This wouldn't have happened if Atlus would just stopped shoving Persona cameo's into Catherine. Just to clarify Orlando and Ai are somewhere in their 20's at this point so this is long before the events of Catherine and way after Persona 4
They have grown really close, there's no denying that, overcoming their various glaring flaws and accepting them anyway. Ai actually felt like she was in love for once, she genuinely did, but there was one thing about Orlando she was certain she'd never get over.
She heard the door to his apartment unlock, and he heart would speed up in delight as her patience paid off. She'd would wait until he came back from his ridiculously long work day sitting on his couch, helping herself to whatever was in the fridge that looked good, and just passing the time as she waited for him to come back. "Finally you're back." And though her greeting was still on the icy side it was easily made up for with the tight hug she'd give Orlando before he was even a few steps away from the door. She'd hold him close, bury her face into his chest and get a whiff of-
She yipped in disgust and quickly pushed him away, fanning her hand over face to drive away the scent of fish. The only thing she smelt off of him was his profession as a fisherman, but today he tried to cover it with his usual cologne.
"Oh come on, I tried to cover it today!" Orlando stated the obvious.
"Well it makes no difference if you made it worse!" Ai retorted, rather than one overpowering the other the cologne just mixed in with the fish scent creating a even more pungent smell, "It makes you smell even worse now!"
"What?"
"You're trying way to hard to mask the scent. It just doesn't work!"
Orlando cocked a brow, like he didn't even notice that possibility. He pulled up the end of his shirt to his nose to smell it himself and quickly let go once the scent hit him with a look of disgust on his face, immediately knowing what she meant.
"So Orlando." Ai smiled a sweet, but forced smile, "take a shower."
"Huh?"
"Take a shower, right now." She said while she continued to smile.
"Wha? Why do I have to do that?" He whined.
"You're gonna stink up the apartment even more."
"Uh… this is my apartment."
"Yeah, that isn't good." Well Ai did unofficially live in his apartment, and what ever she didn't like usually was gone within a moments notice. She turned around and looked around his apartment, specifically the dining area were it was particularly disastrous with plates and week old instant ramen cups scattered about the small table . Some of which was of her doing but she wasn't gonna admit that. "Do you want you're place to get even worse-"
All the color drained from Ai's face when she felt Orlando wrap his arms around him, not from the action itself but rather from the scent of low tide reaching her nostrils yet again. She screeched in quickly pushed herself against Orlando's arm and stumbled away from him, "Oh my god you stink!"
"Oh come on Ai."
"No! Take a shower, I hate the smell of fish! is that so hard to get?" She crossed her arms and pouted with a whine, "Oh god now I stink too."
"No you don't." Orlando muttered while pinching the bridge of his nose in agitation.
"Then why are you plugging your nose?" Ai asked, now sounding hurt.
"No I'm-" Orlando stopped. With how Ai's voice shifted and knowing how she would handle arguments he reconsidered what he was gonna say. Was it worth getting into an argument and upsetting Ai over something so stupid? It wasn't Ai's fault her nose was so sensitive, even his friends would comment on the smell. Orlando was used to it, Ai wasn't, it was just how it was. He chuckled, who knew someone could get so bet out of shape over the scent of fish? "Yeah I know what you mean, I do stink."
No response from Ai, but Orlando was relieved to see her expression relax, and maybe look a bit happy from him agreeing with her about this. He'll let Ai win this argument because frankly this one was just stupid to defend himself on. "I guess I'll take a shower now."
"Stay in there for an hour if you have too, just don't smell like fish."
Orlando can live with that, "But… can I get a kiss?"
"What?!" Ai yipped again, and once again Orlando wrapped his arms around her, but this time Ai didn't seem as repulsed, in fact she was sort of playful about it. Trying to hold back a giggle when Orlando kissed her on the cheek. "You think you deserve one?!"
"Come on Ai, I've been dying to see you all day." He purred as he brushed some hair to the side and kissed her forehead. "You know I can never get you off my mind."
"Yeah me too, but you just stink." As if to apologize again he kissed her nose. Ai stuck her tongue out at him as a joke.
"So you do miss me!" Orlando piped ecstatically.
"Well duh, I wait here for you all day-hey!" To Ai's complete surprise, Orlando began spin her around joyfully, laughing playfully as he held her up off the ground as they spun around a few times. God what spurred Orlando to do things like this? He could be so tacky but either way Ai found herself laughing with him.
"Oh I knew you loved me." He proclaimed, it almost sounded like he was singing.
"Yeah of course but-" She had to stop herself from giggling when Orlando kissed the underside of her jaw, how he managed to do that without her noticing beforehand was beyond her. "Gah! You're such a jerk!"
"Oh that hurt, Ebi."
Ai pounced on his response, "Fish breath."
Orlando smirked, it was way to easy for him to make a comeback, "Really, my breath smells like fish too?"
"Wha?" Before Ai knew it Orlando kissed her full on the lips, his hand sifting through her soft, sweet smelling hair as he was greeted to the taste of strawberry lip gloss. Ai seemed to forget about the scent of fish, returning his kiss and giggling as he sucked on her upper lip. Orlando felt weak in the knees already and ending up pulling Ai back with him as he back against the couch for support. She moaned in surprise at the movement but it by no means interrupted their kiss, which lasted for another good 20 seconds before they had to part for air.
Once Ai was able to catch her breath she gave Orlando an icy glare. His smirk quickly faltering to a nervous smile, "I said smell, not taste."
"Oh…my bad." Orlando bowed his head, "But what do I taste like?" He asked, shyly looking towards his girlfriend.
Ai was taken back with how cute he looked at that moment, she could feel her cheeks heat up even more, but she still thought about his question before simply stating, "Ginger."
"Ginger?" He looked confused, then again he did have lunch at Kappa Heaven today. He didn't taste the ginger he got with his sushi anymore so he didn't expect the taste to still be there. He smiled sweetly at Ai, "Is it better than fish?"
"I guess." She shrugged, "You're still a jerk, and you should really pick up around here."
"Yeah, yeah, we'll talk about it after I take a shower." With the talk of cleaning coming up out of nowhere, the shower suddenly seemed like a better idea.
Ai nodded in agreement before pushing herself away from Orlando headed towards the kitchen and began to rummage through his fridge for something to eat. Knowing Ai she'd probably forget about that decision and they'd just laze around for the rest of the day. If she really wanted it the apartment wouldn't need cleaning. But if she doesn't, well she wasn't wrong about his apartment being a wreck, it was a chore that was long overdue.
Orlando went towards the bathroom to take that shower Ai so desperately wanted him to take; but before actually going into the bathroom he looked towards his girlfriend.
"Love you."
"Take a shower."
