This chapter may be weird! I originally wanted to have a sweet little moment of relaxation with a cute scene, but I wanted to add a bit of drama. I thought it was going too great for almost became it's own episode of the show lol. I also wanted to try having them interact with other people more. I didn't wanted to give other characters TOO much focus though, that's not why we're here so they're basically pretty Plot devies. "Kao" litteraly means face, he's nothing more haha! But it hought it was important to strenghen their relationship to have this type of conflict! Hope you enjoy, and if you didn't don't worry next chapter is only the two of them, as always! I had fun writting it! Focus a bit more on Lum, as she is the driving force this time!
Lum and Ataru find themselves waiting as the Moonlight Coaster is a bit too popular. Bored, they decide to go eat some cotton candy. And when the possibiliy of free food come ot them, they quickly find themselves in an advertisement where Lum and Ataru needs to see their faults and weakness. As they both get into uncomfortable position. (Because they're two idiots 3)
The couple was now back in the middle of the park. The question now is: where should they go? Lum still wanted to go check out the rollercoasters. There wasn't anything romantic they seemed fun. Nothing romantic about them, but just doing it with her darling was enough! She started checking the phamplet, as Ataru didn't care much, he was just happy he could do a normal ride. Rollercoasters were fast, they probably would have to remove the hairbands too!
"Ooh! Moonlight Coaster! What do you think, Ataru?" She seemed eager, something moon and space related, no wonder.
"Yeah, sounds fun." He didn't even give it a look.
"Here!" Lum pulled on his hand as she rushed toward the entrance. Oh. And the line.
Attention! We want to inform you that, due to high demand, the wait time for the Moonlight Coaster is currently estimated to be approximately 2 hours. Please get a ticket with your number and come back later based on the estimated time that's written on your ticket!
"What?" Lum frowned at hearing his. "Seriously?!" She obviously wasn't happy with having to wait.
"Come on, Lum." Ataru reassured her, "Let's get our ticket, and then we'll go eat something." He dragged her deeper in and got their tickets. Being seen as a couple, they got matching numbers, assuring they'd sit next to each other. Ataru was kind of confused since people could often sit however they wanted anyway, but it was probably a way for the park to sound more attractive to couples.
Now that they had to wait, they walked around, checking the few shops and crane games. Lum tried to convince Ataru to play one and get a plushie for her, but Ataru knew his luck. Why would he waste money on a plushie for Lum anyway? She already had the keychain! After a bit, the couple passed by a fairly large stand selling snacks. It was selling lots of stuff, from drinks to hot food to toys and t-shirts. Lots of people were around. The one thing that Lum noticed over anything was cotton candy. It was one of the few foods on earth that she felt was truly nice to eat; it wasn't as tasty as the one on her planet, but the texture was still here! Ataru agreed, it was something light after all. The line was short, and after a few minutes, where Lum would not let go of his hand, they arrived at the attendant, a big man with a beard. Ataru was a bit impressed, but Lum didn't care.
"Hello! two cotton candy, please." Lum asked with a smile.
"Oi, a couple, aren'cha?" Ataru and Lum looked at him a bit puzzled at his sudden bright smile. "If ya want to, ya can get a special offer, couple only!" The man laughed.
"Is it bigger?" Lum asked. "And is it shared?" Ataru added. This seemed oddly familiar.
"Yup, ya know your stuff, don'cha? It's cheaper too!"
"We'll pass." Ataru instantly answered, not letting Lum win this time. Cotton candy was even worse. Walking together as they ate on the same stick? That seemed... not good. Yeah! "We'll take two, separated."
"Aww, are you sure, Ataru?" Lum was disappointed, she wasn't surprised, but she could at least try.
The owner took a good look at Lum, she was pretty good-looking. "Tell ya what, I can get ya those for free if ya want." Ataru and Lum starred at him instantly. Free food? "But ya gonna need to help me with a little ad." The man, who was probably the owner, then asked them to come with him.
"An ad?" Lum pondered while walking. "You want to take photos of us?"
"Pretty much, you're a real pretty girl, perfect to advertise the Couple cotton candy, ya know!" He laughed, making Lum smile at his compliment.
Ataru's eyebrow rose for a second. A few photos for free food? That seemed too easy.
"Oi, Kao! Come here, boy!" A young man, seemingly slightly older than Lum and Ataru, came from outside the backdoor, probably out of the kitchen, as it seemed like he was preparing some food.
He simply nodded shyly. His expression didn't change. Lum and Ataru introduced themselves quickly, still a bit confused.
