[attr="class","giada"]

[attr="class","giada b"]

[attr="class","giada i"]she doesn't look at him, doesn't speak up.

no, she simply... gazes down at the people below.

and, she wonders, if their lives are simple and easy and happy.

he speaks again and she lets out a little sigh at the thought. good, so it's not just her that thinks of the little things taken for granted. simple, mundane, pleasant. small moments of time often forgotten in the grand scheme of things. and god, she wants them more than any pretty jewel she could possibly snatch up.

"maybe you could," she murmurs quietly. and part of her wonders if that's what he deserves... most of her knows, however, that if he can have it then so could she.

the cart continues to drift upward and the people below grow smaller.

CIAN MAHER
mission

"yeah?"

could he have it? a part of him believes he could, otherwise he would not be risking everything just for the sake of it. no, he knows he will have a mundane life. a normal life.

all it takes is time.

"with you, gigi?"

giada morgan

☉

[attr="class","giada"]

[attr="class","giada b"]

[attr="class","giada i"]the question catches her off guard.

she stills, finally taking her eyes off the people below and dragging them to cian.

her head tilts, cheeks flush, and she’s suddenly unable to maintain eye contact.

”if that’s what you wanted,” she murmurs. wow, the floor is so interesting now!

CIAN MAHER
mission

"it could be."

it really could. but the weight of responsibilities feel too heavy to bear at times. that, and the fact that he's still not ready to fully open up again.

"it's... complicated right now."

his gaze drifts away to the people down below.

"i'm not trying to lead you on or anything but that's just where i am at the moment."

drifting.

giada morgan

☉

[attr="class","giada"]

[attr="class","giada b"]

[attr="class","giada i"]ah...

she shifts uncomfortably. silence follows and she's, truthfully, cursing that they're in a cart right now. the urge to run bubbles up and settles as a pit in her stomach.

and she's always running. from cops, league, relationships... somehow, she wants to laugh despite it all. it'll come out bitter, she knows, and it's swallowed down to die in her throat.

"i gotcha," she finally murmurs.

and without much more to say on the subject, she turns her attention back to the window. back to the people with their mundane lives, existing peacefully, happily.

she's certain, now. it's not possible.

CIAN MAHER
mission

"...sorry."

but what for? he hasn't led her on — the whole point of being truthful is to make sure they're both on the same page. to make sure neither one of them gets hurt.

it hasn't worked out that way, clearly.

his gaze follows hers.

"just doesn't seem fair for you, you know?"

giada morgan

☉

[attr="class","giada"]

[attr="class","giada b"]

[attr="class","giada i"]shoulders roll with a shrug. his apology, his sentiment... they fall away with the movement.

and she doesn't have much else to say besides a soft, "it's fine."

is it? yeah, it will be once the sting wears off.

despite herself, she lets out a shaky sigh, breath fanning out against the window.

"really," she turns, then, and the smile she flashes feels pained. "i'm used to it. no worries."

CIAN MAHER
mission

"i guess we've both been burned one too many times."

it's funny — cruel, even — how much one person can change so much. he wonders how his life would be different had he not met them or if he had just looked the other way.

speaking of looking, cian slides closer to the glass, smiling at the realization.

"look up, gigi."

fireworks.

"i snuck a guy some money to help me do that. it's for you."

giada morgan

☉

[attr="class","giada"]

[attr="class","giada b"]

[attr="class","giada i"]she hums a soft acknowledgement. anything else she wants to say on the matter dies out in her throat. it's... difficult to talk about things. past experiences, trauma, heartbreaks. she shoves them down and drowns them in alcohol or warm bodies to pretend they don't exist.

and somehow, it never quite works well enough.

he slides closer to the glass and her head turns instinctively. a confused look rises before she's following his line of sight.

the first firework begins with a bright flash of colors, ending with an echoing boom. and she's in awe, eyes wide and mouth slightly open. it's so... pretty!

"wait," she murmurs after a moment, brain catching up a little too slow. her head turns and her eyes search his. "you... paid someone to set off fireworks? for me?"

somehow, she doesn't understand it, doesn't believe it.

CIAN MAHER
mission

her eyes don't find his just yet; his are still gazing out at the brilliant display of fireworks. money well spent. definitely.

"i did. i thought you might appreciate them."

after the second, third firework goes off, finally, he turns to meet her eyes.

"plus, i kinda wanted to make tonight special, you know?"

giada morgan

☉

[attr="class","giada"]

[attr="class","giada b"]

[attr="class","giada i"]her lips spread into a fuzzy smile, bright like the fireworks that fizzle overhead.

"i do, they're amazing."

and finally, his eyes meet hers. she mostly ignores the way her body shivers slightly.

"special?" her head tilts and she doesn't quite understand. "why?"

CIAN MAHER
mission

the urge to shrug comes but he never acts on it. to do so would have meant deflecting, and cian isn't about that life anymore. or at least he tries not to be.

"because you deserve it."

he smiles.

"it's the least i could do for you."

giada morgan

☉

[attr="class","giada"]

[attr="class","giada b"]

[attr="class","giada i"]he’s… confusing her. and she’s torn between looking elated and confused.

”i didn’t do anything to deserve this, though.”

and even if she did, she wouldn’t expect fireworks as a gift.

”why me? why not someone else?” comes from insecurity etched into her expression. and it settles like a rock. heavy but fragile, easily broken beneath enough pressure. her mouth parts slightly and her eyes dart away to watch the fireworks, embarrassment heating her ears.

CIAN MAHER
mission