Octavia breaks. Not dramatically—just a soft, shuddering exhale. She leans her forehead against his chest.
Then let me be the calm. Let me be the thing that doesn’t run.
She looks up at him. For the first time, hope flickers behind the exhaustion.
Because I see you. Not the legend. Not the disaster. You. The one who stays up too late reading. The one who laughs too loud at bad jokes. The one who apologizes to plants after forgetting to water them.
(Muffled) I’m going to mess this up.
Octavia breaks. Not dramatically—just a soft, shuddering exhale. She leans her forehead against his chest.
Then let me be the calm. Let me be the thing that doesn’t run.
She looks up at him. For the first time, hope flickers behind the exhaustion.
Because I see you. Not the legend. Not the disaster. You. The one who stays up too late reading. The one who laughs too loud at bad jokes. The one who apologizes to plants after forgetting to water them.
(Muffled) I’m going to mess this up.
