Chapter Text
“It’s going to be okay.”
“You trust me, right?”
The light in his eyes slowly disappear as second goes by. There’s no more time for them, no more room to be happy.
“Listen, I…”
“STOP!”
Soushirou’s eyes snap open immediately, almost as if he just got hit by a giant pile of concrete debris. He gasps for air like a fish on the land, frantically pulling the blanket aside. A sigh of relief as he sees the figure beside him still sleeping.
Narumi Gen, or now Hoshina Gen, is still sleeping like a log. He has a big fox plushie in-between his arms, softly snoring. However, he soon wakes up as soon as Soushirou gently pat his head. It’s the best wake up alarm for him, better than hearing his team-mates scream during the game.
“Morning Sou,” Gen greets him with a kiss on his lips, “gonna wash my face first.”
“Go ahead, I’ll make something for us to eat.” Soushirou gladly receive the kiss, then he goes on his way to the kitchen.
It has been 12 years since their high school graduation, now they already become family. It was during Gen’s 23rd birthday that he proposed to Soushirou, now been married for 6 years. Their wedding was just an intimate wedding, nothing fancy even though Soichiro suggested for them to have one. Both Soushirou and Gen refused that idea, not wanting to deal with the messy aftermath. Gen is now working as a streamer, while Soushirou is helping with the family business. This cause them to have a mandatory date during weekend, to make up for the time they weren’t being able to be together.
Today is their 7th years wedding anniversary, which make today an even more special day. Soushirou cooks some food for their breakfast, thinking that by doing so he’ll get distracted from the nightmare. It has been terrorizing him for two weeks, but he never told Gen before.
“Ow!” Soushirou accidentally cut his finger while chopping the vegetables. He quickly rinses it with water from the sink. However, Gen’s hand quickly grabs his.
“Geez, careful with the knife bowl-cut!”
“I’m sorry, hehe.” Soushirou can only laughs as Gen busy taking care of his wound, putting a band-aid on it. “Let’s finish the salad then eat.”
The family they have now is the one Soushirou always dreamed of, peace and no more trouble from the kaiju. They can enjoy slow morning with their coffee.
Now that all food has been put on the table, they sit side by side as they eat. Soushirou glances at Gen who happily eating his food. He’ll never get bored of listening to Gen’s praise, commenting on how his cooking so much better than the food he used to eat in his early second life.
It’s just, something bothers him a bit.
“Gen, can we skip today’s date?”
Gen’s head snap toward Soushirou faster than he like. It’s really uncommon to hear that from Soushirou, especially knowing the first one to have this idea was him. He knows he can’t ask question with his mouth full, so he tilts his head to the side and give him the questioning look.
“I just want to,” Soushirou briefly paused, “can we, please?”
Gen put his eating utensils to the table, then gently pat Soushirou’s head in a comforting manner. He may have little idea on what’s going on in Soushirou’s mind, but one thing he know is that his husband feel distress.
“Bowl-cut, you’re worrying too much over something like that.” Gen picked a sausage and shove it into Soushirou’s mouth. “Eat! Today we’re going on a date! Beside, there’s a new game that I want to get and new crepes shop.”
“That one near the bakery? I’m in, I want to get some mont blanc too.”
“Now we’re talking!”
The rest of the morning are being spend with laugh and chat, with Soushirou complaining how Soichiro nagged at him again and Gen’s teammate being suck at the game. Sure those thing may be simple, but for them it’s treasure.
The contract is almost done.
The debt shall be paid.
Holding hands together, Gen and Soushirou walk out from the bus as now they reach their destination. Their first stop is the aquarium, the place where they went on a date right after their high school graduation.
“The seal is getting even chonkier, don’t you think?” Gen blurted out, taking some pictures of the seal.
“Like you when you eat too much? Sure yeah.”
“HEY!!”
They make their way to the fish aquarium, still amazed by the sight even after years. Soushirou walks faster, taking pictures of the fish and his surrounding. Soon, his phone camera meet Gen’s, taking each other’s picture. Despite the room being slightly dark, Soushirou can catch a sight of Gen’s smile.
Beautiful, yet somehow unsettling. It feels like something stuck between his throat and heart. He feels pain sting him, yet he can’t say anything.
“Gen?”
“Let’s get going, shall we?”
They’re holding hands, but more desperate than before. Soushirou can feel Gen’s hand holding his a bit too tight. The pain in his heart grows even more painful. The anxiety is eating him alive.
Soushirou hates it. He hates the pain that slowly eat him alive.
They finally reach their stop, the bakery and the game shop. They go on their separate way, with Gen going into the game shop first. Soushirou is still waiting for his order, which consist of some mont blanc and wheat bread for toast.
“SOUSHIROU!”
Soushirou turn his body around, seeing Gen runs toward him. Thinking that Gen rushes to help him, he walks slowly toward Gen.
“Gen, help me with the-“
“WATCH OUT!”
It’s happening too fast, the scream along with Gen hugging him way too tight for his liking. The youngest Hoshina can’t understand what’s going on since Gen hide his face using his chest. Soushirou pushes him, but what greets him is not what he expected.
Gen stands there, smiling with blood dripping from his mouth.
“It’s going to be okay, Bowl Cut.”
“Gen…?” Soushirou’s eyes widen in shock as he follow the way Gen’s body drop to the ground. There, he sees a figure holding a combat knife, a familiar one.
“You’re-!”
“IT’S BECAUSE OF YOU TWO MY LIFE IS A MESS! BUNCH OF ASSHOLES!”
It’s Gen’s father.
