Me: Now you might be thinking, "Woah Mikashi's on a publishing streak!" and-

Kashino: No one's thinking it.

Me: ... Well, maybe they are.

Kashino: But maybe they're not.

Me: Ignoring him, I just want to say, I'm not on a publishing streak. This is a story I wrote a few weeks back, and I was waiting for a time when I could go back, revise and edit it, and publish it.

Today's that day!

To whoever reads Like A Real Family Does and My Journey, My Story, I make a lot of references to Michael and Miyako right? Well, this is their story. I just thought some people might be curious. I wasn't, because I already knew xD. But I bet some of you were!

Kashino: No one-

Me: So, enjoy Michael and Miyako's story everyone! I don't own Yumeiro Patissiere! :)

20 Seconds of Courage

I can do this. I can do this. I can do this. I can do this. I can-

"...Michael?"

No I can't!

"Well, the thing is..." Michael stammered, "I... I just wanted to... I mean..."

The sixteen year old couldn't understand why it was so hard. No amount of talking with his father about the situation could help. His heart felt like it was stuck in his throat, almost rendering him speechless.

Miyako stared at him very perplexedly, "Michael? What's up?"

He had been her best friend for 4 years now; known her for even longer, and yet the words weren't coming to him. "M-Miyako..." He stumbled on, wincing at himself for such poor communication, "Do you..."

"Yeah?"

I just need to calm down. Michael told himself, I just have to be calm, cool, collected and for the love of everything good just ask. Calm... Cool... Collected...

"WillyougooutwithmeSaturdaynight?" Michael exclaimed, his words tumbling over one another.

"W-what?" She asked, looking as though she had heard what he said, but rather couldn't believe it.

The boy's face was quite red, and he tried to salvage his little control over the situation, "M-Miyako, do you... Do you want to go out Saturday night? W-with me?" He asked again, slower this time.

Her eyes went wide, "Ah well..." Her cheeks too were turning pink quite quickly. "S-sure."

When the simple words left her mouth, Michael thought he might actually pass out right then and there.

He had a date.

His first date ever.

And it was with Miyako.

XxXxX

Since asking Miyako, with her agreeing nonetheless, Michael could not stop smiling. Even arriving home, he grinned from ear to ear, causing much interest from his parents. Kashino already knew what his son set out to do, and was very much pleased to see the smile on his face. It could only mean good news after all.

Ichigo on the other hand had no idea. And that was why she addressed it over the family dinner.

"Mikee... What's with the insanely huge smile?"

Almost immediately his smile dropped, if only just a little. "Well Mom..." He said slowly, feeling his face starting to burn, "It's a long story..."

Ichigo scooped up a spoonful of her potatoes, chewing thoughtfully, "I have time."

Kashino sighed at his wife's denseness. "I have a date Saturday night," Michael said, being cautiously slow, in order to see his mother's reaction, "... With Miyako."

And Ichigo's spoon clattered to her plate, "...You... What?"

"He's wanted to ask her since the school year started," Kashino chimed in.

Ichigo stared at him wide eyed. She was so shocked, just because in her mind Michael was still a kid. He was her little boy who said he was going to marry her when he grew up. He was the little boy that pouted when she told him he couldn't. "You're going on a date..." Ichigo said simply. She hesitated, trying to get the information wrapped around her head. Okay, so he was her little boy, but she guessed the time had come. Her little boy just wasn't a little boy anymore. "...Congratulations."

Michael breathed a sigh of relief. From his mother's response, he had thought she was unhappy; but obviously not the case. A smile spread across her face, and Ichigo laughed cheerfully, "I feel so... Old."

Lynne giggled, saying, "You're not old Mama!"

Kashino looked at her, his amusement playing in his eyes, "Besides, if you're old, so am I."

Ichigo exhaled, "I guess... Oh Michael, be careful okay?"

"I will."

"More importantly," Kashino added, "Have fun."

"... I will."

XxXxX

It was an understatement to say he was nervous. From any onlooker, it looked as though he was going to have a heart attack. His palms were sweaty, and he breathed very shallowly. His face was a cute shade of rosy red and he fidgeted with the collar of his blue polo shirt.

Michael stood at Miyako's door, his finger literally on the doorbell. I can do this. I can do this. And so, he rang the doorbell, and immediately after, he changed his mind. I can't! Why did I...? Oh, I'm such an idiot. I'm SO screwed. I'm... I'm...

As he contemplated these thoughts, the door was opened by none other than Miyako herself. "Michael?" She asked.

The sixteen year old boy froze, his mouth feeling dry and unable to say anything. "M-Miyako," He finally chocked out, "You look... I mean, you look..." He ran his fingers through his hair, willing himself to remember some sort of adjective, "You look... Good."

Good? That's all I can say?!

Miyako laughed at this, which calmed his nerves slightly. "Aw, thank you Michael."

Indeed, she wore a white chiffon shirt and bright red jeans; a long necklace hanging from her neck, and white flats on her feet.

