"How do I look?"
Shigure groaned exasperatedly, leaning his head against the passenger side window. He glanced side ways at Hatori, watching as the dragon looked down and straightened his tie frustratedly. "You look fine. Really, Ha'ri, you're acting like a fussy, insecure female. Will you stop?"
Hatori froze, looking over at his friend. "Excuse me, this is the first date I've been on in years. I'd rather not look like a fool." He grumbled dejectedly, his biting tone evident. His grey eyes took in Shigure's relaxed, casual appearance. Hatori had managed to convince Shigure to wear a white button-up and black slacks, but that was it. Shigure even refused to button the shirt up fully, the top two buttons were left undone. It was a far cry from Hatori's dapper appearance; clad in a full suit, tie, waistcoat, and blazer.
Shigure huffed, sitting up right and crossing his arms. "You look nice, alright?" He said softly now, attempting to ease the dragon's worries. "However, we've been parked out here for nearly ten minutes and we're going to miss our reservation if we don't go ahead and get the girls."
"You're right." Hatori admitted, still feeling nervous. Giving one more small nod to Shigure, Hatori climbed out of the car and closed the door, pausing to brush off his blazer and give himself one more check-over before walking to the door.
Shigure, however, just sighed and lazily climbed out of the car, closing the door and sauntering up to the house behind Hatori. Once on the porch and at the door, Shigure slipped in front of Hatori and leaned against the doorframe, waiting impatiently. He thought it was rather endearing how Hatori anxiously knocked, and then took a step back. The dragon was rigid and stiff, standing politely up right with impeccable posture. It was almost cute, Shigure thought. It was almost as if this was the first date the twenty-four year old dragon had ever been on. Shigure was beginning to wonder if perhaps his presence here was more for Hatori's confidence and comfort than it was to be a date for Kana's best friend. It was the dragon who pushed this double date idea on Shigure; of course, the writer agreed immediately. Though Mayu was a nice girl, she didn't really hold Shigure's interest. However, Shigure would do anything to shove his nose further into Hatori's business. The dog was still not quite sold on Hatori's relationship with Kana. He needed to do some more research.
Suddenly, the door opened and Kana jumped slightly at how close Shigure was; the unnerving smirk splayed across his lips unsettled her, but she gave a polite smile back to him. Her brown eyes shifted to her partner behind him, and the polite smile turned into a silly grin. Hatori looked so handsome, she hadn't seen him clean up so nicely in awhile. Hatori always looked good in his suits- but this was a step further. Excitedly, she brushed past Shigure and moved to throw her arms around Hatori, wanting to hug him. "Hatori, you look-!"
Abruptly, Hatori took a step backwards and caught her around the waist, his hands wrapping around her hips and stopping her. Kana froze in place, wondering why he suddenly halted her. Her embarrassment and confusion faded fast, however, as Hatori leaned down and pressed a very small, tender kiss to her forehead.
It had only been a few weeks since Kana found out the truth about the curse; while that revelation actually moved their relationship forward, Kana was still unused to not being able to hug her partner. Hatori didn't feel great about having to stop her excitement every time she tried to jump into his arms, but it had to be done.
Still holding her around the waist, he glanced down and let his eyes wander over her from top to bottom; Kana's bangs were down and swept to the side. She was dressed in a light pink, spaghetti strapped, knee-length dress that looked to be a silk material. A matching pink, crocheted shaw was wrapped around her shoulders and the whole outfit was topped off with small, white kitten heels. She looked beautiful, Hatori wasn't used to seeing her outside of her work clothes too often.
"You look nice." He whispered bluntly, leaning down to her ear to compliment her. The monotoned compliment might've come off wrong to any other woman, but Kana understood Hatori's special way of communicating his emotions. He might not have been able to say exactly what he was feeling, and his lax features stayed the same as usual… But Kana could see the smile in those feldgrau eyes of his, and she knew what he was feeling right then. It was the same thing she felt inside, too. A warm smile spread across her lips as she mouthed a 'thank you' to him. Very carefully, she leaned up and wrapped her arms around his neck and squeezed gently, making sure to not let their chests touch. Hatori allowed the small affection before letting go of her waist and taking another awkward step backwards.
From the doorway, Shigure stood with his back against the doorframe, eyeing the two lovebirds closely. His arms were crossed again and though Hatori's compliment was out of his earshot, he knew exactly what the dragon just told Kana. Dark eyes narrowed slightly as he examined them, before he was suddenly shaken from his thought process.
"…Shigure?"
The dog turned on his heel, finding Mayu standing there behind him. The taller female was clad in a similar dress to Kana; silk, spaghetti strapped, only the blonde's was a pale yellow. She also donned a matching yellow shaw, leading the dog to believe that the women probably shopped together earlier in the day for this date. Shigure wasn't sure how to feel about that. Mayu's long, flaxen hair was scooped up into a messy bun, and on her feet were white patent flats- probably because she was rather tall already. Shigure breathed a sigh of relief. He didn't particularly want his date to be taller than him.
A smirk spread across his lips as he pushed away from the doorframe. "Well, well. Look at you." He purred smoothly, eyes trained on her. Shigure didn't find her attractive, nor unattractive. She was just… There. However, Hatori would skin him alive if he wasn't a good host to Kana's best friend, so Shigure would play the part.
"Doesn't she look beautiful?" Kana asked excitedly, clasping her hands together in front of her and looking over at Mayu for just a moment before turning her gaze back up to Hatori. "We went shopping together today, I thought the yellow went beautifully with her hair."
