Edited by: Kuro
This chapter is sponsored by: that same somebody I mentioned in the previous chapter! You know who you are. Thank youuu! I appreciate you for supporting me and my work!
It had been a few years since Jaden had debuted. JADED had immense popularity and their music spread across the world. Their albums and songs always occupied the top of the charts, and everything they did had millions of views and likes.
Sumia, aka Arisa, and her group members became quite famous as well, becoming the top female group in the country. Arisa was finally able to achieve Sumia’s dream as a top idol.
Weirdly enough, Jaden never met the female and male protagonists of the world. Well, he probably passed them once in a while, but they were not his competition at all. Even Sumia surpassed the female protagonist before meeting her.
Sumia ignored the male lead's advances, making full use of being free from System 505, and lived her life to the fullest.
All in all, the male and female protagonists were pretty irrelevant to Jaden and Sumia.
Along the way, Jaden and Adriel had gotten together, but their relationship status wasn't known to many. It was because Jaden had become extremely popular and he didn't want Adriel to meet any backlash from his fans or the media. Even so, they spent many happy days with one another until Jaden had decided to retire at the end of his contract with JQ.
It took 6 years for Jaden to finish all the missions. The main mission was completed in three years and getting all of his surgeries took 6 years.
With the help of Luna, they were able to create a safer country for trans individuals. Though death by hate crimes and suicide decreased, they knew it would take some time before they could achieve the goals that they wanted, which was equity for all.
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The retired Jaden was running through the city holding Adriel's hand. Cameras flashed as the two jumped into Adriel's car and finally escaped.
Even after retiring, everyone wanted to know what Jaden was doing. When someone had leaked out that he was in the city with Adriel, everyone had rushed over to see the couple enjoying a nice dinner. Their dinner was undisturbed, but the moment they left the restaurant, they were quickly surrounded.
After that, news popped up about Jaden and his mysterious lover, the CEO behind the company that led the way into the new VR technology. No one could say that they weren't meant for each other whether it be their status, their looks, or their intelligence.
Seeing that they lost everyone, Jaden finally gave a sigh. "It seems even after retiring, I won't regain privacy. How annoying..." He knew that as someone who was famous, he would gain and lose some. Still, he just wanted some peace and quiet with his lover.
"At least they had the courtesy to wait for us to finish eating..." Adriel tried to look on the brighter side.
He was right though. If they interrupted Jaden while he was eating, he probably would've thrown everyone off the second-floor balcony.
Jaden gave a sigh before taking Adriel's free hand and giving it a little kiss. The man was driving, so he could only do this much. "Where to next on our lovely date?"
Adriel smiled before rubbing Jaden's hand with his thumb. "Let's go to one of my favorite sightseeing spots. Not a lot of people know about it but the view is breathtaking."
His hand rubs reminded Jaden of how God System used to rub his face to stop him from frowning. He loved that God System’s quirks changed in each room but he still did all of them regardless of the new one.
They drove in comfortable silence for 15 minutes before arriving at their destination. Since it was nighttime, only a few street lights lit up the small parking lot. There were no other cars in the parking lot or going down the street. Next to the 5 car parking lot, there was a sidewalk that led into the forest. It seemed well maintained because there were small street lamps going into the forest and no spiders hanging up in the trees above it.
"Let's go." Adriel held out his hand for Jaden to grab.
Jaden grabbed his hand but he hesitantly looked into the forest. It reminded him of those horror movies of couples getting killed in the forest or something crazy like that.
"Don't be scared! There's nothing in there. Trust me." Adriel smiled brightly under the moonlight. He seemed confident about the safety of going into the forest at night, making Jaden feel a little better.
"Hmm, I trust you."
The two began to walk along the path. It was a quiet night beside the sounds of nature coming from all around them. It made them forget that there was a city nearby, even the stars in the sky shined brighter than usual. As they got closer to their destination, Jaden could see a railing and street lamps lighting up the area.
When he finally got there, he realized that they were at a cliff area, and the view overlooked the city they were just at.
Lights twinkled and flickered in the distance where people were going home for dinner. In the sky, stars glimmered brightly, as if they were competing with the lights on the ground. There was a soft and chilly breeze brushing by them and a particular scent of burning wood was very faint.
Benches were placed a couple of feet away from the railings so that people could sit and enjoy the view.
Jaden's eyes lit up as he got closer to the railing. He wasn't afraid of heights so he leaned over just a bit to get a better view. "It's breathtaking..."
There was a certain charm to places like these. Places that were close to the city but somehow had the night sky of a place far away from the bustling streets of artificial lighting. Because of the location, he felt it was like a secret hideout with his lover, but obviously since it was maintained, others knew of the place as well.
Adriel nodded and leaned against the railing. "It really is... Being here reminds me that there is more to this world than just the city life. I usually come here when I can't leave the city, but I want a place to breathe."
The two went silent once more, hand in hand as they leaned up against the railing. Jaden closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Moments like these, where he was finally able to get some peace and quiet, were moments he really cherished. He also enjoyed having Adriel by his side because he understood his need for silence. The two didn't have to talk, but just his presence was enough for Jaden.
