A/N: As usual, I would recommend putting the video on loop.

Gentle and ... kind. There was no rough quality about it; there was no lust behind it. It was an action meant to soothe her aching mind; it was to show that he was there for her, that he cared for her. He loved her, and he wished to comfort her. The creature knew that she might not approve of the action, but he didn't care. She was breaking down before him, and he didn't know if his words would calm her.

Already, he could feel her body relaxing. Her tears continued, but she didn't sob. His right hand remained over her eyes. If she wanted to be ignorant of the kiss and say that she had relaxed on her own, he would be fine with that, but it hurt to continue seeing her break down before him. He was certain that if her body wasn't so weak she would've slapped, punched or hit him in some manner, and he wouldn't mind.

His lips remained against hers awhile longer while his left hand cupped her left cheek gently. None of his left nails broke her skin. They only rested against it as gently as they could. He had no intention to spill her blood in that moment even if he admired the color on her; he did like pink on her more, and he wished that he had one of the pink carnations to place among her hair.

The flowers represented death at Carnation Hills, but they meant something else to him. They embodied their bond. Their light pink hue meant that he only would take some of her flesh, but he never would take enough to kill her. Pink carnations were his promise to be by her always. That probably terrified her and turned her life into a living nightmare. In fact, he knew that it did. Witnessing her breaking down in front of him because she acknowledged that she missed him was proof of that, but he couldn't pull away. He was too selfish. And like her, he missed her whenever she was gone. Right now, all he could was kiss her softly and quietly, and he hoped that it provided her some comfort.

When he finally pulled away, he steadily removed his hands from her. As his right fingers unveiled her eyes, gorgeous (e/c)s stared back him. He wished that they weren't filled with pain. Part of him desired for him not to be the cause of some of that agony, but he didn't regret his actions that led her to him, that led him to love her. And so, a pained smile met his lips as her eyes searched his. "I'm sorry too, (f/n), but I don't regret killing Laura; I don't regret threatening your parents. I'm too selfish, and I've made your life an endless nightmare."

At first, she didn't respond. Silent tears simply streamed down her face before she parted her lips. "I know ..." Her eyes glanced to the side briefly before they turned back to him. "But, I'm ..." Slightly, her brows furrowed until they relaxed. "I'm happy that you're not going to force a child on me." She tried to adjust herself so that she would be more comfortable, and he helped move her so that her head was resting on his thighs instead of his upper knee. "And, I don't know ..." (F/n) looked hesitant to say anymore.

"You don't know if you'll ever be ready." She gave a slight nod. He sighed and smiled a little. It hurt, but he forced it upon his lips. "You miss me, (f/n), but that doesn't mean that you're in love with me. You miss my acceptance, but you hate what I do. I understand that." (F/n) examined his gaze to see if he was serious, and she saw not one ounce of lies in his words. Her heart skipped a beat. It wasn't necessarily out of love; it was out of gratitude. In the corners of his eyes, she could see tears forming. "All I want is to be with you. I don't want you to leave; I hate when you're gone."

A few tears trickled down his cheeks. "I want a child with you, but I refuse to force myself on you. I refuse to do that because I love and respect you too much." His hands clenched, and he avoided stabbing himself with his nails so that he wouldn't accidentally get blood on her. She had seen too much for awhile already. The smile on his lips shook a little. "I'm sure that my father would've done the same for my mother."

Almost, she heard him sob. Her eyes widened a little, and it was as though she didn't even recognize him as the creature. He looked like a lost child that didn't know what had happened to his parents. It was as though they just had vanished before he had been thrown into the arms of his grandfather. She recalled everything that she had seen at his grandfather's cabin. Back when his grandfather first had begun torturing him, she couldn't imagine how frightened he had been.

Monster. Killer. Murderer. Worthless. Garbage. She remembered all of the words that his grandfather had made him write over and over again. Seeing him now ... Had that been what he had been like, then, before he had killed his grandfather? The fact that she may very well be witnessing that part of him, the part that probably had been sealed away for so long, touched a part of her heart, and she wanted to lift up her hands and wipe his tears.

