"I know. I think we have to redefine our version of normal because it's entirely different now." Normal before the accelerator and normal after the accelerator were definitely two different meanings. Things were so out of hand now that he wasn't sure if things would ever fall back to the way it was.

Maybe that wasn't a bad thing. New things were being discovered every single day because of the accelerator, things that were actually impressive. People that wanted to help were coming out of the woodworks, which was always a good thing.

As someone who held the same amount of hope and optimism, Barry was certain that he wouldn't lose that as he grew up, as long as he kept his head above water and chose to believe in the good. As long as he kept himself bright and cheerful then he wouldn't lose that.

The whole city is going to follow suit on that front, she's fairly certain. The history of this town will be broken down into before and after. She wonders how far the after is going to reach. Will they ever truly know how much damage one man's innovation, and his ego, can do to this city?

"Well, he comes by his stubbornness honestly." Both she and Michael are great at digging their heels in. On believing so wholeheartedly that they're right that sometimes they can't see reason, or give themselves the space to entertain another perspective. She hopes Mike is better than both of them in that regard.

"I just worry about him." She says, shrugging it off as she looks over at the red-clad mannequin across the cortex. "He believes in the good in the world, and the people in it. He believes in the impossible. I just don't want him to get his heart broken when he realizes that not every impossible wish can come true."

There was something so tragic in knowing he had managed to find the love of his life among all the chaos his life had become, just to be forced to abandon her-- Why? Michael couldn't help but wonder. They had gone through so much together, endured so much without letting go of each other's hands and still, they hadn't been granted a 'happy ending'--

Which now made him question, was there even such a thing? For him, at least, he'd come to the conclusion that there wasn't. He would never get a happy ending, not completely, not when he would be plagued by the weight of his mistakes, the weight of his actions ( actions that had led people right into harm's way ) for the rest of his days.

Yes, many of the bad things he'd done in the last several years, Michael had either done them against his will or to protect his loved ones-- But that didn't him make feel any better, did not make him feel any less guilty. Guilt kept him up at night more often than he'd like to admit, by the way. & now, lying in bed with Sara again after so long, was the first time in years he'd been able to sleep well.

No nightmares. That was great for a change.

The movement on the bed, though light, was enough to wake him up. & it took only half a minute for him to remember where he was and most importantly, who was right by his side and a smile immediately tugged at the corners of his lips.

There were a lot of things the two of them needed to figure out, Michael wasn't stupid-- He knew they couldn't simply pick up exactly where they left off, especially when now there was a child involved. Their child, their son...

But they could do it, right? Like they had done many times before this-- they would lean on one another and get up. ( He just hoped nothing and no one would come drag them down once more ).

She thinks, briefly, that she's been running on empty these last few years. That her body has still been tuned into survival mode even though she swore things had stabilized. She's not sure she's actually let herself truly rest since the night before their wedding. What should've been her only wedding.

God, she's gonna have to explain that to Michael. She married someone else, she tied her life to another person. He deserves an explanation for that.

She had never intended to marry again. Michael was it for her, that was an irrefutable fact. As true and inarguable as the sky being blue. She had promised him until the end of her lifetime and she meant it. There would never be another person who could make her feel the way he does. And that part has remained true, but she married Jacob anyway.

She's been thinking about that a lot these last few days. About why she did it, about if she ever actually loved Jacob or if she just thought she did. Or maybe it was never really about Jacob at all. Maybe she was just trying to prove something to herself. She still hasn't really figured it out, she doesn't know if she ever fully will, but she knows she'd make different choices if she could go back.

She thinks about what Michael's life was like in those first few years. The years before Ogygia. What was he doing, how long was he doing it for. Did he try to tell her back then? Had there been clues and signs that she missed? Because Michael would've never just abandoned them, he didn't just abandon them, and he's always found a way to get a message to her.

That's part of why she believed it for so long. At first she hoped it was some sort of cruel trick, or something he had done out of necessity. She looked for any sign she could find, paid extra careful attention to her mail for those first few years. He'd snuck paper cranes into her mailbox before, he could do it again.

But there was nothing. So she believed it. She believed that he was really gone, she moved on with her life as best as she possibly could. She made sure their son knew about Michael, she answered his questions, she made sure his father was still a part of his life. She never thought they'd have the chance for Michael to actually be in his life.

"You were never mine. You were just passing time with me."

"I didn’t lie to you. I just told you the version of the truth you wanted most."

"Don’t look at me like that. You would have done the same if you had the chance."

"You thought I loved you. That was the easiest part of the game."

"I didn’t break your heart. I just showed you how fragile it already was."

"You mistook my silence for devotion. It was only calculation."

"I kept every promise I made to you—just not in the way you believed I would."

"I wasn’t loyal. I was bored."

"You trusted me because you wanted to. That’s not my sin—that’s yours."

"I never needed your love. I only needed your weakness."

"You gave me everything, and I didn’t even want half of it."

"I stayed, not because of you, but because I hadn’t yet found someone better."

