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The waiting is killing her. She doesn't know how Steve has been keeping calm when every minute feels like it drags on and on. Bouncing on the balls of her feet, Nancy watches the door. The look on her face must be intense; the last two people to enter the restaurant have hurried past them while avoiding looking her way.
"Relax." Steve rubs her back, occasionally scratching with dull nails. She doesn't know how to relax but his touch helps. He presses a kiss to her temple. They've been mated so long now it's impossible to tell their scents apart. That never discourages Steve from rubbing his nose along her temple and down her cheek, leaving a trail of his scent behind. "We're early."
"I know," she says, forcing herself to be still. It takes more effort than it should. There are butterflies in her stomach. She can't remember the last time she was this nervous. Back when Steve started courting her, she remembers it being exciting. Nancy wonders if that's why Steve is so calm. He's done the pursuing before. If he was this nervous when he started bringing her gifts and invited her to dinner then she's found another reason to be happy and so so grateful she'd given him a chance. She always is, but somehow keeps finding reasons to love him even more. Nancy wraps both of her arms around his and rests her head against him. "I just want this to go well."
"Me, too." He doesn't feel tense, even standing so close. At least one of them can be calm. She doesn't want to scare Jonathan off; he's already been so hesitant to accept their attention as it is. She just. Wants. "This is going to be great."
"Promise?" she asks, despite knowing he can't actually do anything to keep it. Tilting her head back, she looks up at him with wide eyes. He smiles, slow and easy and confident.
"I got you," he tells her earnestly. She's seen that look in his eyes before; soft and a little awed. Sometimes he looks at her and it's like he can't believe he's so lucky. Nancy is pretty sure they're both lucky. Her parents had certainly never loved each other nearly as much as she loves Steve and is loved by him in return. "Doing this together? I like our chances."
Taking a deep breath, Nancy focuses on Steve; his scent and the calm he exudes. She lifts up on her toes to kiss his cheek. "You're right," she says when she's flat on her feet again. Turning back to the door, Nancy straightens up. She doesn't let go of Steve's arm. "We've got this."
It's a less agonizing five minutes later when he finally walks in. Nancy grips Steve's arm tighter, fingers curling in his jacket sleeve and probably wrinkling it beyond repair. At least her nails are still nails and not claws. She'd feel terrible if she had shredded his jacket.
Jonathan shuffles in, his hair sticking up a bit more than usual. He looks windswept and gorgeous and not entirely comfortable. Nancy bites her lip, some of her confidence slipping at how high he's holding his shoulders. It's taken them time to get him comfortable enough to let them court him. She really hopes he's not already regretting agreeing to come out to dinner.
"Jonathan!" Steve's voice is a little loud given where they are. The hostess side eyes him when he lifts his free arm up and waves. He doesn't seem to notice, eyes only for Jonathan. Still standing just inside the entrance,Jonathan tenses up briefly. Then he looks at them. She sees his eyes dart between them and is awed by the way his shoulders relax. Hands in his pockets, Jonathan makes his way over to them. He's got a smile on his face and while it's small, she loves seeing it. His whole face looks softer. The creases he so often has along his forehead smooth away as though they were never there. She feels like she finally understands Steve's confidence.
Jonathan likes them.
She doesn't know how she missed it before. The way he normally holds himself is the way he'd walked in the door. Shoulders practically to his ears, eyes on the ground. Looking like he expects to get told he isn't welcome. She's known him a long time—their brothers have always been so close—and she has hardly ever seen him any other way. But looking at him now, she realizes he hasn't been that way around them recently.
"Hey," he says when he reaches them. Nancy is tempted to sway forward, catch his scent easier amid the variety of smells of the restaurant. She holds Steve tighter and manages to rein in the urge. "I hope I'm not late."
"You're not," Nancy says, maybe a little too fast. He doesn't say anything, though. Just looks at her. His smile is clear in his eyes, even if he isn't grinning as wide as Steve. "We were early."
He draws his head back and blinks with wide eyes. "Really?"
She nods. Steve laughs softly beside her. "We were excited," he says, tilting his head toward the hostess. "Ready to get our table?"
Jonathan still looks surprised but he nods, taking his hands out of his pockets. Lifting one of his arms out in front of him, he says, "Yeah. Lead the way."
Steve, still grinning, does. Nancy lets go of his arm and falls into step with Jonathan, Steve walking ahead of them. Jonathan tilts his head subtly in her direction. Blood rushes to her cheeks at the thought that he might be trying to catch her scent. It's one he must be familiar with; she's familiar with his after years of their brothers going back and forth between their houses, and of being in the same schools. That doesn't stop her from wanting to do the same. To want to know what it would be like to combine them. For them to be as inseparable as hers and Steve's.
"I'm glad you came," she tells him as they weave their way around tables and waitstaff.
Jonathan ducks his head. The tips of his ears look pink; she hopes it's not just the lighting in the room.
"Me, too."
She grins, coming to a stop when the hostess shows them their table. Nancy winds around the table to sit on the other side. Steve holds out a chair for Jonathan the way he'd done for her on their first dinner. Jonathan looks surprised again, but he's still smiling when he sits.
