Chapter 10: Ever-tease (1)

I sighed, still eyeing the ring on my finger like it was a shackle. “This is ridiculous.”

Nora gasped dramatically, clutching her chest. “Ridiculous? Markus, how could you? After everything we’ve been through?”

I rolled my eyes, already regretting this. “We’ve been through you forcing this onto me, yeah.”

She sniffled dramatically, swiping at imaginary tears. “And now you’re trying to deny our love in public? Have you no shame?”

I tensed as I caught the shopkeeper peering at us with poorly hidden amusement. “Nora,” I warned, my voice low.

But she was already on a roll. She grabbed my hand, holding it up like we were in some tragic romance movie. “You haven’t been loving me enough lately, Markus,” she declared, loud enough for the entire shop to hear.

A few bystanders turned their heads.

My jaw clenched. “I swear to god-”

“Is there someone else?” she cut in, voice trembling with exaggerated movements like she’s having a heartbreak. “Is that why you’ve been so distant? Are you cheating on me?”

I groaned, running a hand down my face. “Oh my god.”

She wasn’t done. “I knew it,” she continued, shaking her head like some suffering housewife in a drama.

“I work so hard to keep this relationship alive, and you-” she pointed a finger into my chest, “-you can’t even look me in the eyes anymore!”

I turned to the shopkeeper, who was outright smirking at this point. “Please don’t encourage her.”

The shopkeeper only shrugged. “You should listen to your girlfriend more, young man.”

Nora gasped again, this time in delight, before turning back to me with her biggest, smuggest grin yet. “See? Even the wise elder agrees.”

“She looks like she’s in her twenties, what elder-”

But before I could even finish that thought, she took it a step further. “What about our children, Markus?”

I coughed violently. “WHAT?”

She nodded solemnly, placing a hand over her stomach like she was already carrying a football team in there. “Do you think this is a game? Our little ones need a father who isn’t running off to flirt with other women-”

I grabbed her shoulders, shaking her slightly. “WE. DO. NOT. HAVE. CHILDREN.”

She stared at me for a long moment, her fingers absentmindedly tracing the band of the ring on her hand.

Her antennae twitched ever so slightly, like she was deep in thought. Calculating, deciding. Then, just as her gaze flickered back to me, she murmured under her breath-

“Not yet… but I’ll make sure.”

A shiver ran down my spine. “...What?”

She looked up, all wide eyes and a sweet, unassuming smile. “Hmm? Oh, nothing!”

I exhaled sharply, rubbing the bridge of my nose. Just another one of her jokes, I told myself. Another one of her ridiculous, over-the-top acts that she was clearly enjoying way too much.

But the crowd? Oh, they were loving this.

A few shopgoers had started throwing in their own jabs.

“Treat your lady right, young man!” someone called from behind me.

Another voice chimed in, hooting, “Yeah, don’t make her a deadbeat mother before the kids are even born!”

I felt an encroaching headache as I heard the snickers around us. Dear gods, make it stop.

Meanwhile, Nora was thriving.

She grabbed my hand, twining our fingers together. “Darling, won’t you hold your loving girlfriend properly?”

A long, drawn-out groan left my lips. “Just end me already.”

Nora, the absolute menace, only tightened her hold on me, her smug grin widening with each playful interaction. “Aww, don’t be shy, love,” she purred, resting her head against my arm.

“You’re always so soft-spoken at home, but in public, you’re like this. Maybe you just need a little encouragement~”

I shot her a look that could curdle milk.

Her grin only stretched further, eyes twinkling with pure amusement.

Oh, she was so enjoying this.

Buy maybe… this wasn’t so bad after all. The whole ridiculous charade, the teasing, the playful banter, it was letting me loosen up in a way I hadn't in a long time.

I’d been so afraid to show emotions, to let anyone see past the walls I’d built. But right now, in this absurd situation, it almost felt… easy.

I let out a breath and turned to her, a slow smirk creeping onto my face. If she wanted to play this game, fine. I’d play along.

Reaching out, I tucked a stray strand of her silken hair behind her ear, my fingers lingering just a little too long. Her antennae twitched at my touch, and for once, she was the one caught off guard.

Leaning in, I met her eyes, lowering my voice to a husky whisper.

"You’re right," I murmured, my lips brushing against her ear. "I’m waiting eagerly for our kids."

She went stiff. Completely frozen. Then, all at once, her face exploded into a shade of red so intense, it nearly matched the burning rays of the sun. Her hands shot up, clutching at my chest, gripping onto me to keep from melting into a puddle right then and there.

