Chapter Text
Black and white, that’s how it all starts. The world is black and white, colourless, and that’s how everyone sees it. Except a few, those few who find their other half, their soul mate. Even in black and white you could see the sparkle in the eyes of those who’d done so, could see what colour looked like. To live in it. I myself got lucky, I got to find out what colour was like at a young age, sixteen, during high school. Admittedly I’d been expelled and had to move schools, which was how I met him. The first person I meet at a new school and suddenly everything was flooded with colour and bright. Of course there was no going back for us, we were inseparable and when we graduated we got married and thought we’d reached our fairytale ending. But sooner or later we all have to wake up from our dreams.
~2 Years Later~
“Levi you’re burning breakfast” Furlan sighed, coming over to fix his husbands disaster. “I’m sorry that it’s a shitty pan”
“It isn’t, you just can’t cook”. I huffed, typical of Furlan to accuse me of bad cooking, setting out plates anyway. “You’re going to be late again for work”
“It’s fine Levi, it’s just filing today”. Furlan worked in a large business. I wasn’t entirely sure what they did exactly but he always got stuck filing. “Okay Okay, let’s just eat then or we’ll both be late.” Working in filing was one thing but I couldn’t be late for another photo shoot, Hanji would kill me. Making mild chit chat as they both ate and then hurried to get ready to go. “Mm…love you okay, have a good shoot” Furlan murmured before giving him a gentle kiss. “I love you too, and I always do.” Returning the gentle kiss before they both left the small apartment and went their separate ways.
Shoots always seemed to drag on, it’s not that they weren’t fun it was just that they became tedious after a while. Especially when Hanji shouted orders like some mad drill sergeant. But I got through it eventually and getting back in my own clothes never felt so good. The worst part about modelling was the contracts, they always kept me back late at work, reading and signing for more shoots and magazines, though everyone here always seemed to stay back anyway. Walking about aimlessly through the office with a glass of water and reading my latest contract, something to do with swimsuits. People rushing and going about their business around him so I didn’t notice at first, not while staring at a black and white contract. Then I noticed my hand was whiter than normal, in fact it was pure, stark white, with no colour tones at all which was odd. So I glanced up from my work to look around the room which looked as though it were bleeding. The colour draining out from the walls and objects, leaving only black and white in its wake. That’s when the glass I had been holding smashed against the tile and everyone was suddenly staring at me. “Levi what’s wrong? Don’t tell me it’s another nude contract” Hanji asked absently as she wandered over. But I wasn’t really listening as I watched the colour disappear and horror struck me at what it meant. “….Furlan….” Then I was running, he should be on his way home, I had to reach him. “Levi wait! What about Furlan?!” Hanji yelling back in the distance but I was numb to it, I just had to find him. Home was only a few blocks and I could hear all kinds of sirens and the world around me was getting darker and darker, the colour leaving it which meant one thing. Furlan was dying somewhere. Rounding the corner onto our street there were cops and paramedics and so many spectators, a horrible car accident. The colour was all but gone as I got closer, tears starting to form as I saw paramedics trying to save someone, the last bit of colour in my life. Not caring about police or blockades I pushed my way in and ran over to him, there was so much blood, so much. Not knowing what compelled me too I pushed the paramedics away held him, blood soaking me now. “Furlan? ….F-Furlan it’s me, Levi.” Seeing those beautiful blue eyes of his feebly flutter and force themselves open for me broke a dam of tears I was barely holding back. “L-Levi….?”
“Yes it’s me baby, I’m here...” weakly kissing his hand I was clutching tight as I let out a sob, watching Furlan struggle to breath and form words. “I-…. I love you-” then his eyes shut and he stopped breathing and the last colour in my life faded and only faint shades of it clung to the body I held in my arms.
~
Afterwards things blurred to me, Hanji handled things for me as I grieved. I’d lost the only colour in my life, to an irresponsible driver no less. I was only half present at the funeral, I couldn’t make speeches and I almost collapsed at the burial. I just couldn’t do it; I’d lost my other half the only thing that mattered. The court case that followed was worse, dragging on for months and getting nowhere and caring a fortune and in the end they only received community service. I had to move out and stay with my friend Erwin, I couldn’t sell the apartment, but I couldn’t stay there anymore. I started seeing a shrink after Erwin caught me with a razor to my wrist, depression and insomnia, I don’t sleep anymore. Shut everything out, quit my job, and visited Furlan’s grave and cried there every day. His tombstone containing the only colour I’d ever see again, “FURLAN CHURCH, BELOVED HUSBAND’ in sparkling gold.
My new bleak, cruel world to live in.