~•Zianna•~
"S-Sylvanna... I honestly don't know what to do," I say into the phone, trying not to let tears slip out of my eyes.

I look around the hospital room. Garroth lays there in a bed, respirator covering his nose and mouth so that he can breathe. He's in so much pain, they're doing everything they can to keep him alive for just a few more days.

"Zianna, I don't know either... Do you want me to tell Aphmau?" Sylvanna asks.

"I don't know, I don't need her entire day ruined because of this," my voice shakes.

"It'll ruin her more if he dies and she doesn't get to see him." She says calmly.

"O-Okay, bring her over. Thank you so much, Sylvanna." I say.

"No problem. Tell him I say hi, I'll see you soon." She says.

"Bye," I hang up.

I'm thankful he's asleep. They were able to revive him, but only for so long. Though he's too weak to do much, I know he'll want to get up and move around.

I can't let him do that, I feel terrible.

I walk over to him and put a hand on his head, stroking his hair gently. He looks so calm when he's sleeping.

He looks so much like his father, it's almost insane. There's none of me in him. He has Garte's eyes, his facial features, everything.

I'm going to miss them both, so much.

His eyes gently open. His arms move slightly and he breathes at a steadier pace. I look at him and smile. His blue eyes beg for me to give him answers.

"Shh, it's okay baby. I'm right here, you're safe." I stroke his hair a little more.

"M-Mom," he mumbles. "W-What happened?"

I don't know how to explain it. I don't even know all that happened myself. The doctors won't tell me, and I don't necessarily intend to ask. I don't wanna know, personally.

"Nothing buddy. You're okay. I'm right here," I say.

"I wanna go home..." he says.

"I know you do. Maybe soon, okay?" I lie.

I wish I could keep that promise. It'd be amazing just to get to hear his laugh a little longer, see that smile a little more, look into those beautiful blue eyes just for a few more minutes.

I kiss his forehead, "Zane and Vylad will be here soon, baby."

He nods. His eyes droop and he falls asleep again. His breath turns into that staggered, unsteady stream of air it was. I sit down next to him once again.

It's okay, baby. I promise.

~•Tobin•~
I drive as fast as I can, my hands shake on the wheel. I knew for a long time that Garroth was dying, but I didn't expect it to be so soon. I take a deep breath and stare at the road.

Garroth was always my buddy, for as long as I can remember. He loved his father and I more than anything. And now, all that, it's just gone? It was worth nothing?

No, it must have been worth something.

There can't be no reason for everything his parents, especially his mother, went through. I'm not letting Zianna do this alone. I'm going to be with her through every step.

I pull up to the hospital, tears flood my eyes. I wipe them away and take a deep breath, stepping out of the car. I rush inside, going up to the front desk.

"Garroth Ro'Meave?" I ask the nurse.

"Room 28, fifth floor." She says.

I sign my name on a visitors sticker and take the elevator up. Nobody's in the elevator with me, just myself. I rub my hands together until the elevator reaches the room.

The elevator doors open. Doctors rush around everywhere, taking cancer patients to certain rooms. Then, I get to his room, 28. I give a gentle knock on the door.

It opens a crack, and Zianna steps out. Her eyes are red and slightly puffy. She looks tired, like she's been up forever with Garroth. She attacks me with a hug, I hug her back.

"Hey, hey, hey, it's gonna be okay. I promise," I say.

"It's not, he's gonna be gone..." she says.

"You still have to be there for Zane and Vylad. They need you, too. I'll be right here. I promise, it'll be okay." I say.

"Are you sure...?" She asks.

"I-I'm positive." I say.

The exact things I said to my brother when his son got cancer. The exact thing I said to his wife when my brother died.

"Hey, Tobin," Garte asks me. "If I die, what would happen?"

"You'd have a funeral." I say, still looking down at my phone.

"Well, no duh." He says. "But like... what would happen to Zianna?"

"She'd be sad." I said.

They were still engaged at the time. Garte was advancing in the army and Zianna was working hard at two stores. They didn't have the most money in the world, but they loved each other more than anything.

"You're a damn idiot." He says. "Would you like... marry her or something?"

"G, I'm too gay to do that."

My secret accidentally slipped out. I was upset and terrified. My eyes grew wide and I turned to Garte, who had his head slightly tilted and a smirk on his face.

"G-Garte.. I-I-I..." I couldn't move, I was frozen.

"Tobin, it's fine," he laughs. "I've known for a long time."

"R-Really?!" I was in shock.

"Dude, Zianna and I talked about when you were gonna come out, if you were." He smiled.

"I hate you," I say. "But love you so much."

"Love you too, big brother." He smiled, just like our mom.

I never knew if that was a prank to get me to come out or not. But, I am eternally grateful no matter what it was. The love I recieved was so amazing.

And now it was time to love my nephew.

"Let's focus on Garroth, okay? Vylad and Zane will be here soon." I say.

"Okay, yeah. Let's go," Zianna says, wiping tears from her face.

We slowly walk into the room, making sure to slowly shut the door. The click of the doorknob made a loud enough noise to wake anyone up. But, Garroth doesn't. I go over and grab his hand.

I hate to let you go, buddy. I really do.

~•Aphmau•~
I walk into the house and toss my bag against the wall next to the door. I slide my show off and hang my jacket up.

"I'm home!" I said.

Mom comes running down the stairs. I raise an eyebrow at her, wondering why she would run. She usually just walks down the stairs or calls out from another room.

She grabs her jacket and slides it over on her shoulders. She slides her shoes on and grabs the keys. My heart races and my mind goes crazy.

"Mija, get your shoes back on. We need to go," she says.

"W-What? Why?" I question.

"It's Garroth," she sighs. "He's.. I don't think he has much time left. I'm so, so sorry, Mija." She says.

My ears ring. I back up, my body trembling with fear. I breathe heavy. Burning tears spill out of my eyes. I cover my mouth with my hands and cry. Mom comes over to try and comfort me.

No, not my best friend.

No, not the guy I love with all my heart.

This can't be real.

This can't be real.

••••••••
GAH TOBIN'S PORTION IS SO USELESS AND THIS IS TOO DEPRESSING EVEN FOR ME.

Thanks for reading! Bye!
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