Liam stares hard at Gladio as his words sink in. In some way, raging against an obvious villain was enjoyable. It was satisfying to be infuriated by injustice, and it felt even better to quash it by doing the right thing. Being angry with Gladio? Sucked. Gladio was apologetic and considerate, and Liam hadn't been ready to write him off from the beginning. This just wasn't fun at all.
He tries to keep up his glare as he continues, knowing he shouldn't rush to forgive him when there was still more to discuss. But the mask has cracked, and the corners of Liam's mouth curl into a miserable frown as he folds his arms carefully. "I'm not like you all," Liam begins factually. "I didn't have the privilege of coming from a universe I'm not native to. I'm working from an incomplete picture, and I don't have the support the rest of you have. Not by half." Friendly as the rest of them had been to him, there was simply no making up for time. There were just some disadvantages that couldn't be addressed, and it wasn't equal, but it also wasn't unjust. It simply was.
"So when you stopped me from 'saving' someone I wanted as my friend- same as anyone here- what was I supposed to think? From my perspective, we were leaving that girl to her fate, and I had to take it or die." He sighs. He knows in his heart that he overreacted - that he played up his outrage to burn his bridges as fast as possible - but the rest of them had to learn that Liam Ferohn-Gau didn't bend to threats. "The universe would be a shittier place if we turned away from injustice to save our own skin. In that moment, helping someone was worth more than my life." Liam didn't know Ardyn - didn't believe in his virtue like he believed in Gladio's. What if Ardyn insisted on something even worse in the future? He had to know there was someone willing to keep him in check.
"I asked everyone to tell me if there was something I was missing. I trusted you! I thought you would have just told me, but instead, you..." Threatened him, let him get injured, left him suffering in the dark for three days while the resentment ate holes through his guts. The moment after Asch revealed their fight had been for nothing, Liam could have wept furious tears, had the others not been watching. Even now, they prick at his eyes.
Liam squares his shoulders and marches over to Gladio, tense as though he might get in his face - and then pushes him up from his slouch, shoving him firmly but affectionately. In spite of his hurt, there's some tenderness to his tone. "Idiot... You really let me down." That was Liam's breaking point. He was too damaged and miserable to handle another betrayal.
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He tries to keep up his glare as he continues, knowing he shouldn't rush to forgive him when there was still more to discuss. But the mask has cracked, and the corners of Liam's mouth curl into a miserable frown as he folds his arms carefully. "I'm not like you all," Liam begins factually. "I didn't have the privilege of coming from a universe I'm not native to. I'm working from an incomplete picture, and I don't have the support the rest of you have. Not by half." Friendly as the rest of them had been to him, there was simply no making up for time. There were just some disadvantages that couldn't be addressed, and it wasn't equal, but it also wasn't unjust. It simply was.
"So when you stopped me from 'saving' someone I wanted as my friend- same as anyone here- what was I supposed to think? From my perspective, we were leaving that girl to her fate, and I had to take it or die." He sighs. He knows in his heart that he overreacted - that he played up his outrage to burn his bridges as fast as possible - but the rest of them had to learn that Liam Ferohn-Gau didn't bend to threats. "The universe would be a shittier place if we turned away from injustice to save our own skin. In that moment, helping someone was worth more than my life." Liam didn't know Ardyn - didn't believe in his virtue like he believed in Gladio's. What if Ardyn insisted on something even worse in the future? He had to know there was someone willing to keep him in check.
"I asked everyone to tell me if there was something I was missing. I trusted you! I thought you would have just told me, but instead, you..." Threatened him, let him get injured, left him suffering in the dark for three days while the resentment ate holes through his guts. The moment after Asch revealed their fight had been for nothing, Liam could have wept furious tears, had the others not been watching. Even now, they prick at his eyes.
Liam squares his shoulders and marches over to Gladio, tense as though he might get in his face - and then pushes him up from his slouch, shoving him firmly but affectionately. In spite of his hurt, there's some tenderness to his tone. "Idiot... You really let me down." That was Liam's breaking point. He was too damaged and miserable to handle another betrayal.