Shigeo ran a hand through his hair then hurriedly smoothed it back down. He was hot but cold but sweaty but his mouth was really dry. Flowers nearby were practically pressed flat as he stared at the door before him. It was just a door. All he had to do was knock. He just had to lift his fist and rap it onto the door. It wasn't hard. It was expectant that he would knock. Garnet was expecting him. But his heart was going very fast and he thought that maybe he wasn't breathing or maybe he was breathing too much. Was his head meant to feel this light?

"Kageyama-kun?" A voice called out to him. Shigeo slowly turned his eyes from the door and to the blond haired boy who stood at the end of the path, blue eyes sparkling away as they usually do.

"Teru…" he managed to choke out. His friend was by his side in seconds, hands on his shoulders and looking him over with an odd expression on his face.

"Are you okay? Did something happen to you!?" Teruki demanded. He lifted Shigeo's arms and circled around him and pushed his hands through his hair as though he would find injuries there then he turned his eyes to the door. "Did someone in there hurt you?" Shigeo frowned in confusion, turning the words over in his head. While his friend was normally cool and collected, now he seemed frantic and concerned. Was he real? Was this a dream from a psychic who didn't know his friend very well? Shigeo reached out and pressed his fingers into the boy's soft cheek.

"Are you really Teru-kun?" Shigeo has never met a psychic strong enough to trick him for even a second but he's also never met every single psychic either. Teru certainly felt real, even the scar that no one really knew about was there.

"I will not be held accountable for my worry after you've abandoned me for the past almost month," Teru slapped his hand away but it wasn't malicious. In fact he looked almost sad. Shigeo opened his mouth to ask about such a claim then pressed his lips together and felt guilt overcome him. He had abandoned Teruki especially when taking into consideration that, before Garnet had entered his life, he spent nearly every day with Teruki and then just stopped seeing him all together.

"I'm sorry," he apologized with a bowed head.

"It's fine. Not like I was worried or anything. I didn't go to your house and peek through the window to see if you were still alive," Teruki crossed his arms and looked away from Shigeo which caused the dark haired boy to think that, just maybe, the other boy had done just that. He smiled softly at the obvious care his friend felt for him enough to drop his coolness and admit that he cared that Shigeo had essentially disappeared. It was a long way from the anger, hatred and jealousy Teruki had first displayed towards him.

It was nice.

"Thank you for worrying about me," he said soulfully. He placed a hand on the boy's shoulder and smiled a little wider. Teruki's face turned an interesting shade of red and he started to sputter but Shigeo simply spoke over him, "thank you for being here even though I have not been a good friend recently."

"Yeah you haven't," Teruki rolled his eyes but a grin pulled at his lips so Shigeo knew that the boy was no longer angry, "So who's the broad you ditched me for?"

"W-what?" Shigeo stuttered, taking a step backwards.

"I'm not stupid. You wouldn't forget me over another guy—no guy is cooler than me," Teruki took this time to brush a hand through his spiky hair though he was careful to not actually mess up his deliberate bed head look, "So it has to be a girl. Is she pretty? What's her name?"

"Um, she is um," words were suddenly hard and his face felt hard. He didn't understand why though. He's introduced Garnet to people when she first arrived, they were friends. Good friends. He could say that she was indeed pretty because she was and a lot of people agreed—even people who insulted her admitted to that. But standing in front of the expectant Teruki asking these questions, the words suddenly dried up in his throat.

"Wait, you're dressed kinda nice and are those flowers? … Are you going on a date?!" Blue eyes widened to dinner plates and his mouth came close to hitting the ground.

"Er, well. We're just friends. It's a friends date," Shigeo mumbled, eyes on the ground as he idly scuffed his shoe on the ground then stopped. They were his nice black shoes that he normally wore to formal events like his cousin's wedding last year and his pants were creased and black and ironed just right and he did wear a long sleeved, collared shirt. His dad had given him a blazer too which Ritsu insisted that he didn't actually wear and instead threw over his shoulders. His mom had taken pictures and gushed for a long time—still was according to an amused Ritsu—about 'her baby growing up' and smoothed his hair down into perfection and gave him extra money for a bouquet. All the flowers had confused him and they all had a bunch of meanings so he had gotten sunflowers because Garnet was bright and beautiful like the sun.

