Disclaimer: I don't own anything except for a worthless penny.. oh, oh! I think I've found a quarter! Will anyone care to throw me a dime? =P
Author's Note: Serena and Jaymison's first SEMI-date. haha. Don't ask. I said, don't ask! lol... okay, well, just read on and you'll see... This chapter isn't as exciting as I thought it would be but... ugh.. I tried, I swear, I TRIED to put in WAFFINESS in this chapter, but sadly, I failed. Grr!
Summary: Serena and Jaymison on date? Guess so. Plus the fulfillment of a Pikachu request. Read on for the rest..
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Roommates, You and I
By Yamito-Hitori
Part 5: The Date
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Jaymison pranced around the living room, wiping a small bead of sweat every now and then that formed on his forehead. Dressed in a white under-shirt and a dark green unbuttoned polo, he straightened the shirt from top to bottom and brushed off what seemed to be unnecessary small specks of dust. What a wreck he seemed to be..
He was on a first semi-official date with Serena. and he was hoping it was a night he, and hopefully she, wouldn't forget.
A sound that emanated a few feet away from him caused him to turn around.
"Still haven't changed, Jay. Do you always walk around right as if somebody was having a baby right before your date?" He chuckled, sitting at the couch near by. He joked around as a means to pass the time pleasantly as he waited for his roommate to finish. "R~e~l~a~x."
Jay shook his head with a light smile and nodded, taking a seat on the same couch that Darien had sat on. "I'm a nervous wreck. I've planned a few things for her; I just hope she likes it.."
Darien nodded. "I'm sure she will. Serena seems to be that type of girl that's easily amused."
"Who's easily amused?" A voice from behind them spoke out.
Serena stood underneath a hallway frame, hands on both sides of her hips. She wore beige capri pant and a black shirt that didn't even reach the tip of her capri. Instead, it exposed an estimated two inches of her belly. On the shirt it read, 'Genki bunny'.
How ironic.. Darien mused. How short! He added in his mind, taking in the sight of just what she was wearing. That lanky piece of fabric was lacking length that would comfort her from the night's cold breezes. Not that he cared THAT much for her skin.. or if she would freeze.. but he was sure it would be the same thing her dermatologist would be thinking, Right?
"Well?" She asked. "Who's easily amused?" She looked at both guys simultaneously, looking for an answer from either of the two.
"I am." Jaymison stated and stood up, making his way to the girl. "Each and every time I see you, I'm amused and amazed at how beautiful you get from the last time I've seen you."
She smiled. She didn't really like it when men said lines to her just to sweeten her up, especially those 'three-second-made-up' ones.. but in Jaymison's case, she just had to let him slip. He was just too cute for words. The way he slinked up right beside her and slipped his arm through hers, chaining their arms in an 'escort style'. And how he beamed those happy teeth at her, with ecstatic smiles.
"Ready, cutie?"
Serena giggled and grabbed her purse from the table. "Yes, Mister Nakagawa, Sir!"
"Aw now.." He pouted. "Why d'ya have to be like that? Jay suits me fine."
"Sure thing Mister Jay.." She played. Before they knew it, they were conversating and flirting happily and out the doors in a flash. Neither noticing Darien's hand falling to his side from a good-bye wave that they had not seen. (AN: poor Dare -_-)
Bye. He thought mentally.
As soon as he heard their voices die down through the building hallways outside the condo, he made his way to the door and locked it. Returning back to his spot on the couch, he lifted his feet to rest in a laying position. Grabbing the remote, he turned on the television and flipped through channels.
"Pi-ka-chu!" The weird looking creature said in the television as he stopped on one. He raised a brow. That little yellow thing sure did remind him of someone..
Serena?
He smirked to himself. It had two long ears, like Serena's two long ponytails. They were yellow, similarly like her golden ones. And the creature's eyes twinkled in delight; much like she always did...
* .:. * .:. * .:. *
"Ja-Jaymison!" Serena laughed. "Where are you taking me? Are we even close?? If I trip I'll.."
A quick chuckle emitted from Jaymison, his hands over her eyes as he led her to their destination. "Almost there, Sere. Now step up." With that order, she lifted one foot and brought up the other as she stepped up a ledge.
"Now close your eyes." When he was sure she had them closed, he removed his hands from her and positioned them to hold her arms on both sides instead. He led her a few more steps before telling her to stop.
"You can open you eyes now."
Serena's eyes fluttered open to reveal a surprising scene to her startled eyes.
It was a candle lit dinner! In a park? She thought when she spotted grass. Her eyes looked around, left and right, but found only her and her date to be there. The park was secluded, she happily thought.
