The Gift of Hope (DCStuck)

[ParamountKeymaster]

Dawn was fast approaching. The sun peaked over the horizon, awakening the island and beginning the first day of the calendar's final month. As the world outside the Summer Snow Apartment buzzed to life, the residents inside quickly got to work themselves. Today was a big day, one that they were going to make the most of. One that they were determined to make special any way they could.

While everyone else was busy, one resident was still fast asleep. Still recovering from a few days' worth of anxiety. Still dreaming... Still elsewhere entirely...

----------

"WHOA WHOA WHOA WHOA WHAT??!!" Evan stared flabbergasted at Kendall, refusing to believe what he was hearing. "Kendall! Dude! How can you not see him?!"

"E-Evan, please, calm down..." Kendall raised his hands defensively. He knew Evan was going to be a little more emotional as his dream self, but nonetheless, the shame on the angel's face was evident. "Th-There's... really nothing more to it. I can't see Clockwork at any point in any timeline."

"B-But...! You're the Angel of Time! You have the best time powers of anyone in existence ever! Always!"

"I-I know...! And... thank you? But please, hear me out. I've been discovering more and more blind spots in my visions the further I've delved into this game. I wasn't sure what to make of them at first and simply opted to work around them... but now I'm positive that Clockwork is responsible for those blind spots, because I haven't seen any traces of him at all and this is the first time I've ever seen or heard mention of him."

"Well, crap dangle!" Patrick griped. "How're we supposed to beat a time guy if he's messing with our own time guy?!"

While the other four talked, Lagola idled off to the side. She had a feeling the focus would be on her again soon... and while she was more than willing to help Kendall and his friends, the matter of Clockwork was a... tricky one...

[Pink Moon Wolf]

"Okay... This complicates matters..." Ace mumbled, scratching under her hat. She anxiously looked between Patrick and Kendall, her gaze resting on the latter as she asked, "I can accept that this Clockwork guy is crazy powerful, what with the absorbing god tier powers thing, but... do you have any idea how he could be powerful enough to fly under your radar, Kenny? I'm sorry, this is just... a lot more serious than I thought it would be."

[ParamountKeymaster]

"I do have theories, if nothing else..." Kendall sighed. "I would have to truly see them in action, but I have seen other beings with exceptionally powerful time manipulation abilities, so I wouldn't put it past him to mask his personal timeline. Of course, if he has absorbed the powers of alternate timeline players, that means he possesses Aaron's ability to void himself, which could just as effectively render him invisible at any point in space and time."

"Well, however he does it, it sucks ALL the balls!" Patrick complained.

"Dang right, it does!" Evan agreed in frustration.

"Evan... You've seen him in action the most. Ace, Patrick and I only have word of mouth to go by, plus one instance where he arrived to defend you and pause time long enough to steal that knife," Kendall continued. "A little more context would be useful. So... it's to my understanding that he kept coming back no matter how hard your teammates combated him, presumably by stepping out of that timeline long enough to recover and return to the exact point at which he departed."

"Yeah, that's about right. I... I think he was trying to kill me on my quest bed. He eventually left on his own accord, maybe because he thought the whole endeavor was pointless?"

"If he is precognitive as well, he likely would've deduced by then that this timeline would not yield the results he wanted."

"On that note... Beebo said that there doesn't seem to be any timeline where Clockwork's acquired hope powers."

"Beebo?" Patrick questioned.

"Brendon! My sprite! My in-game guide kinda thing! He's modeled after Brendon Urie! We found him on Mt. Bonsai along with my quest bed!"

"That... is... FRIGGIN'... AWESOME!!!"

Kendall would have laughed along with the two boys at this fact, but he was much too concerned with the true matter at hand.

[Pink Moon Wolf]

"Eheh... Yeah, that's great and all..." Ace awkwardly cleared her throat. "But How about we get to that when we get to that? There's still the matter of the time-traveling demon here..."

Once everyone was back on track, Ace turned back to Kendall and asked, "At the very least, even if you can't see how or when Clockwork appears, can you see if we're all going to make it to the end of this adventure in the main timeline?"

[ParamountKeymaster]

"Our survival... at the very least... looks secure,"

"Alright! G-Good to know, buddy!" Patrick chuckled, rubbing his neck and casting an awkward expression at Ace.

"Yeah..." Evan just nodded, his smile tiny but genuine.

Kendall nodded back, then turned and face the fifth member of their party. "I didn't mean to exclude you, Lagola, nor do I want to put you on the spot. But... if there's anything my future self has informed you about Clockwork, would you be willing to share?"

Looking over her shoulder at the others, Lagola shyly rubbed her arms and murmured, "W-Well... th-there are some things he... you said... that you'd have to discover on your own."

"Understandable."

"Although... you did mention... that by the time you pick me up to bring me here, you had seen Clockwork get killed. Twice."

"Doomed versions of himself, no doubt." Kendall tapped his chin.

"He say who gonna do the deed?" Patrick asked.

"Y-Yes. Once by self-sacrifice..."

Evan already had a good idea what she meant by that.

"... and once by Ace."

