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Finnegan Larson -
Finn smiled and sat down next to her. "How'd you know?" he chuckled. |
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Sera's lips curled into a soft smile, her gaze steady as she looked at him. "It’s not that hard to figure out," she said, her voice calm but with a hint of warmth. "I’ve felt it... you’ve always been there, even when you didn’t have to be." She paused, letting the words hang in the air for a moment. "You look out for me, Finn. I can tell." She glanced at him, searching his expression, wondering if he'd admit it or keep pretending. Either way, she wasn't going anywhere...not like she could in her current conditions anyways. |
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Finnegan Larson -
Finn grinned and nodded. "Oh, my princess has finally found out my secret" he teased lightly, chuckling. |
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Sera's eyes flickered for a moment, the smirk on her lips fading just enough to reveal the rare vulnerability that she rarely allowed to surface. She met Finn’s gaze, the playful challenge replaced by something deeper, something almost unreadable. "Not everything is a secret," she muttered quietly, her tone lacking its usual harshness. "Some things... are better left unsaid." Her fingers tightened around the hilt of her weapon, a subtle but instinctive response to the vulnerability she felt in that fleeting moment. Her gaze shifted away, her mind drifting to the weight she carried, the lives she had destroyed and the choices that haunted her every night. There was no escaping the past—no matter how many walls she built around herself. Yet, for just a brief instant, she felt something stir inside her that she hadn’t in a long time. A desire for... something more. Something better...Something she couldn't have. She wouldn't allow anyone to feel the pain she held inside. No one should have to shoulder that burden but herself. Her voice softened, though still guarded. "I don’t need your pity, Finn. I’ve done things... things that can’t be undone." She clenched her jaw, forcing the walls back into place. But despite her best efforts, a small part of her—one that rarely saw the light of day—longed for the comfort of someone who might understand. But she’d never let him know that. |
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Finn's smile disappeared at her change in tone. "I don't pity you..." he started slowly. "I know what it feels like... or at least something really close to it..." he murmured, thinking about all of the millions of patients that had died under his fingertips because he couldn't heal them fast enough, or he didn't do the right thing. "All I want to do is help." |
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Sera’s eyes softened as she watched the flicker of guilt cross Finn's face, though she tried not to let herself be moved by it. She crossed her arms, her voice quieter, but no less firm. “You *can’t* help," she said, her words sharp, but with an edge of exhaustion beneath them. "Not like this. You can’t fix everything, Finn. I don’t need saving. Not from you, not from anyone." She glanced down at the ground for a moment, collecting her thoughts, before looking back up at him, her gaze steady but distant. "I know you’ve lost people. I know what it's like to feel helpless... but you're not the one who gets to decide when I’m fixed or when I’m not. Sometimes… sometimes there’s nothing left to do." Her voice cracked slightly, but she quickly masked it with a sigh, trying to pull herself together. "You want to help? Then stay out of the way." |
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Finnegan Larson -
"I've never tried to fix you. It's not my place to do so. I've only tried to help, to numb the pain, even just a little." he clarified softly. "But if you don't want my company or my help, I understand and I will respect your wishes," he added sadly, standing up. "Get some rest, Sera," he said softly before walking away. |
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Sera felt a weight settle in her chest as his words lingered in the air, their quiet sadness striking her like a physical blow. She hadn’t meant to push him away, hadn’t meant to make him feel like he wasn’t enough. But now, with the metaphorical door between them, she felt the sharp sting of her own actions. She opened her mouth to call him back, but the words got caught in her throat. Guilt flooded her—wasn’t it her who had asked him to leave? Her hands trembled at her sides, and for a moment, all she could do was stare at the empty space where he had been. He had only tried to help, to offer something, anything to ease the pain she could never escape. And she had rejected it. "Dammit," she whispered to herself, clenching her fists. The silence in the room felt unbearable, every second stretching longer than the last. She hadn’t meant to hurt him. But in pushing him away, she realized just how much she needed him to stay. |
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Finnegan Larson -
Over the next few days, the attack had stopped and they sent a team back to camp to recover anything and start to rebuild. Finn had avoided Sera, tending to the other sick and injured patients. Of course, he still cared, very deeply, for her, so he always sent another nurse to go check on her or bring her food or anything really. The day finally came when they could move back to camp, and even then, Finn sent Zoya to help Sera to the jump point. "Hey, Sera. Camp has been restored, we're jumping back. Are you ready?" Zoya asked, kneeling in front of Sera. Meanwhile, Finn was helping another female soldier over to the jump point, an arm wrapped around her waist to keep her upright. |
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Sera watched Zoya’s face as she knelt in front of her, her heart pounding as she struggled to hold onto her composure. “Yeah, I’m ready,” she muttered, her voice a little more strained than she intended. She forced a smile, hoping it would mask the unease that had been building up inside her over the last few days. Zoya gave her a knowing look. “You sure? I know it’s been rough.” Sera nodded, but her gaze couldn’t help but drift over to where Finn was standing. Her eyes narrowed slightly. He was helping another soldier, a woman. She couldn’t quite place why it made her chest tighten, but the sight of Finn’s arm around the woman’s waist, guiding her with gentle attention, sent a jolt of something unpleasant through her. It wasn’t the first time she’d noticed Finn's behavior toward others lately—his increasing distance from her, the way he kept sending Zoya or another nurse to check on her rather than doing it himself. “Yeah, I’m fine,” she repeated, more firmly this time, forcing herself to tear her gaze away from Finn. She glanced back at Zoya. “It’s just... it’s been a long few days. I’m ready to go back.” As Zoya helped her to her feet, Sera couldn’t shake the feeling that something had changed between her and Finn. But she’d be damned if she’d let anyone see how much it stung. She swallowed hard, her thoughts clouded with frustration, and tried to focus on putting one foot in front of the other. |
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Snow and Sleet Mix, Clearing at Night