"Just a friend date?" Teruki had that weird look on his face like he was about to do something Shigeo would definitely not appreciate. Such as put on his most charming smile and approach the dreaded door.

"W-wait!" Shigeo jumped atop his friend, bringing him down to the ground though he remembered to put up a barrier to stop his clothes from getting dirty. "You can't. I have to knock."

"Why? It's just a friends date," he teased.

"I have to knock," Shigeo insisted from his position atop his friend. He didn't know why it was so important that he did this himself but it really, really was. Teruki squinted up at him for a few seconds then nodded his understanding. The dark haired boy climbed off his friend and dusted him off then he went back to the door. And stared. He was sweaty and dry again. His heart was doing weird stuff in his chest. Maybe he should just let Teruki knock, what did it actually matter? It wasn't like he'd never have another chance to knock on Garnet's door.

She may not be here for much longer…

Shigeo bit his lip. It felt like he and Garnet fit so well together that his mind often brushed aside the fact that she very well might not be there next week or even the next day. If he didn't knock now, it was a very real possibility he wouldn't get another chance.

The teenager took a deep breath and knocked. There were footsteps coming closer and Shigeo waited for Garnet to appear and come out but the door swung open to reveal Mrs. Sapphire Fyre.

Oh no.

Shigeo tried to fix his face into a grin but he knew that it looked funny because it felt funny. A single blue eye looked (read:glared) out at him, and full lips pulled down into such a heavy frown that he felt it try to pull his own lips down.

"Oh. You came… and you brought a friend," she turned her icy gaze away from him and to Teruki. The boy smiled brighter as though the temperature hadn't fallen several degrees and held out a hand.

"Hello, ma'am. I am Hanazawa Teruki," he introduced himself in that charming way.

"Hm," the woman ignored his hand and walked into the house. Well, not walked. With her dress being a simple house one and her lacking shoes he could see that she was actually floating just a few scant centimeters off the ground.

"Cold," Teruki commented cheerfully. Shigeo gave him a half smile that definitely didn't reach his eyes. A picture shuddered as he passed by. He knew he should have asked Garnet to meet him at the restaurant. The couch lifted off the ground, swaying with his emotions.

"Sapphy! I can't find my phone! I need to take pictures! Heeeeelllpppp meeeeee!" A voice shouted and the sound of thudding feet covered the thud of the couch falling back to the floor. Mrs. Sapphire Fyre huffed and the temperature around them slowly got warmer until it was something boarding on comfortable. Just as the last shiver left Shigeo, another woman came running into the room and practically barreled into the blue haired woman.

"She looks so cute and I gotta take pictures and—oh, thanks!" Mrs. Ruby Fyre smiled brightly as her missing phone was presented silently. She dropped a kiss on her wife's cheek then paused, "why're you so cold? You need some warming up?"

"Ruby, don't you dare!" Mrs. Sapphire took a step back but it was too late. Mrs. Ruby Fyre caught the thin woman around the waist and spun her around, raining kisses on her. Mrs. Sapphire Fyre pushed at her wife and tried to protest but soon she dissolved in uncontrollable giggles as the kisses only became more insistent.

"Moooomssss, stop being gross!" Garnet's voice protested somewhere upstairs.

"Why? It's not like your… oh," the bushy haired woman finally took notice of the two boys standing in her home. Shigeo gave a half wave that he hoped wasn't weird especially with Teruki giving his standard charming smile and seeming completely at ease with being stared at. Mrs. Ruby Fyre shifted her wife onto her shoulder much like one would do with a sack of potatoes and sauntered right up to them.

