I Love You, Flaws and All

Manea hadn’t really realized just how much this was eating at Alastor until this moment and in a way it almost made her guilty for being so hard on him for what happened. She knew to an extent it was necessary. In some regards she was happy to let him run wild, let that inner demon out, even provoke it herself at times just to see that raw, unbridled side of him. But it could also be extremely dangerous and harmful to those around him if left unchecked. Her biggest fear was him losing control and someone like one of their children getting caught in the crossfire. Relm was someone he knew and someone he had brought to their band himself and yet she still got hurt in the end. She didn’t care if he attacked her. She could handle it and knew what to expect with him. It was everyone else she was concerned for.

But he was so much more than just this bloodthirsty, uncontrollable side of himself and it was so hard to get him to see that. Her paw ran in slow, soothing strokes along his foreleg while she spoke, saying, “I still want you because of your devotion, your love, your willingness to learn and accept my family’s ways. I still want you because of all of the times I watched you play with our children, all the times I saw you curled around them, protecting them. I still want you because you’re you.” She would never deny that he had messed up or that he was dangerous, but those times were few and far between compared to all the good times and all of the times that he had proven himself to be an amazing father. She gave his foreleg a squeeze as she added, “I love you. For better or for worse.”

"Manea Mendacium"