August 7th/ Beautiful World/ PG-13/ Ended!

[nezumi]

Characters: Kenji Takuto and Asuka Tomoe's first date! (2.0)
Time: 7:18 P.M.
Location: Large bookstore off campus.


Shouldering open the door, Kenji stepped out into the October chill for the second time that night. He rubbed his hands together, hoping to create some kind of warming friction, and blew hot air between them. He did this several times with no avail, earning him curious glances from passersby. The blue-haired boy gave up, stuffing his hands back into his pockets and making a face at his shoelaces.

He was nervous -- that much was painfully obvious -- about the night ahead of him. Almost half a week ago, Kenji had asked Asuka Tomoe out on a "proper date," but, while he was lying in bed not even six hours after asking her, it dawned on the teen that he had no idea what dating someone entailed. Even though he had convinced himself that he had figured out a near-perfect idea, now, he wasn't so sure.

The girl had told him that she loved to read, and pointed out the books he had in his backpack in the coffee shop that day -- which he still hadn't finished reading, replacing the time it would have taken him with something that he deemed much more important. She had also told Kenji that she wanted to hear him play guitar.

All of the time Kenji hadn't spent in classes or practice, he had devoted to thinking up the perfect song to sing for her. Which, surprisingly, took more effort than he had originally believed. The boy didn't want to sound incredibly sappy, nor did he want to play something without feeling. Two days ago, he stumbled upon the perfect song accidentally while browsing for sheet music online. Granted, he had never heard of the band before -- some American group with an odd name -- and the song required something akin to sleigh bells, Kenji didn't care. Reading the first few lines, he knew it was near perfect.

He checked the clock on his phone, waiting -- 7:23 P.M. Considering Kenji wasn't allowed to enter the girl's dorms -- especially at night -- he and Asuka had agreed to meet in the small courtyard just outside of the bookstore. He had hoped for the night to be a bit of a surprise -- and, if he could pull it off, it might even be regarded as a great date. Though, Kenji didn't know what Asuka's qualifications for a 'great date' were, or if he could pull it off, for that matter.

The bluish-haired boy hummed the song, lifting his gaze to the sea of people around him, hoping to spot Asuka, but he couldn't see her quite yet. Had she decided against coming? Was Kenji being stood up on his first date? He blinked a few times -- the harsh air drying his eyes quickly. Kenji checked the time again -- 7:29 P.M. What he expected to achieve by making himself more nervous was a lost art -- he was over-analyzing a one-minute time gap.

Breathing a heavy sigh, Kenji forced himself to let go of his doubts. Asuka had agreed to this date, and, despite knowing very little about her personality or habits, Kenji looked through the crowd -- unconsciously bringing his hands out to warm them again -- for the beautiful girl with red glasses that he was going to fall in love with.

[false]

Asuka waved over her shoulder, a silent farewell to her only friend, Chiaki, with whom she'd spent the better part of the afternoon. Her friend, who somehow thought it okay to waltz right into the girl's dorm, agonized over what she was going to wear - should she go a tad sluttier than usual? Dressier? Cuter? Stay the same? Asuka responded to most of these with a sigh, a shake of her head. While changing herself was an attractive prospect, Kenji was the type to see through it right away. She sighed. Why the fuck did he ask me to do this, again? It was friday and her date with Kenji was coming up; it'd loomed over her head for days and there was no escaping it now. Not without hurting his feelings or disappointing herself.

It was seven-fifteen. Fuck.

Asuka's footsteps pounded against the pavement, the easy pace she'd taken out of the dormitory accelerating into a moderate fast-walk. It was cold out, almost unbearably cold, the blue scarf around her neck and the white, fluffy-hooded jacket she'd chosen only partially effective in keeping in her warmth. It was seven thirty and Asuka thanked god that Kenji had chosen somewhere indoors, though she was still a few minutes away from reaching the rendezvous point. Fuck, she was late.

It was seven thirty five when Asuka made it to the courtyard, bolting through the milling crowd in order to reach Kenji. He was hardly difficult to spot, what with being six feet tall in a country where the bar was set far below; but then again the same could be said about herself. Some of the more eloquent asswipes she'd met referred to her as something along the lines of an Amazoness; this train of thought was normally unfounded since she rarely physically harmed others. Sometimes she did, and at that point, eloquence was thrown to the wind - 'that bitch' stealing its spotlight.

