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Yusaku rubbed the sleep from his eyes as he finally reached the plaza, which was unexpectedly quiet.
He looked around, confused, as usually by this time the plaza would be filled with people and there would be duels being broadcast on the screens, but neither of those things were true today.
He made his way to where the Cafe Nagi truck was usually stationed, but frowned when he noticed that Shoichi was leaning against the side of the truck, seemingly without any intentions to open for the day.
Shoichi spotted him, giving a short wave and a smile, so he waved back.
“Hey, Yusaku!” Shoichi called.
“Morning, Shoichi. Why aren't you opening the truck?” Normally, he would take a seat at one of the tables, but since they weren't present, he leaned on the truck next to Shoichi.
Shoichi shrugged. “I decided to take a day off.”
Yusaku stared at him in slight shock. “But you never take a day off!”
Shoichi laughed. “Are you free today?” He held up a pair of tickets. “I won these tickets to the amusement park in a raffle and I thought we could go there for the day.”
Yusaku fell silent, thinking for a moment, then nodded. “I'm not doing anything, so sure, let's go. I've never been to one before.”
“You've never been? Then you've got to go! Come on, let's go!”
Shoichi grabbed his hand and he flinched, but then followed with a small smile.
---
The sun was already high in the sky by the time they reached the entrance, waiting in line with the tickets that Shoichi had with him. It didn’t take long to get in, and once they were through the entrance Yusaku gazed at the new sights that were before him.
Some familiar figures caught his eye as they moved forward, and he saw them waving their arms in a greeting.
“Yusaku, Kusanagi, I can’t say I expected the two of you to be here. What’s the occasion?” Ryoken smiled as he and Spectre approached them, holding hands.
Shoichi grinned slightly, rubbing the back of his neck. “I got my hands on some tickets, so I took a day off from working at the truck to come here with Yusaku.”
Ryoken blinked, then squinted at the pair and frowned. He threw a look at Shoichi. “Kusanagi, could we have a chat for a moment?”
Shoichi nodded, confused. “Sure, I guess.”
Ryoken beckoned with his arm, moving away from the group. “Over here.”
Shoichi smiled at Yusaku, waving his hand quickly. “I’ll be right back.”
Yusaku nodded as Shoichi joined Ryoken to talk quietly, then turned to face Spectre. “So why are you two here?”
“Ryoken and I are here on a date. He was getting too caught up in his work so I decided it would be best for him to unwind and have some fun. We ended up here after a short discussion.”
“I see.”
The conversation dwindled to nothingness after the statement, neither of the two really making any small talk. After a minute, Yusaku glanced over at where Shoichi and Ryoken had finished talking. Shoichi had a frown on his face, but it cleared up and the two made their way over.
Shoichi spoke first. “We should go our separate ways. We wouldn’t want to interrupt the two of you.”
Ryoken nodded. “Naturally. Don’t forget what I said, Kusanagi.”
Shoichi grinned slightly. “I won’t. Thanks.”
As the pairs split ways, Yusaku shot a questioning look at Shoichi. “Is something the matter?”
Shoichi shook his head, waving off the question. “No, it was nothing important. Just something he forgot to mention from a while ago.” He gestured forward, throwing his arm widely to cover the park in front of them. “Let’s go on some rides!”
An odd feeling sat in Yusaku’s chest, but he wasn’t sure what it was, so he ignored it.
---
Yusaku wished he'd come to the park earlier. It was unexpectedly fun. Sure, the waits in line were relatively long, but even then he could still talk to Shoichi while they waited.
They waited almost an hour for the rollercoaster, but the few minutes that were spent on the ride itself made the wait worth it. Yusaku's heart raced with an adrenaline rush that he'd never gotten while dueling.
After the ride, they bought a picture that had been taken of them during one of the more intense moments. Looking at it, Yusaku was surprised to see that he’d been smiling. He hadn't noticed.
They had a late lunch, and Yusaku blanched at the prices for food, but Shoichi waved it off with a laugh, ordering for the both of them.
“It's part of the experience.” He said while they ate. “The food is pretty mediocre for the price, though. I could do better than this.”
Yusaku nodded in agreement. “The food you cook is much better than this.”
Shoichi blushed lightly. “Thanks.”
After they ate, they wandered for a short while trying to figure out what to do next.
Yusaku frowned. “There isn't much time left in the day, but there's still a lot we haven't done. We only had time to cover about half the park.”
