Hope yall enjoy
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Chapter 16: sadness and the start of something new
Yui's arms were still wrapped around him, her face buried against his shoulder as quiet sobs shook her frame. Cid sat there, too drained to pull away, the weight of her warmth and the faint scent of her shampoo cutting through the sterile hospital smell. For a long moment neither of them moved. Then the closeness registered — her cheek pressed to his neck, his hand resting awkwardly on her back, their bodies close enough that he could feel her heartbeat against his chest.
A faint blush crept up Cid's neck. Yui must have felt it too, because she suddenly stiffened and pulled back just enough to meet his eyes. Her own cheeks were flushed, tears still clinging to her lashes.
"S-Sorry," she whispered, voice small. She didn't let go completely, her hands still resting lightly on his arms.
Cid rubbed the back of his neck with his free hand, the motion slow and tired. "It's… fine."
The silence stretched for a beat, awkward and heavy. Cid cleared his throat, searching for anything to cut through it. "How are the others?" he asked, voice low. "Everyone make it out okay?"
Yui's expression softened, but the mood dropped instantly. She sat back in the chair beside the bed, still holding his hand like she was afraid he might slip away if she let go.
"Physically… they're fine," she said sadly. "Bruised, exhausted, a few broken bones and burns, but nothing life-threatening. The doctors say most of us will be back on our feet in a day or two."
She looked down at their joined hands, thumb tracing a small circle on the back of his. "Emotionally… everyone's torn up over Toru. Mina hasn't stopped crying along with a few of the other girls. Kirishima's trying to hold it together for the guys, but you can tell it's eating at him. The whole class is just… quiet. The dorm feels empty riggt now."
Cid let out a sad sigh, the reminder of Toru's death settling heavy in his chest. He stared at the ceiling for a moment clenching his fist, the image of her still form wrapped in his cloak flashing behind his eyes.
Yui's voice shook as she continued. "A lot of parents are thinking of pulling their kids out. Some already have. Others are hesitant, waiting to see what U.A. does next. The public is… outraged. They're harassing the school, demanding answers, calling it a failure. The news won't stop talking about it."
She swallowed hard, tears threatening to spill again. Cid reached out and took her other hand, squeezing gently. The simple gesture seemed to steady her a little.
He thought for a moment, searching for something — anything — to lighten the mood. A joke, a quip, even one of his usual lazy deflections. Nothing came. The weight of everything that had happened was too raw, too heavy.
Then a quote he had heard in an anime once drifted up from somewhere in the back of his mind. He spoke it softly, his voice had a small shake and was rough with emotion.
"As long as you keep the memories of someone close to your heart… they don't truly die. It's only when someone is forgotten that they die for good."
Yui stared at him, surprised, fresh tears rolling down her cheeks. Cid reached up with his free hand and gently wiped them away with his thumb, his touch careful. His own eyes glistened, the words catching in his throat as he forced them out.
"So we won't forget her," he said, voice trembling. "That doesn't mean we can't grieve her leaving us."
The words hung between them, quiet and heavy. Yui's breath hitched and she hiccuped a small cry, but she nodded, leaning into his hand for a moment.
Yui's tears kept falling steadily, and something in Cid's chest twisted at the sight. Seeing her cry like this, because of him, because of everything that had happened, it made his chest ache in a way that had nothing to do with the wound.
Before he could think better of it, he reached out with his free arm and pulled her gently back against him. The hug was awkward at first, his movements hesitant, like he wasn't sure how to hold someone. But once she leaned into it, he tightened his grip fully bringing his other hand to rest on the back of her head, fingers threading lightly through her hair.
Yui's breath caught, but she didn't pull away. She melted into the embrace, her arms wrapping around his waist, careful not to press against the bandages on his chest. They stayed like that for a while, the only sound the steady beep of the heart monitor and the faint rustle of the blanket as she shifted closer.
Cid's voice was low when he finally spoke, rough and uncertain.
"Seeing you cry like that… and not doing something about it… it makes my chest feel….wrong," he muttered, the words coming out clumsy and halting. "And not just because of the hole in it."
Yui let out a small, watery laugh against his shoulder, the sound shaky but genuine. She pulled back just enough to look at him, their faces close enough that he could see the tear tracks on her cheeks and the way her eyes still glistened.
"You're really bad at this, you know," she whispered, a faint smile breaking through the tears.
Cid's mouth twitched in a tired, self-deprecating smirk. "Yeah… Well, I Guess I'm out of practice at this emotional stuff."
The silence that followed wasn't awkward this time. It was warm. Quiet. The kind of silence that felt safe.
Yui rested her forehead against his, their breaths mingling in the small space between them. Her hand linking with his, thumb brushing lightly over his knuckles.
"You don't have to be good at it," she said softly. "You just have to… be here. With me. That's enough."
Cid's eyes closed for a moment, the weight of her words settling over him like a blanket. He had spent so long shrinking everything until nothing could touch him he forgot what this felt like to be accepted just as he was. For the first time in years, he didn't want to make everything go away and leave him alone.
He squeezed her hand, voice barely above a whisper.
"I'm here," he said. "I'm not going anywhere."
Yui's breath hitched again, but this time it wasn't from sadness. She stayed there, forehead pressed to his, their noses almost brushing. The air between them felt different — charged, fragile, full of everything they hadn't said yet. She could feel the rapid thump of his heartbeat against her own, the faint tremor in his fingers where they held hers.
She realized then, with certainty that surprised even her, that if she waited for him to make the first move she would be waiting forever. Cid was many things, strong, kind, fiercely protective, but he was also the boy who had learned to block off every part of himself to survive. He wouldn't cross this line on his own.
So she did it for both of them.
Yui tilted her head just slightly, closing the last inch between them. Her lips brushed his in the softest, most tentative kiss pouring all the feelings she could convey into this one kiss. It wasn't rushed or dramatic. It was simply her way of saying she was here, that she saw him for him, and that she wasn't going anywhere either.
Cid's eyes widened for a fraction of a second, surprise flickering across his face. But he didn't pull away. His hand tightened around hers, and after a heartbeat he leaned in, returning the kiss with the same careful tenderness, like he was afraid he might break something precious if he moved too fast.
When they finally parted, both of them were breathing a lot quicker and Cid's heart was pounding so hard Yui thought he might have a heart attack. A deep red blush colored Cid's cheeks almost making his face look red, and Yui's face was flushed as she rested her forehead against his again, their noses brushing.
Neither of them spoke right away. The moment felt too fragile, too important to ruin with words. But neither of them let go. Neither of them wanted to let go.