Scene 15 - The First Date
Kaldur'ahm adjusted the collar of his turtleneck and the sleeves of his jacket before knocking on Brianna's door. It opened a few moments later to reveal a beautiful girl clad in a knee-length dress and a cardigan. It had been a couple of weeks since the incident with the cult and she had recovered well. Zatanna gave the Atlantean a pair of tickets to the matinee performance of The Sound of Music. Seizing the opportunity for their first date, he asked his girlfriend out and the brunette gladly accepted.
Seeing the surprised look on her boyfriend's face, she teased, "What's the matter? Never seen me in a dress before?"
Kaldur coughed before presenting her with a bouquet of red roses. "Well, you don't wear dresses that often and I can't help but stare…"
"Thanks Kaldur," Brianna accepted the gift and pressed a kiss to his cheek. She laid the flowers in a vase by her bedside table before re-joining the blonde. They walked towards the Zeta tubes unnoticed and were immediately transported to New York City.
Taking a look at her smartphone, the girl studied the directions given by Zatanna. "Hmm… The walk isn't that long. We should be there in ten to fifteen minutes." She then stowed the phone into her tote bag before her companion replied, "I have already re-conned the city and I'll escort you to our destination."
"That's wonderful." Brianna replied as they gently laced their fingers together. She did not mind his webbed digits at all and she was just happy to spend some quality with her loved one.
"I would advise you to keep your bag in front of you though." The Atlantean squeezed her hand reassuringly as they slowly blended into the crowded street. They made some small talk along the way and before they knew it, they were at the theatre, showing their tickets to be let in.
Zatanna gave them seats in the middle of the theatre, a little bit near the stage. It was considered a good view for both of them. The place was packed and everyone was busy making light conversations with each other. Kaldur'ahm was staring with wonder, admiring the lush seats and the ceiling.
"The musical will be even more beautiful." Brianna whispered and held his hand warmly. True to her word, when the curtains rose, the set pieces looked realistic and the actress playing Maria sang beautifully.
To the Atlantean, everything was new to him. The era that it was set in was foreign to him even though he had read about the war. The plot on the other hand, was a warm, heartfelt love story. He was touched by Maria's handling of the von Trapp children and found the scenes of Maria and the Captain's interactions rather amusing but sweet.
Then came the introduction of Elsa and Maria's discomfort and silent heartbreak could be seen so clearly. The poor woman got manipulated by the Baroness and Maria quietly fled to the abbey to take her monastic vows. In a touching move, The Mother Abbess knew the young lady's feelings and urged her to 'climb every mountain' to search for the life Maria was meant to live.
The song swelled to its high note and the actresses on stage stayed in their poses before the curtain came down. "Huh?" The Atlantean asked, a little confused before an announcement was made over the speakers, "We will now have a fifteen minute intermission."
Brianna squeezed his hand and led him out into the main hall to stretch out their legs. "How's everything so far, Kaldur?"
Her boyfriend gave her a child-like smile full of wonder, "It's beautiful. It might not be as grand as Atlantis but the hall is just so mesmerizing. It's so obvious that Maria loves the Captain. Why can't she just give into her feelings?"
The brunette chuckled, "Love is complicated. I didn't realize that I had romantic feelings towards you until a while back…"
Kaldur'ahm responded by putting a hand on her shoulder and pulling her close, "I'm glad things turned out well for us. I hope Maria would have a happy ending."
His girlfriend gave him a smile, "You'll see."
With that, they returned back into the theatre and waited for the intermission to end for the musical to resume. To Kaldur's delight, the Captain returned Maria's love with a love ballad and they appeared to have gained their happy ever after. Their declaration of love was sung so beautifully that it brought a tear to his eyes.
Alas, his joy was short lived as the family came under the threat of World War II and his hand gripped Brianna's fingers so tight that she had to gently pry them apart. The Atlantean panicked at the thought of hurting his girlfriend before she reassured him and laid her hand on top of his.
