Genji carefully sliced through the tender skin, separating it from the flesh beneath so finely that the morning light illuminated it in a warm glow. Peeling the layer of skin back, he let it curl over itself, forming the final petal for the rose-shaped plum. It had taken him all of the peaceful, early dawn hours to carefully cut all the fruit into flowers. Roses, lilies, daisies- he had them all spread across a large tray; a garden of delights.

"This is wonderful, Genji!" Reinhardt exclaimed, examining the arrangement of fruit, cheese, and meats with an appreciative eye. "Such care! Such devotion! An expression of youthful true love- why, my heart swells with joy!"

Laughing lightly to himself, Genji shook his head. Reinhardt had a talent for making even the most trivial task seem like a tale for the ages. "Thank you again for your help," Genji said to him. "Especially for the sausages. It was very lucky for me that you were awake this early. Angela does not enjoy tofu as much as I do."

"The early bird gets the protein worms!" Reinhardt grimaced. "Ach, no, that sounded poorly…"

Genji laughed. "Really, though, thank you."

"It is no trouble!" Reinhardt beamed, slapping Genji's shoulder forcefully. "Ah, to be in love again. To be young again! I do not know which I would enjoy more." A dreamy look entered Reinhardt's eye as his gaze slipped to the middle distance.

Leaving him to reminisce in favor of the task at hand, Genji puzzled on how to actually carry their breakfast. He may have gotten a… little carried away with the amount of food. There was barely enough room on the tray for a glass of water and mug of coffee, but he managed in the end. Turns out his tetris arcade skills did translate to the real world.

"How does it look?" He finally asked Reinhardt when he felt satisfied with the presentation.

"Hm!" Reinhardt broke out of his daydreaming and peered closely at the tray, turning it this way and that to view it from every possible angle before nodding approvingly. "It looks magnificent! Although," he paused, a sly spark in his eye. "I think it could use one last finishing touch." From behind his back Reinhardt pulled a single red rose, placing it along the edge of the plate. Where had he been keeping that? When did he even get it?! "There! Now Angela is sure to fall for you."

"It would be quite a feat to have her fall out of bed," Genji said, still confused about the rose but feeling pleased when Reinhardt guffawed loudly. "It is too late for that, anyway." He grinned, speaking with a confidence he did not entirely feel. "I made her fall for me months ago."

"Ah," Reinhardt shook a massive finger, still grinning as he turned to leave the kitchen. "It is a mistake to think that love is anything less than an eternal freefall! To stop falling in love is to stop being in love. Have a good day, Genji!"

Genji nearly stumbled where he stood, the previous days' anxiety slamming into him all at once. To stop falling is to stop loving? Is that what had gone wrong? Maybe Angela had truly fell for him, once. Iris, if only he had worked on himself sooner, accepted help sooner, none of this would have happened! If he hadn't been so weak, he could have been there for Angela instead of fleeing to the Himalayas-

No. He had to stop. Thinking like this did nothing. It didn't change the past and it kept him from participating in the present.

Forcibly shaking the doubt away, Genji took a deep breath and lifted the tray. Angela would fall for him if he had to throw her off a cliff to do it! ...Ah, a short cliff. One with a pile of feathers at the bottom. And kittens.

He paused for a moment, readjusting the tray in his arms and learning its balance, leaving the kitchen with a determined spring in his step. He could do this!

Thanks to his flawless and electronically-assisted sense of balance, he had no trouble carrying the heavy tray to Angela's room, even holding it in one hand as he tapped in the code. Poking his head into her sitting room, he saw that the bedroom door next to Angela's couch was still closed, which could only mean she was still asleep. Well, that was normal for this time of day.

Her organized, clean sitting room, on the other hand, was far from normal. All her clothes were in a hamper instead of spread across the floor and she had her research notes on only one desk. He didn't even have to clear off a table to set the tray down- her kitchenette bar was actually bare. Did she clean up for him? Pleased with the thought, Genji removed his mask to enjoy the morning atmosphere without a filter.

The peaceful dawn kept his interest for almost five minutes. Maybe he should check on Angela. Just in case.