Asuka dispelled these thoughts from her mind, trying in vain to fix her hair that the wind had decided to mangle. It was time to focus on her date - his date, their date - that she would inevitably fuck up. That was her greatest skill, wasn't it? "Shit!" she exclaimed, coming out louder than she'd intended. Out of breath, her nerves were nagging her lungs to man up and fucking respire.

Kenji's face was red against the cold air, and he was rubbing his hands together; just how long had he waited outside for her? "Kenji, I'm sorry I'm late." Asuka's breaths lost their raspy, desperate quality, and composure came with their return. "Have you been waiting long?"

[nezumi]

Kenji's eyes locked on to the girl as soon as she came in to view. To anyone else, something like that would have been stupid -- there wasn't anything particular about Asuka that would distinguish her from another face in the crowd -- but to Kenji, she was the only person he could see, the others were just blank faces.

The boy grinned, stuffing his hands back in to his jacket pockets.

Asuka seemed a bit out of breath as she approached him. Her cheeks were tinged pink as well, be it from the cold or some form of embarrassment that Kenji didn't recognize immediately.

"Kenji, I'm sorry I'm late." Asuka breathed, looking up at him. "Have you been waiting long?"

He shook his head, playing with a loose guitar pick in his pocket, not trusting his voice at the moment. Asuka's sudden appearance had knocked the breath from his lungs. That, admittedly, sounded a little bit stupid as well, but the girl did funny things to his heart, made his stomach flip. Kenji had never felt the tell-tale feelings of "love" before, but, from what he had read, this was what he was feeling.

"Nah, not long," Kenji said, shrugging noncommittally. Looking down at the bluish-haired girl, his smile widened. "You look great, by the way,"

The was true. Kenji was glad she hadn't felt the need to dress to the nines for their date. His old jeans and tattered jacket -- even his scarf -- didn't exactly scream "fashionably-conscious," but, then again, Asuka didn't seem like the kind of person that looked down on someone for wearing jeans will holes in them.

He blinked, bringing himself back from the clouds again. Kenji turned to stand next to Asuka, his hand moving take hers. The girl's finger's were still as icy as Kenji recalled, but her palms were warm. He laced their fingers together -- two of hers making up only one of his -- and squeezed lightly, tugging her in the direction of the door.

"Come on," he said, nodding toward the bookstore. "This probably won't go down in the history of best dates, and I'm not that creative, so, before it starts, I'm sorry if it's a disappointment." He shrugged a shoulder, honesty wasn't hard for Kenji, but telling Asuka that she may be less than satisfied with their first date was harder than he'd expected.

[false]

Kenji shrugged off Asuka's apology, claiming to have not been there long, throwing in a compliment for good measure. Though it was normal for a smitten boy to sometimes spew his thoughts out into the real world, it still caught her off guard. People never talked to her like that. People never looked at her without malice. This was relevant to the world at large, though there were a few exceptions. Kenji was one of them.

Asuka smiled, responding with something equally ineloquent but completely true. "You look nice, too." His clothes were nothing special - tattered, haggard, even - but they flattered him in a way that was hard to describe. Maybe it was the smile, so boy-scoutish and honest. Honesty was a quality not often found in human beings, but it was the one that she desired most. At any rate, their outfits resonated with the same casual indifference in the face of fashion; that was okay, they looked pretty good together. She'd assume so, anyway.

Surreptitiously, Kenji slid his hand right next to hers, sliding his fingers in between her own. Asuka's fingers acted on instinct, lacing together with his like the teeth of a zipper. Fuck. Sudden contact was unwanted in any form - contact in general - was something to be loathed. Close proximity brought fondness, fondness brought attachment, attachment brought love, and love brought heartache. "Don't," Asuka said, with a note of finality and harshness. I'm not ready for this. Wrenching herself from his grasp, she looked bleakly at the hand that he'd touched, memories of Kenji's coarse warmth kept inside of the upper layer of their skin.

He was saying something about their date, apologizing in advance just in case it ended up being shitty. How ridiculous. I have nothing to compare it to. Asuka's eyes met his and she forgot why she'd been pissed off, if only for a instant. "...sorry." Her hands returned to her sides, and her face returned to its usual deadpan. "I'm sure whatever you've got planned is fine. Lead the way."

