CHAPTER TEN | " YOUR DESTINY AWAITS IN THE DARK "

THE FUTURE HAS ALWAYS BEEN TERRA INCOGNITA.

Undefined.

Not only the world but also the people are going forward, with the intention of reaching their desires, the unknown of what the future means to us.

At the age of being the most reckless, we are forced to quickly decide which direction we want to take our life journey. Some people follow their dreams and some of them don't.

How do you know that this kind of future is truly meant for you? Simply. Our dream selves are picture-perfect, the people we always wanted to be one day. The ideals others would fancy instead of us. Therefore if fortune doesn't go the way we wanted,  our life is filled with undeniable tragedy.

The future cannot die, right?

What if the future is death itself? It can be postponed but not vanquished entirely. Regardless, how could anyone dare to let the future die?

Adrian Phoenix was never ready to give up on his chances.

In fact, his life was calculated down to the last detail. He was born with the predisposition to become successful in every way possible. He had a perfect and loving family and the craving to grow career-wise. He was too ambitious and on the right track. Perhaps he would be able to make a change if he didn't lose his brother who helped to brace his dreams more than anyone else. He didn't even look up to his parents as much as he did to Sebastian.

Adrian began to ponder.

What if it happened differently?

Would anything change if he prevented it?

One thing he knew for sure.

Everything from that moment went downhill, joined by every single thing disintegrating right in front of his eyes. He wished the universe to be kinder to him but it was too late. 

Adrian didn't know how he felt that night. Slowly disappearing smiles cut his lips open like wounds in his heart after the vague reassurance his voice within happened to whisper.

He had the urge to stop him. He had every right to rush to hold Nicholas' hand and remind him that he doesn't have to go anywhere.

He wanted him to be selfish so badly but that was one of the things he wasn't capable of.

Adri couldn't give him up for the universe's glory. Quickly he tried to think of an excuse that would make him stay, yet his lips were sealed. No one would ever care to head down the Multiversal stream if it wasn't Nicholas. He was willing to sacrifice himself because everyone else made him think that he didn't belong.

And just like that, he was gone from his life.

Adrian broke down once he left Bloomsfield.

Punching the steering wheel didn't help him to relieve the anger, instead, it strengthened the longing. Keys were thrown between the unpacked boxes from moving out of that hell of a town. He leaned against a kitchen counter, deranged by the sound of a leaking faucet, taking deep breaths but the pressure kept rising because of his pessimistic thoughts, overshadowing the dangerous thing many called hope.

As the days passed, Adrian's damaged soul was missing its cure.

Him.

Nicholas Strange, the healer of his heartache.

Every day, every single minute of his miserable life, until he was lost again. Sadly, there was no one who could help him out. Adri tried his best to hold on. He couldn't afford to lose himself too as he remembered the day he relapsed out of the blue.

Adrian was mad at everyone who mourned for not trusting him enough. He hated the world. He hated the society and the system the self-called heroes made, to treat those who unhealthily seek validation in every way possible, using them, and taking everything away from them for their own profit.

Once the despair disguised as loneliness struck, his patience was on a loose as well but he remained to wait as trust was the one thing left for him. A blow of smoke ascended from Adrian's lips as soon as the opened can of beer sizzled. There was no satisfaction in his doings, only misery.

He headed to take a sip when his eyes locked on the entrance to a bedroom. Chills ran down his body, discerning how empty it felt.

Usually, he used to catch himself checking on Nick (it was his favorite place to hang out because of the lightning), wondering what was devouring his mind. His heart went into an instant rush, however now it no longer beats. It appeared as a faded daydream, feeling his presence but not being able to secure him from the world and people he was so distinctly scared of.

One moment, in particular, lived in his memory on a daily basis.

Before the dark hours struck, there were days they passed each other, and didn't even talk. Mostly when Nicholas had to stay at work countless hours, just to get some things done regarding his absence.

Office work didn't fulfill his expectations, but he couldn't say that out loud due to his adoptive father's insistence. It was his company and his rules, confirming the fact that he was there only to be constantly under his supervision and a direct target for the unintended yet saddening remarks he was too fractured to accept.

