Work Text:
Kari and Yolei stumbled and tripped from Imperialdramon’s back, and as they alighted on the ground all the giggles they’d been stifling were unleashed, and they all but doubled over laughing.
“Alright, tell me what you guys are laughing at!” Davis’ petulant voice rang from overhead. “I know you’re making fun of me! What is it?! ”
Kari, unable to speak through her laughter, waved a dismissive hand up at him. It wasn’t him, they’d told him. They’d told him upward of five times, but he could not be satisfied. He was convinced there was some joke at his own expense.
And, of course, the more he asked, the funnier it became.
Ken must have persuaded Davis to give it up, because Imperialdramon took off again into the night, leaving the other two on the street still giggling.
“ God ,” Yolei gasped. “I thought he’d never shut up!”
“I know,” Kari said, still chuckling. “He’s so vain he can’t accept when he’s not the center of attention. Even in a joke.”
“ Right?! ” Yolei threw her hands up. “Drives me crazy!”
“Anyway,” Kari said, taking a step or two, “you ready to go?”
“Oh! Right!” Yolei said hastily. “Yeah, of course.”
She jumped to follow Kari. They walked along a dark path, the slick pavement glimmering under the street lights, with periodic globes of soft white light reflected under each lamp post.
Yolei was again the first to break the silence.
“Phew,” she sighed. “Nice to be on solid ground again.”
“Uh-huh.”
“I mean, I love flying, but, man, that was crazy.”
“Mm.”
“Did you see—At one point Aquilamon almost dropped me! He was so busy doing all those fancy maneuvers…”
“Yeah?”
“Oh, but you looked great, of course. Like always.” Yolei tittered. “You always look like you have everything under control…”
“Hmm.” Kari was smiling. “Can I tell you something, Yolei?”
“Hmm? What?”
“Flying terrifies me.”
“Wh—
What?!
” Yolei laughed. “
You’re
afraid of
flying
? I mean—” Yolei’s voice gave away her backpedaling. “There’s nothing wrong with that! I’m just surprised. You always look so
cool
and collected when you’re riding Nefertimon!”
“Well…” Kari shrugged. She was still smiling, looking sideways at Yolei in amusement. It made Yolei a little nervous.
“I do it when I have to,” Kari said. “Doesn’t mean I’m not scared.”
“Wow. Dang. I thought you weren’t scared of anything.”
Kari gave Yolei a wry look. “I’m not so perfect.”
Then she indicated a sign above the doorway of a nearby building. “Here it is,” she said, and she approached the door and opened it for Yolei. Yolei went quickly inside—couldn’t make Kari hold the door for too long—and Kari followed.
It was a restaurant. Yolei took in the sumptuous décor, the warm lighting, and the sharply-dressed waiters.
“Oh, this place is really nice!” she said.
Kari got a table for the two of them and they sat down together.
Yolei kept looking around—the walls were crowded with paintings in ornate frames, and from the ceiling hung an intricate chandelier.
“Wow. This place is amazing,” Yolei said. “Do you come here a lot?”
“Only once,” Kari said. “It was really good though. TK took me.”
“Oh. Right. TK. That… figures. You guys are practically married, huh?”
Kari snorted. She didn’t look up from her menu. “Yep. That’s us,” she said. “TK and me. The perfect couple.”
“What?” Yolei blinked at Kari. “Is something wrong? Did something happen?”
“Nothing happened. That’s the point,” Kari said, flashing a brief smile at Yolei. “People always assume TK and I are a couple because we hang out. But we’re not.”
“What? Oh, wow, I had no idea! I just thought because Davis is always—” Yolei cut herself off there. “Okay, well, obviously relying on Davis as a source was a mistake, but…”
Kari gave a little laugh. “It’s okay. Everyone thinks that. But TK’s not my boyfriend.”
“How come?” Yolei clamped down on her own words, too late. “Uh, not that—If it’s too personal, you don’t have to answer. I didn’t mean—”
Kari shrugged. “It’s not personal. We’re not into each other. That’s all.”
