(Akina's POV)
Mom was taken aback.
"You're the Guardian," she said—though by now, that was stating the obvious.
That's when Serco powered down, revealing the form she was familiar with.
"Shion is the Guardian?!" Mom looked at me as she asked, but I couldn't meet her eyes. I felt bad for hiding it from her for so long.
"I am... I'm sorry for keeping it from you," Serco said gently. "It's frowned upon to get too familiar with humans. It... gives the impression I'm playing favorites. But I'm revealing myself to you because I am—Akina is my favorite human in this city, and... it's time I showed her that I'm serious about her."
It was clearly a lot for Mom to take in. She dropped into a nearby rocking chair with a frozen expression and didn't blink for several moments. We waited while she collected her thoughts. Then finally, she pointed at me and asked:
"So... you've been dating the Guardian?"
I nodded.
"And... you've been dating my daughter?" she added, now pointing at Serco.
He laughed. "That has been established."
Mom lowered her hand and then asked, "And what do you need from me?"
"I want to bring Akina to meet my family. I need your approval... of course."
After Serco clarified this, Mom pointed at herself and mouthed the word, "Me?" He nodded, smiling as if amused by her disbelief.
"I don't think I could possibly say no..." she murmured, head bowed.
"You can. You're her mother," Serco said simply.
He's always been like this. I thought back to when he once told me I didn't need to apologize to him—that he was in the wrong and he owed me an apology. Now, even though he wants something badly, he's recognizing my mother's authority over his own as a Guardian.
"...Can I think about it?" she asked. "I'll have an answer by tomorrow. I promise."
Serco sighed softly but said, "Take all the time you need."
Then, he gently took my hand and lifted my fingers to his lips to kiss them. My heart ignited instantly. He held my gaze and added,
"I'll give you two time to talk."
And then, he vanished.
Mom kept staring at me. I continued avoiding eye contact. I had no idea what to say.
"You... kept a pretty big secret from me," she finally said.
"I'm so sorry! I didn't want to—I mean, I did want to spend time with him—but his identity wasn't mine to reveal, and I didn't want to ruin things by betraying his trust... but yes."
The words tumbled out in a rush. When I finished, I dropped to the floor and hugged my knees.
"Did he... propose, like you predicted?" she asked.
Blood rushed to my face.
"I shouldn't have said that! I was being dramatic... I'm sorry."
She stared at me for a few seconds, then chuckled and said, "Infaniyans do marry quickly. You might actually be right."
Her comment hit me like a critical blow.
"They can read people—and each other—so well that they get to know their lovers deeply, much faster than humans do," she added more seriously, which helped calm me down.
"So... you don't think I'm crazy?" I asked hesitantly.
"Do you think you're crazy?" Her question caught me off guard. I didn't know how to answer.
"I..." I began, but she cleared her throat and continued.
"I know he wouldn't have revealed himself to me—or offered to introduce you to his parents—if he were just fooling around. You're a human. It's... not unheard of, but it's definitely not normal for an Infaniyan to show off their Homo sapien lover."
Then she gave me a wide smile. "So... how did you seduce him?"
"I didn't!" I said defensively.
"It's okay. You can tell me," she teased with a wink.
"Mom?! Are you okay?!" I cried, absolutely mortified.
She came and sat down beside me with a sigh.
"I'm... kind of jealous. Before I met your father, I had a little crush on the Guardian too."
I felt a small wave of disgust.
"I don't know if I'm comfortable hearing this story..."
But she continued anyway.
"I used to watch him in awe. The gratitude I felt for him protecting me—protecting all of us—transformed into deep affection. I can understand why you like him, is all I'm saying."
I shook my head.
"No, you don't... I felt grateful too, but that wasn't enough. It wasn't until I met him that anything changed. I like him because he pushes me to speak up for myself. I like him because when he looks at me, I feel like the most important thing in the world—and nothing else has ever made me feel like that before. I like that he's not afraid to show how he feels. Unlike me, he doesn't care if his emotions upset other people.
I love him because of who he is—not because of his job."
Mom looked at me silently for a moment, then finally said, "I feel like I just got chastised by my own kid."
I started to apologize, but she pulled me into a hug and patted my head.
"You can go see his family. I know you'll be safe with our Guardian."
I hugged her back tightly, filled with joy.
"Wait... are you two... getting it on in my house?!"
I gasped and clung to her tighter.
"No, Mom! Let's not talk for a while, please!"
My face was burning, and just saying that much was all I could do before the flood of dirty thoughts made my brain short-circuit.