kacychase

[kacychase]

Violet: Hello, I’m Violet. This is my ex-boyfriend Xaden.

Xaden: I need you to stop introducing me like that.

Xaden: I’m her husband.

[kacychase]

Unpopular opinions about Eldarya? - Nevra

Before reading this, please know that I played through the episodes 24-30 and then immediately headed into New Era. Also, I am not giving my WHOLE opinion on the New Era content, solely the things I think the majority would disagree with (scrap that I see many people have the same opinion. Nice.)

> I understand why Nevra is tough with Leiftan and with us

Why is he so cold to Leiftan? After he was manipulative and a two-face (which is LESS trustable than a person who at least stood for their cause like Ashkore), we can see how Nevra is annoyed by Leiftan’s presence itself. He had to witness how people would make statues of him and Gardienne, how both of them were treated as holy entities, when at the same time, all he saw was how twisted Leiftan’s mind really was and how obsessed he was with Gardienne. I personally can’t help but feel bad for him. And again, our last memory is of 7 years ago. We have seen how the guard treats prisoners, criminals etc. and how they prioritize recovery over punishment. If they had such a precious connection to Lance before all the cases, they might have tried to keep the last dragon alive or have him recover or whatever. While that disregards the danger of him starting a war and I personally think that it’s a bit too stupid, I can at least follow the thought Beemov might have had and why Nevra is angrier at Leiftan than at Lance - especially since he’s an emotional person who takes things personally and has a temper.

But why is he so cold to us? Well, seven years are seven years, and I guess considering it in a very deep manner might be more appropriate here. Those are, if you want to think that Nevra waited for YOU specifically for years, 2555 days. If he hadn’t become bitter by being close to you the whole time, thinking that he had lost you like the others, knowing that he lost his friends who could have helped him through a time like post-war PTSD?! Bruh, I would feel lost and cold inside. When Nevra was shining before and is only there to watch for Karenn, he might have become numb to the circumstances. Everything has changed to HIM. And it’s imaginable why he therefore said that he has changed, too. But, at least to me, his cold behavior and his dismissive demeanor is a way of coping for him. Everything has changed for the worse for him as a person, at least from what we know, and he might feel lonely and depressed. We, as a person, remind him of the past of what he has lost, what he might have tried to forget to move on, or what he has experienced there in general. I would at the very least be strongly confused and overwhelmed when seeing that person.

THOUGH HERE I GOTTA SAY: The game doesn’t express that well in his reactions to us, and seeing that he probably holds us highly still, I realized that he was fairly normal/closed off. Maybe, Nevra is a great actor, maybe he’s not, but even with the confusion of his own, he causes confusion for ME in his interactions xD

I’m keeping all the criticism we all agree on to myself - we know it’s that way, Ezarel was my favorite, the new art is weird, I am not okay with the new system and Matthieu has not caught my attention or interest. So far, maybe there’s too little information to judge for Lance, as it will be a... shocking revelation (SIKE).

One last plea: You can gladly voice your opinions, but please keep them civil. I’m only human, too, and didn’t intend to hurt you personally, but to voice my opinion.

[kacychase]

After the reawakening [NevraxMC]

[Commentary (the same as in the other posts): Please understand that all of this has my heart inserted into this after paying too much for a game dear to me, yet disappointing. Beemov, I hate to bother you as it seems to be a waste of time, but please… Listen to your readers, at least to the demographic you aim for and their constructive criticism. Your game has so much potential, it could be so much more, and it breaks my heart that it’s not. Please, for our sake… We have been loyal to you for so long. This fanfic is here because I loved the original story and characters – with its flaws all included, and ultimately, we love your characters (at least the original), and just want a game that gives them justice, that doesn’t make us feel used more so than enjoying a story]

Warnings: cheesy, so damn cheesy, level of extra layers of cheese, ALSO CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR BOTH ORIGINS AND NEW ERA SEASONS

Works: Ezarel | Nevra (this one) | Valkyon | Leiftan (Valkyon and Leiftan in the works)

When I chose you

It felt right.

The way you held me tight,

The way you would brighten

Up my day would

Bring sparkles in your eyes

That I wouldn’t be able to forget.

When things went south,

When people silenced my mouth,

When you let me down,

It took my time to count on you again.

Yet, here I stand, in your arms,

In your scent and your comfort,

In your loving embrace, forever.

Crystal or not, you were an ever-lasting

believer in me when I was in need.

Who could blame you for leaving,

for your sacrifice or getting

Over me?

In the end, I love you, still,

And whether you come back or not,

All of the memories, the emotions

Will never escape them,

Even if Mnemosyne’s spell

Would compel me to do so.

Nothing would make me get over you.

Nothing would make me want to lose you again.

My sacrifice should not be in vain,

And your happiness is what I need to

See as best for you.

Yet… Just so you know,

I love you still, and have not forgotten.

[Nevra]

You are so close to me, so incredibly close. Why must it have been 7 years ever since we have been a couple for you? I don’t even want to imagine my favorite, caring vampire must have gone through. Ever since my soul left my body... I swore to myself to keep you in the back of my mind, to at least try and fight to get out.

But maybe, I’m too late.

This will only result in me approaching him I assume. I can already feel the excitement bubbling up, countering the shock of the whole experience.

As I lay on the bed inside the infirmary, my thoughts seem to spiral by themselves. “How are you dealing with all of this?” I hear Ewelein’s concerned voice reach me, and I look at her with an appreciative look. Just like an olde sister, she examines me with a gaze that makes me shudder in guilt and heartache - she didn’t think that I were to ever come back.

“It’s so stange to see everything so different now that I woke up. The last thing I remember has been seven years ago for you,” I mutter, a little chill running down my spine again, and I look down. “But I’m glad that you’re all alive. The sacrifice was worth it.” Gathering the last amounts of strength, I smile at her in a way that I can’t describe. If I were to compare it to a graspable situation, it would be that I slept in a coma for 7 years.

“I can’t wait to see everyone who’s here again,” I mumble, and Huang Hua, sitting next to us and holding Ewelein’s hand, beams one of her enthusiastic smiles at me. “I can imagine. Chrome, Karenn and Karuto surely would love to see you! I also have to introduce you to the rest of the guard!” Hearing the second part of the sentence, for some reason, I feel a twist in my gut.

How could I get used to seeing the new parts of the guard right now? Currently, I’m still not entirely ready to confront reality yet. Looking at Huang Hua, she must have noticed my expression as she says: “... But maybe, we should take one step at a time. How about the two of us take a walk?” I nod with a relieved smile, looking at Ewelein, I can see a look of adoration towards Huang Hua.

They for sure make a cute couple: “Thanks. Ewe must be busy anyway,” I grin back and remark: “Congratulations to the two of you. I was rooting for you!” The two of them start laughing, and Ewe gives me a smack on the forearm.

“Ow!”

“We weren’t even an item back then! But I’m glad you didn’t tell anyone, everyone seemed surprised,” Ewe half scolds me, half thanks me for being a reliable best friend. Why of course, both of them should know by now, which I don’t refrain from telling them. However, before any of them can respond, a new infirmary worker calls Ewelein for help. With that, the three of us separate, not without me receiving a reprimanding to please pay a visit again this evening from my favorite nurse.

Looking at Huang Hua with a brow up, she nods to guide me to the hall, and once we are out, she suddenly pulls out a dark robe. “I have to tell you a few things before we take the round. Would you please wear this?”

And so, the round begins. Feeling the change and prosperity around the guads, all the exterior seems so lively - the parks, the refugium, the place of the cherry tree... Where Valkyon’s presence would probably rest if he could. Huang Hua explains it all to me - Ezarel and Nevra would be informed to gather in the crystal room immediately. Although Ezarel is rather hard to catch as he only is part-time assisting to the guard, Nevra should be here tonight... She explains to me the unnerving fact that Leiftan and I are the ones who have been gone into history books with our second sacrifice. It feels so strange how none of the ones still alive - or in Valkyon’s case, sacrificed as well - would never receive any credit. How is that any fair to the ones surviving the whole ordeal?

Disturbed of the two statues, I can’t help but sigh. “The two of you do look quite beautiful in these, don’t you think?” Huang Hua tries to lift the situation. But seeing how everything is so different, I can only nod. Suddenly, the pictures of the war that, only to me, seems to be fresh in my mind. Having realized that I won’t see quite a few of my friends anymore, at least I can assure that the rest of them are safe and sound with the life path they chose.

But, the two men that I consider closest family... I wish I could see them right now, especially a specific black-haired vampire that I fell for, seemingly 7 years ago. What has become of this place?

“He’s going to be back from a mission this evening. Until then, I will make an official announcement for the ones you’d surely want to reunite with. I will inform the other members of the light guard, too. That way, you can get to know them! Not until you’ve seen some familiar faces... Surely, that will help you into the situation,” she mumbles thoughtfully, and I’m eternally grateful for that. I can’t wait to see Nevra and hear him talk about what has happened. All I am are questions... But what I want to do, to tell him, to do with him is endless.

Now that I have awakened and been given the chance to live, I won’t let it slide. I just have to do it. Sure, it’s interesting to see what the new people are like, how the guard works, how I might help them... But I need to check on the person important to me.

What he might be like? Would he like seeing me? How has he been doing the past years? Well, I hope... But how should he be? The last thing I saw was how Ezarel left the guard not long after, adding Miiko and Kero. And, ultimately, he was left alone with the responsibility of the shadow guard, taking care of Krenn and Chrome in his own ways, and so much more...

Goodness. How much I want to show him my support right now... My heart itches to see him.

When Huang Hua is nice enough to grant me access to my old bedroom - which has been renovated in a surprisingly flashy way - I just try to get into my bed. Man, this is a lot to digest, but the rest I have taken makes me question whether I am supposed to do something while waiting. Huang Hua has informed me that people view Leiftan and me as holy figures, so should I risk a walk? Thinking of seeing my loved ones this evening, I realize that the time can’t come any sooner.

But realizing that I need to at least eat, I quickly rush to the cantine, trying to at least see how Karuto is doing. Sneaking a peak into how full the cantine, I can already see him serving the other people amazing dishes. Wow, and his clothing looks far more sophisticated! Thinking that Feng Zifu is around, I let out a small chuckle.

But peaking around like this, I don’t only see that this cantine is incredibly full, but that the two people who found me today are sitting there. As open-minded and curious as I might be, I realize that I don’t want to explain myself now, when I can’t even explain it myself. Quietly, I thank Huang Hua for informing Ez and Nev first.

But when I turn around to ask Ewe, Chrome or Karenn to order for me, I notice someone entering the hall. Something twists itself in my gut as I see him. My beautiful, now a little aged vampire no longer sports his eyepatch, and I’m glad that he doesn’t - he seems to have realized that he doesn’t need it. He looks so different, yet in his own way - his hair is now more mid-part, a little longer, his clothing still has purple, black and red accents, yet leave more of his physique to the imagination. But, and ultimately the source of my sickly feeling, I see him flirting with a girl - a beautiful woman I have never seen before.

He seems to have moved on, it seems.

Shocked, yet not entirely surprised, he and his date advance towards me, but I can’t move. For me, the whole scene is like a world crumbling in front of me... At least, that’s how my heart feels. Nevra unavoidably bumps into me.

“Hey, watch where you’re going.”

I wouldn’t have expected those to be the first words he has for me. But hey, they don’t count when he doesn’t know, right?

Knowing that it wouldn’t be fair to drop the information when it has been seven years, I just mumble, a shivery tone in my voice: “Sorry.”

