Love Isn't A Void

Chapter 11: Love Isn't A Void

You wake up from what you can best describe as a daze because you stopped dreaming, resting and sleeping two weeks ago. You're on the couch in Oktai's apartment, you and Vanora have been staying with him for a week in preparation for the move. You hadn't been to Dunwall castle since you left with Isolda all those years ago. You sit up, you feel how clumpy your hair has gotten, you haven't took much care of yourself in almost two weeks. The night before Vanora convinced you to bathe, she said it would help to just relax, and let everything drift away. You walked towards the bathroom and closed the door behind you before filling up the bathtub. It's not that you haven't tried to bathe you just can't seem to do it for longer than you need to. You unfog the mirror expecting him to be behind you, when he isn't, just like all the other times you consider walking out again. Instead you take a deep breath and take off the heart necklace for the first time since you last successfully used it, but it doesn't beat anymore you know that for sure because every night you squeeze it and hope for even the smallest movement. You step into the bath and begin to clean yourself slowly, sometimes you stop and try to stop yourself from crying before continuing only to have to repeat the steps again every so often. When you finish you empty the bath grab the necklace and exit the bathroom. Vanora left money beside the couch on the coffee table, she reminded you that today was your final full day because tomorrow morning the three of you leave for dunwall. You grabbed the money, and got dressed, before leaving you considered leaving the heart but you couldn't. You walked out of Oktai's apartment, the sun hurt your eyes and you finally realized how much color your skin had begun to lose. You headed to your favorite library but you were filled by an unnerving feeling. When you entered the library the feeling continued, you'd felt this way before but you couldn't quite understand it. You purchased a few books but you decided to exit the store by the back entrance. You quickly walked into the back alley streets, you weren't completely helpless you may have lost the hearts premonitions but some of your powers remained. The bit of the void running through you could recognize your emotions and your mark let out a gentle glow. You looked around, but saw no one, when you felt a presence you teleported onto the roof of the library, grabbed a person's collar and slammed them down on their back "Why are you-" before you could finish your question you recognize the person in front of you and you pull out a dagger from your bag "Did you come here to kill me too!? Give me one good reason not to leave you here bleeding and begging for life!" The woman before you said nothing there was a sense of confusion then understanding "Because he's alive. We came here for you, (Y/N) I didn't kill him." The woman whom you only knew as Billie says sitting up as you loosen your grip on her, you drop your dagger and feel yourself falling backwards, she catches you.

"You have a fever, I'm sorry I didn't get to you sooner, honestly a part of me considered never coming forward but Billie has been watching you and she said I was killing you by hiding the truth I just believed all I've ever done is cause you trouble." You listen to his voice, you wonder if you're dreaming, you wonder if the void had finally disappeared and you had died. You slowly open your eyes and see him kneeling beside you except, his eyes were no longer the deep black of the void instead they were a hazel green color, you reach out and touch his face "Outsider" you say sitting up still touching his cheek. He puts his hand over yours and grips it tightly "I'm glad my black eyes weren't my selling point for you." He says avoiding your gaze and looking at his other hand. You decide to muster all the strength you can to hug him. He smelled of the earth when it stops pouring abruptly. His hair and skin was as soft as you expected. You feel him return the hug and tighten his grip around you, it felt different from all the other times he held you, you loosen your grip around him so that you can look at him. "I love you, but no more secrecy, I want to be close to you always and forever." You say rubbing one thumb against his temple. "Forever (Y/N)" he says smiling causing you to smile too, you begin kissing him and running your hands through his hair as his hands fly around your back. "Please don't conceive your first child in front of us." You stop kissing him to face Oktai, Vanora and Billie sitting on Oktai's couch "I know we're practically leaving it all behind tomorrow including the furniture and apartment but for now conceiving your first child in my bed, in my apartment, in front of all of us is rude no matter how you put it." Oktai says covering his eyes with his hands just like Vanora, Billie looked like she was trying to stifle a laugh. You get up quickly and try to fix your clothes the outsider stays seated not wanting to even look up, you see his cheeks turn red and that's when Billie explodes into a laughing fit "I had to see it to believe it, I'm sorry this whole trip here I thought he was lying. He wouldn't stop talking about you, of all the things written of the outsider not one of those things mentioned-" Billie stops talking as the outsider appears in front of her, he looks down at her and she looks up at him and falls over laughing. Oktai and Vanora uncover their eyes and look at the two of them with shock and confusion. You walk over to him as Billie tries to compose herself "If only Daud and everyone else got to know how human you truly are, huh Outsider?" Billie says no longer laughing but instead now patting his shoulder "I'm Billie Lurk, it's great to finally meet the girl who stole the heart of the Outsider." She says sticking out her prosthetic hand that seemed to be a mix of the void and bone, you shake it with your marked hand and she smiles "Wait until I tell you what the mark actually means." Behind her you see the Outsider bow his head in defeat while still facing the wall.