Fuck, since when did I ever get nervous?
I blame my stupid heart.
“These are rings! You can wear them. On your finger, or on a chain around your neck.” I look down at mine. “I thought… the three of you… that is. I know I’m a lot, and that I’m awful, and terrible?—”
“You aren’t,” River interrupts. He’s already putting his on, sliding it onto the finger next to his missing pinky.
Asch slides his on as well, looking down on it with his head tilted to the side. “The fact that it’s perfectly sized has me a little concerned, though,” he says, deadpan.
“Because I’m a stalker,” I say.
Blaze nods as he puts the ring on. “Yeah, Asch. Keep up. You’ve known that since day one. When sheoh so convenientlyshowed up where we were having dinner.”
I laugh and look down to avoid seeing their faces. “Yeah. Okay, yeah, I did stalk you there. That’s what I mean with me being a lot. There’s that saying,if you can’t handle me at my worst…”
“Pandora—” River tries to say, but I raise my hand.
“Shut up, River. Let me finish.” I take a deep breath. “That saying is bullshit. Because handling me at my worst is fucking exhausting. I know, because I have to handle me at my worst all the time. And the three of you are so perfect, and you’ve been with me throughout it all, and I… I love you for it, so much, so fucking much…” My eyes water with stupid fucking tears. “And I nearly lost you all because I was such a stupid, crazy, idiot, and I don’t want to do that again. I mean, I want to defeat my enemies and become a giant world-eating snake, but maybe with a bit more control.”
Asch gets down onto the floor with me, taking my hands into his. “We aren’t perfect. You know that. But we’ll try to never hurt youagain. I mean…” He lets out a nervous laugh. “We will, because people fuck up. But never that badly. Never again. Because…” His voice goes soft. “I love you too, Pandora.”
Well.
I laugh, and I sob harder too. I don’t get it. I thought hearing nice words would make the crying stop?
Blaze gets onto the floor too. He reaches past Asch to ruffle my hair. “I already told your Papa, but yeah, I love you, Pandora.”
My smile freezes on my face. “Wait. You told Papa you love him?”
Blaze groans, and the gentle ruffling turns into a harder tug. “No! I told him I loveyou, and that I was never going to leave you. Also, who else is going to help me crush my enemies? Not any Monicas or Laras, that’s for sure.”
I wish these stupid, embarrassing tears would stop. I keep smiling though, my lips going so wide that my cheeks hurt. “Yeah. Nobody else in the world would laugh about your jokes either, Blaze.”
“Because they aren’t funny,” Asch chimes in.
River shakes his head, and he gets onto my other side. “I already told you, but I’ll tell you again until you believe it. I love you too, Pandora. I know I came here to get revenge on you and all?—”
Asch gives him a sidelong look.
“—but everything has changed,” River continues, ignoring him.
I laugh some more, and I keep laughing, even through all the gobs of tears. “Oh. Well. Y’know, I’m kind of happy about all this? I was… I was really scared.”
River draws me into his arms, and I sob against his shoulder for a few seconds.
I’m crazyandpathetic, apparently.
But I’m also Pandora Pavone, destroyer of worlds, heir to aformerlyvery vicious mafia empire. And future leader of another one.
I sit back and wipe my eyes. “God, you guys are so pathetic,” I say. “Getting mushy on me.”
They grumble in protest, but none of them take me seriously.
It’s like they know me.
I reach into my own box and pull out the last part of my gift.
“Okay. And. Because I want to show I’m… I’m committed, and that I do value you.” I swallow hard. “This is the hardest part. So no joking at all.”
