I just haven't met you yet [Closed for Meiko]
Being a hero wasn’t the most complicated job. Generally, the dynamic was basically: save citizens, stop criminals, gain points, and attend interviews. Rinse and repeat.
Today should’ve been no different, but when Ivan did not wake up to find himself in bed or unconscious on a pavement somewhere in Sternbild, he began to hyperventilate.
It was comforting when a nice doctor came in and calmly explained to him just what in the world was going on.
It wasn’t as comforting when he got to the part about the nuclear bomb, to which, Ivan felt distraught and also terribly guilty.
It was a hero’s job to prevent terrorist attacks like this one, and even though he didn’t recall receiving any emergency calls from Agnes, he still felt as if he was partially to blame.
Speaking of the other heroes, where were they? Had they survived the bomb? What about Edward? Did they evacuate the prisoners too?
Ivan felt his stomach clench into a tight knot. He didn’t ask because he was afraid of knowing the answer. Sometimes, ignorance was bliss. The most he could do now was keep his hopes up.
The part about the spouse didn’t really register until after Ivan stood outside his assigned room.
“I have… a wife.” Ivan enunciated slowly and carefully, as if to convince himself that he was not having a pain-induced hallucination. “I have a wife… That I’ve never met.”
Okay, this was getting hard to believe. Then again, if Ivan was going to question anything, he should’ve started by questioning the reliability of the doctor just now.
But Ivan's fears weren't unfounded, right? If anybody else were in his shoes, they'd be panicking too, right?
But even if Ivan completely objected to this, it's not like it'd change a thing. He'd have to meet his(dare he say it...) wife sooner or later. Well, it was now or never. Ivan took a deep breath to calm himself and pushed open the door with a small grin plastered upon his face.
“Hello there, I’m Ivan Ka-”
Nobody.
Well, he did recall something about his future spouse being a bartender, and it was night (or at least, he assumed), so maybe she was out?
That left him some time to unpack. He cast a glance towards the dark green rucksack he had been given upon awakening and dropped it on an empty bed. He desperately prayed that is hadn't been occupied by his wife. Nothing screams bad roommate like taking things that weren't yours.
Unzipping the rucksack, he found day-to-day necessities like toothbrushes, towels, tooth paste and even a set of Ivan's clothes! How nice. He pulled out his favorite purple jacket and held it out in front of him.
It had been freshly laundered, he found when he brought the jacket close enough to sniff it, and he was pleased to see that the print hadn't faded at all, still retaining the image of a Geisha with her back turned. The large yellow text that read 'Japan' hadn't lost its color either.
Thank goodness, at least something retained its normalcy.
And suddenly, Ivan heard the sound of a door knob creaking. His head swiveled around and he caught sight of the door opening.
Oh no, was his wife back? Waaaah, so soon? He hadn't done any emotional or mental preparation yet!
He dropped the jacket and glanced around for something he could hide behind, and when his search yielded nothing, he did the first thing he could think of.
He transformed into a cactus.