Alright! So this is all my friend's fault. She writes this thing called New York's Blog and there was one chapter where I, as New Jersey, questioned if Abby (New York) would go on a double date with NJ. Abby said that she'd probably hook NJ up with Tokyo. And thus this fic was born! (Pssst, I got really bored too, so . . .) Oh, and Tokyo is like a slightly louder, slightly snarky, slightly weird Japan. Thanks and enjoy Date Night.

Date Night

"Do I have to go?"

"Yes, now shut up. Should we get rid of the dye in her hair?"

"What?!"

"Maybe, but he's already seen her like this, so he won't be surprised by her appearance."

"Do I get a say in this?"

"No!"

New Jersey crossed her arms and hmphed in annoyance. Her sister and cousin were forcing her to go on a blind date. All they told her about the guy was that she had seen him before, but for the life of her, she couldn't figure it out.

Once New York and British Columbia had finished her makeup and hair, they pulled out an outfit Jersey had seen before. It was what she had given to Nya on her birthday last year.

"Why can't I wear my own clothes?" she whined.

"Last time I checked, you could barely breathe in some of those clothes," her Canadian cousin reminded her.

"Oh please," Jersey scoffed. "That was years ago; I've gotten used to the tight shirts and jeans by now."

"Well, you're still wearing this," Nya stated, giving no room for argument.

"I ain't wearing sneakers," the American insisted. "I'll run around barefoot before I wear those things."

"Fine," B.C. sighed. "Hey Abby, can you find a pair of shoes that match the outfit?"

"In her closet?" Nya laughed. "Yeah right."

"I think I've got a pair of black flats somewhere," Jersey sighed. Why was she being put through this torture?

While the two girls were busy trying to coordinate accessories with Jersey's makeup –which was hard since one of the girls was punk and the other was a tomboy –someone walked up to the large house. He knocked on the door, which was opened seconds after by America.

"Tokyo," he greeted.

"Mr. America," Tokyo replied politely. This was a bit awkward, he supposed. One of his friends had informed him that he was going to go on a date with one of her sisters. So here he was, visiting the largest family he had ever met because New York told him to.

"I'm guessing you're looking for Abby," America continued.

"Yes sir," he answered.

"Well, I think she's upstairs with British Columbia and one of the other states. Go on up." America let Tokyo walk past him, though keeping an eye on the Japanese city. Say what you will, no one could deny that he was a protective father.

Tokyo walked up the stairs until he came to a hallway labeled 'Northern States.' This must be where New York's room was. He traveled down the hall, but came to a stop when he heard three female voices arguing.

"Hey, watch it!"

"I'm just trying to help, eh!"

"Yous got a funny way a' showing it."

"Careful, your accent is slipping."

"Can it, Yankee."

Yankee? Wasn't that one of the names New York was called? Tokyo pushed open the door he heard the voices coming from behind and froze in his tracks.

"Ah fuck," one of the girls yelped.

Tokyo's face flamed red as he realized what was going on. New York and British Columbia were helping one of the female states into a clingy shirt. The girl was familiar, but all he really registered was the fact that he walked in on a girl wearing only a bra.

As soon as he regained mental and muscle function, Tokyo hightailed it out of the room, slamming the door behind him. Another door opened and a male state walked out. Upon seeing the Japanese city, he grinned and made his way over.

"Hey, you're Tokyo right?"

"Yes," he replied. "You're one of New York's brothers, aren't you?"

"Yep, I'm Pennsylvania. So, Abby roped you into going on a date with Ava?"

"I suppose so," Tokyo sighed, still trying to recover from the embarrassment of walking in on the girl –Ava, most likely.

Seconds later, the door reopened and the girl stepped out, her cheeks bright pink. She wasn't very tall, maybe five three, her hair was long, light brown with blue, green, and pink highlights, and she had a sheepish look on her face. Thankfully she was fully dressed by this point, wearing a long grey clingy shirt and jeans with black shoes.

"Hey," she greeted. "You're Tokyo right?"

"Yes," he answered. "You're . . . Ava?"

The girl gave a nervous giggle. "New Jersey, actually. Ava's my human name."

"Oh."

Pen decided to leave the awkward couple and head somewhere else; maybe to the shooting range. He hadn't gone in over a week. After Pen was gone, Nya poked her head out of the bedroom.

"Have fun you two," she called, tossing Jersey a purse.

As the two teens were walking down a street in New Jersey -the state, not the personification -they didn't say a word. It was probably the most awkward first date anyone had ever been on. After about a minute, Jersey finally spoke up.

"So, you like sushi, right?" she asked.

Tokyo gave her a look. "I'm Japanese. My people invented sushi."

"Oh, right. Sorry. Well, um, there's a sushi restaurant down the street from a really great bakery I know. We could go there," she suggested.

"Sure," he agreed.

