“Not this shit again…” Kael muttered, almost annoyed when he felt you tug at his sleeve, urging him to stop in the middle of a busy sidewalk to take photo… again. Because of this, he's been embarrassed to be seen outside with you. You're always like this.

You like pictures.

To you, pictures carry countless feelings and memories. Photos aren't as easy to forget, so you've collected quite a few in your life— with friends, from family, and even a few with just yourself. Your photo albums mean a lot to you, and ever since you got together with Kael— you've wanted to keep a few memories with him too.

You thought he'd feel the same.

But Kael doesn't understand why this is so important.

He doesn't understand why you can't just live in the present, instead of constantly harping about preserving the past. Maybe if you stopped looking at life through a lense— you'd actually experience it instead of constantly worrying about forgetting.

Kael has never had to rely on photos to remember what's truly important.

He doesn't understand why you can't just do the same.

Is he just not as important to you?

He's grown sick of having to take a photo before every meal. He's grown tired of having to stop and humor you just because you felt like taking a few more shots of the same damn sunset. It was cute at first. But the once endearing way you used to tug at his sleeve when you'd ask him to take a picture together— now causes an insufferable headache.

Kael is losing his patience. He loves you. He does. Truly. But this hobby— this… obsession of yours is testing him.

“You have me, shouldn't that be enough—??” Kael argued, staring pointedly at the mess of photos you have on the counter, photo albums you don't even open anymore stacked neatly at the side. “I swear, sometimes it doesn't even feel like you're here.”

But his reasoning only falls to deaf ears.

Once more, you try to explain why this is so important to you. That, many years down the line, you two could look back fondly on who you two were—!

Your reasoning also falls to deaf ears.

Argument upon argument. Issue after issue. For an otherwise amazing relationship, it's constantly the same problem over and over again. All because of one thing; your damn photo albums.

So after yet another fight— Kael decides enough is enough.

You come home to the smell of gas.

Kael is burning your photos.

Burning all the memories you've collected over the years. Burning all the time and all the effort. Burning all the friendships and previous relationships. Moments you will never get back. All the feelings and all the love that went into your work.

You've always known Kael to be somewhat impulsive— but you never thought he'd be so willing to hurt you this way.

You're furious. You're distraught. You didn't know whether to hurl things at him or cry. Yet your grief was not met by an apology.

“You're being ridiculous.” Kael laughed— laughed. He's so taken aback by your seeming overreaction that he can't help but to laugh, his tone is sharp and angry, as if mocking you. And clenched in his fists are what remained of everything you held dear, now ashes in his grip.

“Are you kidding me—? It's just pictures! Pictures—!”