Saviors

Two friends enter a room and destiny enfolds.

Alex watches as his lover takes the first step into the rest of their life. He should be happy, they are reaching the end of their journey, the epic quest to supposedly decide the fate of their world. That's a lot to put on any one persons shoulders if you ask him, especially if that person is Daniel. "Hey," Alex walks up behind him and grabs him by the shoulder. "Are you sure about this?"
Daniel turns with a smile, shrugging his partner's hand off. "Of course, Alex. Now is not the time to waver. We are close to the end. Everything will be okay, trust me." Daniel once more faces the room. This really is it. Daniel places a hand over his chest, feeling his heart race under his palm. Squaring his shoulders, Daniel steps in with Alex close behind him, palm resting on top of their gun. Alex is always relying on violence, which he does not approve of. But there is no controlling Alex.
It doesn't take long for the room to react to him as he enters. The walls igniting with green flames, casting a strange colored hue in the room. It's almost hard to believe that green stone is going to be the entire reason everyone will get to live, including Alex. "Put your gun away, there's no danger here.You really should try relaxing more." Daniel smiles and starts walking to the corridor wondering why every step fills him with dread instead of excitement or pride. Maybe it was what the witch said months back. Her warning of his death if he continues on this path. His heart jumps and every survival instinct tells him to run. It's too late, the stone is right there. Not that he would want to run. His life in exchange for everyone else's. This is what he was born to do.
"You should be more on guard."
"No way! Look how close we are, how far we've come! Nothing is going to stop us now. Especially not with my ever trusting knight always watching over me!" Daniel stops a few feet in front of the podium, taking in the stone hovering just in front of him. Everything is going as planned until Alex steps in front of him. "What is it, what's wrong?" Daniel looks around the room, worried they had walked into a trap, again. When he saw nothing, Daniel lets out a sigh of relief. "Everything is fine, Alex, come on, you need to move." When Alex doesn't move, he lets out a nervous chuckle. "What-what are you doing? Stop it." Daniel attempts to side step the man who stands in front of his destiny. "Alex, I'm not joking now, get out of my way." He tries to gently nudge him, but Alex doesn't move. All they do is stare, holding the same expression they usually only reserve for puzzles.
"Why?" The seriousness of Alex's voice renders Daniel speechless. Any time he opens his mouth to speak no words come out. "Why should I move, Dan?"
"Because it's time, my time!" Alex's gaze narrows, his questioning turning into defiance. Daniel takes a deep, shuddering breath and doubles down. "Because it's my destiny." Alex never was one to believe in destiny especially not after meeting the witch. Still he always questioned why Daniel had to do this. Every time he did Daniel would explain and Alex would let it go, it was their thing.
"So what?" Alex scoffs, his arms folding across his chest and his words dripping with venomous intent. "Who knows what of destiny?" Daniel sighs, running a hand over his face.
"Look, can we not do this now? The stone is right there. So just, please, let me do this!" With more force, he shoves Alex out of the way, staring at the suspended green stone begging to be held, to be taken and used. Alex grabs Daniel's arm and turns him around in a fluid spin, the brilliant green glow is blocked from his gaze once more, now all he sees is Alex's face cast in shadows. It gives him an almost dark look, it pisses Daniel off to no end. “What the f**k? Stop being a dick!” Daniel rips his hand away from Alex with so much force he stumbles backwards.
"No," Alex doesn’t bother raising his voice, knowing it would only serve to make Daniel even more upset. "You always speak of destiny well...well, maybe this is mine. Right here, between you and that thing."
"That thing, as you so eloquently put it, is the only thing that can help us. Save us. Save them!" Daniel gestures wildly to the door they had just walked through.
"I don't care about them!"
"I do!" Daniel sighs and runs his fingers through his hair. "I care about them, Alex." Daniel searches Alex's eyes for any sign of a reason for his actions. His mind looking back over their laughs, over the nights they spent together, searching for the hints of his betrayal. "We both know what needs to be done. Now, please, step out of my way and let's end this.” Daniel takes Alex's hand and brings their scarred knuckles to his lips, planting it with feathered kisses before once more passing Alex and going for the glowing stone.
Alex watches Daniel bypass him in favor of that dumb rock, that's probably cursed, and his heart aches. “Why does it have to be you!”Alex shouts, halting Daniel in his tracks. “Why do you have to sacrifice everything for them?” Alex grabs Daniel's hand, wanting nothing more than for him to turn around. “Why do you have to sacrifice everything for them? Why is it always you? For once, think past duty, think past everyone else. Is this what you want?” Alex's voice trembles as he squeezes Daniel's hand. Daniel turns to him, tears welling up in his eyes. “What do you want?”
