the sound of change

ASHE question: how do you make a monster stop feeling so monsterous? you give her something she can hold in her palms without crushing, you give her something sweet and tell her to keep it. I step back into view just in time to catch her last line, my eyebrow climbing. “Wanted posters? Gods, Theea—please tell me you’re not chasing that kind of family legacy.” My voice is warm, teasing, but the look I give her makes it clear I’ll be digging for details later if I have to. Sliding onto the other side of Vai, I lean into her shoulder like I’ve done it a hundred times, like I never forgot how. The slight buzz in my veins smooths the edges of the night, makes it easier to breathe. Easier to just be here without measuring how much time is left before I have to walk away again. I reach across my mom’s lap and find Theea’s hand, curling my fingers around hers. My thumb moves in slow, absent circles against her knuckles, and the words slip free before I can think better of them. “I love you both,” I murmur, my grin lingering but my voice low, a little thick. And for once, I don’t let guilt or regret creep in. Not tonight. I just hold on, take a deep breath, and let the moment root itself in me. “This feels like enough to keep me going for a while.” you wipe the blood from her hands you say her name, over and over like an absolution. you forgive her. you forgive her. you forgive.