Ryan never fathomed that she would see a fully grown man melt into a child-like state of glee. But since his birthday, Mizole was eager to see the same sights the city had through a new lense, and She was the sole victim of his excitement; having herself be dragged all around Inkopolis just to see his favorite parts of town in color. Which would generally get on her nerves due to how exhausted she would get every time she was dragged around the city by foot, but she couldn't help but to feel the same joy he'd felt as well.

His eyes gleamed at every nook and cranny the city had to offer, and he would get excited at every single food truck they passed. Especially if it was an ice cream truck with an open display. The variety of colors each flavor had made his stomach flip in anticipation, and Ryan felt that he would sincerely order a scoop of everything had she not restrained him from doing so. The same would apply to candy stores and shaved ice stands as well! She could feel the overwhelming excitement he had whenever she'd allow him to buy an extra sweet or two, and couldn't help but to smile as he gorged himself on the goods.

He sure was a handful to keep track of during the past week, but dear god was it rewarding to see his smile.

She had learned a lot about him in that time as well. Especially his fondness towards the color blue. She'd watch him ruminate at the vast ocean when they were on the boardwalk, and she noted everytime he bought a flavored sweet that was colored blue. Hell, they would nearly get themselves hurt because Mizole would sometimes gaze up into the sky and forget that they're walking on a crowded sidewalk. She didn't really wonder why his favorite color became blue without hesitation, but it has crossed her mind some nights when she finally had the downtime to breathe. And she'd usually shrug it off with a small grin, telling herself that the color made him happy, and she didn't want to question it as long as he stayed that way.

Because, again, that smile was worth it.

But, tonight was sort of different, and that difference was felt as soon as she felt a tap on her shoulder.

She hummed, turning to see him awkwardly shuffling in the place he stood in. "Hey uh…" Mizole shrugged his shoulders, clasping his hands together as he did so. "Is it alright if you came to the rooftop with me, Ry?"

Ryan's lips curled up into a small smile as she shifted her sitting position towards him. "Why?"

"I wanted to watch the sunset… and uh…" He cleared his throat. "I… didn't want to go alone."

"But why the rooftop?" Ryan cocked her head to the side, pointing to the sliding glass door that was just a few feet behind him. "We have a balcony over there."

"Well… I don't… want…" Mizole's cheeks went slightly pink. " ... the buildings- "

"Oh, Right." Ryan huffed, stretching out her back as she forced herself to her feet. "I guess those are in the way of it all. Y'need some seats or somethin'?"

…

It had been a half an hour since the two finished their trek to the top of their apartment building, a trip that was made far more difficult because of the two folding chairs they had to carry with them, along with a small number of drinks tucked away in a small, yet clunky cooler. And since then, the two greatly enjoyed one another's company; joking about how exhausting the past week was for Ryan while sipping out of bottles of lager that Mizole bought a short while back, gazing at the golden vista before them as time went on.

"So wait." Mizole snorted, trying to not burst out laughing at her blunt honesty. "You're saying that I could of pulled off your arm this week?"

"Yeah, pretty much." Ryan chuckled, bringing the cool bottle to her lips. "My legs could of fallen off at any given point too, due to how much we walked."

Mizole watched as she took a swig of her drink. "And you're SERIOUS about me dragging you out on the street?"

"Are you kidding me!? You caused a traffic jam yesterday!"

There was a pause between the two, their eyes locking for a brief moment before simultaneously breaking down in laughter. Nearly spilling their drinks as they reeled over and over for almost a solid minute.

After collecting themselves though, they both turned their gaze back to the sunset before them, the gold color now being a subtle orange. Ryan shuffled in her seat, taking another sip of her drink before speaking once more. "Y'know, I wish I would actually make the time to go and do this myself every once in a while, I keep forgetting how nice the evenings can be here. Y'know?"

"Are you kidding me? I've been wanting to go do this since I got these things!" Mizole said, tapping the frame of his specs. "It just… felt a bit weird doing it alone."

"Hm?"

"Like… don't you think it's a bit weird to go and watch the sunset without someone who's like… close to you?"

"I mean, yeah-" Ryan cut herself short, turning her gaze to Mizole. "Wait, you think I'm close to you?"

"I mean yeah, you're pretty cool Ryan." He said, casually swaying his beverage around as he spoke. "You're funny, witty… hell, even nice when you wanna be. Not only that but you're pr-" Mizole suddenly fell silent as realization of what he was saying rushed through and hit him like a sack of bricks. "WAIT- D-DONT TAKE THAT THE WRONG WAY!" He shouted, nearly dropping his drink as he went beet red. "L-Like yeah you are cool, and I l-like consider you a 'friend' and all. B-But you're c-close to me in terms of… uh… proximity! Y… Y-Yeah… prox… im… ity…"

There was a short break of silence after his voice trailed off, causing Ryan to shake her head. "You know I'm not buying this, right?"

"Y-Yeah." Mizole admitted, slumping his shoulders in defeat. "I… I know."

Ryan sighed, schooching her chair closer to his with a smile. "Hey, it's okay." She said, a subtle tint creeping onto her cheeks as he looked back at her once more. "... Believe it or not… I feel the same way ."