C8H10N4O2 (Part 3)

"I still can't get over the look on your face when you tried my ramen," Akali couldn't stop herself from laughing as she recalled a bewildered yet very in pain Akira. "I was so sure you were going to cough up a lung!"

"Well at the time I wasn't aware that it was legal to serve actual lava to customers," he defended as he lead the way back to the station.

"Oh come on, you serve spicy curry at Leblanc, it can't have been that bad."

"It was definitely that bad."

"Wimp."

He laughed, "the typical human isn't resistant to fire."

"Whatever!" she replied, sticking her tongue out at him before changing the subject. "So what're your plans now?"

"Right now?"

"Yeah."

He stopped moving, bringing his hand up to his chin as if thinking hard on it. "Well, I want to ask this cute girl I'm currently with if she'd like to go to another place with me."

"Is that so?" she stopped next to him with an expression of exaggerated surprise. "Doesn't seem so tough, just ask."

"Hey Akali," he began.

"Hey Akira."

"Want to go to another place with me?"

She didn't reply immediately, "hmmm, I don't know… I'm kind of busy…"

"Ah… some other time then."

She giggled, "I'm kidding, I'd love to. Where did you have in mind?"

They began moving again, both with their almost omnipresent smiles that they had when talking to each other.

"There's a nice part of Inokashira that a friend showed me and I'd like to share it with you."

"Ooh, we'll see if your friend is two for two then 'cause I loved that ramen shop."

"Different friend actually."

She wiggled an eyebrow, "popular aren't we?"

"Of course," he stated with pride, "no doting fans quite yet though. Speaking of which."

As if on cue, a group of teenagers could be seen heading toward them with excitement on their faces. They had almost made it back to the station without being held up, but as Akali knew, it was inevitable. This time there was no surprise or disappointment though, her happiness from enjoying her time with Akira carrying over seamlessly. She took her time interacting with the group, signing autographs and taking multiple pictures. One asked her to freestyle over a beat they made to which she politely declined. Thankfully they respected her wishes.

That request happened way more often than she liked.

On occasion she'd throw a glance at Akira who stood next to her through it all, not a trace of discomfort or displeasure in his eyes. Another thing she was thankful for was the lack of vocal assumptions that they were dating, and for the most part they kept their focus on her. A girl in the group asked him who he was to which he replied that he was K/DA's newest member before immediately clarifying that he was joking. Then he said that he was Akali's bodyguard to which the girl pointed out he looked a little young for that. He then replied by saying that no one would ever see it coming.

Akali made a mental note to gift him the spiciest bowl of ramen possible.

Half an hour passed before the duo and the group of fans said their goodbyes and went their separate ways.

"I'm really sorry about that," Akali apologized as they boarded their train, this time empty enough for them to be able to sit next to each other.

"No need to apologize," Akira assured as he folded his hands on his lap. "People really like your music, some to the point where they want to wave you over and let you know personally. I think that's pretty cool."

"Yeah, it's cool," she let out a breath, "but you didn't sign up to stand around for the better part of an hour and wait on me."

She focused on his eyes, the soft shade of gray further dulled by the circular frames he wore. It didn't take much to find the warmth in them, but there was also a hint of humor she had started noticing when he was about to say something snarky or smooth.

Her apologetic expression shifted to express the happiness she'd been feeling all day, "what?"

He grinned for a moment before scratching at his neck and looking away, "nothing."

She laughed, "tell me!" she playfully demanded as she slid her posture forward, trying to get a better angle to see his face.

"I'll tell you later," he turned back, his grin replaced by a smirk.

"Fine," she leaned into her normal posture and adjusted her hat. "If I can't say sorry can I at least say thanks?"

"What for?"

"For being patient and at least pretending that you enjoyed yourself."

"I did enjoy myself."

"I'm glad, because so did I. I've enjoyed all the time we've shared so far."

Akira pouted, "I was setting up to say something like that."

She giggled, moving a hand to her mouth for a moment. "I know. You were just too slow. I think it's my turn to do more of the smooth talking for once." She playfully flicked his nose to which he responded by wiggling it.

"Is that what I've been doing?"

"You know that's what you've been doing."

"Do you think Akali knows?"

"She may have caught on."

Inokashira park was as beautiful as several travel guides had claimed. It was on every tourist's radar for good reason, but despite visiting Japan a few times before, Akali hadn't gotten the chance to see it in person. Its breathtaking scenery was a marvel in the spring when cherry blossoms began to bloom, but that didn't mean the duo's decision to visit it in the fall was anywhere near a mistake. Many would argue that the park's transition to fall was just as marvelous as its transition to Spring, and Akali was inclined to agree with them.

The pair walked by several couples enjoying the park's scenery this time in the afternoon, the sky shifting its color as if declaring that it would not be outdone by the leaves below.

