Maea
The worst of all blessings
As they talked, the difference between this easy comfort and the nerve-wracking thrill she'd experienced with Sunjata became increasingly clear to her. Though she didn't really compare the two men, the emotional maturity of both them and herself was unmistakable. It did boost her confidence, honestly; confirming that time really had passed, that she had grown and learned - and, perhaps, that the foundation of this relationship was built on something steadier than lust and pity.
Closing her eyes, Maea let the peace of the evening wash over her. With Liam's arm around her and his shoulder beneath her cheek, the treehouse felt more like a home than ever. The rich aroma of the pie cooling atop of the stove mingled with the scent of the man beside her; of woodsmoke and clean clothes, and the subtle musky tang that was purely him. Breathing it in with a deep sigh of contentment, it was hard to imagine how anything could be better than this.
Peeling open one eye as his voice rumbled subtly against her brow, Maea considered the question. Several things did drift past her mind, of varying importance - questions, untold details about her life, things she had yet to discover about him - but in the end, only two topics remained that felt pressing enough to risk this peaceful moment over.
"I think... yeah. Since it's a big topic. Firstly, you should know that I've done... some bad things, in the past. After the breakup - I kind of went a bit crazy. I, uh, set fire to a hospital to hurt his new partner..." It was hard to admit, and harder still to not make excuses for herself - but since they'd just agreed on the importance of honesty, there was no reason for her to hide her ugly past. "Fortunately no one got hurt, but not because of anything I did." Thinking back, she still recalled the bitter disappointment that her plans had failed, that she hadn't made them feel even a fraction of the pain she'd lived with... "So. While I'm very grateful to you for seeing good in me... I need you to be aware that there's plenty of darkness too. And sometimes it has won."
Stilling beneath his arm as she waited for him to process, it wasn't without a certain dread that she listened for a reaction. She'd done exactly what he hated the most - gone after someone innocent to exact selfish revenge on another - and while it was a long time ago... it had happened. It was something she was capable of. Something she didn't want to repeat, but couldn't swear to never doing again - because she knew herself too well at this point.
Closing her eyes, Maea let the peace of the evening wash over her. With Liam's arm around her and his shoulder beneath her cheek, the treehouse felt more like a home than ever. The rich aroma of the pie cooling atop of the stove mingled with the scent of the man beside her; of woodsmoke and clean clothes, and the subtle musky tang that was purely him. Breathing it in with a deep sigh of contentment, it was hard to imagine how anything could be better than this.
Peeling open one eye as his voice rumbled subtly against her brow, Maea considered the question. Several things did drift past her mind, of varying importance - questions, untold details about her life, things she had yet to discover about him - but in the end, only two topics remained that felt pressing enough to risk this peaceful moment over.
"I think... yeah. Since it's a big topic. Firstly, you should know that I've done... some bad things, in the past. After the breakup - I kind of went a bit crazy. I, uh, set fire to a hospital to hurt his new partner..." It was hard to admit, and harder still to not make excuses for herself - but since they'd just agreed on the importance of honesty, there was no reason for her to hide her ugly past. "Fortunately no one got hurt, but not because of anything I did." Thinking back, she still recalled the bitter disappointment that her plans had failed, that she hadn't made them feel even a fraction of the pain she'd lived with... "So. While I'm very grateful to you for seeing good in me... I need you to be aware that there's plenty of darkness too. And sometimes it has won."
Stilling beneath his arm as she waited for him to process, it wasn't without a certain dread that she listened for a reaction. She'd done exactly what he hated the most - gone after someone innocent to exact selfish revenge on another - and while it was a long time ago... it had happened. It was something she was capable of. Something she didn't want to repeat, but couldn't swear to never doing again - because she knew herself too well at this point.
The most beautiful of curses
Base by Skylark
