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12. Welcome Back!

  As Ax walked in behind Hamz, expeg to be bombarded with questions, he braced himself.

  The momeepped foot into the apartment,

  Pop Pop

  Two loud pops could be heard, followed by fetti shreds gently raining down from the ceiling.

  "Surprise!" all of them yelled in unison.

  "Wha—What's all this?" Ax asked, dazed and fused.

  "It was her idea—OW!" Hamz excimed as Nasri elbowed him.

  Ace ran to the kit."We—no, I wao apologize to you, so I vinced everyoo chip in and hold a small party, just the four of us," expins Nasri, her voice showing genuine passion.

  "It didn't take much ving." Ace came bato the room holding a paper box.

  "What's that?" asked Ax."While we figure out how the hell we open this, Nasri has something she wants to tell you," Ace expio Ax while nodding at Hamz.

  Nasri walked up to Ax and started pig off the shreds of fetti.

  "I... owe you a proper apology," said she, her voice showing remorse."Hmm? Apology for what?" Ax asked, feigning ignorance.

  "You know why I yelled at you, screamed at you, instead of unig or encing you to unicate like the rest of us? I got fed up," Nasri expined slowly."You had your reasons; I was also being a douche," said Ax, trying to brush it off.

  "You were suffering silently, that's it,"e ssaid...

  "I'm sorry for shing out at you, pushing youaway,"he tinued, her voice getting weak.

  "I'm sorry for not sidering your ffeelings.When it es to showing anger, my voice is at itsudest, but when it actually matters,,,, my voice is nowhere be seen; I freeze up." she finished.

  "I... I'm sorry for not talking to you beforehand; even a slight hint as to what happened on that date would help you figure out everything by yourself," muttered to her, his voice getting even quieter.

  "I'm sorry for not giving you the space or opportunity to feel safe enough to talk to me yourself. I kept thinking about the band— I kept thinking about myself. I'll never do that again,"e finally finished, brushing the fetti off his jacket.

  "I'm—elieve you. I trust you enough. I'll open up, or well,,,, try at least," said, f his voice to be fident.

  "Do you know what my greatest regret is? So far at least," Aterrupted, holding a cake in his hands.

  "Hmm?" asked.

  "That day I told Nasri to not run after you, to not bother you, saying that she should take a break because she didn't know aer,"e said.

  "However, I did; I should've run after you and talked to you. It didn't even e ay mind that I could've just run after you and talked to you,"Ace finished, his own voice, usually strong and loud. Quieting down.

  "Aseef, I don't know what to say,"said Axton.

  "I also... Ax, I should've spoken up; I shouldn't have been just a spectator. I'm sorry for not taking your side,"said Hamz.

  "We took a few gigs the past two months,, but it wasn't the same without you," he added, his voice being genuinely serious.

  "I—I see. Look, I uand that me going away was heartbreaking; it was for me too, but you guys don't—you guys don't have to sugarcoat it. I... looked through the door before I left. I saw how disappointed you guys looked; I know that it's also my fault as well," Ax expined, his voice faltering.

  "Axton... you idiot," Nasri muttered under her breath, holding her hands over her mouth."Ax... we weren't disappointed in you... we were disappointed in Nasri and ourselves. Did you gehink we all hated you for leaving?" Ace expined, his voice getting softer and softer with each word.

  Ax's eyes widened.

  "We were disappointed in ourselves, and in Nasri.", Hamza added to Ace's ent.

  Ace walked to the cou the living room, and just sat down, clutg his fa his hands as he was leaning over, his hair sparkling with fetti glitter.

  "You're and idiot, Axton", Ax spoke to himself, under his breath.

  ...

  A few minutes have passed and everyone's sat around Ax, f him.

  Ace got up and brough the cake and pced it in front of the couch, on the coffee table.

  It was a vanil cake with frosting, Ax's favorite, it was still cold due to being in the fridge.

  Hamz ruffled Ax's hair, trying to get the fetti residue out of his hair and in a way, fort him further. Ax let out a soft chuckle, as his hair was even more messed up.

  "You made it worse... idiot," Ax said to Hamz, a quiet ugh escaped his breath.

  "Just cut your cake god dammit.", said Hamz

  "Does anyone have a spare hair tie?", Ax asked the other two.

  "Yeah actually, here.", Hamz replied to Ax, holding out a hair tie with a smug grin across his face.Ax looked at his palm, then at his hair and then his palm again."Okay, out of all the people here, why are YOU the one who handed me a hair tie?", Ax asked as he is visibly fused.

  "Hamza is that my hair tie?", Nasri asked as she's still shuffling through her pockets."Mayhaps.", replied Hamz.

  As Ax tied his hair in a bun, Ace handed him a knife. Ax then took a look at the cake and-

  There was nothing written, but rather a drawing made with frosting. It was a vanil cake with the picture on top being a depi of a stylized hand holding up a 'Four Of A Kind' hand of cards of the four differes of 'Ace' cards.

  As Ax held the knife, his hand started to shake, his vision started to blur, and his eyes watered.

  Hamz and Nasri got fused and panicked, but Aew what ; he pced his hand on Ax's shoulder.

  "What's wrong?" asked Nasri, her voice showing a hint of fear."If you knew he was going to cry, why did you insist oing him this cake?" asked Hamz in a somerotective voice.

  "No, no, guys, that's not—" Ax tried to clear up the misuanding, his voice getting weaker as he cut the cake.

  "I don't think I want to eat this right now; you put this away, Ace?" asked Ax.

  Ace silently took the cake and tucked it away in the fridge."This was... the logo of my dad's first band when he was younger," he added.Hamza's eyes softened, and Nasri's body depressed, showing that she was listening.

  "This was also the band where he met my mom," he finished.

  The room went silent, not with shock or fear, but with genuine sympathy, because no one knew what to say, and no one had to.

  "In this room, Ace is the only one who truly knows what happeo my mom and dad," Ax expined.

  "Hamz and Nasri only know that they are gohat's it, right?" Ax asked.

  "Yeah... I didn't fully tell Nasri what happened; it's not my story to tell or io recall," Aswered.

  "You guys said how I open up about it, right?" said Ax.

  Hamz and Nasri both nodded yes.

  "As you know, my dad's name was Axel, Axel Abanish; he ur musi in his band, with my mom, Mithra Abanish," Axton started to expin.

  "There's no other way to say it, I guess," he said.

  "I'm just going to be blunt. Both of my parents died in an act.". Ax finished.

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