Signs of Spring: Male Reade x Summer Rose x Raven Branwen

Chapter IV: Definitely A Date

Halleluiah! Exams were finally over, and by the grace of God, all the of the students came out the other end just fine. Well, mostly fine. There may have been a handful of panic attacks. A couple fights broke out due to high tensions, but that's not terrible. A bed may have been tossed out of a window. And several classrooms may or may not have lit on fire, but nothing disastrous. Okay, so it was a nightmare. Fortunately, the nightmare had passed, and Beacon had come out the other side still in one piece. (F/N) managed to pass all of his classes with reasonable grades, which was more than could be said for others. Regardless of how well they did on their exams, everyone was happy it was over.

For most students, stress levels had returned to manageable conditions, but for two of Beacon's residents, tensions were higher than they were during the exams. As agreed upon one week earlier, the end of exams marked (F/N) and Summer's date. At this very moment, both individuals were rushing around their room in preparation for their date. Following is a list of just a few of the things going through their heads.

What should they wear? Being a gentleman, (F/N) had completely planned the evening and was paying for everything, this much Summer knew. What she didn't know was what the evening entailed. Where was (F/N) taking here? Would she need to dress up? She had an elegant white dress with black floral print and a pair of matching heels, but maybe that seemed a little too much? Maybe this was just a casual date, a jeans and blouse sort of night. But what if she was wrong? Did she risk over dressing or under dressing? In the end, Raven threw a blouse and knee length skirt at her to shut her up. Perfect for a night at a fancy restaurant or an evening at the movies.

What if Summer thought he was coming on too strong? A candlelight dinner in the park with music provided by a live band. When he first saw the advertisement, (F/N) thought it seemed like the perfect first date and had immediately called to reserve a table for them. Reflecting on his decision now, (F/N) was beginning to have second thoughts. Afterall, candlelight dinners and live music seemed a little too romantic for a first date, more like something that should be reserved for an anniversary or birthday. Well, too late now.

What if I freak (F/N) out? Summer had had her eyes on (F/N) for a long time now, and the fact that she was finally going on a date with him made her both giddy and nervous. Her stomach was filled with butterflies and the nerves made her feel a bit nauseous, not a good combination. Oh God, what if she accidentally puked on him? That would definitely turn him off, she wouldn't be able to show her face ever again. And even if she didn't, Summer was well aware of how... energetic she could be. Flashes of her first-time meeting Raven kept playing in her mind. How she had eagerly approached her and suggested being friends, only to have Raven give her an odd look before turning her back and stalking off. Summer had been dreaming of this moment for so long, but now that it was here, she was afraid her high energy might drive (F/N) away. She would just have to do her best to contain herself and not freak him out.

What was Summer expecting from him? I mean, they had already agreed that he would be paying for everything, so that was fine, but romantically, what was she expecting. Would she want him to hold her hand? His palms got disgustingly sweaty just from thinking about it. Did he expect him to order for her? It was a bold move, but he had heard that women had found it sweet. And how would this date end? Would she want to be his girlfriend after tonight or would it be longer than one date until that happened? Probably longer.

As the scheduled start time for their date was about to arrive, another thought entered both their heads. What if he/she tries to kiss me? The two immediately rushed to the bathroom to brush their teeth, even though they had already done so just minutes ago. What is they try to kiss me? What if I try to kiss them and they pull back? What if we do kiss and I'm really bad at it?

Trying to keep these thoughts and worries from overloading his brain, (F/N) slowly exited his room and began the journey to Team STRQ's dormitory, walking like a man on his way to the gallows. Standing outside the door and taking one final deep breath in a feeble attempt to calm his nerves, (F/N) rose one shaky fist and knocked politely on the door. The muffled sounds of footsteps leaked under the crack between the door and the floor. Several seconds later and the door was opened. (F/N) had expected Summer to be the one to greet him, wearing a big smile as her bangs framed her face. What he was not expecting was to be met with a scantily clad Raven framed in the doorway.

"Oh!" Raven says in surprise. "Hello (F/N)."

(F/N) felt his face immediately begin to heat up as he did his best to look anywhere but the black lace bra that covered Raven's ample cleavage, or the matching underwear that hugged her hourglass figured hips. Staring determinedly over her shoulder and at the wall behind her, (F/N) did his best to string together words to form a coherent sentence. Instead, what came out of his mouth was.

"HiRavenI'mjustheretopickupSummerforourdatetonight!"

"What was that?" Raven giggled in a very un-Raven like way.

"I said I was just here to pick up Summer." (F/N) repeated much slower, his mouth dry.

"Oh, right, of course." Raven nodded. "She's just finishing up her makeup. Would you like to come inside?"

"Uh, no thanks. I'll just wait out here." (F/N) said politely, feeling as though entering the room would be equitable to entering a den of hungry wolves.

Just then, Summer walked out of the bathroom, much to (F/N)'s relief.

"Raven! Put some clothes on!" Summer shouted, pushing her friend away from the door. "Hi (F/N)." Summer said, stepping outside of the room and closing the door behind her. "Are you ready?"

(F/N) doesn't respond, his eyes still fixed on their previous point, despite the door now interrupting his field of vision.

"(F/N)?"

"Yes!" (F/N) says, shaking his head. "Right, yeah. Summer, hi! How are you!"

"Are you okay?"

"Me, pfft, yeah, yeah I'm fine. I'm good." (F/N) rambles.

"Is this because of Raven?"

"What? No, no why would you say that?" (F/N) asks, shaking his head vigorously. "Let's just go out and not talk about Raven or bring her up at all tonight."

"Umm, okay?"

Despite the awkwardness of the beginning of the evening, by the end of the night (F/N) and Summer had completely forgotten about Raven and that little fiasco. Both parties were surprised by how extremely easy it was to talk with one another. Almost no different than talking with their other friends. Summer found the venue to be absolutely delightful, saying that (F/N) had spoiled her and had gone to too much trouble. This made (F/N) extremely relieved, helping him to relax more and enjoy the date. The two talked and talked until they were the last couple left in the park. Only when the waiters informed them that the band was leaving, and the staff was preparing to clean up did the two finally leave. Even then, they continued their evening by walking around the park in the cool night air. At some point during their stroll, Summer had slipped her hand into (F/N)'s, their joined hands swinging back and forth with every step they took. When the stars started to dot the sky and the temperature dropped below 60, the two reluctantly agreed to call the evening to a close.

Back at Beacon, (F/N) walked Summer to her room, their hands still entwined. The evening had been absolutely perfect. Both agreed that they would very much like to do this again sometime, and with the exchange of numbers and the promise of future contact, (F/N) was just about to leave, but he teetered on her threshold for just a moment longer. With the unique gift granted to him by his semblance, (F/N) knew that if he were to attempt to kiss Summer, that she wouldn't refuse. And so, lowering his head, (F/N) captured Summer's lips in the briefest of kisses. Breaking apart, both blushing furiously, Summer stepped back into her room and slowly closed the door with a final 'bye' before the latch secured.

A big smile on his face, (F/N) skipped back to his room, delighted and relieved at how well the evening went. Opening his door, he saw his teammates figures under their blankets as they slept. Moving quietly as not to wake them, (F/N) removed his button up shirt and khaki slacks, trading them for a pair of loose-fitting shorts. Flossing and brushing his teeth, (F/N) cracked his knuckles before lying down in his warm, soft bed. Closing his eyes and rolling on his side, (F/N) was just about to drift off when he felt someone's hand slither over his shoulder and rest on his chest.