Surrender to Fate Pt. 4

The words fell like a stone dropped into water—no ripples, no echoes. Just that small impact in my chest, followed by the sudden rush of breath I didn't know I'd been holding.

They smiled.

Alice chuckled first, the sound light and pleased, like she'd been waiting for that exact moment all night. 

"Well, now. Wasn't that sweet?" She turned to her sisters, finger tapping her chin dramatically. "Hmm... I'm not sure if we'll be able to do that. Lana, what's our schedule looking like?"

Lana perked up and pulled out her phone, pretending to scroll through it. "Let's see here… nope, nope, still on vacation… oh! We've got about seventy more years left of our century-long break with the other gods. So maybe we can stay another seventy years?"

"S-seventy?!" I sputtered.

Chloe tilted her head, a rare sparkle of playfulness in her voice. "That's if we don't renew it, right?"

"True," Lana said with a wink. "Depending on our mortal's performance, we might just file for an extension."

Alice smirked. "Don't get too excited, Aikami. You'll have to prove you're worth the stay."

"I didn't think it was a job interview…"

"Oh, it absolutely is. And so far, your resume is adorable but... just a little underwhelming."

I groaned, covering my face with both hands as they giggled around me like I was their favorite new toy.

Lana stood up first, brushing the dust from her skirt as she took a step toward me. Her usual grin was still there, but softer now—tinged with something more tender.

Then, without a word, she reached out and took both of my hands in hers.

"Are you absolutely sure, Aikami?" she asked sincerely.

"W-what?" I said out of nothing but impulse.

"Are you sure about wanting us to stay? There's a reason why the other gods avoid us, especially the bigger ones. We're not just three girls. We're fate itself. We're dangerous. We can be rowdy sometimes, maybe too much for your liking. We might be a lot to handle, and we're not exactly... the most sane goddesses around. Even then... Even knowing that... can it still be us? Would you really want us to stay?"

I locked eyes with her, then Chloe and Alice. Just like Lana, they were smiling and anticipating an answer they already knew would come. Not like it was any different for me, because my answer was set in stone for a long time.

"If it's alright with you... then yeah. More than anything else in the world, I want you to stay."

That was the nail in the coffin, the deal sealer. I finally said it with my full chest. It wasn't anything special. Nothing grand. Still, it was something I desired, and for me... that was a first.

"...Good," Lana said with a wide grin.

Suddenly, Chloe rushed up and jumped onto me, looping her arms around my neck as we fell over.

"W-wha—?!"

Every bit of air left my lungs as my back hit the ground. I didn't even have time to be surprised. Chloe rose over me, her face glowing a bright red.

"Sorry, Aikami..." she said, her voice quieter than usual, but no less bright. "I'm just... so happy!"

My breath caught, my eyes froze, and all I could see was her on top of me.

"To be honest... We wanted to stay too. With you. But we couldn't just decide that for ourselves. Not when this is your life and your world. It had to come from you. We were waiting for you to ask us." She leaned in just a little. "So... We'll stay. For as long as you want."

A rush of emotion welled up in my chest—so sudden, so full that it nearly knocked the air from my lungs. I didn't speak. I couldn't. My head feels... way too light right now.

Alice stepped over, her arms crossed. "Chloe."

"Ah!" she yelped as she picked herself back up. "S-sorry, Aikami..."

"It's... fine."

Alice helped me back up, and for a moment, we just looked at each other. Then, she raised a fist and lightly tapped my shoulder, but not without also leaning her head against it.

"Seriously... You didn't think we'd just leave you behind, did you? Especially after all those things we said about how we hadn't had as much fun as we did with you." 

"Well, I... I guess I really am just not good at taking hints."

"Hehe~ Obviously. At first, it was just a bit of teasing, but now... it's official. You belong to us, Aikami. Whether you like it or not."

A laugh escaped me, choked and teary.

I remember when those kinds of words used to scare me. So unnecessarily bold and threatening. But now... they gave me relief. Hope.

I wiped my eyes quickly, hoping none of them noticed.

Of course, they did, but no one said a thing. Instead, we just stood there in that perfect silence, wrapped in moonlight and each other.

Until Lana broke it with a sudden, "Ah! I almost forgot."

She whipped around, reached into her pocket, and the scene shifted into motion once again.

"What is this time?" I chuckled.

"The Lana special!" She whipped out her phone and extended her arm. "Quick, everyone! Close in on Aikami!"

"Huh? W-wait—"

Before I could even get the word out, Alice attached herself to my left arm while Lana hung to my right. Chloe backed up into my chest, holding out two peace signs.

"Guys... I'm being crushed..." I mumbled.

"Well, deal with it, Aikami," Lana grinned. "Cuz we need a photo to commemorate this night. The Fates and our favorite mortal, tying the knot. Heh, not a bad caption, eh?"

"Wait, you're gonna post this?!"

"Of course," Alice smiled. "How else are we supposed to make sure that every other god knows that you're claimed?"

I folded. Hard.

"Look at the camera, Aikami!" Lana shouted as she set the timer.

Above us, the moon hung full and silent. Below us, the lights of the festival twinkled like distant constellations.

It wasn't loud or dramatic. It wasn't some grand, world-shaking revelation.

It was just quiet.

It was just ours.

And for the first time in my life, that was enough.

Three.

Two.

Then, without warning, Alice turned her head and pressed her lips against my cheek.

Mwah~ then a click.

The camera shutter went off, freezing the moment forever.

I froze. Not a twitch, not a blink. I tried to wiggle my fingers, but they wouldn't budge. It was like every nerve in me shut down all at once. My heart was pounding so loudly that Chloe could probably feel it.

I tilted my head toward Alice, who seemed way too proud of what she had just done. She was always so confident and deliberate with the way she teased me. This time, however... she was the one blushing.

"Consider that my favor that I owed you," she whispered affectionately.

And as it turns out, I wasn't the only one who froze. So did everyone else.

Chloe slowly blinked. Lana's mouth dropped open. They both stared at the phone in stunned silence, taking in the photo.

"Wha... W-w-what?! Alice!" Lana yelped. "You sneaked in a kiss mid-photo?!"

"Of course," Alice replied with an accomplished grin. "Now the other gods will think twice about messing with our favorite mortal, right?"

Chloe's face was flushed as she glanced at me, her lips trembling like she wasn't sure what emotion to settle on.

"Ai... Aikami..." she mumbled.

"W-wait, wait! Why are you looking at me like it's my fault?!" I exclaimed.

"We're taking it again," Lana muttered.

"Nope," Alice said, snatching the phone from her hand. "This is perfect. I mean, look at Aikami. He looks so~ cute, doesn't he?"

"Hey! Give it back!"

"Haha! I don't think so!"

Chaos erupted. Chloe started fumbling over words, Lana tried wrestling Alice for the phone, and I just stood there—my brain down.

Above us, the moon kept shining.

Below us, the festival lights danced on.

And in the middle of it all—pure, beautiful mayhem.