Adrian waited, although he was assured that he was safe, the sudden sound of the handle and keys rattling, disturbed his thoughts. He couldn't fall asleep, so when he saw a glimpse of a shadow flickering through the crack of the door, he aroused with messy hair, elbows digging into the mattress, happy to welcome him with open arms.

He was surprised by the blaring noise of running water. It stopped. Adri was ready to look into the kitchen until the door opened. Seeing his curls illuminated by the dim of light, soothing the dread and disquiet slithering deeply inside his soul.

"Nick? Is everything—?"

He was caught up in his mumbles, just feeling this unlooked-for heaviness. He fell into his arms. Nicholas' body was pinned against his, sliding over his pelvis with hands hugging him around the neck. Adri gasped, quickly catching his waist, eventually managing to sit, leaning on his right arm, keeping him on his lap.

"What?" He mumbled into his collarbone, as soon as he heard exhaled pent-up breath right next to his ear.

"What is it?" Adri questioned again, more submissively, softly bedazzling his neck with pacifying pecks till Nick pulled away with shimmering eyes scattered all over him, smiling.

Adrian was dazed by the most beautiful smile, beaming so radiantly that it nearly burned him like Icarus his wings. His face transformed into the sunlight in the middle of the night. He didn't have to elaborate anything for Adrian to understand that he resigned. All by himself. His heart leaped in joy, knowing it must be such a relief for him.

"I'm so proud of you," he praised him, in smiles as well, embracing him again. He really had no idea if his words were able to increase his happiness but he couldn't stop himself from it.

He was right. Nick couldn't admit his own victory, "If you hadn't suggested it to me, I wouldn't have even thought of it..."

"No, Nicky, it's all you. You did that. Not me," He whispered, caressing his cheek to erase all of the worries, "You did it for yourself. You stood for yourself to stop the pain."

Adrian was gazing at the eyes made of stars which lit up with tears. He helped him to wipe off the translucent, almost non-existing gems from his face, "Shh, it's okay. There's nothing wrong with that."

There's nothing wrong with you.

"It's just... I wish there was an option for me to stay this way forever, to make it easier for you. For everyone."

Happy.

He wanted to stay happy.

"No no, don't say that. You don't have to prove anything to anyone. I'm here and I see you. I know you're happy. I have my mind on you."

Nick cried enough as a realization had him to be proud of himself, for the first time in his life. There was no need to talk as he underlined the need for him. Nick brought their lips together. They kissed, stained with tears, longing for warmth.

Their foreheads touched for a moment as Adrian helped him securely to lay next to him, burning for him too.

The heat in them persisted. Nicholas was lying on his chest, listening to his heartbeat as his back was tingling underneath Adri's electrifying touch. He lifted his head up. Nick's fingers were running over his jawline so he could keep him engraved in his memory. Adrian was just about to fall asleep before he touched him so lovingly, catching him deeply looking into his sea-blue eyes. He beamed, half tired as one of his fingertips tickled him, "What's on your mind?"

"You," Nick murmured, helplessly drowning in the streams of his eyes, risking his life on the shore as the waves were drawing him in. How he must've felt drifting through the dark? With no destination in mind, disoriented in the misty fields. "It must be exhausting."

"Tell me... Is it painful?"

Adrian pursed his lips, scrunching his eyebrows, blinking twice to the melodies of incomprehension. Despite connecting all of the twinkles in his pupils, he didn't understand.

"Is it scary to love me?" Nick breathed.

It never was in the first place.

Love was indeed terrifying to the bone, unexpected. Adrian's thoughts were getting hazier and heavy-hearted, not far from tears. Words were emitted but he did not hear them. His brows furrowed, as Nick started pulling away from him with horror imprinted on his face.

No no no...

This didn't happen.

This is not how he remembered it.

Something's wrong.

Something had gone terribly wrong.

A vague knock on the door woke Adrian from a trance as he stared at the bedroom door, no longer having the bliss stuck on his lips. The memory faded with the surrounding colors.

Was it even a memory?

He hung his head down, confused, examining the can of beer in which he tried vainly to find pleasure. The knocking resounded again, having him mutter something under his nose as soon as he went to open the door. Deep in his soul, there was faith that Nicholas came back but he didn't want to admit it because he'd already been in his arms apologizing for leaving.

