KH: See you at 7.
Anastasia reread Kai's text for the hundredth time and then glanced at herself in the mirror again, her hands fidgeting nervously. She told herself it was because she had changed her outfit so many times she was confused about whether or not she should continue to wear this or change: the flowery, sleeveless top could be construed as too casual for a first date, and she knew Alice and Hilary would disapprove of her decision to wear jeans, even if her shoes were a pair of pretty, strappy sandals that made her legs look amazing. But she had done it on purpose - Kai had seen her in almost every state imaginable, and even though she was sure the risqué green dress from Tala's party hadn't been the only reason he had finally made a move on her, she wasn't about to make dressing like that a habit. Her outfit was pretty, and comfortable, considering she had no idea where they were going, and she didn't think he was expecting her to look like they were going to a cocktail party anyway. Again, she glanced at herself in the mirror. Kai was due to pick her up in a few hours, but her intense nerves meant she had gotten ready early, and was now proceeding to drive herself crazy by overthinking everything.
The same questions danced through her mind, again and again. Should they be doing this? Should she be doing this? Why had she even said yes? The one rule everyone she had ever met had told her to obey was to not date in the workplace, and what was Kai if not her boss? Mr. Dickinson had hired her specifically to work with him, for him, and here she was agreeing to go on a date with him. If this backfired – which it was bound to, because Anastasia didn't know how to have a stable relationship – then she would be screwed. It wouldn't stay a secret, and she'd definitely be unemployed for longer just than a few months. She'd have to rethink and redo everything she had worked so hard for. She should call Kai and cancel this date before it went too far, before she was in too deep and hurting them both.
Except she couldn't. She had been agonizing over this topic for over an hour, but she had made no move to do anything about it. Every time she thought she had summoned the nerve to pick up the phone, Kai's face flashed in front of her eyes, and he was either smiling at her, or giving her that look he had given her the night when he had kissed her, or he was telling her she was important. Or, she was rereading the text he had sent her, which cemented the fact that this was indeed happening, and she freaked out all over again.
This was ridiculous. There was only one person who could help her with her doubts, and there was no point pretending otherwise. Taking a deep breath, Anastasia picked up her phone.
AN: I need to talk to you. Call me.
She bit her lip and hit send, tapping her fingers against her thigh anxiously. A few minutes later, she jumped when her phone rang, and answered the call hastily. "Hello?"
"What's up?" Tatiana's tone was matter-of-fact.
Anastasia took a deep breath. "I did something potentially stupid."
"Stupider than falling for Kai Hiwatari?"
"How did you –"
"I'm a journalist, you're my sister, someone tried to reach out to me for a comment," said Tatiana flippantly. "I don't need a backstory. Are you having doubts? Already?"
Anastasia sighed. "Tatiana, we haven't even been on a date yet. Those were actual rumors."
"Oh," Tatiana sounded surprised. "Sorry, I just assumed, since he was at the memorial, that you two were a thing."
"I would have told you if we were."
"The last time we talked you told me to stay out of your life and never call you again."
"Yes, I did, but I'm calling a truce for the next few minutes," sighed Anastasia. She tugged at the ends of her hair nervously. "I don't know what to do."
"Okay," Tatiana took a deep breath. "Maybe I do need some backstory. Start from the beginning."
And she did.
When Anastasia had caught her sister up on everything, from the first time they'd met to the events of that morning, Tatiana let out a low whistle. "Wow."
"Good wow or bad wow?"
"Just… wow," Tatiana sounded dazed. "What do you want me to say?"
"I don't know," Anastasia groaned. "Look, I know you shouldn't date in the workplace –"
"I met Mike my first day at the newspaper, Anastasia," interrupted Tatiana. "That isn't always a hardcore rule."
"Okay, fine, but the long-distance is insane, and I don't know how he feels about it."
"Well, wouldn't you two be travelling to the same places as soon as the beyblading season starts anyway?" asked Tatiana. "That solves your problem for the first year, at least, and by the end of it you'll know better what to do."
Anastasia hated it when her sister made sense. "He's messed up," she said, and finally Tatiana had no response to that. She continued, "He's so, so messed up, Tatiana. His grandfather did a number on him, he went to that insane Abbey in Russia, not to mention Black Dranzer and his obsession with winning. God only knows what kind of things he's seen and had to do since he was a kid."
