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Piles upon piles of clothing seemed to cover the floor of his bedroom, attire ranging from casual to formal, and yet, despite how many clothes he’d sifted through, nothing seemed correct.
Seth was bent over a bin in his closet, digging through the clothing folded within it, tail swishing impatiently behind him; clothing was thrown carelessly on the floor with every dig, searching and searching for the right thing to wear, and when he came up with absolutely nothing, his impatience increased tenfold.
He wasn't a fashionable person by any means, but he liked to think he had a decent choice of style, that he knew how to dress himself, but with every passing moment and one more article of clothing thrown about and deemed not good enough, he was seriously beginning to doubt his wardrobe choices.
Knock, knock, knock…
Before Seth got a chance to remove himself from the bin he was bent over, he heard his front door practically bursting open and the voices of two very familiar women echo through his apartment, both calling out for him.
“Seth! Where are you?”
“In here!”
Within a few seconds, Zhu Yuan and Qingyi had tumbled into his bedroom, a couple bags of clothing in tow. “Seth! We’re here to help you!”
Huh?
“Help… me?”
“Yep!”
Seth stood there, dumbfounded, piles of clothing around his feet. Help him? For what? With what? He hadn’t told anybody about the date he was going on… had he?
He snapped out of his trance and cleared his throat, asking the question weighing on his mind. “Uh, with what, sorry?”
“Your date. We heard that our rookie officer was going on a date, and of course we came to help.” Qingyi teased, a bit of a smug look on her face, and in response, Seth stiffened up, red creeping up onto his face.
“And who told you that?”
“Heard it through the grapevi—“ Qingyi began, but was cut off, a warm hand clasped over her mouth.
“—Jane told us.” Zhu Yuan answered truthfully, her hand clasped over Qingyi’s mouth, keeping her lips sealed.
Seth felt his face heat up even more, his ears flattening on his head, and he huffed, the sporadic swishing of his tail giving away his heightened embarrassment.
“Jane told you? When?”
“This morning, if I remember correctly. So, we went out and we bought you some clothes. It’s not like you have the best style out there, Seth.”
Ouch. Zhu Yuan was always quite straightforward. She wasn’t one to lie or tease, and while he appreciated it, sometimes it was a little too brutal.
“… Couldn’t you have sugarcoated that? Just a little bit?”
She let out a little chuckle, shaking her head. “Just not in my nature. Sorry, Seth.”
Qingyi made a noise of disapproval, as if trying to get Zhu Yuan to let her speak again, and almost begrudgingly, the brunette let her speak once more, arm dropping back to her side in defeat.
“Based on the mess in here, you haven’t had any luck, have you?”
Seth hesitated, before he nodded, truthfully answering Qingyi’s jab. “No, no luck at all.”
Zhu Yuan hummed in contemplation, and then she crossed the room, grabbing Seth’s arm and tugging him away from the closet, forcing him down onto the bed and throwing the bags of clothing into his lap.
“Try these on.”
Seth nodded in agreement, ears flicking in slight embarrassment as he watched the two women exit his bedroom, leaving him alone to try on the various outfits they’d bought for this special occasion of his.
It was a first date, at least with Jane— Seth had been on dates before, but they were all mostly during his teenage years, and he’d never taken them seriously enough for the relationships to go farther than just two friends that ended up intermingled.
He didn’t want to wear something that was too casual, but he didn’t want to look overly formal, either; it was stressing him out far more than he wanted to admit, shaky hands pulling his clothing off and beginning to try on the various articles of clothing that had been shoved into his lap.
Yet, outfit after outfit, it still seemed like nothing was right. Nothing seemed to fit the ideal outfit he had planned in his head, and he felt frustrated, his body sweating, ears and tail flicking in exasperation, the clamminess of his hands beginning to grate at his nerves.
It all seemed hopeless. Nothing fit right, nothing fit that idea, and he was close to giving up and attempting to call it off, until he pulled out the last outfit in the bag, and he could swear he felt his eyes sparkle. It was formal, but not excruciatingly so, a simple dress-shirt and pants, with a tie to accompany it.
Once he’d dressed himself, he took a moment to look in the mirror. The outfit was… quite nice-looking. It made him look all freshened up, and in his head, he felt more handsome all dressed up like this, as opposed to just casual wear, and he tugged at the shirt, humming in satisfaction.
“You look nice in that.” Zhu Yuan complimented from the doorway, and Seth flinched, not expecting the two women to have come back in so quickly. Before he could respond, she continued, a slightly fond tone to her voice. “Is that what you’re wearing? I think you should.”
“Uh, yeah. I think I’m gonna wear this.”