Shigure's suspicions were correct, then. Yes, they always were. "She does look quite nice. I hope you girls didn't over-pay for these outfits. Us men truly aren't worth the hassle." He cooed, walking over to Mayu and circling her, like an animal stalking his prey. It pleased him to notice Mayu suddenly still and tense up. Shigure almost chuckled at the blush creeping up to her cheeks. How cute. Even without trying, even with insincerity, he was still able to affect her. One of his many talents.
"It's fine." Mayu mumbled, clutching her purse in front of her nervously. Why was he looking at her like that? Why was circling her like that? She felt… Hunted. It wasn't often Mayu saw Shigure dressed so nicely either- well, nicely for him, at least. She frowned, realizing she needed to pay him a compliment as well. It was the polite thing to do. "You look… Good, Shigure."
The dog cocked an eyebrow up at her polite words, taken aback. "Are you implying that I don't normally look good when I wear my yukata?" He asked pointedly, and rather accusingly. Seeing the shock on the blonde's face amused him, and he gave her a moment to stumble over her words and grow flustered before he suddenly chuckled. "Joking, only joking…" He mused, grinning.
"Shigure." Hatori snapped, a silent warning in his tone. Shigure's laughter stopped abruptly and he frowned, clearing his throat. "…Thank you for the compliment, Mayu." He muttered, very much disliking being scolded by the dragon. The dog pouted like an errant child being disciplined by a parent.
At Hatori's commanding quip, Mayu glanced around Shigure and finally noticed Hatori standing with Kana. The two of them were conversing softly- too quiet for her to hear. Kana was beaming, using her hands flamboyantly as she explained something to him. Hatori stood straight, with one hand slipped into his pocket. His body was turned inward towards her, and his eyes were locked onto her. Kana had Hatori's complete and total attention. He nodded slightly every few moments, focusing on her. The dragon was captivated.
Mayu felt her heart leap into her throat. Hatori looked incredible. She was positive she had never seen a more handsome man in her entire life. He always looked handsome, but tonight… It literally took her breath away. Flushing crimson, Mayu felt her cheeks start to heat up as she watched Hatori. Thankfully, his attention wasn't on anything besides Kana, so Mayu was allowed to look at him. The warmth traveled down her neck and spread through her chest, and she was painfully aware of how red she really was. What she didn't realize, however, was that the dog was currently studying her, as she was studying Hatori.
Shigure cleared his throat again, startling her out of her trance. The blonde looked over at him guiltily. The wheels in Shigure's brain were suddenly turning, working overtime now. How curious, he thought. A smirk crept back up to his lips again, and he waved his hand towards the car. "Well, then. Shall we go?"
Shigure's hand motion caught Hatori's attention, and he quickly realized they needed to leave. Pulling his sleeve up, Hatori checked his watch for the time before extending his arm out to Kana, giving her his elbow to hold onto.
Hatori was too oblivious to catch it, but Kana sighed dreamily and wrapped herself around his arm as he lead her out to the car. Once at the vehicle, Hatori opened the passenger side door her, holding her hand to help her inside. Once she was buckled and in safe, Hatori closed her door and walked around to the driver's side.
Shigure did nothing of the sort. In fact, he stayed frozen until Mayu started walking. Once she awkwardly realized he was waiting on her, Mayu walked to the car with Shigure on her heels behind her. Mayu was forced to open her own door to the backseat, clumsily climbing in and having to scoot over a bit so Shigure could climb in as well. Once everyone was buckled, Hatori started the car and began driving them to restaurant.
The ride there was noisy, Shigure thought. Kana did most of the talking. Shigure couldn't even recall what it was she was rambling about, he was too busy staring out the window as they drove. Hatori and Mayu were both quiet, each of them basically taking turns to murmur a small conversational word or two, which only encouraged Kana to continue talking. Shigure only had one clear thought on his way to the restaurant: What a vapid girl Kana was.
They arrived on time, thankfully. Hatori had to make these reservations nearly two weeks in advance. The restaurant of choice was a popular one around town; it served very high quality French cuisine and was rather pricey. Of course, Hatori and Shigure didn't care about the price. They were young, handsome, and rich Sohma men. They could afford whatever they wanted. Perhaps somewhere deep, down in Hatori's subconscious, he felt the need to spoil Kana in an attempt to make up for being emotionally unavailable. Either way, tonight, he wanted to make her happy. She found out the truth about him- what he really was- and unlike what Akito had drilled into his head his entire life, she didn't abandon him. Kana loved him. While he found difficulty expressing that back to her, he wanted to show her. This was the best thing he knew to do.
The restaurant was quiet, dimly lit- the perfect romantic ambiance. They were lead to a small, circular table, surrounded by four chairs. Hatori politely pulled Kana's chair out for her, making sure she was settled in before he took his own seat. Next to him sat Shigure, who obviously didn't do the same for Mayu, and Mayu sat between Shigure and Kana. As she sat, Mayu couldn't help but smile a tiny bit to herself. She didn't mind Shigure's neglectfulness. She was just glad to see Kana being taken care of. Kana looked so happy with Hatori, and it made Mayu happy.
Once they were all settled in and were given menus, Hatori went to work with translating a few of the menu items for Kana. The dragon wasn't particularly well versed in French, but he knew a few words here and there and helped her along quietly. He leaned over a bit, pointing to the menu and whispering to her softly.
Mayu turned to Shigure, trying to keep her gaze off of Hatori's hands. His long fingers dragged along the menu so slowly, with such delicate ease… It was hypnotizing. Kana didn't seem to even notice, she just grinned and listened to him, mostly glancing up at Hatori's face instead of reading the menu with him. Mayu liked watching how his hands moved; it was such a small gesture, but it was beautiful to her. Tearing her eyes away, she turned to Shigure and attempted to make conversation. "Do you know any French?"
