For Shits and Giggles (complete first draft)

Chapter 35

Sniffles and the surgeon were dead seconds after Splendid made his appearance. It was almost comical, the drama, the tension they had built up – all for it to end like this. There was no shouting, no violent beatdowns, no pleading, or crashing through walls. It was instant. Splendid didn't even have to move. All it took was a flicker of his eyes and then, all of a sudden, two bright beams went in through the surgeon's forehead and out through the back of his skull. He dropped with a heavy thud. Sniffles tried to make a run for cover but Splendid whipped his head and suddenly, Sniffles was sliced cleanly in half.

There was a gruesome, bloody mess on the floor, there were parallel burn marks sizzling on the wall from Splendid's eyes. Giggles knew she should call for security or for a nurse — but an intense happiness overwhelmed her. The relief washed over her like a massive ocean wave and overcame her senses. She couldn't see the corpses, her eyes could only see Splendid's tall, slender frame. She couldn't smell the singed flesh bubbling on the floor, she could only smell the faint, panicked sweat she recognized as distinctly his– mixed with day-old cologne. So many times she had inhaled the same scent as he whisked her through the sky. Her mouth remembered the taste of his tongue, her ears registered his low, heavy breathing.

He ran forward, throwing himself onto his knees at her bedside.

"I'm so sorry," he said franticly, fumbling with the restraints on her wrists. "I never should have left you. I was so angry, I just needed time but... I shouldn't have left. Not like that."

Giggles waited patiently for her hands to be free. She was mesmerized by him. Falling deeper, harder in love. It was like a dream. Was she still asleep in her room, waiting for a miracle? She touched her cold fingers to his cheek, as if confirming– once and for all– that Splendid really was there, warm blood and flesh. She didn't deserve him, but he was here. And he was hers. Her touch calmed the shame, the alarm boiling up inside of his chest.

"You came back for me," she gazed into his eyes with intent. For a moment, he was the one to blush. "Even after I... I'm the one who's sorry," she whispered. "I'm sorry. I should've told you sooner... I'm sorry."

He placed his hand over hers, "I love you."

"Splendid, you have to know, I only have feelings for you. I'm only in love with you. What happened with Flippy–"

"I don't care. I don't care what happened," he seemed frustrated, but mostly with himself, "I realize that now. I could've lost you again. Just thinking about losing you again... I'd go crazy if something happened to you. It's my job to protect you and I almost–'

Giggles closed her eyes and leaned in, waited for the magical moment when their lips would meet, and she kissed him. His lips were soft, firm. Hungry. Immediately, he pulled her closer, his hand holding the back of her head with a deliberate gentleness. She felt his burning, unconditional love, and it breathed life back into her. She felt light, like she could float into the clouds right here in his arms. She didn't deserve this feeling of unbridled joy, but she relished it. Devoured it. For at any moment, the curse could take it from her. Giggles pressed her body into his as he got back onto his feet, she didn't want to let him go. Their lips remained attached and his hand moved down from her hair to behind her waist, keeping her close. He leaned over her body as they kissed, resting one hand on the bed next to her to avoid crushing her under his own weight. She wrapped her arms around his neck as to not fall backward, his body pushing into her. They took small breaks only to pant for breath. He climbed onto the bed on top of her and she moved to make room for him. In this moment, nothing else existed. Nothing else mattered. The dead bodies and hospital walls disappeared. It was just them.

When she finally pulled away, he was on top of her, already gazing down into her eyes.

"Marry me."

Giggles blushed, her lips moist with their saliva, "What?"

"I know," he said, shaking his head. "I know you have to do this... your enucleation, or whatever. And I know it's sudden and fast and probably not the proposal you always dreamed of... but marry me. I'm so in love with you. All I want is to spend the rest of my life with you. I want to look into your eyes when I say I do. And whatever comes next, we can do it together. You won't have to do it alone. Ever, I promise."

Her heart could have burst.

He waited eagerly for her answer. He'd never been so nervous, so excited and scared at the same time. She saw the sweat drip from his jaw onto her collarbone. 

"Y-Yes," Giggles stammered, "Splendid, yes."

She threw her body into his and he held her. He wanted to hold her like this forever.