Chapter Text
I twirled around in front of the mirror, twisting my head to check if my kimono was fastened correctly. I turned back again, running my fingers over the wrinkles in the robe around my body. Placing a hand on the red flower in my hair, I nodded in contentment.
The date is March 3.
From the place where I've come from, Germany, this date has no special meaning. It's just the 3rd day of spring.
However, in Japan, the day of March 3 is a very important day.
It's the day where all the girls pretty themselves with the most delicate accessories, putting on their best kimono. They chose these items carefully, they dress themselves precisely ,they doll themselves up with everything they've got.
This day is reserved for the Doll Festival. It is also called Girls' Day.
My reflection offered me upturned lips and glittering eyes, cheeks painted with a delicate blush, but not too much. Girls here in Japan tend to go for looks as natural as possible, I'm trying to follow their example.
" You look beautiful. "
Mikasa's gentle figure greeted me in the mirror, leaning in the doorway. For a moment, I rested my eyes on her face, on her tender features, on the flowers in her hair. Then, they trailed lower, noticing the kimono she choose, its details, its colors.
I greeted her by facing her, smiling adoringly." Me? You look stunning, Mikasa! " She was all wrapped in black,white and red, in flowers huddled together, in an elegance that was her.
She breathed a laugh, coming closer to me. " This color really fits you. "
I glanced down at the cloth around my body, at the yellow, red, white, pink and orange, all enveloped by the green drowning the spaces unoccupied by flowers. I guess Mikasa really had eyes for these types of things, being half-Japanese and all: she knows how to dress herself and what to choose for me.
" Thanks. "
" Armin messaged me. " Mikasa said, locking her phone. " They're waiting in the lobby. "
I nodded. " We can go. I'm ready. "
We made our way to the elevator in a comfortable silence, until I heard Mikasa mutter under her breath:
" If Eren doesn't make a move this time, I'm sending his ass into oblivion. "
Blood rushed to my cheeks.
" M-Mikasa! " I stuttered.
However, instead of receiving a teasing smirk or a chuckle from her, her face was scrunched in irritation. " I'm being serious, [___].There's a limit to how much someone can be clueless, and Eren just overstepped it. "
I sighed.
Eren is Mikasa's childhood friend. They've known each other for, well, a lifetime. They grew up together, you could say they were practically family. Into that little family, Armin and I were accepted too, albeit Armin came earlier than me in their lives. The three of them are very close to each other, oftentimes I find myself putting space between them, more often than not, I think I'm intruding on something intimate. They have such a strong bond, it's enviable.
However, I'm not jealous. I'm glad we're all here, I'm glad Mikasa insisted on me coming with them to visit Japan, I'm glad that they're in my life and that I'm in theirs.
As to why was Mikasa fuming about Eren being clueless?
I have a crush on him. It's not a big deal, really. Many girls in our class fancy Eren too, it's not like I'm the only one. However, I guess they don't have Mikasa's blessing, so that makes me different from them. I guess they're not as close as I am to him, either.
It's funny though that Mikasa is more frustrated than I am. She's always been a mother hen of sorts. She's suffocating most of the time, Eren, with his thin patience, sometimes tells her off, Armin is more understanding of the fact that she is worried about our well-being as her friends.
" Seriously, Mikasa, drop it. I'm not bothered by this, it's fine if we're just friends. "
" You may not be bothered--" She started, paused once we were inside the elevator to press the button to the lobby, then resumed. "--But I am."
The door closed.
" Because you like him, and it's so obvious."
" Oh, God."I buried my burning face in my hands.
" And because he likes you too, it's so damn obvious, but he's dense as heck." She finished calmly, clasping her hands in front of her.
Someone, please give this girl a prize for getting hopeless romantics' hopes up and embarrassing them in the process. Actually, she deserves two prizes. Medals, even.
I was about to comment on what she said, but there was a Ding!, there were the doors opening--
--And then there were turquoise eyes.
" Wow, you two look breathtaking! "
I'm sorry, Armin, I'm not able to give my thanks to you, since right now I'm busy sinking into bright eyes, but Mikasa will take care of that for me.
