Archive of Our Own

Morning sunlight filtered through the curtains of their Bangkok apartment, casting soft golden lines across the bed where Rin and Aokbab lay next to each other. Aokbab's alarm had gone off ten minutes ago, but neither of them had moved to get up.

"We're going to be late," Aokbab mumbled, her voice still thick with sleep.

"Five more minutes," Rin said without opening her eyes.

"You said that ten minutes ago."

"This time I mean it."

Aokbab turned to look at Rin. Her girlfriend's hair was messy from sleep, and there was a crease on her cheek from the pillow. Five years. They had been together for five years now, living together for three. But lately, things had been different. Not bad, exactly. Just different.

They still loved each other. That much was clear. But the sweetness from before had faded a bit. The morning kisses became quick pecks before rushing to work. The long conversations turned into tired silence on the couch. The playful touches became rare. They were still a couple, but somewhere along the way, they had become comfortable. Maybe too comfortable.

"I should shower," Aokbab said, sitting up.

"Okay," Rin replied, still not moving.

There was no protest, no pulling her back into bed, no stolen kisses. Just okay.

Aokbab went to the bathroom and turned on the water. As she waited for it to warm up, she looked at herself in the mirror. When was the last time Rin had really looked at her? Not just a glance, but really looked at her the way she used to?

She shook her head. This was normal. This happened to all couples. The butterflies faded. The passion cooled. That didn't mean they loved each other less. It just meant they were settled. Right?

As Aokbab dried her hair, she felt a tickle in her throat. She coughed once, then again. Something felt strange. She coughed harder, and suddenly, her hand flew to her mouth. When she pulled it away, there were petals. Small, delicate pink petals.

Her breath caught in her throat. This couldn't be real. She stared at the petals in her palm, her mind racing back to her time in Japan five years ago. She had heard stories about this disease. Hanahaki, they called it. A curse where flowers grew in your lungs when you loved someone who didn't love you back. But that was just a myth, wasn't it? She had met people who claimed to have it, but the cases were so rare that most people dismissed them.

But here she was, holding flower petals in her hand.

"Babe, we need to leave in twenty," Rin shouted from outside the door.

Aokbab quickly flushed the petals down the toilet. Her heart pounded. This didn't make sense. She loved Rin. Rin loved her. They had been together for five years. How could she have Hanahaki disease?

Maybe it was something else. Maybe she ate something strange. Maybe it was just her imagination.

But deep down, she knew. She recognized the symptoms from all those stories she had heard in Tokyo. The tickle in her throat. The way the petals felt soft and real against her skin. This was Hanahaki.

She couldn't tell Rin. Not yet. Not until she figured out what was happening.

The next few days were hard. Aokbab started coughing petals more often. She hid them in tissues, flushed them away, made sure Rin never saw. At work, she excused herself to the bathroom multiple times a day. At home, she waited until Rin was asleep or in another room.

But Rin was not stupid. She noticed everything.

"Aokbab, are you okay?" Rin asked one evening as they sat on the couch watching TV. "You've been acting weird lately."

"I'm fine," Aokbab said quickly. "Just tired from work."

"We work at the same place. I know when you're tired from work and when something else is wrong." Rin paused the show and turned to face her. "Talk to me. What's going on?"

"It's nothing, really. Just some stress."

"We work together, Aokbab. If you're stressed about something at work, you can ask me for help. We're a team, remember?"

Aokbab forced a smile. "I know. I'm sorry. I'll be fine."

But Rin's eyes told her she didn't believe it.

A week later, everything fell apart.

Rin came home early from a client meeting and found Aokbab sitting at the dining table, her laptop open. But Aokbab wasn't looking at work documents. She was scrolling through Instagram, searching for someone.

"Why are you looking for Mind?" Rin asked, making Aokbab jump.

Aokbab quickly closed her laptop. "No, I just pressed it wrong."

"Wrong? So you were not staring at her profile for the past five minutes?" Rin's voice was calm, but there was an edge to it. "Aokbab, I'm trying really hard not to think the worst here, but you're making it difficult."

"It's not what you think."

"Then what is it? Because from where I'm standing, it looks like you're searching for your ex girlfriend."

Aokbab felt her throat tighten. Before she could respond, the cough came. It was like fate telling her to confess. She tried to hold it back, but it was too strong. She doubled over, coughing hard. When she pulled her hand away from her mouth, petals fell to the floor. Pink and delicate, unmistakable.

