:pes_devil:

[attr="class","danny"]finally, he unravels in her arms, sobbing against her.

"i love you."

enough to throw his life away.

"i love you."

enough to die for her.

if only he could see how selfish he's being.

maybe one day.

[attr="class","noodles"]Serena Malcolm

[attr="class","danny"]"it is."

a stray tear falls, rolling down his cheek.

"i'm sorry, grey."

[attr="class","noodles"]Greyson Connors

[attr="class","danny"]"..."

he hesitates, but he's known his answer since that night.

"yeah."

[attr="class","noodles"]Greyson Connors

[attr="class","danny"]no, danny doesn't understand, but he will.

"she is! she's just made mistakes, went down the wrong path. i know there's good in her. i've seen it."

but serena had chosen this life.

she had chosen to join rocket.

somewhere deep down, perhaps never to surface, he knows he's lying to himself.

but he'd break if he ever believed otherwise.

"i'm staying with her."

[attr="class","noodles"]Greyson Connors

[attr="class","danny"]"she tried to. she wanted to call it quits and end it before i got dragged into shit. trust me, she really tried."

perhaps he still hasn't fully processed it. what it'll do to him, what it'll do to his family, or what it'll do to Greyson Connors.

"i love her, grey. too much to just step away."

[attr="class","noodles"]Greyson Connors

[attr="class","danny"]"fuck. alright."

with a heavy breath, he closes his eyes and forces the words out.

"she's in rocket."

[attr="class","noodles"]Greyson Connors

[attr="class","danny"]danny leans back, peering over his shoulder at the doorway.

"you should sit. this might...take a while."

rubbing the back of his neck, he starts:

"so serena told me something the other night...and i'm not sure how best to say it."

[attr="class","noodles"]Greyson Connors

[attr="class","danny"]the question is ignored.

danny leads them into the living room before falling into the couch. he leans back, attempting to find comfort in the soft cushions. for reasons only obvious to danny, he fails to find any.

"man how long has it been since you were last here? like nine, ten years?"

[attr="class","noodles"]Greyson Connors

[attr="class","danny"]how long has it been since danny's last been home? he can't seem to remember. could be a few weeks, maybe a month, and while he remembers feeling homesick in galar, he felt nothing while in mauville.

maybe that's why it feels just a little easier to say goodbye.

the door opens, and in steps his bestfriend.

"hey, grey boy. thanks for coming."

[attr="class","noodles"]Greyson Connors

[attr="class","danny"]by now, there's nothing on the bottle anymore but remnants of a label and condensation that continues to drip. he tenses, turning to look away at anything but her while she speaks.

it's hard to comprehend and even harder to understand what it means exactly to be in rocket.

but for her, he'll try.

he'll process later. for now, he needs to be here for her.

"then i'll join rocket. i'll do it."

steeling himself, he turns back to face her.

"just don't leave me. please."

[attr="class","noodles"]Serena Malcolm

[attr="class","danny"]serena's right about one thing: danny doesn't get it — at least not in the way he should.

his judgement's clouded and all he can see is what's in front of him, not what lies beyond them.

perhaps he'll never fully understand.

but he understands love.

"i won't resent you, and nothing's going to happen to me. you don't have to protect me, serena, i can keep myself safe."

tears continue to flow.

"if i don't like the real you...then..."

after a shaky breath, he whispers:

"then i'll end things."

[attr="class","noodles"]Serena Malcolm

[attr="class","danny"]it's just so frustrating to feel so helpless and lost. he searches for something, anything to ground him. his finger scratches away at the label on the bottle, peeling it off as he continues to listen.

and fuck, is it difficult to.

he sniffs, wiping away more tears.

"i don't—"

he chokes.

"i don't want anybody else—i just want you!"

why is that so hard to understand? danny's always believed that you fight for the people you love. you don't give up on them even if all the odds are against you.

this is love, right?

it's the love he knows.

"just...stay with me, serena, and let me get to know the real you."

[attr="class","noodles"]Serena Malcolm