"That's my boy, Kao!" The owner explained, "He's gonna help ya with the ad! Not a big talker, though!" He gave his son a tap in the back, which made the poor boy almost fail. Ataru got a good look at his face. He was pretty good-looking.
"So what do we do? You take pictures of us here?" Lum asked, checking herself out, taking a few poses, and grabbing Ataru's arm in the process. He was about to yell, but the owner replied before he could say anything.
"Not quite, ya gonna walk around actin' like ya eating some cotton candy, looking all lovey-dovey! And Kao here will take photos of the two of ya!" He explained as he gave his son a pile of phamplet too. "You'll walk with a couple cotton, no need to eat it if ya don't wanna! I'll get you two free ones once ya finish the route. Kao, here'll distribtue those phramplet too" He took out a map of the park, tracing a small route where they should walk around. A few spots had little stars drawn on them, probably popular spots where the photos would be taken.
Lum didn't mind, she was helping people out, receiving free food, and having a romantic walk with her darling. Ataru, on the other hand, wasn't pleased. Not only was he forced to walk around with this embarassing Couple cotton candy, it had to be with Lum. And photos will be taken? Photos that will be seen by everyone to advertise the shop? It felt like Lady Luck was never on his side after all.
"I think I'll pass after all." Ataru apologized, trying to get out of this situation.
"Havin' cold feet, pal? Are ya embarrassed?" The owner wasn't as dumb as he looked.
"Ataru was never good at showing affection in public!" Lum explained without a hint of embarrassment herself. She kept her hold on his arm, as he was shaking it a little to get her off. This was pretty good evidence.
"How 'bout this?" The owner thought for a second. "Oi, Kao, give him the camera, we'll switch!" He yelled at his son. He then turned back to Ataru, pointing at his hairband. "Pal, could ya let us borrow those ears for a bit?"
"W-what? Why?" Ataru instinctively got protective, placing an hand on them.
"Kao will take ya place, my boy's a real looker, isn't he?" He laughed "So it'll be even better advertizin'!" He laughed, "Dontcha worry, you'll be with them you'll get ya girl back in a giffy!".
Lum was about to decline the offer too. Sure, free cotton candy was nice, but she'd have to go on a walk with this guy and act like a couple. That sounded annoying. She wouldn't mind usually, it's just acting, but today really wasn't a good day for games. But something struck as she looked toward Ataru. He didn't seem too happy either, with a frown on his face. If she agreed, Darling would have no choice but to call it off himself. And it would be proof of how jealous he is, choosing her over some free food because he's jealous. She decided to stay out of it for now, men could handle it from here.
Describing what was going on in Ataru's mind at this moment would take a while. He was clearly in such a state of confusion that he couldn't think straight. This guy, going on a romantic date with Lum in front of him. Taking photos of them? There is no way he can let that happen. But if he said naything, Lum would know he's jealous, and this would be a big blow in his mission to keep her away. He had to gain some time somehow.
"W-w-wait!" He exclaimed before his hairband could be taken off. Lum got a small grin, Darling... "What am I supposed to photograph?" Ataru asked, giving himself a few more seconds to think things over again. Lum's smile vanished. There was no way he'd go on with it, right?
"Of the lovebirds!" The owner laughed without a care. "On certain spots, they do poses, like eating the cotton, giving it to the other one, and stuff." He explained, counting on his finger. Ataru sighed in relief. "And the final shot is my fav! Kiss behind the cotton!" There was a lot of excitement in his voice, he quickly noticed Lum and Ataru's expressions. "Dontcha worry, pal, it's behind the cotton; as I said, ya just have to fake it!" The owner noticed Ataru's expression and reassured him. "I'm not forcin ya', if ya jealous, we'll just scratch it, no sweat!"
At this point, Ataru wasn't sure which position was the worst. But he was certain of one thing; This would not happen.
"Jealous? Why would I care?" He yelled in an obviously forced tone of assurance. He took his hairband and was about to throw it, but instead he clenched it. Lum frowned and exhaled. "But.., huh, that sounds hard." Ataru scratched his head. "I'm not good with photos, so I guess we should call it off-" A drop of sweat was dripping from his forehead. The man laughed.
"I'll do it for ya, it's my stand, I can take a break wheneva', you'll just need to stay close and give out phamplet!"
Lum, who was listening to the whole thing, got a small grin on her face. He tried to call it off after all! It wasn't obvious to the other two, but for her, it was clear that Ataru wasn't happy. She could call it off now and go on with her date. But her devilish nature got the better of her. Darling's not jealous? Huh? He doesn't care? We'll see. Why not go with it after all? At least for a bit. Seeing Ataru so frustrated about her was kind of a guilty pleasure for her, it didn't happen often. And that Kao guy didn't seem interested in her, so there was nothing to fear. A small angel on her shoulder told her it wasn't a good idea, and playing with his feelings like that may be a bit too far. But the demon on the opposite side simply zapped it away.