Careful not to make noise, he cracked open her bedroom door. As he expected, she was still in bed. He paused in the doorway, feeling a bubble of warmth expand in his chest at the sight of her sleeping. Several soft blankets were piled on top of her as if she wasn't living in a Mediterranean summer, one arm sticking in the air at an improbable angle, her steady breathing as sure a sign as any that she wouldn't wake anytime soon. He could see her alarm on her bedside table and winced when it read 07:48.

Okay, maybe he was a little eager to bring Angela breakfast. Nothing wrong with some excitement, right? Still, her usual alarm was for nine and he had preserved enough good sense to know better than wake her early. He closed the door as quietly as he opened it and stood in the middle of her sitting room. Now what?

His eyes landed on the coffee mug cooling on the overstuffed tray. With a little over an hour until Angela wakes, the coffee would definitely be too cold to drink unless he did something. Good thing she had a hot plate in her- oh.

Genji stared at the wave of dishes spread on the floor, having tumbled out from the second he opened the kitchen cabinet. He laughed to himself, still taking care to be quiet. Angela must have shoved all the usual clutter in to cabinets and closets to make the room look clean. It was one thing if she happened to clean up before he came over, but she didn't need to pretend she had the time or energy to clean house. That's what he was for!

He fished out the hot plate from the mountain of cookware and set it up on the counter. Having saved coffee from the tragic fate of prematurely cooling, he started clearing up the pile on the floor.

It was tedious work, washing and organizing the dishes, but also relaxing. The still morning hours where the world was not yet awake, still lost to dreams and dew, were his favorite. Always had been. Even as a boy, he would wake up with the dawn and sneak out of the palace to watch sparrows scavenge for food in the gardens. Hanzo would reprimand him for skipping morning meditation to go bird watching, but Genji never felt as tranquil sitting in an empty room as he did listening to the spirit of the world.

By the time he was drying the last of the pans, the nerves that had plagued him were finally starting to settle. Everything had settled into perspective. As Jesse had said, they had all the time in the world to date. There was no rush, no deadline before it all went up in smoke. He was at peace with it now. Completely and totally- oh shit was that Angela's alarm?

He rushed to put the dishes away, darting to the tray and giving it a once-over to ensure everything was still in its place. Looked good, he just had to get it to her without spill- the coffee! How could he forget the coffee? He double-backed to the kitchen, quickly pulling the still-warm coffee from the hot plate and setting it on the full breakfast tray. Okay, tray, food, coffee, happy face. All set!

She was still in bed when he entered her room, although in a different position. Her arm was spread across the entire bed, hand resting on the alarm's snooze button. Propping the tray on his knee as he knelt beside her bed, he gently prodded her awake.

Her eyes fluttered open. "Genji?" She asked, voice groggy. She flopped an arm at his face, clumsily attempting to cradle his cheek.

He laughed lightly. "Good morning, lovely." He leaned forward and pressed a chaste kiss to her lips. Angela muttered something unintelligible and closed her eyes with a dreamy smile. He carefully set the tray on the floor and took the coffee in hand. "I have a present for you." She didn't open her eyes, though her smile hadn't faded. He lifted the mug to her face, letting its aroma waft towards her enticingly. "It's coffee."

She blearily blinked her eyes open, nostrils flaring at the smell. "Cofefe?"

"Yes," he chuckled. "Nice and warm coffee." Not that it mattered whether it was nice or even warm. Angela would eat coffee grinds if she thought no one was watching.

She hummed happily as she propped herself up on her headboard, reaching her hands out expectantly. Genji gently passed her the mug, making certain that she had a good grip on it before releasing. Waiting a few sips so the caffeine could do its magic, he only brought the tray into her view when the foggy look in her eyes finally faded.

"That is not all that I bring."

Genji's heart fluttered at the way her eyes lit up.

"Spätzli! All this for me?" She took the tray from his hands, looking over it with wonder. "Did you cut all this fruit yourself? It must have taken you hours!"

"I enjoyed every minute of it." Genji smiled dopily, high on a rush of endorphins. "Knowing it would put a smile on your beautiful face."

She blushed.

"Here," she said, patting the empty space beside her on her bed. "Let's eat! I can hardly wait to try all this delicious food."

