Secret Romantic || Hanji x Female Reader

[Special Chapter] Mother's Day

"Darling, before anything else, I'd like to apologize to you for not letting you know that we were going here. I should've asked you first if it was alright with you, and we could've gone until you were ready," they told me softly, as if they were deeply regretting the decision.

While I knew where they were coming from, I felt the opposite, in reality, "You have nothing to apologize for, Hanji. If you had asked me about this before, I would've never been ready. It would've taken years and years, until I could only hope I could forget everything I've gone through." I glanced up at them and saw a worried expression on their face, as if they were fighting an internal battle. As an attempt to ease their struggle, I said in all honesty, "I'm thankful to you for bringing me here. For the first time in so long, I finally get to spend Mother's day with her."

_

It took me a long time to calm myself down after [possibly] an hour of crying. I was incredibly thankful for Hanji as they held me in their arms the entire time, gently stroking my hair and whispering comforting words to me, which honestly just made me cry more. At this moment, I truly wished that my mom could've met them in person, and not like this.

I'm 100% sure she would've approved of Hanji.

"I'm so sorry about this, Hanji. I even ruined your shirt...and you look really good in it too," I told them as I wiped my eyes with the back of my hand for the nth time, while they only chuckled softly in response.

While it was a fact that Hanji looked good all the time anyway, today was unexpected. They were dressed in a dark blue long-sleeved polo shirt paired with black slacks and dress shoes, as if they were going to a formal event instead of the cemetery.

"I beg to differ, love. This is a formal event, you know," Hanji playfully countered as they kissed my forehead, and I raised a brow in question, to which they answered, "I'm formally meeting my mother-in-law for the first time. Of course, I want to leave a good impression on her. I want to reassure her that her lovely daughter is always loved and well taken care of, and that she doesn't have to worry about anything at all."

They faced my mom's grave as they continued and sincerely started, "It's nice to finally you, Mrs. [L/N]. I am truly thankful that you took such great care of her, looked after her, and loved her with everything you had. If it hadn't been for you, I wouldn't have married such an amazing woman and partner. I have always been one who was never interested in anyone, but it all changed when I met your daughter. When I picture my life with her, a happily ever after suddenly doesn't feel far out of my reach. I promise that I will take such good care of her, to cherish her, to be with her through ups and downs, and to protect her with my life, as you had."

At their words, I could feel fresh tears threatening to resurface - no one has ever done this before, and it truly meant a lot to me that they were going through such lengths just for me. Hanji had left me utterly speechless, and I could only reach up to wrap my arms around them, burying my face on the crook of their neck.

After a few moments of comfortable silence, I was finally able to gather my wits about me, "You make me want to be a better person. With you, I feel safer than ever. My life has never been easy, yet you remained patient with me all throughout. You've been my rock, my anchor, and the one person who has kept me sane. Every day has been difficult for me, but knowing that I will always find you every day motivates me to keep going."

"This is embarrassing," I continued to somehow lighten up the mood before I began with the waterworks once more, "but one of the reasons why I couldn't visit her was because I couldn't remember where she was buried. I was young when they brought me here, and my condition didn't exactly help."

I heard them sigh softly, as if they were in pain, before wrapping their arms around me once more in a loving embrace. It took them a few seconds before responding, "I know, darling. Months back, I called your friend, Sasha, to ask how you spent Mother's day, or if you did in the first place."

Staying silent, I waited for them to continue as my heart beat wildly in my chest, "She told me that you would visit cemetery after cemetery, trying to find where your mom was buried."

"And you found her for me," I finished softly for them, and at this moment, I felt an overwhelming feeling of love and gratitude that I found myself wondering what greatness I did in my previous life to deserve to be with Hanji in this lifetime.

"Always, darling. You know I'd do anything to make and keep you happy," Hanji lightly kissed my lips, and I found myself unable to say anything just yet. All I knew was that at this moment, everything felt right.

Before I could let them know how grateful I am for taking me here, for spending time with my mom, and everything else in between, they held on to my hand as they said in an almost reverent tone, "and if one day, you decide that you want for us to have our own child to love, just know that I will completely be here to love and support you for the rest of our lives," Hanji paused for a moment as they tucked a stray strand of hair behind my ear, leaning ever so closely as if to claim my lips once more, "I have no doubt that you will definitely be a great mother to them, as your mom has been with you."

[Author's Note]

Hi, everyone! I hope you've all been well all this time! I'm terribly sorry for not being able to update, since everything's been hectic since I moved. Rest assured that I will finish this story, and maybe publish a new one later one (when I get the time!) :D For now, I hope to upload side chapters and/or random prompts.

As always, take care and I hope you enjoyed this chapter!