[nezumi]

For the brief moment that their fingers laced together, Kenji could feel the nervousness in his gut slip away, melt into nothingness. The blissful feeling of impulsive actions accepted by someone washed over him slowly. A lazy grin on his face as he turned away from her, but then, her hand was gone.

"Don't," Asuka's voice was dissonant, tugging at Kenji's heart. Asuka's eyes were no longer on him either, instead, she was peering at her hand like Kenji had burned her.

The bluish-haired boy opened his mouth, about to ask Asuka what he did, but the question caught in his throat as her eyes met his again. It only lasted for a second, and Kenji couldn't be sure that it wasn't his mind playing tricks on him, but Asuka looked hurt, the boy might have gone so far as to say she looked upset.

"...sorry." All traces of emotion were gone as Asuka placed her hands back at her sides. "I'm sure whatever you've got planned is fine. Lead the way."

Kenji forced a small smile, shaking his head to dismiss her apology. He didn't quite have the girl figured out, and that was alright with him, really, but her sudden reaction had confused him. Kenji was normally extremely skilled at picking up on the subtle, barely-noticeable things about people, but Asuka was different.

During their first meeting, Asuka had spoken a lot, but said very little about herself, opting to tell Kenji about himself instead. She had said she liked mysteries, a play by the name of "Beauty and the Beast" that Kenji had purposefully looked up, and watched the animated movie version, in case the topic came up again. He usually hated to force conversation, but the boy liked to understand things about people.

Asuka especially.

His hand -- that had been holding Asuka's -- gripped the door handle. Now or never. Without finishing his thought, Kenji pulled open the door, sweeping his hand through the air and smiling a cheesy smile. Kenji had never tried outright to make someone laugh before. At that moment, though, he would accept a small smile or chuckle.

The girl walked around him, into the store, and he followed closely behind her. The warmth of the indoors enveloped Kenji in a second, wrapping him up blanket and comforting him immediately. He was still incredibly nervous, but looking down at Asuka again, bits and pieces of it floated away ever second he was in her presence.

"This is might be an odd first date, but I have something planned," Kenji said, his lips quirking upwards again. "You said you wanted to hear me play, and I had a..." he waved his hand vaguely in the direction of the café area of the bookstore, searching for the right word to describe the situation. "Agig planned for tonight. Hope it's okay that I won't only be playing for you, but I saved you a seat up front."

Kenji didn't give her an opportunity to object -- purely because, if he did, he was sure she would tell him that it was a dumb idea, or something equally... He didn't know the word. The boy already knew that this date had no real plan, and that any other girl would be upset at the lack of intimacy. He wasn't sure how to plan a fun date, never having been on one, and he hoped beyond hope that what he had in mind would be alright.

The bluish-haired boy ushered her in the direction of the makeshift stage the manager had set up, pointing out a chair up front and walking her over to it. "Don't hate me after this, alright?" Kenji told her, leaning in to whisper to her over the chatter and giving Asuka a lopsided grin.

His heart was beating hard as he stepped up on to the stage, introduced himself and, after a moment, began to play. The first few songs were nothing special, not particularly aimed at anyone, but, when Kenji ended his last upbeat song, he looked straight at Asuka and smiled.

The microphone close to his mouth, Kenji said, "This last one's for a beautiful girl that hit me with a door, then agreed to go out with me -- she wanted to hear me sing." his cheeky smile was back. A few people in the small crowd 'awww'-ed, but Kenji ignored them, launching right in to the song.

It lacked the sleigh bells the original song needed in the beginning, but Kenji figured his rendition would be alright.

"I'm in a book,
for you to read and then throw out.
I wasn't born,
I was just dropped into your arms.
Well mom I've been bad,
and I want to come home."

The song went on smoothly from there until the end, and, after letting the last note echo through the room, Kenji stood up, smiled, and stepped off of the stage, dropping himself into the seat next to Asuka's, the lopsided grin still playing at his lips.


(Here is your novel :3 And the song is "Bookworm" by Margot and the Nuclear So and So's! My brain hurts dskfhsdkf)

[false]

The wheels inside Kenji’s head were very obviously turning as he smiled back at her, brushing off her apology as if her sudden outburst had been completely trivial, not strange in the slightest. No, that was a lie - he was weirded out by it, but had no idea how to probe any further as to why she’d reacted to his touch. Asuka could only hope that he was sufficiently confused by the mixed signals he’d been given, instinctive compliance and subsequent refusal. If he was confused, he’d give up and leave; it would be easier that way. Emotional attachment was something to be loathed but she knew she lacked the strength to fully push him away on her own.

