Ocean Mist (Azul Ashengrotto/Yuu)

19 ~ It's Okay

The couple sat in silence, Azul laying in an infirmary bed and Yuu sitting on a stool next to him. They'd managed to convince the Headmage that he should pay for the repairs to his school, thanks to Azul's silver tongue, giving them one less thing to worry about, but Yuu didn't know what to say to Azul now.

He finally broke the silence. "Did I... hurt you?"

"Not really, but I'm kinda achy. I might have a few bruises," she responded.

She couldn't hold herself back any longer. "Why didn't you tell me?"

His heart cracked at the way her voice shook. "I—"

"—I thought you said that I was the only one who understood you! I thought you could confide in me! Or is it just me who feels that way?" She spoke in an elevated tone, yet she came off more sad than angry, and Azul hated himself for it.

"You are, I just—I..."

"How much of everything was fake?"

Azul's eyes widened and he wanted nothing more than to wrap Yuu in a comforting hug, but he was too exhausted to move his body. "I would never fake—"

Yuu cut him off again, her voice cracking as she went on. "—but you did. You said that you were feeling better about yourself, that you—you were doing better, and I believed you!"

"I'm sorry."

She picked up one of his hands and held it to her forehead, closing her eyes. "Don't apologize. You shouldn't be the one apologizing. I'm just—I'm upset that I couldn't tell how you were really feeling."

"Don't fault yourself. I purposely went out of my way to make sure you wouldn't know."

"Still, I should've—should've been able to tell." She moved his hand to her cheek, letting out a deep sigh. "If you think I'm the one who understands you the most and I'm so perplexed by you, how much do you bottle up?"

"I'm sor—"

"Stop. Apologizing." She pressed a kiss to his hand, opening her eyes slightly to take in how upset she'd made him. "I don't want you to apologize."

"Then what do you need from me?"

His thumb stroked her cheek and she answered, "I don't need you to do anything, I just... want you... want us to get to a point where you don't feel like you have to lie to me anymore. I want you to be able to tell me when you need anything instead of keeping it to yourself. Isn't that what I'm for?"

A pause. "Can I... have a hug?"

Yuu blinked a few times before allowing a strained smile to form on her face as she moved to lay next to him, holding him gently. He shifted to move closer against her and buried his face in the crook of her neck. It was then Yuu noticed the pendant she'd given him, still hanging around his neck.

She picked it up and pressed a kiss to it before handing it back to Azul, who held it tightly in a fist. The two laid in silence for a few minutes, the only noises being their quiet breathing.

It was then that Yuu heard the quiet sniffle coming from the boy in her arms. She drew back slightly, only to see his eyes rimmed red and tears threatening to spill.

"Oh, Azul, sweetie, it's okay," she whispered, holding him close once again and repeatedly running her hand through his silver locks, pressing gentle kisses to him. "It's okay to cry. I won't judge you."

Though he didn't start sobbing and wailing, Yuu felt the wetness of his tears begin to stain her sleeves and his sniffles grew more frequent. "It's okay," she whispered once again, planting a kiss on the top of his head. If there was nothing else she could do, she would at least try her best to support him, to be what he needed, no matter what it was.

And though everything was much less than okay, Azul allowed himself to believe her, to take her words to heart, and for the first time in his life, Azul Ashengrotto truly let his guard down in front of his girlfriend.