They walked down the street and eventually got to the restaurant. Tokyo opened the door for her, to which she blushed and said 'Thanks.' As they made their way to a table, Jersey tripped over a rug and fell onto Tokyo. He caught her instinctively, getting close enough to see the strange green pattern in her blue eyes. When they realized how close they were, they backed up immediately.

After that bit of embarrassment, they hurried to a table. Tokyo pulled out Jersey's chair for her –not because he liked her or anything, he was just being polite. A waitress came over and asked them for their orders, which led to an interesting problem: Jersey didn't know any types of sushi.

"Uh, I'll just have whatever he's having," she said hastily. She honestly hadn't expected that she wouldn't get a menu-thingy.

Tokyo grinned evilly at her for half a second before turning to the waitress. "I'll have the spicy tuna roll and a jalapeno rice ball."

Jersey glared at him while the waitress had to hold back a laugh. Obviously the girl hadn't been expecting her date to turn on her like that.

"Would you like the California roll instead, miss?" she asked out of pity.

"No, I'm fine," Jersey said through clenched teeth. Why the heck would he do that to her? After making sure that the girl wasn't going to change her mind, the waitress left. The second she was out of earshot, Jersey rounded on Tokyo.

"What the heck? I don't eat spicy food," she growled.

Tokyo grinned at her. "I figured that I might as well have fun by messing with you."

Jersey narrowed her eyes in confusion. "What happened to the polite guy I met earlier today? You're more like my sister than Ja –I mean Kiku."

Tokyo didn't know how to respond to that. Sure, he wasn't exactly like Japan, but he had never imagined he would be like any of the western people. The two of them descended into silence, until the waitress finally came back with their dinner. She set a tall glass down beside Jersey, giving her a look that said she might need the drink.

After the lady left, Jersey watched Tokyo eat the spicy fish and rice concoction. He didn't react at all, so she figured it mustn't be as hot as she first figured. Jersey popped the spicy tuna roll into her mouth and tried to eat is as quickly as possible. She had learned a thing or two from America, after all. But no matter how fast she managed to swallow the little fireball covered in seaweed, the heat still got to her.

"Hot!" she gasped. "Holy crap, hot!"

Tokyo laughed, but didn't offer to help; he just kept eating. After freaking out a bit, Jersey eventually decided to suck it up and show the Japanese boy across the table from her that she wasn't a wuss. But after the five tuna rolls and jalapeno rice balls, she was dying. Eventually she had to give up and down the glass of milk the waitress had left her.

"Okay, so no more spicy foods," Tokyo laughed once Jersey finished the drink. "Good to know."

"Alright smartass, let's just get the check and leave."

After they paid for the meal –Jersey insisting that she could pay for her own and Tokyo not listening –they headed down the street to Jersey's favorite bakery. It was famous, but she knew it wasn't busy at the moment. Jersey grinned when she saw the familiar sign of Carlos' Bakery.

"Come on, let's go!" she smiled, grabbing Tokyo's arm and dragging him inside.

The smell of fresh baked cookies and cupcakes made Jersey's mouth water. This was one of her favorite places in her state. She walked up to the counter and greeted the very familiar guy behind it.

"Ciao Buddy!" she greeted.

"Hey Ava," he grinned. She came into the bakery so often that he knew her by name. "Who's your friend?"

"This is Hiroto," she introduced. "Hiroto, this is Buddy. He owns the bakery."

"Nice to meet you," Tokyo said, nodding to Buddy.

"Nice to meet you too, Hiroto. So, what'll you guys have?"

"Ooh, do you have any of those yummy red velvet cookies?" Jersey inquired. "Those are totes my fave."

"Huh?" Tokyo asked, unable to understand what the girl had just said.

"Oh sorry, I forgot not everyone has been around me long enough to understand me," she apologized. "I said 'Those are totally my favorite.' See?"

"Right."

A few seconds later, Buddy had a dozen of the cookies in a bag and was adding up the order. Jersey insisted for paying for the cookies, since Tokyo had paid for dinner. They thanked Buddy and headed out, the bag in Jersey's hand.

As they walked down the street, Jersey found herself sneaking glances at Tokyo. He was definitely cute, what with his dark hair and eyes coupled with his interesting personality that was a mix of polite and snarky.

Tokyo was doing the same thing, actually. He couldn't help but keep looking over at Jersey. She was the oddest girl he had ever met, and that was saying something since he was friends with New York.

"So . . ." Jersey started awkwardly, breaking the silence. "What do yous want to do now? We could go to the park or something."

"Sure."

When the two got to the park, they ended up walking along a paved path, passed every so often by joggers or mothers pushing strollers. Jersey ended up handing Tokyo a cookie, trying to catch him off guard. It sort of worked, just not in the way she planned.

"Wow, these are amazing!" he grinned, taking another bite of the cookie. Jersey laughed at the look on his face.

"Yous look like you've never had a cookie before," she giggled.

"I have too," Tokyo argued "just none like this."

"Well, I'm glad you like 'em. They're my fave."

