The Equation of Hearts

√𝙲𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝟹𝟻ﮩ٨ـﮩﮩ٨ـﮩ٨ـﮩ

She was in a changing room in a white and gold dress. Southern Asian in origin which was clear by the state of the small changing room. The size of the store alone was just about smaller than a changing room in the stores Athena usually visited. But she did a spin in the dress. Even something as tacky and glitzy as what she was wearing, she made it look good. She left the changing room and felt the eyes of Irū on her, glazing her figure and assessing the look. It would have been the third dress she tried on. And at last, she nodded. "It's good. I'll fix her scarf but it's good." She affirmed to Kato who was buying it for her. He looked back at her after talking to the woman who offered it, he was speaking another language entirely. Athena didn't know he was able to speak another language, but he was talking effortlessly, and even cracking jokes apparently, as the clerk was laughing occasionally and Irū offered an amused hum.

"Is it good?" The clerk asked, she had a thick accent.

"Yes-"

"Do you have it in other colours? I'd rather it in black and dark red-" Athena wanted to match with Kato.

"No they don't." Irū smiled, it was a firm rejection and still graceful enough for Athena to not realise that Irū had blatantly caught on and was disregarding her request.

The dress was bought and Athena realised that both Kato and Irū were still soaking, but ready to go out into that weather. With how Kato rested against her, she was more dry than they were, but she would be more wet by the end of it. She was aware as Kato pulled her along in the rain and carried the bag of her original clothes in his free hand.

"Are you sure you both won't get sick?" She worried for them. They looked back at her,

"A little rain doesn't hurt us working class people." Irū fixed her hair. Athena wondered why, if she was a Muslim, she didn't wear a headscarf. Though she supposed it wasn't her place to say.

"We love the rain." Kato claimed quietly. He recalled his parents every time it would rain. Elena would rush out and their Tenshi would be behind her with an umbrella. He'd make sure she stayed dry and still enjoyed the rain as she pleased even if he got wet. When the children asked, Elena confessed that for a very hard time in their life, there was no rain. And when they escaped, it rained. It rained on the day they confessed to each other. So the rain always had significance to the family beyond culture and religion. It was with them as people. The memory of it had him in a slightly better mood. Though bittersweet.

They returned to the park and Kato kissed Irū's forehead before she kissed his cheek and left him to have fun. Tenshi approached him, "where's Cassandra? And she stayed... are those her clothes... I'll take them." He looked at the bag. Kato handed them and excused himself to join his dad to the car, "it's your break. You shouldn't be protecting her." He mumbled and Kato nodded.

"She wants... to be here as my friend." Kato excused. Tenshi looked up at him and frowned,

"Good for her... and what of you?" He queried,

"I want her there. Thank you for caring." He tossed the bag in, returning to the park and ducking under a spray of water from Athena,

"Damn! I thought I got yo- Ah!" She yelped as a whole bottle was poured onto her. A cheer rang out and three children jumped onto Kato, who was not affected in the slightest, though he feigned as such and got on one knee as three bottles were poured on him. One from Athena, one from Tenshi and one from another man. He picked up the children and they all wailed in surprise as he shook water off of himself and onto them.

"Gross!" A girl shook her head and another boy pushed his face away,

"Put us down you smelly man!" He protested as more water splashed around them.