Summary: Your name is Kankri Vantas and you are sitting in this diner, wondering why the man across from you is trying to play footsie.
Rating: No content warnings
Day Four: On a date

The diner is nearly empty. It's dirty, and grimy and you really don't know why people like places like this at all. The waitress, whose name was something like Anna or Dana or Tina, seems like she'd rather shoot the two of you than serve you. But you're avoiding looking at her. And you're avoiding looking across the table. You'd said yes to this for whatever reason and now you're here with him.

It's hard not to look at him though. You just feel so drawn to him. The way that, even though it doesn't really interest him he listens to what you say. The way the smoke curls around his face and mingles with his breath in the winter, turning him into a dragon. The way, when he's tuning his guitar, he gets such a reverent look on his face.

You're snapped out of your thoughts by a tap against your foot. You look across the booth to him and he's smiling at you. "Hey chief. What're you thinking so hard about?"

Your face flushes as you try to think of a lie, but sheepishly your admission. "You..."

"Really?" His smile widens and he leans onto the table. "And what about me's got you thinking?"

"Nothing in particular."

He looks a little disappointed. "Oh, well that's cool I guess." He scratches the back of his neck and you feel a tap against your foot again.

"Why are you doing that?"

"What?" He looks surprised.

"You keep hitting my foot with yours."

His eyes widen in mock innocence. "Who me?" He puts his hand over his chest with a little gasp.

You roll your eyes. "Yes you. Why are you doing that?"

He smiles. "Oh you know, just playing footsie."

It takes you a moment to process what he's said as you dig through what you know about footsie in your head. "Doesn't that imply some sort of... romantic interest?"

"Sure does, babe." He waggles his eyebrows at you and you can feel the blush spreading across your cheeks. "Is that not okay?"

"Cronus we've been over this before. You know that I'm celibate and..."

"And I told you that I'm fine with that. I don't need anything like that from you."

"But you'll want it, Cronus. I know you will."

His expression becomes somber and he leans forward a little more. "Yeah, maybe I will. And I won't fucking push you into anything. Kankri, listen to me. You know that I really fucking like you. And you know that I really want to date you. Fuck, just... Just let me hold your fucking hand or something. Please?"

You think over his proposal but keep your hands laced in front of you. This isn't the first time that you've had this conversation, and each time you've been tempted to say yes. It somehow feels different sitting in this diner, though. Before he's always just asked at one of your apartments. You swallow and brush a strand of hair out of your face then trail your hand to the back of your neck. "What exactly would constitute a date?"

"You know, like, going to get some food. Maybe seeing a movie or just going for a walk." He shrugs. "But just you and me. No one else, yeah?"

You look around and then back to him. "There's no one else here now." He raises an eyebrow at you. "Cronus is... This a date?"

He bites his lip with a grin. "It is if you want it to be." The waitress comes back with your food. You'd nearly forgotten that the two of you had even ordered. She puts your salad in front of you and Cronus takes his plate and settles everything in its place. When she leaves he looks at you, a hopeful smile spread across his face. "Do you?"

"Do I what?"

"Do you want it to be."

You take a deep breath and let it out slowly as you fix your salad. "I'm not entirely sure." You poke at a wilted piece of lettuce with your fork. "I'd like for us to be friends."

"We are friends, chief."

"And I'd like to..." You sigh. "I'd like to be a little more than that. However, I don't want to break my vow."

"You don't have to. I don't need sex, Kankri. I just want to be your boyfriend." He shoves his plate aside, food forgotten in favor of awaiting your response.

You put your fork down and put your plate to the side as well. You've suddenly lost your appetite. You're not sure if it's because of the state of the food or if it's because you know what your answer is. You want to say yes. You want to be his. You take a deep breath and cross your arms on the table. You stare at a mysterious stain on the table, wondering what it is. Trying not to think about the matter at hand. But you can't not think. Instead you move your foot forward and tap at his foot like he had to you.

You turn your gaze up, hoping that he understands your meaning with the action. From the grin spreading over his face you think that he does, but you have to be sure.

"It is."

"Huh?"

"A date." He turn your gaze away. "From all academic standpoints this constitutes a date and, with the added romantic interest between us, I would say that it means that we're dating." You can feel the deep red spread across your face and you can't turn your gaze up to meet him again.

"Seriously?" His voice comes out quiet, but he squeaks at the end.

"Yes. Really."

He reaches across the table and puts his hand on yours. "Thanks, Kan." He smiles softly at you. "You wanna get the fuck outta this dump and go for a nice walk?"

You laugh quietly and nod. He pulls out his wallet and drops a twenty on the table, not even waiting for the waitress to come over to give you the bill.

You leave the restaurant, hand in hand, and walk towards the park.

You smile as you realize that the two of you are officially on your first date, and that's something that you've been waiting for now for a long time.