Edited by: ASaltedFish
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This time, Edros took Juniper's hand and slowly walked with him through the aquarium. The lighting was dim, but they could still see the millions of animals swimming through the water. Occasionally, a diver would swim by, cleaning any debris like half-eaten fish or broken coral.
"Juniper… I was really surprised when you asked me out on a date." Edros finally said what was on his mind all day. It felt like a dream.
"I felt that I should initiate dates from time to time. I didn't want you to be the only one putting effort into our relationship." Juniper had always been straightforward, but it was his first time liking someone, so he was still learning.
"Our relationship…?" Edros looked a little confused but hopeful.
Juniper stopped walking where a giant whale shark was slowly moving past them. He looked over at Edros and smiled. "Yes, I asked Ellery and Akimitsu the day I asked if I could talk with them alone. We talked about how to tell you that I accept your confession because I also like you. It will be my first time in a relationship, so I wanted to get advice. I also wanted help with date ideas because I wanted us to have a special moment together.
"I don't know if I will be a good partner, but I will try my best. I hope you don't mind me learning as we go. I also hope that you will continue to communicate with me so we can resolve issues without going to bed angry and avoid misunderstandings lasting longer than they should."
It wasn't the first time Juniper had seen Edros holding back tears. The first time was when he and Ellery were going to separate into two bodies, and there was a chance they could both die. This was the second time.
"Why do you look sad?" Was he not happy?
"No, I'm not sad, I'm just so happy I want to cry." Edros grabbed Juniper's other hand so they could look at each other face-to-face. "I'm very happy. I've been happy all day. I just wasn't expecting you to confess to me today… I like you too. I really like you.
"To be honest, I thought you would be scared of me after the first official time we met. I know I couldn't control my spiritual powers because of the chaotic energy, but I felt bad for hurting you that day. I thought there was nothing I could do to make up for it."
"Don't blame yourself. I was a bit scared at first, but I realized it was not your fault. When I guided you for the first time, I realized how strong your willpower was. And as we got to know each other, I forgave you before I knew it."
"Really? You really forgive me?"
"Of course!" Juniper wiped the tears that had slid down Edros' cheeks. "If I knew this was bothering you so much, I would have said something earlier."
Edros gently shook his head and let Juniper touch his cheeks. "I didn't want to bring up the bad memories of that time, so I didn't want to say anything to you."
"Okay, now that we are in a relationship, let's talk about the things that bother us, alright? Don't bottle them up anymore."
Edros nodded. "I promise."
"Okay, and I promise, too."
Juniper was about to let go of Edros' face, but Edros put his hands on Juniper's hands.
Edros gave a very soft and gentle smile, stopping Juniper in his tracks.
"Juniper, I promise to take care of you forever."
"Thank you, Edros. Then, I promise to be by your side no matter what! Well, if you cheat on me…"
"Not possible!"
"I know, I was just saying that there are some extreme exceptions."
"As long as you know you don't have to worry about those exceptions…"
The two of them smiled and laughed at the conversation they just had.
"Let's go walk a little more before dinner. You picked out another restaurant for dinner, right?" Edros asked while clasping their hands together so they could walk side by side.
Naturally, Juniper didn't protest. "I did. Do you remember that really good restaurant we tried that specializes in rice dishes? I picked that place for us."
"Really? Then I can't wait!"
The two of them walked around for a couple of hours, talking about their past and their plans for the future.
An hour before the dinner reservation, Juniper and Edros bought several plushies of iconic sea creatures at the gift store before they were escorted out of the aquarium.
The two enjoyed the dinner, trying new items on the menu while enjoying each other's company.
Juniper couldn't wait to tell Ellery and Akimitsu that he and Edros were an official couple. Speaking of, he wondered what they were up to at the moment…
*****
On Hezyria, Ellery and Akimitsu were relaxing on the beach. They lay next to each other on beach chairs, sipping on alcoholic beverages.
"Today should be Juniper and Edros' date. I wonder how it's going." Ellery said shortly after they ended their other conversation about Saem and Silve, who liked each other but didn't know how to say it to one another.
Akimitsu took a small sip of his drink before responding, "I'm sure it's going well. Even if those two are a little awkward, at least they are awkward together."
"That's very true… Well, at least they are very cute together."
"I agree. We can't let them beat us, though! I want to have our wedding first. My family said that if we have our wedding on Hezyria, they will let us use their castle as a venue. But if you want to have our wedding on the Imperial Star, I can ask Edros for one of his castles. He has a bunch of them you can look at!"
"Well, I need to see what the castle on Hezyria looks like first before deciding where to have the wedding."
The two were planning their wedding at the same time as their engagement party. The engagement party was going to be on the Imperial Star, so Ellery thought it would be nice to have their wedding on Hezyria.
"My brother had his wedding there, and it was magical. There's a large flower garden, a maze, and a gazebo on an island in the middle of the lake. My brother and sister-in-law had their wedding amidst the flowers, but they took a lot of pictures at the gazebo."
"That sounds lovely! When we go back, I would love to see the holographic photos of the wedding."
"My brother has them at his house, so let me ask him. I'm sure he will say yes, though."
With their next destination planned for tomorrow, Ellery and Akimitsu ordered another drink with some snacks so they could watch the sunset.