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“Jun-kun, how are things going with Nagisa-kun~?” The voice caught the bluenette off guard, and he blinked a few times, huffing and finishing the strawberry he’d picked out of his parfait intentionally. Hiyori waited rather patiently though, enjoying his own piece of pie with a scoop of ice cream, until Jun finally let up under the intense gaze of his senior.
“It’s… fine. Nothin’s gone wrong ‘er anythin’ if that’s what yer worried about…” Poking at the other strawberries in the parfait, he picked up another with his fork to eat it whole. “I’m jus’ tryin’ t’think of where t’take him for our first date…” Hiyori almost squealed and Jun’s cheeks burned as bright as the strawberry on his fork as he almost hopped across the table to tackle the blond. He took in a deep breath though, contained himself, and just glared at Hiyori until the blond hushed up as he scarfed down the rest of his pie as if he was suddenly in a hurry. Realizing what that could mean, he held the parfait defensively. “Oi, what are y’leavin’ for?” Hiyori stopped, blinking and shaking his head, swallowing his last bite before he took a large drink of his lemon water.
“Mm, I didn’t wanna let my pie get too soggy or cold, I wanna ask you about what you’ve considered! Nagisa-kun is so much fun to take out, he likes exploring everywhere, but especially new stores and locations~” Jun groaned as Hiyori was giving him dating advice for his situation, even if Hiyori was likely the best to ask since he’d taken Nagisa several places before he’d wound up dating Ibara. “Obviously you’re not the shopping type, have you thought about any museums or libraries? Maybe even going up the scenic hiking trail with the pretty view over the city?” Jun rubbed at the back of his neck as he finished off his parfait. His cheeks were still extremely hot.
“Uhm… I hadn’t… Thought ‘bout any of those ideas, I was gonna jus’ take him to a ramen shop I found out about.” The blond was actually a bit startled by this, tilting his head. “It jus’ opened up today, so… I wanted to ask him if he wanted t’try it since he enjoyed it last time we went to a ramen shop together…” His cheeks felt like they were on fire as Hiyori nodded, humming in what seemed like satisfaction. Why’d he need his approval anyway?! Nagisa was his boyfriend so why should it matter if his longtime friend approved? Even if he did have a part of himself that still wanted Hiyori’s approval a bit, ever since the blond picked him up into the light.
“Nagisa-kun is pretty easy to satisfy, really~ He’s difficult to understand at times, even when I know his heart pretty well… Nagisa-kun’s like a book, you just have to pay attention and be a good student and you’ll understand and love him all the more for it~” Jun nodded, finally finishing his parfait while Hiyori spoke, setting the glass atop Hiyori’s plate for the server to collect later. “Maybe think about those ideas I presented though, maybe you two could go for a hike afterward to finish the night with stargazing?”
“Oh, hadn’t thought ‘bout that…” What did people do on dates anyway? He knew people took people to restaurants, and sometimes took them places like shops and stuff, but… He really wasn’t sure what to do, honestly. He’d never even had a girlfriend, let alone a boyfriend, and everything he knew was supplied by Ibara keeping Eden’s image up for interviews or supplied by Hiyori for keeping up Eve’s image. But in those cases he could just play up his dark and rough personality. Nagisa knew he wasn’t that gloomy, and Nagisa had seen him in many instances that proved he was far from the rough and tumble type entirely.
“Well, keep it in mind, it might be a perfect way to finish out the evening with Nagisa-kun~ He knows alot of constellations, I used to fall asleep with him pointing them out when we were kids, fufu~” The blond sighed, reminiscing for a moment longer before his phone was buzzing and he picked it up to answer, stepping outside while Jun sat awkwardly there, checking his phone to text Nagisa and check he could still make it for the ramen still.
Yes, I should still be able to make it on time, Jun. Would you, perhaps, also like to accompany me somewhere afterward? I have somewhere I wish to show you. Oh? Nagisa wanted to share something with him in return? It made his heart flutter a bit that Nagisa wanted to take him specifically, even if they were dating at this point. It just still seemed so surreal.Before he could think further about it, Hiyori was coming inside, sighing as he paid for their little lunch of sorts.
“Well, I need to get going, Ibara-kun apparently can’t wait for me any longer, so I hope your date with Nagisa-kun goes good, Jun-kun~” Jun felt his face burn again, huffing before he stood up and grabbed his own things. “I want to hear all about it when you get back, make sure you tell me okay, okay? I wanna make sure you’re not having any trouble y’know~?” Jun rolled his eyes, mumbling a ‘Yeah, yeah…’ As he made his way out, leaving Hiyori to catch his escort back to the ES building. Meanwhile, Jun was heading to the ramen shop to meet Nagisa beforehand so they could discuss the menu and see what Nagisa would like to try.
While he walked, he felt his heart thudding hard in his chest, excited to find out what it was Nagisa wanted to show him. It seemed like at least from what Hiyori spoke of, that he might show him somewhere like a library or a hiking trail that had significance to him… Something about that made him feel special, but he wondered if it was simply due to how much he looked up to Nagisa and found himself feeling absurdly lucky that their feelings somehow aligned. He wanted nothing more than to live up to whatever expectations Nagisa might have, even if he wasn’t aware that Nagisa didn’t have expectations for Jun in the first place.
