it was just a dream, my love
adam park x reader
wc: 3,855
cw: angst w/ a happy ending, mentions of death, character death (just for a bit i couldn't do that to him), almost implied alternate reality (some dr strange shit lowkey), probably typos
it was late when you heard the phone. it was loud and obnoxious and could surely wake the dead. your parents weren't home tonight so you had to answer it.
"hello?" you mumble tiredly.
"(y/n/n).." the voice whispered quietly.
"adam? is that you?" you ask quietly.
"yea..." he sighs. "could i uhm.. come over..?"
"it's like..." you stare at the digital clock by the door. "three a.m. what's going on?"
"i just... it's nothing.. go back to bed.." he says before hanging up.
you've known adam long enough to know that nothing is definitely something. you could hear it in his voice before he hung up.
you begrudgingly went back to your room. you couldn't call him back at this hour. his parents would probably be mad if you did. you decided to talk to him about it at school tomorrow.
------
you make your way into the schools cafeteria around 8:00 and sit with tommy and kathrine while you wait for adam.
you focus on eating your breakfast while they talk, the rest of your friends slowly joining, but no adam.
"yo rocky wasn't adam riding with you today?" jason asks.
"supposed to. i went over there and his car was gone." rocky shrugs. "i figured i'd just meet him here."
'that's weird.' you thought to yourself as you took another bite, pushing the food around on your plate.
"(y/n) you good?" tommy asks as he watches.
"yea i'm chill. why?"
"you're just really quiet."
"i'm fine. just didn't sleep to well last night." you shrug. "happens sometimes."
"yea okay." tanya shakes her head. "i've seen you tired and girl it's never like this."
"it's nothin really." you wave her off. "i'm good."
"if you say so." she puts her hands up.
"okay seriously where's adam? class is about to start." tommy questions as he looks between you and rocky.
"don't look at us." rocky says as he grabs your tray. "you're done right?"
"yea go ahead." you nod and put your fork down.
"okay." he says and gets up to throw away the trash and put your tray up.
"i'll page adam." you say as you grab the pager to let him know class is about to start.
------
it's the last class of the day and still no one has seen adam. you were starting to worry about him and everybody could see it.
"(y/n) you know he's okay right?" rocky whispers as he watches you tap your pencil on the desk. "he would've found a way to reach out if he wasn't."
"no he wouldn't. you know that better than i do." you whisper back setting your pencil down and turning towards him. "he never says when something is bothering him. all he does is act like whatever's happening doesn't hurt him."
"you're wrong ya know." rocky shakes his head. "he'll always tell somebody. not in that moment, but he'll talk to someone about it."
you look at your pager and sigh. still no message from adam.
"give it time (y/n/n). he'll come around eventually."
you go back to trying to focus on the notes in front of you. it's futile tho. there's nothing on your mind but adam as you hear the bell ring.
you meet up with the rest of the group out in the parking lot. as you unlock your car, their watches go off and they walk away.
"well, i guess it's just me then." you whisper to yourself as you get in, starting the car up. you check your pager one last time before sighing. still nothing. it was weird. really weird. since you've known him, you've never heard of adam ignoring everyone for an entire day or missing school.
you're lost in your thoughts as you hear a tap on your window. it was the red power ranger. you roll your window down, immensely confused by the situation.
"can i help you?" you ask, your voice sounding more hostile than you preferred. you take a deep breath. "sorry... i didn't mean for that to come off so mean."
"it's all good. do you mind getting out for a second?" the ranger asks, you can tell there had to be some kind of voice modulator in his helmet.
"what's this about?" you wonder, getting out of the car.
"oh nothing. just a couple of cogs coming this way. i think they're about to try and smash your car." he says as he looks behind you.
"and you wanted me out of the car instead of driving away? what the hell kinda sense-" you cut yourself off as you see them, a monster right behind them. "nope. never mind. im just gonna start running." you say before turning to run away.
------
it was late again, when you heard a knock at your door. it was another late night for your parents, thankfully. you couldn't sleep, your mind continuously going over worst case scenarios about adam.
you make your way down the stairs, opening the door tiredly. you weren't expecting the sight in front of you. five power rangers standing at your door step made you freeze in your tracks.
"whatever you think i did, it wasn't me! i-it was my friend rocky! he's the mastermind!" you quickly spout out as you hold your hands up. "he was the one that said we should put the dissection frogs in the biology cabinet! it was all his idea!"
