Vol 2. Chapter 5: Godly Reminiscing and Nerinne Wants What? (2)

“Fufufu~, you met my parents, dear~. The one with the chains was my mom, Anankrie, and the one whose lightning you redirected was my dad, Maemacius. They’ve had many titles over the years, the First Bond and the First Storm, the Primordial Goddess of Bonding Forces and the Primordial God of Clashing Forces, and more. But they go now by the Primordial Goddess of Bonds and the Primordial God of Storms. ”

“EHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH? YOUR PA-PA-PA-PAREEEEEENTS?!”

“I told you that you were misunderstanding things.” So, I, Isharnnat, remarked as Auros was too shocked to… ugh, no, I cannot do this. It makes me feel very weird all over…!

“And yet, you still tried~~.”

“I was curious, alright?! I shan’t be doing it again though! So stop it with that smug look, Ner!”

“Oh my! It’s been a while since you called me by that nickname! It sure brings back lots of memories... Ish~.”

“Kaka, it sure does. Teacher’s lessons were always such a bore, but the good times we three radiants had together were great. Everything seemed so simple back then, so… safe and certain.”

“Ish…”

“Anyways, enough nostalgia. It seems your freaked out mess of a girlfriend wants to say something, kaka.”

“Oh how nice of you to notice, you incredible goddess. So. Very. Nice.” Truly, I’m so thankful and calm and collected that my tone would never come across as somewhat unhinged. Don’t mind me barely moving my mouth while I spoke. I only did that so my very wide smile wouldn’t come undone. After all, I wasn’t freaking out a few moments ago. Nor was I just teased by the one person who could have given me a head’s up about all of this but didn’t. NOT. AT. ALL. “AS IF!! OF COURSE I’M A FREAKED-OUT MESS!! I JUST MET MY PARTNER’S PARENTS! MY IN-LAWS! AND I DID THINGS THAT COULD TOTALLY LEAVE AN IMPRESSION OF ME! AND NOT A GOOD ONE! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!”

“Now, now, dear. Don’t worry too much. Yes, you took my dad’s lightning without his permission and used it for something that he didn’t mean to, but…” said Nerinne, stabbing me with every word even if she didn’t mean to because ALL of that could certainly be taken badly. “Buuut, and let me finish, the fact that the lightning did what you intended it to do means that he at least approves of you enough for that to happen.”

“I-I see, but what if… what if I did something that could be interpreted as peer pressuring him a bit…” Mumble… mumble… looking away and fidgeting… mumble…

“Kaka, that was not a bit. You outright went ‘welp, gotta join them’ and peer pressured him alongside the gods your antics brought together. You even goaded him by asking him if he didn’t think storms were the best.” Said Isharnnat NOT HELPING AT ALL!!

“NOT HELPING JUST LIKE YOU DIDN’T TELL ME WHO HE WAS WHEN HE FIRST APPEARED!! THAT SURE WOULD’VE BEEN HELPFUL TO KNOW!!” I shot back at the goddess of SNITCHING as we began butting heads quite literally!

“And risk getting scolded by him!? Not in a billion years!! He was already onto me when I accidentally told you more than I should have! No way was I going to tempt fate more than that!!” She retaliated, not backing down at all, and trying to push me back with that big forehead of hers! “MY FOREHEAD IS NOT THAT BIG!”

I’m just as stubborn though, so I’m not backing down that easily either!! Still, while Isharnnat talked back at me with a cynical smile—before the forehead comment at least—her eyes told me another story, there was a certain kind of fear. The same fear she showed back when she was running after me, and Nerinne’s dad suddenly appeared. And, well… “now I’m scared of what he will do to me when we properly meet… he even said that we would soon enough… nnnnn….”

“Kaka, chicken.” Isharnnat mocked me.

“Ha! Says the one who almost became a pentucky fried goddess!” I mocked her back.

“Oh, I am so going to convince Ner to let me train you. I will make you mewl.” She threatened me with a good time for me… and a check in the list of arc tropes.

“Be my guest. Try it. I will irritate the hell out of you during the entirety of it and come out so powerful on top of that, that you’ll begrudgingly have to be proud me.” I threatened her with a bad time for her.

“You…!! I have never met such an irksome mortal before!!”

“And I have never such an annoying goddess before!!”

“Giiiiii!!!!”

“Grrrrr!!!”

“Calm down you two~. While the idea of seeing you two going at it in the cartoonish rolling around the floor kind of way is amusing, let’s not get sidetracked.” Said my darling as she separated us and sat us back down with her right in the middle once again. “And really, it’s not that bad with my dad, dear~. Isharnnat is just exaggerating. While yes, we might have earned some scoldings back in the day, especially her since she was the top troublemaker of us three, it was never something that bad. Besides, my dad might seem very intimidating and imposing, but he’s a big softy~. I assure you.”