"Not even a bit." Shigure grinned cheekily, leaning back in his chair as if he was lounging at home, and not at one of the most expensive restaurants in town. "Do you?"
"No." Mayu sighed, glancing over the foreign menu briefly, before setting it down. She suddenly got an idea. "I'll make a bet with you, though."
"Oh?" Shigure asked, intrigued. He began to sit up as his curiosity was peaked. "What kind of bet?"
Mayu smiled inwardly as she got his attention. "I'll pick a random item on the menu for you, and you can pick one for me. If you like the dish I picked, I win. If you hate it, I lose. You can do the same for me- pick anything you like and order it for me. I'll try it. Whoever does a better job at picking out a decent dish wins." Mayu explained, shooting a challenging look over at Shigure.
"We pick out random dishes for each other, and whoever picks one that the other can stomach wins?" Shigure repeated, his eyebrow cocked up as he mulled over the rules. This was certainly interesting, it was even keeping his attention off Hatori and Kana currently. He stroked his chin, thinking. "Fine, you're on. Now, what will I win?"
Mayu frowned and smacked Shigure's arm, though it was a very weak hit. "You won't win anything, I will. However… Whoever wins can pick whatever dessert they want after dinner."
"Dessert?" Shigure whined, obviously desiring a much larger bet. Perhaps money, or something even more nefarious, but he supposed it couldn't be helped on a date like this. "…Fine, but when I win, I want to go somewhere else after this for dessert. I think I'd like to get some cheap ice cream from a parlor down the street. I hope you weren't planning on sapping anymore of my money by winning and ordering an outrageously expensive dessert." He grinned, unable to help himself from teasing her.
Mayu blushed angrily, glaring at him. She kept her temper under control, however, not wanting to make a scene in the restaurant and embarrass Hatori. "You're on. …And I wasn't, by the way. I'm already uncomfortable enough as it is that Hatori and you are paying for a meal like this." She hissed quietly, unamused by his teasing. Mayu was aware he was only joking- Shigure's sense of humor, she'd learned, was rather crude, but she still didn't like it.
Shigure merely chuckled, determined now to win. Mostly for bragging rights, but some ice cream did sound good as well. All he had to do was pick a dish he was sure she'd like. Surely, Mayu couldn't have been that picky of an eater, right? The entire menu was in French, so it would be a blind guess, but Shigure was sure he had this in the bag. "Well then, let's get this party started, hm?" He purred coyly, smirking over at his date.
As a young waitress walked past their table, Shigure snatched her by the arm with lightening speed. The woman spun around on her heel, looking rather irritated as she was just jerked backwards a bit by a customer. The annoyed look on her face faded fast as she laid eyes on the man holding her wrist. Mayu noted that it looked like the young woman was melting under Shigure's gaze. No doubt, the waitress had just fallen in love at first sight with Shigure. Mayu frowned; Shigure wasn't even that attractive… According to Mayu.
"I'm sorry, sir, did you need something?" The waitress asked, clearly taken aback by Shigure's handsomeness. She shifted around in one spot, suddenly quite nervous and giddy. "Can I get you something?"
"Yes, actually, you can. I'm unsure why else I would've flagged you down like this." Shigure murmured to her, very aware of the affect he was having on her. An eyebrow cocked up again as he toyed with their waitress. "I'd like a bottle of wine brought to the table. Preferably the most expensive one in the house… Unless it's less than nine years old, then don't even bother, I will send it back. Pinot noir is expected, nothing less. Understood?"
"I…" The waitress trailed, suddenly speechless. Pulling her wrist away, she began fumbling with the apron tied around her waist. "I'm sorry, sir, but we usually serve our wine by the glass, not the bottle. However, I can bring out four gla-"
"Tch." Shigure spat, holding his hand up and interrupting her. "I wasn't asking." He said simply, having enough of this ignorant girl. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out quite few high bills of yen and held them out lazily to her between his first and middle fingers. He sighed agitatedly, and closed his eyes, no long giving her the respect of looking at her. "Well? Go on, little girl. Do as you're told."
The waitress snatched the money out of his hand and scampered away, no doubt going to fulfill his request. Shigure placed his elbow on the table, and then his chin into his palm. "Truly, what a rude girl." He mused to Mayu, looking over at the blonde.
"She was rude?" Mayu snapped, completely flabbergasted at Shigure's response. "You were the rude one, Shigure. You completely traumatized that girl."
"No, I simply told her what I wanted and I had more than enough money to pay for it. I don't see the problem here. The cash alone I just gave her will probably pay that poor girl's rent for a few months. I am a saint. She should be grateful." Shigure said proudly, ignoring how red Mayu was turning. A quick glance across the table and suddenly, Shigure came tumbling down from his high horse.
Kana was looking at Shigure nervously, but it wasn't her gaze that struck fear in his heart. It was Hatori's. The dragon was glaring daggers at him, with the heat of a thousand suns. Hatori was furious, and embarrassed completely by Shigure's behavior. Shigure felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. He hadn't seen Hatori that incensed in a very long time. How much had the dragon seen? Shigure thought Hatori was preoccupied with Kana…
"I will speak with you after dinner." Hatori said lowly, his usual monotone dropping down into a frightening timbre Shigure had hoped to never hear again.
"Ha'ri," Shigure began, his whiny tone causing Mayu to wince next to him. "I was only ordering a nice wine for us. I wanted tonight to be special. After all, I wasn't being selfish. Kana, you like wine, don't you?" Shigure asked, looking over pleadingly at the brunette, praying she would help get him out of the dog house with Hatori.