After a while, Jaden felt Adriel shift his position, his hand was still being held, but for some odd reason, he felt...
When Jaden opened his eyes and looked over at Adriel, he found the man knelt down on one knee, holding his hand with one, a small box in the other. Adriel looked up at him with a serious and determined look on his face, but somehow, there was a gentle smile on his face. He looked as if was waiting for Jaden to look over at him and give him attention.
Jaden used his other hand to cover his mouth, trying to stop himself from... Screaming? Happily?
"Jaden, we've known each other for a few years now. The first time I saw you, you were sitting on a stool in a bar, playing songs softly with your guitar. You wore a mask on your face, and you seemed so at peace with yourself, with the world. From that moment on, I wanted to get to know you. When I found out that you were going to be an idol, I knew right away that I would be your biggest fan. I still am your biggest fan, even if you aren't singing and dancing on the stage anymore, or if you are just happily singing on the streets. Nothing would change how I fell in love with you who was so passionate about music.
"I know you have been going through a lot and there are times when you are insecure about me accepting and loving you because of your gender identity. You wondered if I would be repulsed by the fact that you are a 'trans man', but I don't mind if you are. Regardless of your gender identity, as long as you are still you, if it's the same soul inside a body, whether it be in the body of a man, a woman, non-binary or otherwise, I will still love you for who you are. I will prove it to you, whether it be in this life, or the next, I will always find my way back to you."
It was such a romantically beautiful string of words that danced along his heartstrings. There was a warm, yet secure feeling that welled up in his soul. It was like the man who didn't have memories of their past lives together but still somehow carried those feelings with him, was able to see the insecurities within him, and gave him a sense of belonging, trust, and comfort that no other being could ever give him.
Jaden knew that these feelings that they had for each other were true love. If they weren't, what could it even be? The feelings they had for one another always carried over from world to world, never tiring out, always longing for one another. To be loved like this was all he had ever wanted.
"Jaden, will you marry me? At the end of this year when this country will legalize gay marriage, let's be the first to get married."
He nodded his head, tears slowly fell down his cheeks, but they were happy tears. He was so happy that he was speechless.
Adriel let go of his hand and took the ring out of the small blue box. It held a ring made of platinum and had a very simple design. There was a small strip of diamond that went all around the ring. That was it. Nothing too crazy.
He slipped the ring onto Jaden's ring finger. It was the perfect size, even if Jaden didn't tell him his size.
Jaden jumped Adriel into a hug, making him lose his balance. Adriel fell on his butt but he didn't mind it. He tightly hugged Jaden back who buried his head into Adriel's shoulder.
They were both so happy.
After a long hug, Jaden slowly let go and kissed Adriel on the lips.
"Do you wanna know what's funny?" Jaden asked. His eyes were slightly red from crying, but somehow he still looked beautiful to Adriel.
"Hmm? What's funny?" Adriel asked, his voice getting hoarse from looking at Jaden whose smile seems to purify but also color his soul with love.
Jaden smirked then pulled out a small red box. "Actually, it seems I also bought a ring for you."
He opened up the box and the ring sat on a red cushion. When Adriel looked at it closely, he noticed that... The ring was exactly the same as the one he had bought! Just slightly bigger.
Adriel couldn't help but laugh as Jaden took his hand.
"Adriel, can I put the ring on you?"
"Of course..."
Jaden put the ring on Adriel's ring finger and it was the perfect match. Before they could say anything else, they heard clapping off to the side.
When they looked over, an old couple was clapping for them. They had smiles on their wrinkled faces, but they seemed truly happy for Jaden and Adriel.
"Congratulations on your engagement!"
"We hope you have a happy life together!"
The old couple, a man and a woman, were standing by the entrance to the forest. They wore thick clothes, it was probably kind of cold for them, but they still decided to come over.
This couple had been going to this spot every week for half a century. This was also the place where the older man had proposed to his wife. This was a special spot for them as they had a lot of memories there.
When they were younger, this was a popular spot for couples, but as their generation got older, and the other generations started to grow up, people seemed to forget about the spot. Until they were the last ones coming there, well, until Adriel and Jaden came around.
Jaden and Adriel were a little stunned that the old couple had seen the whole thing, but they ended up giving their thanks.
The four sat on the benches, looking up at the stars while Jaden and Adriel listened to the couple talk about their life and how they had been married for so long. There were many ups and downs in their life, but they still stayed together.
As they listened to them, Jaden and Adriel couldn't help but think that they would grow old together, just like this older couple...
And truly, even after they had grown old with white hair and wrinkles, the two would come to this spot, just like the older couple they had met when they got engaged.
Grandpa Marky: I wanted to mention this here but I really appreciate all of my grandchildren readers. SO. I would like to thank everyone for all the get well wishes. I will be getting my blood test results five days from whatever yesterday was, so I will keep you all posted. I'm so so tired. There's one more chapter in this arc and then we will be starting Arc 5! Remember, I will be increasing the price for the ko-fi, but I will be keeping the Patreon prices the same, so think about joining my Patreon. Thank you and I will see you all next week with the last chapter of this Arc!
kuro_kama: The old couple were so sweet. I love them.
