AHEIAID Chapter 52: Joey, Come Home With Me
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“Oh, poor thing, he’s so little.”
“I know, right? I wonder whose kid he is. Do you think the bomb will go off?”
“It shouldn’t. They caught it early, and the security team has already cleared the area. The experts are on their way.”
Most Ottomans were fiercely independent. Even after finding a partner, they rarely had children right away. Every offspring was carefully nurtured and protected well into adulthood.
So whose child would be so frail—tied to a bomb and abandoned at a passenger terminal of all places?!
Concerned, the onlookers peered inside but were quickly ushered away by security.
With no other options, they could only sigh and grumble about those damn extremist lunatics.
Meanwhile, the real extremist lunatics—who had already been wiped out by a certain someone—were sitting in prison, munching on stale bread.
Extremists: … No, nope, not us. We’re doing just fine eating prison food, thank you very much. We even get the occasional 100,000-volt electric massage. Heh. Don’t pin this on us.
Inside the Passenger Terminal…
Two long hours later—
After scanning the entire area and confirming that there were no suspicious figures nearby, the bomb specialists finally suited up and cautiously approached the "child" in the center.
Joey was on the verge of tears.
“D-Don’t come over here…”
Mistaking his trembling for fear, the lead specialist raised a megaphone.
“DON’T BE SCARED—”
Joey: “I’m NOT scared! I DON’T HAVE A BOMB!”
Specialist: “IT’S OKAY—WE’RE PROFESSIONALS—JUST DON’T TOUCH WHATEVER’S IN YOUR ARMS—”
Joey: “…”
Fine. You win.
I’LL CALL YOU DADDY, OKAY?!
Joey clutched his glass capsule even tighter, feeling utterly defeated.
I know you guys are professionals—but I’M NOT!
I was just waiting for someone while holding my baby, with a little “Lost & Found” sign—DID THIS REALLY HAVE TO TURN INTO A WHOLE DAMN SITUATION?
Really?!
Honestly, if two security guards had simply walked up to shoo him away, he would’ve accepted it.
But—WHO THE HELL TOLD THEM I HAD A BOMB?!
Seeing the armed specialists inch closer, Joey panicked and staggered backward.
Every step they took forward, he took one back.
Facing the anxious, well-meaning officers, Joey felt even more desperate than they did.
Even if they eventually confirmed he wasn’t carrying a bomb…
They’d still discover the disguise Hammond had made for him.
And that meant one thing—they’d take him straight to the police station.
Joey believed that most people were good…
But what if—just what if—Prince Harry’s spies were lurking inside the police force?
What if his father arrived just a moment too late?
After what happened at the manor, Joey had been traumatized by that lunatic snake.
He couldn’t take that risk.
“D-Don’t chase me—”
“Kid, don’t run—”
“Please, cough—cough—please stop chasing me, I swear I don’t have a bomb… I’m just… waiting for someone…”
Clutching the glass capsule with his baby inside, Joey limped backward, facing the approaching specialists.
It felt like steel needles were stabbing through his knee joints.
His lips and face were pale as paper. Cold sweat dripped down his forehead, trickling along his jawline.
It hurt.
God, it hurt so much.
As the medication wore off, his wounds—still far from healed—burned like fire.
His lips trembled from the pain, his eyes turning a deep shade of red.
A bitter, helpless sense of injustice boiled inside him.
Just a couple months ago, he and his baby had been wrapped in warm blankets, held tight in a man’s arms.
Now, they were like stray animals, cornered and driven away.
“I just want to wait for someone… I just want to go home… Please, just leave me alone, I’m begging you—”
“If I leave now…”
…What if he can’t find me?
What will I do then?
Joey hid and ran until everyone was exhausted.
Both he and the heavily armed specialists were drenched in sweat. Finally, the officer gave up and asked:
"Who exactly are you waiting for?"
Joey sniffled, wiped his eyes with his sleeve, and whispered:
"I'm waiting for... my family."
The officer called out, "Then give us their contact information! We'll have them pick you up, okay?"