“Kaka… right… he sure is…” Darling, the way Isharnnat just said that makes your words sound not very reassuring. Rather… she looks traumatized…

“That’s because this dummy here always tried to get out of punishments by challenging dad to a fight, but he’d always just tank all her attacks before giving her a light bonk on the head and sending her straight to our teacher’s punishment room. And because she lost the fight she’d have to stay there for double the time, fufufu~.” Explained Nerinne as she tapped her friend on the head with one hand and while she covered her giggling with the other, cheerfulness and nostalgia dressing her tone.

Feeling embarrassed, Isharnnat immediately spoke up in frustration. “YOU DO NOT UNDERSTAND HOW TRAUMATIZING THAT WAS FOR MINE SELF AS A GODDESS OF COMBAT, NER!! AND THEN OUR TEACHER WOULD JUST DROWN ME IN EVEN MORE HOMEWORK!”

“…” I have no words. In fact, I’m just staring at her in an incredulous, if somewhat disgusted, wince. Because holy stupid, why did I even believe her? She played herself and kept doing so until it became a trauma. I already knew it but she… she really is an idiot goddess…

“Do not give me that look of pity, Auros! I am not an idiot goddess! And you do not know how mind-numbingly boring our teacher’s punishments were! If you did, you would have done the same to avoid them! Especially someone like you! Hmph!” She protested with an uncanny confidence before grabbing the bowl of snacks closest to her and going back to her blanket cocoon in a huff. Then, she gave me one last glare as she pulled out my phone and resumed playing.

But yeeeeah… I don’t know what she meant about someone like me, I was the opposite of a troublemaker as a kid.

“I bet you were adorable too~.” Said my darling affectionately, taking me by surprise and, maybe, just maybe, making me blush a bit, which made her giggle. “In any case, you don’t have anything to worry about with my dad. I promise you, dear.”

“Alright. I trust you, darling.” I said just somewhat relieved and not because I don’t trust my darling fully, but because that’s just about her dad… there’s also her mom to worry about…

“Come on, dear~. You haven’t told me what happened with my mom, but I’m sure it’s not that bad. Unless I just jinxed it by saying that and it’s that bad… but that can’t be, right?”

“…”

“Dear, you’re looking away while fidgeting again. It’s not helping.”

“Well, I-I wouldn’t say it’s that bad but I may or may have not said some things that even I wouldn’t dare to say to my mother-in law if I had known…” mumble mumble… scratch cheek nervously… “Ahahaha…”

“Speak clearly, dear. And don’t think about escaping, I won’t be releasing your arm nor your hand any time soon.”

“Gnnn… using locking arms and handholding to keep me in place is cheating…” I dismayed while looking at my smiling darling. Not that I could escape even if I wanted to, given that we’re in her divine realm, but still… I’m trapped… I can only spill the beans and face any consequences that may come… “You see… I kinda… could have… perhaps… made a comment about her breasts being much bigger than yours but—”

“HmmMmMmMm…? What did you say, dear? I couldn’t hear you well.” CHILLS! THE CHILLS ARE BACK! AND SHE’S SMILING BUT SHE’S NOT REALLY SMILING!! SHE’S MAD! I KNEW SHE’D BE MAD!! “I’m not mad, dear. Please, just tell me what you told her again.”

“Lies! You’re mad!! You’re very mad! Your voice might not be distorted this time, but your aura is all black again!!!” OH CRAP! WHY DID I JUST SAID THAT?! THAT IS JUST GONNA MAKE THINGS WORSE FOR ME! AH, IT WAS YOU, DAMN NONEXISTENT AUTHOR, RIGHT?! YOU DID THIS, DIDN’T YOU?!

“Dear. Stop blaming the nonexistent author and tell me. I am not mad.”

“Eeek!!” The fact that her voice not being distorted while being this menacing makes her even more terrifying! Gahhh! I really need to stop digging my own grave!!

“Yes, dear. You really should. And quickly. So please, tell me. What did you tell my mom?”

“I… I told her that her boobs were too big… that yours weren’t that size and I even showed her pictures… BUT!! AND IT’S A BIG BUT!! I DIDN’T MEAN IT AS THAT KIND OF COMPARISON!” I TRIED TO CLARIFY WITH ALL MY HEART BEFORE SHE GOT EVEN MADDER! CLARIFY!

“Go on.” Cold… her tone’s so cold… “Dear.”

“I-I said it because she was impersonating you while saying that she, as you, changed her body to fit my preferences! And I told her that she couldn’t be you because of exactly that—among other things—as you’ve had no need to change anything about yourself because you know that you drive me crazy just the way you are. That you’ve known that since the very first moment I saw you. SO PLEASE DON’T BE MAD!!” I PLED! AND I PLEAD AGAIN!

“How…”

“How…?” Pleasedon’tbemadpleasedon’tbemadpleasedon’tbemadpleasedon’tbemad.

“How could I be mad with you when said something so sweet, dear?!” She’s hugging me! She’s not mad! Ahhh… I’m so relieved... “You really should have just started with that, dear!! I really misunderstood things for a moment, fufufu~!”