Rin's eyes went wide. She knelt down and picked up a petal, holding it between her fingers like it might disappear. "What is this?"

Aokbab took a shaky breath. "It's called Hanahaki disease."

"What? You mean-?"

"I know it sounds crazy. I know it seems impossible. But it's real." Aokbab wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. "It started a couple weeks ago. I've been coughing up flower petals."

Rin stared at her, then at the petals on the floor, then back at her. "This is a joke, right? Some kind of prank?"

"I wish it was."

"But how? Why?" Rin's voice cracked. "What does this even mean?"

"It means I'm in love with someone who doesn't love me back," Aokbab said quietly.

The words hung in the air between them. Rin's face went pale. "You don't love me anymore?"

"No, no, that's not it." Aokbab reached for Rin's hand. "I love you so much. That's why this doesn't make sense. I thought Hanahaki only happened when love wasn't returned. But I love you, and I know you love me."

"Then why are you looking up Mind?"

"Because I don't know what else to do. I've been trying to figure this out on my own. Maybe it has something to do with her. Maybe there's something unfinished I don't know about."

"But didn't the stories say, if the love is not returned you will die?"

Aokbab stared at Rin for a moment then answered seriously. "Yes."

Rin was quiet for a long moment. Then she stood up and grabbed her phone. "I'm going to fix this."

"Rin, wait. What are you doing?"

But Rin was already typing on her phone, her face set. She spent the entire night researching, reading articles in both Thai and English, joining forums, watching videos. Aokbab tried to get her to sleep, but Rin refused.

"I'm not going to lose you," Rin said, her eyes red from staring at the screen. "There has to be a way to cure this."

By morning, Rin had a plan.

"Call your brothers," Rin said, handing Aokbab her phone. "Tell them we're taking a week off. Tell them whatever you want. Vacation, personal reasons, I don't care. But we need time to fix this."

"Rin, I don't think..."

"Please." Rin's voice broke. "Just trust me."

Aokbab nodded and made the call.

The first doctor they visited looked at them like they were crazy.

"Hanahaki disease?" The doctor laughed. "That's just an urban legend. What you probably have is a breathing problem. I'll give you some medicine."

"But I'm coughing up actual flower petals," Aokbab said.

"Perhaps you ate something unusual. Or maybe you're having some kind of mental episode. The mind can make us believe strange things."

They left without the medicine.

The second doctor was worse. After checking Aokbab and finding nothing wrong with her lungs, he suggested she see a psychiatrist. "Sometimes stress can show up in unusual ways," he said gently. "I think talking to someone might help."

Rin was angry. "She's not crazy. This is real."

But the doctor just smiled kindly and handed them a card.

The third doctor was different. She was older, probably in her sixties, with kind eyes and a calm way about her. She listened to their story without stopping them. Then she checked Aokbab carefully, took X-rays, drew blood, and spent twenty minutes looking things up on her computer.

"I won't lie to you," the doctor finally said. "This is not something I've seen before. But I've read about similar cases in medical journals, mostly from Asia. The condition is very rare, which is why most doctors don't believe it. But if what you're telling me is true, and I have no reason to doubt you, then we're dealing with something that doesn't follow normal medical rules."

"Can you help her?" Rin asked desperately.

"I can't cure her. But I can tell you what I've learned from the research." The doctor pulled up some articles on her screen. "If this is truly Hanahaki disease, then the solution isn't medical. It's emotional. The cure needs a confession to the person you love most, and that person must feel the same way."

"But I already love her," Rin said, taking Aokbab's hand. "We've been together for five years."

"I know. That's what makes this case specially unusual. Most cases involve love that's not returned. But perhaps there's something else going on here. Something not resolved."

They thanked the doctor and left, feeling more confused than ever.

The next day, Rin took them to a temple. They knelt before a monk who blessed them with holy water and said prayers. Aokbab felt the cool water on her forehead, heard the sound of the monk's voice, but when they left, nothing had changed. She still felt the flowers growing in her chest.

After the temple, they visited a fortune teller in an old shop. The woman laid out tarot cards, read their palms, and lit incense. She told them about past lives and old debts, about how love could cross time but also carry pain from before.

"You must forgive," the fortune teller said. "Not just others, but yourself."

But when Aokbab coughed petals on the way home, Rin broke down crying in the car.