There are just so many emotions flickering in his eyes, too bad I'm not good at reading them. What I can surely say is that he is surprised. I'm also stunned into silence. Even though he is dressed in a black kimono, with tints of light blue and dragon designs, his obi black with white lines, he is out of this world. To be completely honest, he has always been. My eyes embraced his figure, embraced him whole in what I hoped was subtlety, just a quick survey and that I was not downright ogling him.
" Hey." He murmured.
" Hi. " I smiled slightly, and I could hear Armin and Mikasa puffing in the background." You look nice!" I beamed, giggling to hide my embarrassment.
He cleared his throat."You too." His tongue flicked to wet his lips."These colors really suit you. They're vibrant, just like you,[___]."
Heart, now's not the time to be preparing for the marathon.
My lips were tight in this U shape and my face felt warm.
God, I'm warm all over.
"Thank you so much, Eren."My cheeks hurt so hard, but so good.
Armin cleared his throat, successfully capturing our attention."We should get going, otherwise the train will be crowded."
On our way, Armin kept questioning Mikasa about every little thing about the festival, the booths that will be there, the traditions, the history, and I was left with Eren to watch their backs.
"Who knew we'd get to come here."I sighed blissfully, raking my eyes over the buildings with neon signs depicting God knows what because my Japanese was still poor, but they were pleasant to look at, they just stole your attention, flickering red, green, yellow and other bold colors. I couldn't shift my gaze away, the banners using stylistic writing, black with contours of white, the symbols ,curly and splashed in a neat way--it was easy for me to get lost in everything, for this eccentric view to snatch me away.
This country was simply an explosions of senses.
However--
It only took Caribbean eyes to capture my undivided attention.
Eren laughed, resonant and rich, a healthy laugh from deep within."Yeah, tell me about it. How does it feel to finally live your dream?"
"Fucking amazing."I smiled giddily up at him, before realising my mistake and clamping a hand over my lips.
After ceasing his laughter (and after being intimidated by my wanna-be frown which was actually an ashamed pout, all topped with shades of red), Eren swung an arm around my shoulders, bringing my head to rest against the left side of his chest. He locked eyes with me, all happy smiles, unaware of my inner turmoil and my rapidly growing heartbeat. "You're fucking adorable, d'you know that?"
I raised my eyes at him, mumbling a meek "No?".
Armin turned his head and I could practically feel the mischievous smile he was sporting."[___] and Eren are getting really touchy-touchy, aren't they?"Mikasa nodded, smiling faintly.
Eren tightened his hold on me, sputtering and lightly cursing his best friend, who faked a sigh, before continuing:"Too bad we can't leave them alone, yet."The rest of Eren's rant was directed at Armin's back, who, as an after-thought, added:"Just hold on a little longer, okay, you two?"
My heart sunk.
They weren't planning to ditch us when we got there, were they?
Oh God, oh God, oh God--
With furrowed eyebrows, Eren huffed under his breath:"I'm tired of them making fun of us."
"They're...not really making fun of us."
Actually, they're rooting for us. We're like, their real life OTP. It's comforting to know they're supporting us (even though we're not together), but sometimes it gets annoying and awkward with Armin's innocent teasing and innuendos and Mikasa's R-rated fanfictions of the two of us. And Eren being as clueless as ever--I don't know if it's helping or not.
I disentangled myself as we reached the station, putting a small but safe distance from Eren. The 4 of us gathered together, trying to stay in line, following the example of the people living in this country.
I glanced around, discreetly surveying some other girls spruced up along with their boyfriends, men dressed in suits, some people wearing masks, some getting back from work, going on with their lives. They were so diligent, so polite and ready to help, so keen on following the rules, they long ago earned my respect.
My eyes fell on a boy of average height (according to where I've come from), with dusky hair fluffed up in all directions and dark eyes engulfed in his phone.
"He's pretty attractive." My mouth went off without my consent, thus making my friends look in the direction my eyes were fixed on.
