[Alfheim Online, City of Alne, Overlook Inn]
[Malzeno's POV]
The first rays of sunlight were what stirred me from my slumber, immediately I realized I was still in Alfheim. I had logged off to grab something to eat before retiring for the night within the game for a change. Sometimes it just felt natural for me to gravitate to doing so, I know a lot of people at the school did the same to this day.
But my reason this time was for a much more personal reason. While I could peek at the sunlight and sky through a crack in the blinds, I was bundled up in the covers with someone else, and it instantly made my face hotter and my whole body relax against the bed. First off, nothing 'happened' alright? Good? Good.
Yuuki was fast asleep only her legs were tangled with mine beneath the sheet, and she had her left arm pushed against her chest and mine, while her right remained draped over me, snoring softly in front of my face. Not only was this far more intimate than I have ever experienced, but she was only wearing a pair of pyjama shorts and a tank top, not to mention she was already really cute and beautiful so I had a lot on my mind this early in the morning.
I know she's watched me sleep before, now I can see the appeal, it's oddly enchanting to just see someone you love sleeping peacefully. "Huh, love..." I whispered to myself, the word directed at Yuuki no longer felt so conflicting in my head, I mean, she freakin' kissed me first. Me of all people! How lucky is that!?"We never said it but... I don't think it really matters at the moment,"
End of the day, we know how we feel now so there's no sense in worrying over how to do things correctly. See where the current takes us, y'know? My face fell for a moment. "Oh God-erm, great, I'm monologing to myself..."
Speaking of, I felt her arm tense around me as her eyes began to stir, followed by a quiet murmur that was directly in my ear. "Wakey-wakey, Yuuki, got school today, remember?" I whispered back, finding her sleepy state adorable. Low-power-mode Yuuki is neat.
"Hrm... five more minutes..." She protested against school? The world truly has reached its end. Then her arm squeezed my waist, pulling herself closer to me so our noses brushed against one another, my smirk growing out of habit. "Cosy and warm..."
"I can tell, you're like a spider monkey," I playfully retorted with an impish expression. "And here I was expecting you to suddenly freak out about us sharing a bed together, calling me a pervert and getting the wrong idea then punching me for good measure. Oh how times change..."
Now her own lips curled up as her eyes remained shut. "Don't tempt me... and I'm far more mature than an anime character,"
"Oh I'm sure," I rolled my eyes jokingly. "Prove it."
"..." Cracking an eye open, which totally didn't look really hot with how this scene looked, Yuuki brought her face close enough to share another tender kiss, again setting my whole body ablaze at her soft lips.
Despite having only started dating less than twelve hours ago, I was already getting the hang of this kissing thing, sure was difficult the first time around but I got the hang of it quickly. Leaning into her lips, I heard her sigh out her nose before parting, now both eyes half-lidded and looking directly at me.
"I think I like this new way to wake up," She teased, causing my face to burn prominently.
"Hey, I-I ain't about to complain, n-not everyday I get to wake up to such a beautiful sight," I replied just as teasingly, her own rosy cheeks brightening with a loving smile. Sighing, I closed my eyes to enjoy the moment. "Actually getting to say what's on my mind about you's takes a serious amount of weight off my chest,"
Her expression softened. "Couldn't agree more. I never said it but I'm glad I can just... speak about it, anything and not be, uh..." Her head was still waking up I suppose.
"Walking on eggshells?" I offered, and she smiled again.
"That, thanks; kinda obvious I was overthinking how you'd react if I said or did something affectionate, l-like when I kissed your cheek at the tournament," Yuuki pointed out.
Nodding along, that was a really nice moment. "Right, I recall. I kept thinking you were just showing your upmost encouragement, basically anything to distract me from the actual reason, I guess... a small part of me was afraid you'd reject the idea of any form of romantic relationship given... you know,"
I saw her give an unreadable reaction, mulling over the root of my hesitation. Then, she surprised me when she shifted on the bed so she laid a head above me, then with both arms she hugged me closer to her chest, which was quite soft and nearly made me blow a blood vessel... or until she started to comb my hair.
"...I was scared too, in a way I still am because I don't want you to suffer if I do die, I know you're still scared for me. But I'm really happy too, because now I get to spend as much time as I want with you, however we want to spend it... and I get to enjoy whatever time I have left with someone I love," Her words were tender and sweet, gentle and warm as the sunrise through the curtain.
It was enough for my whole body to shiver once, leaning into her chest with my eyes closed, exhaling a trembling breath. I was scared because I can't just magically cure her illness with a wave of my hand. That kind of power isn't something a person like me will ever have. But I didn't want to live with any regrets about Yuuki, neither did she, which is why I'll do everything I can with what power I do have.