Genji hopped onto her bed, staying on top of the covers in case she asked him to get more coffee.

Angela handed him a fork and surveyed the colorful plate. "Now, what should we-"

An unbearably loud, screeching sound overrode her. Overrode every possible sound, blaring through the room with such intensity that he immediately slapped at his helmet, scrambling to mute his hearing. Beside him, Angela similarly jumped- but with much more severe consequences.

Genji could only watch in silent horror as the entire tray flew through the air, his hard work splattering itself everywhere- the floor, the ceiling, the walls, the bed. The alarm still hadn't stopped. Angela's eyes were watering from the pain of the alarm and Genji already had his hands on the base speaker in the ceiling, fully prepared to rip it out from its socket, when the speaker stopped vibrating.

Cautiously, Genji unmuted his hearing.

"-ry, so sorry!" Winston's voice was saying over the intercom. "All agents, please disregard the alarm. I, uh, think it was a short. Um, carry on. Sorry, sorry."

Of all the possible…. Genji eyed the disaster scene with a heavy heart. Fruit flowers were thrown everywhere, limp and misshapen. Juice stained the bedsheets and one forlorn sausage hung from a floor lamp. Angela herself was curled on the edge of her bed, very much awake now, still clutching her coffee mug. The meal-their entire morning- was completely unsalvageable now.

He sat heavily on the bed. "What great timing…" He said miserably.

Angela blinked, then scooted across the bed, wrapping an arm around him. "Don't fret, Spätzli. I still appreciate what you did! I'm sure it would have been a wonderful breakfast."

Genji grumbled and covered her hand with his. "Yes, but we'll never know now."

"Well, at least I still have the most important thing."

He tilted his head, but understood when she took a sip from the mug. "Ah! Yes, you didn't spill your coffee."
She snorted. "You, Spätzli. I still have you." She leaned in and gave him a kiss.

Genji sighed against her lips, feeling some of the tightness in his chest loosen. "It is alright," he said, ideas forming in his mind. "There should still be some fruit in the kitchen. Let me clean this up for you and then we'll see if Reinhardt would be so generous as to part with more of his imported sausage."

"That's the spirit," she said, tapping his nose while scrunching her own.

This was fine. Accidents happen! They'll be laughing about this in mere hours from now. Sure, she didn't get her breakfast in bed, but he still had the ingredients to make her breakfast! And he had a full day of activities planned for them. Really, it was better to get the bad luck out of the way now.

/

This was not fine.

He kicked a loose chunk of concrete, sending it further down the sidewalk until it disappeared in the dark night. Genji was walking through the city of Gibraltar. Alone. No, let's clarify that because alone didn't really encompass his situation. Anyone could be alone. Alone could be a great thing, a fantastic thing even, depending on the person. Hermits, rabid cats, Hanzo- some things are better off alone.

Not him.

Alone meant that not only was he without company, he was without expectation of company. He had nothing to look forward to, no prospect of comfort. Not at this hour. Even if he went back to the Watchpoint, no one would be awake. Well, Jesse probably wouldn't mind waking up if Genji asked, but… that wasn't the point! This was supposed to be the night he reminded Angela why they were meant for each other! To relight the fires of their passion and... whatever other romantic phrases Reinhardt would say. Instead he's shuffling his way through some dumb, dark backalley of a dumb island city. Alone.

Okay, so maybe he was being a little melodramatic. It's a city, after all. There's bound to be people awake even this time of night. That and someone's been tailing him for nearly an hour now. Enemies may not be welcome company, but they were company all the same. Was it Talon? Oh, he hoped it was. Violence would be very soothing after a day like today.

Six blocks later, and Genji was tired of waiting. Without warning, he about-faced and marched directly towards his tail. Unfortunately, the tail clearly wasn't Talon or even professional, as they actually stumbled trying to get away from him. Great. This wouldn't be nearly as satisfying as he'd hoped. He caught them by the hood of their jacket. They struggled out of it, but Genij simply hooked a foot around their ankle and sent them sprawling to the ground.

They squeaked when they fell.

Squeaked.

Genji put the over-under at 15 years old.