"Your parents were awful, you cut ties with your entire family when you were thirteen, you've been working since you were sixteen, and you've always felt like you need to be on your own," said Tatiana dryly. "You've both had sucky lives, Anastasia."
"Having a sucky home-life and having a borderline abusive home-life are two very different things."
"Everybody's got baggage. He's not giving you shit for yours, you shouldn't hold his against him."
Something in her tone made Anastasia narrow her eyes suspiciously. "Why are you talking like that?
"Like what?"
"Like you've made up your mind about something and you're waiting for me to come to the same conclusion."
"I don't know what you mean," Tatiana cleared her throat. "I'm just Googling Kai now. Oh, look, he's half-Russian! You can practice your language skills on him."
"You want me to date him," said Anastasia, slowly, as the realization that her sister approved of Kai began to dawn on her. "Oh my God, you're not serious, right? You approve of Kai?"
"I don't know him well enough to approve or disapprove," said Tatiana diplomatically. "But I can tell you like him. And I can tell he makes you happy. I always said you spent too much time working and not enough time acting your age. Nineteen year olds date, Anastasia. They make mistakes and have regrets and do other stupid things, they don't spend their free time doing whatever it is that you do."
Anastasia bristled. "I work, you know."
"Yes, and you're very good at your job. And that won't change just because you decide to date this guy," said Tatiana gently. "I know you want my honest opinion, and I do honestly think he sounds like a mess. He could be insensitive, and not very good at commitment. But he also sounds like he cares about you, and I can tell how happy you are that he feels that way. Don't throw that away just because it could go wrong."
"I don't want to throw it away."
"Then don't overthink it."
"But I -"
"Anastasia, even Mike wouldn't have come with me to Mom and Dad's funeral, and I'm marrying the guy," said Tatiana. "He hated how they treated me, and he decided that his way to show he supported me was to agree that I needed to cut off from the family. That worked for me, but Kai knew even before I did that it wouldn't work for you. You won't get someone who understands stuff like this so easily, trust me. It took years for Mike to understand."
Anastasia sighed. "He does get it better than anyone else."
"There you go," Tatiana sounded triumphant. "And let's be honest, Anastasia. Even if I said you shouldn't date Kai, is that all it would take for you to reconsider?"
Anastasia didn't have to think twice about her answer. "Of course not."
"Then why are we even having this conversation?"
Both sisters were quiet for a few moments at that. The death of their parents had strained their already tenuous relationship, but Anastasia hadn't hesitated to call her sister when she wanted to speak to her, and Tatiana still called her every weekend. Even if she didn't pick up. There was bad blood, but it was blood nevertheless.
Finally, Tatiana sighed. "Okay, look. Go on a date with him, maybe even a few more. See how it feels to be with him outside of a working relationship. If he makes you happy and he treats you right, please don't reject him just because it'll be difficult. Relationships are always difficult."
"Okay," Anastasia let out a breath. "Okay, I'll give this a chance. I –" an incoming text interrupted her, and she glanced at her phone screen. "Oh, shoot. I have to go, he's on his way."
"Now? You waited until it was almost time for your date before you freaked out?" demanded Tatiana. "Are you –"
"I'll call you later, bye!"
!
"What's your favorite color?"
Kai snorted. "That's the best you can come up with?"
"Humor me," Anastasia sat up, running a hand through her hair idly. "Are there leaves in my hair?"
"No," Kai rolled his eyes. Anastasia made a face at him, putting on a show of looking at the blanket they were lying on critically, as if to catch him in a lie. Kai ignored her. "Come back here."
"You're clingy."
"You're warm."
"You didn't answer my question!"
"You just want to know stuff you can't find out by hacking," said Kai. He reached up and finally tugged her back down next to him, grunting in pain as Anastasia collapsed against his chest.
She giggled. "Sorry," angling her head back, she kissed his cheek. "Drinking isn't the best for my balance."
"It isn't the best for you anyway," said Kai dryly. Discreetly, he nudged the half-empty wine bottle away with his elbow. "What was your question?"
"Favorite color."
"I haven't thought about it," Kai shrugged.
"And if you had to think about it?"
"Blue."
"The color of your beyblade isn't a valid answer."
"That's not the only blue thing I like."
Anastasia wrinkled her nose in distaste. "Is there an innuendo in there somewhere that I'm not getting?"
Kai groaned. "It's the color of your eyes, you moron."
Anastasia's eyes widened in surprised. "Why, Kai Hiwatari, you're a regular romantic."
