NeonHorizon: If you've ever read any of my other stories, you'll know that I like to make every tenth chapter extra special ^_^ So look forward to the next chapter!
She's stress-eating. He watched an entire chocolate bar disappear beneath the girl's mask and had to turn away to hide his smile. As much as he hated to see her upset, it was still cute to see her eat. "Do you want to play a game since we're here?" Shinsou asked, trying to distract her.
The girl was rummaging in her bag for another snack, but paused and flushed red when she realized that he had noticed. "…ah…um…o-okay…"
"What kind of games do you like?"
Shirayuki bowed her head and nervously picked at the skin around her fingers. "…I don't…I don't know…I've never gone to an arcade before…"
The arcade was fairly crowded so he knew that she was probably feeling extremely nervous. To make matters worse, he was unsure if the pale-haired woman from earlier had followed them or not. Gently taking Shirayuki's hand in his, he began walking toward a two-player shooter game. "How about that one?"
Her eyes lifted to it and her eyebrows furrowed in puzzlement. "…how do you…play this…?"
"It's a game that we play as a team," he explained. "Just try to shoot as many enemies as you can. It's the only game open right now so…"
"…ah…o-okay…I'll try my best…"
Shinsou watched her take the plastic toy gun in her hands and had to smile to himself. Her hands were small enough that she needed both of them to be able to properly hold it up. As the game started, his thoughts drifted back to the incident on the sidewalk.
She looked at Shirayuki like she knew her from somewhere. She didn't seem old enough to be her mother though. And they don't look related. A glance over showed Shirayuki doing her best to shoot at the enemies, but her hands were trembling. He had never seen her so terrified of another woman before. She was always nervous around boys and a little anxious around girls, but when she saw that pale-haired woman, she looked truly fearful.
He had to be vigilant now. Whoever the stranger was, it was clear that she was not as friendly as she was pretending to be. If she followed them, he would do everything that he could to protect Shirayuki from her. Narrowing his eyes on an enemy onscreen, he aimed the controller and prepared to pull the trigger. Shirayuki said something about a man with blue hair, too. Didn't she?
Shift P.O.V
Her hands were still trembling, but she could feel herself starting to calm down a little. The large amount of other people in the building was still making her a bit nervous though. The sheer cacophony of voices all around her, elbows bumping into her every now and then, and the nearness of strangers were enough to make her want to hide in the bathroom until the arcade closed. She took a deep breath and tried to focus on the game, stealing a quick glance at her date.
Shinsou was looking at the screen, apparently in deep concentration. He was standing rather close to her since the area was so crowded and every time his arm brushed against hers, it made her heart beat a little faster. Their date had taken an odd turn, but it was still a date. She was still hanging out with a boy that she liked and he liked her back.
She was distracted by these thoughts so when a boy bumped into her hard from her right, she was almost knocked over. Biting her lip, she was instantly reminded of the incident on the sidewalk. Before she even had the chance to mutter an apology to this stranger, Shinsou stepped in.
"Watch where you're going."
"Oh! Sorry, dude. My bad. Is she okay?" the stranger spoke.
"She's fine. Just be more careful." He moved behind Shirayuki, bringing her a little bit closer to the screen and keeping her shielded from the rest of the arcade with his back. "You okay?"
"…y-yes…thank you…" Behind her mask, she was turning red at the closeness of his chest against her back. When an arm slipped around her waist, Shirayuki felt her lips pulling into a wide smile and she bowed her head to hide her embarrassment. He feels…so warm. And nice.
When they were done with that game, he held her hand as they navigated through the arcade in search of another game to play. She was grateful for even just this small gesture. The idea of getting separated from him in this mass of strangers was enough to make her nauseous.
Shinsou was looking for where to go next when he caught her staring off in one particular direction. Following her line of sight, he half-smiled. "Do you want to go to that one next?"
"…ah…I-I'm not…um…I just…it looked cute and…"
"Which one?" He led the way over to the crane game and watched Shirayuki lean in close to marvel at the selection of stuffed animals. When his eyes caught sight of the shimmery black and blue dragon with golden eyes, he knew which one she would want.
The girl flushed when he smiled, feeling a warmth rush through her. His smile is…so…Shirayuki could not finish the thought. It was so hard to describe. Seeing him smile that way made her feel warm and happy. Almost bubbly. As he focused on trying to grab the dragon plush with the crane claw, his eyes half-closed in concentration. He's…so cool…
Shift P.O.V
Why can't I get this? He was starting to get frustrated and finally stepped back after multiple attempts. Looking at the dragon's position among the other toys, he knew that he might need to use the claw a few times to move them aside. He could try to grab any of them, but Shinsou really wanted to get her the dragon. It reminded him of the one she had on her bed and he knew that she would really like it. I need to think about this more, but I don't want someone else to get it first.