"Should we go?"

"Y-yeah," Was the boy's delayed response, "Come on."

Michael had yet to get a driver's licence. Both of them were old enough to get one, but neither had it yet. In fact, they were both taking a driving course over the summer, and Michael was excited for it. But for now, they walked down the sidewalk and Michael was still trying to contain his raging nerves.

"You don't have to be nervous," Miyako assured him gently, noting his trembling state, "Just treat this like it's just a normal day, we're just hanging out, like usual."

He nodded awkwardly, "Yeah... Okay."

Michael hadn't wanted their date to be too fancy or stiff, so had decided against something like dinner. However, he didn't want to take her to the movies too, because he wanted to spend time with her, not sitting beside her in a movie theatre. Besides, they went and saw movies all the time; but that was always as friends. He wanted to do something a little different.

Let it be nerdy, or just plain sad, but he took her to the coffee shop, just down the street. He loved to do homework there, and it had the kind of calm atmosphere that he loved a lot. Being in his third year of high school, his work load was getting heavier and heavier. He was striving to be a doctor, and it required many prerequisites in high school. Currently, the boy was taking many different advanced sciences, from biology, to chemistry.

He tried to be a gentleman, like his father told him was proper. He led Miyako toward a table in the corner of the shop, by the window. She sat in the soft couch like chair, and smiled at him. He wanted to impress her, he really did. "Do you want anything specific?" He asked her curiously. He was really trying to act like he always did, but it was difficult to hear over the blood pounding in his ears.

"No," She said sweetly, "Whatever you have is fine."

He froze for a second, because his mind went completely blank. He couldn't remember what he always ordered when he came there. "I... Uh..."

Miyako seemed to pick up on his distress, and thankfully, she had known him long enough to know how to fix it, "Why don't we just try something new together?" She asked gently, picking up the coffee shop's menu off the table, "They've got a lot of new stuff!"

Michael felt as though the wind had literally been knocked out of his lungs, but appreciated Miyako immensely in that moment for saving him; even when she was his date. "Sure," He agreed, "What do you think we should try?"

She placed the menu down on the table and turned it to face him, "You're parents are pastry chefs, what do you think they'd try if they were here?"

His read over the simple selection; until he finally saw something he thought his parents would try, "That." He pointed at it, and Miyako agreed.

Michael and Miyako ordered for themselves new tarts, added to the coffee shop's menu only that week. They were small tarts filled with pumpkin cheesecake filling, adorned with cream and a sprinkle of course salt. They also ordered hot chocolate to go with them.

As the evening wore on, Michael found himself relaxing. It was just as always. Just him and Miyako hanging out together, just like they always did. It seemed the saying was true, couples should be best friends before they become couples.

Michael wasn't sure how it had happened, but instead of sitting on opposite sides of the coffee table, the both of them sat on the same small couch. Miyako leaned on him ever so slightly, which he enjoyed, though he wasn't going to say it.

When their tarts arrived, they admired them briefly before digging right in. "Oh, it's so good!" Miyako exclaimed excitedly, "I love it!"

"I'm glad you do," Michael said, relieved to see that she was enjoying. He took a bite of his own and agreed with her, "You're right."

He looked at Miyako and her lips were turned up into a mischievous looking smile. "W-what?" He stammered, embarrassed that she was staring at him.

She giggled, replying, "You have whipped cream on your face, silly!"

There was the nickname again. Miyako called Michael 'silly' whenever he did something that amused her. Usually, what she found amusing embarrassed him greatly. But he always felt happy when she used that nickname, because it felt like it was special; like something just for him.

He blushed, "Oh... S-sorry. Where?"

"Here, I'll get it," She assured him, taking her napkin and reaching forward. She slowly dabbed the cream off the tip of his nose, smiling softly as she did. Michael would never say it out loud, but he liked the feeling of her tending to him. Miyako was just so tender and gentle. "There you go!" She said.

"Ah... T-thanks," He stammered back.

Awkward silence quickly followed. Each was aware of the intense emotions buzzing electrically within them. "Should we get going?" Michael asked finally, trying to push away the awkwardness.

"S-sure."

XxXxX

The two had gathered their things and left the coffee shop, currently walking back along the street. Michael was taking her to his house first, so they could hang out for a little bit more.

Michael felt as though he was completely out of control. His heart seemed to be beating so quickly, he couldn't even feel it. His hands were shaking as he tried to unlock the front door, and he saw Miyako looking at them as he did.

Kashino and Ichigo had taken Lynne and Dylan out for the evening, so that they wouldn't bother their older brother. Michael was grateful for their understanding. With that, the house was a lot more silent than normal. He thought it was strange; being able to hear the little noises in the house and the hum of the refrigerator.

He tossed his keys into the glass bowl by the door, along with the others. "You wanna sit in the living room?" He asked her.

