Xenophobia

It’s been a while.

I stood in front of the door, feeling tenser with every second.

It’s been too long.

I slowly reached for the doorknob.

It’s still too soon.

I opened the door, the familiar chimes sounding quickly after.

“Who is there?”

Long, greying hair platted into a single braid.
Milky, lavender eyes.

A colorful blanked wrapped around her as she rested in her rocking chair.
Her shot gun was nearby, probably loaded.

She hasn’t changed much.

“Hello, Yona.”
She smiled instantly, recognizing my voice.

“It’s nice of you to visit again, Zack.”
I nodded and smiled, knowing that the gestures would go unnoticed, before I sat down in the seat in front of her.

“So, what brings you here?”
“You said that I needed to visit more, so…here I am.”

She frowned, finding my hand before holding it in hers.

“You sound more troubled than usual.”
“A lot of things have happened since my last visit.”

I absentmindedly rubbed my stomach.

“I can tell. How is Luke? I thought you would be spending today with him.”
“He’s fine…but why would I spend time with him, specifically today?”

“…You…You don’t remember?”
“What?”

She was about to speak until the door opened, the chimes sounded, and—

“Ma-ma!”

A tall, tan girl with long black hair rushed over to Yona, hugging her tightly.

“My, my. I’m getting visits left and right today. How are you, Adsila?”
“I’m doing great! Are you well?”

“Aging wonderfully, as usual.”
Adsila let out a small laugh before she looked towards me with dark violet eyes; my breath hitched in my throat.

She looks just like—

“Who is this?”
“This is Zack. An old friend of your sister’s and mine. You were just a small child at the time, so you probably don’t recognize him much.”

That didn’t stop her from running over to me and embrace me.

“Any friend of my Ma-ma and my sister is a friend of mine.”
She moved away, flashing a very bright smile.

You shouldn’t befriend me.
Not after I…

“Zack, I don’t mean to be rude, but you should really get back home today. You may have forgotten what today is, and I do not blame you, but I’m sure that Luke knows, and it will be very important for you to be there. Feels like the sun is beginning to set, too.”

Yona spoke up, giving a slightly worried look as if she knew what I was thinking.

“R-Right…”
I stood up and walked towards her, giving her a hug.

“I’ll visit sooner this time. I promise.”
“You better. Also…There’s no need to feel guilty about the past anymore. My family and I have moved on. You should too, Zack.”

She patted me on the back before I moved away.

I said my goodbyes before making my way back home.

Women and children on the streets, huddling each other for warmth or comfort.
Men and soldiers harassing them and each other.

Cardboard signs that read “Need Money.” or “Please. Job.”

A gunshot in the distance.

I frowned at it all.

“Hey, Hansen!”
I turned to see three soldiers, one of them holding a girl and a boy by their hair.

“We caught these little shits trying to steal food from us. Maybe you’d like to teach them a lesson.”
“What are you asking him for, Evans? The guy can’t stand to kill shit, remember?!”

Group laughter as the children struggled to get free.

“Let them go.”
“What…?”

“I said let them go. So what if they’re stealing food? They’re poor and hungry.”
“Maybe we can put them out of their misery.”

A devious smile before he drew out his gun.

“You’re not authorized to kill anyone at this time. It would be a shame if I had to report your rash and unnecessary actions to Commander Ivanov.”

“…Let them go, Bates. They ain’t worth it.” Evans spoke up.
The man with the children did as he was told with a strong look of disapproval.

“…fuckin’ Xeno-lover.”

And they all walked off.

The children were long gone, so I continued to walk back home.

Arrive at the apartments.
Walk up the stairs.

Walk towards the door.
Unlock and open said door.

Enter and—

POP!

“Jesus fucking Christ!”

I opened my eyes to see confetti on the floor and myself.
The sound of quick footsteps and laughter followed soon after.

I sighed and headed towards the living room, heart still racing.

“Luke, what the fuck was that about—?!”

I stopped, looking at the sight in front of me.

Luke was standing in the middle of the room with a huge smile on his face, holding a chocolate cake with a good number on lit candles on it.

“Uh…”
“Happy 22nd birthday, Zack!”

. . .

“What…?”
“What do you mean ‘What’? Did…Did you forget about your birthday…?”

“I…Uh…”

I did, didn’t I?

“Well, even if you did, it’s still your birthday regardless. So, blow out the candles.”
I came close to him, gently placing my hands on his own.

“On three?”
“It’s your cake.”

“But…I don’t want to do this by myself.”
He smiled before kissing me on the cheek.

“Okay. One…Two…Three.”

And the candles were out.

| x | x | x |

“Luke…?”
“Hm?”

His back was to me, pressed against my bare torso as my arm draped loosely around his waist.

“Am I really twenty-two already…?”
“Mhm.”

I bit down on my lip.

“I…”
He turned to face me, running a hand through my hair.

“What’s wrong?”
“We’ve been together for four years…”

“Don’t you mean five?”
“…I mean when we first…”

I bit on my lip again.

“Do…Do you think…that we may have started this relationship too early…? I mean…I was eighteen and you were only—”

I was cut off by a pair of lips on mine.

“You’re overthinking it. I made my decision, regardless of how old I was, and you made yours. I developed romantic feelings for you, and you did the same for me. We kissed. We touched. And now, here we are, four years later and still together.”

“…Will we still be together, though?”
“Of course. After all, we’re getting married when this is all over, right?”

I couldn’t help but smile a little.

“Right.”

It’ll be different this time, right?
He won’t end up like…

. . .

I’m so sorry, Delia.