[Darin can't help but smile seeing two people finally fulfill their dream of being together. Whatever awaited them in the afterlife, he hoped they could be truly happy. And after all of that, his fear of ghosts seemed almost childish. Zelda was right...not all phantoms were filled with hate or sorrow. Some just needed a push to find their proper path.]
[A push that Darin was feeling himself, in light of Hector's words.]
[He clears his throat and turns to Zelda.]
So...I uh. I never...really got a chance to finish telling you what I wanted to say before but...after all of that? Words are kinda...well, where do I even begin...right?
[He turns to her with a lopsided smile, his cheeks burning red.]
So...maybe...there's something else I can do instead. Something that might...make a little more sense...?
[He takes a slow, steadying breath...and he reaches up to his own face. Slowly, he peels the domino mask off. He then takes her hand, turns it over, and places the mask into her hand.]
[Darin's lived by some mask or another his entire life. He's always been so scared to show who he really is. How he really feels. He fought Zelda tooth and nail to keep his mask on, to keep his guard up, so sure in his assessment that he'd be better off without her. But he couldn't be further from the truth. Zelda has changed his life. She's made him unquestionably stronger. She's given him the gift of want. And to hide his true self, his true feelings, behind a mask before her was a grave disservice to everything she continues to do for him.]
[He doesn't want to hide anymore. He wants her to see him. All of him. Because he trusts her with everything that he is.]
[The smile he offers her isn't his usual wide, brimming smile. It's reserved and shy. It's nervous and hopeful. This is who he is— a young man in love. Scared and excited, anxious and clumsy. Darin Altway is a young man who wants to be good.]
[And he wants Zelda— not Princess Zelda, to see him for who he is.]
[He doesn't know if she'll understand the gesture. And he bows his head a little in embarrassment as he realizes that this likely only means something to him.]
2/2
[A push that Darin was feeling himself, in light of Hector's words.]
[He clears his throat and turns to Zelda.]
So...I uh. I never...really got a chance to finish telling you what I wanted to say before but...after all of that? Words are kinda...well, where do I even begin...right?
[He turns to her with a lopsided smile, his cheeks burning red.]
So...maybe...there's something else I can do instead. Something that might...make a little more sense...?
[He takes a slow, steadying breath...and he reaches up to his own face. Slowly, he peels the domino mask off. He then takes her hand, turns it over, and places the mask into her hand.]
[Darin's lived by some mask or another his entire life. He's always been so scared to show who he really is. How he really feels. He fought Zelda tooth and nail to keep his mask on, to keep his guard up, so sure in his assessment that he'd be better off without her. But he couldn't be further from the truth. Zelda has changed his life. She's made him unquestionably stronger. She's given him the gift of want. And to hide his true self, his true feelings, behind a mask before her was a grave disservice to everything she continues to do for him.]
[He doesn't want to hide anymore. He wants her to see him. All of him. Because he trusts her with everything that he is.]
[The smile he offers her isn't his usual wide, brimming smile. It's reserved and shy. It's nervous and hopeful. This is who he is— a young man in love. Scared and excited, anxious and clumsy. Darin Altway is a young man who wants to be good.]
[And he wants Zelda— not Princess Zelda, to see him for who he is.]
[He doesn't know if she'll understand the gesture. And he bows his head a little in embarrassment as he realizes that this likely only means something to him.]
[But he hopes she'll understand. Somehow.]