As Seth looked in the mirror once more, he smiled just a little bit. The dress-shirt complimented him nicely, loose but not frumpy, the dress pants were tight but not suffocating, and the tie seemed to bring the whole outfit together, making him look clean and polished while also not being overly formal.
Zhu Yuan stepped closer to him, her arms hooking around his body to fix the tie around his neck, tightening the knot and smoothing out the front of his shirt, a fond smile on her face.
“There. All ready for your date.”
“He kinda looks like a dork,” Qingyi teased from the doorway, and Zhu Yuan shot her a glare, prompting her to raise her hands in surrender. “Just teasing. You look nice, Seth… I suppose.”
“Oh, stop it, Qingyi.” Zhu Yuan sighed, her hands continuing to smooth out Seth’s outfit, clearly putting her effort into making him look as presentable as possible. “You should go soon. I’m sure she’ll be waiting for you.”
“Yeah…”
“You got this.” She encouraged, patting his shoulder before stepping back, hands moving to rest on her hips. “Go get ‘em, tiger.”
“Hah… You still talk to me like I’m a teenage boy… I’m much older than I was before I started the academy, you know.” Seth mused, and Zhu Yuan shrugged, moving to stand beside Qingyi, hooking one arm with hers.
“I know. But you’re still younger than I am, so you’re still a little kid in my mind. Now go on. She’s waiting, you know.”
Seth felt his hands grow clammy as Zhu Yuan and Qingyi began ushering him towards the entryway of his apartment, anxiety grabbing at his heart, and as he made it to the foyer, he slipped his shoes on, taking a deep breath, a nervous laugh slipping past his lips.
“Alright. Uh… See you guys later.”
Zhu Yuan smiled, ushering Seth out of the door of his apartment and calling out after him. “Call us later! Tell us how it goes!”
“Uh… Okay!”
He gave a measly thumbs up towards the women as they parted ways, knowing he definitely was not going to call them later, and he walked down the corridor, turning into the hall leading towards the stairs, taking a deep breath.
This was it. It was really happening.
Seth Lowell was going on a date with none other than Jane Doe, and he didn’t know how to act about it, or what to even do.
His hands were all clammy, his heart was palpitating in his chest, and his ears and tail were twitching, flicking sporadically, his anxiety rippling through his veins and reflecting physically in possibly the worst way it could.
Anxiety was grating at his nerves, nervous, shaky fingers smoothing out his shirt and fixing his tie as he walked down the stairs and exited the apartment complex, looking ahead as the evening settled over New Eridu, the sun beginning to set in the sky.
He made his way toward Lumina Square, the wind rustling through the various aspects of nature around him, wind-chimes sounding in the air as he passed houses and apartment complexes, and eventually, after about fifteen minutes of walking, he reached the restaurant they were meeting at, looking around for his date.
“You look a little nervous, officer.”
Oh. There she was.
Ordinarily, such a scare would make him flinch, or jump, or let out a little squeak, but perhaps a part of him had been expecting her to hide like this; to try and catch him with his guard lowered, like she had done so many times in the past.
“Ah… Truthfully, I am a little bit.”
He turned to greet her, a sheepish smile on her face as he met her eyes, and for once, it seemed that he had caught her off-guard, red lips forming an ‘o’ shape.
Jane stepped closer to him, her hands clasped behind her back, a small smile creeping up on her face. “Most men wouldn’t admit their anxiety. You’re a special case.”
Seth averted his eyes for a moment before meeting hers again, that sheepish smile never leaving his face. “I’m not a good liar. You of all people should know that.”
Silence fell between them, and seemingly, they both took the time to inspect the others’ outfit. Jane was clad in a loose, red sweater with black jeans, sporting red-bottomed heels. She was dressed far more casual than he was, and a little part of him felt… silly.
“I take it that Zhu Yuan and Qingyi dressed you?”
Her observation caught him off-guard, and he blushed, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. “Uh, yeah. How’d you know?”
Jane stifled a little giggle, tail swishing in amusement behind her. “Sorry to break it to you, but your taste in fashion isn’t like this at all. I’ve had a look through your closet before.”
Seth blushed furiously, huffing slightly, lightly fidgeting with the sleeve of his dress-shirt. “I couldn’t find anything decent to wear.”
“It’s alright. I think you look plenty handsome, even if you’re a tad bit overdressed.” Jane paused, and then she continued, a teasing smile on her face. “You look like a dorky teenager, going for his first ever date.”
“S-shush! This is not my first date!” Seth huffed, and Jane merely rolled her eyes and nodded, the teasing smile never leaving her face.
She hooked her arm with his and led him into the restaurant, and Seth walked along with her, led by a waitress towards a booth in the corner of the restaurant. They sat down across from each other, and he swore he could see the slightest hint of a fond smile on Jane’s face before it was wiped clean by a smirk.
