endure & survive.

so to those i’ve hurt in the past, I apologize. to those who have hurt me in the past, I forgive you. this chapter of my life has closed, but I genuinely want to look back at it with fondness - not regret. 

thanks for everything, guys. <3 stay safe out there and always remember you are worth so much more than you give yourself credit for! love y’all!

𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐨 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬𝐧’𝐭 𝐝𝐨 𝐟𝐮𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐥𝐬 .       not even when the deceased are her brothers ,        the men who sacrifice in the name of their country .       knows she should ,        should show support to their families ,   but she can’t .     not since she stood at the funeral of her own parents ,     surrounded by well-wishers who ,   a week later ,     let her get swept into the foster care system .     swore she’d never attend another funeral again ,     and yet here she is :         hovering in the distance ,      arms folded across her chest as philip lays his mother to rest . 

always  enjoy  the  time  they  spend  together ,     mostly     in     secret ,     and  for  sia     :     it’s     perfect .     isn’t  much  looking  for  it  to  be  out  in  the  open ,     wants  it  private .     wants  to  have  the  little  time  she  has  with  echo ,     alone .     because  she  knows  that  in  less  than  a  days  notice     :     it  can  go  months  between  seeing  her  again .     waking  up  to  her .     feeling  her  warmth  against  her  side .     there’s  a  small  smile  tugging  at  her  lips  while  lifting  up  on  one  of  her  hands  so  she  is  hovering  above  her     :     forehead  comes  to  rest  against  hers .     ❛     it  is  when  you  are  here .     ❜     voice  holds  a  teasing  tenor  while  looking  down  at  her .

@risenphoenix· said:  wound :   my  muse  patches  and  bandages  a  wound  your  muse  has  gotten.   (  echo @ helo  )

a wince crosses his features as echo tugs on the bandages around his hands,  peeling back white fabric stained sanguine and revealing the raw wounds on his palm.     hand shakes from the throbbing,  and the pain that surges throughout his entire body.     perhaps the memory is worst than the actual act,  leaving behind an echo in his lungs to hold forever.      remembering back to when he was laid down and nailed to a cross all for a damn chip.

‘     how does it look,  doctor?     ‘      helo teases,  a sad attempt of cracking a joke,  accompanied by an upward twitch of his tiers as he finds her focused orbs.     she doesn’t even attempt to smile or even huff a chuckle at his words,  but instead studies her gaze on his wound.      as she does so,  helo wonders if she could feel whatever she does to him   –   feel how his hand hurts something awful.     wonders if she can feel how fast his heart races.         ‘     did you….     feel this?     with our connection?     or whatever it is that we have.      ‘

𝐢𝐧 𝐚𝐳𝐠𝐞𝐝𝐚 ,    𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐚 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐫 .     warriors cannot serve both purposes ,    for their attention will always stray from one .      there are members of her clan who study herbs ,    who know how to help those wounded in battle ,    but her understanding is limited .     restricted only to the care she has received at the hands of another .     care she leans upon now.

𝐨𝐟 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞 𝐡𝐞’𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐫 :       right there beside gaia and miller ,      his gaze frantic while gloved fingers force the manacles from her wrists .     this ,   the curse of their connection :     she can’t hide her pain from him ,    and he can’t hide his fear .      exhausted ,    hurting gaze remains locked with his as she’s released from her chains ;        though she reaches out to brush her fingertips against the curve of his cheek ,     her attention drifts elsewhere .    onto her captor ,   onto ryker ,    onto the weapon she wedges between his ribs .    drives it higher and higher until he collapses at her feet ,   the light gone from his steely eyes .    he made his choice & so has she .     pity they couldn’t reach an agreement.       slowly ,    she turns towards helo ,     heavy gaze finding his .     doesn’t say a word ,     doesn’t offer up an explanation ,     only takes two quick steps closer ,    arms lifting to pull him into an embrace .

𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 ,      𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐤𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐡𝐢𝐦 .     waste absolutely no qualms about it ,    his resources far more valuable than his life itself .     she has risked her life to save him ,    protects him the best she can ,     and yet he comes around anyway .     seems to have no self-preservation at all .     brows furrow as she watches him linger by the door ,     her own hearing tuned to the familiar sound of footsteps in the hall .     mikey ,   no doubt ,    heading down for his turn at patrol .    it’ll be a damn miracle if diego makes it back out alive . 

𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐝 .      shifted ,   really ,     but changed nonetheless .     ever since they found ophelia ,     found the last remaining member of his crew ,     leon’s been . . .     different .       a little more reserved ,     a little more withdrawn from her .      it’s almost poetic that she finds him here ,      looking out into the dark abyss .      the same spot she found him before ,     back when he was bitter & angry & refusing to believe she was worthy of becoming his partner .      echo comes to stand beside him ,     arms folded across her chest ,      shoulders tensed and spine straight .        ‘        did she wake ?         ’  

𝐬𝐢𝐱 𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬 ,   𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐭𝐞𝐬 ,   𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐰𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐲-𝐬𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐬𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐬 :    that’s how much time they have left .     despite the complete exhaustion that plagues her ,    she denied herself the luxuries of sleep .    couldn’t stand the thought of losing one more second with selene ;      even after countless lifetimes spent at the woman’s side ,    it never quite feels like enough .      fingertips brush gently against selene’s soft skin as the sunlight spills across their tangled legs :    the very picture of two women so deeply in love ,     though their love story is longer than most .     more torturous ,   too ,   but she tries not to dwell on that .    soon enough she’ll return to yet another war zone and they’ll each be left to pick up the pieces . . .     to yearn for another six hours , thirteen minutes , and twenty-seven seconds.      with a soft sigh ,    echo presses closer to selene’s form ,    dark eyes studying the woman’s features :     her very soul outside her body ,    the one she’s spent centuries loving .      ‘       this will be over soon.      i won’t re-enlist this time .     ’  

it’s     where     their     journey     started .     inside  the  mountain     &     side  by  side .     started  that  way     &     ended  up  that  way ,     again .     even  if  there  had  been  so  many  up’s  and  down’s  between  then  and  now .     it’s  brought  them  closer  tho ,     closer  to  echo  than  he  has  been  anyone  else .     the  scars ,     both  on  her     &     his  own  body ,     almost  matching     :    it’s  a  reminder  every  day .     that  no  matter  how  dark  and  grim  things  might  look ,     they  can  still  win .     they     can     get     through     it .     together .     ❛     you  saved  me  too .     ❜     he  wouldn’t  be  here  without  her .     it’s  said  softy  against  her  skin ,     dark  gaze  lift  towards  her ,     a  tug  of  smile .     ❛     i’m  just  glad  it  was  you .     ❜  

they     should     move     someplace     else .    the     rational     part     of  him  knows  that ,     but  the  other  part ,     the     winning     part     :     doesn’t  want  to  move  away  from  her .     doesn’t  want  to  break  this ,     even  if  there  are  lines  crossed     &     things  has  to  have  an  answer  if  someone  were  to  come  by .     but  one  way  or  another   :   it  would  come  up .      it  couldn’t  be  held  a     secret     when  trapped  into  such  a  small  place ,     so  he’ll  enjoy  it  while  he  still  can .     hand  move  up  along  her  spine ,     calloused  hand  against  warm  skin     :    up  to  the  middle  of  her  back ,     other  hand  tugging  the  fabric  of  her  t - shirt  up  aswell .     breaks  the  kiss  for  a  moment  tho ,     just  barely ,     eyes  open  to  meet  hers ,     as  if  to  silently  ask  if  she     really     wants  this .

𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐨,   @risenphoenix.

“    when’d  you  know?     ”       love hasn’t always found her so easily.    it had been obvious with finn   –––   the deepest feelings she had ever felt,    and they still hadn’t gone away,    even years after his life had been taken.     echo’s relationship with bellamy is the closest thing to true love raven had seen in all her lifetime.     they worked together in a way that almost made it seem as though they were made for one another   –––   something that didn’t seem to be in the stars for raven,   with the luck of her relationships so far.     “    with bellamy.       how’d you figure it out?    ”

  ‛   𝐡𝐨𝐰  ?     ’    she repeats slowly  ,     brows furrowing as she stares down at the murky water below .       elbow-deep in bowls ringed with green ,      she certainly didn’t expect their conversation to go here .        takes a moment to sort through her thoughts before she turns ,     glancing at raven over her shoulder.          ‛     in azgeda ,     we are taught that forgiveness cannot be earned .      punishment is our only way .       he does not agree .       he gave me a chance to prove myself .      he teaches me how to be better .     you all do .      ’