She turned to Jaymison, jumping up to hug him, and smiled. "Oh my god, it's beautiful!"
Walking to her chair (not before Jay sited her in like a gentleman), Serena took in the extra details she hadn't noticed before. White rose petals and other white flowers were sprinkled on the grass around them. Come to think of it.. Their tablecloth was white, the candles were white, the plates were... white. She mentally reminded herself to get him something white for his birthday. Perhaps he'd like it more than any other ordinary color.
"What's your favorite color..?" Serena asked out of the blue, causing Jaymison to cock his head onto one side.
"Oh." He said, realizing what she had just asked. "Green."
Serena sweatdropped. Wrong color, cross that thought out.
"So," He continued. "Let's dig in shall we? I hope you like baked salmon."
Baked salmon... She thought. Yummmm... She was going to pig out tonight and eat every bit off of her plate! Not just for common courtesy, but also because she was going to enjoy herself tonight. And to enjoy it, food was in order! Though somewhere in the back of her mind she couldn't help but wonder if she'd missed something--
--Salt and pepper perhaps?
--Had Jaymison locked his car door?
--Was it a special condiment that she wanted to put on the served fish?
--had she forgotten something?
No it wasn't an something.. it was someone.
Darien.
How gracious I must have seemed. She thought bitterly, remembering how she must've rudely left. She'd enjoy her dinner for now and return soon to thank him.
* .:. * .:. * .:. *
"So," Jaymison started when they finished their dinner. "Comments? Criticism?"
Serena bowed her head in thanks as she chewed up and swallowed her last bite. "It was delicious! ..Thank you."
"Thank you." Jaymison returned. "For coming with me and making me happy on this night."
Serena flushed in embarrassment. When was it last a guy had talked to her like that?
He propped his elbows on the table, and smiled. "Tell me, are you seeing anyone right now?"
Serena sat still. Seeing anyone? "Well, I see you.. I guess.."
Jay chuckled, green eyes twinkling. "You're too cute. No dear, I meant seeing anyone as in 'dating' anyone you want to get together with."
"Oh!" Serena flushed a bit more as she laughed nervously. He meant seeing someone. How embarrassing. "Well.. no.. I think.."
Jaymison nodded. "Well with that said, may I ask you that 'I' be the one to court this beautiful angel in front of me?"
"Well I... No one's really 'courted' me before.." She put a finger to her lip and gazed up, wonderingly.
"It's okay, Sere." Jay announced. "Let me know whenever you're ready."
Serena looked back at him, her eyes in silent thanks.
* .:. * .:. * .:. *
After a good two hours of chatting about their lives and the like, Serena and Jaymison had decided to head back home. Jay had offered to walk her upstairs, in any case that a wild man should pop out of nowhere aiming to steal her belongings. After all, it was a gentlemanly thing to do.. and if it could earn him some points, he'd do it.
When they got to the door, she rummaged for her key before hearing someone clear their throat. She turned to find a flushed Jay rubbing his head abashedly as if waiting on her for something.. He hesitated, looking down on the ground once, twice, and then looking back at her.
"Uh.." He started. "Would it be alright to give you a goodnight kiss?"
So that was what it was. Asking for my permission, too? How silly of him! She nodded with a slight lopsided smile and turned her head to face him with her cheek.
Surprisingly, he swerved to the left, and instead of giving her a peck on her readied face (like what she thought he'd do), he had captured her lips instead.
In an instant, she jumped away, breaking the quick smooch, and covered her mouth with a gasp. When she saw him frown in confusion she sighed softly.
"I thought.. I'm sorry.." He apologized.
Smooth move, Nakagawa. He scolded himself mentally.
The night had been somewhat perfect and she wasn't about to let a small thing, obviously like what he had just done, ruining it all. It wasn't that big of a deal. Of course, to him, it might not have seemed that big of a deal. But to her...
"Thank you." She told him. "For the dinner.. Everything." She paused to look his expression. He seemed slightly humiliated-- of himself, no doubt. "Good night." She finished. With that, he gave an understanding bow and took his leave with a wave good-bye and a smile.
She hastily opened the door and closed it behind her as if rabid dogs were on the other side of the piece of wood. She leaned back on the door and slid down to sit on her butt, feet flat on the ground.
She hadn't wanted to ruin the night with a small thing.. Was receiving her 'first kiss' like that a 'small thing'? I mean, sure, she's had a few kisses here and there. But mostly they were from family relatives --even her brother gave her one before she moved out! (With all the fighting they did, it was actually a cute Kodak moment).. She had even received kisses on the lips from her parents. (When she was small, of course, but on the lips nevertheless)... but a kiss from someone you knew as a friend and of the opposite sex?