“So, what drink are you gonna order?” Jane asked, flipping through the drink menu, briefly looking up to meet his eyes.
“Nothing really catches my eye. What drink are you gonna order?” Seth directed the question back at her, offering her a smile, which, surprisingly, she reciprocated.
“I think… I’m going to get a cocktail. This one,” She paused and turned the menu towards her date, pointing to a somewhat-fruity and sweet looking drink, “It looks pretty, uh, yummy. I do quite enjoy sweet things.”
Seth raised his eyebrows as she admitted to a love for sweet and sugary things, but he quickly shook off the surprise, a smile crossing his face. “Yeah. Looks pretty good.”
Silence fell between them, and as if on cue, the waitress returned to take their drink orders. Jane ordered her cocktail, and Seth, unsurprisingly, ordered a water— he’d never been very interested in sodas or alcohol. Only on rare occasions.
“A water? I would’ve thought you’d have gotten a beer or something.”
Seth made a face, shaking his head with a slight chuckle. “No, no. I’m not really into beer. It’s much too strong-tasting for me.”
“Oh?” Jane’s lips formed another ‘o’ shape, as if surprised by his answer, and then she began flipping through the dinner menu, humming. “I see. That’s a little surprising.”
Their small talk continued on until the waitress returned with their drinks, and Seth watched as Jane’s eyes lit up and nearly sparkled at the sight of her rather-sweet looking drink. Seeing her excitement, his lips curled into an involuntary smile, which Jane definitely caught.
The waitress then took their food orders, and once she’d scurried off, Jane looked at Seth with a slightly annoyed expression.
“What are you smiling about?”
Seth hesitated, torn between trying to lie to her and just telling the truth, and eventually, he chose the latter. “You look pretty when you get all excited like that.”
Jane’s face reddened an incredible amount, and she let out a huff, embarrassed blue eyes looking away from amused violet ones. She brought her foot forward violently, digging the tip of her heel into the front of his calf, kicking him hard enough to elicit a yelp out of him.
“Hey! What was that for?”
“For managing to catch me off-guard a third time.” She muttered, grabbing ahold of the base of her drink and bringing it to her lips, taking a sip through the straw.
Seth reached down to rub the spot she had kicked, his ears flicking as the spot was sensitive to touch. “You kick hard.”
Jane didn’t respond, taking another sip of her drink, her features relaxing as the sweet and fruity taste hit her tongue. She then offered the glass to him, the straw pointed in his direction, and Seth raised an eyebrow.
“Huh?”
“Would you like to try it?” She offered, swirling the drink around in her hand.
Seth nodded and then reached out to take it, but with her free hand, she slapped his hand away, pointing to the straw. He almost immediately grasped what she meant, blushing as he leaned forward over the table and took a sip from the straw, the overwhelmingly-sweet taste hitting his tongue and making his eyes widen in both delight and surprise.
He pulled back and wiped his mouth, humming in contemplation. “Yeah. That’s pretty sweet, but it’s good.”
Periodically, as they waited for their food, the two engaged in small talk yet again, topics of conversation ranging from history with others, to hobbies, favorite foods, seemingly anything that revealed more information about the other.
Jane alternated between sipping her own drink and offering it to her date, the two of them settling into a routine of sharing her sugary sweet cocktail, despite Seth’s apparent disdain for overwhelmingly sweet items.
Once their food had arrived, Jane set her drink down between them, and she looked almost excited to eat. The sight made Seth smile yet again, but this time, he concealed it better, staring down at his own plate and pushing it around, meeting her eyes briefly as she took a bite of her meal.
“How is it?”
Jane swallowed her food and nodded in satisfaction, her features relaxed as she enjoyed the flavourful meal placed in front of her. “It’s tasty.”
”This is a pretty good spot. It’s a little bit pricey, but it’s nice every once in a while.” Seth mused, before taking a bite of his own food, ears flicking as the taste registered in his brain.
“Pricey?” Jane frowned, looking down at her food, seemingly second-guessing her meal choice. She hadn’t even bothered to look at the menu prices.
Seth looked up as her slightly doubtful and almost sad tone rang alarm bells in his head, and he quickly backtracked, setting his utensil down. “Well, I mean—like, it’s nothing bad. It’s not that pricey, haha, it’s not pricey at all, actually, don’t worry—“
He cut himself off when he noticed the slightly smug look on her face, as if she had baited him effortlessly, and he sighed, beginning to push his food around his plate yet again. “… Oh. You got me. Don’t sound so… sad.”
In response, she merely giggled— a victorious sound. She offered a bite of her food to him, and Seth raised an eyebrow, shaking his head in denial, but she tsked. “Come on. Try it. For me?”
