Ch 50: Changes

Serena's POV

I let out a long, exhausted sigh and collapsed onto the couch, sinking into its comforting embrace.

It was done.

The wedding preparations were finally done.

Everything had been arranged—the venue, the food, the outfits, the invitations. No more stress, no more last-minute decisions, no more wondering if I should just elope and call it a day.

It was actually happening.

I'm getting married to Valerie.

And surprisingly, this world allowed same-sex marriage.

Not that I expected it to be an issue—being an S-rank hunter comes with a certain level of "I do whatever I want and no one questions me" energy—but still, it was nice not to have to deal with any obstacles on that front.

We'd both agreed on keeping it small and simple, just a quiet celebration with the people we truly cared about. No unnecessary grandeur, no massive guest list filled with acquaintances I didn't even like.

I only invited two people—Grandpa Darius and Lux.

That was it.

I had other acquaintances, sure, but liking people is exhausting, and I wasn't about to pretend I cared enough to invite anyone else.

Valerie, on the other hand, actually had a social life.

She invited a few of her hunter friends—and, of course, Brianna and Cecilia. Because at this point, they were basically our family.

I exhaled slowly, letting the weight of it all settle in.

Marriage. A wedding. A new chapter.

I should be panicking, but instead, I just felt... at peace.

My gaze drifted across the room to the play area, where four little gremlins were having the time of their lives.

Rodan, Cristina, Leon, and Laura.

They were so cute it physically hurt.

Rodan, my sweetest boy, had grown a few inches taller recently. He was still a little small, but at this rate, he might actually reach my height before I hit old age.

Cristina, my precious baby girl, was nine months old now.

Nine. Months.

She could crawl. She could babble.

She was well on her way to becoming a tiny hurricane of destruction.

And Leon and Laura.

Leon had finally warmed up to us. He was smiling more now, though he still held himself back a little. But that was fine. Progress is progress. At least he didn't look like he was constantly plotting his escape anymore.

As for Laura, she was a month older than Cristina, and she was already trying to stand.

A wobbly, determined little bean, fighting her hardest against the forces of gravity.

And me?

I was a disaster.

My throat tightened, my vision blurred, and before I knew it, tears were spilling down my face.

'Oh no.

No, no, no—'.

I wiped my cheeks aggressively.

'Why am I crying?!'.

Oh god. I'm being sentimental.

'Gross'.

I mentally scolded myself. 'Get it together, Serena. You are a composed, dignified adult'.

…But also, look at them!

They're growing up so fast!

My bottom lip wobbled.

I sniffled. Wiped my eyes again. I tried to pull myself together.

I was failing. Miserably.

Suddenly, I felt a warm hand on my shoulder.

Then, gentle arms wrapped around me, pulling me into an embrace.

Valerie.

She rested her chin on my head, holding me close.

"They grow up so fast, don't they?" she murmured.

I nodded, my voice a wet, wobbly mess. "Y-Yeah."

She sighed, watching the kids with a soft, almost wistful expression.

"One day, they'll leave us," she said. "They'll go off on their own adventures."

And that was it.

I broke.

Absolutely sobbing.

"I KNOW!" I wailed, gripping onto her shirt like she was my emotional support pillow.

"They're going to get older, and they'll start doing things without us, and then one day they'll just—just—"

I hiccupped.

Valerie chuckled softly, rubbing my back. "That's how it is."

"But even if they turn seventy," I choked out, "they're still going to be my babies."

She laughed, kissing the top of my head. "Of course they are."

And so we stayed like that—two emotional wrecks, hugging on the couch while the children played.

If Brianna and Cecilia were here, they would have mercilessly teased us for this.

Thank god they weren't.

Oh, right.

They weren't here because they were on a "friendly" date.

…Yeah. Sure.

"Friendly," my ass.

As if we're going to believe that.

I mean, come on.

They bantered like an old married couple, and they spent all their free time together.

Friendly date?

I THINK NOT.

But, sure, keep calling it a friendly date. We'll all just smile and nod.

Speaking of them, our little hunter team had actually gotten a lot closer over time.

