"It's been twenty years, Ein…"

Ein's thoughts were filled with questions about his past. He tried to remember snippets of his memories but the throbbing pain prevented him to focus. He winced as the dull discomfort inside his head intensified into a skill-splitting one. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath as he collected himself.

Henry saw through Ein's pain, his eyes were tinged with worry. "Ein, are you alright? Does your head hurt?" His warm gentle hands massaged Ein's forehead and temples, soothing him.

"I-I'm alright Henry… it's just a headache." Ein opens his eyes and glances at Henry's golden irises.

"Don't push yourself too much." Henry smoothens his hand on Ein's forehead. He noticed that Ein was looking at his face, Henry had an inkling that Ein was observing him.

Ein wanted to question Henry, the man beside him knew something about his youth. Ein's memories from the time of his disownment up until his assault were a blur. All that Ein could sense from Henry was just an aura of familiarity and nostalgia. Ein squints as he compares the face of the child from his dreams and the man before him.

Henry felt Ein's prickling gaze. "Uhh… is there something on my face, Ein?" Henry bows slightly as he studied Ein's squinting visage.

"It was you…" Ein extended his right hand and brushed off Henry’s long fringes to get a better view of his irises. “Your eyes, your cheeks... they’ve become sharper.” He then cups Henry’s cheek. “You’ve gotten a few wrinkles too, there are small bags under your eyes instead of bruises.”

Henry’s lips curved upwards forming a warm smile. “Well, twenty years have passed since you last saw me… I’ve grown a lot.”

“Indeed…” Ein removed his hand from Henry’s face, he then gazed at him with a bitter expression. “Although, I don’t remember when or where we exactly met in the past… So-”

Henry interrupts Ein. “Henny Hobbes, does the name ring a bell?”

“I… don’t recall Henny, but the surname Hobbes sounds familiar.”

“Hobbes was my biological father’s surname, and Henny was my childhood nickname… You used to call me Henny back then too instead of my given name.” Henry’s warm smile flattens, he then lets out a sigh.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

‘I guess it was true… You did lose your memories.’ Henry ruminates.

Ein felt bad as he saw Henry’s face turn dark and gloomy. “I’m sorry if I’ve forgotten about you, Henry…”

“It’s okay Ein, you don’t need to apologise!” Henry strokes Ein’s hair to comfort him. "Memories fade after a long time."

It felt odd for Ein to be consoled by a younger man, let alone a total stranger. Initially, Ein had been wary towards Henry after exchanging their introductions in the conference room. Now that Henry’s identity had been verified and his past disclosed, Ein realised that Henry meant no harm. He also saw it as an opportunity to help him regain his lost memories.

“Can I ask you a favour?”

“As long as it's within my capabilities, of course, you can, Ein.”

“Then… will you help me remember, Henry?”

***

“Wait, so the Hobbes guy that Ein told me about earlier was Henry?!” Arnaut drops his tumbler as he listens to Monique's story. He had met up with Monique in her office as per the email reply he received from her earlier.

“Tone it down, Arnaut!” Monique grips the collars of Arnaut’s coat. “We can’t risk having this discussion leak outside of my office, or else, Ein will be onto us!”

Arnaut scoffs. “Why are you trying to hook them up anyways? Why can’t you just let those two talk it out on their own.” He groans and brushes off Monique's hands. He then collects the fallen tumbler on the floor.

Monique massaged her temples in frustration. “Well, knowing Ein, he wouldn’t give a shit about other people unless it's me or someone he holds dear… Plus, I want Ein to start moving forward instead of building walls around himself to keep others away.” Monique takes a seat on her chair and leans back. "With Diether's homecoming, I have a gut feeling that I'll be busy from hereon."

"Hmm… I see you want the bird to leave the nest by teaching it how to fly?" Arnaut scratches his head. "But still, I don't get it, why would you want to set up Ein with that bloke?"

"I believe Henry would be a good match for Ein." Monique chuckles. "I'm giving them both a gentle push, Ein gets help in remembering while Henry finally reconnects with a dear friend." A cheeky smirk forms on Monique's lips. "It's a win-win situation, don't you think?"

Arnaut sneers at Monique. "Are you treating this as one of your love games?"

"Nope! I'm doing this so if in case, it's time for me to leave Ein's side, he would have someone to rely on." Monique sighs. "Just like passing batons during relay races, that's what I plan to do."

"W-wait! Hold up! What do you mean by time for you to leave?" Arnaut raises an eyebrow. "Are you perhaps-"

Monique cuts Arnaut off. "In three months, I'll be taking my maternity leave…" Monique swivels her chair and turns her attention to the nightscape outside the windows. "I'm going to endorse everything to Ein."

Arnaut's dark irises dilated in shock, his mouth was ajar as he greeted Monique. "C-Congratulations, Monique! Wow… to think, you're finally expecting."

"I know right? It was a miracle too since Diether and I have been trying for decades… I guess the IVF worked this time around." She then turned her chair and faced Arnaut.

"As Ein's doctor and his friend, I hope you and Seori will continue to look after him while I'm gone."

"Hmm… how long will you be on leave?" Arnaut crosses his arms. "Also, have you told Ein about this?"

"I plan to let Ein know by the end of October. And for how long I'll be gone… I can't say, but realistically it may probably be a year or two at most. After all, I'd like at least to experience how child-rearing works." Monique giggled, she then stood up and grabbed her bag.

"Anywho! I'll be expecting you and Seori's attendance, dress casually for tomorrow's birthday dinner!" Monique winks at Arnaut. "Also don't tell anyone about what we've talked about today."