Kana stared over at Shigure for a split second before nodding. She reached up and rubbed Hatori's arm, giving him a reassuring smile. "Oh, yes. I love wine, Shigure, thank you so much. Hatori, Shigure was only trying to do something nice. Don't look so grumpy." She said enthusiastically, trying to get him to break his heated gaze at the dog and look at her. "It's okay."
Hatori's angry demeanor dropped as Kana tried to soothe him. Grumbling to himself, Hatori closed the menu the laid it on the table. "…Fine. You and I are still having a long talk after this, Shigure." He warned, but letting it go for now.
Shigure breathed a sigh of relief, glad Kana was able to calm the raging dragon spirit inside Hatori down. Shigure was safe… For now.
Mayu, on the other hand, wouldn't voice it, but she was upset with Kana for convincing Hatori to let Shigure off the hook. Shigure was rather rude to that waitress. Mayu knew Hatori wouldn't ever treat a waitress that way… Why was Shigure so damn entitled? It irritated her to no end. Rich bastard, she thought bitterly. She frowned, glancing over at Shigure as he pulled out a cigarette and lit the end of it, dragging the glass ashtray on the table over to himself. At least this restaurant permitted smoking, otherwise Mayu was positive Shigure would've thrown the world's biggest fit.
Hatori sighed, turning his attention to Kana. "I… Apologize for Shigure. I honestly don't understand what goes on in that amoebic brain of his. Are you doing alright?" He asked worriedly, studying her closely to see if he could sense any unhappiness or discomfort coming from her.
"I'm doing great." Kana smiled, reaching over to pat his hand. "This restaurant is beautiful, I'm sure the wine and food will be amazing. I get to have a nice dinner with my best friend, your best friend, and most importantly… You. My handsome date." Kana said proudly, moving to lean her head against his shoulder.
As Kana leaned on him, Hatori was thankful she couldn't see his face. A very smile played at the corner of his mouth as he heard her praise, and he visibly relaxed. Not responding to her affection, however, he sat still. It felt uncomfortable to him for her to be affectionate like this in public, but he would feel rude to stop her, so he allowed her to lean on him. "I'm glad." He said simply, hoping she understood how he felt.
Within a few minutes, the wine was brought out briskly, and by the manger of the establishment, no less. After profusely apologizing to Shigure for the waitress' insolence, the man left to let the party drink in peace. Needless to say, this only pleased Shigure even more, having the staff yield to his inconvenient desires. It only rewarded his bad behavior, which Mayu and Hatori were both appalled by. Either way, the four of them were given long stemmed wine glasses, and they began slowly indulging in the rather expensive nectar. They all praised it highly, only further swelling the dog's ego.
Conversation was had among the four of them; truth be told, Kana seemed to be the odd one out. Shigure and Hatori's wits easily rivaled each other, and Shigure found Mayu to mesh nicely along with them, having her own quips here and there. Kana sat quietly, reaching over every once in awhile to touch Hatori's arm, in a seeming attempt to garner his attention. Shigure found it rather pathetic. Hatori needed a female to be quick on her feet and be apart of the conversation; he required a knowledgeable, fearless girl. Kana was nice and passive, but could she really keep up?
Finishing his second cigarette now, Shigure tapped the ashes into the ashtray lazily, a smirk playing at his lips. "…He was so drunk, he fumbled around and nearly dropped his book. The poor thing ripped one of the pages trying to catch it. Of course, he blamed me for the damaged literature." Shigure chuckled, watching Hatori from across the table.
A quick eye roll from the dragon. He exhaled smoke from his mouth before answering. "Because it was your fault, you dolt. You were intoxicated as well, I suppose you don't remember clinging to my arm all night. It was your tugging that made the book slip out of my hands." He huffed defiantly, setting his elbow on the table and letting the cigarette rest in-between his fingers.
"What book was it again?" Mayu asked, looking between the two men. She couldn't help but smile at the thought of Hatori being tipsy. Her arms were folded on the table relaxedly, enjoying watching the men banter. She could listen to Hatori all night.
"Something by H.P. Lovecraft, if I'm not mistaken." Shigure answered, glancing over at the blonde. "Something dull, I'm sure of it."
"The Shadow Out of Time?" Mayu squeaked, suddenly sitting up right. "Hatori, you ripped that one? You just picked it up from my shop last week!" She whined, looking over at the dragon with contempt. "I had to specially order that for you. Really, Hatori." She huffed while crossing her arms, in an unknowing mimic to the doctor.
The ghost of a smile spread across Hatori's lips before he took another drag off the cigarette. "Blame the dog." He answered simply, motioning towards Shigure with his free hand. This caused Mayu to slap Shigure's arm again, which only caused Shigure to whine… Again.
"You went to Mayu's store?" Kana asked softly, ignoring the quarreling two on the other side of the table. "When was that? Mayu is my best friend, I would've thought she or you would tell me if you stopped by. I could've come with you…" Kana trailed, looking up at Hatori with large, brown eyes.
Hatori glanced down at her, offering a small shrug. "It wasn't as if I planned on going by there. It was after work and you'd already left the office to go home. I was out by myself and decided to see if she had anything new." After a pause, Hatori realized something. "…Does that upset you?"
"Oh, no." Kana answered quickly, shaking her head and waving her hand dismissively. "I just didn't realize you saw Mayu much outside of when we all go out together. That's all." She smiled a tiny bit up at him, wanting to reassure him that he had done nothing wrong. After all, Kana had no right to get jealous… Right? She wasn't the jealous type. She knew Hatori held affection for her, and that was enough.
