‘ you gonna break my heart? ’ (from luke ;^;)
TO ALL THE BOYS STARTERS !
before piper, it was common for people to underestimate children of aphrodite. they weren't blessed with incredible strength or amazing skills at weaponry. none of them could make crops grow or die, or summon any of the elements with a flick of their wrists.
that didn't change the fact that love is still one of the oldest forces in the world, one of the most powerful.
it's easy to forget, of course. love means so many different things, gets diluted so many different ways over the years. anything can start as a primordial force, unwavering, unyielding, all-encompassing, but if you use it every day, apply it to small things, wrong things, the definition gets twisted.
part of being a child of aphrodite is seeing where real love is in people. how strong it is, how sincere, how long it will last. and seeing how it's been abused, manipulated, scarred.
they're already close -- physical distance is a myth between him and luke these days -- so it's easy for finn to place his palm flat on luke's chest, directly over his heart. warmth seeps through the orange camp shirt but finn feels more than that. he's never tried to put the feeling into words before, being able to sense love in someone, but in luke the disaster almost makes it easier to describe.
luke's love is the last time a child sees their pet before they turn up dead the next day. luke's love is running and running and being able to see the end goal but never getting any closer, tearing your lungs apart in the process. luke's love is a closed door with light underneath it and the sound of violence and rain behind it. luke's love is cupping your palm over a candle to keep it from being blown out and having the flame blister your hand over and over and over. luke's love is returning to your childhood home and never being able to leave.
"your heart's already broken, luke." surely it's not news to him, but finn's voice is still soft as he says it. the hand not pressed to luke's chest comes up to gently cup his right cheek, thumb tracing over the scar gashed across it. so much pain. so much love. all of it warring beneath the surface. "all i can tell you is that i'm not going to make it worse on purpose."