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It’s a typical morning in February. Acres of snow are coating the streets of Tokyo. Streets that normally would be quite busy, but are much more empty today because of the copious snowfall. People all over this massive city are rising from their slumber and beginning their day, among these being a dark-haired boy and his supposed non-cat.
Ren’s eyelids slowly rise over his light gray eyes, revealing to him the same attic he’s woken up to almost every morning since his probation began. After lying in bed for a moment, he rolled from his side onto his back and sat up, a degree of sluggishness plaguing his actions. He looked to the right and saw the deluge of white, taking a moment to appreciate the snug feeling of his bed and the walls shielding him from the cold. After a few minutes, He got out of bed and went through his morning routine the same way he always does. Once he was finished getting ready for his day, he walked downstairs and sat at one of the tables in the cafe, Morgana following him and sitting beside him.
They sit in silence for a bit before Morgana speaks up. “So, what are your plans for today?”
Morgana asks Ren. Ren takes a second to think about what plans he might have for the day, quickly coming to the realization that he has none.
“I guess I don’t have any” replied Ren, resting his chin on his first three fingers while his elbow rested on the table in front of him.
“Guess that means it’ll be just us today since Leblanc is closed” said Morgana with a hint of excitement in his voice. Ren wasn’t exactly against the idea of spending all day alone with his totally-not-a-cat, but he still felt like something was wrong, as though he longed for some form of human interaction.
Ren had just finished his breakfast when he heard a knock on the door to Leblanc. He was suddenly filled with excitement and a trace of uncertainty as he walked to the door. When he opened the door, he was exactly surprised, but it would be an understatement to say he was delighted.
Standing there was a short, orange-haired girl garnished in a green hoodie and glasses.
“Heeey boyfriend!” she bellowed as she half-walked half-skipped through the doorway and wrapped his arms around his beloved trickster, lightly resting her head against his lower chest.
“Taba!” he softly yet lovingly exclaimed as he returned her hug. The two of them stood there for several seconds, feeling each other’s warmth. Once Ren pulled away from Futaba, she kicked off her shoes and walked over to Morgana, swiftly hoisting him into the air.
“Hey, put me down!” shouted an annoyed Morgana, flailing wildly in Futaba’s arms. After holding onto him for a few seconds, Futaba complies, abruptly lowering him back onto the floor.
Ren walks toward Futaba until he's standing about a foot away from her and looks down to meet her bright, brown eyes, or at least try to as his eyes nervously dart around her face.
“So what brings you here today?” asked Ren.
“It’s a really snowy day and I thought it’d be really nice and cozy if I spent it here with you!” answered Futaba, beaming with enthusiasm. Ren’s face tinted a slight shade of red at just how adorable she was by complete accident whenever she opened her mouth, or did absolutely anything.
“Yeah, I also think that’d be nice” agreed Ren.
“So, what are we gonna do today, pretty boy?” Futaba chirped playfully.
“Well it’s not like we can really go anywhere since it’s snowing so much, so I guess we’ll have to stay here. You wouldn't mind that, right Taba?” proposed Ren.
“Of course! It’s almost scary how well you know me” responded Futaba.
“Ehhh, I feel like everyone who knows you even a little knows how much of a shut-in you are most of the time” said Ren, hoping his words didn’t come off as too condescending.
“I guess that is true, but there's still a lot of things that only you know about me” Futaba countered.
Ren said “Oh yeah, like how I'm the only one who knows about your extensive daki-”
“Hey, Morgana is listening!” Futaba interrupted, in a mix of annoyance and embarrassment.
“About your WHAT!” yowled Morgana, hopping backward in shock.
“Uh, nothing!” Ren quickly sputtered, trying his best to get him and Futaba out of the awkward situation that he had created. Morgana still looked a bit curious, but decided it was best not to pry any further.
“Anyway, I think we should go upstairs now. Why don't you go for a walk Morgana?” Said Ren, still a little flustered by his earlier slipup and completely forgetting how much it's snowing outside.
“Alright” concurred Morgana, secretly a little disappointed that he wouldn't get to hang out with Ren at all (something that's become increasingly common as of late) but still wanting him to have some time alone together with Futaba.
A few moments later, Ren and Futaba were sitting close together on the small couch in Ren’s room, their shoulders almost touching. Or, well, more like Futaba’s shoulder almost touching Ren’s ribcage, given their height difference. Futaba, flopped onto her back, her hair spreading out over the side of the bed she was on.
“So, got any plans?” she asked, not realizing that he was unaware that she was even planning on coming over until a couple minutes ago.
“No, not really” responded Ren. “I was thinking maybe just the usual coffee and curry and maybe some video games or something after”.
“Okay, that sounds pretty good” said Futaba, slightly disappointed that he didn't have any new ideas for things to do together but still elated just to be next to him. Futaba, suddenly remembering something, quickly sat back up.
