The peeking slants of sunlight is all that was necessary to make out the outlines of her frail arm slipping through the cracks of the bars. At first, he tilted his head, confused by the gesture. But, beat later, realization settles along his features, and that was enough to draw his limbs back to life.

He stepped forward and glanced at the granola bar just within reach. The sight was enough to evoke a short stream of air out his nostrils.

"Fine."

Lifting his eyes, his gaze collided with hers once more, never once unlatching as his entire body swooped forward, dipping his torso downward so he could take a bite from the thin bar.

"See," He drawled, voice smothered down to a low secret shared amongst friends, "safe to eat."

annalise henderson

"You're lying."

He didn't need to be a people's person to see through bullshit. Especially from a scrawny golden finch trapped in a cage. Reaching a hand into his pocket, he fished out a small pair of rectangles. The crinkling sound of paper would've been the first hint as to what it was, but if that wasn't enough, the label the swiftly slid between the bars, right in front of her knees would be a dead give away to what it was.

Granola bars.

"Eat. "

annalise henderson

'I'm back.' he would've said, had this been with anyone else, under any other circumstance. It would've been said in classic-Felix-like fashion, terse and only reassuring the observation already stated.

But he didn't feel like himself. Far from it.

For the first time since the beginning of their meetings, the lofty figure perched himself against one of the few steel chairs still left scattered around the cell. From there he adjusted himself, straightening his back just enough to allow himself a high enough vantage point to peer into the small cell, where the thimble of gold still laid, as broken as he'd left her.

"I heard you haven't been eating?"

annalise henderson

His jaw tightened at her question.

There, hidden between the tiny words, implications roared, bright and furious. They dug at wounds nearly forgotten, whetted claws rending the memories of slamming doors and broken promises.

"Do you want me to stay?"

Brow raised, eyes pools of fragile hope, Felix reconnected their frayed gazes.

@tag

Was she getting defensive?

Fears worsened by the blood that stained, Felix tore his eyes away, making purchase on the wall up above. A heavy swallow forced its way down his dried throat.

"Okay."

While she spent that rift of time rebuilding her walls, Felix had done the very same, only that his laid ready to break at moment's notice. But, for the first time since his return, he questioned whether it was naivety that drew him to that conclusion.

@tag

"Mm."

Resting one hand along the couch cushion, Felix shifted his weight again, lifting his head back up to face her.

Specs of curiosity sparked between the pair of green rivers. What about Galar drew her away, he wondered. He wanted to believe she shared the deep loneliness that carved his heart, but what if there was something more to it? Something far more complicated. A complexity his simple fingers could never breach.

"Were the stars there not up to your standards," he lightly teased, the casualty of the question masking his bubbling fear that threatened to spill.

illeana reyes

Galar was a stubborn scar, not yet scabbed, still left a burning red. Knighthood, the kingdom jayden cross led, luka chêne , the children, Elisabeth Fiorelli ; none of it could be forgotten.

Twenty painstaking years of vivid memories were lodged against the confines of his brain, drawing rifts between himself and those that knew him.

But the fire still burned between them. It roared, hungry as ever. Did she still feel it's warmth? 

"Not too much," he lied, eyes still closed. "I remember being a knight and fighting off the blight."

A dryness overcame his throat. His brows furrowed.

"I remember searching for you."

illeana reyes

Hesitancy and Felix were words marking both night and day, oil and water. Polar opposites that rarely conjoined.
[Break][break]
When it came to Illeana, no difference marked their relationship. There was no one else. There would never be anyone else. From the beginning, she was the only ray of sunlight that could penetrate his internal darkness, and as history tends to repeat itself, she remains his only escape. His one and only breath of life.
[Break][break]
'I love you.'
[Break][break]
The stretch of gentle fingers coaxed his eyes into closing. A comfortable shudder strutted down his spine.
[Break][break]
' I love you.'
[Break][break]
"How much do you remember?"
[Break][break]
Some remember the world, others aren't so cursed.

illeana reyes

She was right. Galar didn't matter. And yet, why did he feel this distance between them? It taunts him with memories. With the fragments of his time spent hovering around luka chêne, warming up close to her, sharing life with her.

Did Illeana commit the same sin? Or, had she barricaded her heart for all those years?

Neither answer were kind with their implications.

"You're right."

Despite his vapid reassurance, frost still traced the ringlets of his eyes.

He held his gaze for a second longer, running through the lulling curvature of her gentle features, the warmth of her glow. It's all committed to memory again - as if the possibility of separation still hung in the air between them.

With a soft puff of air, he leaned forward and nestled his head along her lap, like they'd done time and time again.

The comfort enabled another admission to slip through: "I never want to lose you again."

illeana reyes

"I could've tried more."

There was so much he wanted to explain. For all that Illeana knew about him, so much was still concealed by a black veil, untouched.

August. His parents. His past. Conflict resides within him in knots, locking his legs in place whenever movement slipped into question. Could he ever move forward?

"I looked for you everyday. I sent letters. But,"

'it was like you were a ghost. and I was left haunted.'

"It wasn't enough."

illeana reyes

Like ice filling the cracks of a rock, her admission filled and shattered his heart. Heavy breaths heaved out his nostrils.
[Break][break]
There was no need for words because his eyes said it all.
[Break][break]
I've missed you too.
[Break][break]
He squeezed her hand once more, reassurance glistening off the plated armor that now only existed as a ghost along his shoulders and chest.
[Break][break]
"I never forgave myself for leaving you."
[Break][break]
He shook his head. So much was lost within those 20 years, and for what? An organization he couldn't give two shits for.
[Break][break]
"I should've known you would be there too," most of the league was, " and I should've gone to you. "

illeana reyes

The flutter of her laughter is all the ignition he needed. A loud screech scratched the air as his heels kicked into a tight spin, redirecting the weight of his path toward the living room.
[Break][break]
For years he'd spent his nights whisked away in fantasies shared between them and their growing home. From birthdays to holidays, bliss cradled these falsified memories, crafting a lifetime of could be and what-ifs.
[Break][break]
Never would he think those dreams could ever meld with reality.
[Break][break]
"Illie."[Break][break]

Warm, husky, and out of breath, the familiar name drew from his lips with slurred splendor. She was right where he left her; curled up on the couch, hair pooling behind her in a waterfall of melted silver. The softness of her silhouette was maddening in all the best ways.
[Break][break]
Felix took no measure of caution. Sliding forward, clumsy and unrested, his knees meet the ground as he purchased with the small crook of space next to the couch.
[Break][break]
His hand reached for hers.
[Break][break]
"You're here."

illeana reyes