Geno's POV

I smile, hugging the necklace close to me. I hear a thud like some feet hit the ground.

"I'm in! Oh Geno!~"The stranger coos

Ok, that is definitely Reaper's voice...

I peek around and see that he landed on the other side of the fence, his arms shrinking back from their long and slinky transformation. I see his gems glowing, confirming my thoughts.

"W-Who are you?"I ask, tucking my hands behind me

"I'm Reaper, my dear.~"He says

I turn my head away, feeling my cheeks burn more. His words...his voice...made me feel happier than ever. I feel so tingly and weird, just trying to stay composed. This is our first meeting, I don't want to be a fool.

He seems to scan me from head to foot.

"Is that a tux-dress?"He asks

"Y-Yes, they made me go into my gem and wouldn't let me out until I took this form...or something like that to please them..."I say, crossing my arms

I didn't want to talk about that...I wanted to just enjoy being near the one I've been hoping to meet. I glance back over and see how his hands finished shrinking. I step closer to him and reach out with one hand. He reaches out, putting his hand in mine. It was so much smaller in comparison to mine, but just as stubby.

"Aww, your hands are so small!~"I say, squeezing his hand

I smile even wider, seeing his cheeks glow a bright blue. His face was adorable when he blushes!

I enjoyed every second of this. But then...He saw my bandages and frowns. His expression darkened and he glared up at me.

"Who hurt you? Tell me."He growls, taking his hand away

"I..."I begin, at a loss for words

The dark thoughts enter my head again.

"You are such a fool! So stupid! How could you actually hope for a connection? You're a mess! A mistake! A useless pebble!"A voice says

"You really think he's going to believe you? Care for you? You just met him! Both your gems glowed! So what?! It's dark out! Your vision isn't the best and could be tricking you! Go ahead, try to explain it to him! Those tallies could be the equivalent to exes or arranged relationships! Watch how fast he turns on you!"A second says

"Look at him and then at yourself! You're nothing close to him and you know it! He knows it! Just warn him now since you know how it's going to turn out!"A third snaps

I shake my head and could feel my body tremble. I back away from him, clutching the necklace tightly. More and more thoughts kept whizzing in my head and I try not to break down more.

"Geno?"Reaper says softly, sounding concerned

I snap out of my thoughts and look at him. He reached out to me but I back away.

"You don't have to be scared and distant. You're safe."He says

"I...I know...This is just different....Look, you're really great so I'm just going to save you the time and trouble. Everyone here knows that I'm a mistake, mess, burden, you name it...broken pebbles...Useless..They've tried to force me to fuse with others at dances and stuff. It all has failed, even with the best here. And none were happy with that. Don't waste your time on me..."I explain

I bow my head, clutching the necklace as my last hope of keeping it together. Then, it gets lifted by blue magic and clicks around my neck.

"Geno, my precious hibiscus flower, you are nothing that they see. It's their loss. I'm here for you, Gen."He says, stepping closer to me

"W-What?"I say, looking at him in shock

He smiles, hugging me. Due to our height difference, his face went right under my arms against the skirt.

I feel my face burn more from his words now that they sink in. My legs feel shaky but his grip steadied me. Then I feel something get summoned into his hand behind my back.

"Now, can you take me to these losers?"He asks, looking up at me.

"I can try..."I say

He walks beside me as I lead him to the community's village. I see all twelve of them gathered together, drinking and talking....Complaining about me to degrading extremes. I grip my bandages tighter, backing up.

"M-M-My home is this way. Let's just go."I say

He looks at me, shaking and gripping my wound.

"What did they do to break you?"He asks

"Please, I-"I begin

"Hey, look! It's the pebble now!"One shouts, pointing to me

Some start getting up while others laughed.

"We weren't done with you yet. Now, you better behave."A few say, stepping closer

They seem to completely disregard the fact that Reaper is here.

Their mistake.

Slash!

"Agh!"They grunt or cry out in pain

Pop! Thud!

They each turned back to their gems and hit the ground hard. Those who didn't approach stared in shock.

"Never touch Geno again!"Reaper growls

I look at his weapon and see that it isn't the same as my flashbacks but shrug it off. Then I feel my hand get gently held. I glance at Reaper holding it. He smiles warmly at me.

"Let's go to your home."He says, linking his arm through mine

I look at him and feel my gem glow again. I glance away and lead him to my house. I take him inside and shut the door. I look around and my body stiffened. I forgot that this place was still a bit messy. Things were knocked over and there were dents or holes in the wall from all the previous guests. Rope and locks lay torn on the floor.

"S-Sorry, I haven't gotten time to clean up..."I say

I grab a broom and dustpan, collecting the rope and locks before I could get reminded of what happened. I threw them out and set the fallen items back into place. I glance to see Reaper feeling a cracked dent in the wall.

"What caused this?"He asks

"Violent gems out there..."I say, shaking my head

I go to the kitchen and start trying to cook something up. I hear footsteps behind me. I glance, able to see him peeking in. He lets out a small sigh, smiling. I turn back to focusing on preparing food.

"Just imagine....beauty....down the aisle..."I hear him mutter

Then I hear his breath hitch.

"Those scars....wounded back....Yet he looks so..."He mumbles

I tensed. Did the back of my clothes rip? Does he see my back? I put the food in the oven and focus on my form. I could feel things changing to fit my thoughts and when I look down again, I was in comfortable clothes. I made sure my back was covered.

"I can hear you, ya know."I say

Crash! Clang, clang, clang! Clash! Thud!

