Close Your Eyes. Try to Breathe.

Soundless sobs wracked Caedes’ body, each one a shuddering gasp for breath as he clung to Kaino. His paws gripped her fur tightly, his claws digging into her for grounding. Her embrace was the only thing holding him together, her presence the thin thread keeping him from unraveling completely. Each stroke of her paw on his neck and shoulder was a desperate lifeline, a fragile tether to sanity.

He felt her cheek rest on top of his head, her warmth a faint but welcome reprieve against the cold emptiness inside him. His body trembled, his ears pinned back as the guilt gnawed at him, sharper than the pain of his scars. He realized how often he had burdened her with his suffering, how many times she had been forced to be his shield, his rock. The thought twisted his heart with sorrow and regret, his muscles tensing as if bracing against an invisible assault.

Kaino’s voice, though soft and loving, cut through the fog of his despair. She spoke of his scars, her words a gentle reminder that they were only a part of his story, not the whole of his being. Yet, even as her voice wove a melody of comfort, he struggled to believe it, the ache too deep to be easily soothed. His head bowed slightly, ears flicking in agitation as her words tried to pierce through the veil of his pain.

Her paws moved to his cheeks, lifting his tear-streaked face to meet her gaze. His eyes, shimmering with unshed tears, forced themselves to focus, his deep emeralds locking onto her mismatched orbs. The small, affectionate smirk that lifted the corners of her maw was an attempt to uplift his spirits, but it was her unwavering love and determination that truly reached him. He swallowed hard, his throat dry and tight, the muscles in his jaw clenching as he fought to hold himself together.

For a moment, Caedes could only stare into her eyes, his breath hitching in his throat, raw and ragged. The weight of her words, the depth of her love, broke through the last of his defenses, flooding him with a mix of relief and anguish. His shoulders slumped, his body leaning heavily into hers as he nodded slowly, his voice barely a whisper, trembling with the effort to speak. “Okay… Okay. Together… again.”

He buried his face in her fur once more, his tears slowing but not stopping, the storm inside him beginning to calm. The pain still throbbed in every scar, the memories still haunted him, but Kaino’s warmth and reassurance started to fill the void. He clung to her desperately, his paws gripping her tighter, as if letting go would mean losing himself entirely.