Simon X Crow

First Date

Crow took a glance at Simon, biting his lip. The Tiger was sitting on the bench beside him, hands folded in his lap as he admired the night sky. Currently, both were at the Waterfront, sitting in front of Nantigo River. Crow started to think this was a horrible idea; that he had fucked up. He broke the skin, blood dripping down to his chin.

"Uh… Crow?" The Misfit looked at him, tilting his head. "Your uh… your lip is bleeding…"

"What?!" He quickly wiped away the red liquid that traveled down from his lip. "S-sorry."

"No need to be sorry," he replied, shrugging his shoulders. "But why were you biting your lip so hard in the first place?"

"It's a thing I do when I'm nervous," he confessed, giving him a sheepish smile. Simon didn't reply. He just continued to look up at the stars and moon. "S-so, um… how was your day?"

"Hm?" He gave him a confused glance, before giving him a small shrug. "Fine, I suppose. You?"

"It's been okay!" Another moment of silence passed over them. Crow hated himself. With each passing moment, he could feel the boredom radiate off of the Tiger. "Uh… got any family?"

"Two sisters and one brother," he told him, now meeting his gaze, head still tilted up to the night sky. "What about you?"

"N-not anymore," he replied, looking out at the river. A stab of pain in his heart, but he didn't let it get to him. "I had a little brother but he uh… he had an accident…"

"Oh. I'm sorry."

"No! It's okay! He's in a better place, and, well… I wouldn't want him to see me the person I am today."

"You're a pianist, correct? Why is that so bad?"

Dammit. That's right. He never told Simon he was a G-King. He only knew him as a pianist. Well, at least he remembered that.

"U-um… it's nothing too important," he chuckled nervously, once more taking a small nip at his bottom lip. "I-I'd rather not talk about it."

"Fair enough…" Simon slowly formed a smile. "May I ask you a question?"

"Of course! Shoot!"

"Who are you exactly? You've only told me your nickname!"

"You wanna know my name?" The enforcer nodded. "W-well, it's Vincent. Vincent Thorn."

"Vincent… Thorn?" he repeated, almost as if he wasn't sure he had heard him correctly. But, Crow knew he did. He could tell by the fear that was growing in his voice.

"Y-yeah. Not the best of names, but… what can ya do, huh?" He gave him another nervous chuckle, and dammit, he felt like slapping himself for acting stupid in front of the boy. Simon nodded slowly, returning his gaze to the sky above. "Hey, Simon? Is there something you wanna go do? I get the feeling your hating this date..."

"No! I'm fine!" He gave a small, reassuring smile, but it looked fake to him. "I just don't do these things too much."

"Really? I'm surprised!" he chuckled, a small blush creeping onto his face. "You're a very handsome man, Simon. I was surprised you accepted the offer in going out with me… well, on this date. I thought you might have already been taken, but, I took a chance anyway!"

"Not too many people like me," he replied softly, "Mainly, they don't like my personality. They say I'm too… um… quiet."

"Nothing wrong with that! I have a friend who barely talks! She just makes weird noises…"

"Weird noises?"

"I dunno. Screams and yelps. It's irritating, but there's nothing I can do! I haven't gotten around to buying some duct tape."

Simon giggled a bit, shaking his head. Once more they sat in silence. Crow looked over at the enforcer. He seemed so far away. So, he slowly scooted closer to him, his face starting to burn. He reached out, gently taking Simon's hand in his own. In shock, the male jerked his hand away, looking at Crow in confusion and surprise.

"S-sorry!" he apologized, looking away. "Shouldn't have done that!"

"No, it's fine," he replied, grabbing his hand and holding it. "I just wasn't expecting it."

"I'll ask for permission next time," he chuckled, heart fluttering when he heard the male giggle more.

"That will not be necessary," he told him, squeezing his hand a bit. He was going to give him an attack. Crow could feel his heart race; his face feeling like it was on fire.

They stayed there for another half hour, until Crow decided to walk Simon home. Along the way, they spoke a bit about their thoughts on San Paro. Crow tried his hardest not to say too much about any criminal activity. He didn't need Simon punching and arresting him. He didn't want their date to end like that.

"Well, I'm sorry today wasn't as nice as I thought it would've been," Crow spoke when they got to the entrance of Little Fin Apartments. Simon shook his head.

"No! It was nice!" he replied, "I will be honest, I didn't think it'd be as peaceful."

"I'm glad it was good, then," He didn't want to let go of his hand; didn't want to say goodbye. But, he had to. "Uh... Would you like to go this again sometime?"

"Sure! I'd love to!" Simon slowly leaned forward, pecking his cheek. "You have my number. Just text when you want to do something."

"Y-yeah, alright. Goodnight, Simon."

"Goodnight, Crow. And thank you for the great evening."

"Of course!" One last hug and Simon was gone. Crow walked home, his body feeling so light. He couldn't remember the last time he was this happy. Maybe Simon would be up for another date soon? This time, he'd do a better job and take the enforcer to see a movie.