I look over to see that he had fallen into the kitchen as if startled by being caught and in an effort to catch himself, he grabbed a cabinet which spilled out all the pots and pans in it. He lays there looking dazed.

"Genooo...."He calls out

I was reminded of a new scene and it flashed before my eyes.

The shower still dripping, the curtain torn...A skeleton laying dazed on the floor.

"Reaper! What happened?"I asked

"That was the first time you called this place home..."He says

I smile, kneeling down beside him.

"You alright there?"I ask

"I love you..."He says, his eyes still spinning

My face burns.

"Y-You do...?"I ask

He nods.

"As what?"I ask

"My beloved, obviously."He says

"Your beloved what?"I ask

He frowns, looking confused.

I pick up the pots and pans, putting them away.

"Someone has to have told you their affection, Geno."He says

"Only one...The Collector. But he sees me as more of his prized possession than a living being..."I say

"He comes here?"He asks

"To check in mostly. He did create this place and wants to maintain it..."I say, shutting the cabinet

He is silent.

"So, what do you love me as?"I ask

"...I don't think you'd believe me, my dear."He sighs

"Try me."I say

"No, not without further evidence. You deserve that much."He says

Then he promptly walks out.

The oven dings and I sigh, getting the food out and eating by myself. I go upstairs, lock my bedroom door and sleep. Though I did leave food out of Reaper decides to return.

The next morning I felt something tickling my nose. I open my eyes and see a beautiful black feather resting on my pillow beside my head. A raven's feather, it seems. I smile a bit, reminded of my flashbacks. I get up, tucking the feather away. I look into a mirror, changing my hairstyle to tie it up a bit which made me feel more comfortable. Then I walk downstairs and find a bouquet of roses laying on the table at the bottom. There was a note attached.

"For the most beautiful, intelligent, and wonderful being that I know. I love you Geno for all that you are.~Reaper" It read

My face burns up. Then there is a knock at the door. I open it to find him on the other side. He extends his hand, holding mine and lifting it to him. He kisses my hand gently and smirks.

"Did you like it, Geno?"He asks

"I...I do..."I say

He smiles wider.

"Good.~ All I want is for you to be happy."He coos

I smile as he steps inside. Then some of my thoughts return to me, ruining the moment. I had some questions about the difference between my memories of Reaper and well...the love holding my hand right now. I fell deep into my thoughts and questions in my head.

"Geno?"He says, calling me out of my thoughts

"Huh? Oh, sorry..."I say

"What was on your mind?"He asks

"Umm...Weird stuff that makes me think I lost my mind..."I say, glancing away

"What kind of weird stuff?"He asks

"I keep getting pieces of visions that seem to be memories...Of a skeleton or hooded person with the same name as you...living a life with me..."I explain

"I am so glad that you're remembering!"He responds

"W-What?"I say

"You're not crazy! This is just a wild misunderstanding! I can explain everything....Just put your head against mine!"He says eagerly, hopping up and down

"A-Alright."I say, putting my head against his

I shut my eyes and see things flash before my eyes. I see a scythe swing, hear wings flapping, then see a house...I see a skeleton in a red scarf in the kitchen.

"Geno!"I hear Reaper's voice cheer

Wait that's me?

We hugged and I see memories whizz by, telling a complete story instead of the pieces I had and it was all in his point of view. It took a while for all the memories to show and then a few minutes to sink in.

I fell backwards from just the overwhelming amount of info dumped onto me. Reaper crawls into my lap, holding my cheeks cupped in his hands.

"I love you, Geno. You're my lover. My precious hibiscus flower. Didn't you see?"He asks eagerly, looking at me with hope

"I...I...T-That's a lot."I say, shutting my eye

For once I didn't want to think. I wanted all my thoughts to go away before it ruins this as well. I take a few deep breaths and open my eye, looking at him again.

"Geno? Are you alright?"He asks worriedly

I lean into his hands, liking being held by him. I wrap my arms around him and that he squeaks in surprise at as I pull him closer to me. I didn't give him a chance to speak, leaning in to kiss him. I see his eyes widen, his face becoming a blushing mess as his hair curls with hearts at the tips. I hold him firmly as he stiffens up, then feel him loosen up and kiss back.

"You're adorable, Reaper.~"I coo to him, then notice something.

The cloth with the ring was on my thigh and the ring was slipping on my finger while an exact copy went on Reaper's. Which only seems to make his face burn brighter.

"Well it looks like you're stuck with me."I chuckle

"Where'd these rings even come from?"He asks

I chuckle, remembering my planned surprise.

"That's my little secret.~"I say, brushing his hair with one hand

He rests his head under mine.

"Can you leave with me?"He asks

I nod.

"Okay, then we have to act fast!"He says

He gets up and leads me away. We reach the golden fence and he has me hold onto him. He reaches up, stretching his arm to a tree branch and swings us over. We land and he smiles at me.

"You're going to miss this, ya know."He says

"Miss what?"I ask

"Being taller than me."He says

I chuckle, then pick him up and hug him close.

"So I guess I'll have to savor it, huh?"I say, kissing him on the head

His face burns.

"So...Are we keeping the rings?"He asks

"I don't mind it. It will stop the questioning about our love and it will make you happy, won't it? I think we deserve some happiness after everything."I say

"Pfft, imagine them trying to process this while the fact that we're dating after that dumb reset is still sinking in! I can't wait to see their faces!"He chuckles, then pauses as if a thought hit him

I keep walking along, getting as far as we could from that place.

"Does this mean we're engaged?"He blurts out, then his face explodes in a blushing mess when he heard himself

Pfft-Reaper!

TBC