"We'll have none of that!" Her mother used to say when they had those typical 'mother-daughter' talks. Her mother disapproved of all boys (unless they were the ones that were related to her) until she reached a certain age. "When you get out of high school," Her mother would continue. "then you can do as you wish. Until then, you are under my house, so you are under my rule, Serena Tsukino." Then, in a split second the topic would change. "Now... shall we go get something to eat?" Her mother, Ilene, was always the perfect example of a woman with a mood swing. Perhaps it had been because of premenstrual side effects? They always did seem to have that those conversations at the end of the month or so.. (AN: for guys, it means, women with their monthly PMS ^^)
She exhaled slowly and picked herself up, walking through the corridors. She didn't want to take things too quickly. If she was to have her first boyfriend she wanted it to be special. She wasn't, and didn't want to be, one of those girls who had friends come up to them and say 'so who's your new boyfriend?' She wanted to be one of those people who had friends greet her and her boyfriend and say 'You guys have been going out for so long --how cute!' She wanted a lasting relationship.
But who's ever had a perfect, first boyfriend?
She walked passed the kitchen, tiredly tossing her purse onto the dining table and continuing on down the steps.
"--surrender now! or prepare to fight!"
Serena jumped. What? Glancing at the glow of the living room TV, she found the source of it to be two odd characters pouncing around in white suits, along with a cat seemed to.. talk? She giggled at the way one of the character's hair resembled a long red pepper. Walking across the room, she gladly turned the Pokèmon Marathon off.
Right after she turned to leave, her walking had immediately slowed itself to a stop.
"Darien..?" She gently asked. His sleeping form, slightly in a curled position, was what she had called out to. He was noiselessly drowsing, she observed, walking towards him and sitting on her legs on the carpeted floor. "Darien.. wake up." Immediately, she felt sorry. Had he been sleeping there, waiting for her to come home? Strangely, she felt happy and angered at the same time. She was not a kid anymore. She did not need a guardian figure waiting for her as if she was one.. but then, knowing that he might have had that intention, she knew that at the least he cared one bit for her.
She smiled. He looked like a baby when he slept. Calm and quiet, where his ever-stoic features softened immensely. His raven bangs had fell, partially covering his eyes. Her fingers itched, wanting to brush them away. Moving her fingers, reaching to set them back into place, she gently lifted and pushed the locks of hair away. Never moving her fingers, she continued to trace his cheek with her fingers. Amazed at how close she was to her childhood enemy.
Enemies..
Had they actually 'hated' each other? She pondered.
She was barely but a 15 year old girl back then. Young and naive.. wanting to be the person who was always right. No buts, no questions, no quarrels. Contrary to that saying, that is exactly what happened. Darien always said 'but', he always 'questioned' what she said, and that led to more and more 'quarrels'. It was almost every day that they had their little verbal fights in the Crown Arcade.. But it was also almost every day that they saw each other. And to Serena, sometimes, she actually enjoyed it. She frowned upon the days when she'd be sick and miss their day of feuding. It was done repetitively, almost like a ritual, and when a day was missed she actually felt partially.. well, partially empty. You could just imagine what this did when he left for Japan. Unknowingly, she continued to trace down his jaw line.
And then something happened that she seemed to be doing quite often nowadays.
She looked into his dark open blue eyes.
He grabbed her slim wrist, emanating a soft gasp from Serena.
He blinked, trying to reduce the effect sleeping had on him. As his vision corrected itself properly, he found his roommate sitting in front of him. She had a small bewildered look in her eyes, and her mouth was slightly ajar.
"Sorry," He let her hand go and shut his eyes, muttering, "you scared me. What time is it?"
She flushed, glancing at the living room clock at his question. What else was she to do? "Eleven."
Had he felt her touch him? Surely, he must have! Why would he have taken hold of her wrist, if he had not? It was almost hypnotizing, as if she had no control over what she did.. She knew what she was doing, and yet halting her actions felt somewhat hard to do..
Strange.. How is it that this happens with you? She asked her own self mentally, wanting to inquire it aloud. It was the same that one twighlight night out on the balcony. She wanted to get mad at him, really she did, but something prevented her from making an outburst and instead felt calm around him, or comfortable, you could say.
After a while he asked yet another simple question, "Enjoyed yourself?"
She looked down on the floor. Gods, it was so hard to make eye contact with him.. "Yes, I did."
"That's nice." He replied.