"I'll... make sure you get as much time as... you can, even if it's one more day I promise it'll be the b-best damn day you've ever had," My voice quaked but I kept my composure, embracing her tightly while her hand continued to ghost through my hair.
"...thank you, Kazuki," She whispered into my ear, followed by a peck to my temple for good measure.
You know? A few more minutes like this wouldn't be the end of the world.
[IRL, Kazuki's Home]
After your typical high-school slice of life, I had returned home to prepare for a... lovely meeting, totally not stressful whatsoever, hahaha...!
"You know she's gonna ask about marriage," Again, my family were not helping, rather, my lovely younger sister.
"Thank you for that riveting addition to my stress levels, Riku, feelin' the love like a bat to the face," I hummed in response, finishing up the last few plug-ins per Kazuto's and Tomo's advice. Tech-smart I was not but I'm getting the hang of all the mumbo-jumbo.
~M-Marriage!?~ And now Yuuki's freaking out.
"Oh, so now you're embarrassed-okay, both of you aren't helping," I berated the pair, staring up at the ABCP mounted to the top of the TV screen. "How's the feed, Yuuki?"
I heard her purse her lips.~Hrm... everything's A-Okay on my end!~ That brought a sigh of relief. ~See? Told ya you're a natural at this!~
"Kazuto's better at this programming calibration thing, or Mori here," I gestured to my sister who flicked me on the side of the head as she stood back before the camera, moving her arms slowly.
"Tracking okay, any lag or buffer?" Riku inquired.
~Nope, all clear!~ Yuuki's chipper reply was enough for us. ~This is gonna be weird, wish we could have something like this in classes-oh, maybe when that new augmented reality device comes out I can project myself!~
"That'll only work if everyone has them active, but school wouldn't allow that during class, keeps people focused and from cheating, you're the exception given your permanent place of residence," I reminded her, and she gave a cute whine.
~Fiiine~
During school, Yuuki had brought up the idea of chatting with my mother again, primarily to make it clear we're dating now and I reluctantly said 'yes', something I have grown to regret now. It might've been down to the fact all my friends were gushing over our new relationship, mainly the girls, and half of them basically calling out how obvious we were like we aren't acutely aware of that fact.
Point is, all that has worn my protective wall of humour down that I was in dangerous territory without a shield against whatever my mother might throw at us.
"Kazuki, Riku, is everything ready?" We heard our mom call to us from the kitchen.
"Ready as we'll ever be," Riku replied, patting my shoulder. "Well, uh, good luck, cause you're gonna need it," She gave a small smirk just to rub it in.
"Thanks for the vote of confidence..." I rolled my eyes before she hugged me from behind, bringing my guard down.
"Seriously, I'm happy for you guys, sure Mom will be too," I knew that, but it was a relief to hear. Patting her arm, she released me and retreated to the kitchen as my mom walked out with two mugs of tea in hand.
"Hey Mom, so you've gone about wanting to meet Yuuki in person, so... here's the next best thing," I stood to the side of the screen, revealing the live feed coming straight from Yuuki's Medicuboid, so Zekken the Absolute Sword was nowhere to be found, just a young girl in a copy of her school uniform and how she'd look if not for her AIDS.
~H-hi, um-~ Yuuki then gave a polite bow. ~-It's nice to meet you properly this time, Miss Asami~
I eyed my mother who looked pleasantly surprised to see Yuuki for who she is, but that look of shock warped into a warm smile, handing me a mug as we sat down, me between the two of them at the side.
"I take it back, you are far cuter than I was expecting. But please, call me Mika like we discussed before," My mom replied, earning a bashful smile and tinge of red on Yuuki's cheeks as she sat down within her virtual space. "So this is where you live?"
~U-Usually for check-ups, I like to spend most of my time in Alfheim, feels less isolating, but being in here s-so long I've grown used to it~ Yuuki gestured to the world around her, scratching her cheek. ~Though with the probe I've had far more experiences in the real world again, so it's given me a bunch of ideas in how to add a bit of colour to this space in my free time~
"That's good to hear, I'd have gone crazy if I could only stay in one place for too long," My mom and Yuuki giggled between them while I sat back to enjoy the chat. "Now, I heard from Kazuki that you two are finally dating, care to tell me why? I'm dying for some gossip that a certain someone won't spill,"
Even without looking at her I felt her judging eyes on me. "I told you and you nearly crushed me with how tight you were hugging me-I wasn't gonna risk my life telling you the finer details,"
"I'm your mother,"
"That's besides the point,"
~W-well-~ Yuuki pulled my mom's gaze away from me, looking a little timid with a big smile as she recalled our date likely. ~-leading up to the night I've had my friends going on-and-on about us being together, so much so I admitted I did have feelings for Kazuki, the issue was... I was scared~
Yuuki gestured to herself with a solemn smile, hand curled to her heart. ~Given my condition, I could pass away suddenly one day soon, it's the reason I tried to push him and Asuna away, I thought that even though it would hurt, they'd never have to go through the pain of watching me die. I couldn't bear the idea back then...~
"And what changed?" Mom asked, keeping her expression neutral while she listened intensely.
