roses are coming through the cracks [c]

Leopardsun's tail twitched with an awkwardness that felt refreshingly familiar. It was a relief, that in the company of Echomist she could still be entirely herself- of course he wasn't the only one, and it wasn't that she was acting the rest of the time, but she had considered it necessary to seem far more put-together than she felt.

Here, though, it didn't matter. All that mattered was what she was thinking, and how she could turn those thoughts into words that somehow made sense.

There was no danger here, and yet she felt as if she were risking everything by breaking the comfortable silence.

Still, that didn't stop her from doing it.

"...Echomist?"

Leopardsun often projected a certain confidence when she spoke, whether or not she felt it. But now her voice came out soft, almost hesitating.

Echomit's tail hung low behind him, hanging off the ground careful to not disturb anything below it. Green eyes focused on the ground in front of him as he walked along side Leopardsun. His mind was full of thoughts, of different things, of what needed to be done, to how things have changed. Its not as if he was ignoring his partner, no. If she had said something to him he would be alert and ready to listen to whatever she had to say. For now he enjoyed the silence and letting his mind sort through everything.

As soon as his name left her maw the tom perked up, silence settling in his mind immediately after, noting her soft voice in his head but not commenting on it. His green eyes were fixed on her, waiting on her to speak her mind and not force a conversation. He hoped she would share though, because something seemed to be bothering her, and he wanted to help after all.

"I've been thinking ever since we got back," Leopardsun started, knowing that if she didn't start speaking immediately she'd go on without saying anything at all. "About... How fragile everything is. Moments like this. The flood was so sudden... You were hurt. Froststar died. We lost Vixenpaw. I think all of it sort of... Opened my eyes, in a sense. It made me realize some things I hadn't considered."

Still moving forward, ever so slowly, she kept talking. "It made me realize the world isn't going to stop changing just because I want it to. I'd love if we could just- stop time when things are good. But we can't. All we can do is move forward to face each new day, and know that we aren't doing it alone. I..."

She came to a pause, turning to look at him. "I don't know what I'd do without you, Echomist. Realizing that if we had been any less fortunate I might have never been able to say it... It makes me want to stop and appreciate everything that much more. I love that you're in my life."

Tilting her head slightly, she hoped that he could read between the lines. I think I love you.

"I..."

She wanted to say it, to speak it plainly into the space between them, but she stopped short once again.

"I hope we can stay together."

Close, but not quite!

One last try. One last chance to say precisely what she meant.

"I think I love you!"

The words came out suddenly, and so desperately that they even startled her.

"Um, that is to say, I mean, I-... Sorry. That was... Loud. It wasn't supposed to be! I had planned it all out in my head, and-"

A sound of pure frustration escaped her- this shouldn't have been so hard to say!

The spotted tom walked alongside Leopardsun, listening intently to her words, letting her speak her mind as she needed. He didn't interrupt her, letting the words flow freely as she wished. He agreed with what she was saying for the most part, the world would continue to move forward, no matter what.

He paused when she did, his expression soft when she admitted she enjoyed having him around. Constant companions for each other, something that just happened when they were both apprentices. Man, how the time slipped by. Now she was deputy, and he was working on becoming a more senior warrior. He would express as much when her words stopped, giving him ample time to speak, but it seemed that moment would come soon, and when it did he wasn't prepared.

What? Echomist stared at his companion, green eyes somewhat blank as he tried to process her words. Words weren't something he was ever good at, so it was hard to form exactly what he wanted to say. Or express it either.. Stars he really was a mess wasn't he?

"I uhh.." He enjoyed her company, one of the few cats in his life that he let get so close.. He never really determined the reason, never really good at determining his own emotions except when it came to the rather negative ones. His tore his gaze away, embarrassment creeping up on him as he come to realize that he shared what she had said. "Y-yeah.. Me too." He stuttered awkwardly, before feeling a splash of cold over his body. Stars! That wasn't the right thing to say in this moment.

"I.. I think I love you.. too.." Stars.. He wasn't good at this.

"Really? You do?"

Leopardsun couldn't hide her relief that Echomist seemed to return her feelings, even if his response lacked the intensity of her own. That wasn't surprising- part of what she liked about him was that he was a steady, certain presence in her life; even when everything around them was unpredictable. Even in the wake of the flood, he had still been there- injured, but there; alive and safe if not in good health.

"I mean- of course you do! I am very lovable, after all."

She laughed awkwardly, shaking her head.

"I'm making a mess of things in the moment, I think. But when I'm not stressing myself over what to say... I feel much more like myself with you. Or more comfortable being myself, maybe? Either way... I think we make a pretty good pair."

She playfully nudged him, already feeling herself relax. The hard part was out of the way, now, and none of her worst fears had come true just yet.

A small smile touched the tom's maw at her now more playful behavior. "I'm.. glad you feel comfortable around me." She was one of the few cats the tom would protect with his life, guard with his life. One he would actually speak to even if he was rather awkward about it.

"So now what?" He asked, rather unsure. He had seen other pairs but he didn't really know what Leopardsun expected, or what he... Well he wasn't good at this. How did anyone else do this?

Leopardsun blinked. She hadn't really considered that, as caught up as she'd been in getting through the initial conversation. "Well," she said, seriously considering their options for the first time, "I suppose we do whatever we like. I just like being around you, you know. Nothing has to change all that much, does it?"

She started walking again, simplying enjoying Echomist's company. "There are things to consider, I think. But they're not as important, are they? Whether you'd like to share a nest, where to put it if you do... That sort of thing can wait a while. As it is, I think we're much better served by being ourselves than some imagined ideal."