Angel Yan was thinking about her own mories too.
The mory package Drex Valen had given her was not perfect. It had holes, missing seams, little cracks here and there.
Oddly enough, those flaws made it feel more real.
She had asked Esdeath about it once.
Esdeath had no interest in the question at all. She cared about battle, war, and torture. Anything else was background noise to her.
Tifa, on the other hand, had simply said that as long as Drex was by her side, the rest could take its ti.
Lyra Yan was even less concerned. She had fallen headfirst into video gas and was now far more invested in controllers than in existential questions.
"What are you thinking about?"
Drex looked at Angel Yan's thoughtful expression and asked.
"My missing mories."
She did not hide it. Maybe it was because, in her rembered world, Drex Valen had beco the person she felt closest to.
"There is no need to rush," Drex said. "You'll rember them little by little."
"But..."
Angel Yan seed like she wanted to say more.
"Don't overthink it."
Drex took her hand.
Her palm was cool against his, and when he saw the soft worry in her face, a small smile touched his own lips.
"I'm your man. If you feel like leaning on soone, lean on . And in this new world, you're my anchor too."
Angel Yan blinked.
Then her cheeks slowly colored.
Yes, the old hand of centuries did blush.
Drex was pleased with that reaction.
Then he turned his head and saw Tifa walking out of the kitchen with a tray of food in her hands, wearing a pink apron like the picture of dostic grace.
Tifa noticed him looking and casually tucked a strand of black hair behind her ear.
The gesture was effortless, composed, and unfairly charming all at once.
After dinner, Drex took them out shopping.
Angel Yan could conceal her wings, even though she was both a mutant and a Kryptonian soldier. Drex had spent a lot of effort making that possible in the first place.
Still, with their very different looks, their striking beauty, and the gentle elegance they carried, the three won seed almost like figures who had walked out of a legend.
Lyra Yan, Tifa, and Angel Yan drew stares everywhere they went.
People kept turning their heads.
Once they stepped into the store, the attention dropped a little, but that was exactly when Drex started feeling awkward instead.
Things like matching couples' outfits, or clerks asking for lingerie sizes, were not exactly his strong suit.
"Drex is bad at dealing with this kind of thing?" Angel Yan asked, sounding faintly surprised.
"I almost never bought clothes in actual stores before," Drex said dryly. "Not on Earth. Not on Krypton either."
On Earth, he had never had ti to browse. On Krypton, he had never needed to.
The result was the sa.
He was single in both places.
After shopping, the three won all wanted to try riding bicycles.
Drex did not really understand why, but he agreed.
Riding a bike was just riding a bike. How hard could it be?
"New York doesn't look nearly as chaotic as people say," Drex muttered while pedaling at an easy pace. "Seems like a lot of it was just people talking it up."
He chuckled.
Riding around with a beautiful woman on the back of your bike did have a certain romantic quality to it.
"Mm," Tifa said softly.
She was sitting side-saddle on the back seat, one arm wrapped around Drex's waist, her shoulder resting lightly against his back. She wore pale blue casual clothes and a baseball cap, and if soone looked closely, they would notice the faint pink in her cheeks.
There was no way around it.
They looked like a couple.
And with the shopping bag full of clothes tucked in Tifa's arms, they even looked a little like a newlywed pair on an ordinary afternoon out.
To be honest, Tifa seed to enjoy this quiet kind of happiness.
As Drex pedaled along, he glanced upward and saw Spider-Gwen swinging overhead, moving fast enough to blur through the skyline.
She was too high up to notice him.
Right after she swung past, Spider-Man followed behind her.
"Do you like coffee?"
Drex slowed the bike and stopped.
"More than coffee, I prefer tea," Tifa said as she stepped off the back seat. Then she looked at Drex, who was adjusting the bike, and smiled faintly.
"Two coffees, please."
They sat at an outdoor café while people hurried past in all directions. Drex actually liked that kind of scenery.
"People think I'm better at putting bones back together," he said, glancing at the street, "but honestly, I've always wanted to open a café."
He paused, then added with a shrug, "Whether it makes money or not is secondary. Sitting inside on a rainy day, looking through the glass at people rushing past outside, that sounds pretty atmospheric."
Tifa looked interested. "Why not open one now?"
"I might not have the ti to run it properly," Drex said. "And my identity would probably get exposed imdiately. That would ruin the fun."
Tifa did not press the issue.
After the coffee, Lyra Yan took the bicycle seat next.
"Drex."
She spoke all of a sudden.
"Mm?"
Drex, now acting as the driver again, answered without turning around.
"I heard that the Sorcerer Supre, Gu Yi, has a Ti Stone. Do you think it could take back to the Ba-Yue from my mories? I want to see that place."
Lyra leaned lightly against him as she spoke.
Drex froze for a mont.
"Lyra Yan, you know this world is not the sa as the one we ca from."
"Yes."
"And even if we found the Ti Stone, it still wouldn't take you back to the Ba-Yue you rember. No high heels. No stockings. No sheer skirts. None of the people or things you know would be there."
Drex's voice was calm.
"I know... but aren't we never going to return to our original world?"
Lyra held him tighter, resting her face against his back.
Drex was quiet for a mont.
"...We'll go back."
Not only back.
He would also go to all the worlds he wanted to see.
If he could cross from DC into Marvel, then there was no reason he could not move from Marvel into Qin's Moon, into other worlds, into Fate, into Chaldea, into Final Fantasy...
Lyra did not say anything else.
Then it was Angel Yan's turn.
"Do you want to see a movie?" Drex asked.
"Mm."
Angel Yan half-lidded her eyes and lazily spread her hands before stretching with visible satisfaction. She looked almost like soone waking up into a brand-new life.
"That sounds wonderful..."
Turning back at a slight angle, she smiled.
"Afternoon," she said softly.
The slender line of her neck and the elegant curve of her collarbone caught Drex's eye. Combined with the sleepy, relaxed tilt of her face, it stirred sothing warm and imdiate in his chest.
Drex pedaled a little faster.
When they arrived at the cinema, he was genuinely curious what kind of movie the Angel Yan he had personally created would want to watch.
"Drex, let's watch this one."
Angel Yan smiled with quiet, knowing amusent.
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