Chapter Text
Osora had just finished crying—really crying—for what felt like the first time in months. His face was blotchy, his eyes puffy and raw, and his throat sore from the quiet sobs that had escaped him over the last hour. He sniffled and reached for a tissue with a trembling hand, gently wiping his face. Though exhausted, he felt just a little lighter, like the weight pressing down on his chest had shifted—barely, but enough to breathe again.
He didn’t realize he hadn’t been alone.
For nearly half of that hour, a tall figure had been standing silently in the doorway, unmoving, watching, unsure of whether to speak or leave. When Osora finally glanced up—feeling the prickling sense that someone was there—he froze, lips parting as his eyes locked with Arias’s.
Two stunned faces. Two hearts caught off guard.
Osora’s eyes widened, and just like that, the fragile calm he’d built crumbled. His face twisted, all the sadness and vulnerability flooding back to the surface in an instant. Fresh tears welled in his eyes, falling faster than he could wipe them away.
Arias’s chest tightened at the sight. There was nothing more painful than seeing the person he loved break in front of him, knowing there was a time he might’ve been the reason—or worse, that he couldn’t stop it. He stepped forward slowly, his voice almost a whisper, “Sora…?”
Osora didn’t speak. He couldn’t. He just let the tears fall, his breath hiccupping softly as he stared at Arias like a child who’d just been found.
“Can I touch you?” Arias asked gently, kneeling by the bed, careful not to assume.
Osora gave a small nod, quick and desperate. He didn’t want words. He wanted arms—familiar, warm arms that knew how to hold him without asking for anything back.
Arias tossed off his shoes—something Osora had always insisted on—and climbed into the bed with quiet reverence, like entering a sacred space. He reached out slowly, pulling Osora into his chest, arms encircling him like a shield from the rest of the world.
The moment their bodies touched, Osora collapsed into him fully, sobbing again, this time harder. Arias just held him, one hand pressing gently against Osora’s back, the other resting protectively over his shoulder. His chin rested atop Osora’s head as he murmured wordless comfort, not daring to interrupt the storm that needed to pass.
For twenty long minutes, they stayed like that—Osora crying, Arias holding. Time felt strange, unimportant. All that mattered was the weight of Osora against him and the soft thud of his heartbeat slowly beginning to settle.
Eventually, the tears stopped. Not because everything was fixed, but because Osora was simply too tired to keep going. His body sagged heavily into Arias’s arms, drained, yet safe. He let out a long, shaky breath that ghosted over Arias’s chest.
Arias smiled faintly, his own breath hitching as he gently shifted their bodies so they could lie down without breaking the embrace. He was patient and careful, treating Osora like something fragile and treasured.
He kept rubbing small circles on Osora’s back, over and over, until he felt the tension melt away. The rhythm lulled Osora into sleep in just under ten minutes. His breathing slowed, his muscles relaxed, and the tears dried on his cheeks, forgotten for now.
Arias didn’t move. He stayed perfectly still, only adjusting to cradle Osora better, one leg draped protectively over his. He stared down at the sleeping figure in his arms—hair messy, face peaceful, mouth parted slightly with the softest of snores escaping every now and then.
God, he was beautiful like this.
Arias felt something shift inside him. Relief, maybe. Or peace. For the first time since the “breakup”—a word that still left a bitter taste in his mouth—he didn’t feel like he was falling apart. Not when he had Osora in his arms again, not when he was allowed to be here, in this moment, giving comfort and receiving trust.
And so, he just watched, listening to the quiet night sounds outside, the rise and fall of Osora’s chest, and the soft beat of a heart that still, somehow, found its rhythm near his.