After an inordinate amount of scrambling, the kid finally found their footing and rounded on Genji, brandishing a knife in his direction. He reached out, grabbed the kid's wrist, and twisted it in his grip. Predictably, they dropped the knife, right into Genji's waiting hand.

"Your form needs work," he said, flipping the knife casually.

"Fuck you, you piece of shit bot!" The kid spat, trying to pull their arm back, eyes wild.

"That's an awful rude thing to say to someone," Genji said before wrenching the kid's arm violently clockwise, bending their entire arm behind their back. He ignored the pained shouting. "What if I had a terrible day? Wouldn't you feel bad making it worse? Oh, and I have your knife." He dangled it in front of the kid's face, pulling it back when they made a swipe for it. "All in all, a very ill-considered decision."

The kid growled wordlessly in frustration. "Just bring me to the pig pen, asshole."

"First, I want to ask why you were following me."

Silence.

Genji twisted the arm a little harder.

"Ah! Fuck. Bots aren't welcome this side of town."

Genji relaxed slightly, relieved it was just some omnic-phobe, rather than a Talon informant. Not that he was pleased to find one in Gibraltar, but let's face it, Talon posed much more of a threat. "You've been following me since the other side of the island," he pointed out.

"Bots aren't welcome on any side of this town."

"And you were going to spook me into leaving? You are very optimistic. A rare quality these days."

"I was just waiting until you were in a dark area!" The kid defended. "I don't want cameras on me."

Genji looked up at the broken streetlight above them. "Now seems like an excellent time. Here," He released the kid and took a step back. "Come at me with everything you have."

They stood in the darkened alley. The kid looked unsure, one foot facing towards Genji, the other away, swaying their weight between each foot. If it was encouragement the kid wanted… Genji lifted his arm and beckoned the kid with a twitch of his fingers.

It was enough. The kid charged at him like an enraged bull, head lowered, shouting, arms flailing wildly. Genji rolled his eyes and waited until the kid was only an arms length away before grabbing their shirt and redirecting their momentum and swinging them around- right into the light pole, the collision producing a gong-like sound.

He crouched next to the kid, who was groaning and rolling on the ground, hands covering their face. "That sounded like it hurt."

"Dude, what the fuck is your problem?" The kid's voice cracked in pain.

Ah, yeah, the guilt's really hitting him now. He rubbed a hand on his neck. "How's ice cream sound by way of apology?"

The kid squinted up at him, face already swelling from the impact. "Fuck. Yeah, okay."

/

"I do not even know how they managed to lose our reservation!" Genji half-yelled, throwing his hands in the air. "They were able to get us in anyway, but I had a receipt and everything. To really crown the moment, the masseuse was flirting with Angela, too, not that she noticed-"

"So are you gonna order or what?" The kid- Julio- interrupted.

"Oh, right." Genji looked over the menu again, trying to decide which frozen treat looked most delicious. One dish stood out to him. "Wow, the Rock of Gibraltar Sundae is huge."

Julio sneered. "You're ordering tourist shit?"

Genji perked up. "Why? Have you had it before? Is it not good?"

"No, I haven't had it! I don't go to tourist traps or eat tourist crap because I live here, dipshit."

"So you do not know if it is good," he concluded.

"It's for tourists!" Julio's raised voice drew glances from the waitstaff.

Genji analyzed the menu considerately, studying the photo of the Gibraltar Sundae. "Would you want to share with me? I do not think I could eat even half of this by myself."

"Dude," he said with disgust. "I'm not your boyfriend."

"I'll ask for two bowls."

"Why? So you can stare at one and pretend you can taste- ugh, you know what? Whatever. As long as you're paying."

Genji flagged down a waiter. It wasn't particularly busy this late at night in the dessert cafe, but it still took a couple of attempts to get the guy's attention.

"Is it rude to flag down waiters here?" Genji asked after they placed their order.

Julio gave him a strange look before shrugging deeper into his hoodie. "Man, it's cause you're an omnic in a place for people."

"Omnics don't visit restaurants with their friends here?"

"We're not friends."

"Omnics don't visit restaurants with their friends here?" Genji repeated as though he hadn't heard Julio.

Julio rolled his eyes. "No, they don't. Bots don't need to eat. It's stupid that you're here at all."

