~~~~~~~~~Iv's POV~~~~~~~~~

I felt...

Tired...

Empty...

Every inch of me ached in pain...

I could barely even move...

It was hard for me to breath, my lungs burned whenever I tried...

Was this... really the end for me...?

I want to give up...

It all hurts too much...

So much...

"Get up, Iv.." A voice spoke from around me, but I refused to look.

"Are you really gonna go down like this..?" The voice spoke again, this time sounding disappointed.

I let out a sigh, which that alone felt like my lungs shrunk by a lot. "I'm done with this... I can't... I-it hurts too much..."

"You would never think that way.. All that you've done is because you've always been too stubborn to die.. Doesn't matter what may happen, you always get right back up.."

"Not this time..."

"Oh..? And why is this time any different than the others..?"

"Because..." My sentence ended there. The more I thought about it, the more they were right. This was no different than from all those other times.

My mind went over to my family, my friends.. I couldn't leave them..

I bit my lip, and although it took a lot of my strength, I managed to open my eyes. A familiar figure stood beside me, looking down at me with gentle eyes.

The other me, the one like a silhouette, the one with the orange veins and hollow glowing eyes. It started me for a moment when she reached her arm out at me, offering me to take it.

I waited a few seconds to gather my strength before nervously grab her hand; to my surprise, it was.. cold..

She pulled me up to my feet, a hand on my shoulder to keep my balance. Pain came from every part of me, and I could barely bare it as I hissed through my gritted teeth.

More surprising, she gave me a kind smile. "See..? You're still as stubborn as a mule.."

"Why are you helping me..?" I asked, still a bit unsure about all that happened.

She only chuckled. "Why not..? I am just you in another form, I have nothing against you.." She raises a hand in front of me.

I stared at it for a while before pressing the palm of my hand against hers. "Thank you.."

"No need to thank me.. Now, are you ready to wake up..?"

Taking a deep breath, I shook my head, and she placed a tight grip on my hand.

At the sudden pain, I let out a gasp as my eyes fully shot open. I tried to calm my breathing as I looked around, finding myself in my room. My gaze quickly went to my hands, feeling the strange power she brought at my fingertips.

I then heard a groan with made me jump a bit. Noah sat on a chair beside my bed, sleeping as his head rested on his arms which lied on the bed. I could see the dry tear stains on his cheeks, along with the dark circles under his eyes.

My heart ached at the sight, along with seeing a few empty plates and water bottles on my nightstand, how long had I been out for..?

Not wanting to disturb him, I lied back down with a sigh. The pain wasn't as bad as it was in my head, so I could move around a little, and my lungs were still a little weak, but worked just fine.

Another groan, and I saw Noah sit up as he stretched his arms with a yawn, then rub his eyes. I couldn't help but chuckle, his messy hair only ever made him look cuter.

"Morning, bedhead..."

"Morning..." After rubbing his eyes, they suddenly widened in realization, looking at me. "W-wait, Iv...?!"

I smiled a bit shyly. "Hey..."

Before I knew it, he wrapped me in a gentle yet tight embrace, catching me off guard. His face was buried on my shoulder, and it wasn't long until I heard a sob escape his lips.

I hugged him back, gently resting my head on his. "Hey... It's okay... I'm right here..."

We stayed like this for a while, which I didn't mind at all. But soon enough, he pulled away, sniffling as he calmed down. I reached over, gingerly wiping away his tears, and I couldn't help but giggle a bit at his blush.

But my expression soon fell at the question I asked myself earlier. "... How long have I been out...?"

Noah stayed quiet for a bit before answering. "A little more than a week..."

My eyes widened a bit, it sure as heck didn't feel that way..

I think he suffered way more than I did, though.. "We managed to find you before the mist covered your lungs entirely... We did all we could to help you, but-... Y-you were really close to the edge this time, Iv... I-I was starting to believe you... w-wouldn't wake up..."

I bit my lip, maybe going off on my own wasn't the best idea, but I couldn't risk them getting even more hurt.. "What about Ashley, is she...?"

He shook his head. "She's gone for good..."

Letting out a sigh, I felt relieved to hear that. But another part of me still.. regretted what I did.. Sure she was a bad person, but.. she was still family..

My cheeks grew pink as I felt Noah place his hand over mine, kissing my forehead. "You did it, Iv... We're safe..."

"Yeah... I guess I did..." I returned the small smile he gave me, and we stared into each other's eyes for a bit.

He then looked down with a small chuckle. "So... a-about that kiss..."

My cheeks grew red at the memory, quickly looking away. "I-I- That w-was-"

"I-I liked it..." I turned to look at him, darker than before, and he was too. He bit his lip before looking up at me to meet my eyes. "I l-like... you..."

I felt my heart skip a beat, after all that's happened, I was sure he'd want to stop being my friends forever, but..

Giving him a sheepish smile, I twisted my pinky finger around his. "I-I like you too..."

He smiled back at me before looking down nervously, "S-so... are we, like, a th-thing...?"

"... d-do you want us to be...?"

He nodded, softly biting his lip. I couldn't control the smile that grew on my face. "Then... will you become my official boyfriend...?"

Leaning over, he placed a soft kiss on my cheek, my heart skipping another beat. "I-I'd love that..."

I then cupped his cheek and softly kissed his lips. He jumped a little in surprise, but returned the kiss.

Maybe this wasn't the best time for this, but heck, I've been waiting for this moment for a long while..!

I'm just glad everyone's okay, and that in the end, we'll be able to continue the life we had before..

Thanks for reading!!! 'Till next time!!!

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