“Ahahaha, well… I was about to say it but then you got all scary and I couldn’t for a moment… again… Anyways, that’s how I met your mother. ” I said doing an immediate recovery while also being very pleased with myself.

“Fufu~, you were totally waiting to use that one, huh?” Said my darling, amused.

“Heh, you know me, darling. References, I gotta do them. Still, what do you think? Am I going to be alright?”

“How did she look like when you told her that? Was she mad? Offended?” She asked and the image of her mother at that moment immediately appeared in my mind.

“She wasn’t mad or offended. She looked moved, actually.”

“Then there’s nothing to worry about, dear~. My mom has always been one to wear her heart on her sleeve, so she’s not one to act one way while feeling another way. And her being visibly moved by your honest answer sounds just like her, fufufu.” Said my darling filling me with so much relief, yet there’s one more thing I need to ask. One that my common sense—yes, I still have it—is telling me to.

“What about your dad?”

“What about him?”

“Is he going to be fine with me saying that about his wife? The boob part more than anything.”

“Oh, that? He’ll probably use it to mess with you a bit, so you’ll just have to endure it.”

“Ahaha.. I see… I guess I’ll do that then…” I lamented… Then again, as far as father-in-law tropes go, that’s the best I could ask for after all the shenanigans I pulled…

“But hey, other than that, there’s no problem. So how about you stop worrying about that and we watch some anime instead? That ought to help you take your mind off from this whole ordeal. I even have the new episodes of a certain Lord’s anime and your waifu’s latest movie trilogy. So let’s watch them while eating some cup ramen!” This lovable… irresistible smiling goddess… she says the perfect things at the perfect moments. HOW CAN I NOT LOVE YOU, MY HEROINE?!! COME HERE!! I GOTTA GIVE YA LOTS OF KISSES AGAIN!

Ah, but…

“…wouldn’t everyone back home be worried? It’s been a while since Isharnnat brought me here. I bet us not waking up in time is causing them lots of concern. Not to mention our girls.” I said, my heart breaking as my imagination does something totally uncalled for and shows me our daughters crying while trying to wake us up to no avail. Now I wanna cry too…

“Me too, dummy!” Exclaimed Nerinne as she started softly hitting me… I’m sorry, darling! “You are forgiven! Just don’t imagine that again! Besides, time flows in whichever way I want here, remember? It’s the same for any other god and their realms. Even the city is no different. That is to say, it’s been only two hours since we went to sleep.”

“Right! I totally forgot about that!” Man, how did I forget that she even said that she could literally create as much time as she needed when she was about to create my body. If that’s the case… “LET’S WATCH IT!! THE NEW EPISODES! THE MOVIES! LET’S WATCH THEM ALL!!”

“Yes~~.” Said my darling, beaming with enthusiasm.

But she wasn’t the only goddess who spoke, as a certain someone who had been listening from her blanket cocoon peeked out and said, “umm, if you do not mind, can I join you?”

“Of course, Ish~!” Once again, since Nerinne doesn’t mind, the I don’t mind either. Too much, heh.

I’ll even say, “hope you like them.”

And that’s it! We finished watching all the new episodes of the Lord’s anime, the new movie trilogy of my waifu, and we ate lots of cup noodles and lots of snacks. It was great. Isharnnat already left though, so it’s only me and Nerinne in the room now. The lights have gone off too, so she’s probably going to be taking me back to my body at any moment now… that is what I would say if Nerinne weren’t hugging me from behind right now and not letting go. Well, not just right now. Just as I’ve been hugging her arms, she’s been hugging me for a while. It is a… fragile… vulnerable hug…

She’s afraid…

She’s… still shaken about what happened. And I don’t blame her. I’d be lying if part of all my recent worries weren’t fueled by that, but it’s not about me. It’s about her. It’s about you, Nerinne. You don’t have to say anything. Take your time. Take all the time you need. I’m here. I’m not going anywhere.

I’m here.

“Auros… I know there’s something else you want to talk about but…”

“It’s fine. We can talk about it later.” I whispered gently before raising one of her hands and softly kissing it one time, two times, three times.

“I… want to do it, Auros.”

H-Huh? Excuse me if I sound like a lobotomized, dense as osmium main character, but—“do what?”

“Fufu… I want to show you how deep is my love for you… I need to show you…” She said, finding my response funny, but her fear was, is, still there…

“My love, you don’t have to force yourself. I know how much you love me very well. You don’t have to show me. I do not need more proof.” I said, trying to reassure her, but she shook her head.

“It’s for me… I want us to join, Auros…”

“In what way?” I asked, as she clearly wasn’t referring to… you know.

“Soul Bonding.”

“Soul… Bonding?” While the name is self-explanatory enough, I think I need more details still.

“Fufu… I want us to become one while being two.”

“That’s… not helping, darling.”

To be continued… (cue illustration of Nerinne and Auros sharing an intimate moment in the dark room)