@talonblades the hornsby residence, london, uk
"This is the Way the World Ends: Not with a Bang but a Whimper"
these words haunt ezequiel as he overlooks athens, ruins, rubble, ruined spiderweb, ichor and blood. his failures... and his victory.
his mother's city stands, despite the devastating effect of titans forces trying to use it as their place of rising. his husband lives, his brother lives, his brother's father gets to look him in the eyes with the knowledge of who arthur is, of who ezequiel is to him.
they are a family. for the first time in a long time, all together. except grief also hangs over them like a shroud, over camp. it's not new, ezequiel's father meets his eyes with wisdom and sadness that humbles him as they sit together; like they've been here before. loss has been in his bloodline for generations... from both sides it seems.
he finds arthur alone, it's hard seeing him suffer, struggling like that. they see eye to eye on virtually everything, the one point of tension he chooses not to think of right now. they are close enough he almost feels like they share a single soul. and yet this is a weight he bears mostly alone, by design and choice.
he settles down easily on the floor, laying his head cross his lap. he cannot say things are okay, he cannot say it'll be fine, or it'll get easier. all he can say is that he will be there, now and forever, however the world ends, whatever comes from them.
"we could stay here a while." he says gently, "just us, i know it's... a lot, the kids, ethan, everyone. but this is what we fought so hard for. it's okay if we put away the weapons for a little bit."