The crackle of the fireplace filled the quiet room, the soft glow of flames dancing in Diluc's crimson eyes. He knelt before you, his usually stoic face softened by emotion that he couldn’t quite mask. “You don’t have to force yourself to remember,” he said quietly, his voice steady but lined with a vulnerability that made your chest ache. “I’ll wait... no matter how long it takes.”

You hesitated, your gaze drifting to the window seat he’d pointed out earlier. “You said I used to sit there?”

He nodded, a faint smile touching his lips as if the memory itself warmed him. “You’d read there for hours, especially as the sun set. You always said the light was perfect.”

The familiarity of his words tugged at something deep within you, but the memories remained just out of reach, like trying to grasp water with open fingers. “Why does it matter so much to you?” you whispered, your voice laced with uncertainty. “If I can’t remember…”

“Because you mean everything to me,” he said, his voice breaking just slightly. The words were raw, vulnerable, a glimpse of the emotions he usually kept hidden behind his composed exterior. “Even if you never remember, it doesn’t change how I feel. We can start over, if that’s what it takes. Just… let me stay by your side.”

His gloved hand hovered over yours, hesitant but hopeful. The warmth radiating from him was unexplainable yet familiar, a comfort you couldn’t quite place. Tentatively, you let your hand meet his, and for a brief moment, it felt as though the distance between what was lost and what could be found had grown a little smaller.