The crowd lost it.

Whistles, cheers, laughter, it all exploded around us. Some people clapped and I even caught a woman sighing dreamily.

I leaned back slightly, smirking. "What’s wrong, dear? Is my little kitty getting shy?"

For once, Nora had nothing to say.

Nora didn’t answer. Instead, she buried her face into my chest, her entire body pressing in. Too close, too tight.

Her hands clutched at my shirt, trembling slightly, and even her legs bent inward, pressing against me in a way that sent a jolt of something unfamiliar down my spine.

Then, in the smallest, most pitiful voice, she pleaded, "I… I need to get to the bathroom."

My mind blanked. "Huh?"

She gave a tiny, desperate nod, still clinging onto me like a lifeline. "Now."

Panic shot through me, and I immediately broke out of whatever act I had going. "O-Okay, okay, let’s go!" I turned on my heel, ready to bolt, but before I could take two steps, she whimpered again.

"Not so fast," she gasped, her grip tightening. "I-I can’t run…" She shifted against me like she was trying to hurry, but at the same time, she was clearly struggling.

"Then what am I supposed to-"

With no other choice, I crouched down and scooped her up into a princess carry. She let out a startled squeak, but before I could feel any satisfaction from it, she buried her head against my chest again, her voice muffled.

"You’re only making it worse…" she whined.

I didn’t have any time to consider her words. I sprinted toward the restroom, dodging past confused onlookers, my heart pounding as I carried her like some tragic, paralyzed patient. By the time we reached the door, I was out of breath, practically gasping as I set her down.

"Geez, I didn’t expect you to have a nature’s call all of a sudden," I huffed, wiping my forehead.

Nora, still red-faced and gripping her dress, glanced at me with wide, disbelieving eyes.

Nora snapped her head up, her antennae twitching as she huffed. "That wasn’t-!" She stopped herself, clamping her mouth shut before groaning. "You know what? Never mind!"

I crossed my arms, still trying to catch my breath. "Oh, no. You don’t get to blame me after that mess. You were the one who started this whole thing."

She gasped, eyes wide with betrayal. "Excuse me? You were the one who got all into it! What was that whole ‘I’m waiting eagerly for the kids’ thing, huh?"

I scoffed. "You’re the one who’s been at this all day!"

"Exactly! Which means you should’ve built up an immunity by now."

I narrowed my eyes at her. "Oh, so this is training now?"

She smirked. "Maybe."

I sighed, shaking my head as I realized how ridiculous this conversation was. The weight in my chest had lessened, though, replaced by something almost warm.

Then, just as I was about to brush it all off, Nora leaned in, her grin widening. "Next time, we should get matching underwear. That way, we can match even in bed."

I choked on my own spit.

Nora giggled, patting my back as I coughed violently, gasping for air. "Oh? What’s wrong, brother? You’re looking awfully red."

"Shut up already!" I rasped, wheezing.

She paid no heed to my remark before continuing on with the shopping.

As we stepped out of the jewelry store, a sudden realization hit me. "Wait, we forgot to pay for the rings."

Nora turned to me, her expression unreadable for a moment before she let out a soft giggle. "I already paid for them."

I stared at her. "Without even asking me about it?"

She simply shrugged, twirling the bag in her hands. "You looked so into the moment; I didn't want to ruin it."

I narrowed my eyes. "That’s not an excuse."

"It's a perfectly good excuse," she countered with a sly smile. "Besides, think of it as my gift to you."

"That’s not-" I stopped myself, realizing that arguing with her over this was a lost cause. She was going to do whatever she wanted regardless of what I said.

She must have sensed my resignation because she grinned wider, nudging me playfully. "Come on, lighten up. It’s not every day you get a free ring from your lovely fiancee."

I sighed. "That’s exactly what I’m worried about."

Nora paid no heed to my remark. Wasting no time, she dragged me through the marketplace, her wings fluttering slightly in excitement.

The market stretched endlessly before them, a vibrant, chaotic sprawl of stalls stacked with trinkets, exotic fabrics, and handcrafted goods.

The scent of sizzling skewers and spiced drinks wafted through the air, blending with the distant hum of conversation and the occasional bark of a merchant advertising their wares.

I found himself dragged from one stall to another, barely keeping up with Nora’s enthusiasm. She greeted vendors like old friends, seamlessly slipping into casual conversation with strangers as if they’d known each other for years.

One merchant, a burly man with four arms, twitched his mandibles jutting out of his human-esque face in amusement as Nora bartered over a silver-threaded scarf.