Like a prince straight out of a corny Disney movie, Kenji opened the door and swept his arm inside, a cheesy but alluring smile on his face. Asuka couldn’t hold back the smile on her face as she entered, couldn’t help the fresh wave of butterflies that slammed against the back of her ribcage. Oh, god.

”This is might be an odd first date, but I have something planned,” Kenji said, lips quirking upward a little. ”You said you wanted to hear me play, and I had a….” He waved his hand at the cafe around him, trailing off in search of the correct word to use. ”A gig planned for tonight. Hope it’s okay that I won’t only be playing for you, but I saved you a seat up front.”

Asuka blinked for a moment, the full weight of these words settling down on her shoulders. He’s going to play? Oh, god. He walked away from her before she had a chance to say anything; though at this point her words were failing her, their place taken by imaginings of Kenji on stage, singing his heart out, playing his heart out. The butterflies returned - musicians who were kind and non-egotistical were so alluring, so very irresistible. Damn it. She wasn’t sure whether to smile or to frown as she made her way to the seat in front, crossing her legs as she found her way onto the cushion.

Kenji grinned lopsidedly, whispering, “Don’t hate me after this, alright?” into her ear before making his way onto the stage. As he introduced himself, Asuka blushed a little bit; something about hearing him speak his own name made the butterflies come back. How could I hate you? He was too perfect, too harmless. The guitar that he’d procured from out of nowhere fit into his hands perfectly, an extension of his physical being.

The notes that came from Kenji sounded as though they’d descended from heaven itself - the urge to swoon like a vacuous fangirl drone was paramount and it took a monumental effort to keep it to a minimum, a wave of goosebumps, shortness of breath. He was quite possibly the strangest boy she had ever met, but that was his charm - he was an unreadable book in a sea of dull, awful people. It was his simplicity that made him an enigma; it was his sincerity that made him irresistible. His performance was largely a blur, though the parts she remembered fit with her own personal music taste perfectly.

Kenji’s smile at the end spawned a blush that was so intense that Asuka thought her cheeks were going to go up in flames. Fuck. She was acting like a smitten little schoolgirl but it was impossible to be anything else; he’d already snaked his way underneath her skin and was en route to her heart. This is bad. The lyrics from his last song, already memorized, reached a fever pitch inside her head as he sat back down next to her. She could see that he was still grinning from the corner of her eye - God, he’s so handsome.

“Kenji… I…” Asuka turned her head to face him, losing track of her sentence as their eyes met again. They were so strikingly gray that the idea of looking anywhere else was ridiculous. “That was incredible… I.. I don’t even know what to say… But why would you.. How could you play that beautifully for a girl you hardly know?”

[nezumi]

Before he sat down, out of the corner of Kenji's eye, he saw Asuka blush fiercely, but, for what reason, Kenji couldn't pin point. She looked cute, though, her cheeks painted red. It almost matched her glasses. Kenji's smile grew just looking at her. The boy had slumped down in his chair, his throat nearly raw from singing so much in one sitting. His last show had been almost a month ago, and with school and homework, Kenji hardly had time to practice.

The was a lie. He'd practiced his last song for a long time, making sure it was near perfect when he performed for her. She deserved to smile the way she had while he had been playing. And, if his playing had brought that on, then Kenji would make sure he sang for her every day.

“Kenji… I…” Asuka turned in her chair to look at him, their eyes catching. Asuka grew silent, though she recovered quickly “That was incredible… I.. I don’t even know what to say… But why would you... How could you play that beautifully for a girl you hardly know?”

He smiled again, shrugging a shoulder and clearing his throat, praying his voice wouldn't crack pre-pubescently when he spoke. "A beautiful song for a beautiful girl -- it felt fair, in my opinion, to thank you for agreeing to come out with me." Kenji hadn't meant for it to come out sounding cheeky, but Kenji believed, somewhat subconsciously, he had spoken in that tone to see Asuka's reaction to being called beautiful so openly. "And you said you'd wanted to hear me play. Sorry it was to end a set, though, I'll play for only you next time, I promise."

That was another thing he believed needed to happen more often. Kenji wanted to tell Asuka how he felt about her -- truthfully, without hiding a single thing from her, because, with Asuka, there was no point in hiding things -- but, the fact that it was only their first date stopped Kenji in his metaphorical tracks. If holding her hand had been too forward in her opinion, spilling his guts was a quick sprint in the wrong direction.