"Nice to see you again, Shigeo! And who's this?" She grinned, ignoring the little hands pounding at her back.

"Ruby, you let me go right this instance!"

"Teruki, ma'am," the boy held out his hand. Even though the woman leveled him with a bright smile, she did not accept the hand. Of course that might have something to do with the now kicking legs. Or she didn't like him as much as her wife didn't like him.

"Mom! I need help with my hair," Garnet called from upstairs. Mrs. Sapphire Fyre went still and when she spoke it was with obvious smugness to her voice.

"So, you want to help her Mrs. Fyre?" Instead of answering her wife, Mrs. Ruby Fyre gently set her wife down with a twisted expression on her face to which the other laughed and floated gracefully from the room.

"She'd close the door in my face," Mrs. Ruby Fyre chuckled more to the boys than to her wife. Shigeo just barely heard her as he was still stunned that Mrs. Sapphire Fyre could be so carefree and… nice. It was almost like she was a completely different person in those few moments.

"Teruki, take a seat. Remote is right there. Shigeo, come help me in the kitchen," Mrs. Ruby Fyre threw an arm over Shigeo's shoulders and practically dragged him into the kitchen. He managed to throw a look over his shoulder at Teruki. To say that the blond's head shake did not nothing for his sudden nerves would be the understatement of the year. His stomach felt like a stone and what was this horrible taste in his mouth? The coffee machine turned on by itself. Mrs. Ruby Fyre grinned at his blush, "it's okay. It's all loaded up, no doubt due to my brilliant wife or daughter." She turned away from him to pull out a tray and a bowl of sugar cubes, "Damn… where is the…? Oh!" The woman laughed loudly as she nearly knocked over the little pitcher of cream already placed in reaching distance, "Let me just say that without my wife I'd be a lost mess." She laughed again as she sat the tray down on the island.

"Ma'am…" Shigeo started to say, not quite sure just what he was going to say. Maybe something to defend himself.

"I'm not very smart," Mrs. Ruby Fyre interrupted him. He blinked in shock, unsure what she wanted from him. She continued on as she grabbed mugs, "It's a fact, really. Something to do with this gem in my hand. All Rubies are a bit on the dumber side. Not that I was ever winning any smart prizes." She shrugged almost to herself. "But I've got good instincts. I followed them to gaining my freedom, marrying my wife, supporting my team and protecting my daughter."

"Mrs.—."

"My dear Sapphy can be really harsh sometimes. I know it. She knows it. But she can be very right too. It's the pro of seeing the future," Mrs. Ruby Fyre leaned forward, lips still up in a smile but it definitely wasn't friendly and warm anymore. It was… hot. Or was that the room? Shigeo shifted on his feet, unwilling to look the woman in the eyes anymore but unable to look away. Her eyes glowed an intense, bright red and it was like heat waves lifted from her very flesh to attempt to suffocate him.

"Don't hurt my Garnet. In any way or shape. I don't want to have to hurt you back," she pulled back and, suddenly, the temperature was back to normal and nothing about her was like looking into a volcano. She gave him a grin full of teeth, "Got it?"

"I got it." Shigeo wasn't a monster. He was a normal boy who was worthy of any and all friendships he came across. He was working on himself but he didn't need to be better to not hurt Garnet. He would never hurt her.

"Good! Now let's get this coffee to your buddy," The woman cheered, picking up the tray. Shigeo nodded and poured coffee into the cups, leaving room for cream then exited the kitchen with her close behind.

"Mom, I'm coming down!" Garnet called out not long after Teruki accepted his mug with an excited smile. He loved coffee. Mrs. Ruby Fyre practically dropped the tray and scrambled for her phone just in time for Garnet to come down. Shigeo gathered his flowers back up and turned to catch the first sight of his friend.

Progress towards Mob's explosion: 50%

Garnet smiled big and wide at him as she approached. Shigeo knew that there was chatter around them, could feel the vibrations of words being said but he couldn't hear them. He couldn't even see anyone else but this girl before him.

