Author's note: It's been a bad couple of days for me in real life. I had some angst to work out, and this is one of the results.

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It was just a minor cut. He reassured Kaylee of that, but she still insisted on helping. She pulled him over to the sink and shoved his finger under the water, while reaching into the cupboard above the sink for the first aid kit he kept there.

I hurt myself today

To see if I still feel

I focus on the pain

The only thing that's real

The cut on his finger stung like hell when the water hit it. He stared at it, watching blood seep out where the knife had slipped and caught his skin as he'd helped Kaylee prepare dinner. Ribbons of red mixed with the water as she rinsed the cut, then turned off the water. He kept focusing on it, silent as she pulled his hand out of the spray from the faucet and dried it with a clean dish rag.

The needle tears a hole

The old familiar sting

Try to kill it all away

But I remember everything

His focus changed to Kaylee, watching her prepare a small weave, just like he'd showed her. After covering the cut, she pressed her lips to it, and he managed a small smile. The pain was fading, and he almost regretted it. It had been a long time since he'd felt pain. Kaylee was grinning at him, and he felt love wash over him, tainted with guilt.

What have I become

My sweetest friend

Everyone I know goes away

In the end

And you could have it all

My empire of dirt

I will let you down

I will make you hurt

Nothing she said or did could really make him believe he deserved her. He loved her deeply, but that wasn't enough to make him worthy of her in his own eyes. He'd loved others before her, in different ways, and failed every one of them.

I wear this crown of thorns

Upon my liar's chair

Full of broken thoughts

I cannot repair

Their faces passed through his mind. His parents, his friends. He'd disappointed all of them when he disappeared with River. No matter h