"Yeah," Miyako whispered back. Her eyes were still on his hands, which shook at his sides.

What surprised Michael was that Miyako took hold of his hand. Just the touch of her skin against his own made him seize up. "You're hands are shaking," She said quietly, "Are you cold?"

"N-n-no..." Michael stammered, his eyes open wide. He stared at their interlaced hands, and was praying that his skin didn't feel clammy. "C-come on."

He led her into the living room, and they sat on the couch together. Michael turned the TV on, so that it wasn't so silent.

He wasn't sure if he was happy or anxious that Miyako still held onto his hand. But he wasn't about to make things more awkward and ask her.

However, he found himself feeling more and more charged up; an overwhelming feeling of uncontrollable electricity shooting through him. Even more so, when Miyako snuggled up next to him; her head resting on his shoulder.

The TV began playing soft, slow music, a romantic scene on screen. Neither Michael or Miyako said anything for a while, just sitting there together. Their hands loosely grasped together, their bodies so close they could feel each other's warmth.

"T-thanks for taking me out," Miyako finally said.

"You're welcome," Michael replied, his voice sounding foreign to his own ears, "I'm glad you agreed to come."

She laughed, "On a scale of 1 to 10, how nervous were you when you asked me?"

He blushed at this, "... 10."

Miyako hummed amusedly. She took her head off his shoulder and used her free hand to turn his head toward her. Michael stared at her alarmed. The moment had such intense friction. Miyako was leaning forward toward him, her lips slowly reaching for his and Michael panicked.

He didn't know why. He just completely lost it. Standing up hastily, earning a confused stare from Miyako, he said, "I... I'm just going to get a drink of water."

He didn't even let her respond, but quickly darted away into the safety of privacy. In the kitchen, he grabbed a cup from the cupboard, and filled it with water. He downed it all in one gulp. His heart was beating like crazy.

What had he just done? Had he just rejected a kiss from the girl he had a crush on for the past 4 years?

Why did I do that? She's going to hate me! I asked her out on a date and then I didn't even kiss her! Worse even, she was going IN for a kiss and I ditched... She's going to hate me... She's probably already gathering her things. She's going to go home and never talk to me again. She's... She's-

"Michael."

Her voice made the empty house feel even emptier. It was just him and her. She stood in the doorway of the kitchen.

"I'm sorry," He said, "I just... I don't know what happened. I don't know how to do this... And... I just screwed everything up. I'm sorry. I get it if you hate me and don't want to be my friend anymore... I'm sorry that I asked you out and I'm sorry that I-"

He didn't get to finish his rant however, because she crossed over to him, taking hold of his head; comfortingly keeping his eyes locked on hers. She shook her head, "Stop. Don't be sorry. I was being reckless. I'm sorry." She took a deep breath, "If... If you're not ready for that yet, then... I get it. I'll wait."

"I-it's not that," He mumbled, his eyes fluttering toward other things; the fridge, the kitchen table, anything except for her soul piercing stare. "I... I just... I really like you, I don't want to do something to screw this up."

She let go of his head, her hands traveling down his neck and stopping at his shoulders, "You couldn't screw this up. Not ever." Her fingers curled, grasping onto his shirt, "Can I ask you one thing?"

"What?"

"... Do you like me?"

"L-like you?"

"You know, in that way that just drives you completely insane?"

"How did you-?"

"Because I feel the exact same way, every single time I see you."

Her expression was a sincere one, and Michael knew in that moment that she meant it. He swallowed, even with how hard it was to, "I... I do."

She closed her eyes, inhaling slowly. She leaned in toward his ear and whispered very softly. Her breath against his skin, making shivers run down his spine; words he would never forget.

"Then kiss me."

And that's when he took a deep breath and just forgot about thinking. Just a moment of pure courage and adrenaline; he caressed her cheek with one hand, tilting her head opposite to his and kissed her.

It felt like the best thing in the whole world. An insane shock of emotion, crackling and fizzing inside him. She was kissing him back quite eagerly, her finger hooked onto the loop of his jeans, pulling him closer to her.

The whole thing only lasted about 20 seconds. For 20 seconds they both felt as if they were with the best person in the world. For that little amount of time, they could only feel each other. In sync, like their hearts were united.

When the broke apart, both their faces were red. And what surprised them both was they started to laugh. A soft laugh, like they couldn't believe what they just did. It just felt so insane. It didn't feel real.

To think that now they were together in a way that was different from just being friends. They were closer than that. To them, in that moment, it felt like they were linked to the other; the kind of connection that only came from sharing a first kiss.

Finally, after 4 long years, Michael had the girl of his dreams. He was hers, and she was his.

And it only took 20 seconds of pure, electrical courage.

So what do you think? Leave me a review and let me know!

And for the record, I've got about 10% of the next MJMS done. I'm sorry that it's taking so long xD

Thanks for reading, have a great week! Hopefully, I brightened up your Monday :)

xoxo

~Mikashi-chan :)