"Are you hungry?" Kenji asked, tilting his head a bit. He chuckled lightly, tacking something on to his question. "Truth be told -- and this would be another thing worthy of annoyance -- but I hadn't really planned much for after the show."

[false]

Asuka was under the impression that she was dreaming, that she’d wake up in her dorm room the next morning, still flustered over a boy that she’d dreamt up over the course of a night, a figment of her own imagination; if only it were that easy. Kenji felt far too real as he sat next to her, smiling, calling her beautiful in a cheeky, roundabout manner. She was still blushing, she could feel the lines of scarlet burning above her cheek. Stop this, Asuka, she told herself, you know that you’re anything but.

"And you said you'd wanted to hear me play. Sorry it was to end a set, though, I'll play for only you next time, I promise."

I’d love that. “U-uh, no, it’s quite alright,” Asuka said, fidgeting slightly in her seat. What was she supposed to say, here? Spill it all out? No, I can’t do that. She doubted that Kenji had grasped how everything about him hurled her out of her comfort zone, into uncharted waters where she could do nothing but tread water and hope for the best. “It doesn’t matter where you play, it was lovely, regardless of venue.” She withheld the last part – how she had no idea how she would react to a concert in private, a serenade. Would she collapse? Explode? Cry at his sincerity? Likely a combination of all three, she thought as she played with her hair again, her favourite nervous habit.

I’m always hungry. “Kind of,” she allowed, heart aflutter at the way his gorgeous grey eyes had closed ever so slightly as he chuckled. “And it’s okay, the show was... it was more than enough.” Asuka resisted the urge to hum the tune of one of the songs he’d played – every note, every lyric burned into her brain for all eternity. “We can wing it." She smirked as she reached over and took his hand in hers, beating back the part of her that told her to stop, give up, this would only end in ruin. His hand was exactly as she'd remembered - warm, coarse, unyielding yet kind in a way that words could not express. And in all honesty, that was exactly what she wanted.

[nezumi]

Asuka was blushing still, a look Kenji believed he would never be completely used to no matter how much time he spent with her. It suited her. She looked happy to be there, or maybe just happy to be with him? He would never really know, though, truth be told, he was afraid of getting the former as an answer.

“U-uh, no, it’s quite alright,” Asuka said, fidgeting in her seat. Kenji smiled again, watching the flustered girl. “It doesn’t matter where you play, it was lovely, regardless of venue.”

He took the compliment with a shy 'thank you,' glad the she'd enjoyed it as much as Kenji had enjoyed playing for her. Her eyes had lit up while she watched him -- and he watched her, ignoring the rest of the crowd that had showed up for him. His mother hadn't been there, and that was a little disappointing, but Kenji brushed it off -- Asuka looked happy, not just smiling but happy, for the first time since they had met and that was really all that mattered to him that night.

If it somehow come out that Kenji had caused that... He would be the happiest guy on earth.

The girl played with her hair, her eyes on him, but not exactly looking at him. Her mind seemed far away for a long moment. Kenji looked at her, not just admiring her beauty, but her demeanor as well. He was beginning to believe that he was falling for the way Asuka carried herself on top of everything else there was about her worthy of falling for.

None of this would ever make sense if said out loud, though, which was the reason he was almost glad he couldn't bring himself to tell Asuka exactly how he felt during their outing. He wanted to, he wanted her to know more than he could express, but, for the hundredth time since meeting her, she'd stolen Kenji's words from him.

“Kind of,” Asuka finally answered him, “And it’s okay, the show was... it was more than enough. We can wing it." She told him, a smirk crossing her features as she reached over and slipped her hand in to Kenji's again. His heart slammed against his ribs, a grin taking the place of his earlier smile.

He stood from his chair, gently pulling Asuka with him to her feet as well. Kenji locked their fingers together again, hoping beyond hope that she wouldn't pull away again. The boy stood there, looking down at her, for a second before speaking. "When I said 'I promise,' I meant that completely," he said, his voice low enough for only Asuka to hear. "I'll play for only you next time, Asuka."

The dark-haired boy squeezed her hand again, gently. After the first time, Kenji could tell that doing that so spontaneously was a big step for Asuka, and the fact that she'd taken that step for him made Kenji unbelievably, incredibly happy.


END.