The tension at the festival ran high as the von Trapp family sang but looked worried when they left the stage in small groups. Their escape was finally known and the hunt for them made the blonde Atlantean even more nervous than before. It was so heart-breaking that Rolf betrayed Liesl but felt relief in the end when the entire family escaped Austria safe and sound.
The actors returned on stage for the curtain call and everyone clapped enthusiastically as the singers basked in the limelight and bowed. The drapes from the curtains came down for the last time and the lights in the theatre were switched on, signalling that the musical had come to an end.
Hand-in-hand, the couple strolled out of the theatre and they talked about the musical. "That's quite a close shave, isn't it?" Brianna said and her companion nodded, "Too close. It almost felt like our missions. I'm delighted that they escaped with their lives."
Looking at the dull sky, Brianna's stomach rumbled and it did not go unnoticed by her boyfriend.
"Zatanna recommended that we eat 'New York-style' pizza, I'm not too sure which ones are authentic…" The girl said uncertainly and Kaldur looked up the directions given to him by the magician on his smartphone.
"Ah, it appears to be an easy walk. Shall we go?" He gave her a charming grin and Brianna could not help but stare into his beautiful pale green eyes.
"Yes," She finally said after looking away and blushing.
Kaldur'ahm had never seen so many variations of pizza toppings in his life. He always saw Wally and Robin ordering pepperoni or ham and cheese all the time that he thought pizza was only served in those two ways. Brianna on the other hand, was spoilt for choice. All of them looked so decadent. "Should we get the half and half style pizza, Kaldur?"
"Half and half?" He was getting more confused by the minute and did not see such a topping in the menu. Noticing her boyfriend's anxiety, she pointed to a pizza diagram on the menu and cut it in half with her finger, "A half and half is where half the pizza has one topping and then the other half has another topping."
"I-I'm not sure. I've not really eaten pizzas before." The Atlantean replied quietly and the pyro rested a hand on top of his reassuringly, "Well, let's make the best of it for your first time. How about half seafood and half Hawaiian? I think we can order some salad as well."
The blonde teen smiled, "That sounds good." The order was placed and now the couple had to deal with silence.
"So, you don't eat surface food often?" The brunette asked and her boyfriend shook his head, "No. Popcorn was the first food I was introduced to on the surface and... I had a bad experience with it. Since then, I've only eaten food that looked normal to me like sandwiches and salad."
"I hope I can help you change your perception of surface food. They are quite delicious."
The conversation got interrupted by the addition of an egg salad to the table and Kaldur said, "Is that mayonnaise? I like that." Brianna nodded and kept that information in her mind for any future food outings with him. Seeing him enjoy such a simple dish made her heart soar.
Finally, the 'main course' of the evening arrived. The pizza was served piping hot and she could see the ingredients still sizzling in the melted cheese. The aroma wafted through their noses and Brianna immediately took a knife and fork to dish out a slice onto their plates.
"Dig in," She said shortly after that and proceeded to eat the fresh pizza piece.
"Mmm... love the thin crust. I can't believe it can hold the weight of the ingredients." Brianna proclaimed after one bite while Kaldur was still busy enjoying the new taste.
"This is the first time I've had seafood with cheese and flour. It's quite flavourful."
With that, they devoured their meal contentedly while the brunette went on and on about the other pizza toppings that she liked before slowly branching on the other kinds of cuisines and dishes she similarly enjoyed.
Maybe if she was the one to introduce popcorn to Kaldur'ahm, the Atlantean might have enjoyed it. Perhaps one day, he will get over his initial disgust for the food and eat it with her.
The dishes were polished clean, leaving on little crust crumbs here and there. "How about we head back for ice cream? The scoop shop opens late and I can drive us there." Brianna asked and her companion nodded.
The brunette then raised her hand to ask for the bill and Kaldur whipped out a small wallet, "I believe the gentleman pays for the first date."
She was astounded. Where did he get the money from? The waiter accepted the cash and returned with the change promptly. Seeing the look on his girlfriend's face, he replied, "My mentor and BM trade currencies…" Kaldur'ahm could not mention the Leaguers names out in public as the tables were a little too close to each other.