"Don’t call it betrayal. Call it clarity."

"I kissed you knowing I would use the taste against you later."

"You thought my touch meant devotion. It meant possession."

"I didn’t destroy you. You destroyed yourself the moment you believed me."

"I never chose you. You were convenient."

"Your love was currency. I just spent it."

"The moment you handed me your trust, you made it worthless."

"I never loved you. I loved what loving you gave me."

"I never lied. I just never cared enough to tell the truth."

"You gave me your heart. I never asked for it."

"You call it cruelty. I call it honesty too late."

"You were useful. That was all."

"I didn’t fall out of love. I simply stopped pretending."

"You thought I was different. That was your first mistake."

"Every word I gave you was rehearsed. Every touch, deliberate."

"Don’t cry. You always knew I wasn’t staying."

"I didn’t betray you. I just chose myself."

"You mistook my patience for affection."

"If I wanted to break you, I would’ve done it faster."

"You should’ve realized: people don’t abandon what they value."

"You weren’t the love of my life. You were a distraction."

"I never saw forever with you. Only convenience."

"You think I regret it? I don’t regret a thing."

"You gave me loyalty. I never promised the same."

"I didn’t keep you because I loved you. I kept you because you stayed."

"If it hurts, it means you made me bigger than I ever was."

"You asked for truth. This is it: you never mattered as much as you thought."

"I didn’t leave you broken. You were already cracked—I just let the light show."

dialogue.

i trusted you. my mistake.

i'll never forgive you.

i'll spend the rest of my life making you miserable.

we'll never be the same again.

you crossed a line.

you and me? we're done.

beg. for your life. for forgiveness. just beg.

are you going to beg?

i almost had you.

you were lucky last time. not this time.

they're dead ... because of you.

you took everything from me! what more do you want?

i'm not mad that you lied to me. i'm mad that i can't trust you ever again.

i will sacrifice us both just to make a point.

making each other miserable is our thing. don't try to change that.

this is my revenge.

something about you makes me want to be violent.

how could you?

why did you come back for me?

i'm sorry. i'm sorry. i'm sorry.

i won't make that mistake again.

you betrayed me. i suffered.

how fucking dare you!

how the fuck could you do this to me? to us?

our story ends with your end.

i won't show you mercy.

why are you helping me? i don't like you!

just this once.

you won't always be able to cheat death.

concepts.

on sight. sender and receiver have been on opposing sides for years. anytime one of them sees the other, it's bound to turn into an altercation.

knife wound. sender stabs receiver with a small blade.

pointed end. sender holds a blade to receiver's throat.

enemy of my enemy. sender or receiver saves the other from an oncoming attack from a third party, forcing them to temporarily be allies.

fist to kiss. sender kisses receiver without warning after a moment of high tension and close proximity shared between the pair.

enemies to lovers. suddenly sender's and receiver's banter and fighting turns into something more than hateful encounters.

headlock. sender manages to pull receiver into a headlock and continue a physical altercation.

betrayal. receiver confronts sender over feeling betrayed by them.

❝ i'll always protect you. ❞

❝ i never meant to get this close, but now that i have i can't let you go. ❞

❝ i live for the moments when you look at me. the rest of the time i'm just existing. ❞

❝ i don't like how you make me feel. but i like not being around you even less. ❞

❝ i wish you wouldn't look at me like that. when you look at me like that i...it makes me wanna do things i shouldn't ❞

❝ there's no line i wouldn't cross for you. don't you realize that? ❞

❝ i did this for you. no one else. ❞

❝ i don't like it, but i'll do it for you. ❞

❝ i wonder how much of myself i'll have to give to you—how much i have to lay bare—before you realize how much you're taking. ❞

❝ i'm not trying to fix you. i'm just trying to be your friend. ❞

❝ i'm not um, real good at thank yous. or sorry's. but if you ever need me, i'm there. i owe you one. ❞

❝ i've seen you at your worst and i'm still standing here. ❞

❝ you've seen me at my worst but you're still here... ❞

❝ you can be mad at me, i can take it. i'd rather you be angry than shut me out. ❞

❝ i'm not angry, i'm just scared. ❞

❝ i know you love me, but do you like me? ❞

❝ do you think i'm a good person? ❞

❝ do you think i care for you so little that betraying me would make a difference? of course i'm helping you. ❞

❝ tell me what i can do to show you how i love you. i will give you anything you ask for. ❞

❝ you don't have to keep apologizing. just be here. day in and day out and prove that you're gonna keep showing up. that's all you have to do. ❞

❝ i only sleep well when you're next to me. ❞

❝ i don't want an apology i just want to understand. ❞

❝ i could actually use a hug right now. ❞

❝ i want everyone else to go away, but you can stay. ❞

❝ i actually do care what you think about. you're probably one of the only people whose opinion matters to me. ❞

❝ you always seem to know what i need. ❞

❝ you always seem to know just what i need to hear. ❞

❝ i want you to call me when you need someone. i want to be here for you. ❞

❝ you're the one i wanna call when i need someone. ❞