Not even trying to turn around, I decidedly hurry out of the caféteria, hoping to find Ewe for the growling of my stomach before heading to my room.

~~~~~~~~~~~--------------~°~--------------~~~~~~~~~~~

Hours later, I am too exhausted to actually consider things well. Sorting my thoughts while laying on my bed, restlessly, I thought that I should probably read throught the information of the libary once I’m officially registered.

I’ve been lucky that Karenn and Chrome have caught me on my way out of the storage room, and ever since, they gave me a very secret update of their own - including their long relationship. They really are cute together, and I’m glad that they will accompany me to the meeting today - apparently not in the crystal room anymore.

It’s still an hour to go though, so I realize that I might as well visit the crystal room. Maybe, if I focused, I would get answers?

Noticing that I might as well find my alone time there, I leave the cloak in my room, taking the risk to finally be able to breathe. Once I enter the room, I take in all the changes of this place. It’s eerie to look at the thing I have spent my time in for years. Occasionally, I have seen people visit Leiftan and me, mostly to talk to me and address the crystal. It has been gut-wrenching, but I notice that these things stopped when I fell asleep...

Deep in thoughts, I approach the crystal, putting a hand softly on the big shard, once broken in the disastrous war. Knowing that I made the right decision soothes me, and the fact that my loved ones, this world, all of the people I have met survived it and could live in peace for years brings tears to my eyes. We made it. All of us together managed to save the world.

At this point, should I be mad at Nevra for moving on? I love him, my heart still aches, and of course, I shouldn’t assume the situation before communicating with him about the issue. But... I have realized that I went into this whole ordeal without considering how he must have felt, how much time he has spent without me... Taking a deep breath, all I can do is stand next to the crystal, the presence of it soothing me in an odd way. Now, without it, I can finally move, face the world, and not be imprisoned by it’s limitations anymore. So why am I scared now? What is supposed to halt me so much in my tracks?

“Gardienne?! Y-you’re alive?”

That voice. For a second I thought I must have imagined it as I have not heard any steps coming. But who am I kidding? Nevra is the head of the Shadow Guard - or at least, he used to be. My stomach seems to have solidified into stone by it’s heaviness as I turn around and see the same frame I have seen earlier today. The fact that he’s alone relieves me a little.

“I woke up today. Hey, Nevra,” I smile at him, but it must have looked as his shocked expression now shows worry. His eyes get bigger as he agonizingly slowly makes his steps towards me. I hear him absentmindedly mutter about Huang Hua and the meeting - he might not have known what it is about.

“Have I bumped into you today?” he asked again, his voice trembling just as much as mine as he comes to halt a meter away from me. He’s hitting the nail in the head as I take a breath and nod.

Just then, his face hardens, as if he doesn’t know what to do. I ache for his hug, for him saying that none of the things I’ve seen today are true. How much I wish for all of this to be a bad dream I can’t measure, but all about his behavior tells me enough. This is no time for wishing impossible things, a thing I have learned early in this world.

“It’s okay, Nevra. I won’t pressure you, it’s been y-years after all,” I mumble when all of a sudden, a lump builds up in my throat. This is no time to break down! I’m in no position to fault him for today!

“Yes,” he utters under his breath, then exhaling as he ruffles his hair with his hand, “I’m sorry that you had to see that first. I wish I could have told you before.” I hate the fact that my eyes appear glassy now. After all that I have experienced, THIS is what makes me weak? Keep your cool, woman.

“Again, it’s fine. You wouldn’t have expected to see me back there. But... how did you know it was me?” I just ask him to change the topic, I don’t want to dwell on the thought that my only love has moved on from me with other people, might do things that we have done for a longer time than necessary.

“I-I just knew. It was your voice, Gardienne. I felt it when I bumped into you. I am sorry for treating you the way I did today,” Nevra rambles while looking at his feet. It still feels painfully distant between us. Trying to approach him, I take my arm from the crystal and approach him. “It’s okay.”

That way, we stand in front of each other, taking in the silence. He doesn’t approach me, and I don’t know if I can.

“It’s been seven years since I left. I can’t fault you for moving on. I-I guess it doesn’t quite go into my head,” I admit silently, smiling sadly at him. His face appears bitter when I say that, as if something doesn’t sit right with him. Laying a hand on my shoulder, I see him take in a shaky breath.

Mumbling something I can’t quite understand, I don’t have enough time to ask him what it was as he continues, his voice now up in volume: “I’m glad you’re alive.”

That sentence is weird as I tilt my head at him. I wish I could just say ‘I’m also glad you’re alive?’ but I know that it doesn’t help the situation a lot.

“Are you okay, Nevra?”

Looking at him in more detail, I can see how deep his circles under his eyes go. Does he get enough sleep? And he doesn’t smile remotely as much as he used to. With that, my heart squeezes even more.

“Well, how am I supposed to react to someone who I have thought to be-” his voice cracks up, as if restraining himself to say the word, “to never come back. And here you are, all of a sudden, looking as if nothing happened between the war and now. A lot has changed Gardienne. I have changed. The H.Q. changed!” His words cut deep, and I don’t know how to react to them.

But it is clear that this is all real, and I can feel how my feet are too heavy to carry me. Sitting myself to the steps that thank goodness, they have kept inside the crystal room, I sigh deeply. Yet, I find the strength to turn around to him.

“Then... can we maybe catch up? I...,” gathering my words is harder than I thought, “I wish I could have been there, but I want to see what happened around here.”

His dark eyes muster me, one of them I know to be blind. Looking at it, I wonder how Shai’tan is doing. I smile at the thought of possibly meeting her again, trying to avoid thinking about the fate of my own companion.

He hesitantly puts a hand on his scarred part of his face, catching my stare. Do I see a blush on his cheeks?

“I don’t know, Gardienne,” he says, using my full name, “I have to get used to seeing you around. I...” He breaks off his thought process as he presses his lips together. He’s shivering.

Suddenly, I realize how hurt his eyes look, how much he’s frozen in place. This is definitely hard for him. I don’t want him to relive things how they were. It’s like a switch flipped, and I understand - I remind him of the things that happened. It’s no more me that he sees, he sees the war and the hard times after it.

“I mourned you. I am seeing that damn statue of you next to the cherry tree next to this traitor’s figure all the time,” he starts, and it feels like he’s breaking down. Holy crap. What am I supposed to do?? My whole body aches to hug him, to ease his burden. But will I worsen things?

“I tried to wait for you, to tell myself that you’d need me when you’re back. I tried to be there, I visited your place every day in the first months. Then... the chances became lower and lower. I thought that you were lost forever,” Nevra explains with a shivering voice, his eyes tearing up.

This is enough. Nobody makes the man I love hurt like this. Was this how he felt after the potion of Mnemosyne endeavor rolled along?

Quickly, I stand up from the steps and erase the space between us, my arms finding their way around him immediately. To my shock, his arms just press me against him even harder - it feels like he holds something fragile that might be gone.

“I-I found my different ways to cope. I couldn’t stand being lonely, not getting over you. Those women would help me forget you, even if it’s just for a little while-” With his whiny voice, I know that I should ignore the pang in my chest.

“All of this shit is cruel. To you, to me, to Valkyon, to Ezarel,” he whispers with bitterness. And it is the rage I can understand - I would have felt it too. All of this being seven years ago, I wonder how he must have felt to keep these emotions deep inside him.

For a solid few silent minutes, both of us just standing there, when tears also come out of my eyes. It’s indescribable what is happening. All of the emotions, no matter how long, eat us up. The war, our separation, the past seven years have taken a toll on us in a way. Nobody would be able to understand this moment, and I don’t plan to have this be a matter of discussion. We are here for each other, and I silently rest one of my hands in his hair.

Man, as much as I’m crying, I have missed him, his arms around me, us together. Out of impulse, I whisper, even if I don’t know if it’s true: “I’m here now. And I will do everything to stay with you for a while.”

When we head to the crystal room, we decide not to speak of it. I will give him time to process, but I have hope in us. We can get through it, and I will be there for him all the way - and I have no doubt that he will be there for me, too.

[kacychase]

ILY Inktober - Coffee

“Coffee?“

The room would probably be very beautiful for any outsider, especially since the skyscraper complex towers high above quite a few houses, and the view above the city is stunning. With that said, the occasion ruins it… And maybe I don’t like heights.

Yui’s voice has been as unnerving the first time as it is now, her soft and gorgeous hair all neatly flowing down her body. “No thank you,” I cut it short, not wanting to be here anymore. Why would she call for me anyway? After Kousuke got a call from her, I got ordered to be here during my time at work. At this rate, I won’t ever be able to work – not to speak of the fact that this black-haired witch was pinning me down with her eyes.

She’s using my defenselessness to her advantage.

“Oh, why not, sweetie? It would be with extra milk and sweet, in case young, beautiful women like you prefer milder taste,” she responds with the most feigned tone of pity, her arms reaching out for the cup and tray that was made for me.

It’s as if her hands and the coffee’s steam were out to get me. To be honest… it’s unfair that she is as beautiful as she is, with all the ugly fake behind her.

“I don’t really drink coffee,” I just say again, straining to my voice in order not to throw profanities or accusations at her. To be honest, she might have deserved them… But I’m powerless. And she, a beautiful icon, businesswoman and manipulative snitch has it all.

It’s unfair how life plays.

Have Nol and Kousuke had to deal with all of this in the past? I wouldn’t be surprised by their reactions, though so different… Kousuke would do her bidding, while Yeong-Gi would just freeze up at the mention of her. She shouldn’t be a mother to either of them.

“Aw, honey. How do you stay awake these days? Have you been taught the differences of coffee in your etiquette classes?,” her oh-so-sweet voice makes me even angrier, and I can feel my cheeks getting flush red. As she would talk to me even more, I realize that I might lose control even further if I refuse her all the time.

Looking down at my clothes, I can see my white blouse, black skirt and those darned black heels that I’m getting the hang of. I nod at her, trying to keep calm. I already do as she says, and already try to leave this company on my terms in as much secrecy as I can.

Her smile at me seems to be emotionless, yet she tries to tell me: “Oh! I see you are making progress as an assistant! I am sure that Kousuke will see you as great help in the future!” Knowing her words, I know she wants something. But these sure hit me too much. “Well, can you tell what kind of coffee I am currently having?”

Her entertained smile is the easiest to avert my gaze from. Seeing that she is holding her cup in her hands already, I can tell from the steam, the consistency, and the foam what coffee she has. And maybe, Assistant Jayce told me of the cat poop. “Kopi Luwak,” I say, now looking at my own coffee.

Some latte I guess. I genuinely don’t want to drink it, but maybe I will get some water for me later.

Anyway. What am I doing here?

“I just wanted to check on your progress, and see whether your son hasn’t bothered you with too many tasks yet,” Yui chuckles and waves with her hand in a joking motion. I could puke. “You know how my son can be! Always such a hardworking robot, he should take it easy on you!”

As I look back at her in a more than questioning expression, she doesn’t seem to change her demeanor at all. “That is it, Shin-Ae, sweetie. It would still be nice to chat with you once in a while, dear!”

Immediately I stand up, coffee still on the table. Looking at her directly, I can already tell that she won’t rest or give up. I have rarely seen such a dang evil person.

“I don’t want to chat with you ever again, Mrs. Hirahara. Leave me alone,” I say, heading out of the office. She won’t get me this time. Or so I hope.

[kacychase]

After the reawakening [EzarelxMC]

[Commentary: Please understand that all of this has my heart inserted into this after paying too much for a game dear to me, yet disappointing. Beemov, I hate to bother you as it seems to be a waste of time, but please… Listen to your readers, at least to the demographic you aim for and their constructive criticism. Your game has so much potential, it could be so much more, and it breaks my heart that it’s not. Please, for our sake… We have been loyal to you for so long. This fanfic is here because I loved the original story and characters – with its flaws all included, and ultimately, we love your characters (at least the original), and just want a game that gives them justice, that doesn’t make us feel used more so than enjoying a story]

