"I… sniff, sniff… I am not… sniff… c-crying!"
Aether bit his lower lip with an awkward expression, as a soft "Tsk" escaped him. He turned his head to the side, unable to meet her eyes for a moment.
What should he do now?
He exhaled deeply, his voice softened... gentle, tender, nothing like the furious shouts from earlier. "Sigh… listen." Slowly, he stepped closer and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into a tight embrace, holding her as if he would never let her go again.
His voice shook faintly as he spoke against her trembling hair. "When I thought I lost you… You don't understand what I felt. It was unbearable… like the world itself collapsed under my feet. Just like I don't understand what it truly means to live between life and death."
He pulled back slightly, cupping her cheeks carefully, lifting her tear-streaked face to meet his gaze. His thumb brushed her wet skin as his eyes softened.