~It's... a little cheesy, actually, hehe... but Kazuki changed me, rather, my perspective on my life. My goal with the Sleeping Knights was the solidify our names in the virtual world forever, I was content with that until he said he'd find me a reason to keep living. Kazuki took me to school again, I made more friends like Asuna, and I realized that I already had something to live for~
I eyed her, seeing her soft, loving onyx eyes match my emerald eyes, nodding to her once with a wink. ~Like I said, it's cheesy or weird but it's Kazuki, he's the reason~
"I've made tons of bets, never would've guessed this one," I couldn't help but chuckle, toasting with my steamy mug. "You even got my heart moved by that speech, thanks~"
~I-i-it's the truth, s-so why does it sound like you're messing with me!?~ She blushed furiously, waving her finger at me. ~I know you're smirking behind that mug, you jerk!~
A forced scoff left my lips. "Yuuki, I am appalled you would think so low of me!" She just raised a brow at me, arms crossed, but I saw her lips twitching, and I couldn't contain a cackle at her reaction, hearing her snicker, good to know she's taking my banter in stride.
To my right, my Mom started laughing herself, trying to hide hers behind a hand. What surprised me were the specks of tears she dried with the same palm. "You both seem very happy, I had a feeling this would happen when I last met you Yuuki, the way Kazuki smiled and became so lively again like he used to,"
"Mom..." I reached over to hold her shoulder, her hand patting mine soothingly.
"After SAO, when you found out what happened to Merida, you looked so lost and confused. Even as you adjusted to a normal life, there was always this nagging feeling you were trying to supress how you felt for all of us, it probably hasn't helped your father working very late during your recovery too-"
"I know he needed to in order to pay for everything while I adjusted," I excused, I'd never hate him for that.
"I know, but now? Seeing how happy you are... as a mother, thank you, Yuuki, for being in my son's life," She gave a small bow of her head, catching the two of us off guard.
~No-no, you don't need to bow! I-I'm happy to help, honest! And Kazuki's done so m-much for me anyway!~ Yuuki franticly waved her hands as I sat back on my seat with a content smile.
My parents were always worried for my mental health, doesn't help that counselling in the beginning felt more like professionals trying to prod me to see if I was a psychopathic murderer either, so I was in a really terrible state if not for Kazuto, Asuna, and Hosaka propping me up.
Now? I had a much large support group, and a new girlfriend and partner I could earnestly rely on.
"You know, this wasn't so bad..." I admitted to myself.
After the emotional exchange, Mom cleared her throat, sitting up straight as she sipped her tea some more with a sweet smile, almost too sweet. "Now, I know given your condition there's much that's restricted to you, Yuuki, but I wanted to ask ahead anyway,"
~Sure, shoot!~ Yuuki eagerly waved her hand for the question.
"Very well... I know you both have only just started dating, and while I have no say in how you develop your relationship, I ask you both don't rush into things too hastily," Hearing how my Mom worded that, I spat my tea back into the mug as I choked, feeling my heart jump to my throat. "I'm not sure if it's at all possible in ALO but having a far more intimate relationship is a serious step-"
"OKAY! Let's just take that note, wrap it up nice and tight and set it on fire and bury it while we have this golden opportunity to avoid it at all costs!" I threw myself onto my feet, plugging my Mom's mouth with my hand, feeling the blood rush into my face. "Thank you, mother, you are very thoughtful-please do not speak on this topic for the remainder of my life!"
Gaining a sit-rep on Yuuki, she... wasn't fairing any better than me, Her eyes were practically rolling in her sockets as she had curled up into a ball and tried to make herself as tiny as possible while silently screaming into her arms, rolling side to side.
"You broke her, go-hrm, dammit!" She pried my hand away, providing us with a poker face that would rival mine any day as she closed her eyes to sip her tea happily.
"So long as you two are careful-"
"We've dating for a day, this is the last thing on our minds you psycho!" Steam was practically rising from my head.
~Ye-yeah, w-w-we're responsible I-I-I swear!~ Yuuki sputtered out.
"Ah, young love..." Mom sighed dreamily.
"Stop saying that!"
[To Be Continued...]
[Author's Notes]
What a way to start this arc with a follow-up to the official shipping of Malzeno and Yuuki. Some fluff at the start with a sweet/hilarious chat with Mika to tie it all together. This arc is about to go the sharpest turn to date, hahaha! I cannot wait to see how this goes...
I hope you enjoyed, I appreciate the support as always; see ya in the next chapter, Players!