A gust of wind came crashing towards us and I covered the bun on my head with its accessories and flower, though my eyes never left the pretty boy.
And oh God, he looked like he had been ripped straight from a Shoujo manga, with his hair blowing in the wind, locks haphazardly thrown in the air, in his eyes, and all I could think were that even with the lack of cherry blossom flowers in his face, he looked irresistible.
Mikasa hummed. “He’s not bad, I suppose.”
I turned sharply towards her, eyes popped out in bewilderment.”Not bad? He’s totally so fine!” A squeal bubbled in my throat and I efficiently managed to morph it into a dying seal’s sound, or, to fit the mood, a cat in heat, maybe?
Armin butted in the conversation: ”His looks are quite ordinary, he is no different from the usual Japanese boys.”
No, but you don’t understand, Armin!
A whine, then:” No, Armin, don’t you see how his shirt molds perfectly over his stomach and his forearms, they look delicious—“
“So you’re attracted to the way he’s dressed?”
A retort prepared itself to leave my mouth, to deny what was a tiny little bit true, when Eren’s voice cut through.
“The train’s coming.”
Eren’s voice sounded strangely… reserved, even a bit cold. My eyes drifted over him, but he had his back to me, so they landed on Mikasa. She looked like she was tormented by something, biting her lip and eyeing me back with waves of stormy blue. I felt like the I was swallowed by those waves, caught up in a storm on a beach, I must have done something. I shook my head, to which she motioned for me to come closer to her.
“What is with that look on your face, Mikasa?”
To which she hissed with restrained… amusement? She doesn’t look amused at all. On the contrary, she looks like she wants to throw someone on the railing. In times like these, I remember just how she is related to our professor, Mr Levi Ackerman, who is also her uncle. He must be proud of her, she got an A+ on How to look like murdering someone when you’re actually happy. “He’s jealous.” Her eyes crinkled, she was such a sadist, Mr Ackerman, what have you been teaching her. But I have to give her props for trying to make me feel better, and getting me to believe that I have a chance. However, Eren’s voice did sound…off.
I furrowed my eyebrows, lips pursed. “You sure?”
God, the next time I’m praying, please fulfill my wish of being given the power of telepathy, that way Mikasa wouldn’t have to look so fed up with me and I would finally figure out what goes through Eren’s head. And hers. And Armin’s too. That’d be nice. Telepathy sounds nice. Especially on exams or tests. God, Santa Clause or Easter Bunny, I’m waiting for your signal.
I exhaled, dismissing her by saying that the train has arrived.
And oh Pete, dear one, rush hour is merciless — in a moment I was squeezed like a toothpick. And since he was feeling extremely mischievous, I lost my friends in the crowd. In a sea of foreign people. Japanese people. Lots that don’t know English. What do I do? I don’t know where to get down. I can’t see Armin’s outstanding blond hair in this mass, and I can’t even twist my head without utteringSumimasen to the people I bumped into.
Today is not a good day. If you keep going at it again, Pete, I’m taking my toys and I’m leaving. We’re no longer friends.
My tiptoes hurt, my hand was soon to become like Jake’s, though Christ pray, I don’t want to be a dog, which bring the question as to why have you felt like making me short? Was it fun? Because to me it’s not, I’m practically hanging like a monkey here, I hope I find a pole where I can drape myself around it.
My toes ache, I slowly tried to bring my feet flat on the floor, but I accidentally stepped on someone’s foot.
“ I-I’m sorry!”
Nope, nope, I take it back. Today is a very good day, splendid even! Pete, let me hug you, you are the boss. You rock. You’re my BFF.
Gorgeous is right behind me.
“It’s alright. Don’t worry, please.”
His smile is so—
I think (know) I must’ve been staring, he was fidgeting and a murmur that thankfully I understood (bless the Anime God) passed his wet lips. “Is something the matter?”
“Gaijin desu.”
A soft, exhaled laugh and smoldering brown eyes spoke in broken English. “You speak English?”
