Chris lay in the hospital bed, head wrapped in fresh white bandages, a faint sting still lingering behind his forehead. Outside the window, the sky was a soft watercolor of dusk. Airi sat beside him, quietly watching the clouds pass like lazy thoughts.
"You're hurt pretty bad," she said, voice barely above a whisper.
Chris cracked a small grin. "Don't worry, I've had worse… probably." He glanced at her, then added, "By the way, those new earrings? They look kinda beautiful on you."
Airi blinked. "Wait, you noticed them? No one's even mentioned them all day!"
Chris let his eyes close and crossed his arms. "Maybe I just look at you too much."
She groaned and rolled her eyes, but her cheeks were already warming up. "Could you not flirt while being half-dead?"
Before she could throw something at him, the door creaked open.
"Yo! He alive?" Rei peeked in, raising an eyebrow.
"Breaking news," Sera added, walking in behind.
"He's alive alright. Somehow. And guess what—he punched the doctor by accident while they were treating him," Airi said, shaking her head.
Chris laughed. "Well, not my fault the dude came at me with cold antiseptic like a samurai."
Haruta walked in, tossing a packet of chips onto Chris's lap. "For the MVP of Dumb Ways to Die."
Alya followed, immediately smacking Haruta with a rolled-up newspaper. "You can't just say that!"
Then she turned, eyes sparkling with mischief. "By the way… are you two dating?"
Airi's eyes widened. "Alya, no—!"
Chris, still laid back, arms folded, smirked with his eyes closed. "Not yet."
"Ohh, the odds are lookin' real high," Rei said, elbowing Sera.
"Mm-hmm," Sera hummed, nodding in agreement.
Rei stretched, heading for the door. "Aight, we're gonna grab food. You want anything, Chris?"
Chris didn't even hesitate. "I'd like to have Airi."
Airi's face lit up in red as she grabbed the nearest pillow and launched it at his face.
Everyone burst out laughing as they left, leaving just the two of them in the quiet room.
The mood shifted. Airi's smile faded a little, replaced by something softer, more unsure.
"Hey…" she started, eyes on her hands. "Do you… flirt with every girl like that?"
Chris turned his head to look at her properly. "Nah. Just you."
"But why?" she asked, almost in a whisper.
He smiled, that lazy, lopsided kind that always caught her off guard. "Because I like watching your face turn the color of a sunset."
Airi looked away, flustered, then turned her gaze to the window. The moon had risen high, casting a silvery glow into the room.
"The night feels… softer, doesn't it?" she said.
Chris leaned back, letting the calm wash over him. "Yeah… it's beautiful."
And above them, the moon watched in silence—two hearts blooming quietly beneath its light, like petals slowly unfurling under the stars.
-- to be continued
-~Rei