how about andy and quynh right after lykon's death?
what if i cry in the process of writing this 🥺
The rightful and appropriate ceremonies to honor Lykon’s life and death were done at least. Andy and Quynh took turns hesitating, stopping the whole process, just waiting, hoping he would heal after all, hoping this was just a mishap and suddenly he would wake up smiling again. But he didn’t, the hours passed and he didn’t wake up ever again. Once again it was just Andromache and Quynh, the two of them alone. But they didn’t feel alone really. The grief, the fears, the doubts, they were so great and heavy that they took a big space around them. When the ceremonies were over, the two women crashed down in the ground, they held each other, they mourned, they cried and screamed for even more hours. Finally, they fell asleep in each other’s arms purely out of exhaustion.
The next day, the sun shone brightly and it felt like an insult to their loss. Andromache woke up first, but made no movement, no noise, nothing but barely noticeable snuggle closer to Quynh, burying her face in the other’s shoulder. Not long after, Quynh woke up, with tears already in her eyes. She turned to stare at Andromache, her greatest love. From her breathing and the tension in between her eyebrows, she could tell the woman was awake. But, at first, Quynh saw no reason to push her. She stayed still and silent for a while, lost in her thought. Eventually, she reached out to gently stroke Andromache’s hair. Then she dedicated to tracing the shape of her face, the strong features she’s loved for centuries and would love forever.
“Andromache, my love, we must get up and move,” Quynh whispered. It was the way they lived, it was all they could do.
A pained groan escaped Andromache’s lips, “I can’t.”
“Yes you can, you must,” Quynh insisted. “You, my dearest, are invincible.”
“No, I’m not, not anymore, clearly.”
Quynh bit her lip to hold back a sob, but the tears flowed from her eyes. “You always get back up.”
“Don’t you get it?” Andromache asked, as she pushed herself up with one of her elbows to look down at her lover, “This time is different. This changes everything. What if I- And you, you, my life, I can’t lose you, I can’t.”
At that moment, Quynh couldn’t hold back anymore. She started sobbing, tears streaming down her face. Andromache cried along with her, and they held each other for long moments. Finally, Andy pulled away enough to wipe away the tears from the woman’s face, to kiss away the sorrowful tracks they left.
When Quynh finally calmed down enough, Andy, still with red eyes and pain breaking her every fiber, said with all the conviction she was capable of, “If death wants us, she’s going to have to put of a fight.” There was a burning rage inside of Andromache, but shining ever brighter there was her love for Quynh, passion and valor that she saw reflected back to her in the other woman’s eyes. In that moment they knew they could stand back after this loss, they could go on, fight anything and everything and come out victorious as long as they were together.
