He looks at her like she’s made of starlight.
“Because I’ve dreamed of your face since the moment I knew you existed.”
“That’s a weird answer.”
“It’s the truth.”
She shifts her weight, considering. “Mom says not everyone tells the truth.”
“Your mom’s right about that, too.”
“Are you lying to me?”
“No,” he says, voice cracking. “Never.”
She lifts her claw-toy like it’s a weapon. “This is Razorclaw. He’s my protector.”
Vael nods solemnly. “He looks strong.”
“He is. But he doesn’t talk. He listens.”
“I can do that, too.”
She studies him. “Do you want to be my friend?”
He exhales, a shaky, broken sound.
“I’d like that more than anything.”
“Okay,” she says. “But friends don’t lie. Or leave.”
His face caves inward like she just struck him. “I won’t. Not again.”
“Okay.”
And then she does something that breaks me.
She steps forward… and puts her hand on his.
Vael freezes. Doesn’t dare breathe.
Her little fingers wrap around his wrist, just above the edge of the cybernetic join.
“I like your scars,” she says. “They look like space maps.”
He lets out a choked laugh.
“Then I guess that makes me a whole galaxy.”
She beams.
I can’t stop the tears.
I back away from the doorway, biting my fist. Every breath hurts.
Vael isn’t just a warrior.
He’s a father, too.