[Pink Moon Wolf]

Ace did one heck of a double-take when Lagola mentioned her name. "R-Really? I'm... I'm gonna kill one of his alt selves? Um... Wow. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure I'll have a legit reason to do it, but... really? I'm the only one who actually gets a stab at this guy in the immediate future?"

[ParamountKeymaster]

"Well, more likely, you're the only one I will actually see kill him," Kendall elaborated. "There may very well be other instances where a doomed Clockwork is killed that I won't bear witness to."

Lagola simply nodded and moved closer to Kendall, resting her head on his side while he wrapped an arm around her.

"Can I just say... for the record..." Patrick spoke up. "You two are adorable together!"

Lagola lifted an arm to hide her chocolate blush in her sleeve.

Kendall chuckled a little. "You think so?" He smiled at Lagola and patted her shoulder. "I've been doing my best to look after her."

"So how exactly did you two meet?" Evan asked, grinning and tilting his head with curiosity.

"Well... I had foreseen that we would meet and simply ensured that we would! I contacted her during her session and stayed in touch following it completion... I hope I made a good impression."

"O-Oh yeah, you did!" Lagola insisted, wrapping her arms around Kendall. "No one had ever been as nice to me as you..."

"Well, I'm happy to have lifted your spirits."

[Pink Moon Wolf]

Ace smiled at Kendall and Lagola, genuinely thrilled for the both of them. Kendall was a great friend, and if there was anyone Lagola could trust to look after her, Ace knew that it was him. And as for the time angel himself... Kendall seemed... happy to have Lagola by his side. It was hard for her to recall, especially since Kendall was such an upbeat guy in general, but Ace swore she hadn't seen him this happy since...

[ParamountKeymaster]

"Aww..." Patrick mused, leaning his head on Ace.

Evan chuckled at his friends and the display of cuteness. Despite his smile, he couldn't help but feel a twinge of jealously. Kendall's guardian angel instinct for Lagola... Patrick and Ace's romance... it really made him miss...

"Now! If I may..." Kendall suddenly spoke up, snapping Evan out of his reverie. "We all understand the various risks involved in the task at hand... but for the next few days, we're not going to worry about that, alright? Now is the time to relax, enjoy each other's company, and celebrate what we have before the game truly begins."

"Sounds good to me!" Evan replied.

"Yeah!" Patrick agreed, jabbing a finger into Evan's pajama-sleeved arm. "You're gonna have a happy birthday WHETHER YOU LIKE IT OR NOT!"

Evan laughed along with his best buddy, then he smiled at Kendall again. "So we'll be good to chill for a while then?"

"I would say so! Everyone will soon return to their respective groups, I don't foresee any immediate dangers, and I doubt Clockwork will pose too great a threat considering Aaron is going to steal your quest bed."

"Wait, he's gonna steal my quest bed??"

"For the time being. He'll put it back when the need arises."

The need...? Wait... Brendon said that players achieve god tier by dying on the quest bed. Did that mean...? Was it even possible for Evan to...? Well, sure, he was controlling his alternate self's dream self now, but this still raised a lot of questions.

All of which he quickly forgot when he looked up and saw a Skaian cloud. One that showed a blue robot engaged in combat... a robot that bore an odd resemblance to a legendary video game character.

"What the...? Is that-?"

POP

At that moment, Evan's dream self vanished. The Paramount Key was left behind, clattering to the ground where he once stood.

"AAH! EVAN!"

"Calm down, Patrick, he's alright!" Kendall gently insisted while Lagola quickly scooped up the key. "He's woken up back on the island and his dream self has returned to his bed."

"O-Oh... Okay?"

"Nothing to worry about. And if I do say so myself, this is an appropriate time as any to return home ourselves."

Lagola smiled a little, more than ready to leave this place, wanting to be with Evan on his... 'birthday,' as humans referred to their wriggling day. Things were finally looking up.

[Pink Moon Wolf]

"Whoa..." Ace was properly startled by Evan's sudden disappearance but relieved to know that he was alright. She took a deep breath and grinned at Patrick and Kendall. "Yeah, I could use some relaxation time, lemme tell ya. So what're we waiting for?! Let's go give that boy a big ol' birthday surprise!"

[ParamountKeymaster]

For a while, it was hard for Evan to figure out what exactly was going on. The battlefield had vanished along with his friends, and he was suddenly feeling groggy and half-awake. Eventually he realized that his normal body had woken up... which was all fine and good. Kendall had promised that he, Patrick, Ace and Lagola would be back by the time he woke up.

And why wouldn't they be? They wouldn't miss his birthday!

He chuckled a little as he slowly sat up, giving himself the time he needed to fully awaken. Regardless of what had happened to him and his friends over the last few days, Kendall was right. He needed to make the most out of this day.

Still... seeing Swift's hat resting next to his pillow reminded him that she wasn't there to celebrate it with him. Everything else he could set aside for the sake of having a good time with his friends and family, but his beloved's absence put a serious damper on the whole thing.

......

Wait a minute... Where was her ring?!