“Look!” The sun was coming close to setting as Shoichi pointed into the distance, and Yusaku followed his finger to see the ferris wheel overlooking the entire park.
“Yusaku, want to head over there? We'll be able to see the whole park and even beyond from the top!”
Yusaku grinned slightly, nodding. “Yeah, let's take a look.”
---
Shoichi leaned his arm on the window, staring silently out over the amusement park. His smile sank as he glanced at Yusaku, who was smiling as he looked out from the carriage they sat in.
Ryoken's words from the start of the day rang through his head.
‘Soulburner, Blue Maiden, Brave Max. You never know, one of them might try to ask him before you. I’m not saying they will, but the possibility is there. You'll never know his answer to you if you don't try. You know that's how he is.’
He clenched his fist, annoyed at himself. He had to ask. He knew that if he didn't take the chance to ask now, he would probably never have the will to ever do it.
He turned to face Yusaku, putting his hands in his lap as he did so and taking a breath. “Yusaku, I’d like to tell you something.”
Yusaku blinked, facing him with a confused look on his face. “Is something wrong?”
Shoichi nodded, hesitating for a moment, but then continued speaking. “I lied to you earlier. I didn’t actually win the tickets in a raffle. I bought them myself.”
Yusaku frowned for a moment, almost causing Shoichi to panic, but then his face cleared and he replied with a single question. “Is there a problem with that?”
“You’re not mad? That I lied?”
Yusaku shook his head. “No. Why did you buy the tickets?”
Shoichi breathed a sigh in relief, but then his heart clenched. This was the moment. He could either tell the truth, or he could make up an excuse and bury his feelings forever.
He had to tell the truth.
“I bought the tickets, because I wanted to spend time with you.”
He took a deep breath, steadying himself even as Yusaku blinked in surprise.
“Yusaku, I like you. As more than just a friend. Could we… go out on a date sometime?” His heart raced. He’d said it, but now there was no turning back.
Yusaku’s mouth gaped slightly as his words, sitting back in shock. His head hung, looking at his legs as he processed the confession.
Shoichi’s heart began to sink at the reaction.
An awkward silence hung in the air for what seemed like forever, but then Yusaku’s hand rose up to grasp his chest with a small smile. “So that’s what this was.”
“Yusaku?” The movement made a small ray of hope appear for Shoichi, and he spoke up with an optimistic note in his voice.
Yusaku smiled at him. “Isn’t this already a date? It’s just the two of us, after all.”
Shoichi grinned, and he stood up from his seat to step forward. “Yusaku, you…”
Yusaku stood in turn, raising his arms to embrace Shoichi. “I’d had this odd feeling all day, and I wasn’t sure what it was. Now I know. I like you, too, Shoichi. Let’s go on another date sometime.”
Shoichi laughed as their carriage reached the top of the ferris wheel, giving them a completely clear view of the sunset in the distance. “Of course!”
Breaking the hug, Shoichi sat down next to Yusaku, holding his hand as they both stared out at the setting sun. “We should head back after this, otherwise it will start to get too dark.”
“Yeah.”
Silence descended as they waited for the carriage to reach the bottom, both of them simply enjoying the other’s presence.
---
It was already dark when they made it back to the plaza, and Shoichi unlocked the truck, both of them shuffling in to rest on the chairs.
Yusaku smiled. “Thank you for taking me today, Shoichi.” He hesitated for a moment. “Could we go again? Since we didn't do everything.”
Shoichi laughed. “Of course! We're definitely going to go again.” He stood up, offering his hand. “Come on, I'll drive you home.”
Yusaku shook his head. “You don't need to.”
“I know. But, I insist.” Shoichi smiled at him. “I can't make you walk home when you're that tired, can I? That would make me a terrible boyfriend.”
Yusaku blushed at the sudden word, still getting used to their new relationship. He grinned, taking Shoichi's hand and standing up. “I'll be troubling you, then.”
He wavered on his feet, the tiredness finally catching up to him as the adrenaline faded, and he leaned on Shoichi. “Yeah, I'd like a lift home.”
Shoichi hugged him, the both of them standing quietly in the middle of the truck. “Of course.”
Yusaku almost fell asleep during the drive, so Shoichi helped him into the apartment when they arrived. He simply slumped down into bed, not changing at all, and Shoichi laughed quietly.
“Good night, Yusaku.”