Chimera Fields you're just a line in a song.

It was amazing how all of the healing, all of the personal growth and development he'd experienced over the last year and a half was suddenly on the fringe of complete decemation. He was suddenly back there, right where he was all those months ago--standing before her, desperate to hear her ask him to stay, desperate to ask her to stay. It had been terrible to walk away, though he had eventually come to realize it had been the right choice. But now, it felt like he was right there again. Just as broken. Just as desperate.

But... he wasn't.

Penn swallowed the feeling down, rejecting it because it wasn't the reality. That had been a long time ago. Everything had changed since then. He had changed. And he wasn't going to revert back simply because of her face. Her arrogant, intelligent, unimpressed, flawed, perfect face.

Shit shit shit.

Fortunately for him, the moment of weakness passed quickly. Surprisingly so. And it was, of course, thanks in part to his old friend's ever-reliable conversational tact and grace.

Penn huffed a light laugh before steadying himself.

"Wow. That was..." he paused, "...completely inappropriate. And super awkward." He grinned at her, his tail wagging lightly. He felt normal. Perfectly, wonderfully normal.

Maybe this personal growth thing actually was going to stick.