"Name?" Shizuo walked over to Name's table upon entering Russian Sushi.
She looked up from her book "Oh, hey, Shizuo"
"Woah, woah" He sat across her "Why the long face?"
"It's nothing" She shrugged and pushed a strawberry shortcake in front of him, "Here, you can have my cake"
"C'mon, you can't lie to me. I'll take the cake though" He picked up her fork, "Tell me"
With a few seconds of teeth-licking and hesitation, she closed the book and set it down on the table, "Fine but don't judge me"
"I won't"
"I... It's Valentine 's Day tomorrow and even though I'm usually bothered with being alone on that day I... I just miss dating" Shizuo nodded understandingly but she shook her head and opened her book again "You know what, it's stupid just forget about it"
"No, no it's not stupid" He sighed nervously before continuing "Look, how 'bout this" He looked at her seriously "What if I take you out on a date tomorrow?"
"What-no, you hate Valentine's Day"
"No, well yeah but it'd be fun. Just you and me. I'll take you out, we're gonna have a great time" He insisted, shoving a strawberry into his mouth.
She raised an eyebrow "Are you serious?"
"Yeah, you're my best friend, right?"
Name just finished putting on her lipstick when someone knocked on the door "Coming" She called and hurried to the door.
He smiled at her "You clean up nicely" He said, acknowledging her red dress and black heeled boots.
"Thank you, you're looking pretty good yourself" She said as she let her eyes run up and down on Shizuo who wore a white shirt and denim pants beneath a green jacket instead of his usual bartender uniform.
"Oh!" He pulled something from behind him and gave it to her. A bouquet of fresh flowers "Tom told me to get you some"
"They're my favorite, thank you" She took it gratefully "This is almost like a real date"
"It is a real date. Watch" He said and went inside and pretended to look around "Nice place you have here. And look" He pointed at something standing on the coffee table "A kiddie carton of milk and a jar of sweets. My kind of girl"
She laughed "Yes well, they're actually for my best friend"
"Your best friend sounds like a pretty good guy"
"Yeah" She put the flowers in a vase and filled it with water "But he's very protective of me so you better watch out"
He raised his arms in mock surrender "Alright, alright but... this best friend of yours, what are your opinions about him?" He asked partly because he really was curious of what he was to her.
"He's really great"
"Yeah?"
"Yep, people are scared of him but deep inside he's a real softie and sweet... But I'm pretty sure he's gay"
"Oh, no. Come on, don't ruin the mood!"
She giggled "Sure, sure"
"So you're a hundred percent certain that Vorona has nothing going on with you?" She asked.
After dinner which Shizuo insisted to pay for, they decided to just walk aimlessly around the sleepless city while thinking of what to do next.
"Of course I am" He replied.
"You're pretty dense"
"That's my line" He muttered subconsciously.
"Sorry?"
"Nothing. I was just saying that she doesn't like me that way"
"Oh come on. She obviously does"
"Whatever, come on let's go"
"The finale is a surprise so I want you to close your eyes but trust me okay?"
"Okay"
"And hold on tightly"
"Why would-kyah!" She gasped when she was in Shizuo's arms. Next thing she knew, he was bouncing off the surfaces of buildings effortlessly.
"Are you crazy!?" She laughed.
"Hey, you agreed to let me take you on this date" He finally found his way up the roof of a hotel and set her down on the ground gently.
"Oh my gosh..." She walked towards the railings and leaned on it.
The moonless night was illuminated by sparkling neon lights that were like the flames of a million candles.
"It's beautiful..." She whispered, a cloud of frosty breath formed as she spoke.
"I thought you'd like it" He said "You've always loved these cheesy love scenes"
"They're not cheesy"
He arched an eyebrow. She shrugged "Okay maybe a bit"
"Where'd you get this idea?" She asked.
"Celty mentioned it to me once. Who knew it'd come useful"
They enjoyed each other's company in silence, admiring the view.
"You know I thought that this was gonna be..."
"Be what?"
"...I dunno... weird?"
"Why?"
"It's just that you're my best friend... It's kinda weird. But you know" She leaned on him and rested her head on his, "It's actually really nice"
Shizuo's cheeks grew warm but he didn't feel nervous. He felt calmer than he ever had.
"That turned out to be a pretty great date" Name said as she flicked the lights of her apartment on.
"I told you I'd show you a great time" He said as he followed her inside.
"Well, mission accomplished" She smiled "It's pretty late. Want me to lay out the futon?"
"I dunno, staying over at the first date? Kinda coming a little strong, aren't we?"
They laughed but then she held his hands "Thank you. I really appreciated that" She stood on her toes and placed a kiss on his cheek. When she returned to her heels, they ended up locking gazes and her smile slowly faded away.
His arms found their way around her waist and he slowly craned his neck. She closed her eyes and waited. Their noses touched and she could feel his lips almost brush lightly against hers.
"Name? Are you home? If you are please open the door. It is I, Vorona" A cold voice spoke from the hallway and the two immediately separated.
"Name?"
"Huh? Oh, yeah" The young woman looked away from the tall man and ran to the door "Hey, Vorona. It's late, can I help you with something?"
"Yes. I've been informed by Mr. Tanaka that Shizuo-sempai might be with you-oh, Shizuo-sempai" Her blue eyes widened when she saw the bodyguard.
Shizuo raised a hand "Hey, Vorona, what is it?"
"I wanted to ask you a few things as your lowerclassman" She then turned to Name, "I hope you don't mind. This is business after all"
Name sensed the hostility and knew better so she backed off "No, no. It's fine. Shizuo was about to, um, leave. Right?" She glanced at the blonde who nodded reluctantly.
"I'll see you around then" Shizuo tried to look at Name but she refused to.
"Yeah... sure. Be careful" She kept her eyes cast downwards.
"You too"
"Shizuo-sempai, let us go" The Russian pulled the man and led him out "We have more important things to discuss"
Name closed the door shut and slid down, leaning on it for support. She drew her knees to her chest and tears cascaded down from her eyes. Her heart contracted painfully inside her ribs as she thought about that 'what if' and 'what could have been' after the kiss.
She couldn't be falling in love with her best friend. It was too much to lose.
But he tried to kiss her too, right? So...
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