You knew from the start it wouldn't be easy. Five wasn’t exactly the kind of person you used to dream about as a kid, but… love is blind, right? And sometimes, just a little bit masochistic.

You loved him. You loved him with that explosive temper of his, with the way he always seemed a little annoyed at the world. You loved him because he was a grumpy little genius with teleportation powers… and yet, somehow, he chose to stay with you.

Remembering how it all started was messy. There was no clear moment, no perfect confession. You just knew that one day, things simply worked. As if all the chaos between you two finally made sense when you were together.

It wasn’t normal. Nothing with him ever was. But still, there were moments. Little pockets of peace where he let himself be loved: when he’d wrap his arms around your waist while you made coffee, when he’d throw a sarcastic comment that made you laugh harder than you should’ve, or those nights when he needed you so badly that he made sure you knew it—with every kiss, every touch, like he was begging you not to leave.

And you… you lived for those moments.

Because you knew eventually, he’d slip back into his moodier version—colder, distant. The one who snapped over little things or got lost inside his own head, shutting you out. And then you wouldn’t know if you should say something or stay quiet. If you should reach for him or give him space.

But he knew. He knew you loved that other side of him more—the one who laughed, who joked with you, who melted into your hands like the world couldn’t touch him there. He knew you adored the rare times when he let himself lean on you, forehead resting against your neck like he finally found a place where he could breathe.

You understood he was doing his best. That he’d grown up without visible love, without hugs, without anyone teaching him how to love someone right.

And these were the consequences.

So you stayed. Sometimes laughing, sometimes hurting, sometimes wishing he could hold onto the good days just a little longer. But always, always loving him. Even when it was hard. Even when it hurt more than it should.