"You look…" She looked absolutely stunning from the top of her curly faux hawk to the tips of her painted toes. She looked more beautiful than he's ever seen her, so much so that his heart was doing that weird triple beat and his stomach felt like it was trying to run away and he was breathless. He gazed at himself through her glasses, the back of his mind noting that he looked quite foolish with his mouth opened the way it was.

"For me?" Garnet nodded towards the flowers within his grasp. Shigeo nodded silently and practically threw the flowers at her in his panic to hand them over. The smile never left her face as she ran delicate fingers over the petals, "In my most likely vision you came with roses."

"I-oh," Shigeo lowered his gaze.

"I like these better," Garnet continued, "they're beautiful."

"Like you!" Shigeo blurted, "I didn't mean that! Wait, n-no I—you are beautiful but I meant that I got the flowers because they're like you. They reminded me of you."

He felt a foreign happiness burst behind his eyes and he knew that he had said the right thing. Garnet placed all the flowers but one into a nearby vase and held out her hand to take. Her gem beat warmly against his palm and he smiled. He felt her insistence that they leave inside his mind and gladly started to follow her out.

"Wait! I need a picture of you two!" Mrs. Ruby Fyre sobbed, tears pouring down her face.

"You've taken a lot already," Garnet pointed out.

"And I need your mom's number so I can send them to her. Oh these are getting printed and put into an album!" Her mom continued to gush as though she hadn't said anything. Garnet shook her head but obediently posed with Shigeo, at one point making a silly face that caused Shigeo to snort. After many, many pictures (some including Teruki) the three were released into the world, promises to call the police should they not check in throughout their date called behind their back.

"Teruki, would you like to join us?" Garnet asked as they walked towards their first destination. Shigeo nearly jumped out of his skin as he realized that his blond haired friend was still there with them.

Progress to Mob's Explosion: 52%

He didn't want Teruki to come for some reason that he couldn't quite put his finger on but he was his friend so that was the nice thing to do.

"And put all the attention on me? I wouldn't dare," Teruki grinned. The sour feeling he hadn't noticed eased and the gravel not too far away fell innocently to the ground. Until Teruki continued. The boy stepped closer to Garnet and kissed her. Twice! On both cheeks. Monstrous heat burst inside his chest. A tree behind him disintegrated. Wind suddenly whipped around them.

Progress to Mob's Explosion: 60%

"I'll see you two friends later. Caio," he grinned, walking away as though he didn't feel anything out of the ordinary. Shigeo couldn't form words, unsure what would actually leave him should he speak. He didn't like this feeling. He didn't like it at all. It reminded him that he hadn't changed much, he still wasn't in absolute control. He pulled away from Garnet but the wind didn't stop, the tree didn't put itself back together. He was bad. Horrible.

"It is okay," A cool gem pressed into his cheek.

"It is not," he whispered then something warm and soft pressed into his face, just at the corner of his mouth.

Oh.

Everything stilled around him.

Garnet pulled back from the kiss with a small grin.

Then she did it again.

"It is okay," she repeated in a gentle whisper.

"Yes," Shigeo agreed. Maybe it was okay. He swallowed hard and scooped up her hand for perhaps the first time, "Um. I have a surprise for you."

+—

"Karaoke?" Garnet squealed. Like actually squealed. The hand holding his tightened and he was being (willingly) dragged into the cafe. Shigeo felt quite proud of himself. Garnet was always humming or singing little songs under her breath so it made sense that she might like to actually sing so here they were. He grabbed a seat while she practically bounced to the empty stage.

"Should I order you something?" Shigeo called out as he was approached by a rather frazzled looking waitress. He could see why as it was rather busy inside.