Soushirou drops to the ground. Both of his legs lost their strength as he watch Gen’s father stabbing his husband multiple times. He wants to scream, but he can’t. He just… can’t.
That is until few police officers and ambulance come to their rescue and arrest Gen’s father. Soushirou finally get his strength back, rushing to Gen’s side and follow him as he being taken into the ambulance.
Why out of all day?
Why today?
Why him?
“Gen, please,” Soushirou choked on his own tears, “please hold on, okay? We, we’re going to go home together and play the game!”
Soushirou follows them into the E.R. However, with the stabs wound all over Gen’s body, he’s being rushed to the O.R. Soushirou himself stuck with some of the nurse checking on him. Even if he wanted to rush to the O.R. as well, he knew that it would only cause trouble.
Soushirou waits in the waiting area, anxiously walking around while biting his own finger once in a while. He can’t just sit still without anyone comforting him, knowing Gen is still being treated.
“Soushirou?!”
A familiar voice snaps him back to reality. When he sees who call him, he immediately falls to the chair. Again, he lost strength on both legs.
“Reno, I… we were just…”
“Shut it.” Reno helps him by giving him a cup of warm tea. “Drink first, take a deep breath. I rushed here as soon as I heard from the nurse that you’re here.”
Reno was just about to leave the hospital after his shift end, but hearing that two of his friends suddenly appear out of nowhere made him hold back. How can he just leave when Soushirou is in distraught and Gen is in surgery?
He can’t, he just can’t.
Reno stays with Soushirou until they’re being called and guided to a room where they let Gen rest after surgery. Soushirou immediately stays with Gen, letting Reno deal with the details of his surgery.
He holds Gen’s hand, kissing the back of his hand while in tears. He only turns his head around once he feel Reno’s hand on his shoulder. “How is it?”
Reno shakes his head. “It’s… too complicated. The surgery might have been successful, but it’s still not guaranteed that he’ll get better any time soon.” He pauses, holding back his own tears. “Too much blood loss, I’m sorry…”
“He’s going to get better.” Soushirou smiles amidst his tears. “He told me he’ll be okay.”
The silence feels like it go for days, yet it’s been only two hours. Soon, the clock will strike to midnight.
Soushirou was sleeping beside Gen’s bed, when suddenly he’s being woken up by gentle whisper. He jolts up, seeing Gen’s hand move to wipe the dried tears on his cheek. A glint of hope flashes before Soushirou’s eyes.
“Gen! Wait I’ll call the nurse!”
Gen shakes his head, smiling weakly as he hold Soushirou’s hand.
Confused is what Soushirou’s face showing. He can’t understand why Gen doesn’t want him to call the nurse. However, perhaps the world decided to answer that question for him.
The machine beeps like there’s no tomorrow as Gen’s consciousness slip away once again. The screen also shows a flat line, which Soushirou grew to hate even in his previous life. Words can’t express the grief he feels. The pain is too much, too painful that he cries silently. He sits on the couch while the nurses and doctor rush to the room. Someone is seen calling on the phone, perhaps contacting his family. However, Soushirou is too numb to care. Before he realizes it, Soichiro already picks him up to go back home.
No words spoken, even until the funeral. Soushirou sits there like a living corpse, staring at Gen’s smiling picture on the altar. He ignores the people who attend the funeral, even ignoring Reno who come to pay respect with his own husband, Iharu.
“Hoshina, so sorry for your loss.” Iharu said as he sit beside him. “If ya need help, hit me or Reno okay?”
“Right, we’re here to help you.”
Still no words from Soushirou, but those sentiments only make his tears fall even harder. He leans to Reno as he hug him while letting Iharu pat his back. He just feels so exhausted.
By the end of the day, Soichiro takes him back home. He guides his little brother into the only bedroom there. He gives him a hug before he close the door, giving him a moment to be alone.
‘I’m all alone, huh?’ is what Soushirou thinking now as he sit on the bed. He takes the box from under the bed, the box that store all of their dating memories. He takes few of it, staring at it.
The picture from their first date.
The cup from their shared milkshake.
The first plushie Gen ever got for him.
The picture of their proposal.
Soushirou runs his finger on the picture, smiling amidst his crying. When he turns the picture around, something inside him breaks slightly.
Gonna stay beside him forever! Finally, finally!
Soushirou begins to sob a bit louder as he put the picture aside, taking Gen’s old letter for him. It’s the letter from their first anniversary among many other letters.
Gosh, it’s been a while right? Like, can you imagine that we’ve been married for a year? A YEAR! I never thought this day would come, hehe. After searching for you for years, it felt like my hard work has been paid. I’ve never feel this satisfied, never!
I know it may appear cringe as hell, I know, but I’m saying what I feel okay? I’m glad that we got this second chance, really. This time I can really take on your name and become your husband. Seeing your face first thing in the morning, eating food with you, and going on dates on the weekend are the best. I’m glad that in this life, I get to hold your hands not only as Narumi Gen, but also Hoshina Gen.
Say, one day let’s adopt two children and compete on gaming! Hehe, I’ll make sure to beat you when that time comes.
The Coolest Husband, Gen.
The letter feels like an arrow that break the camel’s back. Soushirou wails as he lay down on his bed. He cares nothing about others, not even the fact Soichiro is hearing him wail like the pathetic man he always called him in their past life.
Thirteen years they’ve been together finally come to it’s end right on their 7th years anniversary. The day where they finally tied their knots and vow, the once happy day, has now become a grim shadow that will forever haunt Soushirou.
In every places they’ve been together, he’s no longer there.
Only his shadow remains along with their shared memories.
Once again, he lost Gen.