For the Prince of Darkness Who Grew With His Friends
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“[Susie, Kris] B-Both of them gave so much courage. More than I’d ever felt in my heart—and I had to use it to keep being the friend I felt I had to be.”
Ralsei steadied his paws over his knees.
“Because they deserved that from me more than anything. They deserved all the cakes I could make and all the hugs I could offer—the best of who I am.” He let out a pained laugh. “But… my best wasn’t what they needed. And that’s when I found out something about the friendships we form—something I can’t explain no matter how hard I try.”
“What?” Daisy asked.
“Great friends—truly great friends—can’t just accept you as some idea of a perfect friend. Something in them, it wants you to be… messy. Being messy means there’s room to grow, even if you never thought there was anything to grow towards. The greatest thing you can take from the Lightners, Daisy, is this confusing, infectious idea.”
He looked up at the sky, at the soft rays of light which had circled them since the start of the picnic.
“It gives… hope.”
Excerpt from my DELTARUNE fic Promise Me, Somewhere in an Elsewhere
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