Chapter Text
'No way... There's just no way!'
"It is unsightly to be rolling around on the floor like that." Said an elegant, silver haired young man. Taking a sip from his cup of green tea without a care.
Meanwhile, the person across from him, bolted up from his spot on the floor. Red faced, hysterical and scowling at his companion, he points at him and says, "You wouldn't be calm if you were in my shoes! THIS SHOULDN'T EVEN BE POSSIBLE IN THE FIRST PLACE!" Tugging his hair in distress, the black haired man groans while his impromptu roommate blinks. To anyone else, this handsome silver haired man would look bored at the situation he found himself in. But Lee Hoyeol wasn't just anyone. He knows him better than anyone else - and the bastard was smiling at his expense.
"Grandfell - are you laughing at me right now? This is serious!" Cried the man.
".... Would you like me to pour you a cup?" He asks, already moving to do so. "It may be of help to you to partake in tea time. 'Tis quite a relaxing activity."
"What are you? A historical noble - wait, don't answer that. NO, I DON - thank you - I DON'T THINK THIS WILL HELP THE SITUATION, YOU NUTJOB!" Despite his rejection, Hoyeol still accepted the fresh cup of tea from his dark past personified.
"Mn. Fretting about it will do nothing but cause unnecessary stress. I am here now, we should just be focusing on what can be done instead. But tea time is a sacred ceremony. Let us partake in it first." The ex-noble replies. His companion sighs.
"Easy for you to say... You're not the one who's face-to-face with their past cringe phase personified!" Pouting, Hoyeol studies the man before him. Taking in his physique and general appearance. Making a mental note to buy clothes that would actually fit Grandfell. Even in his largest t-shirt and sweats, the man looked much too large in them. Damn this handsome bastard.
"You just thought of something rude, didn't you." Not a question.
"I was just thinking that we should go on a little shopping trip later. We need to get you some more clothes." Hoyeol points out. Already trying to calculate a budget. Making a mental list of what they would need. "I can't lend you my clothes forever, you'll stetch them out! And we can't just have you walking around in your demon hunter gear all the time."
Moving to pick up their empty teacups, Grandfell nods. "I appreciate your consideration and hospitality despite my sudden impromptu arrival." He says, heading to do the dishes. "You said that today was your day off, didn't you? We can head out after I clean up."
Hoyeol shrugs from his spot on the floor. "Well, it was surprising to see some rando next to me first thing in the morning but I kind of feel responsible here. Usually players just assimilate with their avatars - yet here we are! Existing in the same space with our own bodies." They think back to this morning; Hoyeol waking to find a familiar stranger next to him in bed, silently screetching in shock and embarressment, and Grandfell waking from a heavy thud hitting the floor. Only to find himself in an unfamiliar environment with Lee Hoyeol peeking up at him from the other side of the bed. The status screen immediately popping up between them after making brief eye contact.
'It was weird,' Hoyeol muses. 'Now that I think about it, only one screen popped up between us.'
He summons the window again. There, on the screen, were Grandfell's stats from when he last played a decade ago. Although, it was Lee Hoyeol's name and person that showed up on screen. Humming in thought, he calls out "hey, Grandfell? Are you able to summon a character window?" Immediately after he asked, his own screen changed. There were no changes in character specs but right next to his person was Grandfell's image and his full name and noble status was shown. Despite studying the screen so intently, he almost completely missed the [SPOUSES] title that was proudly proclaimed right above their figures. His brain forcing a reboot when he finally noticed it.
"Well, this is surprising news," comes a deep baritone from right next to his ear. Squeaking in surprise, Hoyeol whips around to face his new, recently claimed husband.
"H-how can you be so nonchalant about this? You wake up in another world and then find yourself suddenly married to a stranger! How can you be so calm?!"
Grandfell blinks. "Are we not childhood sweethearts? Would it not make sense for me to find myself in sharing a home with my beloved and form a sacred union?"
Hoyeol gave him a blank look. What is this insane bastard talking about? And why do you look so pleased?! This maniac is definitely enjoying himself. Stupid asshole...
"... What is this? A romantasy novel? Quit messing around!" Well, Grandfell is a romfan male lead come to life. He fits the description of one perfectly! Definitely a cold duke of the north kind of ML that his sisters liked reading about back in the day.
"Apologies, my dear. I was just thinking that this could help explain our peculiar situation. That my existence here could be tied to it." Woow... Pet names already? Look at this shameless man. He sure adapts quickly to the situation, doesn't he... Not surprising since he created him to be a level-headed prodigy in the first place. Hoyeol wrote down everything cool about Grandfell when he was younger - with some influence from his three older sisters, of course. In a daughter rich household, it only made sense that Lee Hoyeol would share some of their interests while growing up. He'd rather take that to his grave than ever admit it, though.
Hoyeol can feel his sanity slowly slipping away. Was this some kind of divine punishment for a past life or something? Did he commit some horrible crime and now is the time to pay his dues? Just take some deep breaths, Hoyeol, deep breaths...
"In any case, let us save this investigation for later. Did we not already have plans for an outing?" Right. First things first; have to buy some necessitites for Grandfell. One step at a time, Hoyeol.
Heaving a sigh, he stretches before standing up. "Yeah... Alright. Fine. Let's get the shopping done quickly. I still want to do some research about Players and Arcana when we come back."
"Wonderful. I believe this is what others call a 'date'? A classic courting ritual. It pleases me to know that my wife still wishes to partake on a walk with me." Grandfell says, following Hoyeol to the door.
"Yeah, yeah. Whatever you say big guy - wait. YOU-"
Good to know that at least one of them was experiencing marital bliss. Waking up in an unfamiliar world, Lee Hoyeol was the only presence to Grandfell that felt familiar - safe, even. Purposely riling up the Korean man was entertaining. He's quite content with the situation he suddenly found himself in, if a little discombobulated.
Lee Hoyeol, on the other hand, found his once normal life completely upturned. Much thanks to this stupid system and his new marital status with a character he created and roleplayed as during the height of his chuunibyou phase. Just what did he do to deserve this fate?!