He was like that, constantly apologetic because everyone made him feel like a liability causing the good in the world disappear with his touch of death.

Adrian opened the door slightly as they stuck on a chain fastener that clinked under the sudden strike. Redhead standing on the other side choked on her own words that were forming in her throat. River felt anxious. She wished he didn't open the door, because she and Peter had to tell him something heartbreaking.

"Hi... Adrian, right? I'm River, Nick's sister. Do you think we could talk?"

"No," he chuckled, "I'll say it for the first and last time. Fuck off, River. We two have nothing to discuss." Adrian shut the door with bitterness evaporating from his tone with eyebrows that rose with astonishment that she dared to knock on his door.

River shuddered, open-mouthed.

She gulped loudly into the crackling of a light bulb that flashed, giving signs that visiting this place wasn't a good idea. Believe it or not, Peter was too stunned to utter a noise too, "Hmm, that's interesting, something tells me you really pissed him off.  Didn't you say that you don't know each other? Did I miss something?"

"We don't. Why would I make that up, Peter?"

She scratched her shoulder, still bewildered by his reaction. Nicholas definitely talked about her, but not in a good way. River sighed, ready to back out of this unpleasant situation, nevertheless, there were things about her brother that were bugging everyone's mind.

He had the right to know.

"Whatever your grudge against me is, you should know that... Well, Nick is..." Riv stopped mid-sentence, catching herself staring at the stained door, imagining his tore expression, "we were able to contact him." She swallowed her previous statement which resulted in total confusion in Peter's eyes. He needed an explanation.

Why wasn't she honest? Riv didn't get discouraged by her jitteriness due to a shadow in the peephole, confirming that he was interested at least in this topic.

The chain jingled and the door creaked, letting them in. Both of their eyes glazed as the smell of cigarettes mercilessly punched their noses. Peter tried not to cough as his eyes watered.

Adrian closed the door behind them, wordlessly cracking up over the boy's reaction.

"So? What is it? Is he alright?" The host proceeded to interrogate them, opening one of the windows to let in the fresh breeze, leaning against the sill, continuing to smoke, and staring at the young couple getting used to the new environment.

"It's complicated—"

"Is that so, huh?" Adrian cut her off, blowing the fumes out of his lips, "Hilarious."

"Hope that wasn't just some stupid excuse to get me to talk to you. If so... Well played, you outdid yourself."

Peter sensed that his presence during this hassle was definitely needed, for the sake of reassurance. The room temperature warmed up with River clutching her fists to fight off the audacity. Her boyfriend was frantically shaking his head, to leave everything up to him.

He didn't like the way he talked to her either, proving it by stepping forward and raising a hand to comfort her. "It's complicated to explain! That's what she meant," Pete tittered nervously.

"And you're who? Her spokesman?"

"No. I'm Peter."

"Yeah no, that was supposed to be rhetorical. I don't give a shit about you."

The girl made of fire couldn't hold back, "What's your problem?!"

Adrian's eyes reflected the beaming aura, the flash of light, the redhead sent forth. It was a quick flare of blue illumination. If he hadn't stopped her with his mind control, most likely there would be a firepit on the floor. He was not a fan of someone destroying his property, but heroes under Stark's contract didn't really care.

If there was something standing in their way, that didn't stop them either.

"You'd be surprised but there's a lot actually," he uttered back, ignoring the ring of fire River almost marked on the carpet.

He put out the cigarette by the windowsill and threw it into the ashtray, brushing off the speck on his upper lip with his fingers, "The fact you don't speak straight and you talk about Nick as if he was a curse... This makes me wonder... Since when have you been so interested in him?"

All of River's thoughts dispersed and were banished to the unexplored corners of her brain. Regardless she was in two minds, with a chin that palpitated once she strived to keep her cool, "I've always cared—"

"So we're all going to collectively ignore the fact that you humiliated the shit out of him?"

Peter was first in demand for an answer, "River? What is he talking about?"

The eagerness of his girlfriends' eyes disappeared. Her pupils were dilated, shocked to the core. There was no excuse, as it came back to her as a recall of her worst moments. She sighed, rubbing her forehead, carrying on with touching both of her temples. River remembered the chats and laughs and the alcohol being poured down her throat, ruefully imitating her friend Nova, a lively blonde, that was back then in a relationship with Nick.