“But first there's something I wanna show you” said Futaba, with noticeable excitement in her voice, as she pulled out her phone. Ren leaned in closer to see her phone, her infectious enthusiasm taking control of his mind the way only she can. Futaba then unlocks her phone. And although brief, Ren sees her wallpaper for a moment. Futaba’s wallpaper is a photo of the two of them taken after their first date about two months ago. The photo was a mirror selfie Ren had taken in his room in which he stood upright in a confident manner while Futaba hugged him from the side.
Futaba had been cute as always today, but this was too much for Ren.
Ren’s face turned a completely new shade of crimson as he placed his right hand over his face. Ren and Futaba were still pretty new to this whole relationship thing, so seeing himself as Futaba's phone wallpaper filled him with an intensely joyous yet nervous feeling. The same feeling he got when she first asked him to go hang out in Akihabara with her or the first time she asked her to pat her head. Futaba, despite having her nose buried in her phone trying to find what she was going to show Ren, took notice.
“What’s wrong?” asked Futaba with a somewhat playful tone, hoping she could tease him a little about whatever it was that left him so flustered. Ren realized that Futaba was now on the offensive. He knew that she knew what an awkward dork he was behind his cool and aloof facade and that she would never let up an opportunity to engage in some light teasing. As much as he secretly loved when she did this, he could never admit it or let it happen to him so easily, so he needed to think fast. He could just say it was nothing, but he knew that’d never work. His only other option was to somehow let her know that he knows about her wallpaper. It was quite a risky maneuver, but he didn’t have much of a choice.
Ren looked back up at Futaba, trying his best to hide his embarrassment.
“Can you close out of the app you’re in right now?” requested Ren, hoping his strategy wasn't too obvious. Futaba, her wallpaper completely slipping her mind, exits the app. Checkmate
A small smirk creeped across Ren’s face.
“Why?” asked Futaba, unaware that she had just walked right into Ren’s trap.
“Oh nothing, I just wanted to get a better look at your wallpaper” said Ren in the smuggest voice he could muster.
Futaba's voice turned a shade of red that made Ren’s face a moment earlier look deep green by comparison. She also still got butterflies every time he did as much as look at her for longer than a second, so this turned her into an absolute mess.
“I, uh, thought I just looked really nice in thi-”
It was time for the finishing blow
In the midst of her stammering, Ren swiftly leaned in and kissed her on the forehead. He had achieved victory.
Ren had kissed Futaba before, he was her boyfriend after all, but this kiss combined with the earlier embarrassment him having seen her wallpaper caused her to shut down the same way she did when Ren had confessed his feelings for her. Her face was redder than one of Panther’s blazing hells and she couldn't utter a single word. After a couple seconds, she collapsed onto her side, her head falling on one of Ren’s pillows. She took a few moments to cool off, then she spoke.
“Don't you think it's kinda pathetic?”
“What is?” Replied Ren, in a concerned tone
“You've helped me so much with being more comfortable around people, but now it's you that makes me nervous. There's part of me that's still nervous around some people, and you're the one person who makes me feel that way the most” Futaba went on. “It’s weird because I feel really comfortable around you, but for some reason whenever I think about the way I talk to you and how I act around you, I always regret a lot of the things I say and do. Almost like I shouldn't be as comfortable around you as I am”
Ren laid down next to Futaba, his face mere inches away from her's. This lack of distance between their faces caused both of them to blush a little and neither of them could make eye contact.
“You see me right now?” asked Ren. “Red cheeks, drifting eyes, uneasy tone” He continued. “I'm just as much of a nervous wreck around you as you are around me. I'm also still embarrassed about some aspects of my personality that you've seen. We all have insecurities, but sometimes the things that we're insecure about are what others love about us. And it's no different for me and you. We're both awkward, nerdy messes and that's why I love you”
Futaba, now much more relaxed than she was a few moments ago, rested her sight on Ren's luminous eyes.
“You dork” Futaba softly joked. “I love you”
At that moment, Ren had managed to set his butterflies aside for the time being. He was intensely satisfied seeing one of the things he loved most, Futaba being happy
“Oh, and one more thing” Futaba added. She then scooted even closer to Ren and quickly kissed him on the cheek. “That's payback for earlier”. Ren smiled.
“I don't mind” said Ren, a peaceful expression sprawled across his face.
“Good” replied Futaba. “Then how about this?” Futaba wrapped her arms around Ren and buried her face in his collarbone. In return, Ren wrapped his arms around her and placed his left hand on the back of her head.
In that moment, neither of them spoke. They just laid there, feeling each other's warmth. They forgot about their plans for the day. The coffee and gaming could wait. For now, they just wanted to be as close to each other as possible
Several minutes passed, and they drifted off to sleep. They were content in knowing that when they woke up, the person they loved most would be right there to spend the rest of the day with them.