Chiaki sat on the park bench, face nestled into the palm of his hand and eyes resting. His foot tapped rhythmically against the cement to the beat of the music pulsing from his headphones, drowning out the noise coming from the children and their families. It was 4:45, fifteen minutes after they were supposed to meet up. If it weren't for Kotaha and Mako's insistence, Takeru probably would have never allowed the green samurai to take a day off from training. He was grateful (especially because of Ryuunosuke's persistent griping), but every minute he was stood up was another minute the Gedoshuu had to launch an attack.
He increased the volume on his iPhone and stuffed it back into his cargo pants before he caught himself staring at the time again. The amusement park was full of people today and the sun sat as high as it could above the clouds. He looked around at all the children, happy that there was no immediate danger in the city today. Three days without any encounters from the Gedoshuu had likely left the people feeling a bit more secure. It had to be making Takeru especially nervous about their plans, but to Chiaki, this was probably the last opportunity he'd have for frivolity for a while.
A shadow cast over him, pulling his attention back to his surroundings. For a second, Chiaki wasn't sure what he was looking at. There was a man in a suit. Scratch that, it was just a suit jacket. A really tacky plaid suit jacket at that matched with an equally tacky bow tie and plaid shorts.
Chiaki tilted his head to the side, squinting an eye to focus on the relatively goofy face belonging to the owner of that hideous suit jacket. "Gen-chan?"
"P-p-present!" the sushi salesman responded, looking rather stiff. "I brought these for you! Please, accept them!" Genta bowed and presented a bouquet of white lilies that found themselves buried in Chiaki's nose. The sensation almost caused the green samurai to sneeze, but he was able to catch himself in time, gently pushing the flowers to the side.
"Uh… thanks." Chiaki grinned sheepishly. Genta stood back up, rubbing the back of his head staring at the ground. "Nice jacket," he added after a moment of silence.
"Th-thank you very much!" Genta mumbled. Chiaki's face scrunched into a puzzled expression. He hadn't seen Genta look this nervous since he was interviewed about his curry. Sighing, the younger of the two stood up, sitting the flowers on the bench for a moment, and placed his hands on the salesman's shoulders.
"Hey," he said softly, and he could already feel the other's shoulders relax a bit. "Calm down, alright? It's just a date." Genta's head shot up immediately at the bold declaration, face as red as Daigoyou's chest plate. His face contorted oddly, unsure of what expression he was trying to make at first, but finally settled on a mix of relief and anxiety.
He took several deep breaths, Chiaki patient enough to wait it out. It was a few more minutes before he had actually calmed down. "It really is a date," Genta finally said. He spoke in a low mumble, as if talking just to himself. "It's my first date. I want to do everything right. Thank you for asking me out!"
Chiaki giggled. Genta shrank back, thinking he had done something wrong, but Chiaki couldn't help but giggle at how formal his date was being towards him. He hung his head in shame, but Chiaki was quick to catch him by the chin, titling up the sushi samurai's head gently. "Geez, that's all? Dates aren't a big deal man. I mean, I wouldn't normally dress so… flashy," at this, Chiaki paused to chuckle while Genta blushed an even deeper shade and struggling to avoid eye contact, "but yeah, just relax. Besides, first dates are always awkward." There was a brief pause following. Chiaki averted his eyes, mumbling out of the side of his mouth. "Who else would I have asked out? You're the only one without a stick up their ass."
This time it was Chiaki blushing, a sight that made Genta feel more at ease. He rubbed his neck and gave an awkward smile. "It's a good thing I brought flowers then."
Chiaki rolled his eyes, softly punching his date in the arm. "You big dummy. Next time just don't be late!"