Dating During Pandemic

Part III

! PLEASE READ WITH CAUTION !

COVID-19 is a serious issue and sensitive topic for many people.

Do NOT follow the advice given or actions taken or details provided in this story. Instead, refer to CDC for reliable information.

Disclaimer: All characters and some references are based off of Higuchi Tachibana's Gakuen Alice

"I'm glad it's not raining," Mikan mumbled to herself. She never liked the rain. It made her emotional and sad; a version of herself that she had yet to accept.

A couple of firemen entered the apartment building and encouraged it's residents to clear the entrance. There were families with children, couples with house pets, and college students with laptops. All waited by the sidewalk while the men clad in yellow suits inspected the source of the loud alarm.

Mikan noticed some people were giggling at her, specifically at the fluffy bunny in her arms. A smile slowly crept on Mikan's lips, as she had always loved animals. Her family once owned a very smart Shiba Inu that she absolutely adored.

The brunette stroked the bunny's head and it blinked rapidly in return, "You are so cute, Usugi. And fast too."

"He seems to really like you," the man next to her said. Mikan's eyes widen as she finally came to the realization that the rabbit she was still holding to was his.

"Uhm, do you want me to put him back into the crate?"

Natsume shook his head and gestured her to continue what she was doing, "No, no, please. I think he enjoys your company. He's actually my friend's pet, I'm just pet-sitting for him."

As if agreeing with his decision, Usugi snuggled more into Mikan's arm, earning a wider smile from the brunette, "Thank you, I really like holding him like this too."

"I'm a little jealous, he's not that friendly to me," the man briefly paused before continuing, "My name is Natsume, by the way."

He was about to hold out his hand, but took it back and hesitantly offered his elbow instead. "I heard elbow bump is the new handshake nowadays?"

Mikan knew she had been putting her guard up around him, ever since the... grocery store incident. The man seemed to have picked up some social distancing etiquette since their last encounter. Her cynic side wanted to remark that it was too late for them to try social distancing anyway. However, she knew he was really trying to be nice. He even let her hold the rabbit. She didn't want to come off mean, did she?

The brunette raised her right elbow and bumped it into his, "I'm Mikan. Nice to meet you, neighbor."

"Likewise, Mikan. Although, I'm only going to be around temporarily. My friend, Ruka, is the resident here. I'm just crashing and pet sitting for a while." Natsume didn't know why he even bothered mentioning all of that. Perhaps it simply felt good to have a conversation with an actual person after a while. The past few months of living in another country had been difficult because he didn't speak the language.

"Oh, right, I remember, you just came back from abroad..." Trailing off, Mikan almost took a step back to create distance between them. She immediately caught herself, however, and took a deep breath. Relax, Mikan, he's a normal human being. People made mistakes. Not everyone has the virus. Don't be so judgmental.

"So, which country did you go to? Were you on a vacation?"

Natsume winced upon hearing the question, and Mikan couldn't help but wonder why. People usually like talking about what they did in other countries.

"I went to France, Paris, for a job rotation," the raven-haired said quietly. It wasn't exactly a lie, he did work from the company's branch office in La Défense.

"That must be nice, you get to travel while working at the same time." Mikan liked the idea of Paris. She had only heard stories from Hotaru, who had visited a few times but unfortunately did not like the city. It was dirty, she said. Unlike in the movies.

"Yeah," Natsume quietly replied but his crimson eyes were fixated on the ground. It was obvious that he didn't want to talk about it.

Feeling a little awkward, Mikan felt obligated to change the topic, "So, what's your job?"

Natsume's expression became gloomier and Mikan nervously gulped. There it was, the same somber look she saw at the grocery store. She heard a lot of people got laid off during this difficult time, and the last thing she wanted to do was being insensitive. "Sorry, you don't have to answer, I know it's-"

"I'm a Software Engineer," he replied with a bitter chuckle, "Probably not the most exciting job out there, huh."

Mikan tilted her head in confusion. He sounded almost sad. "Why do you think so? I think it sounded really cool. I'm bad at coding and programming, so I really admire people who can."

Hearing her response, Natsume couldn't help but feel more at ease. He felt ridiculous, but every question that Mikan asked gave him flashbacks that he didn't want to remember. Maybe he wasn't ready to face the world after all. Maybe going back to Japan was him running away from reality.

The raven-haired shook the thought and gave the young woman before him an appreciative smile, "Thank you, that means a lot. How about you? Are you currently working?"

"Yup, I'm a Graphic Designer. Mainly for prints, like magazines or advertisements. Sometimes websites too."

"Ah, yes, I have a few friends who are also designers. What company do you work for?"

"It's Wonder by Narumi Anju. Have you heard of him before?"

Natsume raised his eyebrow in surprise, "Narumi Anju? Yes, I've seen his profile featured in a couple of articles before. He seemed like an...interesting character."

"Oh yes, very interesting indeed," Mikan grinned as she could name at least five of her boss' eccentric demeanor in the office.

Halloween could never be the same after the extravagant circus decoration and peacock costume he wore last year.

