[He has never revealed any of the scars that stayed since the flowers tore up his insides as they grew and grew feeding on his lies to himself and to others. A tickle in the throat is something to fear and he hasn't talked about any of it. The idea reminds him of the pain of the flowers and the helplessness as Lance struggled to live. Kravitz sought to help.
And Pidge vanished, all of his world crumbling to pieces. It reminds him of still waters that didn't even ripple when a child was thrust out over them. Of the flames on the beach and the sounds of a bloody siege in the pitch black.
How...could he talk about it? They need to know what dangers they could face. But not...not about how they sometimes chase him from sleep. How watery light makes him freeze for a moment.
All of that is just something to live through. He takes a step towards her when she pauses and her eyes widen. She lurches towards him and grabs his hand. He folds both of his over hers in a protective cage. The shade can't have her.]
I know. [Will he see her when he wakes up? Or will he wake up with vague fragments of a dream? He meets her eyes with a quiet fire reflected back at her. Not with anger, just the steady determination to endure despite how much the rest of the world wants to take from him.] I know you'll always be here to support me. I can't tell you how much that means to me.
[He draws one hand away from hers to place it lightly over his own heart.] Even if you're not here. You're right here.
[He tugs his sleeve back down over the scarring that looks so much like Shiro's. He hasn't told him about that. One day he will. When he's ready to. Because that includes talking about Bliss and who shattered his fake blissful dream.]
It was a sickness called Overgrowth. It didn't act like a normal illness. It grew because of the lies we tell all the time to hide how we feel. The people who first got it...were sending the afflicted to the island of Umui. We caught it when we found their bones. I was among the first to get sick.
Flowers grew out of us. A lot of people died but the dead don't stay dead. There's just a price for it. Pidge couldn't tell lies. Lance couldn't talk at all.
cw: body horror, character death (s7 spoilers)
And Pidge vanished, all of his world crumbling to pieces. It reminds him of still waters that didn't even ripple when a child was thrust out over them. Of the flames on the beach and the sounds of a bloody siege in the pitch black.
How...could he talk about it? They need to know what dangers they could face. But not...not about how they sometimes chase him from sleep. How watery light makes him freeze for a moment.
All of that is just something to live through. He takes a step towards her when she pauses and her eyes widen. She lurches towards him and grabs his hand. He folds both of his over hers in a protective cage. The shade can't have her.]
I know. [Will he see her when he wakes up? Or will he wake up with vague fragments of a dream? He meets her eyes with a quiet fire reflected back at her. Not with anger, just the steady determination to endure despite how much the rest of the world wants to take from him.] I know you'll always be here to support me. I can't tell you how much that means to me.
[He draws one hand away from hers to place it lightly over his own heart.] Even if you're not here. You're right here.
[He tugs his sleeve back down over the scarring that looks so much like Shiro's. He hasn't told him about that. One day he will. When he's ready to. Because that includes talking about Bliss and who shattered his fake blissful dream.]
It was a sickness called Overgrowth. It didn't act like a normal illness. It grew because of the lies we tell all the time to hide how we feel. The people who first got it...were sending the afflicted to the island of Umui. We caught it when we found their bones. I was among the first to get sick.
Flowers grew out of us. A lot of people died but the dead don't stay dead. There's just a price for it. Pidge couldn't tell lies. Lance couldn't talk at all.