"Masaomi, Mikado, I'm so happy you could join us for dinner" Atsuko grinned pushing a lock of hair behind her ear
Masaomi grinned hugging the young woman, planting swift kisses on both of her cheeks "The pleasure is all ours Suko-chan"
Tom glared at the young man with angry eyes, considering killing him before dinner. Atsuko simply blushed and led them further into the house.
"I trust you both know Shizuo-san" She smiled at the blonde man who held her daughter
"I told you to drop the san" Shizuo sighed angrily while fiddling with his lighter
Atsuko bowed her head, in fear this would be a long night.
"I didn't know you had a daughter Shizuo-san" Masaomi cocked his head to the side curiously
The young man's dark eyes focused on the young blonde, "She's not my daughter"
All eyes traveled to the only woman in the room who smiled brilliantly before swooping down and taking the infant into her thin arms
"She's my baby girl, yes she is, 'cause Mama loves you like no other" The young Tanaka kissed Hotaru's nose
Shizuo smiled a little, wondering if the man who had been kind enough to give her his coat would mind being second to a child. It put some kind of foreign pain in his heart, maybe he was breaking down, maybe there was finally something wrong with him besides broken bones?
"What's her name?" Mikado asked curiously
Atsuko beamed at him, "Hotaru"
Mikado and the older woman struck up a conversation about how Hotaru was fairing while they sat the table. It was almost kind of endearing how he looked at the baby with doe eyes, asking softly if he would be able to hold her.
"You look like you'd make a pretty good dad one day" Atsuko laughed as Mikado cradled the infant in his arms
Jerking his head up Mikado stuttered some sort of answer that made her laugh, Tom stared at Shizuo who looked rather grumpy before muttering something about having a smoke and going outside. Shaking his head, the elder Tanaka was now determined to tear down any form of a relationship that Atsuko had with Masaomi. It was obvious that Shizuo didn't like the Kida boy.
"You know, Valentine's is coming up next week" Masaomi nudged the obsidian haired woman while wiggling his eyebrows.
"And your point is?" She asked nestling the infant in a swing off to the side
Bumping her hip with his he grinned "I was thinking maybe we could go for sushi again? If you're not busy or anything?"
Staring at the young man, Tom's sister was terrified. He wanted her, very few men had actually wanted her once they actually knew her. There was something about being the sister and the daughter of a debt collector that startled them, as well as her brash decision making. But, she supposed that there were a few skeletons in everyone's closet.
"I'm going to go get Shizuo, would you help Mikado with the silverware?" She asked softly
"Only if you say you'll go with me?" He winked
Forcing a smile she nodded "Sure"
Walking out the door quickly, but slowly enough not to raise any suspicion, Atsuko set to looking for Shizuo. He wasn't too hard to find. Standing at the darker end of the walkway the blonde man stood, the ruby glow from the tip illuminating his face on occasion.
"Shizuo-san?" The young woman asked pushing her hair out of her face "It's time for dinner"
The taller of the two stared down at the smaller, more frail one "You know, sometimes I wonder just how easy it would be to snap someone as small, as fragile as you are, in half"
Atsuko stared up at him, unfazed by his comment "I need a favor"
"Did you just not hear me say I want to snap you in half?" The blonde asked incredulously "Because, I could if I wanted to, right this very second"
Waving her hand in disregard she smiled "I need you to be my Valentine"
Dropping his cigarette in surprise, the man in the bartender's suit stared at her. Bending down, the teacher picked up the cigarette and took a experimental drag. Sputtering out the smoke, Atsuko held out the cigarette, her nose scrunched up.
"Oh Shizuo-san! How is that a good habit? It's so nasty! It doesn't even taste good!" She coughed weakly "I thought it would have some kind of flavor, like…oh, I don't know! But dinner is ready and I'm not hungry anymore!"
Taking a long drag, Shizuo sighed "Atsuko-chan, please, stop calling me Shizuo-san"
Atsuko looked up at him, feeling every fiber in her body tingling from the nicotine rushing through her bloodstream, releasing dopamine in her head, despite her displeasure in the inhaled smoke. She simply smiled and pulled Shizuo, her footing suddenly unsure from the tingling, towards the door.
The young woman thought back to a time when she had once known another man who had smoked. He had been a few years older than her, like this one was. They had gone to a concert after skipping school, putting her on his shoulders she was able to see the band they both loved so dearly. Her father had gotten angry when she had come home smelling like sweat and cigarettes, with paint on her face and mussed hair.
Shaking the memory from her head she smiled and opened the door "I found him!"