<span style="font-family: 'Georgia'">More sorry than he could ever make up for. <br/>
<br/>
Theo couldn't even begin to explain his deepest regret. Michael stepping away from him only spurring the artist to follow after him. The gun the only thing stopping his forward momentum. If only Michael would let him explain, he'd make right his wrongs. Time, he just needed time. But if Michael had anything to do with it, time was the last thing Theo would ever get. <br/>
<br/>
Theo flinched as the other's words tore into him. He knew he had no right to ask to be forgiven for abandoning Michael. No right at all, but selfishly he asked anyway. Wanting nothing else, if he could just have that.<br/>
<br/>
He had no excuses, no argument, or explanations for giving up on Michael. It wasn't as if he lacked in resources and money to hire people to search for him. The truth of it was he'd done just that. But every time it lead to another dead end, it chipped away at his resolve. Hope was a fickle thing and he could only take so much of the constant losses. Years of nothing eventually took its toll and he'd given up. As much as he tried to convince himself otherwise, as much as others tried to assure him that he'd done all he could. It didn't erase the fact that he hadn't tried harder. He'd given up and that was the ugly truth of it.<br/>
<br/>
He'd given up on Michael.<br/>
<br/>
"No, nonono," Theo dropped to his knees in front of Michael, ignoring the way his leg protested at the sudden motion. That Michael would think he wasn't important enough to Theo pained the artist. And he so badly wanted for Michael to understand. "You have no idea how hard I tried," he wiped at the wetness on his face with the back of his hand, "God, I tried. Even when everybody else kept telling me that you were gone, that you were never coming back, I nev--" Theo choked on a sob, "I never stopped believing." He grabbed at Michael's leg as he looked up at him, his deep brown eyes pleading, "I need you to understand that I did look for you. I <i>did </i>try."</span>