Now Nancy is sure it's not the lighting.
"Thanks," he says quietly. Steve takes the last chair, picking up his menu right away but not opening it yet. It's a habit of his. He always toys with it for a bit before he looks for something to order. Menu in hand, Steve rests his forearms against the edge of the table.
"Thank you for coming out with us."
Nancy reaches into her bag, pulling out a box. The only reason she brought a purse tonight was so she could surprise Jonathan with this. "We got you something," she says, sliding the square box across the table.
His eyes go wide. He reaches for it slowly, looking between it and the both of them. "You didn't have to."
"We're serious about this," Steve says, setting the menu flat on the table. He's still smiling, but there's a seriousness in his face that even Nancy doesn't get to see very often. She remembers being on the receiving end of that look. She had been happy to see where their courting might lead. Excited by the attention. And it was easy to fall for his charm when he was so genuine and open with his affection. But it was seeing how serious he looked when he performed the steps that assured her she was making the right choice.
"We really like you," Nancy says, moving closer to the table.
Jonathan's face relaxes again. She loves his smile, wants to be the reason he does it more and more. Maybe one day they'll even be able to find what makes him grin or laugh out loud. "Thank you."
"You haven't even opened it yet," Steve teases, but she knows he's just as anxious as her to find out if they picked well.
"Right." Jonathan picks it up and sets it on the table in front of him. He slides the top of the box off—even if the both of them weren't hopeless at wrapping gifts, they didn't want him feeling awkward about ripping any paper at the restaurant—and looks inside. Nancy bites her lip. She really hopes he likes it.
"Wha—how did you..?" He pulls the camera strap out of the box carefully, as though it's made of glass. The colors don't pop quite as well in this lighting, but she thinks that's okay.
Steve sets his hand palm up on the table and Nancy takes it. "We noticed the one on your camera was looking a little worn."
Nancy nods and says, "Your camera is so important to you. With this, hopefully you don't have to worry about anything happening to it. Is it..."
"Do you like it?" Steve asks when she trails off. She smiles at him in thanks.
Jonathan rubs his thumb over the stripes. He's no longer holding it like he's afraid it will break. His fingers curl around it tightly a moment before he carefully folds it so it fits back inside the box. Nancy's breath catches in her throat. She squeezes Steve's hand. Is it the wrong kind? Are the colors too much? Steve thought they should go for brown or black, something closer to what Jonathan tends to wear. Nancy had thought a little bit of color would be nice, but what if she'd been wrong?
"I love it," Jonathan says, still not looking at them. His voice is soft, awed. Steve tightens his hand briefly and she breathes easier. "This is..," he lifts his head, eyes glittering in the light, "amazing. Thank you."
He bites his lip, tapping his fingers against the side of the box. Nancy thinks he looks like he's psyching himself up for something. It isn't long before she finds out what. He exhales in a rush and stands. Wide eyed, Nancy scrambles to copy him. Steve does the same beside her, not letting go of her hand.
Jonathan closes the little bit of distance between him and Steve. He looks nervous but determined to do or say whatever he stood up for. "Thank you," he says again, leaning in and rubbing his cheek against Steve's. Except for the tightening of his hand in hers, Steve is still for a moment. Then he returns the gesture, pressing more firmly into Jonathan. Nancy does her best to keep from bouncing impatiently on her toes.
Steve looks dazed when Jonathan pulls away. He's wearing the widest smile on his face. Jonathan turns toward her next and Nancy holds her breath. Again, he says, "Thank you," before he leans in and touches their cheeks together. Nancy doesn't hesitate to follow. She breathes him in, lets his scent wash over her the way she's wanted to feel for so long. He's warm and so close and she completely understands the glassiness in Steve's eyes. She isn't sure she'll be able to make sense of the words on the menu after this.
When he steps away, his scent lingers, clinging to her cheek. She likes it, likes how compatible it is with theirs. Jonathan takes his seat again. He ducks his head and it takes her a moment to notice the looks they're getting. Nancy only sees smiles, but Jonathan hates being the center of attention. It warms her even more to realize he'd known they would attract attention and scented them for the first time anyway.
"You're welcome," Steve says. He sets his other hand on the table. Jonathan smiles, small and sweet and takes it.
No longer unsure, it seems, Jonathan reaches toward her. Nancy slips her hand into his easily. It's rougher than Steve's; she wonders what it would feel like against the rest of her skin but tries not to get ahead of herself. It's still early days. Scenting them the way he just did is good, an indication that he's open to more. That he's serious, too, and wants to see where this can go. It's too soon for much else.
Nancy doesn't know how long they've been sitting like this, holding hands and staring dopily at each other, before a waiter braves their table. He clears his throat. The smile on his face is amused, but not mocking. "Can I start you off with anything to drink?"
"Sure," she says, squeezing Jonathan's hand and not letting go. She smiles at him and Steve and then the waiter as she tells him her order. There are butterflies in her stomach but now it's only the excitement of knowing they still have the rest of their date to enjoy. It's already gone so much better than she'd hoped. She can't wait to see where the rest of the evening takes them.