I took my time, I hurried up

Mateo

Grumbling something incomprehensible and likely in the travelling tongue anyway, Mateo's anger feels much less potent now that he knows his father doesn't feel it the same way - or he isn't showing it, at least. "It is more selfish than that for me," he admits about the refuge. "I know I was with Ever and his family, but... none of mine was there. I did not know if anyone would be alive when it was over." If his voice was any quieter it would be a whisper, Mateo leaning readily against Remi and closing his eyes for a second or two.

But the Lullaby is right, in the end, and the botanist forces his shoulders to relax and his jaw to unclench, blinking up at his father. "If you need a bit more strength then the rest of us do not stand a chance," he points out with a wry smile. "But I will try to be better. Thank you for coming to visit, Dad. I really have missed you."

i've told you time and time again
i'm not as think as you drunk i am

i'm not the man they think i am at home

Arguments bubble on Remi's tongue but he keeps them there, choosing instead to ripple his fingers across his son's shoulder instead. 'If ever there is another time like that....we will do things differently." No, there probably will not be another war in their lifetimes, but that something might disrupt the entire continent and force families apart?  Well, the Lullaby wasn't about to tempt fate by saying it would never happen. .

Snorting under his breath, Remi raises an eyebrow. "I am not so sure. I think my stubbornness outweighs my strength." He replies, letting his head move back and forth for a moment. "Where do you think you all get it from, if not me?" He grins.

"I will try and be better too. Hiding away on the mountain is easy for so many reasons...but I have missed you, Mateo." Tugging his son against him, this time ignoring the smudges of paint between them, Remi leans his cheek against Mateo's curls. "E ti amo esattamente per quello che sei.

Sempre."

~FIN