Close enough for Brianna to smack Valerie upside the head on a regular basis.

Which, honestly, is an improvement.

If you told the past me that Brianna—the Queen of Stoicism and Judging You Silently™—would one day be casually hitting Valerie for being annoying, I would have laughed in your face.

And yet, here we are.

I wiped my tears, sniffling.

"Valerie?"

"Hm?"

"…I love them so much it physically hurts."

She chuckled, pressing another kiss to my head. "I know, hon. Me too."

And so we stayed like that—just two emotional disasters, hugging on the couch while our kids played, mentally preparing for Brianna and Cecilia's inevitable denial when they come back from their totally-not-a-date.

==================================

Brianna's POV

'This is NOT a date'. 

It's just two very good friends hanging out. 

At an arcade. 

Then a photo booth. 

And then a fancy restaurant with candlelit tables.

… 

'Okay, fine. Maybe it's a little date-like'.

But it's NOT a date. 

Because if I admit it's a date, I'll have to admit that I have feelings for Cecilia, and absolutely not.

'Nope. Not happening'.

She's just my friend who I like spending time with and think about constantly and who makes my heart do weird things whenever she smiles at me. 

See? Totally normal.

Anyway. We're at the arcade now, and I've just made a fatal mistake.

I let Cecilia pick the first game. 

And she picked the shooting game. 

If I had half a brain cell, I would have seen this coming.

Cecilia is an archer. A professional hunter. A lethal marksman.

And I? 

I am about to get destroyed.

I clenched my jaw and narrowed my eyes at the plastic gun in my hands. 'Alright, Brianna. Focus'.

The game started, and within five seconds, Cecilia had already racked up a ridiculous amount of points. 

Meanwhile, I—despite my best efforts—was shooting air.

"Oh," Cecilia said casually, as if she hadn't just obliterated an entire wave of enemies with perfect headshots. "You're kind of bad at this." 

"I'M TRYING!" 

She smiled, that infuriatingly pretty, smug smile.

Oh, it's on now.

I doubled down, furiously shooting at anything that moved, but Cecilia was too fast, too accurate. I barely had a chance to breathe before she cleared the entire round by herself. 

In the end? 

Cecilia: 12,500 points.

Me: 1,300 points.

I tossed the plastic gun aside, scowling. "I let you win." 

Cecilia actually laughed. "Oh? Want a rematch?" 

I absolutely did not.

So I grabbed her wrist and dragged her away before she could humiliate me any further. 

==================================

Next stop? Photo booth.

A safe activity. 

Or so I thought. 

Cecilia, the menace, insisted on using the ridiculous filters. 

Cat ears? Yes.

Giant sparkly eyes? Absolutely. 

Over-the-top pink hearts everywhere? Of course.

I stared at our first set of photos in horror. 

"We look like an anime fan's delusional self-insert romance." 

Cecilia grinned. "Cute, right?" 

"…I don't want to answer that." 

Because yes, we did look cute. Too cute.

And it was dangerous for my very not-romantic-at-all feelings.

==================================

Last stop? Fancy restaurant.

Cecilia had made a reservation, and I hadn't questioned it at first. 

But now, sitting at this candlelit table with soft music playing in the background, I was starting to think… 

This is suspiciously date-like.

I fidgeted with my fork, feeling entirely too aware of Cecilia sitting across from me. 

She looked… good. Too good. 

The dim lighting made her features unreasonably soft, and when she looked at me with that gentle smile, I felt like I was being set up for a romance novel confession scene.

This is fine. Totally fine.

"So," Cecilia said, taking a sip of wine. "Are we still pretending this isn't a date?" 

I choked on air.

She laughed.

'SHE KNEW'.

"Wh— I— This isn't—" I flailed. 

She propped her chin on her hand, looking entirely too amused. "Relax, Brianna. It's just us." 

'…Just us'.

My heart "did a thing." 

I cleared my throat, forcing myself to look away.

"…Fine. Maybe it's a little date-like." 

She smiled, and for once, I didn't run away.