Spotting his senior, he waved and smiled a bit, making his way over and taking a seat next to him as Nagisa was looking at the handout menu.
“Ah, Jun, could you explain this to me…?” Pointing to some of the add ons, Jun nodded, and soon they were talking about the different ways to have ramen, different toppings, what Jun favored best… Eventually they finally decided on their meals and Jun was in charge of the ordering process, more so since Nagisa may have been a tyrant on stage, but there were times his nerves even got to him. Jun didn’t mind of course, ordering for other people wasn’t really a hassle in the slightest. He just hoped Nagisa enjoyed the meal and enjoyed his time with him.
Once they had finished eating, Nagisa looked to Jun and Jun nodded, picking up their things without a second thought as they got up to leave. Nagisa was already reaching for his hand, twining their fingers together as he started to lead Jun away to a special spot of his own. “It is… not something quite as enjoyable as a food location… Or even a museum or library, but… It is special to myself, somewhere I find myself drawn to whenever I’ve become lost in town…” Jun nodded, humming as he followed along, memorizing their surroundings while they walked. Even though Nagisa said he wound up there due to being lost, he must have mapped out the area in his mind by now after however many times he wound up heading this way, right?
The path lead them up a hiking trail, and Jun was thankful Nagisa didn’t really carry alot, as he could find himself getting extremely exhausted by the time they reached the top of the trail had he been carrying Hiyori’s things. When they reached the top, there was a clearing, and a small shrine. Jun looked around, watching as Nagisa walked over to a bench with an overlook of the city. Following him over, Jun set their things on the bench before he stood next to Nagisa at the railing, looking over the city right alongside his senior.
There was something peaceful about the silence, about just being in Nagisa’s presence. He was so calming, so strong just existing… It was such a pleasant experience, and he didn’t want to let go of it. Of course, he didn’t mind when Nagisa chose to speak, though. To break the silence with a voice like that never really felt like the silence had been broken, simply paused.
“...it is beautiful, isn’t it?” Jun nodded, cheeks burning as Nagisa moved to hold Jun’s hand. “...there have been times where… I contemplate my meaning for existence. I contemplate why it is I was brought to this earth. What purpose do I serve, that I should come into existence and what God has in store for me… Though he has forsaken humans, leaving us to fend for ourselves… I do believe he still has a plan for each existence…” Jun was listening still, but Nagisa had definitely started delving into the things he got just a little bit confused listening to. As there seemed to be a continuation of the silence after this, Jun decided he should speak.
“So what if there’s some kinda plan?” Nagisa blinked, startled by the words as he looked to Jun. “Yer alive right now, ya have a really great unit, and we all care alot about ya. Some of us maybe even more than others…” He rubbed his neck awkwardly, a bit embarrassed to say it like that. “I remember ya puttin’ ya didn’t really like yerself as far as dislikes go, why was that, Nagi-senpai? Ya seem practically perfect to everyone, yet y’don’t see yerself that way.” Nagisa blinked before he smiled softly, almost feeling as though he’d been caught redhanded in a way.
“Mm… It is true. Originally… I did not like myself, because I was still learning about myself… I am still learning how to… be human, if you will.” Jun nodded a bit, eyes locked with Nagisa’s as he spoke, trying to read further into him, following Hiyori’s advice about trying to be as studious as he could be. “...I think, by dating you, experiencing the things my heart yearns for… I think it is slowly making me come to realize perhaps I do not dislike myself, but rather the person I always believed I was… For… you seem to see someone entirely different than I do when you look at me.” At this, Jun felt his cheeks catch fire and he swallowed a bit, rubbing at his neck again with some nervousness.
“W-Well, Nagi-senpai’s a really cool guy, an’, y’know, I danno! Yer really kind an’ sweet, an’ ya look out for us even when it feels like y’need for lookin’ out for than we do, an’...” Before Jun could continue rambling, Nagisa leaned down to press the softest kiss to his lips, silencing him immediately. As Jun returned the kiss, he gripped Nagisa’s hand in his all the tighter. When Nagisa pulled away, the bluenette sighed shakily. “...yer perfectly imperfect, Nagi-senpai. If… If that makes sense.” With that comment, Nagisa simply giggled, nodding and pulling Jun into a tight embrace. “...why’d ya bring me here, anyway?”
“Mm… It felt like the right sort of place to talk to you about such dark things… Somewhere peaceful, free of judgement… That, and I wanted to kiss you here to have pleasant memories of this place.” At that, Jun nearly caught far as he leaned against Nagisa’s chest, hiding his face. Nagisa only laughed a bit more, holding him close while they remained there comfortably in the silence.
Perhaps one did not always need to speak their mind to convey how they felt, and perhaps… even Nagisa could finally find solace in his existence, even if it took one step at a time. Being alongside Jun made it feel all the more worthwhile and safe to do so.