"okay first of all, bold of you to assume we're here for that." the blue ranger huffs. "second of all that's not how it happened. and third, we have more important matters to discuss."
"first of all, if you're not here for that then why are you here at all? second, yes it was. his exact words were 'i don't feel like dissecting frogs today. there's something about it that doesn't feel right in my soul.' and third, i reiterate why are you here?" you grumble, checking the time. 3:00am just like last night when adam called.
the blue ranger lunges at you a bit, something about the action seeming familiar. the others hold him back.
"blue we don't have time for this. strangle her later." the red ranger says. "we're looking for someone and we think you might know something."
"i know nothing. and while you're at this 'looking for someone' can you find my friend adam? he's been missing since about this time yesterday." you walk to the kitchen, the weight of not knowing where adam is suddenly hitting you. "oh my god." you whisper to yourself.
the rangers follow you inside, their own worries catching up to them.
you can't quite figure it out, but something seems so familiar about this situation.
you hear a voice, not one of the rangers, but your friend billy.
"(y/n)!" he calls through the house. "(y/n)- uhm what the hell are the power rangers doing here?"
"we're trying to see if she knows anything." the gold one answers.
"andromeda." billy says, a slight roughness in his voice. it was a code. something only he and adam know about.
you drop the cup you're holding, glass shattering on the floor. "i-i have to go." you say frantically, bolting for the door, grabbing your shoes along the way.
when you're out of earshot, billy starts talking.
"i told you all to let me handle it! what in your right minds made you think to come here looking for adam?" he yells. "do you understand how bad it would've been if you had started questioning her? she was the last person to talk to adam."
"run that by me again?" tommy says as he takes off his helmet, the others following through.
"(y/n) was the last person to speak to adam before he went missing!" the usually mild mannered billy yells. "did none of you notice how weird she's been acting? you all came over to ask her questions, but she wouldn't have told you anything! she doesn't know anything!"
"can we please address why she ran out when you said andromeda?" rocky asks, hand raised as if he was still in class.
"that's between me, her, and adam." billy says, taking a deep breath. "the point is you're not gonna find anything here that will lead you to him."
"so what do we do then mr know it all?" rocky grumbles.
"you go out there and find him."
------
andromeda. your favorite constellation. you had seen it once, stargazing with billy one night. you had admired her beauty as you explained the myth to billy.
you went to the spot where you had first seen her. the beautiful princess who's love story is one of legends. she wasn't there tonight, but still you looked.
you hear the twigs around you breaking, your neck snapping in that direction. you see nothing. no one knew of this spot but you, billy and adam. it was just an animal anyway.
your mind starts wandering again. to the first time you came here with billy. to the first time you came here with adam. then your mind starts racing. it wasn't long before the tears started falling. you regret not letting adam come over. if you had, you wouldn't have to worry about where he is. you regret not calling back to ask what was wrong. you regret only talking to him for a few minutes. you wish you would've just said yes.
you're not sure when you got up. when you found yourself at the lake. when you stopped crying. when you saw the body laying in the sand. when you realized the body was adam's. when you started wailing, pleading with him to just wake up. when you prayed for a chance to take everything back. when the power rangers showed up. when you're sitting next to him in a cold hospital room. when you wished it had been you instead.
you weren't sure in that moment what would happen next.
"a-andromeda.." you hear a hoarse whisper. your head snaps in his direction.
"adam!" you gasp, heart pounding as you hold his hand tighter.
"(y/n/n)..." his whispers, his grip tightening slightly. "you're here..."
"i'll always be here." you whisper back, the tears flowing once again.
"i'm sorry..." he mumbles his hand dropping from yours.
you quickly pull his hand back, holding on tighter. "adam no..." you cling to his hand. "don't say that... it sounds..." you sniffle. "it sounds like goodbye..."
"i-it..." his struggles to breathe for a second. "i-it's... not goodbye." he whispers, heart monitor going off as his hand slowly drops from yours.
"no!" you scream, doctors rushing in. "adam no! you can't! you can't just leave me!" you yell as your friends come in, dragging you out of the room.
"(y/n)!" billy yells as you flail around, doing everything you can to get back to adam.