"Wow," Akali began, keeping stride with Akira, "if this is what it looks like in person and in the fall, I can't even imagine what it looks like in Spring."

"It's pretty mesmerizing," he replied, "but funnily enough, that's not why I was invited here the first time I came."

"Oh? Why were you invited then?"

"My friend wanted me to help her train."

She hummed, "it would be a great place to go for a run, but personally I'd rather take it slow."

"Well it wasn't like that," Akira shook his head, "it wasn't physical training. She had it in her head that a great way to make her heart stronger was to have me hurl insults at her for however long."

Akali bit back a laugh, "that's an interesting way of going about it. What'd you do?"

Her companion stopped moving and looked her dead in the eye, "I called her an airhead."

The laughter she was containing broke free. It wasn't so much the statement as it was the delivery that got her, and if he had stopped for effect then she had to commend him because it worked. His look of satisfaction as they began moving again assured her that she wasn't too far.

"So did it work?"

"Well at first she nodded with a big smile on her face and asked me to keep going, but she quickly realized that it was less than ideal."

"Did you say something that crossed the line?"

"Nah, it felt too ridiculous to keep going and I asked if we could stop to which she claimed victory over that round. But then she came to the conclusion that yeah, it didn't really work."

"You have some interesting friends."

"That's one way to put it," he adjusted his glasses with a smirk. "One of them likes to eat lava for lunch."

"What do you- Oh ha ha." She shoved him playfully to make up for her brief lapse and quickly recovered with a remark of her own, "is that weirder or the same as having full conversations with a cat and living in the attic of a coffee shop?"

Akira didn't reply, instead picking up his pace, "oh hey look the place is just up here."

They arrived at arguably the most iconic part of the park and that was the Inokashira pond. Its placid water reflected the sun's rays, displaying a wonderful array of colors on its calm surface. A low wooden fence prevented them from moving any closer, but their shaded view from atop the park's incline was more than enough.

"Well, your friends are two for two so far."

"I'll be sure to let them know you approve."

With that comment they gave their voices a rest, instead just standing and admiring the section of nature that had been left for people to simply enjoy. A soft breeze blew through the park, whisking away eager leaves while carrying the laughter of children and the joy of lovers. There wasn't a single ripple on the pond's surface, providing a stable center for the constant metamorphosis of the world around it.

Akali couldn't help but feel a little awkward. Everything here felt connected in one way or another, whether by the group effort that was the coming of fall or simply by the pond in front of them. In a way it felt like they were the only two that weren't connected, at least, not physically. She may not have had a ton of experience with relationships, but she'd be lying if this wasn't the perfect moment for them to be holding hands like in some of the movies she'd sometimes find Kai'Sa watching.

She couldn't do that now could she? I mean, they were just friends, not to mention she had only met him yesterday. It was too much too fast, for sure. Besides, there was no way she could do it, her hands were in her jacket pockets and his were in his jean pockets. The idea would have to be vocalized and there was no way that was happening.

In a way, this situation was kind of frustrating. The last time she had felt close to someone this quickly was when she met Ahri, but even that was different. Not to mention everyone she knew that was friends with Ahri had the same experience. There was just something about her that was so likeable and brought out the best in others, some would argue there had to be if Evelynn was a member of your group.

Befriending Akira felt the same way up to a point. He made her want to be the best version of herself, but it was more than that. She wanted to be able to hold his attention for as long as possible, with Ahri she didn't feel one way or the other.

It didn't help that he was more difficult to read than K/DA's fan appointed leader, especially when Akali was trying to understand her own feelings. When he wasn't smiling he had a very neutral expression, his glasses obscuring the path to his eyes. There was no telling what he was thinking, but if she didn't know him she wouldn't have paid that fact any mind. The same pair of glasses helped him blend in with everyone else around him, as displayed by the fact that only one person had talked to him when she was talking to fans.

Akali never liked keeping her feelings or thoughts concerning others internalized. If you want to know something ask it, if you want to say something say it. But the butterflies that wandered the park somehow made their way into her stomach so she convinced herself to take things slower.

"So-" they both began, cutting each other off.

"You can go first-" they both said again.

"Well I was just going to say-" they turned to face each other, Akira finally motioning with his hand for her to go first.

Akali nerves began to calm a little, "you live in a coffee shop that you work for, you know some great hang out spots, and you have interesting friends. What else do you do?"

"A normal person can't be that interesting to someone who is part of a world class band," he replied earnestly.

Her smile weakened significantly, "you haven't treated me differently or assumed things about me up until this point because I'm labeled a 'popstar'. Please don't start now."

"Sorry," he rubbed at the back of his neck. "Right now I go to school during the week, hang out with friends, and manage my time between three on call jobs."

Akali did a mental double take at the last comment, "three on call jobs? Why do you need so many?"

"I don't really need them all," he shrugged, "they just require me to do different things so it changes things up."

