The soft glow of morning light streamed through the wooden shutters, casting golden patterns on the mosaic floor. The air was cool, with a faint floral scent from the nearby garden. On this beautiful morning, Marcus and Adrian found themselves face down on the floor, their tiny bodies squirming under the attentive gaze of the women who cared for them.

It wasn’t the first time they were placed this way. Over the past few weeks, the women had introduced “tummy time” into their routine, unknowingly aligning with Adrian’s prior advice. Marcus and Adrian had made significant progress. Now, lying on their bellies, their now clear, focused eyes took in the vibrant colors of the floor tiles beneath them.

Marcus lifted his head, his usual determination was clear as his small limbs strained against the ground. His tiny fists pressed into the cool surface, and with a grunt of effort, he managed to scoot forward an inch.

｢Adrian, look! I AM CRAWLING! Woo!｣ Marcus bellowed through their shared mental link, his tone triumphant.

Adrian groaned inwardly, half-amused and half-exasperated. ｢Congratulations, Marcus. You’ve conquered the mighty inch. Shall we throw a grand parade in your honor?｣

Marcus snorted. ｢Laugh all you want, but you’re still stuck back there. Watch and learn.｣

Adrian sighed, feeling the faint burn of frustration as he attempted to mimic Marcus’s movements. Crawling was proving to be a more formidable challenge for him. His limbs seemed less cooperative, his coordination lagging behind Marcus’s. Slowly but surely, he managed a clumsy shuffle forward, the motion far from graceful.

｢See? I’m moving,｣ Adrian muttered with mock pride.

Marcus chuckled. ｢Barely. But hey, progress is progress, buddy. Just don’t fall behind too far, or I’ll leave you in the dust.｣

As the morning wore on, the two continued their crawling attempts. The mosaic floor provided just enough texture to grip and not easily slip. The warm encouragement of the ladies added to their resolve to push further.

Within the past few months, Marcus and Adrian had already overcome several developmental milestones. Their eyesight had sharpened, allowing them to take in their surroundings with much clarity. They could sit unassisted, rolling over with ease, and now, crawling was their next great challenge.

｢This is how knights trained in their infancy as well, right?｣ Marcus quipped, pausing to catch his breath.

｢Knights? Sure. Knights crawling across mosaic floors, dribbling on themselves. Very heroic,｣ Adrian replied dryly, though the edge of humor softened his words.

Marcus smirked. ｢You’re just still jealous of my form. Look at me go—an unstoppable force!｣

｢More like a wobbly slug,｣ Adrian retorted, but he couldn’t hide his own sense of accomplishment as he managed to move forward yet another inch.

The women observed their progress with quiet satisfaction, occasionally clapping or speaking in their melodic language. One of them retrieved a soft toy, holding it out as an incentive for the boys to crawl further.

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Marcus’s eyes locked onto the toy, a spark of fire igniting. ｢Adrian, that’s ours. Let’s go get it.｣

Adrian groaned. ｢Do we really need to strain ourselves over stuffed animals? What are we going to do with it, anyway?｣

Marcus shrugged mentally. ｢It’s not about the toy. It’s about the principle. We’re the kings of the floor, Adrian. Nothing is supposed to be out of our reach in this domain!｣

With renewed vigor, Marcus surged forward, his tiny body propelled by sheer willpower. Adrian mentally sighed but followed, his movements steadier now as he found a natural rhythm. The two advanced across the mosaic battlefield, their shared goal pulling them onward.

By the time they reached the toy, both boys were exhausted but victorious. Marcus collapsed beside it, a triumphant grin on his face. ｢We did it, Adrian. The floor is ours.｣

Adrian flopped down beside him, his tone resigned but faintly amused. ｢Yeah. Congratulations, Marcus. We’ve conquered the ten feet of doom.｣

Marcus laughed, the sound light and infectious. ｢Don’t be so grumpy now. It’s all about the small victories, right?｣

Adrian’s mental chuckle joined his. ｢I suppose you’re right. Small victories… until the next challenge, anyway.｣

As they lay on the floor, their tiny chests rose and fell from the exhaustive effort of their activity.

｢Marcus, there’s… something I’ve been meaning to tell you,｣ Adrian began, his tone careful, almost hesitant.

Marcus blinked in surprise, his mental voice curious. ｢What is it? You sound serious. Did something happen?｣

A pause lingered, as though Adrian was gathering courage before he spoke again. ｢No, nothing happened. It’s just… I’ve been thinking about something. About what happened to us. About the cliff.｣

Marcus frowned. The cliff. Their last moments in their previous lives. It was a memory he tried not to revisit, though it was etched into his mind with perfect clarity of detail. The crumbling edge, the dizzying void below, and Adrian’s hand.

Adrian’s voice came again, quieter this time. ｢I should have said this before… but thank you, Marcus. For not letting go of me. For staying with me until the end.｣

Marcus’s breath caught in his throat.

He let the words hang in the air for a moment before replying, his tone firm yet tinged with an odd vulnerability that he rarely shows. ｢Adrian… I couldn’t have let go of you. Even if I wanted to.｣

｢But you could have,｣ Adrian pressed gently. ｢You had a choice. You always had a choice. I wouldn’t have blamed you if you let go. But… you didn’t. And I’m grateful for that. Even if it cost us our lives.｣

Marcus felt a lump form in his throat, and he swallowed hard. He hadn’t thought about it in that way before—hadn’t allowed himself to. The choice had been instinctual, automatic. But hearing Adrian acknowledge it like this allowed him to see it in a different light.

For a moment, he didn’t know what to say. He simply lay there, feeling the strange tightness in his chest. When he finally spoke, his voice was softer than usual still, only to confirm what he said before. ｢I couldn’t let go, Adrian. Not because I’m some kind of hero or anything, but because you’re my best friend. How could I live with myself if I let you fall alone?｣

｢Even so… it wasn’t fair to you. I should have been the one to let go. I knew the risks. I’m the one who planned for our trip and invited you to go with me. You shouldn’t have had to pay for my mistakes.｣ Adrian insisted.

Marcus shook his head, a spark of irritation flaring in his voice. ｢Stop. Don’t talk like that. I made my choice. And I’m okay with it. If I had to do it all over again, I’d still make the same choice. So you don’t need to feel bad about it.｣

Adrian was silent at first. ｢Alright. If you’re okay with it… then I’ll try to be okay with it too. But Marcus… I’m still grateful. I won’t ever forget that.｣

Marcus let a small smile tug at the corners of his mouth. ｢Good... I won’t let you forget it. I’ll remind you every chance I get for the remainder of our new life just to remind you how great I, Marcus.｣

Adrian chuckled softly, a sound that was more felt than heard in their shared mental space. ｢You’re an idiot, you know that?｣

Marcus grinned. ｢Takes one to know one, bud.｣