Evan had only begun to frantically dig through the bed sheets and pillows in search of the ring when he heard music from down the hall. He looked up the moment his door opened, revealing Patrick dancing like a goof.

"Hey, it's time to party!" Patrick insisted, speaking in a gruff tone out of one side of his mouth. "This is how you start! Get your engine going!"

Despite his concerns, Evan had to smile and hold back a laugh as he watched Patrick bunny-hop back down the hall. The smell of pancakes coming from the kitchen was equally enticing...

Don't worry about it, Evan. It'll turn up when it's meant to. That's how this enchantment is supposed to work, right?

With newfound energy, Evan climbed out of bed and followed Patrick into the living room. There, unsurprisingly and yet to his utter joy, he found Jen and Darien making breakfast, Andromeda and Aether putting final touches on decorations, Ace setting up the Wii, Toby and Brendon arranging presents on the table, and Kendall and Lagola sitting at the counter, conversation ending when the man of the hour entered the scene.

"Ah! He's alive! It's a miracle!" Darien proclaimed.

"Hey, Ev!" Jen cheered, her face as bright as the sun. "How're you doing?"

"I'm... great, actually!" Evan laughed as he fully entered the room and took a look around.

[Pink Moon Wolf]

"Ha ha! Hey, Evan! Long time, no see!" Ace teased, shouting over Patrick's music.

Andromeda beamed as she finished tying down balloons. Likewise, Aether turned off their miniature star maker off once she was certain there were enough dancing above them. "So happy to see you back on your feet!"

[ParamountKeymaster]

"Yeah, I guess you could say that!" Evan chuckled back at Ace. "I did have a weird dream about you guys, though."

"OHHHH!" Patrick whooped, bounding in after his angel.

Evan smiled blissfully as he sniffed the air, stepping into the kitchen to join his sister and roommate. "MMM, that smells good!"

"Good to know, 'cause there's plenty to go around!" Jen replied. All the while, Darien was setting up a buffet of bacon, scrambled eggs, biscuits, sausage gravy, and various fruits, syrups and other such toppings.

"Niiiice! So! You guys have met Lagola then?"

"Sure have! It's been a real pleasure too!"

"Th-Thanks, Jen," Lagola murmured sweetly. "I-It's nice to finally meet you guys... really..."

"Aw, don't worry!" Evan winked at their new troll companion. "You'll fit right in!"

After exchanging smiles with her, Evan moved on to the table stocked with presents, looking right past them at the kid who had arranged them. "And you! Where ya been, buddy? I heard you disappeared on us!"

"Um, yeah... sorry..." Toby mumbled, doing his best to grin despite his awkwardness. "I, uh... got a little overwhelmed, so I went back to the valley for a while. But hey, I brought back gifts from Jason, Therel, Elaine and everyone else still there!"

"Aw, well that was nice of you guys!"

"Between you and me, I think half of these are empty boxes," Brendon teased, earning a snicker from Evan. He wasn't even expecting this much to begin with. The thought really did count a lot, and it was making him feel so much better.

He went on to look around at the décor, dazzled by the imitation stars and various party banners and streamers the girls had set up. "Guys, you really didn't have to go all out like this! Don't get me wrong, I love it, but... wow! What's the occasion, y'know?"

[Pink Moon Wolf]

"Are you kidding?!" Ace laughed, standing up after having turned on the Wii. "It's not every day you turn twenty-one, which is apparently a big deal for you humans. But more importantly, you're the big man in this house now! You've got a grand adventure ahead of you, and we're all gonna celebrate it with ya! Today is just a further excuse to revel in what a great guy you are! Shut up and enjoy it!"

"After all the trouble you've been through, a day to unwind and count your blessings is well and truly called for," Aether agreed whilst Andromeda gave Evan a light, friendly punch on the arm. "We're just happy that you're happy."

[ParamountKeymaster]

"Yeah, buddy! This is your day, and we're here to enjoy it with ya!" Patrick insisted, throwing an arm around Evan.

"Do we really need an excuse to make you feel loved?" Jen asked kindly.

"Aww, guys..." Evan took a good look around at all of his friends. His family. Mere words were not enough to express how much he appreciated their kindness and support.

These people meant the world to him...

In his days spent moping, he had almost forgotten how this felt.

"Well now!" Kendall announced lightheartedly. "We don't want Jen and Darien's cooking to go to waste, do we?"

"Heck no!"

"Then come and get it, folks!" Jen cheerfully ordered.

Soon enough, just about everyone had filled up a plate and was happily eating between pleasant conversation. Kendall was introducing Lagola to Brendon, Andromeda and Aether. Jen and Darien were catching Ace up on today's plans. Toby just there, mingling while being his usual non-talkative self. And Evan and Patrick were...

"Hey Evan!"

"Hey what?"

Patrick proceeded to crumble up his bacon and sprinkle it atop his pancakes, all the while singing...

"Bacon pancakes, makin' bacon pancakes
Take some bacon and I'll put it in a pancake
Bacon pancakes, that's what it's gonna make
BACON PANCAAAAKES...!"

"Ha HAAA, now THAT's a work of art, my friend!" Evan laughed.