"Are you sure you're ok with it, Ataru?" Lum asked, as a way to reassure herself more than anything.
"Do whatever, why should I care?" He turned his head away, hiding it behind the pile of phamplets. He quickly threw the hairband toward Kao as proof. The young man used a tissue to clean it, as he could feel how sweaty it was in Ataru's hand.
"Hmmph," Lum replied with a devilish grin. "Alright then, let's have a good date, Kao!" She exclaimed. They both weren't up for it, but they were also two big idiots that were way too stubborn to stop now. They had something to prove after all.
The owner quickly grabbed a Couple Cotton from his stand and re-emerged, giving it to Kao. The young man placed his hand toward the top. Lum, now realizing that it was still kind of awkward, placed her hand as low as possible. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all. They walked back to the park like this. The father stayed behind to not look like he was associated.
Ataru followed them. At first, it wasn't that bad. Ataru gave a phamplet to every couple that passed by and dared to give them a glare. After a bit, Ataru started to instinctively give them to alone girls too. Although he did his best to stay close to the Oni. Always keeping her somewhere in his glare.
Lum was not enjoying the experience much. Thinking about it, this Kao guy reminded her a bit of Rei; hanging out with someone with a good face but nothing else. She really didn't care about learning more about him anyway. It reminded her of those awkward dates she had when first dating Rei. She'd either watch him eat or walk with him, trying to start a chat, he'd rarely give her more than a few words. Maybe a sentence at best. Those weren't the best memories. This made her appreciate this date with Ataru even more. Sure, they were fighting a bit, and he wasn't that romantic. But he was here. And somewhat caring. He didn't run or eat anything. He spent time with her. He wasn't some great pilot or the most handsome man on earth. But that didn't matter. He cared about her to a higher degree than just looks or prestige. And now here she was, walking with Kao on this awkward fake date. Again, she's here because her looks do everything. The owner asked her to do it because she was pretty, nothing else. That was probably Rei's reasoning too, not that he could explain anyway. And Kao... Well, he was probably following his dad's orders. Maybe she shouldn't judge a book by its cover. This guy wasn't Rei.
"It's so sunny today, isn't it?" Lum stretched her free arm. She was hoping to maybe ease the tension and get Ataru's attention at the same time.
"Mmh," Kao replied, with a quick nod.
"A really nice day for a date!" She added, hoping he'd at least say a word.
"Yup." Same nod.
...This guy was as talkative as Rei. The little angel was right, it really wasn't a good idea after all. She almost hesitated to call it off right here. Kao pulled the stick, with Lum in the middle of the road. The spot had multiple intersections, and quite a few people were passing by.
"Hey!" She wasn't expecting that.
"First spot." He replied, his expression and tone still haven't changed.
"Ah, okay." The worst part hadn't even started yet. "What's the first one?" Lum asked with a little smile.
"Here." Instead of explaining, he approached his head to the cotton, inviting Lum to do the same. "Eat."
Ataru had joined the father behind a nearby bush. Once the first photo was taken, Ataru would run across, throwing a few phamplets to bystanders. Here, Lum and Kao were supposed to take a bite at the same time. This still made Ataru red. Instinctively, he started to crush the phamplet against his torso.
"Oi, pal, calm down, it's almost ya turn, I'll take a good shot!" Only hearing the sound, Kao's father hoped Ataru was just eager. "Gotcha, they lookin' good!" He was talking about the photos.
A sweat drop dipped down on Ataru's face as he misinterpreted his comment. Before he could do anything, the man gave the jealous boy a tap in the back, indicating it was time to go. Ataru ran around Lum, throwing a few of the phamplets. Lum and Ataru gazed a few times.
Kao slowly started to walk again. Ataru was now even closer to Lum. He stayed on her side as much as he could. Sometimes skipping some couples that were on the other side. Kao's father raised an eyebrow. Lum was looking around a bit more, trying to meet Ataru's eyes and exchange a small waves when shecould. And the boy was doing the same. He smirked to himself. This circus kept going for a while, Lum didn't even try to start a chat with Kao this time. He couldn't care less as he pulled the stick and Lum again toward a bench.
"Spot two?" Lum asked, sitting on the bench. Her tone was a bit exasperated and playful.
"Yup." He sat almost on the opposite side of the bench. "Feed me," he then said.
