XXI: Blind Date
"Where are you taking me?" Akihiko demands as Minako pulls him down the hallway of the dorm, blindfolded. Blindfolded. He isn't sure if he should be concerned or not.
"Shhh. It's a surprise."
He just hopes he doesn't run into anything. That's the last thing they need.
Having climbed three flights of stairs, he knows they're near the rooftop, and then there's the sound of a door opening and the brush of an evening breeze on his face. Minako hasn't faced the rooftop since that first night; why is she bringing him here?
His hand goes to the blindfold, but a light slap stops it. "Hey! Not yet. Come here." She tightens her grip on his wrist and all but drags him through the cool air. Akihiko allows himself to be led, oddly pleased that she would care enough to concoct a surprise for him. He's still just the slightest bit concerned. Habit. Can't help it.
"Okay. Now." She unties the blindfold for him, and he finds that she's set up a meager picnic on the rooftop, the moon as their only light. The sky is remarkably clear, and she has two bowls of ramen and an assortment of vegetables and meat. He's certain he's grinning like an idiot.
"What… what's all this for?"
"Well, y'know, I just, I just wanted the rooftop to be a better place." She leans a little closer to him, smiling wickedly, and her hair and her eyes nearly match his in the moonlight. "Considering that it was… pretty awful last time. Terrifying, actually, and I didn't want to remember it that way anymore and I—mmph!"
He captures her in a quick kiss, and she starts to almost laugh against him. Damn, he's a lucky man, to find someone like her in a situation like this. He pulls back, and she blinks rapidly, eyelashes close enough to dust his cheek.
"Right," she smirks, tracing a finger down his jawline. "I'm still nervous about you, Aki."
"Mm," he says, glancing at the blanket and then at the sky to hide the rising heat at the name, moving his hands to her waist briefly before releasing her. "Don't be."
She laughs then, honestly, and he kisses her again, once. "What's on the menu?" he asks.
They settle together on the blanket, digging into the meal, which is perfect. For a moment, he forgets that they have anything else they need to be worrying about, and it's enough.
And when the sky turns green and Shadows click claws in the alleys, they bundle the blanket and return inside, his arm around her waist.
Nerves have nothing to do with it. Her smile, even tinted green, is still enough.