"And you make me regret it."
Anastasia started giggling again, burying her face into Kai's chest to stifle her laughter. She knew he was rolling his eyes at her antics, but he didn't push her away – instead, she felt his fingers tangle into her hair as she cuddled closer to him. They'd been lying on a blanket in the garden of the old Hiwatari mansion, just talking, for hours now, and even though she knew they both had to be up early the next day, she was in no mood to leave.
When Kai had picked her up earlier that night and told her they were heading to the house again, Anastasia had bit back the questions she desperately wanted to ask and allowed him to take her there, a million thoughts racing through her mind. She knew she had to tread a fine line if she wanted Kai to change for the better and not so much that he ended up resenting her, but at the same time she had to admit she was dying of curiosity: what did dating Kai Hiwatari look like anyway? She certainly hadn't expected him to take her to dinner and a movie. And it wasn't because she didn't think he could, but because that just didn't seem like something Kai would enjoy doing. As prepared as she had been for a night that was out of the ordinary, an evening spent at her boyfriend's dead, uber-rich grandfather's mansion was something even she was skeptical about.
Of course, she had been speechless in the best way possible as soon as they had entered the gates of the mansion. Anastasia wasn't sure what she had expected from their first date, but dinner on the front lawn of the Hiwatari mansion was definitely not on her list. The house was dark, but the garden was lit up, by what looked like the trees themselves, and closer examination revealed that there were lights threaded through the branches, giving off just enough light for them to move around, but not too much that it was blinding. Dinner had been followed by copious amounts of wine – how had he known what kind of wine she liked? – and the luxury of lying in Kai's arms looking up at the clear night's sky. All in all, it was so them that Anastasia had been shell-shocked. The fact that he had clearly planned this as well, knowing how uncomfortable she would be if they went out somewhere too public, seemed like something straight out of a romance novel.
And the night had kept getting better. Anastasia had teased Kai mercilessly at first, acting as though they were still getting to know each other and asking him invasive, and sometimes slightly uncomfortable questions. For a while, Kai had merely ignored her, but then he had started playing along – he had answered her, shortly but honestly, and even though Anastasia was sure the three glasses of wine had helped to loosen his tongue, every new piece of information he offered her willingly still thrilled her.
"You're thinking pretty loudly," murmured Kai into her ear suddenly. Anastasia snuck a look up at him, and he smirked. "About me again?"
Anastasia was tempted to lie, but there was no point. She made a face, and Kai turned his head so he could look at her, his eyes alight with curiosity. Anastasia didn't need to ask what he wanted to know. "I didn't expect this," she confessed.
"I know you didn't," he twirled a lock of her hair around his finger idly. "That's why I did it."
"So you're not actually this romantic?" asked Anastasia playfully.
"No," he surprised her by kissing her nose. "But I can be."
"Why would you –"
"Because I said I'd try," he interrupted her firmly. Anastasia's eyes widened, and Kai smirked. "What, did you think you're the only one who wants to make this work?"
"Of course not!" Anastasia said defensively. "I just didn't think you'd try… this much."
"Because I told you I'd be a bad boyfriend," said Kai, and Anastasia opened her mouth, clearly wanting to argue. He snorted. "Yeah, I know. I just remembered I don't like to be bad at anything."
"What, you're a great beyblader so you decided being my boyfriend is the next thing you can train yourself to be good at?" Anastasia rolled her eyes. "Should I be offended or flattered?"
"I don't really care what you think," said Kai casually. Anastasia huffed and tried to move away, but Kai's fingers, which had been playing with her hair as they talked, suddenly tangled themselves into her curls harder, refusing to let her get up. She glared, and his eyes darkened. Butterflies erupted in her stomach when he spoke in a low, husky voice. "Or maybe I just decided to do something sappy so you'd stop complaining."
Anastasia opened her mouth to retort, but Kai was already planting slow, lazy kisses against the skin of her neck, and her words died on her lips. "I hate you," she murmured, even as her hands gripped at his hair. "You're cheating."
"I know," he smirked against her skin, and Anastasia bit her lip to keep from whimpering when she felt him nip at her collarbone. "Playing fair isn't fun."
"Shut up," Anastasia's pulse sped up as Kai kissed his way back up her neck, lingering at her jaw. "You're so doing this on purpose."
"I'm just getting started," the smugness in his voice was clear, even as he began devoting all his attention to a spot on Anastasia's neck that she was sure would be purple tomorrow. "I like you better when you don't talk anyway."
