Immortal Love

The fire already spread across the whole building and the underground maze wasn't an exception. Heat was everywhere, there was almost no air left, but this was not a problem for Michael, who didn't have any organs. He sat in a chair next to a desk and watched how the fire slowly burned his body. There wasn't any pain, there was only the consciousness that this was the end. The end of this hell. There won't be any pain and any agony anymore. He won't have to hide from everyone now, suffering in his rotten body. But it has always been said for a reason that at the time of death, memories flash before your eyes. But, unfortunately, not just the pleasant ones. It was as if Michael was seeing his past in real life: from the childhood, where he played with his father (who wasn't crazy at that time), until the recent events. He saw his brothers death again, remembered how he looked for his missing sister for days, but never found her. He remembered how he fooled around with his ex friends and gow they blamed him for everything after his brother died. Remembered that day, when his father went to work and never came back. Remembered how he went to his mother and found her hanging in her room. He remembered all the pizzarias, where he worked, remembered his death. And remembered him. The man he loved with all his heart. But didn't find the courage to confess his feelings. And when he did, it was already too late. Too late... Michael closed his eyes, diving into the memories. Remebering that day, when he lost the last person he cared about.

***

It was so dark around him, that he couldn't even see his own nose. Michael tried to stand up, but, suprisingly, his hands where tied to something. And by the looks of it, tight. He jerked his arms a couple of times, making sure they couldn't be released and sighed, realizing he wasn't getting out. Where the hell is he?! — You finally woke up~ — whispered a voice above his ear. The voice sounded vaguely familiar to Michael. "— Wait... is it-?!" — the brunet's thoughts were interrupted by a soft touch on his lips. So gentle and bossy at the same time. No, it wasn't the first kiss of Michael, — befosre that he often kissed with some girls and boys — but this was very unexpected. He froze at first, but then he began to struggle, trying to push away the kisser. The unknown pulled away from his face, running his hand over Michael's cheek for the last time. — W-who are you?! — shouted the boy into the darkness, his voice shaking involuntarily. Suddenly there was a click and then the lights went on. Afton squeezed his eyes shut against the sudden appearance of light, gritting his teeth. After some time Michael's eyes got used to the light, making him able to look around. And the first thing the guy did was to look in the direction of the unknown man. His eyes widdened in surprise. It was... Jeremy? That shy mechanic from the pizzaria? That one, who never wore clothes that were too revealing (and t-shirt too), because of his shyness? But now his shyness was gone. He was standing in front of him, wearing a black tight-fitting outfit. His stomach was open, showing his abs, making Michael even more embarrassed. — Jeremy? — whispered Michael surprised, looking at the guy infront of him. — What the hell? He smirked and squatted down in front of Afton, taking his chin and looking into his eyes. His other hand rested on his thigh, slowly moving up towards his chest, scuffing up his T-shirt and stroking his skin. Michael's breath quickened at those touches, his heart began to beat faster. —J-Jeremy, — whispered Michael, while bitening his lips and closing his eyes. A ragged sigh escaped his mouth as the guy's fingers traveled over his already hardened nipples. Michael woke abruptly and sat up, feeling hot all over his body. He covered his eyes with his hand, remembering his dream and blushing. — Fuck... what the hell... Why do I even have such dreams? — mumbled Afton, while rubing the bridge of his nose and leting his head fall back on the pillow. But somehow he missed it a little bit and nocked his head against the wall. He let out a muffled groan and sat back up, rubbing the back of his head. — Fuck... He reached out for his phone on the bedside table and moved it closer to his face, turning it on. 10 a.m. Damn, he slept only 3-4 hours. Michael put his phone aside and put his head on the pillow. Luckily he didn't miss it this time. He sigh, putting his hand over his eyes. The room was dark, making it feel like night, but in fact it was almost noon. Michael worked the night shift at the pizzeria, which affected his sleep schedule. At half past seven he would come home and go to bed. Usually he always had nightmares after his shift, but today..... today was an exception. He still didn't understand why he was having a porno dream with Jeremy. