A/N: contains heavy spoilers and graphic depictions of death. someone probably beat me to writing this but i don't really care. I just really wanted to write some madheart angst.
"You used to captivate me by your resonating light
Now, I'm bound by the life you left behind"
- Evanescence, "My Immortal"
This city was renowned for its poppies. Most notably, the large field of them in the park. They glistened in warm colors under the moonlight, and looked especially gorgeous after rainfall. It was a nice place. A perfect place for a lab rat to spend his last moments.
No matter the path, Mad Rat was destined to die. Not just because it was the natural course of life, but because his time was running quicker than those around him. He realized that the surgery that was meant to save him would fail no matter the circumstances. The best he could do was let the donor cat run free while he waits for the disease to kill him.
But, Heart didn't want that. He wanted Mad Rat to come with him. Was it really worth dying alone? It would be better to die by the side of someone you loved, right?
At night, the park was illuminated by streetlights and the real moon. Mad Rat laid his back on Heart's stomach. His short orange fur was so soft, any human petting him wouldn't want to stop. The beat of his heart was faint, and kept a slow pulse. It was a comforting rhythm.
Honestly, with how hard it was to move, Mad Rat would rather be here than in the lab. It would be better than any other place in the world. Even one that provided the most delicious of cheese or even immortality.
"Heart, yknow.. I.." Mad Rat spoke. His voice was scratchy. It struggled to come out and trailed off easily.
"Hm?" Heart's eyes turned from the night sky to Mad Rat.
"I don't really know how to say it, but.." Mad Rat hesitates. He doesn't understand the emotions he is feeling. Is he even supposed to feel this way? The warmth of a loved one right before dying? "Thank you for being with me. I'm happy we met."
"I'm happy we met as well." Heart's tail swished a little. If he had a mouth, he would smile.
"I think this is the perfect way to die." Mad Rat averts his gaze. As beautiful as Heart's eyes were, he felt like he would cry if he kept eye contact for too long. But it was too late, his voice was wobbling. "By someone I love."
"Someone you love?" Heart's eyes widen. "You.. Really feel that way?"
"Yeah, I.." Mad Rat brings his arm to his face. Rubbing his eyes to stop the tears from falling. He could feel something rising to his throat. It threatened to strangle him and stop him from his weak attempt at self-comfort.
Before he could say anything else, Mad Rat coughed. Hard. Enough to spit out a bit of vomit. He covered his mouth with his gloved hand, subsequently staining it. Tears started to stream down his face.
"Mad Rat!!" Heart yelped. He knew he couldn't do anything. He was too far gone.
"God, Heart." Mad Rat heaved, he really wanted to turn time back. But he couldn't. This was destined to happen.
"I.. Ack-!" Mad Rat collapsed onto the soil. He breathed heavily, his vision was becoming nothing but a blur. An orange shape that could only barely remedy his pain looked down at him with fear.
"Please.." Heart begged. He felt tears streaming down his face and onto the soil. He places his paw over Mad Rat's hand in hopes of making his final memory somewhat comforting. "I.. I don't want to lose you. Hold on.."
Mad Rat could only look at Heart. He couldn't even muster the words he wanted to say. Or rather, the feelings he felt.
"Heart.." Mad Rat's eyes slowly closed. His breath stopped. And at that moment, he had died.
Before Heart could even process it, he realized he had watched the death of his best friend. And he never got to properly say goodbye.
Heart didn't want to leave the corpse to rot. So he dug up a small hole and placed him inside. Once he filled the hole with soil, he gazed upon the poppies. He had made sure to place the burial somewhere close to the poppies without damaging their roots.
"Goodbye, Mad Rat. I'll never forget you." Heart bows his head. Dedicating a period of time to silence.
When Heart lifted his head, he decided it was time for him to move on. To find a new life. Perhaps by finding a family of cats, or maybe some humans he can call his owner. Even as time moved forward, that burial remained untouched.. And the ghost of the rat Heart loved haunted him.
Heart found a home in the same house that the little girl lived in. The girl he and Mad Rat saved from a truck. She was a rather quiet girl. But once she came out of her shell she was fun to be around. There was never a dull moment with her.
Though there was a downside to this life. Heart wasn't allowed outside. Once he was found, the girl's parents said he would be an indoor cat. Apparently, it's beneficial for his health. But Heart would forever miss being free in the great outdoors. He found himself looking out windows and staring enviously at other cats that ran wild and free. He even saw Jack a few times, who he made sure to wave a paw at. He waved back every time.
One night, right as Heart was about to go to sleep, he swore he saw a ghost. One that bore a striking resemblance to Mad Rat. Smiling with him with lidded eyes and reaching out a gloved hand. But before Heart could give him his paw, he turned out to be nothing more than an illusion.
A reminder that he can't turn back. Because no matter how many times he relives the same day, it will always end the same.