Her eyes welled up with tears, devouring the ignorance of the topic, wanting to side with someone she considered a best friend.

If she knew at least a shred of the reality of their relationship, the detail about Nova cheating on him, she would act differently or this was something she wanted to believe in.

Although she apologized to Nick multiple times, her apology had no value thus she said things that tore him apart. Nicholas just wanted to talk as they haven't talked in a long time and she dared to verbally harass him till he blocked her number.

She was drunk and ignorant. Too ignorant to think about what impact it could have on the future.

"He was happy and you fucking ruined him for it!"

River glared through Adrian as she wasn't able to look him right in the eyes. Chills were running down her back and engulfing her whole body as a reminder of her bad decisions. She sniveled, "He forgave me."

"He had no other choice!" Adrian closed up her revelation, stepping closer, "You said it yourself, you're his sister. If he hadn't forgiven you, he would have nothing left!"

River turned away to cleanse her headspace, nibbling the sleeve of her black turtleneck. She was the only one that accepted him for being her brother, even though he was from another universe.

She reminded him of the home he once lost.

"He's endlessly told that everything is his fault and he takes it that way because you haven't shown nor taught him anything else! Anything!" Adrian's voice was getting loud as the emotions were piercing through his rising chest.

"Have you ever wondered how hard it must be; to wake up every day believing that you owe something to every single person on this goddamn planet?!"

Their mouths were shut silent, peeking at each other with regrets depicted in their eyes.

"Right," he breathed out, overwhelmed with heartache.

"You did that to him! You and your obsession with pushing him beyond his boundaries!"

There was nothing to deny that Of course, Adrian meant it generally, but he had one exact person in mind, that wizard hypocrite who showed signs of having it all planned out, "That scatterbrained father of yours - or what the hell is he to you - knows what he's doing. Nicholas begged him to have mercy on him and look how it turned out! I want you to know, that if he dies, the blood will be on your hands—"

Adrian's heartbeat ceased.

He clutched his chest to feel it but it was too late. He was shaking his head in disbelief, yet they insisted on theirs. That's why they came to visit him. His look pained, unable to maintain eye contact as he watched his world collapse, "No..."

River's palms fought back tears, he was pressing them away so that they didn't ruin her make-up, "Adrian; we're so sorry..."

His body was numb. He didn't believe it. He didn't want to believe it. His breath shortened, pursuing the suffering. Blue hour of the city cast light on him, mourning with him. "No! You're wrong—"

"Doctor Strange tried his best to bring him back home but the time stone is gone," Peter noted to stop him from theorizing. They couldn't locate him, as if life was drained from the stone. Now the world had to fall apart because of it.

"What if he's the one who messed it up?!"

"Strange's never wrong."

"So you're telling me, that destroying someone kind because they can't live up to the impossible expectations isn't wrong?!"

No response.

It was the stone that mattered.

"Get out."

The couple was flabbergasted by his sudden reaction yet he was dead serious.

"I said get out!" His voice reverberated throughout the room. With his rage, he didn't care that the whole building heard his state of hopelessness. They clearly didn't listen, to show a bit of respect to a person that sacrificed everything for them, even his truly. The door slammed behind them.

They stood in the hallway for a while, completely wretched, listening to the silence before the storm. They didn't understand, the future was Nicholas Strange.

Stevie couldn't agree more and the thunder was rumbling. The howling wind pounded their bodies as the land of distortion passed through, like a whirlwind, engulfing them wholly. The surge of voices clashed from the corners, adding to the volume till everything was noiseless again.

What just happened? Did she just end the entire world?

Stevie broke from Nick's weak and distant grip. A whirl coursed through her body, changing her appearance multiple times until the erratum was sure of its choice. She looked around, confused as she was completely alone. All the colors and warps were gone. No wiggly silhouettes of objects or people. Nothing. The dimension was deadly vacant, meaningless. The place transformed into a blank page.

Caught up in dizziness, hyper-fixated on the spinning whirls, she staggered through the featureless space. Droplets of blood were scattered all over. They moved like a low tide, they flowed in and out when she approached them. Stevie followed the crimson trail, terrified. She was relieved when she saw a pulsing spark in the distance.