"No more!" Shigure whined, rubbing his arm. Truthfully, not a single one of Mayu's slaps had hurt, but he was worried if he told her that, she'd hit him three times as hard. Shigure wasn't stupid. He looked over at Hatori and realized the dragon had a perplexing look on his usually lax features. Hatori's cold eyes were boring into the side of Kana's head, as if he was trying to read her mind. Kana, however, was simply staring down into her glass of wine. Did something happen?
Before Shigure could inquire and investigate the situation, it was time to order their food. Unsurprisingly, Hatori was a total gentleman and ordered both for himself, and then for Kana. Hatori decided on the moules à la crème normande for himself, and Kana decided on coq au vin, with Hatori's help.
When it came time for the other odd couple to order, Shigure grinned fiercely over at Mayu, remembering their bet. Mayu simply gave him a challenging narrow of her eyes, ready to beat the stupid the dog and claim all the bragging rights… And dessert rights, as it were.
Shigure flicked open the menu with ease, and abruptly pointed to something on the menu. Whatever his finger landed on by chance, he ordered for her. "Yes, my date would like… Ah! Poulet à la bretonne, please." Shigure said smugly, utterly butchering the language, but the waiter could see what Shigure pointed to.
This caused Hatori to raise an eyebrow inquisitively. He was unaware of their bet, so on the outside, it looked as if Shigure was being a polite date and ordering for Mayu. The dog hadn't picked a bad dish, either. By Shigure standards, Hatori was rather impressed. His surprise furthered when, for some reason, Mayu went to order for Shigure.
"Uh," Mayu mumbled, not nearly as confident as Shigure had been when he delivered his lines. She scanned the page for a moment, wanting to make an educated guess. Unlike her best friend, Mayu didn't have a handsome doctor with limited knowledge of the French language to help her out. She understood absolutely nothing on the page, so she merely picked at random. "He'd like the escargots de bourgogne, please." She said, handing her menu to the waiter as he walked off with their order.
Mayu only then realized when she turned towards Hatori and Kana, that they both looked… Surprised. "What?" She asked, feeling her cheeks start to heat up as Hatori stared at her.
"Nothing. That was just… An interesting choice." Hatori murmured, moving to snuff out his cigarette, glancing away from her.
A panic began to set in at Hatori's words, and Mayu could hearing Shigure snickering to himself next to her. "…How so? I don't speak French at all." The blonde admitted, urging Hatori to explain to her what was so odd.
"I see. Well, you ordered snails for Shigure." Hatori sighed, speaking hesitantly as he realized Mayu was flushing with embarrassment. "I'm unsure if that was your motive or not."
"No, it wasn't." Mayu whined suddenly, not unlike a certain dog at the table. Shigure began laughing, and Mayu glared over at him. "Will you stop?" She snapped, not amused at all by the raven haired man's delight in her misery.
Shigure tried to stifle himself by raising a hand up to his mouth. "I think I've got this bet in the bag, my dear. Snails sound atrocious, you'll be lucky if I even try one." After a moment, he regained his composure and leaned over to her a bit suggestively. "Though you never know, I've been told I eat like a dog. I'll eat anything placed in front of me. Perhaps snails won't be too bad." He purred, eyeing her closely. The embarrassment just further resonated on her features as the edge in his voice caught her off guard. Shigure liked doing that. She was almost cute when she was flustered. Plus, Shigure had to entertain himself somehow.
"Mayu?" Kana asked, gently tugging on her arm to get her friend's attention. "I need to use the restroom. Would you mind coming with me?" She asked sweetly, not wanting to go alone.
"Oh, sure, Kana." Mayu nodded, smiling as well. Grabbing her purse, she stood up and followed Kana to the bathroom. It was a nice break away from Shigure; Mayu found him completely exhausting.
"Why is it females always go to the restroom together?" Shigure asked with a sigh, his eyebrows furrowing together as he watched them leave. His question went unanswered as Hatori merely shrugged, moving to take another sip of wine.
"Hey, Mayu...?" Kana queried, looking over at the tall blonde as they washed their hands together at side-by-side sinks. "Can I ask you something?"
"Sure, go ahead." Mayu said, though her attention wasn't on Kana, it was on the mirror in front of her. She frowned a bit, wishing she could've done something else with her hair. That bun wasn't suiting her, she thought, Kana pushed the hairstyle on her. The doctor's assistant said it was cute, so Mayu just went along with it.
"Does Hatori seem... Different tonight?" Kana asked hesitantly, moving to turn off the water and glance around for paper towels.
"No, not at all. He seems happier tonight than when I usually see him. Such a grumpy man." Mayu smiled, shaking her head a bit as she followed suit and also turned off the water. "Why?"
To this, Kana sighed. "I'm not sure. Something doesn't feel right, though. Oh, Mayu... I wanted to ask, does Hatori come by your store often?"
Mayu went quiet for a bit as she thought about it. Finding the paper towels, she handed Kana a few before beginning to dry her own hands off. "Not particularly, I only see him every once in awhile. Why do you ask?"
"Oh, no reason. I just wondered why you didn't tell me you'd seen him recently." She said softly, tossing away the used towels into a bin. Another small smile crept up onto her lips, knowing that if she didn't smile soon, Mayu would get worried. When Mayu was worried about Kana, it was as if the world was ending until Kana was cheered up. Mayu truly was a good friend, and Kana suddenly felt guilty at the dark thoughts currently nagging at her. What was there to worry about?