Tokyo was exactly as Aokbab remembered it. The crowded streets, the bright lights, the mix of old temples and modern buildings. They spent two days asking around, visiting libraries, talking to people in cafes and parks. Most people had heard of Hanahaki disease but knew nothing useful about it. Some thought it was just a story from manga and anime. Others said they knew someone who knew someone who had it, but the trails always led nowhere.

On their third day, they found her. An old priestess at a small shrine in Asakusa. She was sweeping the steps when they came up, and when Rin explained their situation in broken Japanese, the old woman nodded slowly.

She invited them inside and served them tea. She told them what she knew. But her advice was unclear. "The heart knows what it needs," she said. "Listen to it."

"But how do we cure this?" Rin pressed.

The priestess smiled sadly. "The cure has stayed the same through time. A truth must be spoken from deep in the heart. The soul must open itself to the one it wants most. And that soul must answer back, with equal weight, equal measure. But be careful, for the heart often lies to itself about what it truly wants."

"We already love each other," Aokbab said.

"Then you already have the answer," the priestess looked at her with old eyes.

They left the shrine with no answers, only more questions.

Once back on their Inn, Rin was quiet. Aokbab could see her thinking, working through everything they had learned.

"Maybe we should contact Mind," Rin finally said.

Aokbab turned to look at her. "What?"

"If there's any chance that your feelings for her are causing this, we need to deal with it. Even if it's hard. Even if it hurts." Rin's voice was steady, but Aokbab could see the pain in her eyes. "I don't want to lose you."

Aokbab took Rin's hand. "You're the one I love. Not Mind. Not anyone else. Just you. And I'll tell you that every day, every hour, every moment if I have to."

Rin squeezed her hand. "I know. I never doubted that. But I hate this. I hate fate for doing this to us. I loved fate for bringing us together, but now I hate it for putting you through this." Tears rolled down her cheeks. "I love you so much, Aokbab. And I'll tell you every day too. But I need you to live. Even if that means facing things we don't want to face."

Aokbab wiped Rin's tears with her thumb and pressed a soft kiss to her forehead. “You know what? Since we’re already here in Japan, let’s go on a date,” she said gently. “Last time we visited, you were always dragging me all over the place. This time, let’s just go somewhere you want and pretend it’s our first date again.”

Rin smiled for the first time that day. “A date? During this time?”

“Why not?” Aokbab shrugged, grinning. “Let’s just enjoy this day. The week has been so long, hasn’t it?”

Rin leaned in, playful again. “You must really be in love with me to ask for a date. Or maybe you have some secret plan to get your way with me later on, huh?”

Aokbab laughed, pretending to look scandalized. “Is that what you think? Maybe I do want a little more of your attention, khun Rin.”

Rin nudged her playfully. “You’re bold today, Aokbab. You better keep your promise and spoil me all day. Otherwise, I’ll have to be the one taking you around again, and you know how that ends.”

Aokbab smiled and squeezed Rin’s hand. “Deal. Just you and me, in a date.”

They spent the rest of the evening teasing, laughing, and tangled up in each other’s arms. For a little while, everything was soft and good, and they let themselves believe nothing else mattered beyond that moment.

Back in Bangkok, Aokbab made a decision. She wouldn't contact Mind. It was pointless. Whatever she had felt for Mind ended years ago. But Rin had another condition.

"Then we tell everyone," Rin said firmly. "Your brothers, my sister, our friends. I don't want you hiding this anymore. The more people who know, the more people who can help us find answers."

Aokbab agreed.

They gathered everyone at their home. Pat, Chan, Prim and Tetris.

When Aokbab explained what was happening, the room went silent.

"That's not possible," Pat said finally. "Hanahaki disease is just a story."

"I thought so too," Aokbab replied.

As if on cue, the cough came. She tried to hold it back, but it was too strong. Petals spilled from her mouth, falling across the coffee table. Everyone stared.

"Oh my god," Prim whispered.

Rin explained everything they had done so far. The doctors, the monk, the fortune teller, the trip to Japan. "We need your help," she said. "We need ideas. Anything."

Pat leaned forward, his face serious. "I don't think you still love Mind. But maybe fate wants you to forgive her. Not confession, but forgiveness. Maybe that's what will cure this."

Aokbab and Rin looked at each other, thinking about it.

"It's worth trying," Rin said softly. "I'll support whatever you decide."

"But what if it doesn't work?" Tetris asked. "What if this isn't about Mind at all?"

Chan suddenly spoke up. "Didn't you mention once that you had a thing with someone in Japan? When you were working there?"