How uncomfortable she felt, though dumbly enough she stayed put and sat still in front of him, fidgeting with her fingers. She watched him lay his hands over his closed eyes and rub them, supposedly trying to rub the sleep away, then rub them once over his face right after. She thanked Kami-sama that it was night, so that even if he opened his eyes, he would not immediately recognize her reddened cheeks. Greatly embarrassed, she made a move to stand up and leave so that she could run to her room and forget about the whole thing. If she could, she'd sleep it away. To wake up in the morning and pretend her little 'Darien-skin-fetish'… whaaa?
Skin-fetish?! She scram aloud in her head. Sure Darien had gorgeous muscularly soft skin, but… SKIN FETISH?! Where had that come from?!---
"Serena?" Darien asked when she got up, concerned at her troubled facial features. "You okay?" Her face flashed a an agitated look, then a panicked look, then a nervous look, then a flustered look, and soon after she grinned and nodded. He briefly wondered what she was thinking of. He questioned whether or not that brain of hers actually worked, or if it had a few loose screws here and there that made her act peculiarly strange from time to time.
Oh, if he only knew..
"Uh-huh!" She chirped instantly. "Very! I'm soooo okay."
He raised a brow at her. She didn't quite seem like she was 'soooo okay'. He wanted to chuckle at her antics, she was quite adorable when she was nervous, or in that sort of state of being. But then, bringing such a thing up might anger the 'Always-correct-and-bitchy-Queen-of-excuses.' She always took that route out. Arguing and complaining, so that the subject would be dropped and all that would be left was two exhausted beings with dry throats from all the screaming.
"If you say so." He got up and walked across the living room, turning the television back on. Once more, he saw the cute yellow creature. This time it was caged, and in the background two ruthless people and a cat laughed evilly. He sat back down on the couch and gazed at the girl examining what was on TV and was fractionally blocking his view.
"Care to sit?" He asked her and padded the spot right next to him. She turned at laid her eyes on the couch. Seeing that there was nothing wrong that could come out of watching a kiddy show, she took his offer and laid down on two-thirds of the couch and rested her head on the arm rest.
"Aren't you too old for this, Darien?" She joked, poking his ribs with her toes, finally lightening the mood.
"I am not." He feigned (AN: faked) hurt. "And if I was. You're watching it with me, aren't you?"
Serena frowned. "'Cause you told me to sit with you, Chiba."
"Hey now.. I said 'Care to sit?', not 'Sit with me'."
Her eyes widened, much like someone would as if to say 'Did you just say that to me?!' She scoffed. "Nah-uh!" Kicking him softly on his hip and stuck her tongue out at him. "You're suddenly making me feel as if I'm unwanted! I might as well sleep! What a good gentleman you are, Chiba, taking it upon yourself to look down on a girl like that."
"Look down on a girl?" He asked.
"You corrected me didn't you?"
"Yeah, but 'look down' on you? That's hardly the same!"
"Same thing!"
(AN: As you can see, I SUCK when it comes to making arguing scenes. but I'll improve.. like around ch7. ^-^)
"No it isn't.."
"Yeah, it is!"
"No, look it---"
"Yeah, you, it is!"
"Argh…! Sere, I get it. I get it, okay?" He spat out. "Can we just watch in peace? ..For once?" Darien leaned back and focused on the anime series, leaving Serena in silence as she thought, 'Was Pokémon THAT big of a deal?'
Darien sighed ever so softly. If it was this hard to watch TV with Serena, how hard would the year be? And the years after that? --That is, if there were going to be any years after that. If they continued to get along this way, it would be a miracle if he still had his head attached to his neck by the end of the month.
'My god..' He thought. 'Would it kill her to stop trying to pick a fight with me all the time?'
Serena sat up. It felt as if she was always the one starting the fight. It could help to take it easy on the guy and let him slip from time to time but.. it's instinct. Ever since she was in high school. It was simply an instinct to bite him back in the ass, metaphorically speaking, and argue with him. It was.. the way it had always been.
Scooting right next to him, she sat herself comfortably with her shoulder slightly resting upon his own. "I like watching this too." She admitted.
Darien turned to look at her. In turn, she turned and gave him an apologetic smile. His mouth twitched into a lop-sided smile of his own.
He may just be wrong about her...
* .:. * .:. * .:. *
Author's note:
Yay! Finished! Whoo! Seems like this is the longest chapter I've done so far.. right? I'm so proud of myself. Ahh, now.. sorry about the 'quarreling scene' between D+S. I'm not so good with that.. but anyways, look, look! they 'enjoy' each other's company now. SORT OF!!! .
Thank you to all who have given me reviews!! I wuv you all!!
Chapter last updated: Dec. 28th '03 // 11:20 am