Aoi Hyuuga kept looking at her phone. It was 9 pm, and she was tapping her foot on the bedroom floor impatiently.

She had called her brother many many times today, but of course, he never once picked up. Did he even get to Tokyo safely? Or did he decide to extend his stay in Paris instead?

With a determined look on her face, she finally dialed the number that she had been staring on the screen for a while. On the fourth tone, a man on the other line picked up, "Hi Aoi, what's up?"

Taking a deep breath, Aoi immediately replied, "I'm very sorry for calling you, Ruka, I know you're working, but Natsume is not picking up his phone, and I'm just...I need to know if he's alive."

"Ah, that idiot," Ruka muttered while analyzing the list of patients on his computer screen. "Natsume arrived safely last night and is staying at my place for the time being. Don't worry, he's a big guy, he'll be fine."

"He is?" Aoi sighed in relief. "Thank goodness. He will be dead meat once he's back in Fukuoka, I'd make sure of that."

Ruka chuckled as he could imagine the petite college girl smacking her older brother's head furiously.

"Just be easy on him, you know what he's going through."

.

Aoi couldn't help but feel a pang of pain in her chest. After all, she had never seen her older brother so... out of it.

Natsume had always been her real-life hero. When their mom passed away, he stepped up and took responsibility for the household chores, even though they were both still in elementary school. He had part-time jobs throughout middle and high school to help their dad pay the bills. After graduating university with Magna Cum Laude, Natsume easily found a job and continued to build a promising career ever since.

Aoi really thought Natsume deserves to be happy, and he was happy. Until... he met that woman three years ago.

"Of course, as long as he's okay, that's what I care most."

"Wow, you are definitely more mature now, Aoi. I'm so proud of you. Good luck with your studies, and just call me if you need anything, kay?"

"I'll try not to, you're probably busy saving lives out there, Ruka. Thank you for updating me on Natsume, and letting him stay at your place too."

"Of course, kiddo. I gotta go now, duty calls."

As soon as she hung up the phone, Aoi decided to text her brother one more time. This time, she felt a little relieved knowing that he was back.

Ruka told me you're okay. Stop making us worried, dummy! Call me soon.

Natsume stared at the ceiling with a heavy look. This had been his hobby lately, spacing out and just doing utterly, completely nothing.

He wished he could forget. He wanted to.

But how could he?

The past few weeks felt like a blur. As if he had a nightmare he could never wake up from.

On the coffee table was a glass half-filled with golden liquor. He was in the midst of pouring his second glass of whisky when the fire alarm rang. But now that he was back in the apartment, perhaps it was time to continue where he left off.

Natsume took a quick swig of the drink and filled it with more alcohol. Here's to forgetting everything.

The sunlight apartment facing Louvre.

The snowy sidewalk by the Seine.

.

Pouring some more liquid into the glass, he immediately gulped everything down and closed his eyes.

The dimly lighted La Huchette when the sun set.

Their stupid New Years kiss at Arc de Triomphe.

Him getting down on one knee-

"Goddamnit!"

Natsume slammed the glass on the table, almost tipping over the bottle next to it. This was supposed to help him forget all those things, not the opposite.

Why was it so difficult?

.

He threw the balcony door open and took a deep breath. The night air helped him cool down, but his body was still shaking from anger. With one hand holding the railing, he gulped down another glass of whisky with his other hand.

So stupid. Why couldn't he realize it earlier? She was out of his league, he could never be good enough for her.

Suddenly his phone lit up, and Natsume thought it was probably Aoi messaging him again. He felt bad for ignoring her, but he could not face her right now. Not like this. How could he show her this side of him? Her brother was not supposed to be a pathetic 29-year old man who drowns his sorrows in alcohol.

Looking at the notification, Natsume raised his eyebrow as it was not Aoi. He stopped on his tracks and read the message. The world felt like it was moving slowly as he made his way towards the front door. No one was outside, but a small brown paper bag was dangling on the door's handle.

Natsume held his breath and reached down inside the bag, only to find a transparent container filled with a few chocolate cupcakes with luscious frosting on top. He noticed a small sticky note on the other side of the bag with a neat handwriting on it.

Thanks for letting me play with Usugi! Hope you like chocolate cupcakes. Welcome to Alice Apartment :)

The raven-haired was a little surprised, but proceeded to take a bite into the soft cake. He couldn't help but feel a little lighter; lighter than he had ever been for the last few weeks.

Natsume took a few more bites before ended up finishing the whole cupcake. His rage had subsided, and his chest was no longer heaving.

.

Perhaps it was the chocolate.

Or the caramel frosting.

Or the young woman behind the two.

Whatever it was, he knew he needed more.

.

.

.

A/N

Hi again, hope you enjoyed this chapter.

Big shoutout to these amazing folks who reviewed the previous chap, I really appreciate you all :) layliaman98, bellavokale, pressuredtreasure, SunBabyBoss, smivzha, Guest.

In this chap, I wanted to emphasize how important an act of kindness (and forgiveness) is, and how much impact it could have on people around us, just like what Mikan did for Natsume!

As always, stay safe, and don't forget to have your (chocolate cup)cake and eat it ~