The obvious mistake made me cringe, since English is my only pleasure in school, but I probably could relate to him: my Japanese was horrendous.
I whispered a confirmation. That prompted him to continue. “You want –hold on me?”
Pumpkin pie, please don’t say things like that, I might faint.
Despite my thoughts, I nodded, My feet were wailing in my Geta, I wasn’t about to refuse such a tempting offer.
“If it’s alright…” I mumbled, feeling my cheeks flushed from the proposal.
I think my heart rocketed when he took my hand in his own, gripping it securely, and I finally landed on my feet, the ache subsiding a little.
Buddha bless this beautiful—both inside and outside—man.
Though, instead of feeling comforted and protected, I felt uneasy. There’s this boy, a well-mannered and cute one, I barely know him, and well, he’s kind of holding my hand. Japanese boys were very strict, they didn’t ogle women like those back in the country, but just for my well-being, I was on alert. I know some self-defense, if it comes to that, I’ll break his beautiful skull with my elbow.
We kept our staring contest, when the train took a sharp turn, and like, in every Shoujo manga, I fell on his chest, his free hand cradling me firmly. For crying out loud, we’re not in a Shoujo manga, yet why is it that every move this boy makes is so smooth?
“You alright?”
I lost myself in chocolate eyes, in their essence and sweetness, in their delicious gleaming, my fetish for Japanese boys is getting out of hand. He gazed back at me, a smile playing at the corner of his lips. “Your eyes are pretty.”
Oh. Oh, dear God.
“[___]!!”
I disentangled myself to scan my surrounding, spotting ocean eyes coming towards me, apologizing to those he pushed aside. We locked eyes, and his smile was so bright, but then he eyed gorgeous next to me, and his lips and his eyebrows turned into frowns. His pace seemed to quicken, and now I might (finally) realise that Eren might be jealous.
He’s over-protective.
He panted my name once he was in front of me, but his eyes were so unfocused, they were not for me, he didn’t see me.
“Eren.” I uttered, trying to make him look at me with my tone, I tried to say his name in the most pleading and sincere voice ever.
“We get down at Harajuku station.”
I think I was feeling extremely bold after almost hugging beautiful on my right, that I took Eren’s hand in mine and announced: “You have to take me back to Mikasa and Armin, so don’t leave, ok?” I spoke in German, and that made him regard me with eyes rippling of ocean salt and waves crashing on the shore, and I swore that Eren was the most beautiful being in this train. In this city, country, world. How could I droll over a Japanese boy, when I have a masterpiece that gets worried for me?
I entwined our fingers, willing myself to not become a mess, since I didn’t need any more blood reddening my cheeks. My tongue passed my lips and Caribbean eyes were on me, only for me. “Don’t leave me alone.” My eyes flickered between his own, his cheeks, his forehead, over his head, his hair, went by his lips, then back into that unique color.
He hesitated, he paused, before gripping our hands and speaking: “I’ll never leave you alone.”
I swallowed.” I’m holding you to that.”
I said my goodbyes to the other boy, and I made my way with Eren in tow to the others. My blush faded, but it was still present, after all, I was holding my crush’s hand. It was big, it was soft with edges of hardness, it was warm, so, so warm. I wanted to be engulfed by that warmth. I wanted to be engulfed by him. His smell, his laugh, his eyes, his voice, his arms, his everything, in this reincarnated Adonis with a missing Aphrodite.
I’m not worth the Aphrodite title, I’m not special, I’m stuck between average and cute, but maybe, maybe, Adonis can ditch his Aphrodite and come to this ordinary girl. I’d love him a thousand times, a million times, more times than we can count, I’ll treasure him as long as he does the same, I want him so much for me.
Armin’s hair came into view, thank God he was a blond. A smart blond. A straight A+ blond. Blond jokes don’t work on this bookworm. Knowing him, he’d retaliate with a clever explication as to why not all blondes are dumb. And they’re not. Armin, you are going to be the blondes’ world mascot. They need you. You’re borderline between cute and boyish, you’ll do just fine.
