Anniversary/celebratory page 2/3 [spoiler]i don’t have anything to say... I never imagined posting these, so... Um, thank you for reading. [/spoiler]      Shadow enters the darkness of her Kell's room and listens to the door clicking shut behind her. "Hey," she calls out softly to Variks, who's seated at his monitors.      The eliksni turns to her. "Shadow." He blinks all four glowing blue eyes at her. "Is everything well?"      Shadow sighs, sometimes wishing he didn't know her so well. She hesitantly approaches him. "Actually, there's something I wanted to talk to you about."      Variks pulls another chair out for her. "Sit, speak," he offers kindly.      She sits next to him with another sigh. As she leans back against her seat, she wonders what Variks would think if he knew how she felt. And would he stop caring about her if he knew what she had to go through every day?      "Tell me what you are thinking," he encourages, casually typing. "I will listen."      "Well..." She hesitates, finding it hard to go on. "I'm sorry. It's just not easy for me to do this. Talk about how I'm feeling, I mean."      "Not an easy thing to do for most."      "And no one ever really cares, or at least, that's what they told me. I've heard "I don't care" so many times, I just feel like I shouldn't talk about my feelings at all anymore."      "I care," Variks responds immediately, turning to her. He rests a hand on hers, and she smiles. "You should feel free to speak your mind here. I will not look at you any differently... I understand."      "Thank you. It's hard, always going through things alone."      "You are not alone," he reminds her. "I am here. I am not [i]just[/i] your Kell," he burbles, interlocking his fingers with hers.      She looks up at him. "Do you care about me?"      "Of course I do."      "Sometimes," she continues, looking down. "I worry that you don't like me. At least, not the same way I do. I understand that your judgment comes first, that's fine. Just..."      "I understand. I assure you, I do." Variks gently moves his hands beneath the hunter's arms, pulling her closer to sit her on his lap.      She smiles, her legs on either side of him, her arms around his neck.      "My judgment may cloud your ability to see how I feel for you. But you can trust my word. And..." He reaches into Shadow's pocket, where he knows she keeps the amethyst he gifted her, years ago. "Things like this-" He runs a thumb over the gem. "Are how I show you I love you. May be small, yes, but meaningful to me. And enough, I hope, for you." Variks gazes down at the stone. "I am new to this. Forgive me if I offend you." His brilliant blue eyes raise to meet hers. "But come to me, tell me, speak to me. For us to work, this is what we must do. I will not tell you "I don't care." Because I do, no matter if your worries are repetitive nonsense or not. You require time to heal... and Variks is very patient."       Shadow lets out the shaky breath she's been holding. Variks may not understand the reasons why she felt the way she did, but he knows how to comfort her anyways. "That's all I've ever wanted to hear from someone." She touches the stone. "This, this has always meant the world to me. I kept it on me since the day you gave it to me."      "In a world of such grand things, it is a comfort to find someone who enjoys the little things, yes?" he murmurs thoughtfully, raising a hand to run his claws through her short black hair.      She leans into his warm touch. "I want you to know," she mutters, staring into his eyes. "I couldn't be more grateful for your patience. No one has ever had enough to deal with me. With my... problems."      Variks takes the hunter's hands in his. He leans in to touch his forehead to hers. "If I can wait a thousand years for a machine, I can surely wait for you."