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The first time he met you was when he got caught in your garden, a bouquet of plucked flowers in hand, frozen in place like a child caught grabbing a cookie before eating dinner.
His mind was turning gears, contemplating on whether or not to make up some sort of excuse for his current predicament or to run away on the spot.
But that look on your face—one that didn't exactly scream 'I'm extremely angry at you for stealing my flowers from my garden.'—it made him hesitate. It made him stay, for whatever reason.
You were donned in attire suited just for the dirt, the typical green overalls and white undershirt, finished with a hat to block out the sun. Gardening tools that he could only identify as scissors in one hand and a flimsy strand of ribbon in the other, you approached him without a word.
You knelt down next to him, letting out a sigh as you rubbed your fingers against the petals of the plants.
"You shouldn't pluck them out like that."
Aether turned his gaze towards what you were referring to, the ugly roots and clumps of dirt hanging off the flower's stem, screaming inexperience.
He was afraid to respond—scared that speaking will suddenly change your suspiciously calm attitude towards his clear act of thievery. Aether simply nodded in shame, turning to focus on the little specks of rocks embedded onto the soil.
You didn't comment on his silence. Opening your shears, the male's jaw dropped in shock as he watched you cleanly cut the flower from its stem, catching it in your hand before it touched the soil.
Aether blinked his eyes. You cut through the rest of the adjacent flowers, even taking the ones in his hand to trim off the roots, dusting off the dirt with your gloved hands. Aether watched silently as you began bundling up the plucked flowers together, tying that single strand of ribbon you had brought with you around their stem, making sure to make final adjustments before handing them over to him.
"Here." You didn't smile when you gave them back, lips neither curling up nor down. "Better than that crappy bouquet you make every other Saturday."
Aether shrunk away at your words, guilt-ridden face forming a nervous smile. "...You knew?"
"That almost a fourth of my flowers go missing every two weeks?" You let out a snort, rolling your eyes. "Yeah. It got kind of obvious."
He could feel his face heat up from the embarrassment—the blond wanted to dig a hole that instant and become fertilizer for the flowers.
"Why did you let me get away with it?" Aether couldn't help but ask. He eyed the bouquet of flowers still in your hand, ready to be taken. "Why are you letting me get away with it? Aren't these flowers important to you?"
"Oh, don't get the wrong idea. You're definitely paying me back." You raised a brow, pointing your chin at the rest of the flowers still rooted in your garden. "Starting with those roses you took from last time."
"R-Right." Aether let out a sheepish chuckle at your response, smiling nervously at your straight-forward attitude.
"As for your other question..."
Aether looked up to meet your eyes, surprised to see their corners soften, your expression shifting into a look of gentle understanding.
"It looked like you needed them more than me."
His breath hitched—warmth spreading in his chest at your unexpected kindness. Now he was just ashamed by the fact that he didn't ask in the first place; something inside told him that you would have definitely said yes and more.
"I...should have asked you." Aether mumbled, overcome with shame. "I'm sorry."
You waved your hand at his apology. "They'll grow back. Unlike some things."
You stood up from your position on the ground, holding out a hand for him to take.
"Take me to where you put my flowers to use at least, will you?"
+++++++++++++++
For the first time, Aether felt at peace while visiting the cemetery.
Placing the bouquet of home-grown roses onto the headstone, Aether took a couple steps back. You stood beside him, wearing a more formal attire for the occasion.
You glanced at the boy in your peripheral, side-eyeing him before turning to stare down at the name on the headstone.
"...Friend?" You asked, a hand at your hip.
Aether shook his head, a longing gaze accompanied by a bittersweet smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. "Family."
"Ah."
As you could clearly see—comforting someone was not written in your resume of awesome life skills. You cleared your throat, unsure of how to make the situation less awkward than it felt like.
"...How'd they pass?"
"She...went missing." Aether explained, eyes not leaving the name inscribed onto the marble. "Seven years ago. The police couldn't find her and stopped investing a few years back."
Goodness, this was getting tougher by the second. You opted to listen quietly, risking another side glance at the boy before letting out a soft sigh.
"You think she's still out there?" You ask, voice quiet. You were afraid anything louder would shatter the precious air of solitude around the two of you.
"I do." Aether responded in a heartbeat, not an ounce of hesitance in his voice. "She's out there somewhere. Living through whatever it is. Because that's the kind of person she is."
A smile graced your lips at his response. "Good."
You slumped onto the grass, crossing your legs together with a louder sigh this time. Startled at your sudden change in demeanor, he followed suit in haste without a thought.
"Tell me about her." You say, this time a little louder than before. Leaning your elbow against your leg, you lean your face against the palm of your hand as you offer him a smile. "She sounds like one strong girl."
Aether smiled, looking up at the sky foldly as memories of his sister began replaying in his mind. "She is. Never afraid to pick a fight."
And so the two of you spent that afternoon together, sitting in front of the headstone, Aether sharing stories of his sister while you listened intently.
That day, the grass felt less cold, and roses more vibrant.
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Short one 'cause I'm running out of ideas and preparing for college is a pain in the ass. ｡ﾟ(ﾟ'Д｀ﾟ)ﾟ｡
