forgeabettertomorrow: (We can fly if you believe)

[personal profile] forgeabettertomorrow 2020-09-15 09:52 pm (UTC)(link)
Then I'll stay.

And I'm happy to do so.
forgeabettertomorrow: (Back to my carefree days)

[personal profile] forgeabettertomorrow 2020-09-15 10:02 pm (UTC)(link)
[He laughs.]

I guess so.

It helped that you just looked so happy for a change. I couldn't take that away from you.
forgeabettertomorrow: (Don't know how to quit)

[personal profile] forgeabettertomorrow 2020-09-15 10:10 pm (UTC)(link)
You know, for the longest time I thought you were insulting me. Who knew it was a pet name this entire time?
forgeabettertomorrow: (I'm about to do something awesome)

[personal profile] forgeabettertomorrow 2020-09-15 10:14 pm (UTC)(link)
Then what am I to you?

[See that, Cecelia? That's called a trap and you walked into it.]
forgeabettertomorrow: (come on trust me!)

[personal profile] forgeabettertomorrow 2020-09-15 10:26 pm (UTC)(link)
[He props himself up on an elbow so that he's a little closer to her. So that when he speaks, he doesn't have to go much further above a whisper.]

...You know, you make it sound like a knot. But you know what it sounds like to me?

It sounds like I'm a lot less tangled and more woven together along with you.
forgeabettertomorrow: (I don't really get it but...)

[personal profile] forgeabettertomorrow 2020-09-15 11:15 pm (UTC)(link)
But aren't things worth having more difficult to attain?

[At least his usual boundless optimism still seems to be in tact.]
forgeabettertomorrow: (aw man...)

[personal profile] forgeabettertomorrow 2020-09-15 11:26 pm (UTC)(link)
...You know, I used to think that stuff wasn't for me.

[He tilts his head, leaning into her touch. It felt...comforting. He'd never had his hair stroked like this before. It made him surprisingly affectionate. Not only does he lean into her touch but he gathers her closer and nuzzles his head into the crook of her neck.]

I used to think a lot of things weren't for me. But...I suppose since you know me...er...knew me. You know all about where I come from...

[A thought occurs:]

...Does that mean you know what I am? What I was supposed to be...?
forgeabettertomorrow: (I don't really get it but...)

[personal profile] forgeabettertomorrow 2020-09-15 11:32 pm (UTC)(link)
And...even despite that...you still love me...?

[He couldn't fight the hope that found its way into his voice. This world's Darin...he may have known respect and purpose unlike what he'd known in his world...but that one thing still eluded him.]
forgeabettertomorrow: (But what does 'being anime' even mean?)

[personal profile] forgeabettertomorrow 2020-09-15 11:46 pm (UTC)(link)
[He's silent for a long time. In fact, with the way his muscles tense periodically, she might mistake it for him being upset or somehow repulsed by the idea.]

[It's only when the tensing of his muscles becomes a little bit more rhythmic that she might sense that something else is amiss. Especially when she might feel something wet on her collarbone, especially since he has long since dried from the rain.]

[Finally, he shakes his head slowly, just enough to deny her claim that it was pathetic.]

[And he manages to choke out a response.]


...I'm so glad...
forgeabettertomorrow: (You're my hope you're my everything)

[personal profile] forgeabettertomorrow 2020-09-15 11:58 pm (UTC)(link)
[He shakes his head a little more vigorously this time.]

It's just...

...No one's ever...

I never thought anyone would...

[He struggles to find his words, to complete the thought. As if doing so would make all of this vanish. As much as Cecelia is able to see, she might have glossed over that this Darin came here directly from his world where he'd spent a lifetime of thinking he'd never be worth anything to anyone. And while he might have found purpose and respect, albeit warped through his dark master's machinations, the last time he'd experienced anything close to 'love' was so so long ago...]

[It's something he never thought he'd feel again. And maybe, that's why he threw himself into his position so zealously. Because it filled a hole.]

[And so she'll find him clinging tighter to her, his fingers wrapping themselves and clinging desperately to the fabric of her dress, the muscles of his arms tensing like titanium but still refraining from squeezing too hard, ever mindful of her frame. Every action, every movement designed to keep this moment in its entirety out of absolute terror that it could slip away from him.]
forgeabettertomorrow: (I think I know where I belong)

[personal profile] forgeabettertomorrow 2020-09-16 12:27 am (UTC)(link)
[The words ring in his ears over and over and over.]

['I missed you so much.']

[Never in his life did he ever believe that his absence would leave anyone wanting. Every day he threw himself into his work, and every night he'd return to his quarters satisfied that his work was done, but never once did he believe the citizens of the Empire would miss him. He was more a fixture than a person...something to guarantee stability.]

[A tool.]

[Just like he was a tool back in his world. A tool for potential destruction. A means to an end. Never a person. Never a man who just wanted peace and maybe, just maybe, for someone's heart to find his.]

[This person knew him. It seemed like she knew him better than he even knew himself. Like she knew about all of the dark things in the recesses of his mind. His fears, his insecurities, his wrath. And even so, she still loved him. She missed him. His absence caused her pain.]

[It happens in a bit of a flurry. He reaches up and cups her cheek, then snakes his hand to the back of her head to pull her into a desperate, demanding kiss. One that allows the faintest of sounds escape from his throat as he indulges in this moment. And then finally, with their lips barely parted.]


As long as there's a place for me in your heart...I won't leave...