Alexis tapped her fingers nervously on the back of the cell phone as she waited for someone on the other end to answer. She wasn't exactly eager to have this conversation with her parents. But at the same time, she knew that she would also be relieved to finally tell them that she was dating Aster. It wasn't something she could keep them in the dark about forever.
From his place beside her on the sofa in the living room on his yacht, Aster watched Alexis in amusement as he idly played with her hair. While he was the very picture of ease, he knew that this was a big deal for his girlfriend. Introducing your parents to your celebrity boyfriend sounded like a situation that most girls would be thrilled to be in. Yet for Alexis, she was simply struggling with the idea of explaining that she was interested in anyone at all right now given how out of place it would have seemed even just a short while ago for her.
After what felt like an eternity, someone picked up the phone on the other end. "Hello? This is the Rhodes residence. May I ask who is calling?" Alexis's mother asked tentatively.
"Hi, Mom. It's me." Alexis answered, trying as hard as she could to sound casual.
"Alexis! How are you doing, honey? We were just talking about you! How was your class trip!?" Alexis's mother babbled excitedly.
"I'm fine. It was quite...eventful, to say the least." Alexis replied knowingly. She could practically hear Aster smiling without even looking at him.
"Well, you'll just have to fill us in on all the details this weekend when you come to visit! You are coming home, aren't you?" Alexis's mother checked.
"Yeah, I am. And that's part of why I called. You see, there's...someone I wanted to invite along with me to meet you and Dad. I mean, if it's convenient for you guys." Alexis carefully broached the subject.
"Oh!? Someone you want to introduce to us, you say? And just what might this occasion be about? Have you met someone special at school, Alexis? A young man you've taken a liking to perhaps?" Alexis's mother pressed eagerly. Clearly, this was something she had been hoping for for awhile now.
Alexis suppressed an irritated groan from escaping. Of course, her mother would be all ears about this… And Aster wasn't helping with how he laughed lightly under his breath at her expression.
"Well, yes actually. We've been seeing each other for a little while now, so I figured it's time you and Dad met him." Alexis admitted honestly.
"So you really have! Well, don't keep us in suspense! Just who is he, Alexis!?" Alexis's mother pressed excitedly.
"I think it's better if I show you first. Trust me, it will be easier to explain everything that way. It will be a um, surprise!" Alexis rushed on nervously.
"I must admit that you've really got me curious now. Alright then, I guess. So, we can expect you both this Friday after school lets out?" Alexis's mother said somewhat suspiciously.
"Of course; we'll be there." Alexis reassured her mother.
"That's good enough for me then. I can't wait to meet him!" Alexis's mother said happily.
"Then we'll see you then! Bye, Mom! Love you!" Alexis said quickly, ending the call before her mother could say anything else.
Once the call had ended, Alexis let out a sigh of relief. The initiation was over at least. But now came the hard part of having to see her parents practically have a heart attack from their excitement once they saw that she was dating Aster.
"You can breathe now, Alexis." Aster said in amusement.
"For now. But I'm warning you, they're going to drive you crazy once they meet you." Alexis warned.
"You forget that I'm long used to an overexcited audience by now. Don't worry; it will be fine." Aster reassured Alexis as he gently threaded a few strands of her hair through his fingers.
"Yeah, I guess you're right. At least I know you're someone they'd approve of, if anything." Alexis reasoned.
"But now I need to get ready, too. I'll have to think of a good gift to buy for them. Which reminds me, I've got something here that I've been meaning to give to you." Aster said thoughtfully.
"You do? But it's not my birthday or anything…" Alexis said in surprise. As much as she loved all the little unexpected gifts Aster would get for her-like ordering flowers or picking up odd souvenirs while he was on tour-she still wasn't quite used to the level of thoughtful yet casual attention her boyfriend always loved to lavish on her.
Aster couldn't help smiling at Alexis's reaction. She was just so adorable whenever she was modest like this. "Since when have I needed an occasion to spoil you, though? Although in a way, I guess you could say this gift was for one. Hang on; I'll be right back." He said before quickly getting up and leaving the living room, leaving Alexis more curious than ever.