"But surely there's something to be said about companionship during a meal?"

"Fuck if I know. Only rich assholes make 'friends' with bots."

"I see." Genji let the conversation drop.

Julio spent a few minutes fidgeting before he spoke up again. "That spa probably lost your reservation on purpose when they saw who you were," he muttered. "Like, what did you expect? You don't need a masseuse, you need a mechanic. It's stupid that you made them massage metal. Doesn't help you and probably hurts them. Fucking dumb."

"Many things are dumb to you, it seems."

The kid grumbled some more.

Genji shrugged. "Anyway, Angela's always been a bit oblivious to flirting- we went on three dates before she realized I was not asking her as a friend and I was not subtle- so she thinks the lady is actually interested in medical anatomy. Look, no one willingly listens to a verbal dissertation on connective muscular tissue unless they want to connect with your muscular tissue- wait how old are you?"

"Nineteen."

"Oh really? What year were you born?"

Julio hesitated, clearly doing math in his head.

"That is what I thought. In any case, I will not share the masseuse's response when she realized Angela was with me. I think it's partly the reason we got kicked out of and banned from the escape room afterwards, though…."

Another strange look from Julio. "You took your date to an escape room? That's one of those puzzle rooms that old people like to waste their nights in, isn't it?"

"There are many ways to waste our days and nights," Genji said slyly. "Some people choose escape rooms. Some stalk strangers across an island."

Julio flipped him off.

"Anyway, after the escape room- which Angela enjoyed other than the lifetime ban, for your information- we went to dinner at this real fancy restaurant. I was extremely lucky to get a reservation to that place. Angela was certainly impressed with the atmosphere. I had just been looking forward to her company. Well, the food, too, but mostly I just wanted to make her happy. Shame we only got through the first two courses."

"Courses? Ugh, I hate rich people."

"It is not a buffet. The courses are much smaller so you can enjoy many flavors without stretching your waistline."

"You pay more to eat less? This is just making me hate rich people more."

"It is no different than paying more for real ramen instead of eating the dehydrated stuff." Genji pointed out.

Julio made a face. He had many faces.

"Well. It didn't matter in the end. The restaurant comped us the meal since we couldn't finish."

"Why would they do that?"

"We were eating the second course when a gentleman a table over started choking," Genji explained. "Angela's a doctor, so she rushed over to give aid. He was fine but then another patron freaked out when they saw what was going on and ended up going into cardiac arrest. She helped them until the EMTs arrived and ended up accompanying them to the hospital."

Julio snorted. "Never heard of getting dumped in favor for heart attacks. You must be a real winner for her to go to the hospital instead of finishing your date."

Genji winced internally. Yeah, his thoughts were pretty much the same. "But if she hadn't, I'd have never met you! I count this a blessing in disguise."

Julio rolled his eyes.

That's when the waiter returned with their order. The sundae was a veritable mountain of sweets- a base of chocolate chip brownies, stacked high with three different flavors of ice cream, interspersed with gummy worms, cookie-and-cream crumbs coating the whole monstrosity from top to bottom. And of course, there was whipped cream and a bright-red cherry garnishing the peak.

Genji stared at it reverently, taking a few photos with his visor. "I have never seen anything so…"

"Disgusting?"

Genji shoved a spoon at Julio and removed his lower face plate to eagerly shove a bite in his mouth. "Oh, Iris, the brownies are still warm! Julio, you have to try this." He took another bite, savoring how the creamy custard melted in his mouth. When Julio didn't move, he glanced at him to find the kid staring.

"You're not omnic?"

Genji shrugged.

Julio's face scrunched in rage. "Why didn't you fucking say something?"

"Why would I?"

"Cause you're not omnic, dipshit! Why do you even dress like that? I wasted all night following you!"

"And it wouldn't have been wasted if I were omnic?"

"Obviously!"

"It is not obvious to me." Genji shoved another bite in his face.

"What, are you one of those 'transcended' assholes who thinks it's better to be a bot instead of human? You get your dick upgraded and your heart cut out at the same time?"
"Unfortunately my 'upgrades' were not optional," Genji said drily. "Or voluntary."