Aokbab blinked. "Wan? That was nothing serious. We dated for a few months, but it was just casual. And our breakup was fine. We both agreed we were too messed up to be in a relationship. She's actually married now. I saw her posts on social media. She looks really happy."

"Still," Chan said. "Maybe there's something not resolved there too."

Rin nodded slowly. "We should consider everything."

Weeks passed. Everyone continued to research while Aokbab and Rin tried to live normally. But normal was impossible when flowers were slowly filling Aokbab's lungs. The coughing got worse. Sometimes there was blood mixed with the petals.

One evening, Rin was cleaning the kitchen when she opened the cabinet to put away the cereal. Something fell out from behind the box. Letters. Several of them, with names written on the envelopes in Aokbab's handwriting. Rin's name. Pat's name. Chan's name. Prim's name.

Rin's hands started shaking. She knew what these were.

"Rin? Are you okay?" Aokbab walked into the kitchen and stopped when she saw what Rin was holding.

Rin's hands shook as she held the letters, her vision blurring with tears. The envelopes felt heavy, each one a goodbye she wasn't ready to accept.

"What are these?" Her voice cracked.

Aokbab stepped closer, her heart breaking at the sight of Rin's tears. "They're just in case. That's all. Just in case something happens to me."

"No." Rin shook her head hard. "The worst is never going to happen. I won't let it. I'll find a way to save you, I promise."

Aokbab gently took the letters from Rin's shaking hands and placed them back in the cabinet, closing the door on those dark thoughts. Then she turned and held Rin's face in both hands, using her thumbs to wipe away the tears that kept falling.

"Look at me," Aokbab said softly.

Rin's eyes met hers, red and full of fear and love and desperation.

"I love you," Aokbab whispered. "I love you more than I knew it was possible to love another person. Every morning I wake up next to you, I think about how lucky I am. Every time you laugh at my terrible jokes, every time you steal the blanket at night, every time you burn the toast because you get distracted, I fall more in love with you."

"Aokbab," Rin cried, trying to speak, but Aokbab gently pressed a finger to her lips.

"I'm not done." Aokbab smiled through her own tears. "For the longest time, I was waiting for the perfect moment. I had this whole plan in my head. I was going to take you to that restaurant where we had our first date. I was going to wait until the sun set, until the light was just right, until everything was perfect. But then I realized something."

She reached into her pocket and pulled out a small velvet box. Rin's breath caught.

"There is no perfect moment," Aokbab continued, opening the box to show a simple silver ring with a small stone that caught the kitchen light. "Every moment with you is already perfect. This moment right here, standing in our kitchen with tears on our faces and fear in our hearts, this is perfect too. Because you're here with me."

Rin's hands flew to her mouth as fresh tears spilled down her cheeks.

"I know I'm being selfish." Aokbab's voice shook. "I know I might not have much time left. I know asking you to marry me when I don't know if I can give you forever is unfair. But I can't help it. I want to be your wife. I want to wake up every day, for however many days I have left, and know that I belong to you and you belong to me."

She took Rin's left hand and held it gently.

"Rin, you are my home. You are my safe place. You are the reason I believe in tomorrow even when today is scary. You fight for me when I'm too tired to fight for myself. You love me even when I'm difficult to love. You make me want to be brave."

Aokbab slowly knelt down on one knee, still holding Rin's hand.

"So I'm asking you, here in our messy kitchen, with dishes in the sink and your work bag on the counter and that rock friend you kept next to the glass cabinet as our witness. I'm asking you in this imperfect, ordinary, beautiful moment. Will you marry me? Will you be my wife? Will you let me love you with everything I am, for as long as I can?"

Rin dropped to her knees in front of Aokbab, unable to stand anymore. She was crying so hard she could barely breathe, but she nodded over and over. "Yes. Yes, of course yes."

Aokbab slipped the ring onto Rin's finger with shaking hands. It fit perfectly.

"I love you," Rin managed to say between sobs. "I love you so much it scares me. I don't care how much time we have. One day or fifty years, I want all of it. I want every single moment."

They held each other on the kitchen floor, both crying, both laughing a little too. Rin kept looking at the ring on her finger like she couldn't believe it was real.

"It's beautiful," she whispered.

"It reminded me of you," Aokbab said, brushing a strand of hair from Rin's face. "Simple but strong. Quiet but precious. Perfect."

"When did you buy it?"

