By The Way, Danplan Oneshots

I Love You 2

Stephen skidded onto his knees, trembling. The roads of the hybrid grew distant in his ears, blocked by the thudding of his own heart. The still form of Hosuh was etched into his skull, blood seeping onto the floral grass below.

Vision blurring, his fingers pressed gently against Hosuh's cold cheek, slowly moving down to his neck. He couldn't breathe as he felt, desperately, for some flicker of life. He couldn't find any.

Daniel must've seen his expression because in the next moment, his light footsteps thundered past, a war cry splitting from his throat. There was a slash and silence, then the unmistakable sound of flesh tearing and hitting the ground.

The hybrid has fallen – a second too late.

"Hosuh...please..." Stephen didn't bother to keep up his usual cool, calming mask on, instead pulling Hosuh closer. Daniel was suddenly next to him again, looking pale, apparently in shock.

"Hosuh..." he murmured quietly. He inhaled shakily, his voice growing louder in hysteria. "Hosuh!"

Stephen dug his fingernails into the dry earth, using the spare hand to press his fingers harder into the flesh. Daniel moved closer beside him and Stephen didn't resist when he gently wrapped an arm around his shoulders, holding him together.

Something fluttered underneath Stephen's fingers for a brief second and he furrowed his eyebrows, pressing harder.

There, just under the pads of his fingers, a weak, unsteady pulse drummed.

"He's alive..." Stephen murmured. He kept his hand on the lifeline in a trance. He wanted to keep the truth alive, wanted solid evidence that his guilty mind was fooling him. Dan gasped sharply next to him, peering closer.

"We need to treat him. Now." Daniel's words, though sounded confident, had a tremble of fear behind them. Stephen looked away at Hosuh's delicate face, staring down at his blood-soaked hands. Dan's were of the same colour, quickly soaking their clothes.

Stephen nodded, cupping Hosuh's face with his hands. The scarlet was a sickening contrast to his pale skin, now looking almost transparent.

"Ready?" Daniel had his hands, trembling, around Hosuh's torso. His sleeves were rapidly staining and Stephen felt sick at the sight.

He nodded, not trusting himself to speak.

Though he visioned what he thought was the worst scenario, his mind couldn't picture the horror that lay before him.

At first, his mind was overwhelmed by the blood. The stench of death gripped him, twisting around him murderously. Stephen almost did reach then, and would've if the terror of what he saw next hadn't stopped him.

Three parallel slashes were ripped through Hosuh's chest, a particularly gruesome one extending from his shoulder to his hip. Blood bubbled inside of each wound, white bone revealed in some places.

Hosuh hadn't moved throughout the entire ordeal. His eyes were still shut, and Stephen was beginning to miss the soft blue gaze he had taken for granted. A flash of Hosuh's last moment flickered in his mind, fragmented and broken.

His face, accepting and forgiving. His arms spread out wide, like he was ready to fly.

His lips, mouthing those words that were burned into Stephen's eyes –

And his eyes, soft, blue, crystal, fearless, kind, loving.

Why had he done it for him? Why didn't Hosuh save himself?

"I love you."

And Stephen couldn't say the words back, he couldn't, though he wanted to say the words ever since he saw those eyes in the first place. And now he was too late, as always - couldn't the world give him a few seconds more? But the world never obeyed his wishes, clinging onto time greedily, snatching it away when it was most needed – and that left Stephen on his own again, reaching for the great nothing the world had left behind.

"There's so much blood." Daniel whispered. He tore off the old satchel around his waist as Stephen pressed his fingers over the worst of the wounds, trying to force himself to feel like he was making a difference. It was then that Hosuh made a small, hitched sigh, eyes fluttering open weakly, more out of instinct. But they weren't soft and blue. They were glazed, clouded with nothing short of complete torture – and Stephen swore his heart was ripped out of him then and there, watching as sweat dropped from Hosuh's brow.

He wanted Hosuh to go back to sleep, where he would feel none of the pain that was surely to come, every second dragged on in burning fires and tangled thorns. Because Hosuh's pain demanded to be felt, and he could only watch as he suffered, scarlet leaking from his mouth like water.

"Daniel! Hurry!" Stephen yelled, feeling Hosuh's tortured muscles twitch underneath him. He made a hellish, strangled noise at the back of his throat, fingers twitching.

Stephen didn't hear Daniel's reply, but bent down to Hosuh's ear, whispering.

"You'll be fine." Stephen watched as Hosuh began to fade away; he could see his eyes, his soft blue eyes, become unfocused, unresponsive. "You just have to live for a little longer."

Daniel pushed Stephen's hands away, placing down a white cloth soaked in a liquid. Stephen knew the smell: he had too many injuries to count, and each time Hosuh would soak them in the same disinfectant before doing anything else. It hurt like hell, but Hosuh only made a almost inaudible moan, head falling to one side. His breaths became raspy as he ran out of time.

Because Stephen was

Always

Too

Late.

"No no no!" Daniel yelled out, hearing the same gasps Stephen was. It wasn't Daniel's fault – there was too much blood. They were too late.

The world was winning again. And Stephen was left on his own.

In fustration, he dug his palm back into the dirt but almost immediately recoiled, daring to look away one second to investigate what had brushed his finger.

It was the slime of the hybrid that was going to kill Hosuh. Rage boiled inside, and he wanted to scream, throw the slime as far away as possible – and what was Hosuh's sacrifice even for? Some slime that would heal –

Stephen stared at the strange substance, eyes widening.

"Daniel! The slime!" Stephen cried out. Dan's eyes shone with understanding. Stephen grabbed a new cloth and pressed it onto the worst wound, gesturing with his free hand for Daniel to gather some.

It was the last hope that Stephen was looking for. Something that could give him time. He could take it back from the world.

But he was running out.

Hosuh's breaths were quieter than the breeze, occasionally hitching as a last attempt to live. His eyes were almost shut completely, a sliver of blue just visible under his long eyelashes. Daniel couldn't have come back quick enough, his arms bundled full of slime like an eager toddler carrying a new toy – anytime else, Stephen wouldn't laughed and pushed Daniel, calling him childish.

Unsure of what to do, Stephen scooped up some of the slime, spreading it over each slash. Hosuh didn't react.

Daniel then took over, wrapping each injury with a bandage clumsily.

Hosuh then stopped breathing.

And started again.

His friend visibly relaxed, his muscles loosening. His breaths, though still uneven, were stronger. Daniel began to cry out of relief and Stephen didn't realise he was doing the same, tucking Hosuh's silver strands of hair behind his ear. He moved closer, whispering low.

"I love you too."

Stephen looked up at the sky, narrowing his eyes.

Finally, finally, he had beaten the world. This time, he refused to be left with the nothing, instead clawing his way forward until his fingers grasped that small slither of time that had been dancing in front of him.

He had won.