Julio shook his head, scooping his own bite of sundae. "There's always a choice. Better off dead than a bot."

"For a long time I shared your sentiment. My doctors did not have the chance to ask for my opinion before the operations, however."

Julio sat back in his chair, confused and more than a little skeptical. "You used to think you'd be better off dead and now you're cool with people thinking you're an omnic?"

"I have found there is no more shame in being omnic than there is in being human."

The skeptical look remained. "Sure they didn't lobotomize you when they were taking everything else?"

"I have often asked the same," a new voice said.

Genji nearly choked on his ice cream. "Angela!"

Behind him, Angela stood proudly, still dressed in evening finery, although her hair was escaping its updo by this point. Shit, he was in so much trouble. How did she even find- ah, the sundae photos. Should probably turn the auto-post option off, or at least the geo-tag.

To his left, Julio was attempting to discreetly edge out of his seat.

"No need to depart on my account," Angela said when she noticed, causing Julio to guiltily sit back down. She pulled up a spare chair, indifferent to the table's awkward silence. "My, what a large sundae!"

"You should have seen it before we ate half of it," Genji said, unable to bear the tension any longer.

"This is half a sundae?" She asked, eyebrows flying up. "Oh, Genji tell me you didn't eat all of it. You know how bad that is for you!"

"I didn't! My, ah, friend, Julio has been helping me. Julio, Angela. Angela, Julio."

"Pleased to meet you," Angela said with her New Patient smile.

Julio eyed her warily. "Sure."

"Ah, would you like a spoon?" Genji asked nervously.

"No, I-" Angela cut herself off for some reason. Genji turned to Julio, but he was staring off into space. "Well. Alright." She took a bite, but didn't seem to think much of it, eyes on Julio. "What happened to you, Julio? That is quite a nasty bruise on your face."

"I, uh-"

"Ran into a pole." Genji interjected. "Face-first. He didn't even see it. Someone should really tell the city council that these broken street lights are a safety hazard."

"That's quite unfortunate," Angela agreed. "One moment, I might have something in my purse that can help." She rummaged around in her evening bag before pulling out some snap-heals. She placed a few of the bandages in Julio's hand, who looked at them strangely. "Is something the matter?"

"Uh, I don't know how helpful band-aids would be for a bruise."

"Ah, these are not band-aids. Here you just snap them like this-" Angela bent one until it made a cracking sound and blue light emanated. "The you apply it as you would a band-aid."

Julio did so and sighed with relief. "Damn, these feel nice!"

"Yes, they act as a coolant to reduce swelling. They only last for about fifteen minutes, but I gave you enough that you should be able to have them last for a few hours."

"Thanks. So, what, are you like always on call or something?"

"No?" Angela said, looking confused.

Julio chewed on a bite of brownie. "I was just asking since you ditched circuit-brain over here and now you've got meds in your purse."

Genji froze, eyes wide, not daring to breathe.

"...You told him I ditched you?"

"No!" He protested immediately.

"Well, I mean," Julio continued, looking far too pleased. "You did leave him to go to the hospital."

"Yes and we were to meet back up at home, weren't we, Genji?"
Oh, shit, is that what she meant? Iris keep him. "Well, ah, I was on my way home, you see," he floundered. "But then I saw Julio run into a pole-"

"A fine time to grow a conscious." She said flatly.

"Because dinner is any better?" Julio asked, happily eating another mouthful of sundae.

"Excuse me?"

Genji winced because nothing good ever happened when she used that tone.

She leaned forward in her seat, bracing her forearms- not elbows, anger was no excuse for poor manners- on the table. "Those people could have died without medical intervention."

Julio twirled his spoon in the air. "I'm pretty sure that the people who are paid to drive ambulances and shit had it under control when they showed up, but sure, lady, maybe they would've died if you didn't hover over them all the way to the hospital."

Seeing the look in Angela's eyes, Genji quickly spoke. "I think it's time for you to go, Julio."

Julio shrugged, tossing his spoon into a nearby trash can as he stood. "Whatever, cyborg. Thanks for the ice cream."

As Julio's steps faded into the night, Genji found he couldn't quite manage to look up from his sundae. How had it all ended up like this? He just wanted to treat Angela….