Mayu had begun to tense up, but she relaxed when Kana smiled. Kana was beautiful; Mayu always was so jealous of her. Kana and Hatori were a perfect couple in Mayu's eyes. They were so in love and worked so well together... She knew they would make breathtakingly beautiful children together one day. "I see Shigure come around a lot too, I suppose after a long day at work, I forget. I would've told you, but Hatori just comes in, orders a book or two, and leaves. You know how he is." Mayu cooed, moving to wrap an arm around her shorter friend. "Besides, he's been staring at you all night, haven't you noticed? He can't take his eyes off you. You look gorgeous, Kana."
Kana grinned another silly smile, unable to hide how flattered she was. "Me? You look gorgeous! Shigure doesn't deserve such a beautiful girl as his date tonight." She enthused, also wrapping her arm around Mayu's waist and following her out and back to the table.
Hatori was surprised, but pleased when the two girls returned, giggling to themselves. Whatever mood Kana had been in seemed to have faded by now, and he was relieved. The dragon was beginning to worry he'd done something terribly wrong.
Kana placed a chaste kiss on Hatori's cheek, in a rather good mood now. Sitting back down next to him, it only furthered her jubilance as she saw Hatori raise his hand up and press his fingertips to the spot on his cheek where she kissed. If Kana wasn't mistaken, Hatori might've been smiling just a tiny bit.
"Did you miss me?" Shigure purred, eyes trained on Mayu as she slipped back into her chair next to him.
"Oh, so much." Mayu snorted, rolling her eyes a bit. The comment did make her simper, though. "You're an ass, Shigure, did you know that?"
"Mm, I'm quite aware." The dog grinned, reaching up to lazily stroke some of his hair out of his eyes. "...But at least I didn't order my date snails for dinner."
It wasn't long before the food was brought out. Hatori, having ordered muscles in white wine, found the dish to be quite good. Hatori rather liked seafood, but he often didn't get the chance to explore it outside of typical Japanese cuisine. Kana decided on chicken cooked in red wine, and Hatori was pleased to hear her praise it so highly. The dragon offered her a chance to try a muscle, but Kana looked uneasy about trying the dish; seafood didn't seem to be something she was interested in. Instead, the brunette just teased him a little and let him try a bite of her coq au vin- which the dragon found to be rather delicious.
Mayu's food arrived, and she was anxious to see exactly what mystery dish it was that Shigure ordered for her. Truthfully, she was starving and prayed it was something edible; Kana's chicken looked delicious and Mayu almost couldn't hide her jealousy as Hatori and Kana nodded together in unison, agreeing on how good the chicken tasted.
To her surprise (and relief), Mayu's dish was predominantly chicken as well. It was covered in an apple cider sauce, and had beans and bacon on top of it. It looked... Good. Mayu was simultaneously shocked, thankful, and pissed.
"Well? Go on." Shigure urged, grinning ear to ear as he saw that she was hesitating to try it. "I ordered this specifically for you, my beautiful date. I only want you to be one hundred percent pleased with the dish, until you can't eat a single bite more. Truly, I am a generous man. So, go on. Let me hear just how fantastic it really is."
Mayu glared at him, and then glared down at her food. Angrily, she picked up a fork and knife, carefully cutting into the chicken to get a small bite.
Shigure leaned over, eagerly studying her face for some type of response. She was chewing painfully slow, and Shigure hadn't seen in change in her facial expression to give away how she felt about the dish, until that familiar blush crept back up into her cheeks.
Mayu felt her face flush, and she frowned, forcing a swallow. She glared down at the plate again, filled with defeat and anger. "It's... Delicious." She admitted quietly, her grip on her fork tightening.
"Yes!" Shigure cheered, accepting his victory not-so-gracefully. "You should know better than to bet with me, I always win." The dog scoffed cheekily, basking in the glory. That all came crashing down quickly, however, when he realized there was a plate in front of him too. Oh no... The snails.
"You have to try at least one." She snapped, pointing to the shells scattered around his plate. Mayu couldn't lie; it looked repulsive. She wouldn't try the escargot even if a knife was held to her throat, however... What if Shigure tried it and really liked it? They might be able to tie... So, she urged him to give it a chance.
After some bickering, Shigure finally backed down and decided the gentlemanly thing to do was at least take a small bite. Reluctantly, he was able to fish a cooked snail out of it's shell, and he looked down at it, examining it thoroughly. This was horrific. Shigure could feel his stomach turning just looking at the morsel on the end of his fork. Frowning, he stuck his tongue out childishly at Mayu before stuffing the bite into his mouth.
The dog paused, a look of horror spreading across his face. Like Mayu, he began chewing very, very slowly. Mayu watched him closely, saddened, but not surprised by the disgusted look on his face. She blew this one.
Slowly, however, as Shigure chewed his face changed from a look of disgust, to one that wasn't too bad. He nodded thoughfully, sitting back a bit as he finished chewing. After swallowing, Shigure smiled a tiny bit over at Mayu.
The blonde's eyes widened and she suddenly felt such a huge sense of relief seeing his smile. So, it wasn't that terrible after all? She smiled back. "So, it isn't that bad?" Mayu asked, going to eat more of her meal.
"Oh, no. It's horrendously awful." Shigure grinned, pushing the plate away from him. "That was easily the worst thing I have ever put in my mouth, and that's saying something. You definitely lost, we're getting ice cream after this. Now, c'mere." The dog chuckled at the look of shock (and anger?) on her face as he picked up his fork and scooted his chair closer to her. He immediately began digging in on her plate. After all, she chose a not edible dish for him, so by law, he was now allowed to share her food with her.
