Wilting Flowers

38: Divine

Grim held the kiss for as long as he could, but eventually doubt seeped in. I messed up the ritual. She's gone. She's gone forever.

Logic gave way, and he thought, It must only work when I pull away. That's it. So, he did.

Immy was still frozen. Smiling, dead-eyed, stiff...

"It... it didn't work," He uttered, feeling his throat tighten.

"Grim—" Gabriel started, cut off by blinding light filling the room, startling both of them.

This is it. This is—

But then he was back in the room.

He looked at his hands, turning them over in front of him. Where's—

"Grim!"

Warm arms wrapped around his neck, soft hands touched his face, and he looked up.

Immy was crying, and shocked, and grinning, and divine. She was there. There to stay.

Grim felt as though all air had left his body. He wasn't supposed to be alive. She wasn't supposed to be there with him, but...

She pulled his face to hers, and he understood. How could this ever not happen? In what dimension were they not meant to be?

They defied dimensions. They were beyond possibility. They were divine, together.

Grim pressed his lips to hers, entangling his fingers in her hair. She didn't taste like vanilla or cinnamon, but she tasted like her. She was perfect, and unexpected, and she caressed the sides of his face gently, and Grim couldn't help but shudder at the touch.

She pulled away and laughed, crying as well. Crying golden, pure tears.

He couldn't help himself. He kissed her again, because god, she was there, and she was wonderful, and he was bathing in the moment, trying not to question it, trying not to think of the what ifs—

"What the fuck is going on?"

Grim tore away and stared at the door where Xen now stood, wide-eyed.

"Xir!" He laughed anxiously, wiping tears from his face. "Um..."

"I—um, could ask the same question, honestly," Immy's shaky voice laughed, soothing him.

He turned and took her in. "Well, uh—welcome to divinity, I guess?"

"You revived her," Xen stated, causing him to turn back.

"Yes," Gabriel answered. "We can explain everything, but—"

"—Xir, I swear it's not his fault. He didn't want to, I pushed him—"

"—Don't lie on my behalf, Grim. I wanted her back, you know that."

"Shut it, both of you," Xen commanded. "Now, start from the beginning. How did Immy die? How did she get stabbed?"

Grim took a deep breath. "I took her to Exustus. I did my research and found out it was her old dimension, she wanted to see her parents again. It was dumb."

"Damn right. Is Sam dead?"

"Yes, Xir."

"Good. I take it he stabbed her?"

"Yes," Immy mumbled. "And I ran to Grim."

"And I killed her," Grim uttered. "And came here to find Gabriel."

"I was working late. I found him in the vending machine room and took him here because of the teleportation block."

"We stole from the library and performed an illegal revival. I don't know why I'm..."