Angela broke the silence. "Why didn't you come back to base?"

Genji lifted one shoulder in a half-hearted shrug. "Julio was tailing me. Tried losing him, but he's a local. Long story short we ended up getting ice cream together. And…" He looked up at her, aggrieved to see that she looked more tired than anything. "I thought our date was over. I didn't realize you meant tonight when you said 'I'll see you back home'. I'm sorry."

Angela hummed, lips tightening. "The fault is mine. I should have communicated better." Mechanically, she took another bite of ice cream. She blinked. "Wow, this is actually really good."

"You should have tried some when it was still warm," he said a little sadly.

"Oh, yes, that would have been delightful! We should come here some time." She glanced at him and set a hand on his thigh, squeezing it gently. "Help me finish this sundae?"

He accepted the peace offering for what it was, even though he already felt close to bursting. For all he knew, this might be their last meal as a couple. The idea certainly gave the sweet custard a bitter aftertaste, but they ate until their spoons scraped the bottom of the bowl.

Dropping her spoon into the empty bowl, Angela sighed and stretched her arms above her head. "What a perfect way to end the perfect day!"

Genji whipped his head to her. "Perfect?" He asked, aghast.

"Of course!" She said, beaming, but then faltered when she saw his expression. "Didn't you enjoy our date as well?"

He blinked rapidly. "I- of course! Absolutely!"

"Then why did you sound so surprised?"

And Genji was genuinely shocked at how vulnerable she seemed in that moment.
So shocked that it took him almost a full minute to process her question. "Why wouldn't I be surprised? Everything that could have gone wrong today did."

"What do you mean?"

"Wha-?" What did she mean what did he mean?! "The alarm ruined our breakfast this morning, the spa lost our reservations, we got a lifetime ban from an escape room, we didn't get to finish dinner, and Julio tried to mug me!"

"He did what?!" She asked, alarmed and twisting about to see if Julio was still around.

"He wasn't very good at it," he admitted.

"Why were you sharing ice cream if he tried to mug you?"

"Ah, well, that was supposed to be an apology for his face."

"You did that to him?" Angela leaned on the table, rubbing her temples. "What am I going to do with you…"

Genji's heart stopped. This was it. This was what ended their relationship. His breathing was becoming labored and he scrambled to latch his faceplate into place.

"Spätzli? What's the matter?"

Not trusting himself to speak, Genji shrugged.

Angela peered closely at him, but the mask didn't fail him. "Have you… been alright? You've been acting strange lately."

"I am… fine," he managed.

"Which clearly means you are not," she said, taking his hand. Even that small touch seemed overwhelming at the moment. "What is going on? You've seemed stressed lately, even during our dates today. Not even pole dancing made you smile."

"...What?"

"At the, ah, escape room?"

Genji balked. "That's how the fireman pole broke?"

"You weren't even watching?" She asked, her cheeks flushing.

"No, I was trying to solve the puzzle!" Now it was Genji's turn to put his head in his hands. "I missed pole dancing?"

"And this is exactly what I mean!" She said, still red in the face. "It is unlike you to take things seriously for so long. So what's gotten into you?"

"We got a life ban from the escape room because you were pole dancing?" He whispered, torn between awe and frustration.

"Technically the ban was for destruction of property," she muttered primly. "It was a fire station! How was I to know that it wasn't rated to support a person?"

Awe. It was definitely awe he was feeling. "I love you."

"I love you, too. Now, are you ready to tell me what's wrong?"

He paused. He looked at Angela. He swallowed."Are you... sure you had a good time today?"

"Of course, spätzli," She squeezed his hand again. "I always love spending time with you."

He wasn't sure how he hadn't noticed it before. The concern in her eyes. How long had she waited for him at the Watchpoint? She hadn't changed and- he glanced at her feet- hadn't even changed to more comfortable shoes. He could hardly believe it... waiting for your date, worried about where they are, only to learn they were eating ice cream as you imagined the worst. And she came for him anyway, not out of anger, but out of concern.

How could he ever think that Angela didn't love him?

He smiled. "How can anything be wrong as long as I'm with you?"