Monster

3.1 | I'm So Grateful For You

It wasn't long before the other boys trailed in, dropping into seats and helping Yuri transfer food to the table from the counter. A few minutes later, there was a knock on the door, and Yuri opened it to see Afia standing there, holding two pies.

"Wassup Fia?"

The girl smiled. "I'm ready to get to know your monsters," she whispered.

Yuri grinned. "Come on in then!" She shut the door. "Boys, you all have probably already met Afia, Fia, in case you don't remember their names, Seungcheol, Jeonghan, Joshua, Jun, Soonyoung, Wonwoo, Jihoon, Seokmin, Mingyu, Minghao, Seungkwan, Vernon, and Chan."

They nodded, waving or raising their hands as Yuri said their names. Afia smiled, holding up her pie pans. "I brought dessert."

The boys cheered and Yuri felt warm. It was like everything in her life was coming together finally. So, they sat down and ate, laughing, telling jokes, being silly, and serious at some points but not really.

Afia asked hard questions that the boys did their best to answer. They looked slightly scared of her, but Yuri knew they would warm up to her soon, well, just as long as Afia didn't threaten them.

But she knew that the other girl was satisfied with them, because the boys were overprotective, but also funny, and Afia valued humor as a trait in friends, but never liked Yuri's dad jokes, which she was slightly offended by.

After dinner, the boys pulled out games, played cards, argued about Disney movies, and did their own version of an interrogation with Afia. Yuri was proud. They were as normal as normal could be, right?

Yuri stepped outside onto the porch, not at all surprised when Minghao joined her.

"Afia is a lot different than what I expected."

"What did you expect?"

"I suppose I thought she would be kind of mean to us. I didn't realize that she would be so kind."

Yuri laughed. "Afia has always been more welcoming than me. She's my opposite, but she knows me better than anyone."

He nodded. "Yin and yang."

"Hm?"

"Yin and yang. Opposites, but each with a bit of each other. They can't exist without the other. There is a little bit of darkness in light, and a little bit of light in darkness. Soulmates don't have to be romantic. Sometimes soulmates are just people who complete you, no more, and no less. They make you a better person."

"For someone who came into existence last year, you're very smart."

"No, I just happen to know that everything happens for a reason. That makes all the difference."

"When did you become-" she paused, gesturing to his head vaguely. "-this?"

"Wise?"

"Yeah, I suppose you could say that."

"I don't know. It just happened. I visited the stars and they told me all their secrets. That humanity long to be angels, forgetting that they were made to be above them."

Yuri nodded. "They think so little of themselves, but think themselves higher at the same time. They don't realize that they are the most important creature on this planet, but also that they aren't better than anyone else. They contradict themselves really. Humans are so strange. They want to be God, but will never reach that standard."

Minghao nudged her with his shoulder. "I think you're just as wise as I am."

Yuri scoffed. "Just wait until you see the things I've seen. Spending time in my shoes is easy, spending time in my memories? Well, I'm terrified."