Joey hesitated. "But… I don’t know where I live. I don’t know his contact information either…"
“Uh… ah… well… at least you know what he looks like, right?”
Joey nodded.
"Then describe him!"
What’s the point…?
Joey sighed inwardly.
Even if he did describe him, they’d never guess that his family was actually Garius Heine.
They’d probably just think he was delusional.
Still… talking about him was nice.
Joey was too tired, too sore to keep moving.
And so, the little crippled mutt—once a pampered brat but now a pitiful stray—squatted on the ground, murmuring through choked sobs as he pictured the face he had dreamed of every night.
“My family… He has golden hair, like ocean waves in the sunlight. And he has these really, really hard, sharp ears. He never lets me touch them.”
Outside the Terminal
Suddenly—
The crowd gasped, startled.
A group of elite soldiers swiftly cleared the area.
From the sky, a luxurious military starship descended.
Inside the terminal, Joey continued.
"His face is so cold. But… he’s really handsome.
His jawline… Hmm… It’s masculine but not too sharp. Just… perfect.
I love secretly touching his eyelashes. Sometimes, I wonder… if it rained, would the water pool in the hollows of his deep-set eyes?"
At the Entrance…
A pure white-gloved hand lifted the yellow police barrier.
Steady, urgent footsteps strode forward.
The people behind him shoved aside the stunned security guards without hesitation.
One officer tried to block them. “Hey! What do you think you’re—”
But his colleague immediately stopped him, shooting him a desperate look.
Are you stupid?!
Didn’t you see their insignia?!
The clueless officer blinked.
His colleague frantically gestured toward the emblem on the man’s shoulder.
Are you blind?! Look!
They’re from the 13th Surveillance Division!
Do you seriously want to stop them?!
The officer opened his mouth.
Then promptly shut it.
He yanked his outstretched arm back and muttered a shocked, “Holy shit…”
But he was still confused.
It’s just a small case… Why would the top figures from the 13th Division be here?!
Joey, Lost in His Own Words…
"And his eyes—God, I love his eyes.
I've never seen such beautiful eyes before. They're gold and green, so clear and cold.
Sometimes, they look like gemstones under a spring. Other times, like a resilient oasis in the desert… strong and unwavering."
Joey's face softened with pure admiration.
"And his personality—he may seem a little cold, but he's a hero.
To me, every time he smiles… he shines."
"As long as he's there, I feel safe."
But then…
His voice cracked.
"But we got separated…"
His head lowered.
His lips trembled.
His voice, now hoarse, quivered with tears.
The officers thought they had him distracted.
Silently, they inched closer, preparing to pin him down from behind.
Joey’s vision blurred.
His once bright, joyful black eyes were now dull, exhausted, and filled with unshed tears.
“Garius…”
"Garius…"
He clenched his tattered clothes.
He tried to smile.
But he couldn’t.
Tears spilled down his cheeks as he desperately whispered the name of the man he longed for.
"Garius… I got lost."
"I can't find my way home. Can you come find me?"
"I—"
I miss you.
I miss you so much…
Tears dripped onto the floor.
Plop. Plop.
The soft, rhythmic sound echoed.
And then—
The sound changed.
Not plop, plop—but drip… drip…
Huh?
Joey stopped crying.
He rubbed his eyes with both hands.
Through his blurred vision, he saw—
A pair of white boots.
And a cold, slender, outstretched hand.
…Familiar.
So familiar.
He had dreamed of this hand nearly a hundred times in the past two months.
Even with his eyes closed, he could smell the distinct scent of the man who owned it.
His swollen eyes widened.
Through his tears, he saw—
Golden hair.
Sharp ears.
A cold, powerful presence that made him feel… so, so safe.
And Garius—
For the first time in two months, knelt on one knee before the small human he had thought he'd never see again.
He removed one glove.
Held out his bare hand—
And caught Joey’s falling tears.
His gold-green eyes, usually so composed—
Were now red with emotion.
"Let's go."
His voice was quiet.
"Come home with me."
When their hands finally intertwined—
Both of them were careful.
As if afraid…
That this was only a dream.
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