Mayu groaned, not sure why she was expecting any less from Shigure. She did feel guilty wasting his one meal here, though, so with a huff, she pushed her plate so it was between them and they were able to equally share it. Mayu didn't mind too much; the piece of chicken on her plate was massive and there was more than enough to share with the sardonic man next to her.
"Mm," Shigure purred, after swallowing a bite of Mayu's food. "This is actually quite good. I chose well." He beamed, already moving to take another bite despite Mayu's death glare.
Hatori had watched the odd couple from across the table, not entirely sure what transpired between them. Either way, they seemed to be having a good time sharing Mayu's dish, and Hatori couldn't really blame Shigure for disliking the snails, so he let it go. The dragon and Kana ate politely, exchanging a few soft words here and there.
Dinner ended not too long after; Hatori and Shigure fought and argued over who would pay for the meal. Hatori just wanted to be polite- after all, it was him who asked Shigure to come out with him tonight. However, Shigure more or less just wanted to brag that he had the money to easily pay for everyone's meals, on top of paying outrageously for the bottle of wine. The dog always was a show off.
In the end, it was Shigure who won. He payed for their meal and off they went, the four of them climbing back into the car.
"Hatori, we need to go get ice cream." Shigure announced as Hatori started up the car. The dog buckled his seat belt and grinned at Hatori in the rear view mirror.
"What? No, absolutely not. I'm completely stuffed, I couldn't eat dessert if I tried." Hatori sighed, shaking his head no. "I can take you to get some tomorrow. We're going to take the girls home now."
"Ha'ri!" Shigure whined, fully prepared to throw a fit. "We have to go get ice cream, I won the bet with Mayu. She ordered me something horrible to eat, and I ordered her something delicious, so I won. I want ice cream." He lamented, ignoring Mayu pouting over her loss in the back seat next to him.
"That's what you two were doing?" Hatori asked, shocked. What kind of man made bets with his date at dinner? ...Shigure would. Of course he would. The dragon's eyebrow quirked up, glancing up at Shigure in his rearview mirror. "Shigure, it can wait. I'm sure the girls are tired an-"
"Actually, I think ice cream sounds nice." Kana interrupted, giving a sweet smile to her boyfriend in the driver's seat. "I'd really like some. I mean... That is, if you don't mind, Hatori..."
Hatori looked over at Kana for a moment before sighing. He couldn't say no to that face of hers. "...Fine." He grumbled begrudgingly, throwing the car into drive and taking them just down the street to the ice cream parlor. He tried desperately to ignore Shigure's irritating cheering the entire way there. Truthfully, Hatori just felt bad for Mayu. Shigure wasn't ever a humble winner, by any means.
The four of them hustled out of the car and into the small ice cream shop. It was completely empty besides one sole employee. It was getting rather late, Hatori had no doubt in his mind that they were going to close soon. There were only a few tables inside, and the bright fluorescent lights, mixed with the all-white interior were almost a bit blinding to him. He huffed, just ready to get this over with. Hatori walked up to the counter with Kana on his arm.
"Go ahead and order whatever you'd like. I'm too full, I won't be ordering anything." Hatori said softly to Kana, looking down at her.
Kana hummed appreciatively, letting go of his arm long enough to examine all the ice cream flavors they had displayed behind the glass buffet. "Oh! Mint chocolate chip! That looks so good." Kana squealed, clasping her hands together excitedly. "I'd like that, please." She said kindly, looking over at the teenage girl behind the counter.
Hatori sighed, reaching into his wallet and starting to pull out a bit of cash, before he was knocked to the side. No surprise, it was the dog who shoved him over.
"Yes, hello." Shigure greeted dismissively to the teenage girl, placing his hands on the counter as he was ready to order. Normally, Shigure would've taken the advantage to tease the young lady behind the counter (he did seem to enjoy being around girls of high school age), but right now, Shigure's desire for ice cream was more dominate. Plus, he was here with Mayu... And the dog didn't really want to get smacked again. "Peanut butter, please." Shigure announced, his fingers twitching excitedly.
"What a surprise, dogs do love peanut butter." Hatori muttered, just quiet enough so Shigure's keen ears could hear the quip. The dragon shot Shigure a look before sighing and continuing to fumble around with his wallet.
"Oh, hush Ha'ri." Shigure pouted for a split second, before turning his attention to Mayu. "And what will the loser have?"
Mayu smacked Shigure's arm, pushing him to the side a bit as she got to the counter as well. "Shut up, Shigure. Let's see..." Mayu turned her attention to where Kana was, looking over all the flavors they had. Truthfully, none of them looked particularly appetizing. "I think I'll just have vanilla, thank you. It's my favorite."
"How boring." Shigure groaned, looking over at the blonde as he continued rubbing his arm where she slapped him. "All these flavors and you choose vanilla. Typical."
"Vanilla is my favorite too." Hatori said softly, glancing over at Mayu. He offered a very small, reassuring smile to the blonde, before slipping his wallet back into his pocket. "If I wasn't so full, I would've ordered it as well."
Mayu looked over at Hatori, seeing him smile at her. She didn't think he'd ever smiled at her before. Her heart leapt into her throat again, and she flushed crimson for perhaps the millionth time for the night. Hatori's attention was already off Mayu by the time she started blushing. Instead, the dragon had pushed Shigure back out of the way and was paying for their desserts.
Shigure watched Mayu closely, grinning. The wheels were turning again and Shigure was suddenly beginning to understand. "I see." He murmured, taking a small step back and allowing Mayu to come down from her flustered state without ridicule. The dog simply watched as their ice cream was made, observing the three's interactions together.
