You're getting ready for your first actual date.
Your heart flutters and you're swirling around, because today is going to be the best day ever.

You planned to go to the park, stroll around, humming the flowers of late spring. The sun is shining and you've seen the weather report: not a single drop is going to fall from the sky. You're thinking about maybe hitting the mall or something if any of you feel like shopping.
Your meeting point is in the park, as he had to go work on a small investigation he had to put on hold.

His leave for illness frustrated him to no end, but of course, you were there with a pair of handcuffs threatening him to dare go work.
You got the handcuffs from an acquaintance of yours a while back, and they were now finally useful.
You just wish they weren't covered in fur...

Anyway, you are there, sitting on a bench, patiently waiting for him to show up.
In your hands, you have a surprise for him.
You thought about picking one up when he said that he wanted one in one of his naps. The detective of the school sleeptalks, who would have thought.

Shuichi waves you hello from the entrance of the park, not too far away from where you're sitting, and you do the same back.
He walks up to you, a smile on his face.
He's still blushing as if he was turning into a tomato though.

"Hi, Ak... Kaede! How are you?" he asks as he sits up next to you.
"I'm doing great, and you?"
The miniature piano is hidden in your bag, out of his field of vision. The surprise needs to be full.

You're still hiding that your body wants to blush as much as it possibly can when he manages to call you by your first name, but there needs to be a less nerdy one in your tandem.

"So, you mind walking about the park together for the afternoon? I've heard there was a great ice cream parlor not so far away from the other side of the park! We could check it out later" you tell him, even more pumped up than before.
"Sure, why not"

You both get up from the bench and decide to walk around the park, looking at the beautifully blue sky and the shiny green grass.
Children are playing on the swing, and while you do think swinging with him would be adorable, it would be really awkward to do it with kids around.

You just make small talk together: you discuss rehearsals and your latest tastes in TV shows, he tells you about the latest novel he's reading (and clumsily spoils it, but you're not into mystery novels, so it's okay) and mentions a really gruesome case.
Wait, what?
"Shuichi, not in public! You can't mention a guy getting beheaded on a rollercoaster in a park full of kids!" you hiss at him.
"S-sorry! I wasn't paying attention anymore!"
What a klutz. A lovely klutz.

You put a hand on his shoulder.
"If you wanna talk about this stuff, we can go in a... Less frequented part of the park!"
"As in?"
"I know a secret spot in this place, I'm sure you'll love it! Come with me!"
You grab his wrist and take him to the other side of the park.

You both climb up to the top of a small hill and go along a small, narrow path made out of battered dirt together.
You perfectly know what you're doing, you just hope your picnicking blanket will be enough for the both of you.

You're still in the park, but alone together.
"See? Nobody's around. You can tell me about your beheaded man now."
You take off you bag and put it on the ground, getting the blanket out of it.
Once it's nicely on the ground, you wave at it.
"If you don't mind"
He sits down on here and you do so too. His smile is so precious.

"You know... I'm so happy to see you all right for once..." you sheeplishy say, looking at the alley down there.
Nobody is around anyway.
"I... Was getting worried for you..." he replies, getting his hat closer to his eyes.
"Wait, what do you mean, Shuichi? You were the sick one"
"It's because you seemed so scared, you looked really unhappy, and you were starting to look exhausted... I don't want you to be ill or anything...
"Aw, that's so kind of you... But don't worry for others when you're feeling that bad, I was just taking care of you because you needed help meanwhile. Of course, I was worried and scared for you, but everything went all right."
But, if everything would go all right... Why where you that worried? You looked sleep-deprived and all..."
"Because it only got worse and worse! One day you were fine, two hours later your fever was rising again! You cried on my shoulder more than once because you dreamed about my death, and about yours, and about anyone in the class' deathes... I couldn't stand seeing you like that!"
"One night, I heard you scream from my room... I rushed in there only to see you almost tear up your bedsheets as if you were possessed by a a demon... I thought the rooms were sound-proof until that night, but I was wrong, lucky for you... You woke up only to cry again and clutch me so tightly I could barely breath..."
"I... I'm so sorry for that... I didn't mean to wake you up..."
"Goddammit, Shuichi Saihara, would you stop apologizing for dumb reasons!"

He gets startled.
"I thought you had understood that with what happened during all of last week... You don't need to apologize for things out of your control, Shuichi... Getting sick wasn't your fault... Your nightmares weren't your fault... Me helping you and getting consequences for it wasn't your fault... The only you were guilty of was not telling anyone about it and still pretending everything was okay, and even then, you had good intentions... Stop apologizing..."

You hug him tightly.
"I just want you to be happy, Shuichi... Nothing more... No matter if you're sick, injured, depressed or ashamed... I'll be here for you... And even if the world turns against you... I'll be here anyway..."
"Ka... Kaede... I... Don't what to say..."
"Then don't... I'm sure you would do the same for me... You're just less vocal about it... You can be shy, I don't mind... I love you so much, and if you don't like yourself, I'll do so for you..."
"I didn't mention anything about..."
"You were gonna say 'oh, I don't deserve you', like you've been saying during your sickness, and even before... That's false... You deserve love, you deserve people who care about you and who you can trust and cry to... Everybody does..."
You feel tears going down your cheeks.

