Aerith's breathing had finally slowed
His forehead rested against Ash's chest, eyes closed
—soaking in a warmth he had almost forgotten
Yuri clenched his fists
Yuri POV
I won't let it happen again
Ash spoke softly, his voice steady
"Never think you're a burden. You're more precious than you realize."
Aerith's eyes softened
He closed them , letting the words settle deep in his chest
"Aerith," Ash said quietly,
"you don't know how we would have felt if we had lost you."
Aerith smiled softly
"You don't know how much you matter to us," Ash continued
"How much impact you have on our lives."
Ash looked at him seriously
"No matter what happens—promise me you'll never do that again."
Aerith nodded
"I won't."
Ash pulled him closer
"If you want to cry," he whispered,
"cry as much as you want in my arms."
A knock sounded at the door
Ash opened it
Yuri stood there, eyes red, tears falling
Without a word, he stepped forward and hugged Aerith tightly
"Don't ever hide yourself from me again," Yuri said, his voice breaking
"Swear to me."
He looked at Ash
"You too."
The three of them stood together
And there—
they swore to each other
that they would never hide their pain,
never face the darkness alone again
At the flower shop, Aeris moved through the storeroom, sorting boxes and shelves
He had told Yuri he would handle the cleaning—he was completely free after Yuri left
He worked quickly, carefully arranging everything.
Then he noticed a painting
He picked it up
It was a painting of a little boy:
misty, light-blue glossy hair,
light lavender eyes,
and a small mole beneath the center of his lower lip
Aerel POV
I need to find a band
And I want to be a guitarist
He smiled softly
That's the only dream I have
I want nothing else
I want to show my emotions through music.
I've been doing it since I was a child.
Music is beautiful.
"My comfort."
The next day, Aerith stood in the band room. He was the band's vocalist.
The drummer glanced around
"We still need a guitarist."
The sponsor smiled knowingly
"I already found one. A boy asked me yesterday.
We'll let him join."
The band members exchanged excited looks
"Whoa—a new member?"
"We should welcome him properly."
Aerel POV
Damn… I'm nervous.
Will they accept me… especially since I'm mute?
The sponsor opened the door slightly
"Come inside."
The room was filled with quiet excitement.
Aerel stepped forward.
The moment he entered—
his eyes locked with Aerith's
Time seemed to pause
They stood there, staring at each other, something unspoken passing between them
One of the band members whispered,
"Whoa… the guitarist is really striking."
The sponsor cleared his throat.
"Go on. Introduce yourself."
Aerel looked at him and blinked
The sponsor froze for a second
"Ah—right. I almost forgot
He's mute. You can talk to him using sign language if you know it, or just type on your phone."
For a brief moment, Aerel held his breath
Then—
"That's not a problem at all," one of the members said with a warm smile
"We're one now—one band. Things like that don't matter here."
Aerel's eyes sparkled, his chest tightening with emotion.
Aerith smiled warmly at him