the trick is to keep breathing

My tiny rarepair!! Thank you so much! I have so many feelings about the fact that they're the only ones who still share that connection to the events of the first game, now that everyone else is missing.

I love the way you've phrased 'these ten small years into the future that he's had to slowly walk by himself'.

smiling when she talks, offering his hand to help her up.

Aww, I can see this so well.

But she was alone when she left, and he's been entirely alone since.

Hope's situation just breaks my heart. He's so excited when he first sees Serah again, and then he gets embarrassed about being excited! I love her implied guilt for leaving in this line.

Maybe he's thinking of Alyssa, his assistant. Maybe he's thinking of her sister. Maybe he's just thinking of only her, that it's come to this – and that here, now, they can both pretend that the twisting knife isn't there.

Perfect. I love that it takes a moment for the possibility that he isn't thinking of someone else to even occur to her.

Come morning they likely won't speak of this

I love this!

"No," Serah says. Gentle, breaking. "I don't want to be alone."
His smile is bare. Neither does he.

This is a wonderful piece. Exactly what I needed for these two. Thank you so much.