“Come on,” she teased, leaning on the counter with a smirk. “You can’t expect me to pay full price when I’m practically a regular.”

The merchant rumbled a laugh, shaking his head. “You drive a hard bargain, girl. Fine, but only because your boyfriend looks like he’s suffering.” He tossed Markus an exaggerated look of pity.

I crossed my arms, shooting an unamused look, not even bothering to correct the boyfriend comment. I’d long since given up by now.

Nora smugly pocketed her bargain as the merchant chuckled, shaking his head like he’d seen this a hundred times before.

“Cheer up, kid,” he said, leaning in like he was about to share some grand secret. “What, not used to being the one getting spoiled? Shouldn’t you be flattered?” His grin turned sly. “Or are you among the boys that likes to do the chasing?”

I felt my face twitch. I wasn’t sure how to respond to that, but before I could even try, Nora laughed and clapped me on the back hard enough to make me stumble.

“Don’t tease my boyfriend too much,” she said, winking at the merchant as she left. “He’s still shy.”

As she continued, every so often she would stop to point out something, tugging me closer as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

I barely even noticed how easily I was getting swept along with her pace, too distracted by the constant flurry of interactions.

At some point, she pulled out a sleek, crystal-infused device and turned it towards us. “Smile, Markus!”

Before I could even process it, a bright flash went off. I blinked. “Wait, what was that?”

Nora grinned, holding up the screen for me to see. It was a picture of us, too close together for comfort, with her leaning into me and a playful smirk on her lips.

“Oh, just a quick snap for Monstagram,” she said nonchalantly. “Or maybe Manebook. You know, social stuff.”

I frowned. “So you can just share pics with everyone there?”

“Of course! It’s all the rage lately,” she chirped. “People love cute couple pictures.”

I barely heard the last part, too busy staring at the interface. The scrolling feeds, the comments section, the like buttons, it was all eerily similar to what I remembered from Earth. My memories stirred uneasily, drawing parallels I hadn’t considered before.

Nora took another picture, flashing a peace sign, then shoved the device in my hand. “Here, take one with me!”

I sighed, exasperated, but lifted the device nonetheless. “Fine, but wait, why do we need to take so many?”

She grinned, tilting her head innocently. “Because they’re cute.”

Something about the way she said it made me pause, but before I could think too much about it, she pulled me towards the next stall, already moving on to her next scheme.

As I scrolled through the screen, I couldn’t help but stare at the sheer number of interactions flooding Nora’s feed.

Dozens of notifications popped up, likes, comments, shares. I glanced at the names, expecting maybe a handful of acquaintances, but no. She had a massive friend list, filled with names I didn’t recognize.

“When did you get so… social?” I asked, my brow furrowing.

Nora chuckled, swiping through her posts. “A year is enough to change a lot of things, brother.”

"You were just chatting up that merchant like it was nothing," I pointed out. "The Nora I know clings to me like a koala."

Nora stretched her arms over her head, looking far too pleased with herself. “Well, I had to learn how to talk to people at some point. I can’t exactly carry the household while relying on you forever, can I?”

I eyed her, still not entirely convinced. “You say that, but a year ago, you practically treated anyone else like background noise.”

She hummed, tilting her head in mock thought. “Guess I figured out there’s a lot more you can do when you actually interact with the world.”

Her gaze flickered toward me, something sly hidden behind her grin. “Besides, doesn’t it make things more normal for us? You know, how people see us?”

That last part made my stomach twist. “You mean how people assume-”

“Exactly,” she cut in, beaming. “See? You’re catching on.”

I let out a slow breath, pinching the bridge of my nose. “I don’t even know what to do with you anymore.”

She laughed, nudging my side playfully. “Well, you could start by relaxing and just going along with it.”

I stared at her, taken aback. A year ago, she would barely leave my side. Now, it felt like she’d turned into something so much more confident, so much brazen than before.

Her fingers danced as she continued showing me all her feed with excitement, giddily explaining every aspect of this internet culture of this world I had no clue about.

One showed a naga struggling to untangle their tail, captioned "When your own body is your worst enemy."

Another was a skeleton opening an empty wallet with the caption "When you're immune to poison but not to bad decisions."

She giggled at a post about a vampire accidentally walking into a sunlit café and turning into a pile of ash while their friend sipped coffee, unfazed.

I shook my head, unable to believe how easily she had integrated into this world. Meanwhile, I still felt like an outsider, stuck between past and present.

Was I even deserving of her?