"I see… I guess I shouldn't be surprised." Brianna said in return and both of them slipped out of their seats and held hands. They left a generous tip in the till and were out the door seconds later. The skies had already darkened long ago and the couple unconsciously quickened their pace back to the bridge where the zeta tubes were located.
Thankfully, the journey was uneventful and Brianna heaved a sigh of relief as the computer read their names and teleported them back to Mount Justice. "Welcome back! How was your date?" Miss Martian chirped a greeting as she flew towards them eagerly.
"Erm… we're not done yet. We Zetaed back for ice cream." The pyro replied sheepishly as M'gann widened her eyes with realization and nodded in understanding, "Oh, okay. I'll leave you two alone then. Have fun!" The alien zipped away as fast as she came and Kaldur'ahm gently directed his girlfriend to the garage.
"Don't worry, she's just excited," the Atlantean reassured Brianna and squeezed her hand.
Smiling at his affectionate gesture, they both got into her car and drove out of the cave towards "The Sweet Scoop". The car park still had plenty of lots and she could see some groups of customers hanging out at that hour of the night. Stepping into the shop, the sweet scent of freshly baked waffles lingered in the air and Brianna knew she had to order a waffle cone.
"Would you like to share one cone or would you want one for yourself and we can trade?" The brunette pyro asked and for the first time since coming to the surface world, the Atlantean was feeling a little greedy with food.
"I think we can trade after we've had our share."
"One single scoop cone with salted caramel please," Brianna made her order while Kaldur glanced at the array of flavours available. His eyes landed on chocolate and he knew what he wanted, "A single scoop cone with double chocolate fudge swirl."
Both teens received and paid for their sweet treats before they retreated to a small booth for two. The brunette ate her ice cream up with a spoon, "A great way to end the night." She looked over at her boyfriend who had a look of pure bliss on his face.
"I declare chocolate to be my favourite surface food."
The girl laughed, "Over indulging isn't that good either, Kaldur." With that, the blonde teen offered her a serving of ice cream on his spoon and she leaned forward to eat it up. It was the first time they were sharing food like that and it was quite cute. She returned the gesture and it was an interesting sight to see the normally stoic Kaldur'ahm licking ice cream off a spoon with relish.
They continuously traded ice cream through their stay at the parlour and enjoyed the crispy waffle cone as well. It was now time for the day to officially end and the couple drove back to the cave in silence. Before Brianna could reach near enough to activate Mount Justice's sensors, Kaldur'ahm said, "Could we stop for a moment please?"
The pyro did as she was told and stopped in the middle of the path, just a bit away from her current home. "What is it?" She asked curiously and the Atlantean looked like he was having a debate within his mind, "Erm, could we step out of the car?"
Wondering what he had planned up his sleeves, Brianna got out and Kaldur stepped rather close in front of her. Oh, so that was what he wanted…
"I don't want us to be seen inside the cave so…" He said quietly and both stared into each other's eyes awkwardly. After a long moment, Kaldur'ahm lifted a hand and placed it on Brianna's cheek. He gently tilted her chin upwards and leaned in to plant a soft, gentle kiss on her lips.
The Atlantean might have been from the ocean where it was cold but his lips were warm and Brianna returned the affection by wrapping her arms around his neck and pressing her lips closer to his. The couple parted after a while and both had happy grins on their faces.
"Thank you for a wonderful first date, Kaldur." She whispered while he replied, "Likewise." They kissed once more before returning back to the cave.
Stepping out of the car, Brianna followed her boyfriend towards the Zeta tube, and bid him farewell. "Take care!"
He returned her greeting with a nod and another smile before the computer said his name and designation and he faded away. Left alone in the cave, Brianna almost let out a shout of joy and she flew back to her room at top speed to savour the memories of their first date…
Author's Note: This is the longest chapter I've written so far but since it's a special first date, it's worth it. *grins*
To Eszra: Thanks! I will keep on writing.
To piggythelaw: I already PMed you about the seafood thing and thanks for liking this story! *smiles*
To Dustfinger's cheering section: Thank you! There will be more chapters about them, don't worry.