This is my entry for Peggy-Chan's birthday contest. It takes place somewhere between Fusion and Masters. Hope you like it!
"How about... some shoes?"
"Gingka," Kenta mumbled, "I don't think we could pick shoes that Madoka would like. Besides, do you know how much girl shoes cost?"
Gingka groaned, rolling over onto his stomach, burying his face is the grass. "Ugh. We're never going to figure out what to get Madoka! Her birthday's in two days!"
Kenta crossed his legs. "Hm... Why don't we just—"
"Ooh!" Gingka's head popped up. "I've got it! How 'bout a kitten?"
"Nope. Her dad's allergic."
"Dang it. Argh! We're never gonna find her a present!"
Just then, a voice came from the behind. "How much?!"
Gingka and Kenta looked back to see Madoka's dad, talking on the phone.
"Ugh. You've gotta be kidding me! You don't have anything cheaper?" He paused, then sighed. "Alright. Thank you, sir. Goodbye." He put away his phone, then buried his face in his hands. "Ugh. Great. Just great. Madoka's birthday is coming, and I've got nothing to get her. What am I supposed to say?! 'Sorry, Madoka. I tried to get you a cruise, but I couldn't afford one, so I didn't get you anything. Happy birthday, sweetheart!'" With that, he stormed off, shaking his head.
Gingka whirled around to look at Kenta, a grin spreading across his lips. "Kenta, I think we need to go talk to my dad."
Dear Madoka,
Happy birthday! We've got something special planned, so you'd better pack your bags! Bring everything you'll need overnight, including a swimsuit and a formal dress. Love you, sweetheart!
-Dad
"Can I open my eyes now?"
"Not yet!" Gingka grinned. He walked behind Madoka, his hands over her eyes.
She sighed. "Gingka, what—"
"Okay!" he cheered, pulling his hands away from her eyes. "We're here! You can look now!"
She opened her eyes, catching her breath.
They stood on the dock, facing the sea, the sun glistening on the pure white body of a cruise ship, the WBBA logo painted in bright, bold letters on the side.
"Ta-da!" Gingka threw his arms open, beaming. "Happy birthday, Madoka!"
"Gingka..." She stared, her eyes glowing.
"I talked my dad into giving you a whole night on the WBBA cruise ship! Happy birthday!"
She gasped. "Gingka, I... I don't know what to say!"
"Don't say anything! Just come on!" He grabbed her hand and dragged her on board.
"Happy Birthday, Madoka!" Everyone was there—Kenta, Kyoya, Benkei, Hikaru, Hyoma, Takashi, Akira, Osuamu, Tsubasa, Yu, Ryo, and even her dad—waiting on deck to greet her.
"Oh, wow!" She clasped her hands. "Thanks, you guys!"
"We're so excited to go on the cruise with you!" Kenta smiled.
"Yeah!" everyone agreed.
"We hope you enjoy your stay on the S. ," Ryo said with a bow. "We have a pool, hot tub, sauna, unlimited buffet, games, movies, and deluxe cabins for all our guests."
"I—I'm speechless!"
"Come on!" Gingka grabbed her bag for her. "I'll show you to your room." He led her away to her cabin.
"Come on, Madoka! Jump!"
She stood on the diving board, knees together. Gingka stood behind her, cheering her on. "Are you sure this is safe? Maybe I should just use the ladder."
"No way! You've gotta jump! Come on! It'll be fun."
"I'm not so sure..." She looked down at the water, then back at him. "Why don't you go first?"
He shook his head. "Nope! You can do it. Just jump! I'll come right in after you."
She sighed, looking at the long edge of board in front of her. "Okay..."
She took a deep breath, then ran for the edge. Holding her breath, she plunged into the water. She came up smiling.
Before she knew it, a splash hit her face, and Gingka was right beside her. "You did it, Madoka! I told you you could do it!"
She laughed. "Yeah. It was kinda fun."
"Let's do it again!"
"Uh... No, thanks. I'm okay. I'll just be over here." She swam for the shallow side.
Gingka paused, smirking. "Oh, yeah? Not if there's a... shark attack."
"Huh?" She turned around, but Gingka was nowhere to be seen. "Where did he—ah!" Someone grabbed her legs, and she was sucked under.
She flailed frantically, kicking at whatever had her. When she finally surfaced, all she could hear was the sound of Gingka's laughter.
"I got you so good!" he laughed. "You were so scared!"
"Gingka, you scared me! Don't you ever do something like that again!"
"Aw, come on. I was just messing with you."
She sighed. "Honestly, when are you going to grow up?"
"Madoka, I—whoa!" Gingka disappeared under the water.
Madoka started laughing, high-fiving Tsubasa as he came up. "Nice one!"
Gingka popped up, coughing. "Hey! What was that for?!"
"Serves you right!" Madoka laughed.
"Oh, yeah?" He tackled her, burying her underwater.
It wasn't long before everyone was involved, laughing, splashing, tackling, and wrestling. Even Kyoya took it upon himself to laugh a little when Hikaru dunked him.
"Last one to the hot tub's a rotten egg!" Gingka yelled, running out of the pool.
Everyone piled in, sighing as they met the hot water.
Madoka sank down next to Gingka. "Ahh. This is the life."
Gingka smiled down at her, resting his arm on the rim of the pool, just close enough to Madoka's shoulders to make him smile even bigger.
"The cold never bothered me, anyway."
Everyone cheered as Kenta finished the last line of the song, then got down off the stage, retreating to his seat at Gingka's table.