 Warnings: cheesy, so damn cheesy, level of extra layers of cheese, ALSO CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR BOTH ORIGINS AND NEW ERA SEASONS

Works: Ezarel (this one) | Nevra | Valkyon | Leiftan (Valkyon and Leiftan in the works)

 When I chose you

It felt right.

The way you held me tight,

The way you would brighten

Up my day would

Bring sparkles in your eyes

That I wouldn’t be able to forget.

 When things went south,

When people silenced my mouth,

When you let me down,

It took my time to count on you again.

 Yet, here I stand, in your arms,

In your scent and your comfort,

In your loving embrace, forever.

Crystal or not, you were an ever-lasting

believer in me when I was in need.

 Who could blame you for leaving,

for your sacrifice or getting

Over me?

In the end, I love you, still,

And whether you come back or not,

All of the memories, the emotions

Will never escape them,

Even if Mnemosyne’s spell

Would compel me to do so.

 Nothing would make me get over you.

Nothing would make me want to lose you again.

My sacrifice should not be in vain,

And your happiness is what I need to

See as best for you.

Yet… Just so you know,

I love you still, and have not forgotten.

 [Ezarel]

It has been… A while, apparently. The war has worn all of us down, and I can’t imagine that Ezarel wasn’t caught with it’s consequences either. I wouldn’t have wanted for Valkyon to die, for Ezarel to lose me, for Ykhar to die, for Leiftan and me to sacrifice ourselves, or just all of this death to happen around me. But, here I am, selfish enough to hope, and to dream of a future with the man I grew to love 7 years ago.

I have travelled on a Chau’Kobow for seemingly weeks. Huang Hua has granted me the wish to travel to him after a letter has forewarned him. It took a lot, and I repeat, a lot of convincing to ask that of her. Why would Ezarel want to retreat with Twylda and Marie-Anne in a completely different place? I don’t know, and frankly, I don’t care. The crystal seems to need me less and less, and Mathieu will have to suffice to explain the whole ordeal with the human world molding with ours.

Hoping that his reaction won’t be as cold as Nevra’s, I ask myself more often than not if I am desperate with what I am doing, and try to avoid the obvious.

When I arrive at the destination, in the far horizon of this clear grass, I can see it – a house, far away from all the trouble. It feels like yesterday when he asked me if we could just ditch the guard once the whole war would be over.

I still wouldn’t hesitate to take the offer… But would he?

Only one way to find out. With a deep, shaky breath, I approach the far house with an increasing pulse. My whole body practically aches to hug him again.

As I come closer, I realize that the whole village seems to be part of a more peaceful and modest community. Having got to know Ezarel, I bet it would be a change of heart to his former life – a complete new beginning. It must be just what he wanted.

Slowly, I get down from the Shau’kobow, taking the last steps to the house. I can’t help but take deep breaths again and again, but it wouldn’t work on slowing my heartbeat.

The door is nice and wooden, just as modest as the town and it’s surroundings. I even see my own hand shiver when I try to knock on the door when suddenly, I a loud noise of heavy weights falling on the ground from behind me alerts me.

Turning around, I instinctively lay a hand on my weapon.

And there he stands. His mouth and eyes are wide open as he watches me, apparently, the sound came from him dropping a few wood logs. Hopefully, none hit him!

But even when I want to ask if he’s okay, if he wasn’t hurt, it’s as if his eyes held me in place. My body begins to shake even more brutally, and I can see how his wide-eyed expression doesn’t change. Please, don’t let this be a mistake. I wouldn’t be able to bear it…

“Gardienne,” he practically breathes out, as if it stole air from his lungs.

It feels like hours that we look at each other like this. His now wilder, untied blue hair and his ears of course are some of the first indicators of my Ezarel. But his outfit, his demeanor seems much less elegant, witty and intricate. He is wearing a simple top, pants, a belt and boots, seemingly uncaring of his poise. While he (luckily) hasn’t grown the moustache that he has once pranked me with, I can see that he seems more muscular, and that this life has changed him.

And I wasn’t there to see him.

But now I’m here.

Without wanting to, my vision blurs from all the tears that roll down my cheeks, and I can just see that he is going through the same thing.

“How are you doing?” I ask him with a crack in my voice. Seriously, Gardy, can’t you ask for a better thing? He hasn’t seen you for seven years and might have moved on from you, and this is what you ask first?

“I-“

All of a sudden, he approaches me, his eyes still focused on nothing else but my frame. Again, it feels like we are in a bubble again that we have had when we were still in a relationship… It feels like yesterday for me.

Not daring to move until he would be okay with embracing me, he, agonizingly slowly, reaches out a hand to my face. Overall, his shaky hand seems to be moving in slow-motion as he wipes a tear away. Understanding that he might not understand what I might talk about, he finally, finally opens his mouth to speak.

“You’re back? This is not a dream?”

In his voice, I can sense so much pain… Should I have not come? Should I have stayed away after all? The sudden thought ties up my thought, but feeling his hand resting on my cheek is so unbelievably calming. Hesitantly, I lay my hand on his.

“No. Should I pinch you to prove it?” I ask back with a small smile, seeing him smirk back.

“Please do,” he whispers, his voice sore.

Shortly after, I pinch him. His little smirk suddenly disappears as his body crashes against mine and he hugs me all of a sudden. the way he holds me incredibly tight, as if I could vanish any moment. As if time was ticking.

“I’m so sorry, Ezarel. I came back as soon as I could,” I whisper. This time, unlike the times before, he seems to have openly welcomed me, and again, I can see how much the elf has grown ever since the encounter.

I see how his simplicity and aura has toned down a little in its absolutely brash energy, and how much he has missed me. Uncaring of the danger of possibly choking, I tighten my grip around him.

We are shivering in place, and neither of us can say a word.

It feels as if an old system in body has awoken, and finally, it has clicked as to where I belong. Silently, I hear him laugh while his tears drop onto my clothes. This moment I do cherish.

His usual humor seems to have been swallowed in this moment, as he suddenly holds me back by an arm length, and orders me to please go inside and sit – he will just pick up the logs. Of course, I wouldn’t without helping him out, so I grin at him with a telling look.

An exhausted smile is plastered on his face. I can’t help but stare at him a bit before I bend down to pick up the rather heavy logs. After that has been done, both of us give us a look to ensure the other is fine. It must be strange for him to suddenly see me after 7 years.

Soon after, he hurries to the door to open the door. “Why, aren’t you a forthcoming gentleman today?” I smile at him, but his facial expression doesn’t seem as responsive. His smile is weaker as he says: “You learn a lot with two women around you.”

Right. Twylda and Marie-Anne must have made an impression on him. I can’t help but smirk at the image of them reprimanding him for his manners. “Why, if such a chivalrous gentleman appeared in front of me, I would have considered coming sooner,” I try to lighten up the mood, but I might have been too early.

Staring at me, he just drops the log into the corner of the room, and I decide to just do the same. While I see some elegant pieces of vials, and a little bit of a laboratory. I recognize quite a bit from his room and remember what I have seen in his vision. It’s funny how colorful his interior is in comparison to the modest wooden house. Maybe he hasn’t changed that much after all?

Standing at the side of the couch where he has sat himself down, I ask him: “May I sit?” He looks up at me, heightening his brows. He nods, following my movements with his piercing green eyes. With a hand gesture and a nod, he tells me to sit on the sofa next to him.I do so, but with well-kept space as to not overwhelm. For a while, there’s nothing but silence. This time, it’s me who initiates the conversation. “How are Marie-Anne and Twylda?” As he looks back at me with a lopsided smile, he tells me about their state. How they have helped each other to rebuild a new life, a new identity. Marie-Anne, the now healed young woman – who has grown to pass my age – has come back to the state of a helpful human being, with the help of him and Twylda. As well, the two women were able to come to a better path. Honestly, as he tells these things, they seem so incredibly unreal. When I remember Twylda screaming at us to let her to Marie-Anne as she was transported into the H.Q., she wanted nothing but to harm her. She had a lot to go through during those times, and I try to avoid thinking of the events in detail. But as I have heard in the past, I have seen videos on Youtube with a reported case in which the mother would forgive the murderer of their son, even raise them as one of their own. While it appears as a mystery to me, I am neither supposed to judge, nor do I have to understand. If both are happy, that’s all I care about.Well, that, and of course the elf who is telling me about them.“I’m sorry that I left, Gardienne.”Those words suddenly suck all of the established ease out of this room. For the first time since I have arrived, he averts his gaze. “I couldn’t stand the guard anymore. All the pressure, the tasks, all the memories to this place, and… you,” he takes a deep breath to continue. I just shake my head, knowing that he must have had a terribly hard time processing everything.Wouldn’t I also be overwhelmed if he has sacrificed himself for a cause, having me wait for months back then? And with all that happened… The war, the murders, the deaths, betrayals and other dangerous situations, who would I be to blame him?“It’s okay. I heard what you said as goodbye, and I understood. I still do, Ezarel,” I murmur, looking at him and putting my hand on his cheek. His eyes seem to become glassy again.“We’re here now,” I whisper with a smile, “And I am glad that you were doing okay after all. I’ve had a very strong boyfriend.”Swallowing hard, I realize that I don’t know about that aspect yet, and as his eyes shine with so much emotion and compassion, he just mumbles: “I don’t have anyone as of yet. I wasn’t interested, and something told me to wait.” His little smile shocks me in combination with his words. “I guess my instincts were right to do so.”Seven years.It’s been seven years, and he has waited for me. His eyes seem like a confirmation for me to go on, and I immediately lean into him to kiss him with all the passion that I have feared of losing inside the crystal. I was ready to give up on that to save him. And here we are…Did fate finally give me a happy ending?Once we separate to breathe in fresh air, his hands hugging me loosen up to look at me.His eyes shine with love that warm my whole body, and I can’t believe that this is going so fluently. “So, I hope you don’t mind accompanying this chivalrous gentleman in the future?” His eyebrow raises, but I can see that he is happy about me coming.The way I respond might be one of the most typical aspects of our relationship. Tipping with my index finger on my chin, I act pensive saying: “Hmmm… If there was payment involved, maybe I’d consider it? I’m hotly desired, you know?”His smile brightens, and it’s as if our compatibility would never be questioned.We would spend this night together, and the one after, and the days after that to slowly get back to each other.When him and I would strengthen each other in his alchemy business, I realize that he was right with running off all along. He’s all I need after all.

~~> Very cheesy fin

[kacychase]

“I do”

AeGi; yes, it’s exactly what you’re thinking lol

My  mirror  image  looks  so  different  from  the  usual.  My  hair  is  made  up  in  a  hairdo  that  is  more  elaborate  than  I  have  probably  seen  for  a  while  –  Rika  and  Maya  insisted  on  making  the  make-up  and  hairstyle  extravagant.

To  be  honest,  having  been  younger,  I  bet  it  would  have  felt  a  bit  different  from  today’s  standards.  Though,  today  is  a  bit  of  an  exception.

Nope.  That’s  an  understatement,  today  will  be  one  of  the  most  terrifying  days  of  my  life…  What  if  I  just  got  out  of  here  with  Nol,  and  we  would  just  sit  in  the  Wac’s  a  few  blocks  from  here?  That  would  have  been  awesome.

But  probably,  the  white,  beautiful  dress  I’m  wearing  would  get  too  dirty  for  it  to  be  ruined  by  the  street’s  mud.  Its  lace  for  the  long  sleeve  and  the  v-neck  cut  really  makes  my  rather  slender  figure  look  less  like  a  stick.  Taking  in  a  deep  breath,  I  realize  that  maybe,  this  wedding  won’t  be  a  disaster  –  after  all,  my  friends,  the  Parks,  Nana,  dad  and  Rika  have  all  helped  me  through  this,  and  I  bet  Dieter  and  Soushi  were  Nol’s  anchors,  too.

I  bet  he’s  just  as  nervous  as  I  am.

“Shin-Ae,  your  necklace  is  put  in  the  wrong  way,  do  you  want  me  to  turn  it  around?”  Ah,  that  was  what  made  me  look  in  the  mirror  in  the  first  place.  Keep  your  head  together,  Shin-Ae!