The waiter returned and they gave their orders, and after their menus were confiscated there was nothing to distract from conversation. Nothing to fiddle with. Yolei looked at Kari but quickly dropped her gaze to the table. She really didn’t want to be caught staring.
“So, uh, do you… have… a boyfriend?” Yolei said. “You just seem like you would. Since you’re so cool and nice and everything. Everyone at school likes you.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Kari said. “Every guy I meet jumps all over me because I’m a little pretty and I don’t have a boyfriend. The three DigiDestined kids in Hong Kong that we met, they were practically fighting over me. Three brothers. Jeez.” Kari rested her chin on her hand. “Since I’m single I must want a boyfriend, right?”
“Well… You don’t want to date at all?”
“Sure I do.”
“Wh—You do? Then why don’t you date one of those guys then?”
“Hmm.” Kari’s voice was thoughtful; Yolei glanced up but Kari was only looking at her. Oh God. Kari was looking at her .
“They’re not my type, I guess,” Kari mused.
“Oh?” Yolei looked up now, unable to disguise her curiosity. “So what’s your type?” she blurted—then, “Nevermind! You don’t have to answer that! Let’s change the subject.”
Kari giggled. “I don’t mind.” She leaned back in her seat. “Hmm. Tall, I think. Dark hair. Glasses. And smart. Definitely someone smart.”
“Oh,” Yolei laughed nervously. “Sounds like Joe is just your type, then!”
Kari laughed. “No way. He’s nice and all, but… You know. Definitely no.”
Yolei laughed along, and she was no more sure of where she stood.
Eventually their food arrived, and Yolei didn’t even think before shoveling as much soup as she could get into her face—and then she happened to look up and notice the delicate way Kari wielded her fork.
“Oh, my gosh, you must think I’m disgusting,” Yolei said, laughing. “You’re so ladylike and here I am stuffing my face.”
Kari’s face changed, somehow—seemed to tighten. “Yolei, why do you keep comparing yourself to me?”
“What?” Yolei could only look at Kari blankly. “Did I—offend you or something? I didn’t mean anything by it. I just… I don’t know…”
“You don’t have to be like me,” Kari said. “I’m not perfect. And… I like you the way you are.” Kari softened again, smiling at Yolei. “I like you a lot.”
Yolei’s face flushed. She looked down, though she knew hiding it was hopeless. “Uh, thanks. I like you a lot, too. You know? And… It’s hard not to notice how different we are.”
“Yeah, we are really different. It’s why I like you.” Yolei’s entire body was burning. Kari continued, “You’re not afraid to say what you think… Or get messy.” Her little laugh made Yolei’s heart thump.
“Yeah, well…” Yolei was studying her dish very hard. “I don’t even know what to say right now.”
Kari giggled, but Yolei felt that Kari wasn’t making fun of her. Yolei smiled sheepishly back. “I know,” she said. “Must be a first for me, right?”
Somehow they got through the meal, talking of things besides Yolei’s awkwardness. Yolei nearly swooned when Kari suggested they order dessert.
“It’s really good,” Kari said. “You like tiramisu?”
“Oh, my God, I love you,” Yolei said—and then blushed a violent red. Kari giggled again, and Yolei thought that a little embarrassment was a small price to pay to hear Kari laugh.
The waiter came back while Yolei’s mouth was full of cake, and he asked if they would like one check or two.
“One, please,” Kari said. Yolei made a squawking noise behind the cake, but the waiter paid no notice and walked away again.
“Nng dnn hfft—” Yolei swallowed a considerable mouthful of tiramisu. “You don’t have to pay for me! Oh my gosh, I did bring money!”
“No way. I invited you, remember?” Kari said. She rested her chin delicately on her hand, smiling at Yolei. “Maybe you could pay if you asked me out.”
“You mean, like a date?” Yolei could have smacked herself in the face.
“If you want, sure,” Kari said.
She was still smiling. Was she being serious? How would Yolei know?
The waiter came back soon enough with their check, and Kari paid, and Yolei picked up her coat and followed Kari out of the restaurant, staring at the floor—her face must have matched the crimson carpet.
