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"Look how clear the sky is," said Hitomi, pointing upwards as she walked along the pier. The bangle clunked against her wrist, falling down to her elbow as her arm raised upright. "The stars look so bright."
Date stifled a laugh, because the whole thing was too romantic, so cheesy and clichéd. Sure, he was the one who'd been inviting her all over, but even so...
They'd gone everywhere. All the places they used to, before this fiasco and that fiasco and all the fallout. Amusement parks, the zoo, the whole shebang. Usually, it was with Iris and/or Mizuki in tow, but Iris had some gaming tournament or other scheduled for today and Mizuki naturally wanted to watch. So it was just the two of them, alone with the moon on the horizon and six years' worth of silence.
It didn't feel bad, despite the ache of slight longing. The cold wind made Date realize how hot his face was getting, and he wondered if Hitomi was having the same problem. She was still looking up expectantly at the cosmos, as if waiting for them to whisper some arcane secrets. Date squinted at the same sky with his prosthetic. It was at uncertain times like these, having to navigate the uncharted waters of conversation, that made him really start to wish Aiba was here.
"Can you see any constellations?" He asked. She tittered in response.
"I'm no astrology teacher."
"You don't have to be. Just say what it looks like to you."
Hitomi stared off into the distance, making a hum of thought. The moonlight hit her hair, turning her brunette locks almost silver at the edges. Radiant wasn't typically the first word that came to mind when Date saw an attractive woman, but right now, anything else would feel inadequate.
She rocked on the tips of her toes, trying to decide. "Mmm... it kind of looks like a potted plant."
Date raised an eyebrow. "A whole sky full of possibilities and you want to tell me it's a potted plant."
"What do you see, then, O wise one?" Hitomi asked, her mouth open in a half-indignant laugh.
"An eye, winking down." he replied.
She sighed light-heartedly, as if she didn't know what she expected. "You sound like Iris! Do you think there's something out there, watching us?"
"Right now? I sure hope not."
He took her chin in his hand and tilted her face towards his. After a moment of surprise, Hitomi relaxed and leaned in, letting their lips entwine. It reminded Date of the first time they met. Her wide doe-eyes and quivering lips hadn't aged a day since then. Sometimes she looked as though she was trapped in time, scarred by the endless isolation of her past.
(He wanted to give her the present.)
Eventually, they parted for air, after letting the kiss linger for far longer than necessary. Hitomi looked up coyly with a wobbly, flustered grin. It was a far cry from her usual, demure smile - an expression reserved for him.
"You have no idea how long I've waited to be able to do this..."
Date knew. Oh, he knew. He didn't want to make her wait any longer. The years of solitude she'd endured, losing almost everyone important to her... and he was partly at fault for a few of those losses. He had to give everything for her, even out the score.
There was barely time to breathe as their bodies met again, daring to get closer with each meeting of their lips. It was all too fast, them rushing to savor the taste of the other, as if expecting fate to sever them once more. Date's hands were clumsy, not as small and nimble as they were.
The reminder sickened him.
He'd thought himself a lonely bachelor of 30, and played the part accordingly. Many a night was spent in front of a screen, indulging in a body he thought he could trust implicitly—his own.
Disgusting...
Hitomi must have felt the way his muscles tensed up. Her creamy brown eyes welled up with concern.
"Are you okay?" She whispered.
"Yeah." He nodded. "You're here, so of course."
"We- we don't have to do this if you don't want to," she assured him. Date shook his head a little too quickly.
"I want to. So damn much."
Her face flushed a little as she tucked a stray hair behind her ear. "We should get out of the cold."
She receded back into the car, and the sudden loss of her warmth pained him. He craved her back in his arms, in that insatiable way exclusive to lovers. Her body, her smile, everything. When she was around, neither Falco nor Saito defined him. He wanted to be how he felt when he was with her.
This feeling was so overwhelming, this amount of affection, to the point he didn't know how to deal with it. His old, musty brain hadn't experienced such a rush in god knows how many years.
She guided him into the backseat. Date shut the door behind them and glanced back at Hitomi to check if she was still eager. She was looking at him again, with that look like she might crumble if he didn't come and hold her together.
He obliged.
"Shouldn't we take this back to your place?" Date huffed out between kisses. "Feels like- like you're too classy for this."