It’s  not  like  he’s  any  less  nervous  than  I  am.  Well,  maybe  I  did  most  of  the  organizing  of  the  wedding,  but  honestly,  he  probably  is  just  as  nervous  as  I  am  about  becoming  my  husband.

Yeah,  that  must  be  it.  I  am  about  to  become  his  wife,  huh?  That  means  Mrs  Lochlainn.  Yeah…  Thinking  about  it  now,  his  proposal  feels  like  yesterday.  When  Nol  proposed  to  me,  it  was  oddly  romantic,  and  he  looked  like  he  wanted  to  escape  all  throughout  the  date.  Kinda  rigid,  but  at  least  I  found  out  why  after  we  decided  to  go  to  a  chicken  joint  instead.

Oh  man…

Anyway,  I’m  going  to  marry  in  30  minutes,  and  my  heart  feels  like  running.

“Shin-Ae!  Do  you  want  to  talk  to  your  dad?  Or  Min-Hyuk?  You  look  dead,”  Maya  deadpans  with  a  single  glance  into  my  direction,  shortly  checking  her  make-up  before  looking  back  to  me.  Rika,  through  the  while,  just  peeks  through  the  door,  then  turns  back  to  the  two  of  us.  “Well,  your  dad  is  definitely  at  the  door,  Min-Hyuk  looks  like  he’s  talking  to  Dieter  and  Soushi  about  something,”  she  announces  at  our  direction,  having  Maya  exclaim:  “I  bet  it’s  a  good  idea  right  now!  We  will  check  if  everything  in  the  wedding  goes  according  to  plan,  okay?”

This  is  going  too  fast.  Feeling  my  hands  shiver  about  the  whole  thing  and  the  fact  that  the  wedding  event  has  started,  I  feel  like  my  mind  is  blanking.  For  some  reason,  I’m  a  bit  scared  of  messing  up,  becoming  tongue-tied  when  the  vows  start.  Not  keeping  up  the  vows.  Being  a  bad  wife.  Everything  about  this  is  kind  of  strange.  But  thinking  that  Nol  is  my  husband  from  today  on  makes  it  reasonable  again.

“Alright.  Thank  you  guys,  I  owe  you  one,  for  real,”  I  sigh  in  distress  and  smile  at  my  two  bridesmaids.  Although  we  were  off  to  a  rocky  start,  we  really  have  grown  close  over  time.  “Just  repay  us  when  Dieter  finally  marries  his  fiancée,”  Maya  nonchalantly  replies,  while  both  women  in  their  yellow  dresses  head  to  the  exit

But  even  that  doesn’t  compare  to  the  way  Nol  and  I  have  evolved  into  two  dorks.  Even  during  the  times  when  I  was  crazily  stressed  out,  he  somehow  manages  to  put  up  with  my  attitude.  How  does  he  even  do  that?

Either  way,  I  could  need  him  right  now.  At  least  I  will  see  him  at  the  altar  I  guess.  When  we  are  about  to  listen  to  the  priest,  vow  to  each  other,  kiss  and  be  husband  and  wife.

Ugh,  this  is  going  to  be  something  else  for  sure.  I  could  use  a  good  old  hug,  or  a  laugh,  or  some  chicken.

But  my  father  entering  the  room  is  what  makes  me  rethink  rushing  to  Wac’s  for  a  Wac  burger  as  he  closes  the  door  behind  him,  and  maybe  his  excited  face  reminding  me  of  the  occasion.

“There  you  are,  Shin-Ae.  I  was  already  wondering  if  they  had  abducted  you  or  something,”  dad  says  as  he  approaches  me,  then  takes  a  halt  to  take  in  the  way  I  look  –  a  beautiful  bride  about  to  be  bound  off  to  the  man  he  used  to  hate.

He  would  have  hated  any  man  that  would  come  into  my  life  anyway.

His  stunned  but  soft  and  moved  voice  hits  me  as  he  mutters:  “My  beautiful  daughter,  about  to  marry…”  Closing  the  distance,  he  carefully  watches  as  he  probably  debates  whether  he  should  hug  me  or  not.  “This  guy  still  doesn’t  deserve  you.  If  it  went  by  me,  he  would  have  been  hist-“  “Dad!,”  I  interrupt  him,  “Who  else  will  support  the  fried  chicken  industry  as  much  as  he  does?  We  need  to  keep  him  alive,”  I  argue  back,  a  smile  creeping  on  my  face  as  I  giggle  eerily.

Today  really  does  it,  huh.

“Well,  you  seem  very  happy  honey,  and  I  hope  that  you  two  can  continue  to  be  there  for  each  other.  That  guy  really  blooms  with  you  around.”  Whenever  I  hear  that,  my  heart  starts  melting.  I  know  that  Nol  and  I  appear  to  some  as  the  ‘OTP’  (not  looking  at  Maya  at  all),  but  I  always  feel  a  little  softer  whenever  I  see  Nol  being  happy,  smile  like  the  fool  he  is,  or  actually  just  hearing  someone  how  great  he  looks  in  general  whenever  he  speaks  of  us  and  the  engagement  stuff.

At  least  now  I  know  that  Nana  didn’t  entirely  force  him  into  proposing  to  me.  But  we  do  have  a  catholic  prayer  included  into  the  ceremony.

My  stomach  feels  oddly  bubbly  right  now,  and  I  wish  I  wasn’t  so  affected  before  I  would  even  see  my  redhead  idiot  fiancée.  “Dad?  I  don’t  know  what  to  do  right  now,”  I  admit  to  him,  feeling  myself  take  in  a  deep  breath,  suddenly  hyper  aware  to  the  way  air  fills  my  lungs.

“I  am  about  to  go  out  there  and  vow  to  him,  and  everything.  I  don’t  even  know  if  I  am  a  good  fiancée  or  not.  What  about  wife  then?”

  Silently  listening  to  me,  dad  does  not  really  say  anything  as  silence  spreads  itself  in  the  room,  and  I  slowly  concentrate  on  my  breathing  as  Nol  has  taught  me  once  when  I  was  close  to  panicking  because  of  the  nurse  job,  and  it  has  served  me  for  quite  an  amount  of  times.

“Shin-Ae,  this  guy  is  already  happy  to  have  you  the  way  you  are,  don’t  worry  about  that,”  he  just  says,  strokes  his  fingers  through  his  hair  to  look  at  my  hair  and  my  make-up.  “This  guy  looks  at  you  as  if  you  saved  his  life,  and  look  at  you.  Now  both  of  you  are  here.  I  think  that  should  already  make  the  case  that  he’s  happy  with  you  marrying  him,”  he  finally  answers,  “Now  come,  let  me  give  you  a  hug.”

Feeling  his  arms  hesitantly  embrace  me,  I  also  lay  my  arms  around  him  slowly  to  avoid  getting  anything  from  the  dress  caught  onto  his  elegant  suit.  “Thanks,  dad,”  I  just  mutter,  careful  not  to  stain  his  shoulder  with  make-up  either.  “No  problem,”  he  responds,  releasing  me  seconds  after.

“Now,  how  long  do  you  need  to  revise  on  the  speech?”  he  asks  as  he  goes  back  a  few  steps  and  looks  at  the  cards  I  have  prepared  to  reread  before  I  might  blank  out  on  them.  “I-I  think  I  got  it.  I  revised  it  at  home  quite  a  bit,”  I  respond  with  another  breath,  stealing  a  glance  at  the  tiny  little  flashcard  that  I  have  tried  to  write  so  much.  It  feels  like  too  little  now.

In  my  nervous  stupor,  I  swear  I  wish  I  could  change  the  speech  right  now  and  just  add  more.

“Honey,  you  will  do  great,”  I  hear  dad  say  and  I  nod  absentmindedly.

“It’s  really  just  Nol  I’m  talking  to.  He’ll  probably  goof  out  more  than  I  will,”  I  mutter  and  stifle  a  chuckle.  I’m  just  as  bad  as  him,  so  I  shouldn’t  laugh.  Technically.

“Alright,  because  I  think  it’s  time  already.”

  This  sentence  makes  me  feel  a  huge  stone  weigh  down  my  stomach,  but  my  dad’s  genuine  doesn’t  tell  me  otherwise.  “What?”  My  voice  sounds  like  it’s  choking  on  itself.  “B-but  the  people  don’t  sit  yet,  do  they?”

“Actually,  they  wait  for  you  now.”

“OMG  WHY  DIDN’T  YOU  TELL  ME!!”  My  nervousness  shouldn’t  be  this  terrible.  “Sorry  dad!”  I  immediately  add,  feeling  sorry  for  my  little  outbreak.  “Let’s  go!”

“Alright,  honey.  Here  you  go.”

  And  as  he  gives  me  his  arm,  I  intertwine  my  left  one  with  his  right.

When  the  both  of  us  go  down  the  hall  of  the  church,  everything  feels  so  incredibly  dreamlike.  All  the  past  work  in  the  months  before,  all  the  organization  that  went  into  today,  all  the  guest  lists  and  seat  orders  and  bills  and  themes  –  they  all  fade  into  nothingness  as  I  finally  see  my  redhead  look  at  me,  his  eyes  so  intense  and  so  glassy  that  my  heart  might  jump  any  time.  His  smile  is  so  genuine  and  so  full  of  happiness,  and  I  can  see  nervousness  ooze  from  him  as  much  as  from  me  as  we  slowly  approach  him,  dad  still  firmly  holding  my  arm.  If  he  hadn’t,  I  really  don’t  know  what  might  have  happened,  but  the  way  Nol  and  I  look  at  each  other  now…  It  makes  all  the  doubts  and  fears  go  away.

I’m  ready  for  a  long  life  with  this  goofy  bigfoot.

  The  steps  to  the  altar  have  made  me  worry,  but  now  that  I  can  finally  see  Nol  within  my  reach,  I  suddenly  feel  calm,  as  if  I  didn’t  need  to  look  for  my  husband  anymore.  But  as  my  father  releases  me  with  a  smile,  all  I  can  see  are  Nol’s  smile,  and  I  swear,  teary  green  eyes.

My  heart  is  wrenching  as  I  see  one  drop  from  his  right  eye,  and  my  own  eyes  water.  Is  my  smile  even  a  pretty  one  at  this  point?  I  don’t  care.

“Dear  beloved,  we  are  gathered  here  today…,”  the  priest  starts  to  say,  and  he  is  a  friendly  one.  His  way  of  speaking  about  us,  our  duties  for  each  other  as  husband  and  wife  from  a  Catholic  standpoint  somehow  is  really  encouraging  and  sweetly  put.  I  am  glad  that  we  got  him,  and  before  the  ceremony,  I  remember  him  wishing  us  the  best.

While  I  smile  and  nod,  I  can’t  help  but  catch  myself  stare  at  the  freckled  groom.  There  he  stands,  in  a  suit  that  makes  him  more  handsome  than  he  already  is,  styled  hair,  a  yellow  boutonnière  and  funnily,  a  last-minute  addition  of  the  pizza  cufflink  Min-Hyuk  has  bought  him.  I  think  he  has  mentioned  that  he  got  them  for  him  last  week.  Looking  at  all  the  groomsmen,  I  can  see  Dieter,  Min-Hyuk  and  Dieter  looking  at  us,  and  as  I  glance  at  them,  each  of  them  smiles  at  me  and/or  gives  me  a  thumbs  up.  Trying  to  suppress  a  chuckle,  I  look  back  at  my  groom,  my  heart  already  elated.  His  face  tells  me  so  much  to  the  point  that  I  can’t  breathe  for  a  second.  Another  tear  falls  down  his  eye  and  he  smilingly  wipes  it  away  with  his  hand  as  my  heart  aches  to  hug  and  kiss  him.  But  for  now,  holding  hands  should  work.

This  man…

This  man  makes  me  cry  at  my  wedding,  too.  “As  now,  the  groom  can  from  now  on  proceed  with  his  speech  to  the  bride.”  With  a  short  Thank  you  smile  to  the  priest,  Nol  now  locks  eyes  with  me  again,  so  much  more  intense.  For  a  while,  nothing  happens  as  we  just  stare  at  each  other,  until  he  breaks  and  laughs:  “Sorry,  I  didn’t  know  that  a  wedding  could  make  me  this  nervous  today.”

A  few  short  laughs  fill  the  room,  mine  included.  In  the  background,  I  can  see  Shin-Hye  film  the  whole  thing,  but  I  couldn’t  care  less  right  now  as  my  eyes  gravitate  back  to  his.

“Shin-Ae.  When  I  first  met  you,  it  was  when  you  splashed  orange  juice  at  me  in  a  burger  joint.  You  stood  up  for  your  friends  and  gave  us  a  piece  of  your  mind,  even  punched  my  school  uniform  clean.  Back  then,  I  had  no  clue  what  a  ride  I  was  in  for,  and  what  kind  of  person  you  were,”  I  can’t  help  but  chuckle  at  the  memory.  I  was  a  socially  awkward  person  just  trying  to  make  things  right  with  the  little  money  we  had.  When  I  met  you  the  second  time,  you  stood  up  for  your  beliefs.  ‘I  don’t  care  whether  you  are  the  son  of  the  prime  minister  or  a  random  cashier  at  a  food  mart,  you’re  a  human  first’,  you  said  to  me.”  As  he  mentions  said  thing,  I  feel  starstruck.  He  remembers?  How?  Even  I  barely  remember  what  I  said  to  him  years  ago  at  the  party.  His  genuine  but  also  proud  smirk  is  telling  me  that  my  reaction  must  be  obvious,  as  I  hear  his  speech  to  me.  “And  it  was  that  that  made  me  think  of  you.  After  we  became  friends,  I  have  seen  you  defend  your  loved  ones,  and  over  the  time  yourself  from  what  is  bad.  You  are  brave,  you  have  a  heart  too  big  for  your  own  good,  and  the  best  taste  in  chicken  wings  I  could  wish  in  a  wife.  Thank  you  for  believing  in  me  when  only  my  Nana  told  me  I’m  handsome.  I  love  you”

His  unwavering  gaze  at  mine  gives  me  goosebumps,  but  I  don’t  care  and  wish  I  could  just  kiss  him  already.  At  least  my  cheeks  hurt  from  all  the  smiling.

"I,  Nolan  Lochlainn,  take  you,  Shin-Ae,  to  be  my  wife.  I  promise  to  be  true  to  you  in  good  times  and  in  bad,  in  sickness  and  in  health"  Although  I  have  seen  him  tearing  up  and  nervously  laughing  just  now,  these  words  come  out  in  such  an  assuredness,  warming  my  heart.

God,  now  it  is  my  turn.

Luckily  having  taken  my  flashcards  with  me,  I  smile  at  him,  vision  blurry.

“Nol,  back  when  I  didn’t  have  it  too  easy,  to  me,  you  were  a  sly  person,  a  good-willing  guy  who  came  off  too  strong.  I  didn’t  understand  that  when  you  were  doing  these  things,  you  were  probably  the  most  genuine  person  I  could  have  ever  met.  And  I  am  glad  we  made  it  through  the  times.  You  have  proven  to  me  time  again  that  even  if  there  was  no  other  way  to  both  chase  your  dreams  and  be  there  for  your  loved  ones,  you  made  it  work.  Whenever  I  was  down,  or  had  moments  of  doubts,  you  were  there  to  light  up  my  day,  and  make  the  best  potato  dishes  I  had  the  pleasure  of  eating.  I  love  you,  and  can’t  wait  to  spend  my  life  even  more  with  you.”