"Alright," Ryo said, taking the mic. "Great job, Kenta! Way to let it go!" He laughed at his own joke. "Okay, the next song's gonna be 'Thinking Out Loud.' Let's have our next karaoke star come onto the stage! Any volunteers?"
"Oh," Madoka said to herself, "I love this song!"
Gingka turned to her. "Go sing it!"
"What?!" She shook her head. "No, no. I really don't sing."
"Come on! I bet you're great!"
"Thanks, but I'm okay."
"Hey." He reached out and grabbed her wrist. "Come on. I'll sing it with you. It'll be fun!"
She couldn't tell if it was the thought of Gingka trying to sing, or the fact that he was willing to sing with her, but Madoka couldn't help smiling as he led her up to the stage.
"Madoka, you look great," Hikaru said, rolling her eyes.
"Are you sure?" Madoka looked at herself in the mirror for the thousandth time. "I haven't actually worn this dress to anything before." She looked it over. It was dark blue—she wasn't really sure it was her color—with a faint sparkles and a long, hi-low skirt. "You're sure it's alright?"
"It's fine. Now, come on. The dance is supposed to start in three minutes. You don't wanna be late to your own ball, do you?"
She sighed. "No. I guess you're right." She bit her lip, taking one more look at her reflection before she went out the door.
The deck was dark. The only light was from the stars, the moon, and the little lights that decorated the ship, wrapped around the railings, placed on every table, and floating gently in the pool. Soft music played.
Madoka's dad was there to take her arm as she came outside. "My lady," he smiled.
She smiled back, wrapping her arm through his, leaning against his shoulder.
He took her out onto the floor, put one hand on her waist, and took her hand in the other. She placed a hand on his shoulder, and they danced to the music.
"You look beautiful."
"Thanks, Dad. You don't look so bad yourself."
He chuckled. "Guess your old man's still got it, huh?"
She laughed.
"So, how's your day been?" he asked. "You enjoying yourself?"
She nodded. "Yeah. It's been the best."
He smiled. "Good."
There was a moment of silence.
He glanced over his shoulder.
"So," he said quietly, "I noticed you and that Gingka kid were having a lot of fun together. He's pretty nice."
She averted her gaze, hoping he wouldn't see her blush. "Yeah. I mean, he's okay. What's your point?"
He chuckled. "Oh, nothing. You're just growing up, is all." He pulled her close, hugging her. "You'll always be my little girl. You know that, right?"
She laid her head against his chest. "Of course, Daddy."
"Love you, sweetheart."
"Love you too."
The song ended, and they pulled back smiling.
"Well, sweetheart, I guess it's somebody else's turn." He brought her to the railing, looked over her shoulder, and smiled. "I'll go mingle." With that, he walked away.
"Okay, okay," hissed a voice over her shoulder. "I'm going!"
She turned around to see Gingka behind her, Kenta and Hyoma behind him, grinning.
"Um," he muttered, scratching the back of his neck, "hi, Madoka."
"Hey, Gingka." She smiled. She looked at his outfit—a sleek, black suit with a blue tie. "You look nice."
He chuckled. "Uh, thanks. You do too."
She felt her skin grow hot. "Thank you."
There was an awkward silence. A slow song started playing in the background.
He cleared his throat. "So, um... you wanna dance?"
Her heart skipped a beat. "Um... s-sure."
He smiled, then held out his hand. She took it, letting him take her to the dance floor.
After an uncomfortable moment of just looking at each other, Gingka put his hands on her waist. She put hers on his shoulders.
They swayed to the music, silent, sometimes looking up at each other, sometimes glancing away.
Gingka looked over her shoulder, then giggled.
"What's funny?" Madoka asked.
"Huh? Oh," he chuckled. "Nothing. Just that." He tipped his head.
Madoka looked behind her. Kyoya and Hikaru were dancing, stiff, not smiling, not speaking.
Madoka giggled, turning back to Gingka. "Aw. So cute!"
"Yeah," Gingka chuckled. "Too bad they'll deny it ever happened tomorrow."
Madoka laughed. "Yeah. That's true... but we'll know."
Gingka smiled. "Yeah. We'll know."
There was a long pause as they looked into each other's eyes, and then the song ended. They stood still for a moment, and then broke away.
Madoka cleared her throat. "Thanks, Gingka."
He smiled down at her. "No problem. It was great."
Madoka started to walk away.
"Wait."
She turned around.
He glanced around him, then bit his lip. He came closer. "I need to talk to you... alone."
Her eyes grew wide. "Oh. Uh... o-okay."
He took her wrist, pulling her aside, sliding behind a nearby structure, glancing around, making sure no one was watching.
He took a deep breath, then looked into her eyes. "Madoka... how do you... feel about me?"
Her heart began to pound. "Wh-What? I... I don't know."
He looked down at her, hardly moving, his chest rising and falling with each heavy breath.
Then, without warning, he placed a hand on her cheek, and pressed his lips against hers.
Her heart stopped. She froze, her eyes wide, her blood growing cold. Then, her heart melted. She closed her eyes, leaning in, kissing him back.
It lasted only a moment, but it was the best moment of her life.
She looked up at him. His amber eyes were wide, his cheeks pink, the rest of his face pale.
They were perfectly still for just a moment, their intermingling breaths the only motion at all.
Then, Madoka came close, wrapping her arms around him, leaning her head against his chest.
She felt Gingka relax. His heartbeat slowed, and he put his arms around her shoulders.
They stood under the stars, swaying gently to the music.
"Thanks for everything, Gingka. This has been the best birthday ever."
Hope you liked it! :)
Happy Birthday, Peggy-Chan!
God bless!
-LittleBrotherSocket