Kanji stared in the mirror. A few seconds passed before he began his frantic nitpicking, pulling at his shirt to make sure it fit correctly, running his fingers through his hair, and making sure his temporary tattoos were still intact.
His thoughts were racing. What if he didn't like his outfit? Did he try too hard to look presentable?
Then again, he didn't dress incredibly fancy. He wore a black collared shirt and nice shoes, but besides that his appearance was the same.
Sighing, Kanji mentally prepared himself before leaving his house.
Down the street, a small figure was cloaked in shadow. He knew instantly it was his date, and felt his cheeks burn.
"Uh, hey. Naoto." He said, trying to act nonchalant.
The tiny detective turned around, smiling softly.
"Hi, Kanji-kun..." He looked to the ground, clearly as embarrassed as Kanji was himself.
"We should get going, we need to make sure we get seats." Kanji said.
"Right! Let us go..." Naoto walked towards the end of the sidewalk, where his scooter was waiting.
"Okay, here it is. It's quite sturdy." Naoto said reassuringly.
Kanji flushed. "Uh, you want me to jog beside you...?"
Naoto pulled his hat down, covering his face in shadow.
"What? You can't, you can't jog all the way to Okina City...!" He protested.
"Then...you want me to...?" Kanji could barely form sentences.
"We ride together...sit behind me, please. That would be the best arrangement." Naoto said as calmly as he could.
"That does seem like the only option." Kanji was overflowing with embarrassment and happiness. He tried to suppress it.
Naoto settled himself on the scooter. "Hop on!"
Kanji nervously sat behind his much smaller date. His chest pressed against his back. He felt warm.
"Okay...ready?"
"Uh, yeah."
The scooter rumbled, and soon they were riding through the night.
It was faster than expected, and Kanji was taken aback slightly. It would be really humiliating if he fell off in front of him, or screamed out of fear at how unsafe he felt.
Without thinking much, Kanji wrapped his arms around Naoto's waist.
He felt the detective tense, and then he swore he could feel him smile.
"Hold tight, Kanji-kun."
Sitting like this, closer to Naoto than he had ever been, made Kanji feel as if he were dreaming.
彡
Soon, Naoto and Kanji were standing in front of the theatre at Okina City.
"So, what do you want to see?" Kanji asked.
"Me? Oh um...I'll look." Naoto squinted at the movie listings.
He bounced with excitement when his eyes locked on a movie he wanted to see, but Kanji noticed him mentally chastising himself for it.
Kanji was overwhelmed by how cute his date was.
"Let's see this!" Naoto pointed.
It was a murder mystery, and it would begin in twenty minutes.
"Yeah, totally. I'll go get us tickets."
Kanji walked over to the ticket counter. Unexpectedly, Naoto trailed behind him.
Feeling the detective's eyes on him from behind made Kanji stutter as he ordered the tickets.
After getting refreshments, the two entered the theatre.
"Naoto," Kanji said. "Let's go up here, so you can see past the people."
Naoto blushed. "Oh...you're right. Okay."
The two walked to high seats, sitting next to each other near the end of the row.
Trailers were beginning to play.
Kanji was a bundle of nerves as he realized how close he was to Naoto, in a dark room at that. He hoped the detective wouldn't feel uneasy; he wanted Naoto to feel safe near him.
Once the movie began, Naoto was sucked in. He was very interested, and would occasionally flap his arms. Kanji's eyes widened; he did the same when he was sewing.
Naoto tensed, halting. She had frozen when someone onscreen had said "ghost".
Apparently, there was a supernatural element in the movie involving ghosts.
A loud noise sounded, a ghost jumping out onscreen.
Naoto yelped, leaping out of his chair, instinctively wrapping his arms around Kanji and burying his face in his sleeve.
Once the scary scene was over, Naoto realized what happened.
He quickly removed himself from Kanji, his cheeks bright red.
"Naoto..." Kanji said. "Naoto. If you're um, uncomfortable, we can leave."
Naoto nodded. "Yes, I think that would be a good plan."
Kanji noticed how tense he seemed, and patted him on the shoulder before helping him up.
He led him down the stairs and out of the theatre.
By now, Naoto had calmed down, stil slightly flushed.
"Kanji..." Naoto said.
The taller boy stopped and turned around. "Yeah?"
"Um...um..." He seemed to be struggling to form a sentence.
"Thank you for coming out with me! Please do it again." His tone was gentle but loud.
Kanji smiled. God, he was cute.
He walked forward and wrapped his arms around Naoto, pulling him close.
"Of course."