Once everyone had their ice cream, they sat down at a small square table inside the parlor, one couple on one side, and the other on the other side.
Shigure was rather quiet for once, chowing down on his peanut butter ice cream excitedly. He mumbled a few words of praise for the treat, but that was all.
Mayu looked disgustedly over at Shigure, not amused at how childish he was being. As her date was currently practically licking the bowl of ice cream like a stray mutt, she decided to just quietly and politely eat her ice cream. Kana was currently talking to Hatori, and Mayu didn't want to interrupt.
Kana smiled up at Hatori after taking a small bite. "It's so good, Hatori. Here, try a bite." She said, using the plastic spoon to scoop up some for the dragon. The brunette held it up towards his mouth excitedly, wanting to see what he thought.
"No thank you, I am fine. I prefer vanilla anyway." Hatori said politely, turning away from the spoon. He gazed down at Mayu's ice cream for a moment, not realizing he had.
Kana's smile began to fade as she looked up at him, following his line of eyesight across the table to Mayu's bowl. Kana shifted in her seat for a moment, before finally offering a small, "Oh... Okay." Quietly, she ate the bite she previously tried to offer him.
Mayu shifted in her seat as well, overhearing their conversation. Hesitantly, she tried to smile at Hatori. "You... You can try mine, if you'd like. It's pretty good." She gently set her spoon back in the bowl and pushed it over to Hatori in offering.
Hatori gave a small nod, accepting the blonde's offer. He grabbed the bowl in his fingers and got a small bit of it on the spoon. Raising it up, Hatori took a bite. After a moment, he nodded. "That is good, Mayu."
Kana watched on, the corners of her mouth turning downwards. She was so focused on Hatori, she completely missed Mayu's shocked reaction and her fumbling to take her bowl back. Instead, Kana zeroed in on a bit of white cream at the very corner of Hatori's mouth. Kana saw her chance. Reaching up, she cupped his cheek in her palm and turned his face towards her. Leaning up, Kana flicked her tongue ever so slightly against his lips, removing the left over vanilla ice cream from his face. Smiling to herself, she then leaned in to kiss him.
To her surprise, Hatori pulled away, frowning. "Kana, not now. Not in public." He chastised her softly, suddenly getting uncomfortable. He glanced around them nervously for a moment, before reaching up to straighten his tie. Kana knew he disliked her doing things like that in public, so why was she even trying?
Mayu watched the awkward interaction between them, feeling embarrassed and sad for Kana. The brunette did look crestfallen as Hatori rejected her, but Mayu couldn't really blame Hatori. It was out of character for Kana to try and kiss Hatori on the lips while they were on a date in public like this... So why was Kana acting this way? Mayu was still reeling from Hatori wanting to try her ice cream, so she just kept to herself for the rest of the visit to the parlor.
Once everyone was finished and full, the group headed back to the car and drove back towards Kana's house. Hatori remained a perfect gentleman, parking and then circling the car to let Kana out. Shigure just lazily flung the back seat door open and made Mayu climb out herself. Mayu wasn't surprised, nor offended.
Standing on the porch, Kana made one last attempt to be affectionate to Hatori for the evening. She moved to hug his neck again, and thankfully, Hatori allowed the small gesture. When she pulled away, Kana gazed up at him with big, brown eyes, and Hatori instantly noticed a small glint of some other emotion in them. "Would... Would you like to come inside and stay the night?" Kana asked softly, the slight lilt to her tone was enough to cause Hatori to quirk his eyebrow up again. Was Kana implying...?
Hatori quickly used his deductive skills; sure, he could go inside with her, but staying the night... Hatori most definitely knew what Kana was implying by that phrase. It didn't sound particularly unappealing, however, it was late and he was sure Mayu was staying the night at Kana's as well. More than that, Shigure couldn't drive- nor would Hatori let Shigure drive his car even if he had his license- which meant Shigure would sleeping here well. Hatori would not make love to Kana if the other couple was there as well, nor was he interested in overhearing Shigure and Mayu possibly have sex. This needed to be dealt with.
"I need to be at the office early in the morning, I do not think this is a good time. I'll have to give you a raincheck on that." He said bluntly, but politely, pulling away from her. Hatori felt bad seeing the disappointment on her face, but this was out of his hands.
Shigure glanced over at Mayu as the two of them were also standing on the porch together. He grinned mischievously. "So, where's my goodnight kiss?"
"Up your own ass." Mayu snorted, crossing her arms.
"You aren't even going to invite me inside?" Shigure whined, beginning to pout.
Mayu couldn't help but scoff now. "Oh, please." She rolled her eyes, however, the blonde did soften not too longer afterwards. "...Thanks for tonight." Mayu said quietly, averting her gaze.
Shigure smiled like an excited puppy. "You are very welcome. We should do it again sometime, that way I can win another bet. You're an easy mark." He beamed proudly, though Shigure was only teasing. "...I am a fantastic date, and I'm glad you had a decent time tonight, Mayu."
"Goodnight." Hatori whispered, placing another small kiss on Kana's forehead. He knew that she wanted a real kiss from him, but he wasn't about to kiss her in front of Shigure; he'd never hear the end of the teasing if he did that.
The men waved goodbye to Kana and Mayu, before climbing into the car together. Hatori sighed, thankful the date went alright. "That went well. Don't you agree?"
Shigure looked over Hatori, watching as the dragon began reversing out of the driveway. "Yes, I'd say it went fine. ...Oh, and Ha'ri? I think we need to have a little talk about Mayu once we get home."