What with Sam's busy schedule, it was hard to actually find a suitable time to go on their date. At least, it was up until Sam's boss from Nice Cream ice cream parlour called him one morning and fired him right then and there over the phone. It seemed he had had enough of Sam not showing up to work on time. That, and Sam's knack for falling asleep on the job.

"It's a blessing in disguise," Russ commented, sounding cheerful over his breakfast of scrambled eggs. "At least now you'll have more time and energy to focus on your studies."

But it was keeping up with the rent and bills that worried Sam the most as he pushed his food around his plate, a deep frown set into his features.

"And at least you won't ever have to wear that ridiculous uniform again." Touya grinned. He had come over that morning with the intention of heading to class with Sam.

The uniform in question included a polka dot blue bow tie that Callie found made Sam look adorable. It matched the eyes behind his rounded specs and made him look even more of handsome dork that he already was. Still, Touya's comment brought a smile to his lips.

"Yeah, I guess..." he grumbled and managed a mouthful of eggs.

After seeing how troubled Sam was for the rest of the day, Callie took it upon herself to find work. She knew Sam would refuse her offer if she suggested she pay more rent. Instead, she decided she'd find a job and hope that the knowledge that she had two sources of incomes would satisfy Sam enough for him to accept her money.

The first and only place she needed to look was Grillby's. After explaining her situation to the less scarier of the twins, Grillby offered her a part time position then and there. Between he and his brother, Grillby informed her that during the week, they managed just fine with the two of them. However, he and Kuro admitted that during Friday and Saturday nights, they could use an extra set of hands. She got the position as waitress on the spot.

The friend group had been delighted by the news, some of them joking about now being able to get free drinks, others mentioning Sam's ridiculous bar tab and asking whether or not she'd help pay it off.

With the extra money coming into the household, and Sam's week days now an easier routine to manage, he and Callie could finally plan their date.

It had been Sam who had popped his head into her room after knocking on the doorframe one afternoon.

"Heya, Callie," he called, smiling at her as she looked up from her book. "You wanna get dinner together tonight?"

Of course, she said yes.

Sam insisted that she leave it to him to plan the evening, and surprisingly she actually had faith in his ability to deliver.

Opting for the vintage-style dress she never got to wear on her day out with Touya, she met Sam at the front door of their apartment and laughingly took his arm when he offered it to her. Judging from the way he was dressed, she guessed he must have chosen somewhere particularly fancy. Either that, or he was simply making way more of an effort for the occasion. She complimented his choice of black dress pants and plain white tee; his fresh white sneakers had been a gift from Russ for his birthday. He'd winked an eye and called her beautiful. She resisted the urge to forget dinner and just pull him into her bedroom instead.

The restaurant he'd chosen was the perfect balance between her elegance and his laid-back attitude. The waiter lead them to a table towards the back of the room and brought them their chosen drinks; A white wine for the lady and a non-alcoholic cocktail for the gentleman.

Callie smirked at Sam over the table as he sipped his fruity drink.

"Not drinking tonight?" She mused, swirling her wine gracefully.

It had been just over a week since his birthday party and his drunken attempt to kiss her. Yet here he was, choosing juice over his usual taste for beer.

Sam huffed a little laugh as he set his glass down by his open menu. "I'll have a glass with dinner." He replied, lips twitching a smile. And Callie was glad that he wasn't suddenly going to try and act all un-Sam Gaster-like on their date; seeing him out of his usual attire was already strange to her.

It's not that she didn't appreciate the effort, she just liked Sam the best when he was acting entirely himself.

"So how'd you know about this place?" Callie asked after the waiter took their orders. She cast her eyes around the venues casual-chic interior, noting how similar the decor was to how she'd styled her bedroom back at their apartment.

Sam shrugged a shoulder, "I didn't until I looked it up this morning." He grinned at her, "it looked very 'You.'"

Of course. She rolled her eyes and lifted her glass to her lips. "You could have taken me to Grillby's and I would have been fine with it." She smiled before taking a sip.

Sam sniggered, "well, Callie. The night is still young."

They spoke easily over their seafood and pasta, neither of them finding trouble in keeping the conversation going. Though, technically this was their first date, the fact they'd now lived together for over 4 months now meant that any awkwardness between them had long since gone.

It was safe to say that Callie regarded Sam as a friend. But, as she watched his laughing face and subtle mannerisms, she was growing increasingly aware that she was beginning to see him as something more. And physical attraction was not the only cause.

The moment he took her hand from across the table while her foot grazed his calf beneath it, Callie knew that at some point that evening, she'd fallen in love with Sam Gaster.

