Shorts

8

Iris' POV

"Y-you killed me." My finger shook as I pointed at Pyotr.

He opened his mouth to speak, but Timo shoved him against the wall. Timo grabbed a fistful of Pyotr's shirt and lifted him.

"You mixed the vials!" He sneered.

"It was that or she'd die!" Pyotr fired back.

"You sealed her fate for a lifetime of running!"

"I didn't know at the time-"

"And you enjoyed the hunt." Timo scoffed.

"I learned to love it! It tore me up inside the first few hundred years, but I had to make peace with it. I couldn't stop it, so I forced myself to enjoy the hunt... the chase! But, it always hurt when it came time to actually end her life-"

"You'd always do it in the most humane way." I whispered, but everyone heard.

"So mutilating your body is humane?!" Timo's eyes turned red.

"That was after she died!"

"Even worse to disrespect her!" Timo flung Pyotr down.

Pyotr swiftly stood up, only to be punched back down. He swiped out Timo's leg, but Timo wrapped his hand around Pyotr's neck. Pyotr kicked Timo away and prepared for Timo to strike him. I ran in between them and gave Timo a pitiful look.

"How can you still love him when he treated you so terribly?" Timo wondered.

"Because he was like my brother." A tear rolled down my cheek.

"And what was I?" Timo sadly asked.

"My platonic soulmate." My voice cracked as I watched his eyes glass over from happiness. "May I get a minute?"

I didn't wait for their answer and walked into a different room. I placed my hands on my head and paced the room while trying to calm down. I took a few deep breaths, but my mind was going wild. Everything made sense, from the weird dreams to the familiarity and comfort I felt with them. I heard the door close behind me, resulting in me turning to see Vanya with a worried expression.

I leaned against the wall and had my back slide down it until I was seated on the floor. I buried my face in my hands and felt her presence next to me. I leaned the side of my face against my knees as I looked at her. She raised her hand, only to drop it. I sighed and broke the physical contact barrier by resting my head on her shoulder. Vanya stiffened, but didn't say anything.

"All these years and you're still shy." I chuckled and noticed her blush. "How do you continue to do it and not get tired?" She gave me a confused look, so I expanded. "Constantly tracking me down, only to watch me die."

"It is excruciatingly painful to watch you..." She cleared her throat. "But, there is a beauty in finding you everytime. I... I get to help you fall in love with me all over again. And it's beautiful and heartwarming to see the love in your eyes." She shyly smiled.

"You're so patient." I sadly chuckled. "I'm sorry that you have to always go through that heartbreak."

"It's worth it to see you smile at me even if it's only one time." Vanya looked out the window.

"So what happens now?" She turned my way. "With Pyotr failing to kill me and the squadron being killed, what happens? Shouldn't it have been the end of my chapter?"

"If you..." Vanya sighed. "If you had died, then you wouldn't have come back again."

"Why not?" I tilted my head.