Aster returned a few moments later carrying a small box, the kind you'd see used for jewelry.
"I actually bought this back when we were at Kaiba Land and had planned to give it to you after our date along with telling you everything. But as we know, that didn't go as planned. Then last night on the field trip, I meant to after I told you how I feel, but I guess I sort of just forgot during all the "excitement" we had." Aster explained. Both he and Alexis couldn't stop themselves from smirking knowingly at part of what he was referring to.
"So, I'm giving this to you now. Go on, open it." Aster prompted Alexis softly.
Alexis carefully removed the lid of the box to find a beautiful aquamarine gemstone ring. The light blue color gleamed in the sunlight from the nearby window, casting off prismatic rainbow colors. But what really made it stand apart from other rings was that on each side of the stone, there was the design of an angel wing jutting out from it, made and carved out from pure crystal. It was the most exquisitely made piece of jewelry she had ever seen in her life, and all she could do was stare in astonishment at the craftsmanship of it.
"I had it custom-made at one of the stores there while you were at one of the other games that day. Look at the band." Aster said pointedly.
Alexis turned the ring over and looked at the back of the band. Engraved in fancy cursive writing were the capitalized initials of "A&A".
"Aster… This is… I don't even know what to say…" Alexis trailed off in amazement. She felt tears pricking at the corners of her eyes, threatening to fall from the emotional impact of the moment.
"I wasn't sure what to get you at first, but then I thought of our first date and how you got me that deck case and we got your Archlord Zerato deck. That reminded me of just how much you mean to me with how you remembered the first day we saw each other when I came to Duel Academy and made that fake, throwaway deck. It ended up having more significance than I thought it would, because you ended up being my real angel, and I love you, Alexis." Aster explained seriously.
"And I feel the same way about you. I'll never forget that day, Aster. Thank you…" Alexis said softly.
Aster took Alexis's hand in his and slid the ring gently onto her finger. He then brushed his lips lightly against her knuckle. Alexis leaned against his side, snuggling into the crook of his arm. They stayed that way in silence for a few minutes, simply enjoying the tranquility of the moment.
"So, when did you know for sure?" Alexis asked casually.
By now, Aster knew Alexis well enough to know what she was referring to without asking first. "Hmm… It's hard to say exactly. I wouldn't say that it was a sudden realization where I just knew when I felt that way. It was more something that I knew that was building up somewhere in the back of mind, but I wasn't always sure of the extent it would get to. I guess I'd say my feelings were a bit clearer sometime around that first night you spent here with me. When you agreed to going out with me, I was just so happy and...relieved. And I was surprised by how strong that felt at the time." Aster explained thoughtfully.
"That's kind of how it was for me, too. Except I was starting to wonder if what I was feeling really was love or not yet. When we started staying together, it just really hit me how easy it was to forget everything else and just want to stay in my own little world with you. Nothing ever felt so exhilarating in my life, and that scared me at first." Alexis admitted.
"Yeah, it was a surprise all around for how hard it hit. But I guess it shouldn't have been since I already liked you from the start." Aster recalled.
"You mean you liked what happened at the lighthouse." Alexis said pointedly, rolling her eyes at his mention of their fling from before.
"Heh, I knew you'd say that. But hear me out. It wasn't really about the sex, but all your reactions that night. You were the first girl I'd been with who actually yelled at me about it." Aster recalled in amusement.
Alexis blushed furiously at the memory. But she couldn't deny the truth behind Aster's words when she remembered the anger and frustration that night she had when saying things like, "Just tell me what to do here, Aster!" and "Why are you stopping!?"
"Before you, girls were always just obsessed with complimenting and pleasing me. But you were different. You didn't care that it was me and were just reacting honestly to everything as a new experience. I liked that, and I found myself curious about wanting to get to know you more. But at the same time, I felt like I had burned my bridges by just sleeping with you right there on the spot. Truth be told, after the duel with Jaden the next day, I was ready to move on without looking back if you hadn't chased me down afterwards." Aster explained.
"Really!? But why?" Alexis asked in surprise.
