is always focused, always alert, so she wonders what level of exhaustion he must have reached that he has made such a "little mistake" like accidentally cutting himself while shaving.

She reaches to cup his face, her thumbs gently caressing his cheeks. There's a small frown on her face and he gives him a look that is half a scolding, half of concern.

But then he looks back at her.

Over their time together, she's slowly learned to read him better, and right now she notices that under that nonchalant mask, there's a self conscious Sylus, one that wasn't expecting her to see him like this. An exhausted Sylus who's at the same time just relieved to see her again.

And then he offers her the razor.

She gives him a look of "Are you crazy? Want me to slide your throat open?", but that only makes him chuckle and he takes her hand to press the handle against her palm for her to take it.

"Make sure to aim correctly and take me down in one go, sweetie", he teases, but beneath that playful tone, lies a sincere request. He genuinely wants her to help him.

For a man like Sylus who always needs to have his guard up and doesn't let many people get too close, even if this just a small razor for shaving, it can somehow still be used as a weapon and he's completely trusting her with it.

He's lowering his guard for her, inviting her into his space. Even if he didn't expect her to see him like this today, instead of pushing her away or hiding, he's allowing her to get close, he's welcoming her with open arms into this intimate routine.

"Ah... I thought being a spirit would be more interesting. I thought I would be able to go haunt you at the Onychinus base at 3 in the morning and steal your socks" She sighs dramatically. "But I'm stuck in here..."

"Oh kitten" Sylus lets out a rich laugh, a sound that hadn't come out of his mouth so genuinely in many years. "I know you very well and you wouldn't just be stealing my socks. You'd rearrange all my weapons just to watch me lose my mind while I figure what happened"

He reaches to tuck a lock of hair behind her ear, a gesture so tender and reserved only for her. "You'd steal my sweaters with the excuse that yours aren't as warm as mine. You'd write messages for me in the fogged windows when it rains".

"You'd make sure I'm well aware of your presence even if I can't see you, and I wouldn't have it any other way" He presses a lingering kiss on her forehead.

She reaches to cup his cheek, but her touch is not as solid anymore, it feels now like the soft caress of a feather blown by the wind.

She gently traces his features, her fingers soflty mapping every corner of his face, brushing over the light furrow of his brow, going down to the bump of his nose, then the small wrinkles that have started to form under his eyes from the aging.... And suddenly it feels like if they had gone back in time when they were younger, on one of those lazy mornings, both laying down in bed while she caresses his face and he plays with her hair.

There's a moment of quiteness between them. They both know what's about to happen but they are not ready yet.

"Sy... did I bring you happiness?" She breaks the silence. Her question, a vulnerable whisper.

"Sweetie, you didn't just bring me happiness, you were my happiness. You still are" Sylus lets out a shaky breath, trying to contain all the emotions he's feeling right now.

She feels how the fluctuations are going away, her temporary physical body grows lighter, and it's harder for her voice to reach him. He notices it too and it's then that he feels as if his heart is being pierced by a thousand swords. He's not ready for her to leave again.

"Kitten, I..." He can't even manage to say anything before warm tears roll down his cheeks.

"Shh, it's okay. Don't say anything" She cups his face, gently wiping away his tears. Watching her beloved in pain, makes her heart ache, specially, knowing it's because of her.

"Sylus, remember... you still carry half of my soul with you. Wherever you go, I'll always be there too" She places a hand over his chest and she can feel the soft drum of his heartbeat against her palm. "So, go, enjoy your life, travel, be happy, because even if we are apart, as long you carry those 10.5grams of me within you, a part of me will still be alive"

"I promise" He hugs her tightly, clinging to those remaining seconds that they still have to be together, before he cannot see her again.

He feels how her embrace loosens, how her body grows colder. It feels like if after spending so much time in a snow storm, he had finally found a shelter, but then someone suddenly snatches that warmth away from him in the worst way.

Then, the bouquet that was resting on her lap, falls into the grass... that's when he know she's already gone.

Her spirit remains there, only that he cannot see or hear her anymore, but she can. She watches him arrange the flowers beautifully around her grave, he then kneels there in silence for a couple of minutes, like trying to process what just happened. He gives her gravestone a tender pat and stands up to leave.

As she sees him going away, she cannot longer suppress those tears she has been trying so hard to contain. She runs after him until an invisible force manifest and prevents her from straying too far away from her grave.

"I love you, Sylus Qin!" She shouts with all she has even though she knows he cannot her her anymore, but she hopes her words can reach him somehow.

In the distance, she notices him stopping. He looks back at her briefly and smiles in her direction. "I love you too, kitten" she can read his lips from afar. He turns away and she watches his figure slowly disappear towards the entrance of the graveyard.

These type of deepspace fluctuations that occurs only every 200 years, happened to have blessed them today. They allowed her spirit to manifest physically, letting him see and listen to her after so many years. What started with a simple visit to her grave, ended in a reunion that none of them expected, one that they will carry in their hearts until the next time they meet.

Wrote this last night before going to bed, I've been feeling a bit sad so I wanted to make myself cry a little 😅

I posted it on Twitter, but also posting it here cuz why not