A/N: I have some extra chapters/drabbles for Arcanum that have been up on my AO3 and spacelionsrampant tumblr for a while but I thought I'd drop them here in one convenient book for people to enjoy. :) In no particular order but I will include setting/time information.
Setting: Several months before Ren's accident and roughly four months before Kerberos launch.
"Dance with me?"
Ren paused, mouth full of french fries, turning her head slowly to regard the pilot beside her. One hand was half-raised with more fries from the cardboard container on her lap. From beside her, on the other side of the park bench, she heard Katie snicker. Without looking over the mechanic reached over, stuffing the extra fries in the smaller girl's face. Katie choked, either on her laugher or the sudden food, and Ren swallowed.
"Shiro, it's-"
"I know," he interrupted, already red. "I know."
"No, no," Ren laughed, brushing the salt from her fingers. "You asked, I'm finishing that sentence."
"Please don't," the pilot groaned, looking like he wanted to forget the last minute entirely.
The brunette hummed, linking one arm with his as she passed the container of fries over to the younger girl beside her. "I don't know. Katie, what do you think?"
"I think you should tell him," Katie responded, her grin far too similar to Ren's own to sit comfortably with Shiro.
"You two have been spending too much time together," Shiro commented, but it did nothing to derail the conversation.
"As I was saying," Ren continued, lifting Shiro's arm to look at the watch on his wrist. "It's 2:30 in the afternoon, we're in the park, and worst of all there's no music."
"There are some birds," the Holt girl offered, laughter in her voice.
"Yees," the mechanic admitted, tipping her head back to look upwards to the tree branches above them. "But birds are remarkably difficult to keep a beat to. They have no sense of rhythm."
"I can fix that," Shiro responded, the statement surprisingly steady for as embarrassed as he was.
Ren arched an eyebrow, meeting his gaze. "The birds? I know you're a pilot, but I don't think you have any sway over-"
"The music," he explained, chuckling. The pilot's smile was charming, even with his face and ears still red. Shiro stood from the park bench, turning to face the mechanic and holding a hand out to her. "Dance with me."
"Yeah, Ren!" Katie encouraged, practically tossing the french fries aside as she searched for her phone. "Dance with him!"
Ren hummed, pretending to consider the offer. The corners of her lips turned upward, unable to stop the smile from forming as her eyes met his. She reached out, fingers curled around his, hand warm. "I didn't know you could dance."
"I'm full of surprises," Shiro responded, gently pulling her to her feet. The pilot took several steps backwards away from the park bench to give them enough room. His other hand found her hip, settling awkwardly over her tool belt. "Don't you ever take this off?"
The brunette's smile turned crooked as she watched his face from under the fan of her eyelashes. "Well…"
"Ren," Shiro sighed, face hot once again.
"Alright, alright," Ren replied, doing her best not to snicker. "I'll behave. Do your worst."
The pilot was quiet for long enough, eyes watching some unknown point over her shoulder, that Ren began to wonder if he wasn't going to back out of his impromptu dance offer. When his eyes found hers again his expression was oddly serious. "Now don't laugh."
Ren's eyebrows rose in silent question as Shiro began to lead her in a slow dance, something between a waltz and the awkward sway from middle school. His smile returned and the pilot leaned over until their foreheads nearly touched. What happened next Ren was almost certain she imagined, Shiro's voice so low that even with their closeness she almost missed it.
"Fly me to the moon, and let me play among the stars…"
Matt leaned over the back of the park bench, careful to hold the ice cream out of the way and watching as his sister diligently recorded the scene unfolding several feet away. Ren leaned back, all smiles and laughter with her own face now dusted with pink, before she hid her face against Shiro's chest. Shiro was laughing now too, his arms around the mechanic in a tight hug, his chin resting on the top of her head.
"Disgusting," Matt commented, unable to stop his own smile from spreading across his face. "How am I supposed to eat my ice cream when they're already giving me cavities?"
Katie laughed, fingers typing rapidly on her phone's touch screen as she sent the video off to Aileen. "I guess you'll just have to give it to me."