"I saw how you interacted with Jaden and the others that day, and I felt like I would have just been corrupting you somehow. You are good and honest to a fault, and that's something I don't see to that extent too much in my life. Even I'm used to putting on a show for the crowds under the mask that I really love pro dueling solely for an ambition of winning. A lot of people play roles to some extent everyday. But with you, it's not like that. You're not afraid of making your real intentions clear or displeasing anyone. Whenever you think I've gone in the wrong direction, you've scolded me. And you've never lessened your priority on your friends for me either. All of this about you is what made me fall for you, and I wish that I could be as good of a person as you." Aster answered sincerely.
"But you are! You're always thinking of others, Aster. Even when you duel, it's always for someone else. Whether it's for trying to avenge your father, or how you raise money for the orphanage, or because you're trying to help Sartorius and Sarina by getting them out of this Light mess by finding out more, it's never selfish. You set goals for yourself and do what you can to achieve them without worrying about what anyone thinks of you. I've always wished I could have more of that kind of confidence…" Alexis insisted.
"You do. Just because you can be unsure of the outcome at times doesn't stop you from trying. That is what counts." Aster said firmly.
"Funny, but when you put it that way, I can see it differently now." Alexis said thoughtfully.
"Then I'd say we make a pretty good team for what we can show each other about ourselves." Aster said with a smile, to which Alexis couldn't help returning.
Xxxx
Sartorius paced around his room in the white dorm anxiously. Ever since the field trip, he could feel a definite spike in the gradual loss of control over himself he had been feeling. The time of the Light's true awakening was drawing nearer each day, and all his predictions so far had not shown any favorable outcomes to result from it.
More than anything, it was the sudden shift in Aster's destiny from not long ago that frightened Sartorius. The visions weren't stable with how they constantly flickered back and forth from two possible futures, with one only being slightly less devastating than the other. Ever since their disastrous phone conversation, he hadn't been able to get in touch with Aster again. He knew that advising him against seeing Alexis had been the absolute worst way of getting him to take the danger seriously. Certainly no one his age would comply with that. The "Romeo and Juliet effect" only caused stronger resistance, if anything. But for all the times for Aster to suddenly start actually being a teenager, did it have to be now!? If only he could have seen what Sartorius had…
"I have to talk to Aster again! To let him know before it's too late! I- Oh, ho, ho! But that is precisely what Destiny has foretold! Why would you want to alter such a perfect plan!?" Sartorius' voice suddenly changed, taking on a sinister tone. It was as if someone else was talking.
Horrified with his words, Sartorius desperately tried to hold onto himself. "No! This is not what I want! I- aah...ARRGH!" He cried out in agony as he lost control of himself.
His face now twisted into a ghastly sneer with eyes bulging, Sartorius laughed evilly. "It won't be much longer now. Poor, pitiful Sarina. Searching desperately for a way to stop this when you're pinning your hopes on two children who have no hope whatsoever of conquering the Light! Jaden Yuki, you are nothing beyond a naive and foolish child with no hope of mastering the Gentle Darkness. And Aster Phoenix, you may not see it, but I can tell that your resolve has already been weakened. Ever since you've met that girl, achieving your destiny has become less of a priority to you now. You've grown soft with how content you've been to just loll away the time playing house now. You're no threat to me. Both of you are no threat to me and shall die by the Light's judgement! EVERYTHING BELONGS TO THE LIGHT! AH, HA, HAAA!" He yelled triumphantly.
AN: I'm sorry if the romance was too sappy here. I like writing this, but sometimes I get embarrassed wondering how it might look. Idk. As a note, the Romeo and Juliet effect is a real psychology term used to describe teenage rebellion in situations where parents or whoever tell their son or daughter they won't let them see the person they like, like a boyfriend/girlfriend, or make more restrictive dating rules, or even just advice, and it ends up just making them want to disobey them more instead. That's what was going on back in that earlier chapter when Aster blew up at Sartorius over the phone when he tried to warn him about his prediction. Anyways, next time, Alexis's family will meet Aster, and we can expect more shenanigans with Atticus from it.