‘you’ve never hurt me. ever.’ >:3c
soft angst . / accepting .
❝ maybe therein lies the issue . ❞ curt , and to the point — a serrated blade’s edge on his tongue , with so much profound weight to his words that he feels a horrifyingly relieving sense of weight lifted off his shoulders , however callous he may seem . he hasn’t hurt her ; he hasn’t driven her away in the way he feels inclined to do so , when she’s seen him , entirely . seen him , and the stories etched into his skin , the ghosts embedded into his lungs , the light tremor of his hands when he wakes with a start and a gasp and a breath that feels like he had been a drowning man , desperate and ragged and uncertain about whether or not the currents would pull him under again . it frightens him , to be known so intimately , when he’s done everything in his life to be everything but ; he’s torn off his veil and shed his mask , laid bare each raw , exposed nerve and trusted her to treat him gently . and she has — she has , she has . but napoleon finds himself too vulnerable here , too wary . too afraid . ❝ would it be easier for you if i did? ❞