Lytheil stood alone on his balcony in the quiet of the night
Before him, the city lights stretched endlessly—soft, distant, alive
For a moment, he simply watched
Then he turned his back to the view
His gaze fell on the black rose resting nearby
Lytheil (POV)
These black roses are cunningly beautiful
Not just beautiful… they carry depth within them
He closed his eyes
When he opened them again, the silence felt heavier—thicker
"Irel… huh?" he murmured
A faint smile touched his lips
"So this is what you wanted to say…"
he whispered to himself
Next Scene — The Flower Shop
Aeris stood behind the counter, staring blankly ahead
Yuri noticed and gently tapped his shoulder
Aeris blinked, then smiled
"Yuri."
"You seem distracted," Yuri said softly
"Is something bothering you?"
Aeris shook his head lightly
"Nah… nothing."
Yuri studied him for a moment
"If anything happens, tell me. Okay?"
Aeris nodded
"I will."
Yuri (POV)
I don't want to go through that again
When I failed Aerith… I decided something
I would never fail my precious, my loved one, ever again
A strange ache settled in his chest
Why does it hurt like this whenever I see Aeris bothered—
or even just a little unhappy?
And yet…
Why does my heart go completely berserk when I see him smile?
Yuri exhaled quietly, hiding the storm behind a gentle expression
"Promise me," Yuri said
Aeris smiled wider
"Okay."
They hooked their little fingers together
"Pinky promise," Yuri said, chuckling
Aeris's eyes sparkled softly
"Yeah. Pinky promise."
The space between them filled with warmth
Next Morning
A small café—quietly beautiful
Sunlight filtered through glass windows, painting the tables in gold
Irel sat waiting
Moments later, Aeris arrived
Their eyes met
Neither spoke at first
Then Aeris broke the silence
"First… thank you," he said quietly
"For not telling anything."
Irel met his gaze calmly
"You didn't seem like a harm to anyone," he said
"Hiding your identity… that's your life."
"If I were in your place," he continued softly,
"I think I'd understand why you're doing this."
"Only you know what you've been through."
Aeris's eyes softened
"And I'm not here to threaten you," Irel added
"Or force you by saying I'll reveal the truth."
He paused
"When I first saw you, you felt like a character I thought would be hard to find—
both in appearance and in the character."
"But then I saw your real face
Your eyes, Your character."
"It felt same."
"I thought it would be a waste to let you go," Irel said softly
"So I wanted to ask you one last time."
"Either way… it's your decision."
"I'll accept a yes or a no."
Aeris swallowed
"To be honest," he said,
"It's not that I don't like it…"
"I just… don't know what to do."
Irel looked at him calmly
"Aeris."
The sound of his name brought unexpected warmth
"Feeling stuck isn't a bad thing," Irel said gently
"It just means you're trying to find the right answer."
"Take your time. I'm still looking for others."
"I can give you time."
then added softly,
"I should ask what you want to do…"
"But I feel like asking something else."
His words echoed quietly through the café
"What do you want to be?"
Aeris's chest tightened
A memory flickered
Little Yuri, asking softly—
What do you want to be?
"I want to be an actor," Aeris had said
"Or a model, I really want to be one."
Yuri's eyes had sparkled as he chuckled
"And you?" Aeris had asked
Yuri thought deeply, then smiled
"I want to be a florist."
"People are like flowers," Yuri said
"Warm. Beautiful. Hidden."
"Some look beautiful but are heartless. Some are hurt."
"But in that world…"
"I want to be someone warm."
"To give everyone hope—
in the form of a flower."
Aeris's eyes filled with tears
It wasn't painful—
it was warm
As the tears slipped down his cheeks, something in his chest finally settled
Aeris smiled—soft, genuine
"I got my answer," he said quietly
"I will."
Irel's eyes widened slightly, light flickering within them
A smile curved his lips as well