"Excuse me?!" Lum almost let go of the cotton candy. Hopefully, he pulled on it a bit, indicating what he meant.
"Oh... right." Lum playfully placed the stick toward him, closing her eyes—like she would do for Ten. – That's how she coped with all that was going down. "...Say Aaaah.."
Ataru, who was back behind some bushes, stood up once he heard Lum say that. He was about to yell. He opened his mouth, ready to scream. – But Kao's father placed a hand on his shoulder.– For a second, he was ready to admit it was too much to bear. But he subconsciously stopped himself. What am I doing? Ataru thought It's not even a real date, so why...It felt so wrong. He couldn't consider that jealousy. His mind instinctively threw that idea away each time it returned. But he simply wished he didn't have to see that. It just felt wrong, the same way the idea of Mendo with Lum felt wrong back then. She shouldn't be with anyone else.
"Calm down, pal." He made Ataru turn towards him. "I gotcha, young love makes lads jealous, that's my bad, pal!" He laughed
"That's ridiculous; I'm not jea-" Instinctively, Ataru argued.
"I was like ya when I was a young lad in love!" He reminisced, "Couldn't admit it to her!" He stood up. "Acted all manly and uninterested!"
"That's not..." Was that how he acted? He never dared to give a serious thought to his changing feelings toward Lum. He was only doing what he could to keep a line between them. To keep his freedom. Nothing else, right?
"Keep ya excuse, pal." He laughed. "Just wanted to tell ya I get it. When ya a good liar, ya can even lie to yaself!" Ataru frowned and looked back to the bench, as if he was ignoring him. "But anyway, we're good, so we'll stop there, go tell 'em, "kay?" He gave Ataru a small wink, and he walked away, checking his camera.
"That's great, but I'm not in love with Lu-" Before Ataru could argue that everything was Lum's fault and that he didn't care, as always, he remembered what was about to happen. There was no time.
Meanwhile, Lum was basically following Kao as he knew the script. She had to make him eat for a whole minute to be sure the photos were taken. It felt really weird for Lum to feed this guy like that for so long. She knew it was fake, but still. Suddenly, Kao pushed back the stick.
"Your turn." He announced
Before Lum could say anything, he started to push the candy back toward her. Now that was karma. She had completely forgotten about this part. She was hoping Ataru would have intervened by now. But maybe it was too much. Playing with his feelings, expecting him to act like someone else. Would he have really run in the middle of the scene and yelled at Kao to "Let go of my wife!"? Probably not. Not yet, anyway. He was jealous, sure. But he knew it was a fake date. Why would he try to act? She really didn't think this through. That's not who Darling is. She felt bad. He probably was more hurt than anything, being jealous but not being able to act on it, only watching. And it wasn't as pleasurable as she hoped for either. Like a guillotine, she was ready to accept her fate as she opened her mouth. She would have hoped to do that with...
"Stop! Lum!" Ataru yelled, he took a normal stance before running out of the bushes to not look as desperate as he was. But his worried tone gave it away. H
"Darl..Ataru!" She completely ignored the coton candy, turning her head toward him.
"Don't start imagining things now, Lum." He knew what she was about to say. He'd rather not hear it, it made him feel weird. He pointed back at the owner, who was walking away, with his thumb. "He said we were done." He got in-between Lum and Kao and grabbed the Oni by the arm to pull her up.
"Sure, sure." She could see that the phamplets were a bit crumpled, and his face was still a bit red. She quickly stood up and grabbed his arm. "I'm glad we're back together!" She smiled.
"Shut up." His tone was supposed to be harsh, but you could hear a bit of warmth, as his comment was accompanied by a small chuckle.
"Good." Kao ate up the cotton candy in one sweep and stood up, walking back to the stand on his own. He gave the couple a hand gesture as a goodbye and threw back the hairband at Ataru in the process.
"What a weird guy." Ataru said, putting it back on.
"He wasn't a bother, at least." Lum shrugged. She quickly adjusted Ataru's hairband for him as he blushed.
The two started to follow Kao as they were aiming for their reward too.
Lum sighed as her forced smile vanished. "I'm sorry, I agreed to that."
"What for? I enjoyed my break more than anything." Ataru laughed. He did feel bad about it, but he'd rather see Lum smile than cry. But he was not ye ready to have such a deep and personal conversation with her. So he'd rather make a joke and get shocked for a bit if it ease her mind.
"Break of what?" She wasn't expecting this reaction.
"I could walk around without a clingy slowpoke slowing me down!" He teased. "What about you? You enjoyed it?"