------
3 days. 3 days since you had slept properly. 3 days since you ran. from your friends, from this stupid town, from seeing adam in the state he was in. 3 days since he had woken up. 3 days since you had decided not to let anyone in again. 3 days since your parents told you they were leaving for a work trip. 3 days since you were abandoned by the one person you thought would always be there. 3 days.
------
it's been a week now. a week since you last saw the people you loved. 7 days since you last heard anything about adam. an entire week since you were under the stars in the one place you knew nobody would find.
that's when it happened. you were in another city, just a few minutes away from angel grove. it wasn't far enough for you, but you couldn't go anywhere else. you knew your uncle wouldn't be there for a while so you made yourself at home.
it was late. just as it was 7 days earlier. there was a knock on your door. it was quiet at first. then it got louder. you waited. waited for it to stop. waited for whoever it was to just go away. the knocks become more persistent.
"(y/n) i know you're in there." the voice at the door says. you weren't expecting it. you weren't expecting him.
you slowly make your way to the door, checking the peephole to make sure you weren't imagining things.
"billy what're you doing here?" you snap. "if i wasn't answering then what makes you think showing up here will work?"
"he's awake."
"that's not gonna work either." you roll your eyes as the phone rings.
"answer it."
"what does it matter to you? it's probably just someone calling for my uncle."
"just answer it." billy pleads. "for him."
"if i answer this phone and it's not him i'll kill you both if he isn't dead already."
"you couldn't."
"you don't know what i'm capable of."
you answer the phone, a soft 'hello' leaving your lips.
"thank god." the voice wasn't adam, you reach for the end call call button as tommy starts panicking. "(y/n) don't hang up!"
"you have one minute to put adam on the phone before i come out there and do something i'll regret." you snap, the line going silent.
"(y/n)?" another voice says. "hello?"
your heart breaks when you hear him. "adam..."
"i told you it wasn't goodbye." he whispers, you could hear it in his voice. the pain. the heartbreak.
you can't help it when the tears fall down your face. "it's really you."
"it's really me."
you both sit in silence. you don't know what to say. you wanna yell at him, tell him how much you hated him. you don't allow yourself to. you know you were lying. you couldn't hate him. not then and not now. you still love him. with every fiber of your being, you still love him.
"why?" you question.
"why what?" he questions back.
"why did you hang up? why did you disappear? why did i have to find you? why did you leave me?"
"(y/n)..." he sighs softly. "i can't explain it all from here, but know that i never wanted to. i never wanted any of this to happen."
"but it did adam."
"i know. i know that (y/n) and i can't change it but i promise if you come back, ill explain everything that i can remember."
"no. i can't." you say firmly. "i can't see you in that hospital bed again." you whisper before hanging up.
"(y/n) you have to hear him out." billy says from the door way. "he told us everything. you need to know what happened too."
"it's not gonna change anything billy."
"it won't, but at least you'll get that closure."
"fuck closure." you say completely defeated. "i can't see him like that again."
------
it took 2 weeks after that before you could face adam again. in the end billy was right. you needed answers.
it wasn't late this time, when you found yourself back in angel grove. you're in the same spot where you saw andromeda for the first time. the spot that only you, adam, and billy know about.
you see a shadow coming up behind you. you don't turn around. you don't even blink. this was inevitable.
"i didn't think you would be here." the voice says as he sits down.
"i wasn't sure i would be either." you say quietly. "but... billy's usually right."
"perks of bein the smart guy i guess." adam sits next to you with a soft sigh. "so-"
you cut him off. "wait. there's something i need to say first." you take a deep breath as adam nods. "i'm sorry. i'm sorry i ran. i'm sorry i didn't come back when you woke up. i'm sorry i got so mad at you when none of it was your fault. and most of all, i'm sorry that i didn't call back and tell you it was okay to come over."
adam goes to speak but you shake your head.
"i'm sorry i wasn't there for you when you needed me most. i'm sorry i didn't let you explain. if i could go back and just say yes i would. i would in a heartbeat. i've spent the last month regretting ever bringing up the time and letting you hang up." you look at him now, baring your heart on your sleeve, the tears in your eyes threatening to spill over. "i should've just said yes and i hate myself because i didn't."
adam stares back you, his eyes glassy. you notice the cast on his left arm. it was blank. you wonder why for a second, but realize now isn't the time.
he takes a deep breath, holding it for just a couple seconds before going to speak. "none of this was your fault. none of this was my fault. none of this was anyone's fault (y/n/n)." he says as his right hand reaches for yours. you let him. after everything that's happened, you couldn't deny him.
he holds your hand gently, like he's afraid to hurt you. you hold his hand tighter. a sign that you're not going anywhere. not again.
