Title: the best thing that's ever been mine
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: ~1,500
Characters: Tadashi/Gogo
... ...
Honey's the one that plans the outing, because she almost always does. Even if someone else chimes in with a suggestion, Honey will take it and make it official, with practically an itinerary for the day (which Wasabi absolutely doesn't object to) and planned detours to these little dive cafes and restaurants she somehow always knows about and are delicious. She's the reason that they're regulars at this small dessert place on the edge of the city, and why they found this one lot half an hour from the city that's a pumpkin patch in the fall with warm drinks and baked goods and a Christmas tree lot in the winter with an ice rink and fondue and craft tables set up for kids to make homemade ornaments and wreaths.
It's a lot of fun.
Today, they got a little dressed up and took the subway into the city to see this glass art exhibit at the museum, which was pretty amazing. The sculptures were gorgeous and cast bright colors around the room with the lights reflecting through them. The exhibit itself was a pretty exclusive thing, too, apparently, because the artist is getting older and doesn't travel much anymore, so this was one of the last showcases where he and his art would be altogether. How Honey found out about this and managed to get them in is beyond him.
After they walk around for couple of hours and get to talk with the artist for a bit, Honey tells them about this coffee place that's only a few blocks over, so they make their way over there instead of walking back to the station and heading home.
He and Gogo are walking in step with each other a few paces behind the others, who're talking animatedly about a new movie coming up.
"You alright?" he asks after another breeze passes. Gogo isn't shivering, but he can't imagine she's all that warm, either.
She shrugs one shoulder. "A little cold," she admits, and then nods ahead of them at Honey, who's wearing Gogo's leather jacket over her cardigan. "She swears those thin cotton things will keep her warm and then ends up freezing. Better I go cold than her, though. I'm more durable."
"But still cold," he points out with a chuckle, shrugging out of his coat.
She looks at him. "Tadashi—"
He grins and sets it over her shoulders, not missing the way her eyes flutter very briefly, fingers automatically pulling it closer. "Just take it," he says, because even though she doesn't move to take the thing off, she can tell she's still hesitant. "I was getting warm with these underneath it, anyway." He tugs at the sleeve of his blazer and dress shirt.
Her lips curve into this soft smile that he loves seeing on her. She flashes it to him often enough, too, which is great.
"Thank you," she tells him, and he ducks his head a little, rubbing at the back of his neck.
... ...
She keeps his coat draped over her shoulders even as they're sitting inside the coffeehouse, which is small and cozy and definitely a lot warmer than it is outside, but he doesn't mind at all. It looks better on her than it ever did on him, anyway.
And he can't stop looking at her.
It's not like he's staring or something, but he keeps finding his eyes being drawn back to her even though he's honestly trying to focus on the crazy story Fred is telling them about the latest issue of his favorite comic or the new project Honey and Wasabi are collaborating on. And it's not like he's isn't paying attention. It's just that, when Fred is describing an alien autopsy scene to them in a fair amount of detail, he happens to glance beside him and think that the way Gogo crinkles her nose in mild disgust is actually pretty adorable. And when Honey accidentally knocks over her coffee and Wasabi freaks out a little because it gets on his sweater, Tadashi finds himself watching as Gogo tips her head back in laughter.
This is hardly the first time he's found this happening, and no, he's not oblivious to what it means.
His eyes are focused on the hand in her hair, the way her fingers are playing idly with her purple streaks, when she glances at him out of the corner of her eye and catches his gaze. He blinks, surprised. The funny thing is that he doesn't really feel all that worried or guilty about getting caught.
(Well, no. He would feel bad if it made her uncomfortable, because he doesn't ever want to make anyone uncomfortable.)
Instead, he finds himself holding her stare, a strange sense of confidence coming over him. He wants to see her reaction because he wants to know – he needs to know what she's thinking right now.
She blinks a few times, pulling her hand from her hair and revealing this small, beautiful smile, and he lets out a breathy laugh he hadn't realized he'd been holding.
She laughs a little, too, nudging his arm with her elbow, and maybe it's stupid, but he swears he feels her touch through his sleeves.
"What're you laughing about?"
They look away from each other, meeting three curious stares.
He doesn't have an excuse in mind, mostly because half his mind is still focused on Gogo (it's like his default setting lately), but Gogo throws a teasing smirk and replies, "Something hilarious, but since you weren't paying attention, it's our little secret," as she gets up from her chair. "Honey, come on, I need to pee before we go."
Honey smiles widely – a little too widely, and Tadashi is convinced she's in on something here – and chirps, "Coming!"as she practically hops out of her chair.
Gogo drapes his coat over the back of her chair, and maybe he's just imagining it, but he feels her purposefully brush against his shoulders as she walks behind him to walk with Honey to the restroom.
But then she glances over her shoulder at him, that same smile on her lips, so no, he definitely wasn't imagining things.
... ...
Fred got off one stop before the college because it's a closer walk to his apartment, and Wasabi and Honey live in the same housing unit across campus from where the train lets off, so he offers to walk Gogo home. Well, it's more implied than offered, because he's not making her walk by herself and he parked his bike in front of her unit, anyway.
She still has his coat draped over her shoulders, and maybe it's a little bit chillier now that it's later, but he's not about to ask for it back.
"You want to take a picture?"
He blinks at her, eyebrows furrowing as they walk up to the front door.
"You've been staring at me all night." She's smiling again, though, so he thinks she's not really bothered by this.
He chuckles. "I'm not all that surprised you noticed."
"Kind of hard not to," she points out. He meets her eyes again and she presses her lips together. He thinks she's going to say something else, but then she reaches into her bag and pulls out her keys, turning to unlock the door, and he tucks his hands into his pocket and glances away.
She gets the door open and turns to look at him again, brushing her fingers through her hair. "Well, goodnight, Gogo," he says.
"Goodnight," she echoes, but neither of them moves right away. "Oh," she says after a moment, starting to shrug his coat off of her shoulders.
"No, no, it's alright." He pulls the coat over her again. "Just hold onto it."
She grins. "I'm already at my building, Tadashi. I don't think I'll need a coat indoors."
He lets out a laugh, bringing a hand up to mess with his hair. (He'd left his hat at home because it didn't feel all that museum-appropriate.) "Keep it anyway," he tells her, squeezing her arm gently, because he feels the need to.
Her gaze falls onto his lips for a moment before meeting his eyes again, lips curving into a smile. "Are you expected home soon?"
He thinks he understands the underlying question. "Nah, I'm not. Hiro's breaking in a brand new game at a friend's for the night and Aunt Cass is going out for the first time in years. No one to notice I'm home late."
"Or not at all," she adds. He tilts his head. "I think you should come up for a bit."
"I should, huh?" She nods, stepping closer. He knows for a fact that he's smiling too widely to be casual, but whatever. "I think you should give me my coat back."
She tilts her head up and he slips his hand over her hip, pressing her against him. "Then take it," she says, barely above a whisper. He lets out a chuckle and then slants his lips over hers, barely registering his coat falling to the ground as he dips her slightly and pushes his other hand through her hair.