Radioactive // Onceler x reader

Chapter 12 - The End

I sat outside the factory, feeling the strenght seeping out of my body, and it became increasingly harder to stay awake. I heard the Lorax and the Onceler arguing above me, their voices faint. Eventually they turned louder and louder, and I turned my head to see the two going down the stairs. Onceler was scolding the Lorax, telling him how he would never stop biggering. The Lorax fell down the last few steps of the stairs, and got to his feet, brushing off the dirt. 

"You know they're dying, Beanpole." he said, and the Onceler flinched, taken aback by his words. "what?" he said, and the Lorax gestured his head towards me, who were leaning against the factory wall. The Oncelers eyes widened and hurried over, kneeling down next to me, panic flashing his face.

"When that last tree falls, they will die with it." the Lorax continued and came over, pulling up my sleeve to show the arm filled with scars. The Oncelers eyes welled up and he looked me in the eyes before furrowing his brows. "I don't believe you." he said unconvinced by his own statement. He knew, but he didn't want to admit it.

"Are you really willing to take that chance?" the Lorax asked, and I could see the pain in Oncies heart shine through. He pulled out a walkie talkie and shouted into it. "Uncle, you gotta stop!"

But it was too late, just as he spoke into the device, the Super Axe Hacker chopped down the last tree, and it fell down to the ground. Every single tree in the valley had been chopped down, leaving nothing but a desolation. I felt the sting in my heart, and let out a choked gasp. Oncie pulled me tightly into his arms and began crying, looking at me with all the guilt in the world. "No no no- t-this can't be happening.. y/n.." he begged and pleaded to me, but to no avail. 

I shed a tear and placed my hand on his cheek and he leaned into my touch. His skin was burning, and wet from the tears. I let out a cry. "I love you, Oncie." He broke down at the sound of my words, cupping my face and leaning his forehead on mine. I could feel the tears streaming from his face on my forehead.

"I love you too, y/n. So please.. please don't leave me!" his voice trembled with sadness, and I tried my best to cling onto life for as long as I could. I could feel my body getting colder and colder, and I cried a little as I planted a kiss on his forehead. This is it, the very end. I looked at him as my vision began blurring, and my breath was barely there. I could hear him speaking, but it was like a distant echo that I couldn't understand. As everything faded to white I felt the strong sensation of love and relief inside me. I was finally at peace. 

...

...

I couldn't stop it, they were dying in my arms and there was nothing I could do. I tried shaking them, tried waking them, but they didn't respond. The weight of losing the most important person in my life came crushing down on me, and I was so overwhelmed by grief I didn't notice what was happening around me. I don't know how long I sat there holding them in my arms, crying as I looked at them. I fumbled around my pocket and found the necklace they had thrown on me and put it back around their neck, so at least our love would be eternal. I sat until I heard the sound of a car approaching, and I turned around to see my familys RV stop nearby. I reluctantly let go of y/n's body and walked over, wiping my face with my forearm. I saw my reflection in the car window, bloodshot eyes and a red face, eyes still swollen from the crying. My mother rolled down the window and stared straight ahead, not even bothering to look at me. 

"Son. You have let me down." she asserted. "Brett! You are now my favorite child." she said and looked at him, who seemed confused. After that she drove away, leaving me alone with my losses. First I lost y/n, and now my family disowned me. Everything I had worked so hard for was gone in a moment's notice. 

As I turned around to go back to y/n I saw the Lorax standing next to them, and a crowd of animals appeared behind him. They all looked sick and famished, and it seemed like there were significantly fewer than before. My eyes widened and I stepped back instinctively. 

"Hey look, I don't want any trouble." I sniffled and looked at them. It didn't seem like they had come here to fight. 

"And you won't get any. Not from them. Thanks to you and your hacking and smogging and glupping, they can't live here anymore. So I'm sending them off. Hopefully they'll be able to find a better place out there somewhere." he said and gestured to the animals who now had begun walking away in a line. All the Swomee-swans, Humming-fish and Bar-Ba-Loots were leaving. I noticed my old mule walking amongst them, and I hurried over towards him. "Melvin? Melvin!" I cried out, but Melvin shook his head disappointingly and continued walking.

"Hey, Pipsqueak." I called out to one of the Bar-Ba-Loot cubs who stopped and looked at me. I reached into my pocket and pulled out a marshmallow, offering it to him. Pipsqueak looked at it and shook his head in disappointment as well before continuing to walk away. I watched in remorse as the animals slowly disappeared from my sight and it was just me and the Lorax left standing. I looked at him and took of my hat, looking for some kind of help, anything at all.

The Lorax lets out a powerless sigh and grabbed the seat of his pants with one hand, and took y/n's hand in the other. They began magically floating away, disappearing through a hole in the smog. I was left alone with everything I had done, with the damage I had inflicted upon this world. 

I was too paralyzed to even react after seeing the love of my life disappearing into the sky with someone I considered a friend once. With all this in mind, the overwhelming sensation of despair in my heart, I sank to my knees. It was too late to be sorry, it was too late to make amends for what I had done. I had to live with this for the rest of my life. 

"I'm sorry..." I whispered into the ground, hoping in my heart they could forgive me.