But he just saved the world. And then, he saved me. Well yes, he almost destroyed me. But he stopped. Remus never stops once he’s made a decision.
I could feel how badly he wanted it. Remus never turns back from what he wants. He never changes his mind or grows.
… Except he did.
Maybe it’s time I do the same.
I let go of the edges of control I’d been testing. Let myself settle back into the passenger seat. Not trapped this time.
Choosing to trust.
Thank you,I send the thought toward him, not sure if he can even feel it but needing to say it anyway.
I feel his surprise. His wariness.
And then, grudgingly, something that might be respect.
We fly home together, the power burning between us, both of us conscious and aware.
And for the first time in our endless existence, neither of us is fighting for control.
We’re just... flying.
Together.
It’s strange. Uncomfortable. I don’t entirely trust it—don’t entirely trust him not to change his mind tomorrow or next week or next century.
But I also don’t trust myself not to fall back into old patterns. To try to seize control the moment things get chaotic.
Maybe that’s the point. Maybe trust isn’t about certainty. It’s about choosing cooperation even when control is within reach.
Even when you’re sure you could do it better alone.
Earth grows larger in our vision, the blue and white and green of home. Somewhere down there, she’s waiting. Hoping we survived.
We should probably figure out what to tell her,I think toward Remus.
The truth,he responds immediately.She’ll know if we lie.
Even about...
Especially about that.
He’s right. She’ll see right through any attempt to hide what happened out here. What we both chose.
And maybe that’s okay.
Maybe she deserves to know that we’re both trying. Both choosing differently than we were made to be.
As we enter the atmosphere, our body beginning to heat from re-entry, I feel something unexpected.
Hope.
Not certainty. Not confidence that this new pattern will stick.
Just hope that maybe, possibly, we might actually figure out how to do this.
How to share. How to cooperate. How to love the same woman without destroying each other in the process.