"i was driving to your house anyway." he says as he squeezes your hand. "i knew that you wouldn't turn me away if i was right there." he says as he remembers that terrible night. "i stopped here for a bit. i was trying to tell myself that what happened wasn't so deep that i needed to wake you up and that i should just go back home."
"adam-" this time it's him cutting you off.
"i got up and walked toward the lake. i got jumped the second i stepped foot near the water. i couldn't beat them. i tried so hard but they were just too strong. i kept yelling, for you, for anyone at all. no one came. then they shoved me in a van. they kept me in this dark room for hours. they were looking for something i knew nothing about. or maybe it was someone. i blacked out and then i woke up in the hospital." his voice is shaky as he tells you this, the fear and anxiety all coming back to him. "i remember waking up and you were there, but when i woke up again you were gone."
you wanted to hug him. to hold him in your arms. to comfort him. instead you just let him speak.
"i understand why you weren't there. if the roles were switched, i can't say i wouldn't have done the same." he smiles sadly. "no matter how much you love someone, sometimes it's hard to be there when you're sure they're gone. when you don't know if they'll come out of it. i don't blame you. you found me, that was enough. i can't imagine what was going through your head when you did. i can't imagine what me dying even for a little bit has done to you. i'm sorry it had to be you (y/n)."
"it killed me." you whisper, both hands holding his now. "it still kills me. i can't get those images out of my head."
a small tear rolls down his face. "that's what it's like for me too. i can vaguely remember the look on your face just before. i can still hear your voice begging for me to stay alive. it still haunts me."
you stay quiet, your own tears falling. you realize what this means. that everything you've ever thought about the after life is true. he was truly there in spirit.
"why?" was the only thing you could say. "why did you come back if you watched me run off?"
"because." he whispers, his arm pulling you a bit closer. "i love you. i couldn't just be gone forever without telling you that you are and always will be the love of my life. i couldn't die without seeing you like this, in our spot, one last time. i couldn't leave without holding you, kissing you, and loving every single part of you. it would've been hell if i did."
you couldn't speak. you didn't know what to say. your hand comes up to his cheek, your eyes staring into his through your tears.
------
you wake in a cold sweat, tears streaming down your face. it's late. you look at the clock, 3 a.m. an arm is wrapped around you, eyes staring at you, hands rubbing your sides.
"baby are you okay?" the voice, his voice, whispers.
you shake your head, letting out a soft sob.
"hey it's okay." he pulls you closer, your chest colliding with his. "it's okay. everything is okay." he says as he rubs your back.
"it was terrible adam." you sob. "it felt so real."
"shhh. i'm right here baby girl." he whispers.
"you almost died!" you choke out. "it-it felt like a memory."
"it was just a dream okay? i'm not going anywhere."
you cling to him for dear life as you tell him about the dream. how real it felt. how scared you were. how you just ran. he lets you. lets you cling to him. lets you vent. he comforts you. you know that this, this is real. you know that what happened in your dream never happened in real life. you know that he's here. he's always been right here. he holds you tighter.
the ring on his left hand shines in the moonlight as his hand comes to your cheek. "everything is okay. the dream version of me is okay too. you said he lived right? that the dream version of you came back to him?"
you nods as he wipes your tears.
"then he's living the best life he possibly can. i know i am." he smiles at you, his eyes crinkling in the corners. "he's got you the same way i do. the dream version of you will make sure nothing else happens the same way you do for the real me." he places soft kisses all over your face until you let out a soft giggle. "hell, he's probably with her now, planning out our proposal, wedding, and honeymoon just like we did a few years ago." he laughs to himself.
"if he is, i hope he decides to go with the alice in wonderland theme like we did." you smile, staring at the rings on your fingers. "it was the best idea he ever came up with."
"and i hope she wears that dress you were wearing." he pecks your lips. "she'll be the most beautiful bride on the planet."
you smile as you kiss him, pulling away after a few moments to ask, "do you think he's a power ranger like you were?"
he laughs and shakes his head. "it was just a dream, my love, he can't be exactly like me."
you laugh at his answer. "i think you're wrong. if he's there when i go back to sleep im asking him!"
