Escapade

19 - Special Chapter : Escapade to Forever

Yin thought he'd never see his boyfriend cry again after that because it takes a lot to touch War enough to shed tears, but it happened again. The second one was when War watched a particularly sad anime episode with Yin. It was surprising nonetheless because War wasn't typically emotional when reacting to particularly sad scenes in any form of entertainment. Yet the second time War cried, it was because of an anime scene. Yin was an avid anime lover. He'd been watching them since high school and had wanted to watch this particular anime, but he hasn't had time recently.

"Given?", War asked while trying to find a comfortable position as Yin put down snacks on the coffee table in front of them. Netflix had the series ready to be played on the screen.

"Yep, I've been wanting to watch this but have no time, so thank you for agreeing to watch it for today's movie night.", Yin finally settled beside War, and he finally found a comfortable position.

"No problem, it looks interesting with the band stuff and all. It's probably about cute high school love as well."

Oh, War was so wrong about that.

He should've known how depressing the anime could be from the first episode, but nine episodes in, he sobbed into Yin's arm when the main character, Sato Mafuyu,'s painful monologue overlapped his singing voice. Even Yin was tearing up during the band's performance, but he was fairly distracted by how soft War was. Understandably, Sato Mafuyu, the main character, is endearing enough, and he was portrayed as a person who suffers in silence. Kind of like War himself.

"I'm sorry, I got your shirt wet with my snot", War said when they took a break before episode ten. "Oh my God, this is embarrassing", he said, accompanied by a wet laugh. Still in his feelings after the particular emotionally evoking scene.

"No, baby, I teared up a bit too. That scene was just that good", Yin handed War more tissues as his boyfriend blew his nose.

"Right? Mafuyu just didn't understand how to properly cry, and - and, that song is so painful", War said, his voice wavering again, remembering the monolog and the lyrics of the song.

Yin felt bad for thinking how cute War looked with a tear-streaked face but also with a heart filled with warmth. War used to be like Mafuyu, maybe that was why he felt related to his struggle. However, War wasn't emotionally distant anymore, he properly communicated what he was feeling and what he needed to feel better, and he would never leave Yin in the dark. Yin admired War's growth and appreciated his openness in expressing his emotions. It was a stark contrast to their earlier days, when War would bottle up his feelings, leaving Yin to guess what was wrong. Now, they had built a strong foundation of trust and communication, ensuring that they always supported each other through both joyful and painful moments.

So, when War cried again, Yin kind of expected that to happen. For the company's 8th anniversary, Yin's company held a charity event for unfortunate children. War, of course, was invited. It was a simple thing that Yin wanted to do. They set up a temporary play ground and a colorful festival in their company. War was included in the layout decisions, of course, Yin offered him a commission for his work, but War refused it. 

"I want to do it for the children," he said. Yin's mother is also coming, so War puts himself under the small pressure of wanting to impress her. He met the sweet lady once, when their relationship got serious, Yin brought him home to meet his parents. Both her and Yin's dad had been so welcoming and warm towards War. Now that he's going to meet her again, he wanted to show off a little bit of his skill.

The event was cheerful, colorful, and simply fun. So many children from several orphanages and social workers filled up the festival and contemporary play ground. There were games, a puppet show, and a talent show. One particular child caught War's eye. He was probably around 11 years old and brought a guitar on stage. The little boy was smiling, but for some reason, his smile made War a little sad.