"Mmph! Yes! It was a nice break too!" She pouted at his comment, but it quickly transformed into a smile as she approached her head to his. "Having a boyfriend who's actually romantic was great!" She teased back.
"Idiot, like I could do something about it"
"You should try!"
"You just don't get it!" Ataru's tone was somewhat more serious as he yelled that. His pace increased.
Lum caught back to him, grabbing his hand. She knew he was right. If the Oni's dream was to marry him, she had to understand him better. He's not just a shy guy who hates showing affection in public. She knows it's deeper than that. And instead of trying to understand, she played with his feelings. "Maybe not, but that is what those dates are for!" Her tone was full of warmth, trying to reassure him as well as herself.
He allowed Lum to grab his hand. "Heh, maybe after a hundred dates you will!" His phrasing didn't sound as condescending as he hoped, as she simply smiled wildly.
"I hope so!" She placed her head on his shoulder for a few seconds as she said it. He quickly pushed her away, but it didn't matter. "And I'm sure each one will be better than the last!"
"Stupid." Ataru sneered. A hundred dates with Lum... That was a lot. For it to happen, they'd need to spend a lot of time together. Ataru really disliked thinking so much about his future. Even more so now, since Lum would probably be in it. But was it possible? That he'd go on so many dates with her? Would she still be in love with him in 2 years? 10? Argh, who cares? Not my problem! I just have to enjoy the now!
Lum's smile didn't fade. As the couple walked back toward the stand. Without realizing it, Ataru wasn't hiding much anymore and was way more open about holding hands with Lum. Sure, the hairband wasn't helping, but he just felt more comfortable. Lum wasn't yelling at him, shocking him, or complaining that he didn't act like she wanted him to. He subconsciously thought about Shinobu while imagining this. She was the girl he wanted to love. He tried to think about how she would act if she was here instead of Lum. Maybe she'd have complained that Ataru didn't say anything when the owner took his hairband. But she may just fall for Kao's face too... Hey! Why.. why was he thinking like that? Ataru knew Shinobu since childhood, and he always thought he'd end up married to her. But now... things have changed. His heart isn't the same, neither is hers. And an Oni infiltrated it too. That's right, what about Lum? Although she obviously caused her relationship with Shinobu to decay, he still can't hate her, even if he tries a lot. He didn't get why she was here or why she even loved him. It was easy with Shinobu; they were childhood friends, and always together, they quickly started dating. But Lum? Sure, she said some kind stuff on the boat ride earlier, but still. Shinobu did the same, but she was ready to abandon Ataru for Rei soon after promising to marry him, and even let him die. He wondered what was the limit of Lum's love for him. If she'd give up on it easily too if a "better darling" came around. His mind asked the next logical question; How would he react if this happened? Ataru shook his head. No need to thinks about such things now.
Lum and Ataru arrived back at the stand, and the owner waved at them before handing them a single cotton candy.
"Hey! You said we'd get two!" Ataru complained.
"Sorry, pal. I can't use those photos after all. And ya didn't even finish the course!" He shrugged, giving Ataru a small wink. "So you only get half of ya prize."
"The photos?" Lum pondered. Those embarrassing ones with Kao? Well, she didn't mind. Ataru didn't either, as he didn't feel like arguing about it after all. But it's true they never finished the intended path. Lum wondered why.
"Whatever, at least we got a free one." Ataru, hid his dicontent and shrugged it off as he grabbed the cotton.
"That's the spirit! If ya come back, I'll give ya a discount on the house, pall!"
"Ah, thanks." Ataru stared at him with a small smile. "Let's go, Lum!" He then exclaimed. She quickly grabbed his hand, and the two went on their way, Lum giving the owner and Kao a big wave as they answered with a similar gesture.
"Scammed!" Ataru groaned as he took a bite of the candy.
"Hey, Ataru-"
"All of this for only one?" He continued, taking another bite.
"Ataru, pass me the cott-"
"He acted all kind, but he was just one sneaky, greedy bast-" He was about to take yet another bite.
"ATARU!" Lum finally yelled.
"What do you want?"
"Give it to me!" She pointed to the cotton candy. "I worked for it too!"
"No need to yell, here!" Annoyed by Lum screaming out of nowhere, he kept a firm grasp on the stick as he tilted it toward her. Awaiting for the Oni to take a bit.
Lum eyes widened, and an enormous smile appeared, Darling... She didn't dare to comment and simply opened her mouth, taking a bite out of the cotton candy. Ataru was looking straight ahead, but she could see him blush a little. She wasn't sure if he was aware of what he did or if he did it without even thinking. But she was certain it made the cotton candy taste even better.
"Thank you, Darling."