Hitomi stared up at him, plaintive. "Date, are you really going to make me wait after getting me worked up like this?"
"No." He replied immediately. "No, I'm not."
They kissed so much it was starting to leave them breathless. Hitomi leaned further back in her seat, trying to regain her composure. She looked at him, coyly tugging at the bottom of her sweater.
"It'll be faster if you get it," she said, and damn if that wasn't an instant K.O to Date's heart. With nervous fingers, he raised the sweater over Hitomi's head, being mindful of her arm. The head rest cushioned her as he wrestled with the fabric, his palms getting sweatier than he would have liked.
That was all blown away when he looked at Hitomi. Without the top he could see smooth skin, the lines of her collarbone dipping in gracefully at her neck, the modest curvature of her breasts.
"Hey... no need to ogle..." Hitomi said, self-conscious.
"I'm not ogling," insisted Date. "I'm appreciating."
"Appreciate away, then," She giggled.
They moved closer again, Date's hands caressing any free spot of skin he could find. Her little gasps punctuated the evening silence as the windows fogged with their ragged breaths. She pulled him in, pressing soft kisses to his neck. She was gentle, and she was fiery, and she was everything he'd ever wanted.
So as they shared in each others' warmth, he found himself wondering. He'd hurt her so badly, for so long. Was it really okay? Was he even still the person Hitomi desired, or was she enamored with a shadow? Would she call for Falco in the night?
His grip tightened, making Hitomi twitch under him.
"Date—" She cried, biting her lip to keep her words from spilling out.
"Hitomi," replied Date. He meant to be reassuring, but the hoarseness of his voice gave him away. She had that way of breaking him out of his funks - bringing him back to his identity when his sense of self was about to fly off somewhere.
Hitomi gave a nervous laugh, reaching up to pull his face closer. "Am I really bad at this?"
"I just love you so goddamn much." said Date, savouring the warmth from their aligned foreheads.
"Oh, stop," She whimpered. "I'll get emotional."
"Heh, sorry." He couldn't help the wry smile that cracked his face.
Hitomi cupped his cheek in her hand. He leaned into her touch as if she was the sole source of warmth in the world and he was dying of cold.
"Don't worry, Date. I'll make you feel so good, you'll forget about everything."
"That's quite a promise." It sounded like a challenge, even. "Then, I'll make you feel twice as good."
Hitomi hummed. "Oh, I have to doubt that... I have memory on my side. I know what you want."
Date felt the tips of his ears redden. "Oh? Feel free to enlighten me."
Her eyes glinted in the limited light.
After half-heartedly attempting to freshen up, Date and Hitomi went outside one last time to stretch out their cramped limbs. It was far darker outside than it had any right to be. God, did they really go at it for that long?
Date leaned against the hood of the car as Hitomi checked her phone. He idly wondered if this was the time one was expected to have a cigarette or something, even though he wasn't a smoker.
"Sorry for... um, getting a little carried away there." She kept facing the screen, eyes flitting to the side. "I... always envisioned that being a tad more romantic."
Date smirked back. "Well, tell me the details and we can do that next time."
"You...!" Hitomi ambushed his back with a weak parody of a slap. "Please have some decorum, Date."
"You didn't have much of that yourself back in the car."
"Oh, hush!"
She continued scrolling, as if to distract him from the heat rising from her face. That aloof side of her was cute too, though.
A sharp inhale from Hitomi had Date's head turning towards her. He looked at her quizzically, to which she enthusiastically thrust her phone at him. "Date, look!"
His eyes skimmed the article on the screen. It was from some geeky website he didn't recognize. "A-Set Takes First Place in Shovelforge Tournament."
"She did it!" Hitomi chirped. He could practically feel the pride welling up in her chest for himself. "I should take the girls out for something good to eat as a surprise."
"I think they'd like that." He gave her a peck on the cheek. She seemed taken aback, and Date was as well. He'd never been the type to be openly affectionate with anyone, but with Hitomi he just couldn't keep his hands off her.
A yawn bubbled up in his throat, escaping out despite his attempt to muffle it. It spread to Hitomi a few moments later, and they both shot a glance at each other and laughed.
"Well, as much as I'd like to stay out here with you," Hitomi said, "We have girls to congratulate."
"That we do," nodded Date, holding open the door for her.