I  wish  I  was  better  at  this.  My  voice  quivers  as  I  keep  eye  contact  with  Nol,  taking  a  deep  breath.  But  seeing  him  break  into  a  smile  and  glassy  eyes,  I  just  have  to  reciprocate.  “I,  Shin-Ae  Yoo,  take  you,  Nolan  Lochlainn,  to  be  my  husband.  I  promise  to  be  true  to  you  in  good  times  and  in  bad,  in  sickness  and  in  health.”

He  shortly  looks  at  the  floor,  then  back  to  me.

“Nolan  Lochlainn,”  I  hear  the  speaker  say,  “Do  you  take  Shin-Ae  to  be  your  beloved  and  wedded  wife?”

The  tall  groom  tightens  his  grip  around  my  hand,  closing  up  my  throat.  “I  do.”

I  can’t  help  but  grin  at  him,  looking  shortly  at  the  pizza  cufflink  on  his  suit  to  calm  myself.  But  I  can’t  miss  his  gaze  right  now.  I  want  to  remember  this  for  the  rest  of  my  life.

“Shin-Ae  Yoo,”  there  is  a  long  pause  before  I  look  into  the  eyes  of  the  speaker,  eventually  hearing  the  only  words  that  keep  me  separated  from  calling  Nol  my  spouse.  “Do  you  take  Nolan  Lochlainn  to  be  your  beloved  and  wedded  wife?”

Looking  at  Nol  with  a  smile,  I  have  to  nod  while  saying  “Yes.”

  I  also  tighten  my  grip  around  his  fingers.  Is  this  really  happening?  His  face  looks  just  as  shocked,  but  I  can’t  wait  for  what’s  about  to  come.  “Now  you  may  kiss  the  bride.”

  I  don’t  care  about  the  cheers  once  Nol  approaches  me  and  I  put  my  arms  around  him.  It’s  too  sweet  to  really  describe,  but  I  am  sure  in  will  stay  engraved  into  my  mind.

.

.

.

Fin.

[kacychase]

Lol okay you read my stuff if I read yours

(Because Idk Vikings I'm sorry TvT)

[kacychase]

MM - My story to you (707xMC)

SUMMARY

This is my legacy for you.

Saeyoung, I know that you can see me here. Whoever you are, wherever you are, this is my legacy for you. You don’t need to wait forever as long as we are together. And to cherish and love you, I wrote this piece for you. Our love story…

In case you get lonely, in case you have doubts, I will always be here to take your doubts away.

Hoping that you’ll always love me as much as I love you~

Your wife always,

Hana

.

.

.

.

~---°---~

Word count: 4555

When you read this, Saeyoung, I hope that you remember the early days. Haha, in fact, I don’t really know how I landed there in the first place, how “Unknown” has chosen me to be hacked. Maybe I have been just a random puppet to him, one in a million…?

But either way, I’m glad I met you.

Back then, when I entered the house, and suddenly, the phone has been entering the chat messages, you have immediately reacted to my arrival. In retrospect, it was pretty typical of you to analyse my profile, find out my credentials, my number, likely my credit card details (thanks for not hacking me hehe~). Funnily, you were immediately the one teasing about everything.

Hahaha, just as I read what you wrote, I just couldn’t help it.

Back then, in confusion, I was trying to grasp the information you and the rest of the RFA had given me – and to be honest, I was a little scared that I might have been in trouble. However, as things finally started to calm down, I finally caught myself catching a breather.

The first time we somewhat got acquaintance was right after you did a background check on me.

You as Seven, hacked yourself into my life and into my heart, and before you could pull away, you couldn’t break through your own firewall. See how well you kept me as our wife to make these jokes? Aren’t you proud reading this, hehe~ I hope I will get more good wifey points from you once we have finally married in our own little spaceship.

Hadn’t it been for that moment, I wouldn’t have known for myself how to get to you.

.

Oh, that day… It was a tough day for both of us.

“Cheer up meow! You’re with the person you like meow!”

I couldn’t imagine what kept you out, what kind of burden and pain made you restrain and go back this much. Initially, I was convinced to cheer you up and lighten up your day, but now… I can’t help but already feel unsettled.

Your words could’ve cut through butter: “Why is this on again…” Your way of eyeing the cute robotic cat didn’t affect the little fellow, however. Completely unwavering, your own programmed cat responded in its perfected fashion: “I turn on when I sense depression meow! You’re with the person you like meow!”

Man…

I wish that this forced confession would’ve meant more now, but as your face distorts in frustration and anger, I can’t help but worry.

‘What happened to you, Seven…?’ was a thought that played through my head non-stop, knowing that my previous calls didn’t change your attitude… But you sounded happier then.

“You like meow! You like meow! You like meow!” I nearly would’ve chuckled from the cuteness of this thing, hadn’t you finally lost your last straw with it. Your glasses partly reflected your eyes as you stood up, but I could figure that you weren’t exactly amused.

“Damn it. Shut up…!,” you yelled in your annoyance, making me sober up. This was no fun time for you. Trying to look at what’s wrong, the following movements all were so sudden: you approaching the cat, taking it into your hand, and taking a big swing…

With this, your own sweet recreation of Elizabeth  the 3rd was no more – or rather, became many pieces scattered on the floor.

My face hardened at this sight, knowing that he might regret it later… And I couldn’t just watch all of this on the floor. It hurt. “ think it’s broken… Can I fix it?”

Muttering those words to you didn’t seem to help your mood become any calmer. “Just leave it. It’s useless,” you just replied, eyes looked on the pieces as if to avoid my eyes. This room, all of these insides felt even colder than before. The bomb suddenly didn’t bother me as much.

“I’ll throw it away later,” you said with a effortlessly booming, icy voice, although you probably didn’t try to sound menacing. At least I would always trust you not to hurt me. Just as assured as I am now, writing this piece to you, I used to be back then.

Your words… It was a bittersweet, funny thought. “And I’ll be leaving soon, so just forget about me.” While you tried to push me away, throwing knives into my heart, it’s as if it was the only goal for you. You seemed to run away, and with this, the hacker 707 became the most predictable person I could hack myself. Neither me, nor the RFA were meaningless to you, and your efforts to protect us proved it.

“I’m sure you’re just upset over Yoosung!,” I just replied with as much enthusiasm as I could muster – I hated the cold feeling of the apartment, “Cheer up!” I just wanted him to be happy, to forget his grief. And I have always been glad to be born a fighter. Your statement: “It’s none of your business how I feel” sobered me up like anything else. But sulking and choosing to be hurt wasn’t an option for me when I knew what my goal was.

I would not take these empty phrases to heart. Back then I already knew that this was not the true Seven or Luciel. Or the true you… And ironically, you started saying these things as if you purposefully tried to contradict yourself: “You wouldn’t have known, but this is how I’ve always felt. There was never a single day when I wasn’t depressed.”

‘This man would make me start praying to God again’, I thought. I wanted to make you feel liberated for a change, to help you with your burden. But then, as you said these words, I understood that if you struggled for a long time… Maybe you didn’t know how to confide in me? Maybe you needed to figure out how to share and disclose yourself to other people before you could trust me?

The silence of me staring right back into his honey-golden eyes seemed to make him nervous, and he continued saying icy things: “Can’t you see that it was all a lie? The jokes, the pranks, all the laughs! Don’t think about me, just think about protecting yourself!”

It would be the least thing I would want, but knowing that you were (still are) the more capable out of both of us, I assured you instead: “I can protect myself so don’t worry!” I threw right back at him with a cocked eyebrow, remembering that during my time in middle school and high school, I did have quite a few self-defense classes. “I’m pretty strong.” I couldn’t help but smirk a little in my pride.

Instead of indulging, you kept up your façade: “You’re underestimating your opponents” and I knew that you as well were a fighter for your own things. For some reason, it made me believe in you even more. You wouldn’t give up on me, as much as I couldn’t give up on you. “You’ll really be in danger with that attitude.”

Not as if we weren’t already, I wanted to say but I realized that it was both ill-intended and unproductive. I didn’t want to lunge back at you. It’s what you twistedly wanted, and I was not going to let you down. “You’re so similar to Yoosung,” you muttered, looking down at thee wooden floor of Rika’s apartment, a sad smile appearing and vanishing just as fast. “Yu don’t have a care in the world regardless of what’s going on,” you said to me, and I couldn’t help but see him for what state you were in right then.

You avoided everyone, worked day and night, eyebags on your face, you lashed out on people you cared for, and were scared. “I just want to be with you, because I like you!” Sometimes, a hacker might see the code as too complicated due to circumstances.

“How many times do I have to repeat myself…,” you started muttering as you corrected your posture, your left hand now tightly gripping onto your headphone cable, “I can’t be with you. We can’t be anything together!” Your hand trembled, and I just listened to your every word.

“Everything that surrounds me… is an illusion that exists in a temporary life of an agent named 707. They’ll all soon fade away. My house, my cars, RFA, you, this place, everything… one day they will disappear like the morning fog. A real life, real things I can have… don’t ever think and hope those things can exist.”

“Yoosung, Hana, all the members, even if you say that you like me… my life…,” suddenly, you let loose of that cable, both of your hands dangling helplessly, just as your head looked down, “y life can’t embrace anything. You don’t know how it feels to live that kind of life. Don’t be nice to me when you don’t know anything. Please… get away from me.”

No. Even if it had been for the best of both of us, I wouldn’t have been able to fulfil your request because I loved you too much. I was and would always selfishly fight for you, and I still do it. I don’t regret anything, and I appreciate your support every day.

“Just leave me alone…”

I felt it in every bone.

“The person you like is the 707 in the chatroom, not me!,” you cried out, suddenly looking straight-up at me in bewilderment. I didn’t know whether what you said scared me or you more… But I wouldn’t accept it. I had to support you.

“Then please let me understand the person in front of me!” It broke my heart to see you like this, and after that incident, I have always known that you felt guilty for treating me like this, Saeyoung. But please understand… there is nothing to apologize for when you are scared.

And therefore I hugged you. God, you trembled so badly, your breath might have hitched. It was as if my senses went off immediately – you were so close, your smell of Honey Buddha chips and PhD Pepper, your matching racing heartbeat, your hitched breath were so much at once, but man.

I was glad I did that right thereafter.

You whispered my name. “Why are you doing this to me?” Suddenly, a dagger hit my heart. I wished it wouldn’t have hurt that much hearing you say that. But you struggled. I would be there for you, no questions asked. And if you read this, my dearest partner in crime, Agent 707, Saeyoung, husbando, please understand that this still counts, okay?

Okay.

Further on, you insisted that you couldn’t embrace anything, that your life was wrong from the beginning, dangerous and filled with lies… I instantly felt my heart drenched and twisted like a wet towel. As you said that you couldn’t protect me or your brother, that was it. I felt a little tear falling down, and couldn’t help but to shake a little. Secretly, I hope you wouldn’t feel it.

With a silent whisper, you asked: “Why can’t you understand me?”

Another tear, and silence. I didn’t want you to hear that I cried, didn’t want you to worry, so it prolonged my answer. For that, I sounded even more assured: “I like the Seven that’s in front of my eyes. Regardless of how complicated your life is. I want to know.”

Haha, Saeyoung, see how I remembered every word? While you said that you could remember every one of our conversations, I can just say that I do, too. And I treasure every one of them in my memories.

“Hana… Don’t do this… please… I-I-,” you mumbled in a gut-wrenching plea, showing your true suffering for something, and I hugged you even tighter. “I cherich you… I want to make you hapy… but I can’t! Why do you want to be with me when I’m so dangerous?”

‘It’s you, Seven’, I thought to myself, knowing fully well that it had always been you. It would always be you. “Why do you like me!”

It was you.

“There is no reason. I just like you. That’s how I feel!,” I call him out, suddenly my own voice shivering. With that, I suddenly felt your chest decreasing, letting out air both you and I had been holding. Your sigh was so relieving to hear, and I felt distress flooding out of my veins.

“You’re impossible, Hana,” you muttered, making me chuckle a little at his frustrated tone. “You’re so strange. I feel like I’m going strange, too. Why aren’t you giving up?!” When your voice broke, my face felt like the cat on the floor, shattered to pieces.

“Why aren’t you getting hurt and abandoning me?!” That was it. I couldn’t listen to it any longer. I didn’t want to hear you say these things, hurt yourself and me in the process. I loved you, and wanted you to be happy. As you continued to rant, I suddenly uttered a word, and it felt so incredibly hard to speak up.

