Pierre blinked as his eyes opened once more. He felt... empty... like there was a hole in his chest. It wasn't... a pleasant feeling, in fact, it was rather painful. It felt like... like... His eyes went wide as his brain registered seeing a giant gate.

He had died.

... But he didn't feel dead anymore?

He tried to sit up only to be pushed down softly. Looking up, he saw Michael staring back at him with a look of concern on his face. Not a word passed between them for a moment before Michael asked. "Why didn't you tell me?"

Pierre tried to sit up to speak onto to nearly scream in pain. Instantly, Michael was moving him back, cooing lightly to soothe him. "Shhh, you shouldn't move too much, you were only just brought back." 

"H-how?"

"You think I was going to leave my queen dead?" Michael asked, dropping a kiss on Pierre's forehead. "Not a chance."

Pierre smiled up at his boyfriend softly before he noticed something around his neck. It was a purple pendant that seemed to glow softly against his chest. Attached to the necklace was a ring he hadn't seen before. 

"That's what's connecting your soul to your body at the moment." He looked up at Michael when said that he felt a sinking feeling in his stomach. "So if I take this off, I would die?... Again?"

"Heavens no! See your body would be frozen into stasis until the pendant makes contact with you again. Technically, the only way you can die now is if you're reaped and that won't happen." He said the last part with such conviction that Pierre believed him quite readily. 

But why did he have a sinking feeling?

... Or was that just the empty feeling in his chest again?