A/N: WE'VE REACHED THE END! Thank you all so so so much for the support! Really, you guys have no idea how much I loved writing this story! Your kind words, follows, and favs are what pushed me through this story!

As for any potential sequels, I currently don't have any planned, but that could change!

Again, thank you all for your support, I am glad that you all have enjoyed this little fic so much and I'm honestly blown away at how successful it's become.

As for the future, definitely look forward to more Mystic Messenger fics, as well as some fics for other fandoms!

And now, enjoy the final chapter!

Our Garden of Sunlight

Epilogue

by queenstiel

As the time for the annual RFA party drew nearer and nearer, you found yourself getting busier and busier. Now that you had officially taken over as coordinator, your list of responsibilities had nearly doubled. Not only were you in charge of the guests, but you also had a hand in the organization of the event himself. Jumin and Jaehee had insisted that they could handle all of that themselves, but you told them that you genuinely wanted to offer your help.

You liked to take care of the guest list early, that way people knew well in advance so they could plan accordingly. So nowadays that was mostly what you kept yourself busy with, that and a few other jobs here and there.

Today, however, you were quite relieved. You were going to take a break from your responsibilities to have a day of relaxation. Jaehee had invited you and the rest of the RFA over to her brand new coffee shop, so you were looking forward to spending some down time with friends.

You hadn't seen any of them (besides Saeyoung) in person since the party, so you were rather excited to see all of them again after so long.

There were so many questions. You wanted to ask Zen how his latest musical was going. You wanted to ask Yoosung if he was doing well in his classes. You wanted to ask Jumin how his new cat project was coming along. You wanted to ask Jaehee how business was going at her café. You wanted to ask Saeyoung how-

No. Perhaps you didn't need to ask about Saeran anymore. Maybe he would come along?

You hadn't seen him in about three weeks. True to your word, you did come to visit him a second time, but it went over about just as well as the first time, so you decided you'd give him a break and let him work things out with his brother. You figured that if he wanted to see you again, he'd come to you himself. You had told him time and time again not to be afraid of you. You could only hope that he had taken your words to heart.

Oh, well. If he was there, hopefully it wouldn't be awkward.

As you were getting ready, you glanced over at your clock and cursed out-loud. You were late!

You scurried around your apartment, searching for your phone and your purse, when all the sudden, a knock at the door stopped you.

You looked over at your reflection in the bathroom mirror, making sure you were decent, before you ran over to the door and hesitantly pulled it open.

Saeran looked… different, for lack of a better word. The white in his hair was completely gone, now overtaken by his natural scarlet color. His colored contacts were now gone, revealing the amber of his eyes. He had gotten rid of his usual formalwear and was now dressed in a red long-sleeved shirt and a pair of grey jeans.

"MC…" he began awkwardly, "hi. Um… is it… okay if we talk?"

Still flabbergasted, you nodded dumbly and side-stepped, allowing him entry. His eyes roamed around your apartment as he shuffled into the living room.

"You have a nice place," he commented idly.

"Thanks," you replied. "U-Um… do you want anything? Tea, coffee..?"

He politely declined, still observing your apartment with vapid curiosity.

"Well… go ahead and make yourself at home."

Once you were both settled in, you tried to wrap your head around the situation. Saeran… was here. And he wanted to talk. You were, admittedly, a bit nervous. It could be about anything.

"Um… look, I don't really know how else to say it so I'm just gonna get right to the point. I… thought a lot about you. I mean, I always think about you, but for the past few weeks, I've been thinking about us. Our future."

"Saeran-" you started, prepared to explain that you understood if he wasn't interested in you, but he held up a hand, abruptly silencing you.

"I'm sorry," he said, his voice somber and soft. "I'm sorry for pushing you away. I'm sorry for… everything I did at Mint Eye. I'm sorry for… getting you into this mess in the first place. I still don't feel like I deserve forgiveness, but you should know that everything I did, I…"

"It's okay." You reached out and took his hand. "I forgive you. I forgave you a long time ago. Mint Eye is behind you now, remember?"

"I still have nightmares," he confessed. "I don't think they'll ever go away completely. But with you around… I think things may be easier. When I'm with you… the world looks bright."

You met his eyes, and he seemed to be having a hard time maintaining eye contact. But he was holding onto your hand so tightly. He needed you to hear this.

"MC… I know that I'm… hardly deserving of you… but I still want you in my life. And the way I want you… is different from what it was in the past. I want you in my life in every way. I want you… as my friend, my best friend, my… my soul-mate. And while it's true that I want you by my side, I also… um… this is embarrassing, but I… I want to take you out on dates, and hold your hand, and, uh… God, I don't know where I'm going with this-"

"It's okay," you interrupted, smiling broadly. "I think I do."

He grinned slightly at that, his cheeks burning with a bright blush.

"But… I'm… not exactly… I worry about that stuff too. Because… I constantly have nightmares, and I'm always nervous, and I don't want you to find me crying in a corner somewhere-"

"Saeran."

Hot, burning golden irises bore into you as he met your eyes.

"We don't… have to rush into anything you know. We'll move at your pace, don't worry about me-"

"But I want you to be happy, MC. And I worry… about whether someone like me can really do that for you. I worry about whether or not I can… be a good partner to you. I want to support you just as much as you've supported me. I want to be able to live in a home with you, to give you a family one day. But I… I don't…"

You gently pulled your hand out of his grasp and instead placed it on his cheek, tracing the skin with the pads of your fingers. "Hey. Relax. I'm happy when I'm with you. Even if it's just the littlest thing… I'm happy as long as I'm by your side. I know that you're still healing. And I'm willing to accept that. So… we'll work up to it. Step by step, little by little."

His hand came up to rest against the one that was on his cheek. "You're willing to wait for me again?"

You nodded. "As long as it takes."

Then, you saw him smile in a way he never had before. It was a bright, wide, almost childish grin. The sunlight that was spilling in from the windows illuminated his soft features. His smile seemed to glisten as the tears fell freely now, spilling over where your hands lay atop his cheek.

He then grabbed the hand you had on his cheek and pressed his lips against your fingertips. "One day, I'll get the courage to say it to you properly," he promised.

"Can't wait," you said teasingly.

And as you two sat there, bawling together like a couple of newborn babies in your apartment, you couldn't help but remember the day that he had first offered you his hand.

Saeran… you've finally found your home.