“Hey, you kinda lost me there.” I chirped sharply, trying to maneuver myself close to them in the whole crowd.
“We’re sorry, [___]. I knew the train was gonna be packed, but not this much.” Armin apologized, trying to make himself smaller to give me space to fit into.
“Apology accepted.” I grinned, throwing a glance over my shoulder to him.
Mikasa’s eyes traveled downwards, settling on my and Eren’s linked hand. I got a bit self-conscious, my cheeks pinkish, but I didn’t let go, I’ll stay like this until he notices it. Her lips quirked up, though she kept quiet. God bless Mikasa too. She needs a present for all her support. I’ll have to find something to buy her.
I dragged Eren closer to me, getting on my toes to reach the bus handle, when he grasped this hand too, telling me: “Hold on to me. Your feet will hurt all night if you keep them like this the whole ride.”
I nodded wordlessly, clutching our intertwined hand, bringing the other down.
Armin seemed to try to muffle his laughter. “We have three more stations, this train moves fast.”
I went quiet, drowning out the conversation, observing how neon signs, advertisements, people, buildings became a blur of colors, of red, yellow, flickering green, grey and dark blue, this city was basking in colors. But as we continued to move forward, the lights diminished, the flashing became less and less frequent, the buildings were naked of their publicity and plasmas. The train stopped at Shin-Okubo, and in wonder I appreciated the kimonos the native girls wore, their hairstyle, buns with blue, purple, red, pink flowers, the boys dressed sharp for the occasion, there were exceptions, of course, this was girls’ day, most of the boys didn’t need to dress up. I guess it’s pleasing to see them so dedicated to their loved one.
“What are you looking at, [__]?” Armin broke my trail of thoughts, and I responded with a shake of my head in the right direction. “Observing people. Especially the dressed up girls. They’re delightful to look at.”
Standing at 170 cm, Eren leaned his head on my right shoulder to study the scenery, his voice vibrating through me. “You look a thousand better than them.”
I fought off a smile, lightly jabbing him. “Don’t say stuff like that, silly. Stop inflating my ego.”
Time passed by relatively quick, and luckily, many people got down, thus the train was less crowded, we had space to move, and I reluctantly let go of Eren’s hand to grasp a pole.
“The next station is Harajuku. Harajuku. The doors on the left side will open.”
As we got down, I breathed in deeply. Despite the fact that Tokyo was a buzzing city, full of people, stations, and buildings, it had a general lack of cars, therefore the air wasn’t polluted at all. It was fresh, a bit humid, it rained a lot the other day, windy, it was overall a lovely sensation, though it better not ruin my hairdo.
“We have to go on foot to the temple. It’s not far away, down the street and immediately turn right.” Mikasa pointed her hand in those directions, her words leaving in a trail of silk; she was truly a Yamato Nadeshiko: graceful and strong, maintaining those qualities in whatever situation she faced, a flower of rare beauty. Oftentimes I wonder why there’s no boy at her side, but I guess there’s no one to truly deserve her yet.
We trudged in our sandals to our destination, my kimono kissing my forearms in whispers, lightly urged on by the wind, it teased my legs with its smooth material, flapping in the air. I studied Armin in front of me, hugged by rich blue and bubble patterns, these colors really complemented his sky-like eyes. His obi was decorated by cerulean blue squares on white, fastened on his hips with patience.
I brought my eyes to my feet, I was abandoned once again with Eren on my left.
“Hinamatsuri, Doll’s Day or Girl’s Day—“ Mikasa started.”—Is the day people display ornamental dolls, called hina-ningyo, outside their houses on platforms covered by red carpets, dolls that represent the Emperor, the Empress, attendants or musicians that go down in their history, all of them dressed in clothes specific to the Heian period.”
I was clever enough to wikipedia that article last night, the terms are not so foreign to me.
She paused, before continuing:” I’ll make it as brief and as simple as possible. The reason why people do this is because it is said that dolls posses the power to tame bad spirits, to protect the villagers from the evil. People also pray for the safety of their children, of their little girls.”