Daniel lets his trembling shoulders sag and walks over to Alex, resting his forehead against his lover's. Alex gently cups his face before resting his hands on Daniels arms, gently squeezing them. "Of course this isn't what I want," Daniel chuckles and wraps his arms around Alex's waist. "Is that what you think? I don't want to die. I don't want to leave you. But if we don't do something everyone could die."
“Leave with me. We can survive. Someone else can do this. Just come with me.” For a moment, for a brief moment, his voice cracks and his vision blurs with unshed tears.
“I have to do this,” Daniel whispers, cupping his cheek. Alex leans into his touch, releasing a shuddering breath.
“I know,” Alex lets his eyes close as a few tears spill down his cheeks. He feathered kisses onto Daniel’s forehead and cheeks. “I know.” Finally, he gives a light kiss to their lips, his hands squeezing him tighter. Daniel winces at the sudden pain of it.
“Alex?”
“That’s why I have to do this.” He leans in close to his ear and whispers a quick, “forgive me,” before lifting his lover and throwing him across the room as much as he could without hurting Daniel, which isn’t far. Before he could think to regret it, or Daniel has a chance to gather his senses, he reaches out and grabs the stone.
“Alex!” Daniel scrambles to his feet, but it is too late. An earth piercing scream rips itself from Alex's lips as a white hot pain encompasses his body. The green light once connected to the stone, fractures into pieces. Each piece throws itself to Alex, piercing his flesh and absorbing into his body until his whole being is bathed in the light. At once all the flames in the room die out, leaving only Alex to illuminate the room. The agonized scream only continues as if he has an unlimited amount of air in his lungs that will allow him to scream for centuries. “Alex!” Daniel tries to reach him, pushing past an invisible force intent on keeping them apart. Visions of Alex fills his mind, laughing, kissing, loving, sleeping, hell even images of Alex angry fill him. “Just let go! You can’t do this! It's supposed to be me, I'm supposed to die! Let go! Please!” Almost as soon as the words left his mouth, the light light leaves Alex's body, casting the room into brief darkness.
"Alex?" Daniel calls into the darkness, waiting, hoping, for a response. For a minute there was nothing, then there was light. Daniel blinks rapidly, desperately trying to adjust to the new light. Once his vision corrects, Daniel starts looking for Alex. He doesn't have to look too hard, Alex rests on the floor, almost directly ahead of him, "Alex!" Daniel crawls on hands and knees to his lover. Or, at least, what was his lover. "Alex, please. Wake up, please!"
Daniel, gently pulls Alex onto his lap, taking in their new appearance. He brushes their black hair, now with white streaks, out of their face. The once tan face, that would so easily turn red be it out of laughter, embarrassment, or anger, has now turned almost a sickly grey. Coming out of their eyes are purple lines, following the placement of their veins. "I'm so sorry," Daniel chokes out, his tears falling onto Alex's lifeless cheeks. "I never should have let you come. I never should-if I had known I wouldn't have." Daniel's bottom lip trembles as he gently caresses Alex's new face. Choking back his cries, Daniel leans down, and quietly whispers, "please, come back to me." Daniel places a soft kiss to their cheeks, tasting the saltiness of his own tears.
It only takes a few seconds for Alex to open his, now green, eyes. Daniel's heart jumps into his chest as he watches Alex's new eyes adjust to the light. Alex says nothing at first, just stands up; Daniel follows suit, unable to look away. Alex looks down at his hands, flexing his fingers as a smile grows across his face. Power fills his veins, a strength he has never felt before. He pops his neck and lets out a low groan, all tension leaving his shoulders. His body has never felt so light, so relaxed, "Alex?" Daniel questions, taking a hesitant step forward.
For the first time since waking up, Alex looks at Daniel with his new eyes. His head tilts, noticing things he had never before in Daniel. Like the specks of gold in his blue eyes, or the grey in his hair that has seemingly taken a new shade of orange. Alex used to compare it to a dull sunset, it's so much more. "Daniel, darling. No, darling Daniel." Daniel flinches at the gravely sound of Alex's voice.
"What have you done?" Daniel questions, an empty feeling of helplessness swallowing his heart and settling in the pits of his stomach as he views his former lover.
"I have saved you."

Author's Note

This is the rough draft. I wanted to practice using two same gendered characters, as well as work on developing feelings and emotions between the characters. How do you feel about their relationship?