Their New Future | BOOK 2 OF THE ANOMALY SAGA

CHAPTER 16

[Location: Busan, South Korea. Time: 7:30am. 26 months after CH15. November.]

It was barely morning as the summer sunrise had started to peak through crème, silk blinds. The warmth of the sun tickles the pale feet sticking out of the white bedsheets, prompting the owner to hide further in the covers, before giving up. Ryū's thick black mop of hair peaked above the sheets, squinted eyes looking around in confusion before sighing loudly into the air as one eye remained squinted open.

Rubbing their eyes, they begrudgingly left the comfort of their bed to look for their phone on the bedside table, checking the time.

'Huh... Woke up later than usual... I actually managed to stay asleep.' They scratched the back of their head as the waddled over to pull open the blinds as their hair stood in all sorts of directions, turning around to look at the small human who was sprawled out in their bed, cuddling his favourite toy close to him as he babbled in his sleep. A loving smile came onto their features as they carefully laid behind him and placed their large hands on his back to wake him back to reality.

"Tetsurou, it's time to wake up." Their voice was so gentle and raspy, barely above a whisper. Tetsu turned in his sleep and Ryū gently blew on his nose, making him cutely sneeze awake and they chuckle into the pillow as he crawled into their arms, clingy as always. That hadn't changed and it made them fall in love with their son even more. He was already 4 years old, his birthday in early April and it was now almost November, close to Ryū's own birthday.

Not that they remembered.

"Daddy?"

"Mmm, I'm right here, honey. Can we brush our teeth now?" Ryū asked, earning a verbal yes and they made their way into the bathroom from the hallway, letting him down as they got their own toothbrush and mint toothpaste from the mirror cabinet.

Tetsurou tiredly dragged a small stool from under the sink and placed it next to their dad, climbing to grab his own toothbrush and carefully squeezed his strawberry flavoured toothpaste onto his brush. Toothbrush in hand, he bared his teeth into the mirror earning a pat on the head from Ryū.

They poured water into a cup for him, and some for themself as they rinsed their mouth. Foam cleanser in hand, they washed their face and applied skincare up until Tetsu had finished brushing his teeth and washing his face. Ryū grabbed a towel from the rack and held it up for him.

"Wipe." Tetsu roughly wiped his face, making Ryū shake their head, "Gently, Tets. You have to be gentle." He let out a soft sorry and tapped the towel across his face as they laughed at his antics.

After sorting themselves out, Tetsurou was dressed for daycare in a pair of blue jeans and a black and white striped button up, and Ryū had gently brushed his messy mop of black hair, white hair prominent in his bangs and undercut in the back. Ryū was already dressed simply in a beige short sleeved button-up tucked into black slim-fit trousers, paired with black platform derby shoes and several accessories.

Looking into the mirror, they patted their neck with TF Black Orchid spray, giving their hair an extra amount of wax as they styled the right side backwards, leaving a little bit over the middle part side swept and hanging in front of their face. Their hair has returned to its charcoal black colour, but they had re-dyed their hair black.
They decided to embrace the vitiligo on their face though, after hating the white discolouration in their eyebrows and eyelashes, seeing how they kept getting compliments. They had shaved off their mullet that they loved, which was neatly faded with their shaved sides.