“I’ve read that there is a certain arrangement of the dolls, they represent something different with each platform.” Armin cut in and I could see the excitement in his eyes from receiving information, whether it was new or not, it delighted him to no end. He is passionate when it came to knowledge, such a smart boy he is.
“Yes, that’s true, but I won’t babble about them now, you can google them when we get home, it’s not worth clogging your mind with such information. There are lots of formalities, Japanese people are very thoroughgoing.” The girl explained.
“Well, this is why the internet is for.” Eren shrugged, locking his hands at the back of his head.
I giggled, dimples and smiley eyes, regarding him with amusement. “ I doubt you’ll search that up anyway.”
Turquoise satin sheets wrapped around me, I lost myself again. It was a welcoming embrace, I would embrace it any day, this boy was just too—too—German, don’t fail me. “I won’t. You?”
I simpered up at him: “Already did.”
He laughed. “You’re really dedicated to this country!”
“Of course I am! It’s my dream country!”
“So, you could say…” He trailed off, mischievousness swimming in his blue pearls. “That you’re living the Japanese dream.”
I guffawed. “That was such a bad one.”
“I won’t start listing all the reasons why that pun is so wrong.”The blond countered in a mild tone.
Talking and laughing along the way, we found ourselves standing in front of a majestic temple, green tiles and wooden structure, the Meiji Jingu Shrine. There were many people, mostly girls, and I spotted several platforms adorned by dolls.This was such a contrast in comparison to the buzzing outside world, a side of Tokyo clothed in peacefulness, in calmness and in contentment, everything was tickled by the word harmony. The trees around us blocked the noise and hustle characteristic to Tokyo, they were devoted guards to their duty.
Mikasa took off before us and handed us some fliers given by the temple attendants that described in cursive English the background of the temple, its attractions, its festivities.
“Let’s stay together so we don’t lose each other, alright?” Armin inquired, and we all gave our agreements.
There was no way I would get lost once again. It was one thing in the train, but in an open space, at a temple, on a holiday, at a festival—Who knows how much it would take to find me? My phone’s not working anyway, it’s not like we can call each other. It’s best if I am attentive and I make sure not to lose sight of my friends.
As if sensing that I was troubled by my ability to get lost anywhere and everywhere (it’s not the first time), Eren turned to me: “ Do you want to hold my hand?”
Whaa—
Cue me turning the red light on, making way to rest on my cheeks.
Realising what he said, he quickly stammered a clarification: “T—To not get lost again, it would be better to hold my hand.” His cheeks were ivory pink, or what I could see from his profile, he was averting his gaze to the other direction.
I think I heard comment in the background (“How bold of you.”), but I ignored him in favor of answering the beauty thing next to me: “A-Alright, it’s fine with me.”
I made eye contact and I delved in crystal clear water, salty, the ocean, but unfortunately, I don’t know how to swim, and the one who held the PFD was the one drowning me.
He intertwined our hands, and we resumed our tour.
“There are stands that sell food, like this one—“ Mikasa pointed to the first one. “There they sell okanomiyaki, which is a sort of pancake with various ingredients in it. It’s actually tasty, you definitely have to try it. There are many stands like this one here, at least ten. The next one—“ Her finger went a little farther, to the second booth.”—They sell, as you can probably see, grilled corn. My advice is to not waste your money on this, we can grill corn in Germany too.”
Blue velvet eyes glanced back towards us. “Let’s take a raid, I’ll explain as we pass by each booth.”
She went on, showing us stands that sold chopped squid with mayonnaise packed in a dough ball, fish on sticks, beer stands, though we were uninterested in them, choco-banana, crepes, yakitori. I bought okanomiyaki, and let me tell you, it was delicious. I also had a taste of chocolate covered banana, I liked it very much.
Armin tried everything, Eren bought yakitori and okanomiyaki, and Mikasa was eating a choco-banana.
Eren’s sigh made me look at him. “Is something wrong?”
“No, it’s just that…” He grumbled. “… That choco-banana looks inviting as hell. I wish I bought one too, but I don’t have much money left and I want to try the games here too.”
