in this world it's hard to get it right.

"I've been looking at you ever since."

Elwood closed his eyes, warmth spreading throughout his body; the sensation started in his chest and made its way to his toes. She loved him too; in her own way, that quirky Fin-way that she had of doing things, she had admitted it. And at that very moment, it was just as good as if she had used the more traditional words.

It was hard to believe that only a few days ago things had been completely reversed; they had been screaming at each other, fueled by an anger so hot it rivaled the molten lava that had once seeped from the peak of Redhawk Caldera. They had both gone into an emotional tailspin, convinced that they would never see or speak to each other again -- and now, here they were. Part of Elwood still wanted to take back his actions with Grimm, but without that incident, none of this would have occurred. He wouldn't know how Finley truly felt about him.

When he opened his eyes again, a slow smile pulled at the corners of his lips. He withdrew only slightly, just enough to give a breath of space between them so that he could deliver a swift kiss to the tip of her snout -- his tongue flickered in and out of his mouth so fast that he wasn't even sure he had gone through with it. Things weren't perfect yet -- there was still a lot of shit to be worked out and hurt feelings to be mended. But at this point, he (perhaps naively) thought that they could overcome anything. "I love you," he whispered again, his eyes bright as he words crossed his lips for the second time.