It nearly was as if a wall refused to make me do so.

“You.”

Your body stiffened, and you turned around. For some reason, your stare was even more scared when you looked down on me, and your eyes widened. Letting my arms go off of him, I just couldn’t help but stare back. Why was he so bewildered to look at me.

“You shouldn’t have been able to…,” you stared at me, eyes teary. “Seven…,” I said, suddenly feeling like hugging him. So I did.

“Hana… Are you…,” he muttered in shock, body shivering even more. “I-I will protect you, Hana, I promise. You survived, you’re alive, and I will keep it that way,” you mumbled, suddenly hugging me tightly and back then not knowing what it meant, I just tried to hug you back.

“Can I be next to you when you work?,” I asked you back then, but you didn’t move. “A-Alright,” you replied with a shivery breath.

“I can’t guarantee that I will be good for you, Hana. I don’t think I will be good for you,” you remarked and went out of the embrace, looking at me meaningfully. Your golden eyes sparkled through your glasses, and I couldn’t help but softly push a little bit of your hair strands away.

“Your eyes…,” he whispered, “They’re beautiful.”

I had no clue what that meant back then, but I just replied that so were yours. My smirk seemed to have reached you as well. And as both of us felt that there was nothing to say anymore, you announced: “Time to go back to work.”

At that very moment, I already asked myself how the heck I had flipped the switch for you, an unknowing feeling in my tummy region as I approached you.

There was only one chair in your work area, and I realized that my tummy growled. You immediately turned towards me. “There should be some leftover stuff from yesterday,” you just immediately announced, just as your tummy started to growl as well.

With a small grin, I just responded: “I made sushi today. There have been some for you, too, so it’s definitely time to eat!” “I need to w-“ “I know, I’ll bring it, Seven.”

Quickly ignoring your protests, I ran off to the kitchen, knowing that I put extra much effort into the sushi. Even trying the inside out rolls, I smile at myself as I made a smiley out of the little plate with rolls. In the hopes that you weren’t a picky eater, I transported both plated to your station, putting it on a table where usually, your Honey Buddha Chips and your empty PhD bottles would have situated. I decided bring them away soon in my head.

However, your face was the best when you discovered what exactly I brought you. “God, Hana…,” you muttered, visibly gulping. “Why are you so nice to me? After I’ve been angry with you…”

“It’s because I have feelings for you. Plus, I would love you to try my sushi,” I smiled brightly and received a confused, yet admiring stare from my counterpart. “You’re too positive for your own good,” you finally smiled back at me with these words, seeing the smiley on the plate. As both of us took the chopsticks, I realized I forgot drinks. “Ah! Do you want to drink something or-“

As if reading my thoughts, you suddenly pulled out a bottle of PhD Pepper and man, I could have sworn it wasn’t there before. And yes, after that, both you and I know that it wasn’t there. “A tribute to the Gods for my beautiful existence and for having you in my life!,” you just rambled out of nowhere, probably to light up the mood.

I couldn’t help but blush though. “Thank you, Seven. I’m glad that we can get along like this,” I sincerely couldn’t help but saying this, but your eyes intensively stared back. With that, you put away your headphones, probably because we were about to eat. “You’re too good for this world, Hana. I want you to know that I want to make you happy from now on…”

Your words made my heart skip a beat, and the way you blushed… While you might have pulled up your sleeves – with very handsome lower arms – I couldn’t help but stare at your gushing face still. “Hey, Seven.”

As you looked up, I desperately wanted to kiss you. So much, but I didn’t know whether I would overwhelm you again.

So I took a deep breath.

“Could you feed me again please?”

This was WAY better, hahaha. God, even writing this, your reaction was hilarious! I bet still that both of us thought of the time you were still angry, and fed me all flustered. WheI asked you oer the call, I honestly wouldn’t have expected you to accept it.

But this time, I was less surprised.

“Okay, if that’s what it takes you to e-eat,” you stammered, your face competing with your hair for redness. Man, you looked adorable to me.

“Hmm… Maybe, I can feed you, too, so that all of us are treated equally,” I replied with a little grin.

“How can you be quirkier than 707, Hana?! You’re really strange!,” you finally called out on me, grinning nervously. I just couldn’t help but laugh it off.

“I still love you, Seven, Luciel, or however you want to be called, I asked you to feed me last time. I want to repay with gratefulness!��

And with that, where there has been coldness in the apartment, your chuckle… I don’t know whether you do it on purpose, but it is still absolutely beautiful. It makes my gloomy days sparkle brightly, and my face can’t help but have this lovestruck face you fall for so much. I could have listened to you forever back then.

“That’s it,” you say, your eyes shining in a breathtaking way. With that, you took the chopsticks into your had, picked up a Sushi from your plate and chirped: “Open your mouth, kitty~”

As I chewed happily while looking at him, when all of a sudden he asked something of me.

“Please… call me Saeyoung. It’s who I truly am.”

.

.

After that, for some reason, we could’ve taken up to any challenge. The RFA was happy for us, and even after a lot of effort, you, my Saeyoung – as I came to uncover his past – could save your brother and have him live in our apartment. Things were crazy, we went along too well for our own good, to the point of you proposing to me after a month. God… The door thing was a crazily good idea.

But there was one thing that was strange, and I didn’t know how to tell you during those days when we ate, when we were grocery shopping, or when both of us worked next to each other on that computer. Most of the time, I was finished before you and I could cuddle on your lap after… It was amazing. Still is.

However, there are… weird things going on. Ever since the messenger mystery has been solved, I could live a life chatting with everyone, but since the first day of us as a couple, I couldn’t help but see them… Glitches.

It had been so weird, but scary, and I didn’t know how to tell you. I dreamed of losing you, and I was afraid that I was about to disappear when parts of binary code appeared on my hand that night.

“OH MY GOD!,” I shrieked into the usually tranquil and loving night that we had.

“Hana?!,” you called on me, immediately worried since you knew that I wouldn’t be easily shaken. “What is it?! A bug again?! A bad dream?? Do you need anything?!” Bewildered that he couldn’t see the obvious glitch on my hand, I couldn’t help but point it out: “Can’t you see it?!”

“What?”

Your voice was extremely confused, just as your face was speaking of alarm. Wearing your glasses today, I know that you would have to see it as I held up my arm.

And seeing that I had not much to explain, I still tried to soothe us both. “Saeyoung… I don’t know what this is, and I don’t know how to get rid of it. Could you know what it-“

“The game… It’s starting to fall apart.”

All of a sudden, the whole atmosphere was scary. I could practically feel your heartbeat from far away, and for the love of God, I didn’t know what you meant. “What do you mean?”

Panic seemed to influence your fingers as you grasped my face, your pupils dilating. “Please don’t disappear, Hana, I- I might have made a mistake.”

In complete confusion, but used to that emotion, I brace myself by taking a deep breath: “Please explain the situation to me. I’m here. I won’t go.” This was to soothe both of us as I had no fucking clue what was happening to my arm. The green numbers on black ground felt like a huge computer screen.

Hearing you mumble: “It’s lagging… I knew it…” and other things scared the heck out of me, Saeyoung. Don’t pull this shit ever again on me, you hear?!

“Saeyoung…” My voice was increasingly panicky as I picked up the vibe that you were exerting.

“You see everything around us, Hana?” We could have heard a pin drop at the silence.

“Yes. What about it?”

“Well…,” you muttered, and with that, you pressed the enter key.

And this was when I finally understood what you have said all the way. The ugly truth, the failure to protect, the way you were anxious of leaving…

All of the things around us, even Saeran bursting into the room… It turned into a huge mess of binary codes, other commands I have seen you type, and so, so much more…

“Saeyoung?”

“Right now, I have created all of it. I wished for it a while ago…,” I looked at you in bewilderment. “I wanted to help out people of this world because the world is cruel, Hana. This world was made to satisfy someone’s obsessions, nothing more. I’m just a pawn of this. So are you. I couldn’t have you near me because I wanted to resist this.”

Your chest began to shake, but I was suddenly taken aback. What… What the fuck happened to me?! My vision started to blur.

“I’m just here to help someone else, and I was supposed to leave,” you muttered to explain this to me, “But here I am, loving you and being engaged to you.”

Seeing your face has pained me the most. I couldn’t help but be in utter shock. “Then why… Why did you do this?”

His face scrunched into a painful smile. “You broke the fourth wall. You are someone. And I want to protect you from this.” I listened to your story, to what this world was supposed to be, how I might have been a player who glitched into my own body.

But imagine if my words had been any other than the ones I ultimately said: “I will stay with you, Saeyoung. No questions asked. We will fix it.”

Looking at me in awe, with tears in his eyes, he closed the gap between us, eyes closed. I immediately put my arms around you as you remembered, deepening the kiss and responding to this fiery and heated kiss. I loved how much we were able to share, to inhibit our shyness towards each other. But this hurt.

It hurt so much when we broke apart

“If you survive this, Hana… You might become the wizard’s apprentice, too. But if you wish to come back to your old self, I wouldn’t fault you…,” you whispered crying, and as you broke, you just decided to look me dead in the eye, knowing that with his past, and this current state of me slowly becoming unreal, I could say anything.

“H-how?!,” I replied in desperation, tears streaming down my face at the distress. “I want to be with you, Saeyoung! I wish for us to be together and happy! Is this too much to ask?!,” I screamed into the void around and glared at him. “How the hell could you have hidden it to everyone?! What about that damn wish?! God… This is messed up, Saeyoung.”

As the world reconstructed itself around us, I couldn’t help but keep my eyes trained at yours, guilt haunting his face. “You know what. How did you know what happened?” You stared at me, knowing full well that back then, you left me in utter confusion. “Your eyes… normally, you weren’t supposed to have any. But look at yourself.” Looking at his glass reflection, I tracked myself – light brown hair with bangs put up in a bun, angry hfnwn eyes looking back at myself, I realized…

I remembered. I played the game myself. This wasn’t my original me…

But I still don’t care. “God, I’m sorry, Saeyoung,” I said to him, realizing how many times he must’ve watched me play this game. “It’s alright, you played my route nearly all the time,” he chuckled emptily back at me, “Someone was obsessed with me~”

Blushing, I responded: “Well, yeah! See? I would choose you again! The first time was me being a newbie…”

“Well, MC,” God that felt weird, “What now?”

.

.

.

With our first child on the way – it feels like two though – I feel like I chose the right path, don’t you think, Saeyoung? You have asked me how it was to find everything out, all of a sudden to ask that. It was a shock, but I decided to focus on what I truly wanted. I want you.

So here I am, with my lovely husbando, married at the space station, a horribly unhealthy eater and great taste in your car babies~

With the goal to be a good wifey… Both of us don’t exist, but to us both, we do.

And that is what counts, doesn’t it?

[kacychase]

As I  quickly  scramble  through  my  backpack,  I  ask  myself  what  the  heck  I'm  doing.  Going  out  with  Min-Hyuk  for  a  pikamon-chase? With  their  app?  In  real-life?

AT  NIGHT?

This  must  be  a  joke.

"Yo,  Shin-Ae,  you  ready?"

Even though  I'm  doubting  this,  I  immediately  act  confident:  "You   bet  boi!"  With  hearing  these  words,  he  grins  at  me.  "Alright. We'll  destroy  the  others'  arenas  and  get  dem  Wizardcarps  to   finally  get  the  350  tokens  for  you!"

All  of  a  sudden,  I feel  energetic.  With  the  summer  nights,  I  finally  got  myself   more  time  after  having  dealt  with  this  year  of  high  school.

"My Giantboss  will  be  better  than  yours."  "Tch,  sure  it  will",   Min-Hyuk  winks  at  me.  Getting  cocky,  huh??  "Oh,  just  you   watch."

And  he  did,  after  I  had  caught  my  last  pikamon  necessary  in  an  alleyway.

"YO BOI",  I  exclaim,  "I  GOT  IT!"  Honestly,  I  wouldn't  have   thought  that  I  would  be  that  much  into  the  game  once  we  have  started  the  nightly  raid.  We  should  definitely  do  this  more   often.  “Girl,  this  better  be  better  than  my  pika  right   there!”,  Min-Hyuk  shouts  in  excitement,  well  aware  that  this   will  be  a  big  change  for  all  the  pikamons  I  gathered.   Sometimes,  I  really  appreciate  how  supportive  he  is,  and  I  see  it  then  and  there  again.  “Let’s  do  this”,  I  mutter   absently,  completely  absorbed  with  evolving  my  Wizardcarp.  And   as  I  finally  send  out  my  last,  and  click  on  the  evolve   button,  I  suddenly  see  a  message  pop  up.