“Wanna get a bite of mine?” I held the stick in Eren’s face with a half-eaten banana.
Hold on.
What did I just ask him?!
And the fact that it sounds like an innuendo doesn’t help at all.
Eren seemed to notice that too, judging by his blush. “If it’s—“ He cleared his throat.”If it’s alright with you?”
I bobbed my head, looking up at him. “Yeah. Sure. Definitely. Otherwise I wouldn’t have asked.”
I brought the stick closer to him and oh God, he grasped my hand and he bit into the banana all the while holding my hand.
I erupted into flames.
Now I’m 100% sure this boy is the reincarnation of a Shoujo manga boy.
I watched transfixed as he chewed slowly, savoring the taste, and by the expressions on his face, he seemed to enjoy it.
He moaned. “This tastes excellent.”
As his happiness is my happiness, I nudged the stick to his lips. “Here, you can have the rest, I don’t want it anymore.”
He paused, looking at me incredulously. “You sure?”
“Yup!” I chirped.
He carefully took the stick from my hand with his free hand (when did I forget that we were holding hands?) and he poked at my lips with it. “Only if we share. Sounds good?”
I gaped like a fish, before nodding quickly. “ Yeah, of course. Perfect.”
“Sweet!” Eren grinned before waving the stick lightly left and right, as to not let the banana fall. “Open wide.” He cooed, bringing it to my lips. “Here comes the train!”
I burst into laughter, then took a bite. “Choo-choo.” I tittered, smiling from ear to ear.
“Motherfuckers!” Eren continued with sparkling shades of green and blue and I couldn’t hold my laughter anymore.
I shivered as he flung the hand that used to hold mine across my shoulders, bringing me closer to him. He smelled so good, I honestly don’t know how to describe it, but my nostrils were having the time of their lives. His chest was firm, muscled, it was evident that he works out, I wonder how it would feel to sleep on it, to wake up to his dazzling Carribbean eyes, mussed up hair and sleepy, hoarse voice, in the morning.
My thoughts are going into dangerous territory.
Passing the stick between us in various indirect kisses, I couldn’t help but remark that: “You know, this choco-banana is nothing special, we can make something like this too back home.”
Mikasa sided with me. Armin too. Eren, as expected, not.
“No, we can’t.”
“Why not?” Armin raised an eyebrow.
“Because this is a Japanese banana.”
Mikasa made a sound between a snort and a huff. “Bananas don’t grow here, they’re imported.”
“B—But—! It has a history here, it lived here! Japan is practically its home!”
My stomach hurt from all the laughing.
“ Are we seriously having a dispute about a banana's growth place?” Armin voiced my thoughts in a jovial tone.
“Better than Mr Ackerman’s talks about shits and poops in general. No offence, Mikasa.”
Mikasa shrugged Eren off. “None taken. I know how you feel.”
Finally, we reached the other booths, filled with toys and there was a stand that I knew from Anime, a stand where you try to catch goldfish.
We made some rounds around the festivals, Eren and I tried our hand at the goldfish, and surprisingly, Eren won but chose to let the fish there. We admired the ornamental dolls, stayed a little for the prayers, then slowly made our way to where we had come from.
It got dark already. I could see the twinkling stars above my head, floating along a mist of darkness. The atmosphere here really was different, the air was fresher, the people were nicer, the sky had lots of visible stars, only if you go to the countryside you can see the same stars in Germany. I liked it here. Please, don’t take me back home.
Mikasa checked her phone, then spoke up: “If we leave now, we may still get to visit Takeshita Street.”
“Oh.My.God.” I squealed. “It’s that street full of cosplays and wigs and nice clothes?”
The other girl nodded, while I continued to jump and fidget in excitement. I snatched Eren’s hand and took him along with me as I started running on my sandals and, even though my feet were screaming murder, I kept on running, even though he started complaining, I still kept running. “Let’s go! Let’s go, Armin, Mikasa!” I called behind my shoulder, and the two reluctantly quickened their pace.