'Avoid the chicken. I would like tea… they have my favorite song. You will have to join me for this one so I will settle...' Garnet murmured absently from her mind to his. Shigeo went red at the thought of standing in front of all these people and perform even the smallest piece. Garnet let out a gasp and then the music started, an upbeat display of drums and guitar. It was a song from a not quite popular idol who mostly talked about trying harder and harder every day. Shigeo only listened to one of her songs, not understanding critics opinion on her pitch or something but she seemed like a lovely lady with a nice voice. The waitress came with his complimentary water just as Garnet opened her mouth.

"Ganbatteru mainichi damon dakarasa
Nakitaku naru koto ippai aru yo ne!" Shigeo nearly swallowed his tongue. He knew it. He knew her voice would sound amazing. She shone brightly on the small stage, a bounce coming to her step as she sung. It was mesmerizing. Chatter in the cafe seemed to agree, dimming as their attention was dragged to the stage. All eyes on her. She was a super star. It almost knocked him for a loop when she came to (what appeared to him) a sudden stop.

"Shigeo! Please join me for the next one," She beckoned, nearly breathless. Red rose in his cheeks and his eyes darted down to the tea and mini sandwiches that had been delivered without his notice. 'No singing on your part but it is English.' He lifted his head to tell her that it was okay, he was okay not stepping in her light, perhaps she should invite someone else but then it was like she was so much closer, so hopeful that he'd join her, waves of encouragement wafting off of her and filling his senses.

And that's how he ended up on stage, rapping along to 'American Boy'. He stumbled over every other word and the song felt awkward on his tongue. The other patrons were being loud and waving their arms and some even came up as though he were an actual performance. When Garnet's part came she pressed closed and did a shimmy that made him choke on his supporting bits.

It was fun.

Really fun.

At the end he smiled breathlessly at Garnet.

At the end she smiled back.

Progress to Mob's Explosion: 61%

—+

They sat on a bench in a little park with stir fried ice cream being shared between the two of them. He didn't understand why he had to share as he had more than enough money and Garnet also offered the money she brought but his father insisted that he treated her to a treat that they could share.

So here he was. Sharing rolled up ice cream that exploded in his mouth. He and Garnet sat close with the cup between them, silently watching the people walking by. Every once and a while Garnet would point to someone and silently predict their day. She insisted it was probably inaccurate as she didn't know them but it was funny to him. A few of them were given very unique predictions of crazy adventures that were too wild to ever come true.

"I cannot turn it off but I can focus it on more mundane things and that relaxes me," Garnet nibbled on a tiny roll. Shigeo nodded his understanding. It made sense to him and he certainly wouldn't want to constantly know what would happen or accurately know what could happen forever and ever. Maybe for a day or two but Shigeo knew himself and because he knew himself he knew he'd rely heavily upon such a powerful gift. Garnet pointed to two boys just as they kissed, "I can also share it for a few seconds. It would require a kiss, of course. Would you like to see your future Shigeo?"

Garnet tilted her head playfully but she was being serious, he could tell. Shigeo looked to her full lips now made sticky by ice cream and sweet by various candies she had bought and attempted to share as they walked around. He didn't get how she could eat all that candy without getting sick but he didn't get a lot of things. Like how he reached blindly for another roll and Garnet did the same and they both reached the last one, their fingers landing on each other and the treat. Pretty warmth filled him as it always did accompanied by the weird heart thing that didn't bother him so much anymore. He twisted his hand under hers and linked their fingers. They were cold and a little sticky, her gem beating as rapidly as his heart and just as warm. He didn't get a lot of things but he did get one thing.

"Thank you for the offer, Garnet but I am okay knowing this present with you." Shigeo used his telekinesis to lift the last roll and broke it into two perfect parts. One he held up to her lips and the other he put to his own.

"I like this present." He almost whispered.

"I do too." She whispered back.

—+

TBC

Ugh. I love love. Teruki was being a bit of a jerk cause his feelings be hurt but he don't want Garnet.

To be honest I just figured you lovely peeps saw this title in a dream and searched it out. But I'm glad there are people who like my vision! Thank you for reading. Can't wait to see what happens next.

I hope you guys enjoyed!