"So the coffee shop is one."

"Not including the coffee shop."

"Seriously?"

"Seriously."

She shook her head and turned back toward the pond, "that sounds like a lot on top of college or university."

A weird cough from Akira brought her attention back to him.

"High school."

Akali froze for a moment, he was younger than her? He didn't look it at all, nor did he act it. She just assumed he was probably a year or two older than her.

"I'm seventeen," he answered her unspoken question, relief washing over her as she realized he was only two years younger than her.

"Well that's good to know," she smirked, "my age is a secret."

"Fair enough."

"I forbid you from looking it up."

"How do you know I haven't already?"

"Let's hear it then," she challenged, wiggling an eyebrow.

"Thirty."

She playfully punched him in shoulder, "jerk. I'm only nineteen-"

"-years older than eleven," he added, clutching his shoulder in mock pain.

She waved him off, "yeah yeah, tell me about your job mister 'I get hired by different places because life is too easy.'"

"I never said that," he attempted to correct her as he sat down on the low fence, Akali opting to stay standing.

"I never said I was thirty," she paused before gesturing to his makeshift seat, "that doesn't look even a little bit safe."

There was nothing behind the small fence to catch him should he fall off. If Akira fell backward he'd tumble down the incline for a solid minute before slamming into a tree if not just go directly into the pond.

Of course, all he did was shrug.

They chatted until the sun finished hiding under the horizon, the park noticeably becoming less populated.

Akira talked about his jobs, his resume sure to be far more impressive than most high schoolers his age. He was a florist, a cashier, and a bartender as well as a barista. He had a story for each job, Akali's favorite being about one of his first bouquet orders. The person supervising him had to leave early but they asked him if he could finish the last order. It being one of his first days he was still unfamiliar with all of the meanings behind each flower and as it turns out, the bouquet was meant to be a part of a proposal to a completely unrelated florist. This lead him to make a grave error. He had mistakenly paired flowers together that would normally be seen as decoration for a funeral.

Akali talked a little about being in a popular K-Pop group and what it was like to perform. Despite it currently not being her favorite topic, she surprisingly felt proud sharing what she had accomplished alongside her bandmates. When talking about this subject she normally felt like she was bragging or coming off as full of herself, but Akira just listened intently. She also changed her mind about the safety of the fence, eventually sitting next to him.

"I always hate asking this," she confessed, "but I'm really curious. How'd you hear of K/DA?"

"A friend of mine heard your music and got hooked and just had to show the music video for Pop/Stars to everyone she knew."

Her smile was filled with pride, "I'd ask what you thought about it but I don't think my heart could take it so don't tell me." She stood up and stretched her arms as she turned back to Akira. "Maybe I should try your friend's training method to strengthen it."

He shook his head as he leaned back in his seat, "it's already been debunked."

"You're right. Plus I don't think there is anything you could say that would offend me."

He scoffed, "you have bad taste in ramen."

The expression on her face became dangerous as she placed her hands on his chest, "it was nice meeting you, Akira."

He responded with the same expression, his hands holding onto her arms.

They stayed that way for a moment, both with mischievous glints in their eyes. Akali's heart began to beat rapidly as she realized that she was now making physical contact in a way that lasted longer than a playful punch or push. Not only that but she could feel Akira's heart doing the same thing. Her face was getting warmer by the second, but this was the time she decided that she wouldn't let her nerves win.

As such, Akira was the one to break the unexpected moment, slowly standing up and gently pushing her arms back before letting go. "We should probably get going, I have class tomorrow and I still have some studying to do."

"Mhm," she hummed hesitantly, "Morgana is going to be upset with us, it's well past six."

"It's alright," he assured, "I'll take the heat."

"My hero," Akali raised a hand to her heart before they shared a laugh and headed toward a train station together for the third time that day.

The soft breeze had remained, allowing trees to wave goodbye as the pair enjoyed a silent walk back, the occasional brushing of knuckles the only conversation they needed. The trains that lead them home were not the same, and they split at the boarding platform, finding their voices once more.

"You should give me your number," Akali suggested, "you know, just so I can make sure you're still alive when Morgana is through with you."

"Probably a good idea."

She added his number to her contacts, but as she hit save she quickly looked up with a shocked expression. "Your train is about to leave!" she shouted, pointing over his shoulder.

"I still have-" Akira turned to make sure his train wasn't in motion but was cut off by the feeling of Akali's soft lips on his cheek. She made sure to board her train before he had the chance to react, a look of victory on her face as she saw the one of surprise on his.

His poker face had been broken once more, but instead of it being because of spicy ramen it was because of her.

That feeling was sweeter than any flavor of coffee.

A/N: Aaaaaahhhh this is fluffier than Haru's hair! Believe it or not, it's all going somewhere! Kinda… Maybe… I like fluff.