The two of them stepped out into the cold night again, and their breath made plumes of fog and Yolei shoved her hands deep into her own pockets.
“Where are we going?”
“Which bus stop is closer?”
They agreed upon a destination and started walking, huddling tightly into their coats. Yolei looked up at the sky; the city lights drowned out the stars on a clear night, so there was no way to tell what kind of weather was coming.
“Yolei?” Kari said.
“Yeah?”
Yolei looked over. Kari was looking fixedly down at the pavement.
“I was… supposed to tell you over dinner,” she said. “But I just really enjoyed talking to you… and I didn’t want to ruin that. I guess I’m a coward.”
Yolei blinked. “What?”
“I have something kinda serious to tell you. Okay?”
“Okay. What is it?”
Yolei could see Kari’s sigh in the night air, how big and heavy it looked even as it floated away. She saw Kari stealing an uncertain glance at her face.
“I really like you,” Kari said, and Yolei’s stomach plummeted about three stories. “I’ve… had a pretty big crush on you for a while. And, um, I meant what I said. About the date.”
“Oh. Oh, wow.” Breathing, remember how breathing works , Yolei told herself. “I. Um. Wow.”
“It’s okay if you don’t like me that way. I just wanted to tell you.”
“ No! I—Uh—”
Kari glanced at Yolei again, and then she gave a little snigger. “Oh, wow, your face is really red. Are you okay?”
“Uuuhhhhh.”
Then Yolei started laughing— laughing?
“What?” Kari said, staring at her.
“I—I don’t know,” Yolei said breathlessly. She pressed both hands over her face. “God, I am such a doofus .” She was still giggling.
“Okay, well,” Kari said, with a wry chuckle, “it’s not the reaction I was expecting, but I don’t think you’re dying…”
“Sorry!” Yolei gasped. “I’m sorry! Oh, my God. Kari.”
Then she got a good look at Kari’s face, and oh God she was so cute, so so so cute, oh God.
“I, uh,” Yolei mumbled. “I like you too. A lot.”
“Oh.” Kari said, and a little smile bloomed on her face. “I, um, I’m glad.” Then she frowned. “So why were you laughing?”
“I don’t know! Hysteria!” Yolei said in exasperation. “I really, really, really like you and I was obviously not mentally prepared for this moment!”
Kari snickered. “You like me that much?”
“Well, duh! Did you not see me blushing all through dinner? I almost choked to death like five times!”
“I thought it might have been embarrassment.”
“ Embarrassment?! ” Yolei’s face fell in despair. “Did I embarrass myself that much?”
“No, no!” Kari laughed. “I meant because I was embarrassing you. With the flirting.”
“No, I—I mean, yes, but I was embarrassed because I liked you, and I couldn’t tell if you were kidding or not…” Yolei sighed dramatically. “God, you really know how to fluster someone!”
“Sorry about that.”
“Gosh, and I was so sure it was written all over my face! I don’t know how you can be so calm and confident like that!”
Kari’s smile faded.
“It’s easy to hide behind a joke,” she said. “It’s easy to… pretend to be confident, when people don’t know if you’re serious or not. When they don’t know what you really think.”
Yolei watched Kari’s face, fascinated.
“It’s not fair to you,” Kari said. “To put you on the spot while I’m not committing to anything. I’m sorry I did that instead of just telling you what I was thinking.”
Then Yolei snorted.
“Oh, come on, it’s not
that
bad,” she said. “I embarrass myself all the time! I can take it.”
Kari smirked up at her. “Oh, yeah?”
“Yeah. I mean, at the end of the night, I’m still super unbelievably hopelessly in love with you, and you agreed to go on a date with me. I think I made out pretty good!”
Kari laughed, and it rang in the winter street and in Yolei’s heart. “I’m sorry. You’re what ?”
“I am totally, absolutely lovestruck.”
“Now you’re just being silly.”
Yolei scoffed. “No, I’m not! I’m one hundred percent serious!”
She was serious. But she wouldn’t say that now. Soon , she thought, grinning. Yolei wound her arm around Kari’s and they walked together to the bus stop.