"I know you do," it's soft, gentle, even there's a sort of unheard, affectionate you giant idiot at the end. He's silent for a moment, but it's the silence of someone working out how to express something, not the end of the conversation.
"People always say that like it's the end of the story," he says, after a moment, not moving his head from Phillip's chest, "Like it's the ultimate declaration, the only thing in the world that truly matters. But that's not true, is it." It's not really a question. Gustavain takes a deep breath into a soft sigh, tension leaving his shoulders more by active choice than naturally,
"And yet, isn't it really the beginning rather than the end? My parents loved me. I loved my sister. I've loved you since Ishgard. I've loved both before and after you. But all of those stories have ended differently, for different reasons, for different kinds of love. I've loved and lost and I've lost before I even know if I could have loved. Love is just an emotion, like any other. It doesn't carve a specific path."
"That's what I mean when I say I look at you and see a mystery. Your feelings have never been in doubt. And I would think neither have mine. But this story doesn't have an ending yet and, whether we like it or not, the world literally hangs in the balance between us. I trust you and I want you, more than anything. And the selfish part of me that doesn't care if the world burns doesn't care about the rest. But I do."
no subject
"People always say that like it's the end of the story," he says, after a moment, not moving his head from Phillip's chest, "Like it's the ultimate declaration, the only thing in the world that truly matters. But that's not true, is it." It's not really a question. Gustavain takes a deep breath into a soft sigh, tension leaving his shoulders more by active choice than naturally,
"And yet, isn't it really the beginning rather than the end? My parents loved me. I loved my sister. I've loved you since Ishgard. I've loved both before and after you. But all of those stories have ended differently, for different reasons, for different kinds of love. I've loved and lost and I've lost before I even know if I could have loved. Love is just an emotion, like any other. It doesn't carve a specific path."
"That's what I mean when I say I look at you and see a mystery. Your feelings have never been in doubt. And I would think neither have mine. But this story doesn't have an ending yet and, whether we like it or not, the world literally hangs in the balance between us. I trust you and I want you, more than anything. And the selfish part of me that doesn't care if the world burns doesn't care about the rest. But I do."