Author's Notes: See? I did it! I actually did it this time! I said I was going to update on Friday and I did it. I am proud.

This was my absolute favorite chapter to write. Mostly because I like writing Akihiko, but partly because I can't really picture him other than being terribly awkward or terribly determined.

Yukari was very pretty; he thought idly as she pointed at him and got all up in his space. She was full of youth and fire and he was almost a little envious of her.

Seeing her as her own person followed seeing her as a girl, and with her getting so close to him on her stool, close enough that he could see the different tones of brown in her hair and the muscles under the smooth skin of her face pull into a sort of humorous yet angry pout, she was starting to look more than a little feminine.

Her lower lip jutted out in defiance, it looked so soft and was as pink and her pinstriped shirt-

She's only 16... she's just a kid, he tried to tell himself, but the thought wouldn't go away.

Yes, she was a girl, and yes he was talking to her and yes maybe he was getting a little too comfortable around her because he opened up to try and comfort her after a bad situation, but that didn't take away from the fact that he was still a terribly awkward man-child who hadn't even kissed a girl since he was thirteen and that was on a dare (that damn Shinji sure knew how to push his buttons). It still didn't take away from the fact that he had no idea what to do when confronted with an angry or hurt or defiant girl because Akihiko liked to solve his problems with his fists and he didn't ever dare hit a girl. And it still didn't take away from the fact that what little experience he did have with women was through working with them in Tartarus and avoiding them like the plague.

And yes, maybe seeing her finally as a girl and then as her own person opened up a new kind of door; one where he saw her as a girl with two X chromosomes and therefore different and attractive and sexual...

Just like other girls she had beautiful hair and soft skin and a nice voice and a full, pouty pink mouth and breasts and if that wasn't the kind of train of thought that was going to earn him a swift slap he didn't know what was.

She was talking, but he couldn't hear what she was saying, he was so transfixed on the movement of her mouth that he had half a mind to lean forward and... and...

And what...? Kiss her...?

I want to.

Longing rushed into his chest so his skin was suddenly hypersensitive, his wool sweater felt too soft, too warm, and as Yukari moved her knee brushed the outer edge of his thigh-

"Hello? Are you even listening to me?!" A small, thin-fingered hand waved in front of his face and he nearly leaped out his chair in fright, having never left his guard down for so long.

"You two are absolutely precious,"

They both whipped around to see the chef standing behind the counter, hands on his hips, shaking his head and laughing at them. With the tension suddenly broken, Akihiko swallowed and felt like he'd just been punched in the stomach; his skin was on fire, and he was sure his face was too.

"You remind me of how my wife and I used to go on," the chef laughed, "always arguing and messing around. So, anything else I can get for the happy couple?"

If the thought of kissing Yukari didn't turn his face red, it was most certainly red after that. His cheeks burned so hot it was starting to get uncomfortable. Yukari spluttered beside him and he tried to turn it around as best as he could.

"We're not a-"

"We're not going-"

"That is-"

"I j-just-"

"Oh hold on-"

"Wait a second-"

The chef let out another bark of laughter at their combined effort to set him straight and walked away shaking his head, Akihiko wanted the ground to open up and let it swallow him whole. He held his face in his hands, trying to will the redness down so he could finally look the girl in the eye, and as he turned to peer at the girl beside him (who also happened to turn just at that moment) he saw she was just as red and flustered as he was.

He could see the laughter in her frame, and it was quickly taking him over until he was laughing with her too.

They must have looked a sight, sniggering together at the counter, red-faced and awkward. It was almost like the events earlier didn't happen, and that was a better sign than he could have hoped for. He just hoped she was feeling the same.

They stayed for a while, even after finishing off their meal, and Akihiko was happy to see the colour return to Yukari's face and the brightness back in her eyes.

It was... really nice to have someone to talk to, even if he had a brief, crazy moment of wanting it still didn't diminish their conversation. The more they spoke and the more he listened to her, the more he felt his fondness grow, and the more he got to know her. Akihiko silently wondered why he never really talked to her before but pushed the thought out of his mind; Yukari was talking now so it didn't matter about the whys' and whens'.

The silences between them were comfortable, and felt right. Turning briefly he was surprised to see that Hagakure was completely empty and the waitress was starting to put the chairs up on the tables. He glanced down at his watch-

"What – it's 11:20pm!"

Yukari cringed, "Good thing we're near the station, we would have missed the last train."

Akihiko paid (much to the dismay of the archer) and they left, he paused for a moment when they stepped outside into the chilly air to decide he didn't need his coat half as much as the girl beside him, who insisted on wearing a skirt, and draped it over her shoulders again.

"But what about-"

"I've plenty of clothes on," he cut across her, fixing the collar around her neck, "don't you worry."

A brief moment of looking down made him want to either ruffle her hair or kiss her until that waterfall feeling in his chest went away, but he instead chose to give her a wry smile and tugged the lapels down around her, which she eventually accepted, her cheeks turning pink.

He tried to tell himself he was just giving her the coat to keep her warm, and not because he wanted her to get the subtle smell of her perfume all over it... no way, not at all.

Author's Notes: Aaaaaand... BONER. Being a teenage boy sounds like the most difficult, awkward thing in the universe.