And  as  I  see   the  name  of  the  sender,  my  stomach  drops.  “Min-Hyuk?”   Suddenly,  my  happiness  about  that  new  pikamon  in  my  deck  is   not  as  overwhelming  as  I  have  thought  just  seconds  ago.   Looking  up  at  Min-Hyuk,  I  already  see  his  worrying  gaze   fixated  on  me.  “Do  you  want  to?”  I  just  stare  back.  To  be   honest,  I’m  just  overwhelmed  with  this  situation.

The  breath  I  let  out  is  shaky  too.

Yeong-Gi/Nol:  Can  we  meet  up  soon?

For a  minute,  I  just  look  back,  trying  to  calm  down.  It’s  been  a  while  since  we  even  talked  or  chatted  at  all.  After  he  said  that  he  would  want  to  avoid  me,  I  was  left  betrayed.   Luckily,  Min-Hyuk  came  over  for  a  visit  then.  This  dude  saved my  ass  several  times  now.  Hearing  Min-Hyuk’s  understanding   words  -  that  it’s  fine  if  not,  that  he  can  come  with,  that   he’s  always  going  to  be  there  if  I’d  need  anyone  -  I  just   type  a  response.

Shin-Ae:  Where?

As  he   responds,  my  heart  sinks.  Somehow,  the  vibe  I  just  received   from  his  messages  makes  my  throat  close  up.  “Lemme  get  you   there.  It’s  dark  and  I  don’t  want  you  to  be  alone.”

I   just  let  out  a  quick  thanks  before  hugging  the  best  friend  I could  have.  Then,  we  both  get  going  to  WacDonald’s.

Throughout the  journey,  Min-Hyuk  has  put  an  arm  around  me  and  casually   plays  pikamon  jog  as  if  there  was  nothing  to  face  for  me.  Of  course,  I  get  it  -  he  doesn’t  want  to  butt  in  or  bother   me  too  much,  and  it  kind  of  calms  me  that  he  doesn’t  make   it  too  big  of  a  deal.  “Don’t  expect  that  I  won’t  smack  this guy’s  ass  for  hurting  you  though.  I  mean,  he  kinda  was  your crush.”  “Say  that  again  and  I  will  whoop  yours”,  I  quickly   growl,  but  I  know  that  he  has  a  point.  “That  dude  was   hurting  you  girl.  Like,  I  respect  your  decision  but  honestly,   that  dude’s  a  jerk  for  pulling  that  at  least”,  he  quickly   elaborates  and  I  notice  that  he’s  trying  to  really  understand   my  point  of  view.  I  let  out  a  sigh.

“I  know.  I’ll  deal with  it.  I  trust  you  to  be  around  this  time  though!”  “You   can  count  on  it”,  he  responds,  reply  as  ready  as  a  pistol   shot.

“Alright.”

We  go  through  the  usual  way  to  the   fried  chicken  and  burger  joint  I  used  to  work  at.  Usually,  I would  think  of  my  manager  that  really  helped  me  figure  out   what  to  do  during  the  hard  time  I  had  with  working,  school   and  my  friends.  But  now,  I  can’t  help  but  feel  extremely   nervous.  “Should  I  stay  with  you  when  you  talk?”

In  the   last  few  months,  I  have  experienced  what  it’s  like  to  be   insecure  and  unsure.  But  I  really,  really  hate  that  feeling   still.  “No.  It’s  fine,  and  I  think  we  need  to  discuss  things together.”  “Alright.  I’ll  get  ourselves  stuff  from  Wac  then.”   “What  the  heck.  This  late?”  “Absolutely.  What  do  you  want?  On me!”,  he  chirps  with  a  smile,  already  awaiting  his  meal.  “...  A  Bigwac  menue  please.  With  chicken.”  “‘kay.  Text  me  if  you guys  are  do-”

His  gaze  is  stuck  on  something  behind  me. When  I  turn  around,  I  realize  that  his  brown  eyes  were  stuck  on  someone  instead.  “Hey.”

Yeong-Gi  seems  to  be  just  as overwhelmed  as  I  am.  “Hi”,  I  just  reply  and  I  hear  Min-Hyuk saying  confidently:  “Alright,  be  right  back.  You  better  not   hurt  her  again.”  Seeing  him  throw  a  dark  glance  at  the   redhead,  said  redhead  just  looks  at  him  apologetically.  “See   you.”  he  gives  me  a  last  look  -  one  that  makes  me  feel   protected  and  loved  -  and  goes  away.

And  leaves  me  alone  with  Yeong-Gi.

"What did  you  want  to  talk  about?",  I  quickly  cut  to  the  chase.   After  what  he  has  done  to  cut  out  our  friendship,  I  don’t   want  to  create  further  unpleasantries  for  either  of  us.

His hair  is  dishelved  and  his  pants  and  white  t-shirt  look   hastily  put  on.  But  his  look  shows  me  so  much  sternness,   regret,  and  assuredness,  as  if  he's  been  thinking  long  and   hard  about  what  he's  about  to  do.

Man.  I  hate  how  my   heartbeat  betrays  me  in  these  moments.  "I  wanted  to  check  if   you're  doing okay",  Yeong-Gi  replies  equally  serious,  having  my   eyebrows  furrow  and  my  jaw  drop  slightly.

"Dude  wtf?  You   said  just  two  weeks  ago  that  you  don't  wanna  talk  anymore.   And  now  you  come  back,  asking  me  if  I'm  okay?",  I  just   retort.  I  just  hope  that  I  don't  sound  too  hysterical  but   sometimes,  reality  teaches  me  not  to  dream.

But  just  as   before,  he  just  stares  at  me  and  takes  a  few  steps  towards   me.  “Yeah.  I  know  I  made  myself  clear-”  All  of  a  sudden,   hurt  flashes  in  his  eyes.  It’s  short  but  I  see  it.  All  this time,  I  really  have  tried  figuring  this  young  man  in  front   of  me  out  but…  He’s  been  making  it  really  hard  and  knows  how  to  avoid  me  constantly,  even  after  I  called  him  out.

This makes  me  feel  more  unusual  with  all  that  heartbeat  going  on, so  I  just  reciprocate  his  stare  into  my  eyes  as  he  speaks.   “But  I  just  can’t  seem  to  forget  what  we’ve  been  through   together  and…  Ugh,  whatever.”  His  unstable  grin  on  his  face,   his  closed  eyes…  He  really  doesn’t  like  talking  about  his   feelings,  does  he?  “Yeong-Gi?”,  I  quickly  snap  him  back  to   reality  as  I  step  closer.  “What’s  up?”  His  eyes,  this  time   more  confused.

Why  am  I  like  this  with  him?  “It’s  just…  I  would  feel  bad  not  being  around  you,  you  know?  I  wanna  make  sure  you’re  alright  after  stuff  that  has  happened.”  His   direct  stare  at  me  shows  me  honesty  that  leaves  me  shaking.  I  knew  that  I  wouldn’t  ever  deserve  him  as  a  friend  -  let   alone  someone  I’d  care  more  about.

That  aside,  I’m  not  into  relationships  anyway.

“I-” As  he  takes  a  step  close,  I  suddenly  realize  the  closeness   our  bodies  have,  and  I  wish  I  could  treat  it  with  as  much   ease  as  I  used  to.  But  now,  I  just  smell  his  amazing  scent, see  his  stupid  brick  body  and  his  damn  beautiful  face.  And   I’m  angry  at  myself  for  being  so  affected  by  it.

“I   wanted  to  tell  you  some  things  before  I  might  be  gone,  too”, he  just  says  with  a  smile  that  looks  sad  and  regretful.

Wait.  Leave?  Did  he  want  to  get  rid  of  me  before  leaving  so  that  it  won’t…  hurt  as  much?

It  would  be  something  he’d  do.

It  would  certainly  be  something  I’d  do.

“Like  what?”

I remember  that  he  rarely  talked  about  his  future.  College,   work,  et  cetera  were  really  never  things  the  two  of  us  would discuss  together.  What  other  secrets  is  he  keeping  from  me.   His  hesitant  face  tells  tales.  “Yeong-Gi.  I  know  that  you   don’t  like  sharing.  But  don’t  you  think  that  after…  well,   everything  that  happened,  you  can’t  tell  me  what’s  troubling   you?  I  know  you  didn’t  like  when  I  testified  to  you  with  Yu Jing-”  And  indeed,  I  find  him  furrowing  his  eyebrows  for  a   millisecond.  “But  I…  You  know,  I  wanted  to  help  you.  And  I   can’t  say  I  don’t  care  anymore”,  I  just  tell  him  straight   away,  adding  “so  pull  that  crap  again  and  I’ll  whoop  your   butt!”  That  stuff  gets  him  to  snort  and  smirk  a  little.  For   some  reason,  it  relieves  me  enough  to  know  that  this  is  the   Yeong-Gi  I  know  and  I  can  at  least  sense  that  something  is   up.

“I  know.”  Raising  an  eyebrow,  I  patiently  wait  for   him  to  continue,  however  not  forgetting  what  he  said  two  weeks  ago.  “I  will  go  overseas  for  a  place  to  study.  I’m  sorry  I  haven’t  told  you.”  As  he  looks  down  at  our  feet,  I  just   can’t  help  but  think  that  there’s  something  el-  “And  I   think”,  he  takes  in  a  deep  breath  and  to  my  shock,  I  see  a reddish  blush  appear  on  his  cheeks.  “I-”  For  some  reason,  he looks  away  and  I  just  say:  “Come  on,  spit  it  out!”

Immediately picking  up  eye  contact  again,  he  says  “Alright.”  His  hair  is lighted  halfway  from  the  lamp  post  we’re  standing  next  to,   his  eyes  intense  when  he  says:  “I  think  I  have  feelings  for   you.”

And  with  that,  my  brain  has  stopped  functioning  and I  now  lower  my  gaze  down  to  our  shoes.  Keep  it  together,   Shin-Ae.  Don’t  think  about  how  his  feet  could  stomp  yours   twice.  What  a  sasquatch.  “So  after  all  this  time…  I  have  even  told  you  that  you  have  a  girlf-”,  I  start  to  ramble  but   he  cuts  me  off,  gaze  ever  so  stern:  “Alyssa  and  I  broke  up.”

Wam.

You know  this  feeling,  when  everything  suddenly  drops  on  you?  Why didn’t  he  tell  me  all  of  this  earlier,  or  in  portions?  Why   can’t  I  trust  him  with  things?  And  why  do  I  still  feel  like this  with  him??  “Nol?”  “Yeah?”

All  of  a  sudden,  I   realize  how  upset  I  am  -  I’m  shivering  and  everything  inside   me  blazes  with  anger.  “So  what  you’ve  done  two  weeks  ago,   ignoring  me,  was  just  to  come  and  tell  me  all  of  this?!  Out of  nowehere?!”,  I  say,  not  giving  a  crap  about  his  reaction   and  his  face  looks  equally  responsive.  “I  really  tried  keeping my  word  okay?!  I  really  just  wanted  to  leave  and  not  have   you  miss  me!”,  he  suddenly  replies,  also  raising  his  voice   until  he  abruptly  silences  himself.  “But  I  couldn’t,  okay?  I   couldn’t.  I  wanted  to  see  if  you  were  okay.”

All  of  a   sudden,  my  heart  strings  seem  to  be  pulled  and  I  want  nothing  more  than  to  kiss  this  guy.  What  the  heck  is  going  on  with  me?  Why  am  I  this  emotional  right  now?  “Who  do  you  do  this  for,  Yeong-Gi?  For  me,  or  for  you?”

As  look  closely,  I realize  that  this  time,  I  can  see  freckles  on  his  face   including  one  or  the  other  scar.  Why  the  heck  is  he  so   handsome?  His  facial  features  are  partly  lighted  by  that  lamp   post,  and  I  see  his  gaze  carefully  calculating  me  as  I  step   towards  him,  even  closer.  But  he  doesn’t  step  back.  Looking   closely,  I  even  see  him  shiver  slightly.

Is  this  that  difficult  for  him?

A long  pause  is  lying  upon  the  two  of  us,  but  I  start  to   get  worried  and  try  to  step  back.  Suddenly,  however,  I  feel  a  hand  of  his  grabbing  my  arm.  Man  is  he  strong,  and  as  I   notice  that,  I  can’t  help  but  quickly  scan  his  quite  toned   body.  “Wait.”  His  distant  murmur  sounds  more  like  a  plea  than anything,  and  I  immediately  freeze  in  place.

“I’m  doing   this  for  both  of  us.”  With  that,  he  closes  the  distance   again,  surprising  me.  Looking  at  each  other,  I  feel  his   breath  fanning  on  my  face.  Goodness,  are  we  close,  and  my   heart  beats  fast.  “Both?”  I  look  at  his  lips.  They  look   incredibly  soft…  What  it  would  be  like  to-

But  I  have  no  way  to  think  about  it  much,  since  he  tells  me:  “Maybe  I   just  need  this,  Shin-Ae.  Please  tell  me  to  stop  if  I  should.”  I  should  say  something.  Really  should.  But  I  don’t  say   anything,  and  as  his  lips  meet  mine,  for  a  small  peck  first. As  we  meet  again,  the  kiss  is  far  sweeter  than  I  would’ve   thought.  Wow.

Yeong-Gi  is  a  pretty  good  kisser.

(Extra  scene)

Nol  POV:

As I  walk  home,  I  quickly  call  Soushi,  my  buddy  in  emergency   situations.  “And,  how  did  the  talk  with  Shin-Ae  go?!”,  his   voice  hastily  becomes  audible.  “Pretty  good…  I…  guess…”,  I  just  murmur,  not  knowing  what  the  heck  to  do  with  this  kiss,   especially  since  I’d  leave  soon.  Why  the  heck  did  I  do   that?!

“Also…  Did  that  kiss  tutorial  video  help?”

“Shut  up!”,  I  just  reply,  not  believing  that  Soushi  has  actually  given  him  that  video.

But  to  be  honest,  it  was  pretty  good  advice.

[kacychase]

The skirtchaser and the homewrecker

I  cannot  believe  that  what  Shin-Ae  and  I  are  about  to  do   is  actually  happening.  Throughout  the  years  we  knew  that  there might  be  something  between  us  that  neither  of  us  can  define. Of  course,  we’re  friends  so  far  but…  there’s  something  else,   and  we  both  feel  it.  With  the  way  she  looks  at  me…  I’m  not crazy,  am  I?  But  usually,  the  ring  on  my  finger  reminds  me   well  enough  where  my  heart  lies,  doesn’t  it?

Subconsciously, I  grab  it  as  I  desperately  try  to  focus  on  the  files   again.  The  corporate  door  opens  and  there  she  stands.   Beautiful,  thin  but  fiery  and  determined  as  always.  I  can’t   lie  about  how  much  I  like  her  attitude  –  it  would  be  so   perfectly  on  par  with  mine.  She’s  an  equal,  a  strong   individual  who  doesn’t  give  a  damn  about  other  people.

And throughout  all  the  years,  it’s  been  turning  me  on.  “Hey.”  Her  voice  as  to  the  point  but  playful  as  always.  Her  smile   directed  at  me  makes  me  return  a  smirk.  “Why  hello  there,   little  one.”  As  I  stand  up,  I  pick  up  the  folder  of  data.   “May  I  assist  you  with  anything?”  My  grin  fades  however  as  I see  her  eyes.  Her  red  eyes  are  clouded  with  something  that   makes  my  lower  stomach  stir.  “You’re  well  aware,  bigfoot.”  And as  she  grabs  my  hand,  I  can’t  help  but  slightly  pull  her   towards  me.  “Are  you  sure  that  you  are  supposed  to  ask  your   boss  about  these  kinds  of  deeds?”