Through the haze in her brain, Anastasia registered his words, and narrowed her eyes. She didn't get a chance to retort, however, because Kai was finally done torturing her and she felt his lips crash against hers hungrily just before she could speak.
Anastasia didn't even try to hide the fact that she was enjoying herself: it would have been hard to pretend otherwise, anyway. This kiss was definitely better than their last one – then again, she had thought that to herself every time he kissed her. Her entire body was on fire, but the heat was so pleasant she hardly paid it any attention. Kai's hands were rough, and his calloused fingers dug into her sides deliciously, his thumbs just barely brushing the bare skin of her stomach.
"For the record," she managed to say as he paused in between kisses. "This totally counts as more than just trying."
Kai's eyes, which had been closed as he rested his forehead against hers lazily, snapped open. "Easy to please, aren't you?"
"It's all part of my master plan to make sure you stick around," Anastasia shrugged. "Be easy-going now and become impossible to deal with just when you can't bear to let me go."
"Sounds good," said Kai dryly. "Done complaining now?"
Anastasia rolled her eyes. "What could I complain about? It's like you read the manual on what to do on a first date, Kai."
"You know what I mean."
"You're lucky I do," she winked, and then became serious. "I'd never complain if I knew you were trying, hotshot. And I know you will try. I wouldn't be here if I didn't think you would."
"Hmm," Kai kissed her temple. "So you won't call your sister an hour before our date and freak out next time?"
Anastasia groaned. "Did you check my call log?"
"Not on purpose."
"How'd you know I was talking about you?" she demanded. "We could have been planning her wedding, or fighting, or –"
"All of those could be true, but you called her," pointed out Kai. "I'm not an idiot, Anna, I know you. You wanted to rant."
"Not about you!" she insisted.
"Stop lying," Kai seemed more amused than annoyed, she was relieved to see. She gestured that she wanted to sit up, and Kai willingly moved away so she could. Instead of sitting opposite her, though, he linked their fingers together and pulled her close so her back was against his chest. She felt him kiss the nape of her neck softly. "Were you going to cancel on me while I was on my way to pick you up?" he teased. "Really?"
Anastasia sighed. "I wouldn't have cancelled on you," she said defensively. "And anyway, she's so on board with this it's scary, so you don't have to worry about that."
"She is?" now he sounded interested.
Anastasia smiled. She loved it when he tried to hide how invested he actually was in her, them. It was so typical of a boy, and yet so Kai-like, that it was adorable. "Yeah, she is. She said I should do what makes me happy."
He didn't reply immediately, but Anastasia didn't begrudge him the moment of quiet. Kai had been amazing the whole night, not only putting up with her chatter but also matching her every step of the way. It had been nice, for a couple of hours, to pretend like they didn't have a hundred other responsibilities outside of their little bubble. She knew she would have plenty more freak-outs before she left, but after tonight, she wouldn't be calling her sister for reassurance anymore. With less words than Anastasia had thought possible, Kai had made her feel better than anyone else ever could, and that was all she needed.
"We should go," Kai said finally. "It's getting late."
"And you have an early practice," said Anastasia. She squeezed his hand and untangled herself from his arms, stretching slightly. "Okay, let's go."
Kai stood up and held out a hand for her. "What time should I pick you up tomorrow?" he asked.
"Not tomorrow," Anastasia shook her head and allowed him to help her to her feet. Belatedly, she realized she had kicked off her sandals a while ago. She scanned the ground carefully. "Where are my shoes?"
"I've got them," said Kai. Anastasia turned around to see him holding her shoes by their straps in his hand casually, as if it was the most natural thing in the world. She tried not to gape. "Let's go," he jerked his head towards the car.
"I'm not walking all the way there barefoot," she said flatly.
"The car is five feet away."
"Give me my shoes."
"You'll take ten minutes to put these on," Kai rolled his eyes and stomped towards her, looking annoyed. Anastasia braced herself for a tongue lashing because, boyfriend or not, Kai was constantly telling her off. Instead, he sighed. "Fine. Come on," he turned around and patted his shoulder. "I'll give you a lift."
Anastasia blinked. Hesitantly, she touched his back, the last time she had seen it bare flashing through her mind again. Kai didn't notice, and she heard him huff in annoyance before he grabbed her arm, effortlessly slinging her onto his back. Anastasia locked her arms around his neck and couldn't help but let out a slightly hysterical giggle.