"A month ago. I've been carrying it around with me every day, waiting for courage." Aokbab laughed softly. "I guess nearly dying gives you courage."

"Don't say that." Rin pressed her forehead against Aokbab's. "Don't talk about dying. Not tonight. Tonight you just asked me to marry you and I said yes. That's all I want to think about."

"Okay," Aokbab agreed. "Just us. Just this."

They sat there for a long time, holding each other, the ring shining on Rin's finger like a promise. Outside, the city moved on, people rushing home from work, cars honking, life continuing. But inside their kitchen, time stood still for two women who loved each other enough to choose forever, even when forever felt uncertain.

Eventually, Rin pulled back and looked at Aokbab with determination in her eyes. "We're going to beat this disease. And then we're going to have the most beautiful wedding. And then we're going to grow old together, complaining about our backs and arguing about whose turn it is to take out the trash."

Aokbab smiled. "That sounds perfect."

"Promise me something."

"Anything."

"Promise me you'll fight. Promise me you won't give up."

Aokbab took both of Rin's hands in hers. "I promise. I'll fight with everything I have. Because now I have even more reason to stay."

Rin kissed her then, soft and sweet and full of all the words they couldn't say. When they finally pulled apart, they were both smiling through their tears.

"My fiancée," Rin said, testing the word.

"My fiancée," Aokbab repeated, loving how it sounded.

They helped each other up from the floor, and Rin immediately pulled out her phone to take a picture of the ring. Then she wanted a picture of them together, and then another one, and another one.

"We need to tell everyone," Rin said excitedly. "Pat and Chan and Prim and Tetris. We need to call them right now."

"Now? It's almost ten at night."

"I don't care. This is important." Rin was already scrolling through her contacts. "This is the best news we've had in weeks. Let me have this."

Aokbab laughed and pulled Rin into another hug. "Okay. Call everyone. Tell the whole world if you want."

And Rin did. She called everyone they knew, talking too fast, crying happy tears, showing off the ring through video calls. And Aokbab watched her with a full heart, thinking that no matter what happened next, she had this moment. She had Rin saying yes. She had love that was strong enough to face anything.

That was enough.

That was everything.

Two weeks before the wedding, the Hanahaki disease got worse. Aokbab started coughing up blood along with the petals. Rin panicked and insisted they try everything one more time.

They called Mind. The conversation was awkward and strange. Mind was confused but tried to be understanding. Aokbab said sorry for how things ended between them years ago. Mind said there was nothing to forgive, that mostly it was still her fault and they had both moved on. But after the call, Aokbab still coughed petals.

They video called Wan. Wan's wife sat next to her, both of them looking concerned. "I don't know what to tell you," Wan said. "We dated so briefly, and it ended well. But if there's anything I can do to help, just say it."

But nothing helped.

Rin made Aokbab say "I love you" to everyone they knew. She made her say "sorry" and "I forgive you" to anyone she could think of. But the flowers kept growing.

Their wedding day arrived. It was beautiful. They held the ceremony at a small resort outside Bangkok, surrounded by their closest family and friends. Aokbab wore a white suit and Rin wore a flowing dress. When they said their vows, there wasn't a dry eye in the room.

"I promise to love you every day we have together," Aokbab said, her voice steady despite the tightness in her chest. "However long or short that may be."

"I promise to fight for us," Rin said, tears streaming down her face. "To never give up hope. To love you until my last breath and beyond."

They kissed as wives for the first time, and everyone cheered.

The party was joyful. There was music and dancing and laughter. Aokbab managed to get through the entire evening without coughing once. It felt like a miracle. But later that night, alone in their hotel room, the cough came back. Blood and petals stained the white sheets.

Rin held her and cried. "I don't know what else to do."

"You've done everything," Aokbab whispered. "More than anyone could ask for."

The next morning, they flew to Italy for their honeymoon. It was Rin's dream place. They had talked about going there someday, and Rin had insisted they shouldn't cancel just because of the disease.

Before they left, Aokbab made Rin promise something. "Don't try to fix this while we're there. No research, no phone calls, no desperate attempts. Just let us enjoy our honeymoon. Let us be happy, even if it's just for a little while."

Rin wanted to argue, but she saw the plea in Aokbab's eyes and agreed.

They spent their first day in Rome walking through old ruins and eating gelato. Aokbab waited for the cough to come, for the familiar tickle in her throat, but it didn't. She thought maybe she was just distracted by the beauty around them.