All  of  a  sudden, something  hits  me.  It’s  shame.  And  guilt.  Well  isn’t  that  a   surprising  feeling.  Why  do  I  have  to  associate  these  feelings   with  Shin-Ae  whenever  I’m  around  her?  I  can’t  look  at  her   without  thinking  about  how  I  treat  her,  how  I  used  to  mislead  her.  And  now  make  her  a  homewrecker.

I  throb,  and  throb  and  throb.  My  heart  is  so  throbbing.

Alyssa,  I’m  so  sorry.

...

...

Here I  am,  seeing  the  brunette  in  all  her  beauty.  All  her  facial expressions,  her  character  made  me  stay  for  way  too  long.   Even  though  I  wanted  to  get  out,  make  things  right  and  escape  for  the  both  of  us…  We  couldn’t.  We  made  things  wrong.

I  made  things  wrong.

Maybe I  shouldn’t  have  married  Alyssa  in  the  first  place.  I  know   that  our  marriage  isn’t  the  most  lovestruck  or  attention-based. But  neither  of  us  needed  that  ever.  Or  so  I  thought.

Now here  I  am,  seeing  Shin-Ae  in  her  real  beauty.  Man,  she  never  made  herself  look  pretty  or  in  the  spotlight  like  Alyssa   would,  she  didn’t  have  curves  like  Alyssa  had…  But  she  has   something  that  has  so  much  more  potential  and  is  so  much   sexier.  How  can  I  not  kiss  her?  Who  can  blame  me  for   enjoying  the  flames  of  passion  she  engulfs  me  in?

I  used to  be  so  darn  respectful  for  anything  anyone  would  choose  or be.  Damn,  I  gave  people  so  much  space  to  do  things.  But  I   need  her.  Having  me  kiss  her  neck,  hear  her  moan  and  see  her  eyes  flutter  –  I  need  that.  Whatever  draws  me  to  her  I   should  throw  away.

I  can’t  even  believe  that  I’m  doing  this.  I  hate  that  I  love  this.

Why.

“Yeong-Gi… Stop.  W-we  can’t  do  this”,  Shin-Ae’s  voice  and  body  seems  to shudder  in  my  hands.  Why  do  I  think  that  it’s  so  wrong  yet it  feels  so  right?  With  Alyssa,  I  used  to  be  like  this.  I   love  her  so  so  much.  Yet  I  do  this  to  both  of  them.  Well…  I  guess  it  was  our  choice  to  keep  a  long-distance  marriage   that  made  it  all  a  mistake.  F*cking  popstar  career.

I’m   nothing  but  shameful.  But  this  desire,  this  hunger  is  eating   me  alive.  And  it  comes  quite  handy  that  Shin-Ae  is  the  one   forbidden  person  I  wanted  for  so  long.  Hell  yes  I  did.

“Yes  we  can.”

There are  so  many  ways  in  which  I  regret  saying  this.  But  to  be   quite  honest,  I  don’t  think  they’re  that  important  right  now.

.

.

.

.

As I  wake  up  with  a  frantic  heartbeat,  I  can’t  even  manage  to   find  inner  words  for  what  I  was  just  dreaming.  Trying  to  calm  my  breathing  first,  I  swiftly  and  slowly  escape  my  bed  again  to  get  some  water.

Why  is  this  dream  returning?   Shin-Ae  and  I  are  nothing  but  colleagues!  We  would  never  ever do  this,  right?  Both  of  us  have  confessed  months  ago  that  we  both  might  still  feel  a  connection  we  shouldn’t.  We  can’t   happen,  of  course  we  can’t.  We  never  even  could.  And  now  that  both  of  us  are  married  to  different  I  shouldn’t  even  try  to  take  this  into  consideration.  I  shouldn’t.

But  God,  why  is  she  so  captivating?

Desperately getting  to  the  kitchen  sink,  I  grab  myself  a  glass  from  the shelf  and  get  myself  some  water.  Take  a  gulp.  Another.   Another.  Get  a  shower.  Get  out  and  see  my  wife  in  front  of   the  door.  “Babe?  Are  you  okay?”  As  I  nod,  her  sympathetic   look  kills  me.

If  only  you  knew.

“Is  it  the  nightmare  again?”

If  only  you  knew.

I  nod.

Slowly, hesitantly  but  with  an  affectionate  look,  Alyssa  closes  the   gap,  puts  her  two  hands  gently  on  my  cheeks  and  tiptoes  to   me  for  one  of  the  sweetest  kisses  she  gives.  So  innocently   sweet  that  this  makes  my  heart  throb  even  more.  I  don’t   deserve  innocent  kisses  anymore.

“You  know  you  can  always  talk  to  me.  I’m  there.”

As I  nod  again,  she  takes  my  left  hand  and  leads  us  to  bed.   “Let’s  go  to  sleep,  we  both  have  to  wake  up  early  tomorrow.” And  as  she  says  so,  we  both  enter  the  bed.  But  while  she   falls  asleep  in  an  instant,  my  fingers  revolve  around  the   ring,  turning,  pulling  it  out  of  my  finger  and  putting  it   back  on.

[kacychase]

Family Yoo/ Lochlainn

A/N: Hey everyone! In case you have see the account Kacychase on Amino or kacychasesyoo acc on Instagram, yea that’s me. Don’t worry, there’s no plagiarism involved. I just thought: Why not try this out? Love, Kacychase <3 It’s  been  a  while  since  I  could  wake  up  this  refreshed  and  anew  –  especially  with  my  belly  being  as  round  as  a   balloon.  If  Nolan  wasn’t  there  for  her  to  save  my  quirky  butt  at  least  once  a  day,  I  wouldn’t  know  what  to  do.Thank  God  I  had  a  great  husband.“Mommy, mommy!  Look  what  daddy  did!”  That’s  where  I  might  take  my   thought  back.  Slowly  sitting  up,  I  saw  her  small  little  Declan  in  front  of  the  bed,  his  smile  as  bright  as  his  green   eyes.  I  was  pretty  sure  that  he  would  have  shaken  her  but   both  Nolan  and  her  were  very  careful  about  touching  my  belly ��–  at  some  point,  he  understood  that  he  would  get  a  little   sister.“What  is  it,  honey?”,  automatically,  I  pulled  back some  my  brunette  strands  into  a  bun,  showcasing  my  scars.   Sure,  I  didn’t  like  it  but  it  was  surely  practical,  and  my   son  didn’t  ask  any  questions  about  it:  he  was  too  young  after  all  and  I  myself  am  an  adult  –  I  could  handle  it.  “Look,   mommy,  please!”Declan’s  face,  eyes,  dimples  and  freckles   were  so  painfully  reminding  me  of  his  father,  I  would  always   start  to  miss  him  just  by  seeing  our  son’s  face.  Our  son…It was  crazy  how  he  was  right  about  starting  a  family.  He   always  thought  that  I’d  be  a  good  caretaker,  a  good  mom.   Maybe  in  my  own  ways…  But  we  were  a  great  team  ever  since   we  got  together.  And  with  him  by  my  side,  I  felt  like  the   best  mom  in  the  world.  “Alright  Declan,  give  mommy  a  little   time  to  get  up”,  she  chuckled,  smiling  back  at  this  young   ball  of  energy.  To  her,  it  felt  like  a  blink  of  an  eye  has passed  after  Declan’s  birth.  He  was  so  beautiful,  so  radiant   ever  since  he  was  in  her  arms.  And  Nolan’s  face…  it  looked   like  he  was  the  happiest  man  –  happiest  person  –  alive  to   see  Declan  in  my  arms,  seeing  my  sweaty  yet  fulfilled  face.I was  so  incredibly  tired  and  done  for,  exhausted  from  the  act of  giving  birth,  a  few  hours  past  the  screams  of  agony  and   pain.But  this  moment  back  then,  it  was  perfect.  Nothing   could  take  that  sense  of  family  from  me.  If  anything  or  -one were  to  try,  they  better  be  prepared  for  me  –  because  no   one  would  mess  with  this  redhead  family.  Damn  was  I  grateful   that  Declan  had  so  many  features  from  his  dad.  It’s  adorable   seeing  him  smile.Slowly  heading  towards  the  living  room,  I  suddenly  saw  something  very  surprising.Moving  my  head  to  Declan,  I  ask  him:  “So,  you  found  dad.  Holding  a  cake  and  presents?  What’s  up  today?”“You didn’t  tell  her?!”,  the  bigger  redhead  told  the  smaller  one   in  a  shocked  face.  “But  didn’t  you  want  to  tell  ma?!”,  Declan  replied  in  an  equally  confused  manner.  “But  it  should  be  a   surprise!”,  Nolan  just  replied  lying  down  the  cake.  “Yeah,   dad!”,  Declan’s  innocent  voice  looked  back  at  him.  “So  you   told  me  not  to  tell  mommy!”  “But  that  was  for  yesterday,   grizzly  bear!”  “What  the-“,  I  quickly  cut  myself  off  before  I would  curse.  Sometimes,  they  really  were  too  similar  to  each   other.  Dorks.“Nolan,  what  is  all  this?”,  I  lock  eyes   with  those  mesmerizing  green  ones.  Even  though  he’s  hella   confusing  me  right  now,  he  just  smiles  apologetically  at  me.   “Well,  Shin-Ae,  it’s  mother’s  day  today,  and  Declan  and  I   thought  that  maybe,  we  could  make  you  something.”  All  of  a   sudden,  a  very  warm  feeling  ran  through  my  veins,  all  the  way  to  my  heart.How  is  a  mom  supposed  to  take  this?“Yeah mom,  look!  I  made  breakfast  for  you!”,  Declan  excitedly  said   with  the  cutest  smile  I  could  witness.  But  to  be  fair,  all   of  them  were.  Quickly,  he  took  my  hand  and  carefully  pulled   me  to  the  kitchen,  and  pulled  the  chair  behind  me.  “Please   sit  down  ma,  you  can  eat  my  toast!  See,  I  made  them!”   Looking  at  the  piece  of  bread,  this  gets  a  laugh  out  of  me. “Thank  you,  Declan,  you’re  a  talented  young  cook  now!  What   are  they  made  of?  And  you’re  such  a  gentleman”  With  a   slowness  of  a  snail,  I  sit  myself  on  the  chair,  careful  not   to  hurt  the  child.  With  a  quick  exchange  with  Nolan,  who  now stands  at  the  doorframe,  I  can  only  smile.  “Cheese  and  beef   and  ketchup”,  Declan  grinned  back  at  me.  “I’ll  get  the  knife   and  the  fork!”,  he  quickly  shouted  before  getting  to  the   utensils,  pulling  them  out.  When  he  came  back  to  put  them  on the  table,  suddenly,  I  felt  my  eyes  tearing  up.This   surprise  was  so  beautiful.  Maybe  I  was  getting  emotional  with   all  the  hormones  too  though.  “Let’s  eat  then”,  Nolan  said   softly  with  a  look  at  me,  not  even  needing  to  hear  the   “thank  you”  I  said  to  both  immediately  after.  He  just  knew   how  to  be  great  at  this  stuff.But  for  some  reason,   Declan  seemed  a  little  off.  His  big  green  eyes  unsurely  looked  at  his  father’s  and  my  faces.  His  gaze  rested  on  his   dad’s.  “Dad?”  “Yeah?”  “Can  I  use  the  toilet  before  we  eat?”   This  made  me  grin.  Nolan  really  must  have  planned  this  to  the  T  –  at  least  what  he  called  ‘to  the  t’.  “Of  course,   Declan,  we’ll  wait”,  he  grinned  back.  But  before  Declan  could   stand  up,  I  quickly  said  “Come  here,  honey.”As  the  cute little  redhead  did  so,  I  gave  him  a  hearty  kiss  on  his   freckled  cheek.  The  cheek  of  my  little  5-year-old.  “Thank  you   for  the  sandwiches”,  I  whispered  that  showed  his  full  grin,  a tooth  on  the  right  missing.  God,  I  loved  this  child  so  much.  “Anytime  ma”,  he  just  responded  triumphantly  before  storming   off.“You  really  made  him  go  quiet  today  before  I’d  wake up”,  I  immediately  chuckled,  sensing  Nolan’s  distressed  face.   “Yeah,  it  took  a  while  but  he  really  wanted  to  surprise  you   too”,  Nolan  smiled  at  me  and  as  I  examined  his  face,  I   realized  how  much  he  was  similar  to  his  father.  Back  then  I   found  his  father  hot.  Oh  how  much  I  was  mistaken,  his  son   topped  it.  And  he  was  married  to  me  now.  Quickly,  I  leaned   in  for  a  passionate  kiss  –  one  my  husband  deserved  and  one  I  wanted  to  give.All  these  feelings  with  him  felt  so   alive  when  his  arms  were  around  me  and  Declan.  With  these   two,  I  felt  so  whole,  and  soon  would  with  another  one.  During  the  kiss,  I  felt  his  hand  sneakily  slide  to  my  belly  and   smiled.  When  he  broke  the  kiss,  we  didn’t  even  need  words.  We  just  stared.  “Thank  you  for  everything.”  He  knew  it  was  more  than  today.  “I’d  do  it  again.”  Oh,  we  went  through  one  hell  of  a  ride  before  we  got  all  this  together.  “Me  too.”God, he  really  knew  what  to  do  to  make  me  happy.  Even  during   times  of  work,  he  sent  me  Good-morning-texts.  He  would  save  a little  of  his  potato  dish  for  me.  He  would  let  me  rest   after  a  day  of  work  and  hang  out  with  Declan  as  the  coolest father  there  is.  After  all  these  years,  he  would  still  make   me  feel  loved  for  me.  And  I  loved  him  for  not  only  that,   but  for  him.“Did  Declan  really  make  these  sandwiches   though?”,  I  grinned  at  him  with  pride,  being  glad  that  he  put  on  contacts  today  –  easier  to  kiss  really.  He  must  have   taught  him  how  to  use  the  sandwich-maker  today,  he  didn’t   know  how  to  use  it  yesterday.  “Yeah”,  Nolan  grinned  back  at   me.  “And  he  was  pretty  proud  of  it.  Took  me  my  time  to   shave  it.”  “I  don’t  mind  it”,  I  grinned  and  pulled  him  in   for  another  kiss.“Ma,  dad?”  Immediately,  we  both  jolted   away,  but  not  without  a  grin  at  each  other.  “Sorry,  Declan.   Come  on,  let’s  enjoy  breakfast  with  mom.”  “Yeah!  Tell  me  how   it  is  mom,  please!”,  Declan  grinned  at  me,  and  again,  the   dimples  were  visible.  Even  worse  –  so  were  Nolan’s.  These  two would  be  the  death  of  me.  “I  already  love  it”,  I  replied   with  a  smile  as  I  happily  take  one,  feeling  the  eyes  of  my   son  watching  me.  “Thank  you  guys.  I  love  you  too.”  “Only  for the  best  mom,  we  love  yoo  too”,  Nolan  replied  and  smiled  at Declan  and  me.  “Yeah,  the  best  mom  in  the  world!”,  Declan   added,  missing  the  pun  his  father  made  –  thank  goodness.  With a  big  grin,  I  started  chewing  the  sandwich.  It  was  delicious.God  damn,  I  loved  these  two  and  soon,  I  would  love  person  number  three  just  as  much.