I don't think I can take many more surprises tonight, she thought to herself bemusedly as Kai began walking. Nothing in his posture or speed suggested that he had another person clinging to him with all her might. Of course not. He probably lifted weights heavier than her.
"Show off," muttered Anastasia, just loud enough for him to hear.
"You're lighter than I thought you'd be," there was a frown in his voice. "Don't you eat?"
"I just ate in front of you!"
"Not much," he mumbled. They reached the car and he unlocked the passenger side door, helping her inside and handing her the shoes he was still carrying. Anastasia took them from him, trying to hide her smile. Kai noticed. "What?"
"You're cute," she said simply. Kai made a face, and she laughed again. "Sorry."
Kai rolled his eyes, but didn't move away. Anastasia raised an eyebrow. "You want to say something?" she prompted.
He sighed. "Next time you freak out, just talk to me, okay?"
Anastasia blinked. "You?"
"Yes, me. The other person in this relationship."
"I didn't think you'd want to hear it."
"Well, I do," he said quietly. "Just call me, okay?"
"Okay," Anastasia smiled softly and tugged at his arm, pulling him in for a sweet kiss. "Thanks," she murmured. "You can call me too, you know."
"I know," he kissed her forehead. "But I don't freak out as much as you."
"I resent that."
"It's true," Kai finally pulled back and tugged at the seatbelt, giving her a pointed look before shutting the car door. Anastasia chuckled, tossing her shoes down and obediently buckling the seatbelt like he was constantly telling her to. She was playing with the radio by the time Kai slid into the driver's seat next to her.
"Hold this," he tossed his phone to her and started the car, his eyes narrowed as he looked out onto the empty driveway. Anastasia finally noticed that the garden lights had been turned off; clearly, there was someone else handling the finer details of their date night. "And why aren't we working tomorrow?"
"Huh?" Anastasia looked up from his phone, which she had already unlocked, because if Kai ever handed her his phone it was a clear invitation that she could do what she wanted. "Oh, because you haven't trashed the last prototype I made."
Kai frowned. "So?"
"So, the longer they last, the less I have to do," said Anastasia. The mansion gates suddenly opened with a mechanical whirr that Anastasia immediately associated with an automatic system. Her eyes widened. "Woah, how rich are you again?"
"Very," he deadpanned.
Despite his tone, it was clearly so true it made her snort. As Kai began to back out of the driveway, he gestured to Anastasia to keep talking. She complied, "Anyway, another Battle Royale should be enough to do this one in, I think, but since I know you won't want to lose just because your beyblade broke, try some speed tests on an uneven surface. Oh, and target practice, definitely."
"Target practice?" Kai didn't look away from the road, but raised his eyebrows at her words. "What exactly do you think I do with my beyblade?"
"You think I'm an idiot?" Anastasia snorted. Kai's phone beeped, and she opened his email automatically. "You have a meeting with Dickinson tomorrow."
"With you?"
"Without me," Anastasia scanned the email quickly. "I think it's about tournament registration and stuff. He sent it to you this morning but you never read it, Kenny just replied and confirmed that you'll both be there."
"This is more Chief's stuff anyway," Kai shrugged.
"You'd all be lost without him," Anastasia rolled her eyes. "And back off, my music," she added, not looking up from the phone and slapping his hand away as he tried to turn off the radio. "By the way, yes, I did mean target practice. I know you use your beyblade to crash through rocks and trees, I have been stalking you and your habits for months now, you know."
Kai finally looking away from the road to stare at her. "How did you –"
"It's not hard to figure out," Anastasia put his phone to the side and laughed at his expression of bewilderment. "Is this supposed to be a secret? Other people do it too, you know. It's endurance 101, we just have fancier equipment but you're accomplishing the same thing."
"It's not a secret," said Kai. "I just didn't know it was that easy to figure out."
"You know Dranzer isn't the only thing I know really well."
"I never said you didn't know me."
"And yet you're always surprised when I say or do something that shows you how easy you are to read," Anastasia smiled. "Don't worry, hotshot. You're still a mystery to the rest of the world. Too bad this act didn't work on me."
Kai didn't speak for a few seconds, focusing on the road. It wasn't until Anastasia had found an obnoxiously loud song and was singing along that he finally allowed himself to smile. "I'm glad it didn't work on you," he said quietly. Anastasia gave no indication she had heard, but he knew she had.