They skipped dessert and opted for another round of drinks instead. A glass of sweet wine and a lime soda later, Sam and Callie headed out the door hand in hand.

Hailing a cab, they hopped in and told the driver to head for Grillby's. When one of Callie's favourite songs came on the radio, Sam asked the driver to turn up it. He obliged with a knowing smile cast into the rear view mirror and off they went. It didn't take long for Sam's hand to find her thigh. The passing street lights illuminated his gentle smirk in flashes. She curled her fingers into his as he inched them further inwards. A playful squeeze and a flash of teeth. The driver eyed them with a silent laugh and a slow shake of his head.

They pulled up to the parking lot as the Callie's song came to an end. Handing the driver the price for the fare and letting him keep the change, he bid them a 'good night' with a wink in Sam's direction.

He held her hand as they walked through the door and proceeded straight to the bar where the twin bartenders stood.

They ordered their drinks, Sam once again opting for a soda rather than a beer. When Callie rolled her eyes at him, he changed his option with a sigh.

"I'm trying to be good," he muttered as two cocktails were slid across the bar, shortly followed by them sliding into a quiet booth.

"So long as we keep you away from tequila shots, I'm sure you'll be fine." Callie laughed.

All the while, she felt Kuro and Grillby's eyes on them. The twins had often seen Callie and Sam in the bar together, but their raised eyebrows and twitching lips clearly showed they'd sensed a shift in their dynamic. She saw them exchange a smirking glance between them over the glasses they were polishing.

"So when do you start work here, again?" Sam asked once they took their seats.

"Next weekend." She responded, stirring the shaved ice in her glass with her straw.

"I look forward to it." He grinned.

Callie knew Sam often came here with Touya after working Saturday and Sunday. She now also knew that his bar tab was inching closer towards 300.

"Well don't be expecting any favours." She snorted playfully.

As the conversation drew on and the loud juke box provided them the excuse to sidle closer together, Callie once again felt the heat of his hand at her leg. She glanced down to see it slowly tighten. When she raised her eyes back to his, he was watching her through lowered lids. When his gaze dropped questioningly to her lips, she leant into his shoulder and spoke softly against his ear:

"I don't kiss on the first date." Her cheek brushed his, she felt him tilt his head into hers as he breathed a laugh.

"Didn't think so." He cooed, the hand at her thigh now gliding up her arm.

"So let's pretend this is our second."

His fingers traced her jawline before settling at her chin. Callie watched his tongue run over his top teeth as he bared them in an seductive grin.

"Gladly."

As the juke box began to spin an upbeat rhythm, the pace at which Sam's lips moved against hers was far more subdued. He kissed her slow and steady, patiently gauging her movements as his thumb moved along her jaw. The taste of fresh mint coated his lips, she inhaled it deeply as she turned her head. He mirrored the action and the kiss grew deeper. The tip of her tongue pushed gently against his smirk, which he split open to allow his own to meet hers. Sighing contently at the taste of his breath in her mouth and the gentle caress of his tongue, Callie had lost all sense of her surroundings.

From across the bar, a set of eyes found their tangled silhouettes as they fused together in the gloom of the shadowy booth.

"Wait, isn't that Sam and Callie?" Kirishima exclaimed, his elbow sinking into Bakugo's rib cage. The gesture earned him an angry grunt from the latter, who had sloshed his drink down his front.

"It is! It is! Look!" The red-head continued, ignoring his friend's growls as he began to dab at his wet t-shirt with a fistful of napkins.

Once Bakugo finally lifted his eyes to follow the direction of Kirishima's raised finger, his face crumpled into a disgusted frown.

"Urgh, gross." He snarled, eyes averting from the scene just as Sam's fingers slid into Callie's hair and her body arched into his.

"Huh, I didn't know they were dating!"

Bakugo scoffed. "Well, you do now. Along with every other person in the damn bar."

Keeping his eyes from the kiss, Bakugo noted the empty glasses on their table; the likely cause for such a bold display of PDA.

He was thankful for the voice that called over the music.

"Callie!"

It was Grillby, who's hands were placed firmly on the bar as he leaned over it towards the direction of the couple kissing in the lonely booth.

The girl in question pulled away from Sam, her face visibly flushed beneath the dull, neon glow and his looking rather annoyed.

"No kissing the customers!" The bartender chided teasingly. "Especially the ones that owe us money!" The comment earned a round of giggles from eavesdroppers and a smirk from his twin. Bakugo even found himself snorting a laugh as Sam raised his middle finger towards the barman.