Fading Echoes
Chance’s POV
The world had dulled.
Sounds were softer, colors dimmer. The edges of everything blurred together in a way that made it easy to forget he was even part of it.
He was here, but not really.
The others talked. Moved around him. Kept watching like they were waiting for something. Like they expected him to snap back into place if they just waited long enough.
He wished they wouldn’t.
It was easier when they weren’t looking at him like that—like they were trying to figure out how to fix something broken beyond repair.
The worst part was that he knew they meant well. He knew they cared.
And it didn’t matter.
It didn’t bring back the fire in his chest, the spark in his thoughts, the warmth in his voice. It didn’t make him feel here again. It didn’t change the fact that when he closed his eyes, all he could think about was the empty space Guest had left behind.
Didn’t change the fact that he wasn’t sure how to exist without it.
So he stopped trying.
He let the silence settle in. Let the numbness wrap around him like an old coat. Let the world pass by without him.
And no one could stop him.
Except, apparently, Elliot.
- “You should come outside.”
Chance barely processed the words. Just a sound. Just noise in the background of a world he wasn’t part of anymore.
He didn’t respond. Didn’t move.
- “Chance.”
A slow blink.
- "What?"
It was automatic. Not really an answer. Just a reaction.
- "Come outside with me. Fresh air might help."
He wasn’t sure what made him reply at all, but his voice came out flat. Empty.
- "I’m fine."
A lie, but who cared?
Elliot did, apparently.
- "No, you’re not."
Something in Chance tensed—an old reflex, maybe. Like some part of him recognized the fight in Elliot’s voice and braced for it. But it faded just as fast.
Because what was the point?
- "It doesn’t matter."
And that was the truth.
Nothing mattered. Not anymore.
Except Elliot didn’t accept that.
He stood up so fast the chair scraped against the floor, sharp enough to make Chance’s shoulders twitch.
- "Alright, that’s it. You don’t get to do this."
Chance frowned slightly, something flickering at the edges of his mind. Confusion, maybe.
- "Do what?"
- "Sit here and rot."
That hit harder than it should have.
Chance barely moved, but the words sank deep.
- "I’m not—"
- "You are."
Elliot’s voice wasn’t angry. Not really. It was something worse. Something raw. Something desperate.
- "You’re shutting down, Chance. And I get it. You lost him. It hurts. It’s gonna keep hurting. But you’re still here."
That—
That made something crack.
Chance flinched, barely, but it was enough.
Because for the first time in weeks, something hurt.
Not the dull, background ache he had grown used to. Not the kind of pain that settled in his bones, too familiar to fight.
This was sharp. Immediate.
A reminder that he was still capable of feeling something, even if he didn’t want to.
And that was the problem, wasn’t it?
Because feeling meant facing it. And facing it meant—
- "Maybe I don’t want to be."
The words slipped out before he could stop them.
Soft. Small. Barely more than a whisper.
But Elliot heard them.
The shift was immediate. The frustration drained from his face, replaced with something else. Something heavier.
Chance didn’t look at him. He didn’t want to look at him.
Didn’t want to see the hurt in his eyes.
Didn’t want to see how much this was killing him.
For a long moment, the silence stretched between them. But it wasn’t the comfortable kind.
It wasn’t the peaceful, distant quiet Chance had wrapped himself in for weeks.
It was suffocating.
Then, Elliot slowly sat back down. His voice was softer this time.
- "I know it feels like that."
Something in Chance’s chest tightened.
He swallowed, barely breathing.
- "I know it’s easier to disappear into it. But you don’t have to do this alone."
That was the worst part.
Because Elliot meant it. He always did.
And Chance didn’t know what to do with that.
His hands curled into weak fists, gripping at nothing.
- "I don’t know how to stop."
The confession was barely audible.
Admitting it out loud felt like giving up, but wasn’t that what he was already doing?
Elliot didn’t hesitate.
Didn’t pull away.
Didn’t let him drown in the silence.
Instead, he reached out. Carefully. Steady.
His hand covered Chance’s, warm and grounding.
- "Then let us help you."
Chance didn’t pull away.
For the first time in weeks, he didn’t want to.
Chance exhaled shakily, staring down at the way Elliot’s hand covered his own. The warmth of it was almost unbearable. Like it was trying to anchor him when all he wanted to do was drift.
His fingers twitched. He should pull away. He should shut down again, let the silence take over. But something cracked open instead. Something raw. Something ugly.
For a split second, his mind flickered back—to a different hand holding his. To Guest’s fingers intertwined with his, steady and warm.
It felt the same. It felt toomuch the same.
A sharp inhale. A burning behind his eyes. His vision blurred before he could stop it.
A single tear slipped down his cheek.
- "I—" His voice caught. He swallowed hard and tried again. "I keep thinking about it. About that moment. The way he—” His breath hitched, and he squeezed his eyes shut.
Elliot didn’t move. Didn’t interrupt. Just listened.
- Chance forced himself to keep talking, even as his chest felt like it was caving in.
- "He didn’t even hesitate," he whispered. "Just saw me in danger and—" His fingers curled into a fist beneath Elliot’s hand. "And he chose to go instead."
Another tear slipped free.
His throat burned. His ribs felt too tight.
- "It should’ve been me."
Elliot’s grip tightened, but Chance shook his head before he could say anything.
- "He had so much left," he said, voice shaking. "He was the good one, Elliot. The one who actually mattered. And now he’s gone—because of me."
The words broke apart, and Chance sucked in a sharp, uneven breath.
His fingers dug into his palm, nails pressing hard against skin.
- "I don’t know how to live with that."
Elliot inhaled, steady and slow.
- "You don’t have to do it alone," he repeated. "We’re all here, Chance. I’m here."
Chance shook his head, blinking rapidly. His vision blurred, and he didn’t know if it was from exhaustion or the tears that kept slipping free no matter how much he tried to hold them back.
- "But for how long?" His voice cracked. "Howlonguntil I losesomeoneelse? Howlonguntilyou—"
The door swung open.
Chance went rigid.
Elliot pulled his hand away as both of them turned toward the doorway.
Shedletsky stood there, arms crossed, expression unreadable.
Chance barely remembered to breathe. His whole body locked up, muscles tensed like he’d been caught doing something he shouldn’t.
Shedletsky’s eyes flicked between them, taking in the rawness of the moment, the lingering tension in the air.
Then, he just exhaled sharply, rolling his shoulders.
????- "Dinner’s ready," he said, voice gruff but not unkind. "Figured you should eat before someone has to force-feed you like a damn baby bird."
Chance blinked, the emotional whiplash leaving him off balance.
Elliot let out a quiet breath, rubbing the back of his neck.
"We’ll be out in a sec," he muttered.
Shedletsky lingered for a moment longer, gaze unreadable. Then, with a slow nod, he turned and left.
The second he was gone, the weight of everything settled back in.
But something had shifted.
The words that had been spilling out of Chance moments ago were now locked behind his teeth, the vulnerability snapping shut as quickly as it had cracked open.
His hands curled into weak fists. His chest still ached, but the moment was gone.
Elliot was still watching him, waiting.
Chance swallowed hard and forced his voice steady.
- "…We should go."
Elliot hesitated, but didn’t push. He just nodded.
- "Yeah."
He didn’t say anything else. Didn’t try to bring the moment back.
And maybe that was for the best
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- HAII ^^ I hope you are doing amazing :3 so um,what do we think?
Is it good enough? I honestly feel horrible about my work and I feel like everyone hates it..
(Probably Anxiety acting up again ??) anywayzz I hope you have a wonderful day/night <33
13.3.2025
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