#ah--

" I apologize for lying to you "

The only words she could bring herself to say after everything that they went through. She really was sorry he had to see her get hurt.

Silence was inevitable. For a moment, that particular moment came rushing back with nerve chilling clarity. The way her face was horror struck as the denizen of the dreamy abyss had made its claim. Learning of the unfurled truth was akin to dropping a cold bucket of water upon his body. It only further solidified the bitter truth in how many people held their own reasons for the fight. To take these relationships, to weave together falsehood in the name of expanding that very ambition.

Caelus couldn't anticipate that weaving together connections and having that deceptively stripped away counts among those cards. Even then, she held the bravery to face him now, to allow their gazes to meet as she expressed the gnawing regret upon her heart. After allowing his once hitched breathing to level, there was a fire in those eyes. The temptation to allow his frustrations to reign was too close, nearly a small click of impulse away.

"...And all that you've done this for, blood, sweat and tears, was it true Firefly?"

He doesn't allow fear or uncertainty to make him hesitate. For the Trailblazer steps forward, daring to cross the distance that remains so potently thick with the emotions brewing between them. Time and time again do the images pop within his mind, of time shared, of that fight that felt so oddly avoidant when it came to him committing to the encounter. A brisk, bitter wind flows by the both of them as their gazes lock.

"What you've wished for." This is what pained him the most of all, the mere idea that it could be. "A life outside of this dream.. Was that just a lie to make me give a damn too?"

ACCEPTANCE

"i look in the mirror and don't recognize the face staring back."

// oh, little songbird, when did you stop singing? why do you let yourself fade into the background, so sure you're not worth seeing? who convinced you that you are nothing but empty air?

for as long as you can remember, you've screamed at the sky to be noticed, to be seen, but that never quite worked, did it? so you accepted your role. you learned to bite your tongue, to watch, to fade away. it's easier that way, isn't it? better quiet than ignored. at least this way, you have some control over the situation. but it stings, doesn't it?

the more you quiet yourself, the more you force yourself to fade away, the harder it is to reach you. you're losing yourself...and that terrifies you, doesn't it? what you seek is acceptance, to be seen and loved and listened to. and, little ghost, you deserve it.