His gaze slid from the stuffed animal to Shirayuki. The girl's sharp, crimson eyes were locked on the figure, a hand lifted and fingertips gently settled against the glass. "Do you want to try?"
She turned her head quickly, startled. "…I…I probably won't be able to…"
"It's okay." His lips drew into a half-smile and he rubbed the back of his neck. "You might have better luck than me. We won't know unless you try."
"…ah…alright…"
Shinsou stepped aside to let her try and was amazed when she not only succeeded, but managed to snag a second dragon that had been stuck beneath the black and blue dragon. How did I not see that one? And how did she do that? He bent down to get the two dragons. When he saw her hug the black and blue one to her chest, he felt his heart skip a beat and he looked away. She's…so cute.
"…um…I…" She turned red behind her mask when his indigo gaze shifted to her face. "Shinsou, I want you to have this one." Shirayuki held out the second dragon, her hand trembling as if she feared rejection.
He accepted it, unable to keep the initial surprise from his face. Looking down at the dark gray and purple dragon, he could not help smiling again. "Thanks."
Checking the time, he saw that they had been at the arcade for a little over two hours. The pale-haired stalker would surely be gone by now. "Do you want to leave?" he inquired, glancing to his date.
"…it's…probably safe now…" she agreed. Shirayuki reached for his free hand, lacing her fingers with his. By this point, her trembling had decreased significantly.
Feeling better about the rest of their date, Shinsou led the way outside. The previous night, he had started to plan what to do on their date to help her forget about the USJ incident. He wanted to make her happy so he put a lot of thought into each place they would go. While he had not anticipated the weird encounter with the pale-haired woman, he was sure that he could still make this date a pleasant, memorable one.
Outside, the afternoon air was warm. The sidewalks were still a bit crowded, but he kept Shirayuki close to his side and kept her on the side away from the street. If someone got too close to her, he shifted to put himself between the girl and the stranger. I'm not going to let anyone ruin this date, he told himself. She needs this to be a good day. She deserves this.
It was at a crosswalk when he caught sight of something that would definitely ruin their date. Something that would plunge Shirayuki back into fear. Shinsou's eyes narrowed on the redhead and the ash blond beside him. They were on the opposite side of the street, waiting for the light to change. The redhead was talking excitedly to the other boy, who seemed to be doing his best to ignore him. Thankfully, Shirayuki had her head down as she examined her dragon plush.
As indigo met red, Shinsou's hand gripped Shirayuki's a little tighter. Across the street, the blond narrowed his eyes in fury and scowled. Shinsou turned, looking down the sidewalk at a row of shops. "Let's go this way," he suggested.
"…ah…o-okay…?" Shirayuki was about to glance toward the crosswalk, but he caught her chin with his free hand to stop her. She blinked up at him as warmth rushed to her cheeks behind her mask. "…Shinsou…?"
With his dragon plush tucked under his arm, he leaned down and tugged her mask aside. He closed his eyes and his lips met hers, startling her. The boy could feel her lips press against his, the kiss tasting of sweets. When he drew back, he smiled down at her and put her mask over her nose and mouth again. "Sorry. I couldn't resist. Did I surprise you?"
She placed a hand over her mask and nodded, but it was clear from her eyes that she was smiling. "…you…startled me…" she admitted, her voice soft.
"Did you like it?" Shinsou started leading her down the sidewalk again, knowing that he would need to improvise once more. First that lady and now the bully from her class. We can't catch a break today.
"…I…I really liked it…" Shirayuki walked a bit faster so she was beside him and tucked her toy beneath her arm. Reaching up, she pulled her mask down just enough to flash him a brief smile and then replaced it.
As they got close to the first shop, he glanced over his shoulder and caught sight of her classmates on the sidewalk behind them. They had just crossed the street, but Shinsou could tell that the blond was glaring directly at them. The redhead was still talking to him, but glanced in Shirayuki's direction.
"…where are we going…?"
"Do you want to get some coffee here?" Shinsou looked at the café they were now approaching and his eyes widened. Cat café? When did this open? All it took was one glance at his date to know that this was definitely a place that they needed to go into. She nodded and he led her inside, fairly certain that her bully would not follow them in.