Stevie was sent to defeat the darkness.

"Hello?" Her voice echoed.

She looked into the distance, irritated, ultimately being aware of how empty endless space was unbearable to stare at.

Her heart was beating louder than the interdimensional humming of the doomsday. The blood crept into the sliver of hope. The orphic chanting fell silent with chills running down Stevie's spine as the full picture was unveiled.

And she did.

"No, I didn't!"

She conquered it. There was no such thing as darkness.

"Who's there? Who's narrating my story?!"

She was. She was part of the story she wrote.

The glow burst into million pieces, splintering the dimension like a broken heart. She was thrown aside, sinking with the place that was falling apart. She shrieked, wailing at top of her lungs as something pulled her away, sliding down one of the shards.

Thud.

Stevie woke up with sun rays caressing her face. She was back in her room, lying in her bed, leisurely covered with a butterfly duvet with her journal hanging on the edge and a ballpoint pen scribbled all over her hands. Wasn't she in Kamar-Taj? Why the hell is she doing back home? A gush of skepticism rattled inside her, still shaken from the dream fall. She ran out of her room, stumbling as the blanket wrapped around her foot, opening the guest room's door wide open, "Nick!"

Her voice was cut-off in gasps. He was nowhere to be found. What did she do? This couldn't be happening. She couldn't erase everything, she didn't know how. Or did she? She was looking even under the pillows when the sadness began to overtake her, needing her to sit down and do her utmost to recall what happened. Her head was buzzing, swaying as if she was on a roller coaster.

The sound of brushing teeth passed the door. Stevie gazed up with doe eyes. Veronica was walking back to the bathroom giggling with foam in the corners of her mouth.

"Hey!"

Ronnie sprinted back to the bathroom. "What?" She spat out the toothpaste mousse. Arms leaned against the ivory sink, glancing straight to the mirror, witnessing the hell of a catastrophe, otherwise known as her little sister.

"Where is Nick?" Stevie questioned, hesitantly. If something happened to him. It was her fault. He was out there, hurt. Probably still bleeding.

Veronica's annoyed eye-roll caught her off guard, "I dunno, I'm not his babysitter. Have you checked his room?"

"Yes," she uttered, folding her arms over her chest, leaving her shoulder resting against the door frame, "That was the first place I went to check. Could you stop underestimating me for a moment, Frony? It's getting on my nerves."

"And what exactly? The fact you can't find your boyfriend?" Veronica pouted as a tease. She patted her shoulder, "Dude chill. He was here just a few minutes ago. Maybe he went on another of his strange adventures. Who knows."

Nick brought her back to keep her safe.

The thought of him holding her gently, putting her in the bed made her chest soften. However, it didn't change the fact that he was now gone, out of reach, "Hold on. What do you mean with the 'he was just here' nonsense?"

"You gotta be kidding me..." Veronica's lips were downturned into a poker face. Did she really have to explain it again? "While you slept like a baby, he packed his bags and left—"

The rest of it was hazy.

Stevie looked away from her as words were coming to her mind. She wrote them departing without her emitting her appreciation. Whether she tore the paper or not, the story remained the same.

She floundered back to her room. She sobbed with her back pressed against the door. Her fingers shakily ran over her lips, endeavoring to prevent her cries. She bit her nails, gawking at the wardrobe studded with Captain America posters. Something sparked in her.

She had to rewrite it. That was the only way to change the story—the paper.

Stevie sprinted to her nightstand and opened the drawer. Her hands and eyes were searching for the piece she ripped from her journal on the day of the dragon being slaught, marking their first meeting.

There it was.

She picked up the crumpled paper, surrounded by empty snack wrappers.

Journal was thrown on the ground and opened exactly where the last action set its end. Glue stuck the pages together. The very first one, the wrinkled sheet, was affixed right on the top of the batch. The ballpoint pen that scraped the diary was later on closed by a lid.

Stevie slowly backed away, irradiated by handwriting's pink light.

Act two.

Long time no see with a bittersweet chapter! I cried a lot not gonna lie
( while listening to Lana del Rey's say yes to heaven while writing). Anyways hope you like it!

Comment your thoughts!
Which side are you on?  Which relationship do you like the most?
Nick & Adrian OR Nick & Stevie?