October 5th, 2018
"Have you seen enough?" Layla asked him. Shawn merely nodded as he didn't want to leave his family, not again. However, he knew he had too. It was time to move on and it made his heart wrench.
Layla held Shawn's hand as she transported them back to Shawn's safe place, his childhood home. They sat in silence for quite a while before Layla finally spoke.
"Are you okay?"
"I've been better," Shawn said, half smiling at her. "Was it hard for you?"
"Extremely. I was so young and I didn't understand, which didn't help. It will get easier though, I promise. On earth you feel as though death is permanent and final, when in reality, it's not. Where I'm going to take you that, that feeling is suppressed and it allows you to focus on the living's life knowing that you will meet again. It's peaceful really."
Shawn smiled at her before taking in her advice for a few moments. "Speaking of which - where are you going to take me?"
"Strictly speaking im not allowed to tell you and you have to discover it for yourself. But, you won't have to wait long because it's just about time!" She said excitedly. "I'll give you a few moments to take you last looks around the house and just let me know when you're ready!"
Shawn nodded, and slowly he walked out of his bedroom and to the living room. He remembered late movie nights with his family, taking Aaliyah's homecoming pictures by the mantle, and showing his parents the new guitar rifts he had learned when he was just beginning.
He walked over to the kitchen, where he remembered all the home cooked meals his mother would make. All of the rushed breakfasts before school.
He walked into Aaliyah's room where he knew that she would have many boys over that Shawn wouldn't be able to interrogate. Where she would host sleepovers and parties while mom and dad were away.
Finally he walked back into his room, where he taught himself guitar and to sing. Where he himself hosted sleepovers and parties while his parents were away. Where he knew he could always lay his head at the end of the day, no matter how far away he strayed from home.
"Okay," he suddenly spoke. "I'm ready now."
Layla got up off the bed (arranging Leo back to where she found him), grabbed Shawn's hand and took him to in front of his grand front doors. 20 years ago his mother carried him through these doors for the first time, and he is about to exit them for the last.
They exchanged smiles before Shawn opened the doors. He was surprised to find intense rays of light seem to pour out of the doorway, and through them he could see cloud like shapes. His spirts were immediately lifted. He knew he would be okay from this point on, that he was in good hands.
The two of them walked out into the light together, hand and hand, just like how it was always meant to be.
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dead // s.m.
Fanfiction"L-Layla?" He stumbled over his words. Granted her features were more profound and her skin was more textured, but he would recognize those twinkling gray eyes from anywhere. Shawn couldn't believe that his best friend from elementary school was rig...