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that he'd finally decided to confess his love to him after nearly dying on his shift? Only half a year ago, he'd been denying his feelings for him. Jeremy was his best friend! And, to be honest, his only friend. And suddenly - surprise, surprise! - he's in love! I mean, that's-- that's not normal, is it?! Michael sighed and removed his hand from his face, staring up at the ceiling. He suddenly felt a sharp hard-on, a consequence of the unusual dream. His hand reached down on its own, reaching under his underwear and carefully touching the cherished spot. He'd been this aroused the last time he'd been a teenager. And that was only because of his raging hormones. And now that he was in his twenties..... He squeezed the hard flesh in his hand, slowly moving his hand up and down, breathing heavily and letting out quiet moans. The image of Jeremy from the dream hung before his eyes. Humming something to himself, Michael walked into the pizzeria. It was three o'clock in the afternoon, which meant that there weren't many people, since the largest number of people was between twelve and two. It made sense, since most people came here for lunch. Afton smirked at his own thoughts and headed deeper into the pizzeria, greeting the other employees as he went. He and Jeremy had agreed to meet at the end of his shift today and go for a walk. Of course it was meant to be a walk between two best friends, but Michael decided it would be the perfect moment for a confession. Honestly, he was scared. He was afraid that his feelings would be rejected and that their friendship would be ruined forever. Most of all, Michael was afraid of being alone, which was why he despised himself for having such inappropriate feelings for his friend. He didn't know what had awakened them, but every time he saw Jeremy, his heart began to race. Michael shook his head, pushing away the unnecessary thoughts and continued his way. He approached one of the workers. — Uh, hey. Do you know where Jeremy is? — He asked him hurriedly. — Oh, Fritz, hi! - the employee replied in a friendly manner, turning to the guy. Fritz Smith was Michael's pseudonym that he worked with at this pizzeria. It wouldn't be very convenient to work with his real last name because of his family's reputation. And he changed his first name because of his hatred towards himself and that name after what happened to his brother. — Jeremy's in the workshop. Fixing the Mangle up for another time. The kids took it apart again. — Didn't his shift end half an hour ago? — Michael asked in surprise. — Yes, but he went into the workshop three hours ago and hasn't come out since. I guess he got caught up in his work, — the employee said with a chuckle. An unpleasant feeling crept into "Fritz's" chest as if something bad had happened. Something very, very bad. Quickly thanking the guy, he turned around and hurried toward the workshop. He didn't understand why, but he felt like something had happened to Jeremy. And that feeling kept him on his toes. It was a painful ripple that spread across his chest, creating a lump in his throat. Unconsciously he quickened his step, he was almost running towards the workshop. Uh, no. He was. He flew inside the workshop, the door automatically slamming shut behind him, and he stopped, his gaze roving the room, looking for the guy. And then he saw him. His heart stopped for a moment, and his breathing quickened. Mangle hovered frozen in front of him, her jaw wide open. There's a pool of blood under the robot, and she's covered in it. And in her mouth... in her mouth hung a motionless body with its head bitten through. Blood was dripping down that body, down the body of-- Jeremy. Michael fell to his knees, but ignoring the pain, he continued to stare at the picture before him. It was as if time had stopped. Only Afton's faint breathing could be heard. His vision blurred and tears flowed from his eyes. Another scene flashed before his eyes: a yellow animatronic bear, its face covered in fresh blood, and from its mouth dangled the body of a boy who would have had a whole life before him if Michael hadn't interrupted it. The tears came even harder, and his throat ached. Michael heard someone screaming, but only after a while he realized it was himself. The world around him lost all its colors, remaining black and white. And only the blood, which spread on the floor in a big puddle, remained the same scarlet color. Blood... how much blood Afton had seen in his life. How many dear ones he had lost in that same meaningless life. His greatest fear had just been fulfilled, the fear of being alone in this terrible and cruel world. His ears were ringing, tears flowing uncontrollably down his cheeks, falling to the floor. His thoughts were jumbled in his head, preventing him from realizing the situation. His heart ached unbearably hard, causing intense pain. Only one thought remained clear in his head: he was alone now. He had no one else. And it was all because of himself.

***

Michael smiled sadly at his burned hands. Tears flowed from his eyes and immediately evaporated. Unfortunately (or fortunately) he could not die peacefully until he burned to the ground. It was both a curse and a blessing, bestowed by an unknown force after his first death. It's unknown why, but it was. Slowly, Michael's gaze began to cloud over. That's it. That's the end of him. It's finally over. As he was dying, Michael saw Jeremy standing in front of him, smiling, in the middle of the fire. Afton smiled back at him, realizing it was a death hallucination. It was okay. Soon they would meet, and Michael would finally be able to tell him about the feelings that tormented him, feelings that had not faded after his death or after all these years.