"Why are you crying, Kaede...?"
"Because I've been so scared for you, that you would not make it, and that you may do it again because you still hate yourself! I'm so scared you could take a fatal blow for me! I don't want you to die or get heat for anything!"
He stayed quiet.
"You and I know you could do this..."

You had a nightmare too on your side.
You saw him, trapped inside a room with everyone watching, still sick, with guilty written all over the walls of a dark room.
More exactly, it was an examination room, like in hospitals and in series about hospitals.
You saw a weird bear, like the one he described in his own nightmares. He was wearing a nurse costume, and forcefed Shuichi a pill.
You wish your memory was hazy, but you can still see back in details how badly he was coughing, blood spilt on the floor in unregular pattern, and the fever meter right next to him breaking far past a safe limit.
You could actually see him take mental damage somehow, and soon enough, he was a braindead zombie vomiting blood.
You woke up right after that.

"Kaede? Kaede? Is anything wrong?"

You're breaking out of your thoughts, now laying on the blanket with him watching over you.
"What happened...?"
"I don't know!" he replies. "But you zoned out crying and I got really scared..."

He's mindlessly playing with your hair.
"What's wrong? You seem so shaken up..."
"It's because I... I remember a nightmare I had.. Where you died horribly.. And... And..."
You're getting sobs trapped in your throat.
"Don't think about it Kaede... I'm here, sound and safe..."

He gives you a hand, and you sit up next to him.
"What about this ice cream parlor you mentioned earlier?" he asks.
"Man I would die for an ice cream right now!"
"Then let's go!"
He gets up and, once again, gives you his hand that you happily grab to get up.

Soon enough, you're walking towards the parlor, and it's only a few minutes later that you notice you were holding hands.
You don't mind at all, it even makes you happier than ever.

"You're so red I would almost say you have a fever again!" you chuckle, amused.
"I-I swear it's not a fever! Don't worry!" he replies.
You laugh again.

He tries to use his hat as a hiding grace, but it doesn't make him hide all of his blush.
"Psh, it's okay Shuichi! You're my adorable dork!"
"T-t-t-thanks..."

You arrive at the parlor together, and you show your fidelity card because you're liking these ice creams that much.
"Oh, Miss Akamatsu, how may I help you?"
"Get me a strawberry milkshake, and, huh... What do you want Shuichi?"
"Huh... A vanilla cone please..."

The vendor looks at you, smiling.
"I'll get you this! You know the drill, Miss Akamatsu..."
"Of course!"
Knowing the prices by heart, you pay the exact amount needed.

"Hey, huh, Kaede..." he whispers to you.
"Hmm?"
He has his wallet in his hands.
"You paid for me, I need to give it back to you..."
"Nah, keep your money, I'm paying it for you!"
"T-thanks..."

The vendor looks at the both of you with smiling eyes.
"Are you two dating?"
"Yes!"
"No"

You look at each other.
"N-not yet at least..." he stutters.

The vendor looks at the Ultimate Detective.
"Hey, my dude, if ya wanna get Miss Akamatsu you'll have to act quickly, cuz I'm sure a ton of other dudes want to date her lovely person!"
He's getting all red again and so are you, honestly.
You get your order and leave for the park again, where you find a bench in a calm spot.
You give him back his cone as you start on attacking your milkshake.
"We... We're not dating yet, right?" he timidly asks.
"Yet is the key word!"

He looks down to his feet.
"K-Kaede... I-I know it's early, and that... Uh..."
"Shuichi, would you date me?"

He looks up at you, stars in his eyes, almost dropping his cone doing so.
"Of course I would!"

You grin as if the world was going to end tomorrow.
"Then, we're officially boyfriend and girlfriend! Isn't it amazing!"
He looks away, blushing again.
"Y-yeah..."

Once you're finished with your ice creams, you try to get closer to him, to which he doesn't seem to mind.
"Hey, you have something on your mouth..." you say.
"I-I do?"
"Yep!"
You take off his cap, hide it on front of your faces and kiss him.

You break it off slowly, just so you can see his flustered face and wide-opened eyes.
You giggle.
"K-Kaede... I... Huh... I..."
"Hmm?"
He pulls you in another kiss, that you give back of course.

"I'm surprised you got brave enough to do it! Good job!"
"T-t-t-t-thanks...!"

"Oh, by the way, I have another gift for you!"
"I-it's too much Kaede..."
"Nah, it's never too much!"

He takes it slowly into his hand, admiring it with sparkles in his eyes.
"It... It's lovely... Thank you so much Kaede..."

You're exstatic and butterflies invaded your stomach.
You hold his hands.
"Let's stay together until the end, alright?"
"All right."

You can see the clocktower from here, raising into the blue sky, as you silently thank it for everything it permitted.