(F/n) couldn't, though. Her body wouldn't let her, but she didn't want to give him the wrong impression either. She didn't know if she loved him; she didn't think that she did. Like he said, missing him was different from loving him, but she knew that she couldn't leave his side anymore. That much had become clear thanks to ... The name in her mind caused her momentarily to shudder slightly.

Presently, though, she could offer him some comfort like he had her. His kiss ... She didn't enjoy it, but she didn't hate it either. It had been warm and quieted her down; it provided her a calmness that she couldn't provide herself. Did she owe him for that? Probably not after every awful thing he had done to her, but he was ... He allowed himself to be so vulnerable for her, and he had admitted that he wouldn't disrespect her in that manner.

Had he changed? She didn't know, but she knew how he was now was genuine. Currently, that was enough for her to feel the need to comfort him. He had saved her life and the others even if he had risked and threatened them before. That helped her decide too.

"He would've." The creature stared down to her, surprised through his tears. By a little bit, a tiny smile met her lips. "Your mother and he ..." She tried to smile more. "They loved each other very much, Ether." Hearing that name spoken in such a soft manner brought back the feeling of its familiarity. It just felt right for him, and he parted his lips to speak, but she spoke before him. "Your mother, Jiselle, wanted that name for you. She told your father, Verum, your name so that he could give you it when you were born."

"... H-How?" His eyes searched hers desperately, and she had a hard time not crying again due to his expression. He looked so innocent, and it was as though so much blood and pain hadn't graced his hands.

"Flat Peak." She released a quiet sigh, not wanting to mention his name. "He ... showed me your mother's letters. He had searched Dunnuuna and found them in your grandfather's house." A mixture of anger and surprise entered his expression, but it evaporated for the time being when she continued, "But, your mother ..." Again, a smile touched her lips. "She was so excited to have you; your father too. They were very happy."

"That name ..."

This time, she cut him off like he had done to her so many times before. Now, she knew what he was going to ask. "She gave it to you because she thought that your father and you were the most beautiful in the world. She considered you both the rarest gifts." More tears started to trickle down his skin. She could tell that he was holding back a sob. "She knew that you could become filled with rage, but she also knew that you could be ... loving." (F/n) ... realized that too now, but she couldn't return the feeling, and she didn't know if she ever could; she might only be ever able to miss him if he was gone. "She loved you beyond the universe, and I think that your father did too. Otherwise, he wouldn't have given his life for you. They really did love you, Ether."

All she heard was his tears and sobbing. She didn't know if Nick or any of the others were around to hear, but she didn't care. Ether probably didn't either. He hunched over and seemed like he wanted to hug her so bad, but he resisted due to her condition. Part of her desired to move her arms and wrap them around him, but she only could move her fingers a little bit. Instead, she leaned her head into him as best she could, and his crying eventually made her begin to cry again, though, softly.

"I can't forgive you for what you've done, Ether. I can't love you. I don't know if I ever can." He released another loud sob, and his body shook. "But, I'm going to be by your side. We both know I can't leave, and I hate that ... but this ..." She smiled somewhat against him. It hurt; it hurt knowing that she was betraying her friends and family, but she couldn't hide that truth away anymore. "Thank you."

Neither of them knew how long they were in that position, but they didn't move. She stayed against him while he released years of abuse and loneliness. Despite him being a selfish, sadistic killer, they both didn't care about that in that timeframe. (F/n) knew that this side of him wouldn't last forever, but it was there. That was enough for now. The creature ... Ether

... Ether knew that he wouldn't have her lean against him willingly forever, and he knew that he couldn't forget how dire the situation was for her. Danger lurked in the future and even in the present, but he was so grateful that she was giving him this time just to break down his barriers. Even if that male had shown her those letters, they still belonged to his mother. They were memories of his parents, and he now knew that they had cherished him, loved him. He even learned his father's name. (F/n) giving him that gift was more than he ever could hope for, and he couldn't help but cry out between a sob, "I love you so much, (f/n), my pink flower."