Jersey and Tokyo found themselves sitting on a park bench not five minutes later, watching people walk past. The silence wasn't too uncomfortable, but for a state that was used to talking to whoever was around, it was a bit odd. Finally she had to say something, even if it was the most random thing she could think of.

"Non sono mai stato su una data prima," she blurted.

"Excuse me?" Tokyo asked. He didn't understand a single word she said.

Jersey grinned sheepishly. "Um, whoops? I guess I was speaking in Italian. I do that sometimes, but only when I'm not thinking, though."

"So what did you say?" he inquired.

Her sheepish expression turned to embarrassment in a snap. "Oh, um, I said . . . uh, yous know what? It isn't important."

Now Tokyo was curious. "Come on, what did you say?"

"Nope."

"What did you say?"

"Nuh uh."

"Tell me."

"No way."

"Come on!"

"Why?"

"Please?"

Unfortunately Jersey had always been a sucker for puppy dog eyes, which was exactly what Tokyo was aiming at her. And it didn't help that his dark eye color succeeded in making them see wider, enhancing the puppy dog look. Well crap, now she had to tell him.

"Alright," Jersey finally groaned. "I said I've never been on a date before. Are yous happy now?"

Tokyo tilted his head in confusion. Why would she tell him that? "O . . . kay? Why did you tell me that?"

Jersey was beet red as she said "I don' deal well with silence, so sometimes I blurt out random things. Sorry."

"It's alright," he assured her. "Truth is, this is my first date too."

And . . . cue awkward moment.

After a while New Jersey hopped to her feet –and for once she didn't fall when she jumped thanks to her shoes –and started walking. Tokyo followed her, unsure of where the northern state was going.

When Jersey finally reached the front door of her house –which is where she had been headed when she hopped off the bench –she turned around to see Tokyo was still behind her. Why hadn't he gone home yet? And what was she supposed to do now?

"Um, I had fun," she tried nervously.

"Me too," Tokyo said. "So . . . maybe we should go out again sometime?"

Jersey grinned. "I'd like that. Next week?"

Tokyo smiled at her. "Sure. Well, goodbye New Jersey."

"It's just Jersey," she protested as the Japanese city walked away.

A week later, after their second date –during which she introduced him to Italian cuisine –Jersey and Tokyo were running back to the state's house in the pouring rain. They rushed underneath the covered porch, glad to be somewhere dry. Then they looked at each other.

"Hide!" Kansas called, ducking behind one of the couches. "They're here!"

His siblings ducked behind whatever they were near, be it a couch, a chair, or –in America's case –a potted plant. Of course, none of the kids noticed he was there. Well, until little Laski walked up to him and tugged on his shirt.

"Daddy, why you behind the plant?" he asked innocently.

Sixty eyes –or thirty kids –glanced back at the duo. America grinned nervously.

"Uh, I'm just looking for a pin I dropped," he lied.

Everyone rolled their eyes and turned back to the door. They could just barely hear what Jersey and Tokyo were saying.

"You look ridiculous," Jersey laughed. Tokyo looked like a wet cat.

"Me? What about you?" Tokyo grinned. Jersey looked more like a watercolor painting with too much water.

"Okay, we both look stupid," she admitted, still grinning.

Somehow the two found themselves leaning closer and closer until there was no more room in between them. The kiss was short and sweet, and when it ended, Jersey started laughing.

"Cliché much?" she giggled.

Tokyo was a little hurt at her comment; was he not supposed to have done that? Jersey saw his slightly wounded expression and clarified her statement.

"I don't mean anything against yous," she explained. "I meant to say that kissing in the rain is one of the Hollywood staples of romance. But it was nice, all the same."

Tokyo smiled at her words. "Thank you Jersey."

She froze. "You called me Jersey."

"Was I not supposed to?" he frowned. He had been certain that she had wanted to be called Jersey instead of New Jersey.

"No, its fine," she insisted. "I just thought ya didn't use nicknames."

"I think I might change that with you," Tokyo smiled. "Goodnight, Jersey." He started to leave, and soon he was almost out of sight.

"Night Tokie!" Jersey called out loud enough for him to hear her. She turned to open the door, almost unsurprised when a few of her siblings fell onto their faces.

"'Tokie?'" Mass repeated once he was back on his feet.

"Shut up," Jersey blushed, walking past her family.

As they badgered her for details, Jersey just grinned silently. Maybe she was partially annoyed that they were spying on her, but she couldn't deny the fact that she was over-the-moon ecstatic that she had a boyfriend; an adorable, polite-yet-snarky boyfriend who wasn't afraid to kiss her in the rain.

Alright, that was sappy. Again, blame Andi! (Okay, so maybe you can't blame her for all the sappy crap. That, unfortunately, is my fault. But the idea is her fault.)

NJ: Well, I loved it. Now I've gots a boyfriend!

No one asked you! *turns to audience* I apologize for my horrible Italian (thank Google Translate). Thanks for reading!

~C