Chapter Text
Time kept on moving, as it tended to do, and life continued on, and this time it truly was for the better. It's amazing what having a support system can do for someone’s mental health.
He took Mischa’s advice and started talking to a therapist, using his money he had been saving for France, despite Mischa’s many protests. It’s true it was expensive and it did drain the money, but he thought about what Mischa said about the crappy town being more bearable when the person you loved lived in it. And he wanted to get better and feel worthy of that love, and that made it all feel worth it.
He had learned some strategies to cope with the negative thoughts in his head, telling him he wasn’t good enough. They helped him to realize the good things he had in his life, things that made it worth living, like his friends, and he truly knew they were his friends now.
He no longer felt like an outsider looking in at the friendships of others, but a member of the group who was finally able to get to know the people around him.
And he certainly did get to know them all better, following the incident as he sat down with the other members of the choir, he thanked them for saving his life, something they assured him he did himself, they just offered their support. But after that they had honest conversations, about their hopes and dreams.
He and Ocean discussed their plans after they finished school, whether they would stay in Uranium, and despite her being the perfect poster child, Ocean said she had much bigger plans, something that surprised Noel, but he completely agreed with.
“But wait, if you’re planning on leaving, how are you going to compete in next year’s singing competition? Don’t you have to be living in Uranium?” He asked
“Actually, it’s all explained very clearly in the bylaws.” She answered.
He and Constance grew closer, her kindness making it impossible not to consider her a close friend. They discussed plans for after graduation. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to stay in their town, but she also knew she wouldn’t feel bad if she did. After the ceremony itself though, Constance planned to throw a big party at the Blackwood Café, with all the members of the choir in attendance. Something Noel knew for certain he would attend.
He and Ricky grew closer, he was happy to know Ricky saw him as a true friend, even before the Cyclone accident, something that he was always so self-conscious about. Ricky finally told him all about Zolar, the planets, the citizens, and the surprisingly in depth politics of sexy cat people. And in return he would share the story of Monique Gibeau, and the works that inspired her.
He finally got to know Penny Lamb, the story of her incredibly rich life, he even learned that he actually reminded her very much of her brother. She even told him the story of her many hours of community service. Some of it was pretty disturbing to hear, but Noel was just glad she trusted him enough to not hold back any details.
And then there was Mischa.
Mischa took his duty as a boyfriend very seriously. He was the one who would always be there for him when he needed someone to lean on. They would discuss everything going on, Noel would share the poetry he would write, Mischa would share the raps he was working on. Noel felt honored to be seeing the passion from Mischa that he had when they had initially started to communicate online. But this was so much better, no screens, no fake identities, just two people finally able to be themselves, scars and all.
There were still those days where Noel found it hard to get out of bed, the voices that he had heard in his own head for so long, telling him how everyone hated him, how they were just being nice now because they were worried he would attempt to do what he did again. That Mischa was just playing him like he played Mischa, that he didn’t deserve Mischa, that everything was going to fall apart.
But, he had also learned how to fight those voices, and he knew if things got particularly bad he could just call up one of his friends, and they would be willing to talk or even just sit with him when he needed it.
Things had gotten better in all aspects of his life, even his crappy Taco Bell job.
Don’t get him wrong, he still hated the job, and he was hoping to leave it behind along with the town of Uranium in general, but there was one thing that made it worth it coming into work everyday, Mischa.
It turns out Mischa wasn’t just joking about getting a job at the mall, he was deadly serious.
It took some time to adjust to, but they were able to get their schedules lined up, so they could carpool on the same days. They started their shifts and would take their lunch breaks at the same time, where they would just sit together, enjoying the others presence, Noel in his garish Taco Bell Uniform, and Mischa in his equally hideous Footlocker uniform. But to each other, they couldn’t be more beautiful.
They had agreed to use the money from their jobs and put it towards their futures. They were planning to pool their savings together and get an apartment together, preferably outside of Uranium. The specifics weren’t worked out yet, they were going to work it out after graduation.
Of course Noel still had to return to school each day, despite all the reassurances he had received he couldn’t stop the voices in his head telling him that things were just going to go back to the way they were before.
He was never so happy to be proven wrong.
The choir had his back, if it wasn’t Mischa acting as his personal bodyguard, it was another member joining him in the hallways, always willing to have his back.
The bullies who used to torment him now knew to keep their distance, and those who didn’t learned that lesson the hard way.
Of course they weren’t going to report it, because no tough guy wants to admit to being punched in the stomach by the “nicest girl in town.”
Graduation day snuck up on them unexpectedly.
It felt like one day they were going to classes, making plans, studying for tests, and the next it was time for them to move on.
Noel almost felt underwhelmed, this place that had caused him so much torment, and he was almost in a place to never see it again.
The choir gave a special performance, it was a bit strange for him to perform at his own graduation, but since there was no one else to do it, the choir had no choice.
Afterwards, one by one they each walked across the stage, accepting a handshake and a diploma. And just like that, Noel was free from this hell and on to bigger and better things.
After the ceremony Constance’s parents hosted a party at their café, the entire choir was in attendance.
Between eating snacks and reminiscing about the past, the choir took some time to discuss plans for the future.
There were logistics to work out, things that they would need to decide, where they were going to school, what they were going to study, and when they would next see each other when they all left.
(And according to Ocean they would also need to keep up with choir practices for next year’s Kiwanis International Singing Competition.)
Once he got out Noel wasn’t entirely sure he would ever return to Uranium, there were so many painful memories here, but even if he didn’t he knew he and the choir were bonded for life, that he had friends for life, and that felt like enough.
As the party began to wind down, Noel found himself in a corner, not out of the self imposed isolation he used to be so fond of, but because it had been a long day and he was feeling a bit fatigued.
He met Mischa’s eyes from across the room, the other boy smiled at him before approaching.
“Hi,” Mischa said, leaning in for a kiss from his boyfriend.
“Hi,” Noel greeted back, meeting the others' lips.
“Could you join me outside Поет?” Mischa said, pulling away.
“Sure,” The old him would be scared of this, but the current him knew their relationship was strong enough that he didn’t have to worry about whatever the other had in mind.
So the couple walked outside, into the Summer night, Noel looked up at the stars.
“So what did you want to talk abou-” He began, turning around and freezing when he saw what the other was doing.
Mischa was down on one knee, holding a box with a ring in it.
“My darling Poet, when I see you, I don’t think about the pain of the past, but the joy we have together. I want to spend the rest of our days, whether it be in Ukraine, France, or even Uranium, I just want to spend them with you. I want to take you as my one and only true love, forever.”
Noel was shedding tears of joy, even after all they had been through they had found a way back to where they were always meant to be.
Mischa continued, “Will you marry me Noel Gruber?”
It brought him back to a similar question, posed to a fake person he thought he had to be, but this time the question was all for him, and he knew there was only one possible answer.
“Yes, of course, a million times yes, I would love nothing more than to marry you.” He replied.
Mischa took the ring and slipped it onto Noel’s finger, the two embraced, before joining their lips in a kiss, their first as an officially engaged couple, tears of joy in both their eyes. It was a long journey, but in the end, it all felt worth it just to get to this point.
And so, despite the many hardships he had faced, despite making things harder for himself at times, and despite believing it entirely impossible,
Noel Gruber was no longer alone.