In the mall, Miguel sighs as several people walk away from him.
Anna sees this and sighs, walking toward him, and sitting next to him.
“Hello, Anna,” said Miguel.
“You okay?” she sighed.
“Mhm…” said Miguel.
Anna sighs and hugs him. “Absolutely nothing is wrong with you. You’re enough, alright?”
Miguel’s eyes quiver. “I’d like to return home.”
Anna nods and they leave…
Reaching home, Miguel wipes the tears from his eyes. “You mad?”
“No… Just exhausted…”
“I’m sorry I exhaust you.”
“You don’t have to be. I love spending time with you.”
“Hard to believe counting how you… Never mind…”
“Miguel. I put up with your constant whinings every day… And how you constantly try to make yourself comfortable, and doing so makes us uncomfortable. Just because I’m exhausted doesn’t mean I hate you. I just don’t know how to handle you.”
“I’m sorry…” said Miguel.
“Stop saying sorry all the time.”
“Okay.”
“I… should be…” Anna turns around and walks away.
“Just say you’re sorry. Please.”
“I can’t.”
“Why?”
“Because I deserve happiness.”
Miguel wipes his tears. “What’s that supposed to mean?“
“I don’t know…” Anna turns and walks away, wiping her tears.
Black meets with Anna, who enters their room. “Tough day?”
“Mhm…”
“I’m sorry this happened to you as well… What’s worse is that you don’t have an Aurora in this universe to keep him occupied.”
“‘Occupied?’”
“Never mind.”
“What do you mean, ‘occupied’? Tell me, Sabbath.”
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“Miguel was always meant to be with Aurora. Not us… We’re just… backups…”
Anna’s eye twitches.
“What? What’s wrong? Oh, right… We always thought Miguel was our backup, right? WE settled, right? Guess what? In every blueprint of each universe in this Multiverse, we’re born as back-up Soulmates. I should know. Part angel, y’know.”
Anna is horrified, annoyed, and angry.
“Let me tell ya something, kld. I’ve been alive for more than 900 years. I want you to take care of him properly. You’re the ONLY one he has… His greatest critic and his bestest friend. Lose that…”
“And I’d have no purpose?”
“No… HE wouldn’t.”
“I’m not obligated for his happiness.”
“No one is. That’s up to him to decide if he deserves any form of love. Miguel''s are a hefty and self-loathing lot. Each version tweaked and different enough from each other, but at heart, same blueprint. Autistic, neurodivergent, learning problems, and kind of whiny. But Miguels could snap… destroy us all. They’re both the only hope of the Multiverse while also being its greatest threat. What do you think happened to the other Miguels out there?”
“Pro said they’re dead.”
“And their Annes… Pro’s soldiers… Only try to make up for it… Serving the men they got killed. The Multiverse is a cruel world… Especially when you’re not its center.”
“That shouldn’t be my purpose.”
“It isn’t. We just do it out of the kindness of our hearts… Or at least, what’s left of it. Cheat on him again, I’ll come find you… and punish you. Say sorry, kid.”
Anna remarks. “NO.”
“Then…” she quotes Beatle. “You are lost.”
“You trying to say to sacrifice my own happiness!? I HAVE MY RIGHTS!!!”
“They don’t matter without the responsibility.”
“Don’t you want to be free?”
“We are. But you hate that, don’t you? You hate leaving him all weak and feeble… You hate that… feeling…
Guilt. That you could’ve done something. Lemme tell you one thing in common that you ALWAYS had with him…
You care too much. You both do. Makes us inseperable… But so does Aurora. Aurora doesn’t exist in your world. Makes your Miguel… dangerous. Not kept in check… Do be smart, kid… Save yourself the guilt and stress.”
“So, what? Am I his soulmate in this world?”
Black smirks. “No. In fact, he’s meant to be alone in this world… Lest the Father decides against it… He’ll always choose someone else… I’m surprised he isn’t the one who cheated on you… Beatle never cheats, but oh… The other Miguels who lost their precious ‘Rurus?’ They just LOOOOVE other women and men… You mean nothing to him.”
Anna gives a look of horror, wanting to cry.
“So, try your best to mean something…”
“Not my purpose…”
“Meaning isn’t purpose. Tch-... Humans…” she shook her head in dismissal.
“You want me to love him?”
“No… Some Anne''s just… look at the sidelines… Others die… continue as guardian angels… But you… You’re sad… All the same… But even sadder… I want you to keep him in line… Make sure he doesn’t become another Aswang Lord… or even a MABUS…”
“Who am I meant to be with, then?”
“No Anne is meant to be with anyone. Have kids? Have families? Have a wonderful life together? Doesn’t matter. He will never be yours. And I know you hate that.”
Anna sighs. “What do you suggest I do?”
“Keep yours in check. He may be a burden, but he’s just so damned cute, isn’t he? We all know he’s just a lost child wanting someone to cling on to. Even a drowning man clings to the feet of one that continues to swim by the stream.”
“Hey…” said Miguel, walking by and proceeding to give a heavy punch into Sabbath’s face, as she went flying into the air and crashes into the wall.
“Insolent CHILD!!!” Black growled, only for Miguel to smirk.
“I’m an Aswang. Of course I heard it… Now, I don’t know nothin’ bout all this cosmic dread nonsense, but Anna isn’t a fuckin’ tool, alright? She doesn’t have to make me happy… If she doesn’t wanna say sorry, DON’T EVER MAKE HER APOLOGIZE FOR SOMETHING SHE DIDN’T DO!!!” he roared. “What? You think you’re an object for me? For OTHER MES OUT THERE!!! She isn’t a tool for me to write my LIFE with!!! Treat her like an object again AND YOU’LL REGRET IT!!!”
Anna blushes, seeing Miguel growling angrily for her.
Miguel holds Anna’s hand. “Wanna watch X-Men ‘97 with me?” he smiled, as Anna hugs him and smiles.
“I’m sorry…“
“Hey… don’t say sorry for anything… You mean… everything… Okay?”
“Okay…”
“Huh...” said Black, turning to Beatle in the other room, asleep. “Maybe there is hope…”