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thank you so much❣️

Ah no need for so many 'sorry's! I'm grateful for your sharing! The archive is fine now, thank you again!  

Julius held onto Yukie’s hand a moment longer, grounding himself in the warmth of that quiet connection. The way Yukie had touched something deep inside him. He didn’t press the moment, didn’t chase the silence that followed. Some memories needed to settle gently. But he wouldn’t let things linger too long in melancholy either. He gave Yukie’s hand a gentle tug, a silent invitation as he stood. “Come on,” he said with a small smile. “Let’s go sweeten your day with some cake. After that we can go buy some treats”   Julius followed Yukie out the door, their fingers brushing once, then settling easily together. The cool bite of autumn air greeted them the moment they stepped outside. Fresh and crisp dry air, with the faint scent of fallen leaves lingering on the breeze. It was just past noon, and the sun was bright but distant, offering light without much warmth. Julius tucked his free hand into his coat pocket, content to let the chill nip at his cheeks. The town had that unmistakable autumn hush about it, the kind of quiet that came not from absence, but from everything slowing down.   Yukie had mentioned the bakery earlier that week, the one tucked off a quieter street where the owner still made everything by hand. He’d said he wanted to try cakes for the wedding. Julius had let him take the lead, just glad to see his mate looking forward to something. They arrived at a small corner shop with ivy curling around the windows and a deep green awning above the door. The glass was slightly fogged from the warmth inside, and painted on the pane in delicate white script were the words: Fallow & Crumb—Artisan Bakes.   The bell above the door gave a pleasant chime as Yukie stepped in first, Julius following close behind. The warmth hit him instantly, sweet and inviting, full of cinnamon and sugar and something floral underneath. Julius inhaled deeply, letting the scent curl through him. He glanced around as Yukie exchanged a few words with someone near the counter. It was clear Yukie had been here before. He moved through the space with a quiet familiarity that made Julius smile to himself.   Soon enough, they were led into a smaller side room a tasting nook, cozy and softly lit. A small table was set for two, and on it were several delicate slices of cake arranged on mismatched china plates. Each one had a little handwritten card tucked beside it: - Earl Grey - Honey - Lemon-Lavender - Strawberry-Basil - Vanilla Bean - Violet & Blackcurrant. Julius sat slowly, taking in the effort they had gone to. The cakes were beautiful, dusted with bits of candied peel or edible petals, and the silverware glinted against folded linen napkins. Everything felt intentional. Intimate. “This all looks gorgeous,” he murmured, almost to himself. He looked across the table, meeting Yukie’s eyes for a moment. The warmth of the room settled into his bones, chasing out the autumn chill. Julius took a small bite, then closed his eyes for a moment, savoring the subtle floral sweetness wrapped in the tart bite of berry. He’d never tasted anything like it before. -------------------- Yumro lingered at the shoreline, the water lapping quietly against his skin as he watched Haru disappear into the cabin. The boy’s anger left ripples in the air long after his body was gone, like heat clinging to skin even after a fire had been doused. He didn’t try to follow. Not yet anyway. Doing so now would only make it worse.   Shan hovered near him uncertainly and feeling torn between following Haru and givinghim space. Yumro offered a small glance his way. “Let him be,” he said gently, voice quiet like the tide. “He’ll come back when he’s calmed.” There was no judgment in his tone, or teasing. Like his father before him. Yumro too could easily have gotten annoyed aroundthe topicof his powers. But it really had taken him long before he got the hang of it. With a soft exhale, he let himself drift forward, the sea giving way to sand underfoot as he pulled himself fully onto land. His skin prickled at the change, the drying air tugging at places where scales hadn’t quite given way yet. He flexed his fingers absently. He’d done this more times than he could count, and trained enough to knew how long it would take and what parts would ache worst. The cabin was just ahead, quiet except for the faint thud of footsteps from inside and the faintest splash of tub water behind a closed door. Yumro didn’t need to guess who had locked himself in. He could feel the storm brewing in that small bathroom.   Once changed to human form Yumro stepped into the living space. The scent of wood smoke and damp towels filled the air, mixing with the soft rustle of pages turning. Haruhi’s long form was sprawled comfortably across the floor, the centaur back in his preferred shape, elegant and relaxed, with that familiar disinterested air that masked how carefully he was listening. Yumro leaned against the doorway for a moment, watching him. The magazine was something glossy and ridiculous, no doubt full of meaningless fluff. “Hey beautiful,” Yumro said, his voice low as he walked over and leaned down to place a kiss on Haruhi's forhead. “Did you happen to see a sulking teen?” he mostly asked as a joke. Became he knew Haru was in the bathroom. He brushed fingers through his wet hair before letting it fall. His shoulders ached faintly. The change from ocean to land always left him feeling too heavy in his bones. “He’s got angry when told him the reason I'm good at shifting forms is because I've had years to learn” he continued, half to himself, half to the centaur curled up. “He thinks I don’t remember what that’s like.” Yumro sat on the floor with Haruhi. His posture softened as he gently rested against the other, arms loosely crossed. “It’s easier to believe we’re just ‘better at it,’ than to accept how many times we’ve bled for it. I used to hate Yukie for the same reason.” He tilted his head slightly, watching Haruhi’s tail flick lazily against the rug. “I didn’t push,” Yumro added, as if it mattered. “Just told him the truth. He didn’t like that either.” His lips curved faintly, not quite a smile, but something close. Not fond amusement, not regret. Just the tired knowing of someone who’d walked the path and watched others stumble along it. “He’s going to push until something gives,” Yumro said. “And I just hope it’s not something inside him.”   Shan walking im after a bit and gave Haruhi a pretty blue shell he'd found on the beach. "You should have seen it mom it was so cool. The whale sharks was this big" Shan waved his arms around to try and imitate the size. "It was even bigger that this room. Oh and we saw the most beautiful coral. There was this bright pink one too with lots of fish babies going in and out." Shan talked to Haruhi exited to share all he'd seen.

Sorry, it should be 215 pages. For some reason, it hadn't packed me all of them, so I repacked and should be fine now. Sorry again, I replaced it.

Thank you so much for sharing! I apologize for asking, but is there a page missing? The page number goes up to 170 yet there are only 169 items in the folder. 😅 The page "p169" is not there.