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»this doesn’t feel real«, cynthia whispers. she has wrapped her arms around calren, burying her face against his chest, and she seems torn between not daring to put any pressure on him, as if he could vanish into thin air if she hugged him too tightly, and wanting to hold him so close he couldn’t possibly disappear again.
calren pulls her closer, kisses the top of her head. he doesn’t want to let go, but backs off just enough so he can sign to her with one hand. »this is real. i promise.«
she looks up at him, tears gleaming in her eyes. »but you are—«
dead. they both know what she was going to say, but she doesn’t; stops herself, as if saying it out loud could make it more real, as if mere words could shatter the illusion and pull her out of this moment, back into the reality that has been feeling like an endless loop of hopelessness and grief lately.
»i am right here with you«, calren signs, a slight smile on his lips. »forever and always.« he reaches for her, runs his thumb over her tear-stained cheek. her skin feels pleasantly cool under the palm of his hand, just like he remembers.
she sobs as she leans into the touch, gaze fixed on him, barely blinking. not letting him out of her sight for one second, too scared he might be gone as soon as she looks away.
calren can’t take his eyes off of her, either. he has been watching over her the whole time, barely gone for more than a fleeting moment, but it’s so good to see her up close again. to be able to touch her just like before, to feel her presence he has gotten so used to.
before he knows it, he pulls her closer again, acting purely on instinct, one hand gently grabbing the back of her neck, half tangled in her hair. the comforting familiarity of her body is almost too much, too perfect — this doesn’t feel real, he thinks, understanding all too well what she meant, why she couldn’t believe it was really him — no illusion, no dream, no cruel joke — at first.
this moment does feel too good to be true. it seems so fragile, so unreal.
but when their lips touch—
all uncertainty evaporates between breathless sighs and desperate kisses. all doubt fades away as their hearts beat as one, until there’s nothing left but the truth: this is real. i am right here with you, forever and always.