Cherished
prompt : strength
Vaan & Penelo
Disclaimer: I do not own FF12, its characters, settings, etc. These words, however, are mine.
He watched her tirelessly and she thought he couldn't see. Day in and day out, she worked hard to push everything back inside, putting on a wonderful show of being carefree and happy.
For a long time, it had worked. Recently, however, the mask had started to slip and she was beginning to lose control. He, who knew her better than anyone else, saw it all happening and as she struggled with herself, he wanted nothing more than to reach out and tell her she had him to lean on forever and always; but he couldn't and she already knew that anyway.
She prided herself on her strength.
She would never admit she needed him, even if she was finally starting to completely unravel before his very eyes.
So he would stand by her and do what he could from the sidelines and maybe, when she finally broke beyond recognition, she would look to him.
He would be there.