The second day, they visited the Colosseum and threw coins in the Trevi Fountain. Still no cough. Aokbab started to feel strange. Not sick, but different. Like something had shifted inside her.

Rin noticed but said nothing. She had promised not to bring up the disease, and she kept her word. But Aokbab could see the hope and fear fighting in her wife's eyes every time she looked at her.

On the third day, they took a train to Florence. They stood in front of the Duomo, its big dome reaching toward the sky, and Aokbab felt something break loose in her chest. Not painful. Just a release.

"I think it stopped," she said quietly.

Rin turned to her. "What?"

"The coughing. The flowers. I think it stopped."

"Are you sure? Maybe you're just not coughing right now."

"I'm sure. I can feel it. Something changed." Aokbab placed a hand over her heart. "The tightness is gone. The pressure is gone. I feel normal."

Rin's eyes filled with tears. "But how? We didn't do anything different. We didn't confess to anyone new. We didn't forgive anyone. What changed?"

Aokbab thought about it. They had tried everything. Doctors, monks, fortune tellers, confessions, apologies. They had reached out to old lovers and made peace with the past. But none of it had worked. What had they done in Italy that was different from everything else?

Rin suddenly let out a disbelieving laugh. "Wait. What if this is fate messing with us again?"

"What do you mean?"

"Think about it. The disease showed up when things between us got a bit cold. We tried everything to cure it and nothing worked. Then you proposed. We got married. And now, on our honeymoon, it just stops?" Rin shook her head, half laughing, half crying. "What if fate wanted you to marry me?"

Aokbab stared at her. "You think fate gave me a deadly flower disease just to push us into getting married?"

"I mean, we were already planning to eventually, right? Maybe fate just got impatient." Rin wiped her eyes, laughing despite herself. "Or maybe I'm losing my mind and this is all just a weird coincidence."

"That's the most ridiculous theory I've ever heard."

"Is it though? Everything about this disease has been ridiculous. Why not the cure too?" Rin waved her hands helplessly. "Honestly, I have no idea why it stopped. Maybe it really was fate playing matchmaker. Maybe it was something else. Maybe we'll never actually know."

"Probably never know," Aokbab agreed, a smile tugging at her lips.

Rin let out another breathless laugh. "At this point, I'll believe anything. Fate as a pushy wedding planner? Sure, why not."

"But you're serious? You think that's what happened?"

"I have no idea what happened. I'm just throwing out theories." Rin pulled Aokbab close. "All I know is you're not coughing anymore."

"I'm not coughing."

They stood there in front of the Duomo, holding each other and laughing like fools. People walked past them, tourists and locals, and no one knew they were watching a miracle. A small, quiet miracle that didn't make sense but was real nonetheless.

That night, they returned to their hotel room and Aokbab didn't cough once. The next morning, still nothing. By the end of their honeymoon, she was certain. The Hanahaki disease was gone.

When they returned to Bangkok, everyone gathered again to hear the news. Pat, Chan, Prim, Tetris, they all listened as Aokbab explained what had happened.

"So it just stopped?" Chan asked, confused. "Just like that?"

"Just like that," Aokbab confirmed.

"But why?" Pat pressed. "There has to be a reason."

Aokbab and Rin looked at each other and smiled. "Maybe some things don't need a reason," Rin said. "Maybe some miracles just happen."

Tetris shook his head. "That's not a very satisfying answer."

"Life isn't always satisfying," Aokbab replied. "But it's what we got."

They never did figure out the exact cause of the cure. The doctor they had seen before was amazed when Aokbab came back for a checkup and showed no signs of the disease. The X-rays were clear. The blood tests were normal. It was as if the flowers had never existed.

But Aokbab knew they had been real. She had the petals pressed in a book as proof. Pink and delicate, a reminder of how close she had come to losing everything.

Life went back to normal after that. They returned to work, had dinner with family, watched movies on the couch. But things were different now. Every moment felt more precious. Every kiss felt more meaningful. They had been given a second chance, and they weren't going to waste it.

Sometimes, late at night, Rin would wake up and check if Aokbab was still breathing. She would place a hand on her chest and feel the steady rise and fall, and only then could she fall back asleep.

Sometimes, Aokbab would look at Rin and feel overwhelmed by how much she loved her. It was the kind of love that could fill lungs with flowers or clear them completely. It was the kind of love that could kill you or save you, depending on how you held it.

And they held it carefully now. Not with fear, but with respect. Not with desperation, but with trust.