A date? As in...a date date? Is she...?

O-Okay, calm down, I...I have to respond properly, it's the least I owe her after everything we've been through. Just take a breath, compose yourself, and answer her.

"I'll admit, I...I wasn't expecting that, you kinda took me by surprise," I began, doing my best to stay calm.

"I-I'm sorry...I didn't mean to spring this on you like this, b-but, I-I just...," She muttered, her voice quiet and a bit shaky.

"Hey, it's okay, there's nothing you need to apologize for...come on, just relax, you don't have to be so nervous," I assured her, patting her head softly before adding, "And to answer your question...yeah, I'd absolutely love to go on a date with you, Aria, so my answer is a yes. But I-..."

"Uh-oh...," She responded quietly, with a look of dread on her face.

"Don't worry, it's not a bad 'but', it's just, well...I wanted to ask, what exactly you had in mind? Like, how would this be different from our usual hangouts? Because, technically speaking, haven't we been on a ton of dates together already?" I pointed out.

If the definition of a date is just two people hanging out together alone, I'm not sure how this'll be any different.

"Huh? N-No, I don't think so...I think what makes the difference is intent. Otherwise, wouldn't every single time I've been alone with another person count as a date?" She replied after a brief pause.

"Yeah, fair enough."

"S-So, um...just to confirm, it is a yes, isn't it?" She asked me.

"Mhm, it sure is. Let's do it," I nodded with a smile, before adding, "So, what's the plan? When and where do you have in mind?"

Her expression brightened as she raised her head and met my gaze. She still looked a bit nervous and awkward, but there was an excited gleam in her eyes.

"Well, I've never been on a date before, so I looked it up a bunch. And I basically want to do what we did today, a home date.

Ee'll probably attract a lot of attention if we went out somewhere, after all and that'd definitely make me a lot more nervous, so I figured this is a safer bet.

Plus, it's more comfy when we hang out indoors than go out somewhere, and we can act freely with each other since there's no one else around. I'd feel way more self-conscious if there were a bunch of people staring," She admitted sheepishly.

Yeah, we'll definitely get a lot of attention. We have hung out in public plenty of times before, and people stare, some even take pics, which is annoying and kinda uncomfortable.

I've even seen people on social media shipping up and stuff, which feels...really, really weird.

Like, I get shipping fictional characters, but I've never done that with real life people. It just feels, I don't know, kinda icky to me.

It's, like, it's none of my business, you know?

But it's different with fictional characters since, you know, they're not real. It's a story made up by someone else, and hoping that elements of a story you're following to go in a certain direction is pretty normal, if you ask me.

"I mean, I think that's only natural, anyone would feel awkward if they had a bunch of strangers staring at them," I replied with a smile.

"Yeah, ever since our promotion to X-Ace Rank, it's been a pain hanging out outside, we get way too much attention," She sighed in exasperation.

"Mhm, I've been staying indoors a lot more in general these days, I dread going out in public at this point. Maybe we should invest in some disguises, like wigs and colored contact lenses," I suggested thoughtfully.

"Oh, that sounds like fun!" She grinned as she met my gaze, my heart skipping a beat.

Her face is so close...we're really pressed up against each other, I was distracted by us talking, but I'm feeling super conscious of it right now.

Her soft, smooth skin and the warmth of her body, it feels so...comforting. Also, admittedly...arousing.

"Anyway, uh...when should we have our date? And at your place or mine?" I asked her.

"Well, since I made the request, let's do it here. As for when...is tomorrow night okay?" She suggested nervously.

"Sounds good, tomorrow night it is, then. What's the plan, do you have anything in particular in mind for what we'll do?"

"Hm...I think I'll keep that to myself, you'll find out soon enough, after all. Yeah, it's a secret," She smiled, as she peeked up at me.

She then let out a slight, startled squeal as I reached up and ruffled her hair in an effort to stay calm, my nerves easing as she giggled.

"Alright, then, I'm looking forward to it," I replied, as I composed myself.

Tomorrow night, huh?

This won't be the same as our previous hangouts...it isn't simply a matter of labelling it a date, there's a lot more to it than that.

There's going to need to be a conversation had tomorrow night, and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't nervous.

But I won't disregard this or take it lightly.

Aria means a lot to me, she's without a doubt the person I'm closest to, I can't understate the respect, gratitude and affection I have for her, I genuinely cherish her.

So, I'll meet her openly and honestly, anything less would be disrespectful given all that we've been through together.

<I'm glad to hear it, you've been neglecting to address this matter for quite a while>

<So, it's good that you've finally decided to face it>

Yeah, it's long overdue, so I-...

"Kai? You okay?"

"Huh? Uh, yeah, I'm good, just got lost in thought for a moment. Anyway, what do you wanna do for the rest of today?"

"Um...for now, could we just stay like this a bit longer?" She mumbled, as she buried her face in my chest.

"Yeah, alright," I smiled, as I gently stroked the back of her head.

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