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Never once did Nene ever expect herself to be in this situation. Honestly, she never thought she'd be sitting across the table from the person she pined for, on a date of all things.
The setting was almost perfect: a warm cafe, lit up by dim lights, as the rain slowly fell. She tried to focus on outside. The gray of outside made her want to stay here, just momentarily at least.
"...A shame. I thought the rain wouldn't start while we were out..."
"I mean, you did bring an umbrella just in case, right?"
"Of course! I brought it just in case, but it might come in handy, it seems."
Her attention flickered between the window and Rui, in front of her. He had on his usual smug cat-like grin, seemingly proud of himself for his expert planning.
One of the first things she had noticed about him was the fact he wasn't a complete disaster. She was expecting him to wear what he usually does, but he was surprisingly well composed. A beige button-up, black dress pants and shoes. He seemed well fit for this environment. A little too well fit. There's no way he'd dress that nice on his own, someone else had to be involved.
"So, uh... nice outfit. Where'd you get it?"
"...Ah. Um. The boutique downtown. A friend helped me pick it out, so I'll give them your thanks!"
A sigh. Of course. He was still well-dressed though, as was she. She just picked out whatever she thought would fit today instead of her usual wear. A white lacey blouse and a matching skirt to go with it, plus heels so she could feel at least a little taller. Both of them were out of their norm, but they both enjoyed how the other looked.
"Have you ever actually been here?"
"Nope! I passed by here the other day, and I thought this would be the perfect place to take you."
Nene could feel her face flush. "Nevermind, just shut up and order something, please."
Her reaction warranted a laugh. "Well, I did say I've never been here... let me at least look at the menu, okay?"
"Fine... be quick though."
They both looked at the menu, examining the options. Neither of them were really coffee fans, to tell the truth. Rui could stomach it if he needed to pull an all-nighter, but Nene hated the taste (and the inevitable crash it'd give her). They were both drawn towards the same section, though, the teas. For a little cafe, this place had a lot of options.
"...Hm. I think I'll just go with black tea. What about you?"
Nene was still fixated on the menu.
"....Hello? Earth to Nene?"
"Oh! Uh, I'll just have Earl Grey or something."
"Alright! I'll go order for us then."
As soon as Rui got up to order, Nene looked back around the place. The outside world no longer interested her, it was a little too dreary to find interesting. The place was relatively empty, besides the employees, it felt like they were the only ones here. She rested her head on the table, waiting. She almost dozed off, only being awoken by the sound of cups being placed on the table.
"Here they are!" He presented her cup with a smile. "And yours, princess."
"Stop itttt." She laughed. His dramatic demeanor always had its charms, though she hated to admit she found it cute.
"What's wrong? You don't think you could be a princess?"
"Nah, that's not it. It's just weird if you're the butler, y'know? Like... you should be a prince in that case."
"...A prince? What kind of prince then?"
"I dunno, like... not exactly Prince Charming but close enough. You've got the charm part but you're not dumb enough for Prince Charming. You're the kind of prince that would actually be a competent prince when you think about it for more than 5 seconds.
...Plus, y... you're cute, so I think you'd.. look cute as one..." Her voice slowly crept to a whisper at that last part, but it was loud enough for Rui to hear.
He stopped in his tracks, whatever he was about to say was just... lost like that. Speechless.
"Um, th-thanks." He shaked his head. "Sorry, not used to you saying that kinda stuff..."
Nene laughed. "Do I need to do that more then?"
"....Please?"
"................................................Uh,"
The two sat there, both way too embarrassed to continue the current conversation. Awkward silence continued, until it was interrupted by the sound of sugar pouring into tea.
A lot.
Way too much.
Way too much fucking sugar.
"....Rui."
"Hm?"
"H-How much did you pour in there?"
"Hold on." He took a sip. "...Enough!"
Nene buried her face in her hands out of instinct. This man.
"Is there a problem?"
"That was a lot. That's not even tea at that point, is it?" She took her face out of her hands and looked up at him.
"No, I promise you, it's tea. I just like mine sweet."
"That's a little obvi-"
"Just like you."
Silence. Then it processed.
"...Wait. What did you just say?"
"I like my tea sweet, like you." He grinned again.
"...............................Oh my god."
She buried her face in her hands again.
"Are you okay?"
God, if he weren't across the table right now, what she'd do to kiss him right now.
"Y-Yeah. I'm fine."
"You sure?"
"...Yeah."
As if by instinct, she went to reach for his hand. He reached back, and there they were. Holding hands across the table. Close enough.
...This was stupid. But what else was there to expect when you got 2 teenagers in love?
"Do you like your tea?"
"Oh, I forgot to try it. Hold on."
She let go of his hand to hold her cup, but as soon as she took a small sip, she cringed.
"Do we still have sugar, or did you use it all?"
"I didn't use that much, there's still some left."
"Surprising." She grabbed the little container of sugar and poured some in.
"Hey, if you're going to complain, why not at least try it first?"
"...Huh?"
He held his cup to her, motioning for her to try. She sighed and took the cup, taking a sip of his tea. It was a little too sweet for her liking, but she didn't mind. It was warm now instead of practically boiling, and the warmth filled her chest, moreso than a normal cup of tea would.
"...It's a little sweet, but it's good." She passed the cup back to him. "I still think you added too much, though."
"Aw, really? I still think it's enough."
"....M-Maybe this'll change your mind."
She held out her cup to him, like he had with his. He gladly accepted, taking a drink.
"...Huh. Maybe you're right."
"Told you. That much sugar isn't good for you, you know."
"Yeah yeah, I know." He gave her the cup back. "I'm simple, though, I just like sweet things."
The two sat there a while, looking out the window every now and again. Just as it seemed like the rain was clearing up, it began pouring down again.
"...Is it really supposed to rain the rest of the day?"
"Afraid so. There goes our other plans..."
"You... had other plans?"
"If you count walking downtown and looking at the little shops as plans, then yes. Otherwise, not really."
Whatever Nene wanted to say seemed to catch in her throat. She didn't know why it was so hard to get it out, but when she finally forced it out-
"Maybe we can just stay here? It's better in here than outside, and it can just be the two of us..."
Rui looked at her in surprise for a bit before smiling, putting his hand over hers.
"We can stay as long as you want, whether the rain clears or not."
They went back to how they were earlier, their hands interlaced together. Rui leaned over the table and quickly pecked Nene's lips. She smiled, noticing how some of the sweetness from his tea seemed to linger in the kiss.
They had stayed there for a bit, at least until the rain cleared up. On the way home, they had already been planning their next date, coming up with various ideas. This time, though, they definitely did account for the weather.