She gave him pleading eyes, sticking her bottom lip out ever so slightly, and the sight instantly made him fold, the lynx thiren nodding in defeat. “Fine.”
Instead of reaching out for the utensil himself, he leaned forward and closed his mouth around the bite she had offered him, eyes never leaving hers. He watched her expression carefully, noting the surprise that washed over her, the way she stiffened up, how her ears flicked on the sides of her head, and for the first time ever, and likely the only time, he felt like he had finally gotten the upper hand.
He pulled back, teeth scraping slightly against the metal of the utensil, and he leaned back in his seat, a slightly smug look on his face. She was frozen in time, processing his action, the somewhat sultry nature of it, and how it was terribly out-of-character for him, and then she set the utensil down, meeting his eyes with an approving nod.
“Full of surprises tonight, aren’t we?”
”You could say that.”
Silence settled over the two as they continued eating their own food, occasionally sharing sips of Jane’s cocktail, his water forgotten in the moment. They engaged in small talk every so often, but it was mostly silence, the chatter and noisiness of the other tables filling the gaps in their conversations.
Jane was a relatively slow eater, and if Seth didn’t know any better, he’d have been convinced it was just to tease him— but maybe it was. The way her tongue darted out every so often to moisten her lips, how it stuck out just before she took a bite of her food, as if collecting it from the tip of the utensil before closing her mouth around it; every single move she made seemed horrendously methodical, and it made him squirm in his seat.
Eventually, the two of them finished eating, and Seth placed his utensil down, staring ahead at her as she finished off the last of her cocktail to wash the taste of her savoury meal out of her mouth.
“Did you want dessert?”
Jane hummed in contemplation, setting her empty glass down, before shaking her head in refusal. “Mmm… No. Not tonight, that’ll be alright.”
Seth nodded in response, raising his hand to wave the waitress over, and when the young woman approached the table, Seth smiled kindly at her. “Could we have the bill, please?”
“Of course! Would you like to split the bill?”
“Yes, pl—“
“—No, ma’am! Please, all on one bill!” Seth interrupted Jane, and the waitress looked a little embarrassed before scurrying off, leaving the two to sort out their confusion.
“I can pay half, you know.” Jane huffed, crossing her arms over her chest.
Seth shook his head, ears flicking in triumph. “No. This is a date. It’s on me.”
Jane fell silent, and when the waitress returned with the bill, Seth paid promptly and left a decent tip, hiding the bill from Jane’s eyes. After all, he was the one paying— his date didn’t need to know the price of their dinner.
Seth stood up from the booth and offered Jane his hand, which she took promptly, and he pulled her up, leading her towards the front of the restaurant and back out onto the streets of Lumina Square.
The sun had set in the sky, the slightly bitter cold enveloping the air around them, and out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Jane shiver as she attempted to adjust to the change in temperature, the cold clearly affecting her even through the thickness of her sweatshirt.
“Cold?” Seth asked, turning to face her, hand still clasped with her own.
“A little bit. It is quite chilly tonight.”
”Do you want me to walk you home?”
Silence fell between them. Jane’s expression was one of contemplation, her hand still tightly laced with his, and then she looked at him, a gentle smile crossing her face.
“I’m a big girl, you know. I can walk myself home. I’m older than you are.”
“It’s the kind thing to do, isn’t it? I can’t just leave my date to walk herself home at this time of night.” Seth retorted, squeezing her hand, as if reiterating his point.
“Alright, fine. Then you can walk me home.” Jane hummed, and she began leading the way towards her house, wandering the near-empty streets of Lumina Square, hand-in-hand with Seth.
As they walked, Seth gazed around at their surroundings, noting the various shops beginning to shut down for the night, lights being turned off, doors being locked up and windows being shut, blinds drawn; it was nearing 9 o’clock, and Seth hadn’t realized just how long their date had gone on for.
His tail swished contentedly behind him, walking hand-in-hand with Jane, being led towards her home, walking and walking until they left Lumina Square and turned onto a homely-looking street, apartment complexes and various little shops littering both sides.
They eventually reached the entrance to what he assumed was her complex, and Jane turned to Seth, a grateful look on her face. “Thank you for walking me home, Seth. I appreciate it. You’re quite the gentleman.”
“You’re welcome.” Seth grinned, and he still hadn’t let go of her hand, even as she’d turned to face him. “Thank you for going out with me tonight.”
“Of course. I quite enjoyed it.” Jane replied, a smile on her face.
Seth hesitated for a moment, before he tentatively stepped away from her, letting go of her hand. “It was nice seeing you. I should probably get going.”
Jane hesitated, before begrudgingly letting go of him. “… Oh. Right, yeah.”
However, just as he’d turned to walk away, she suddenly grabbed hold of his arm again and yanked him back towards her, spinning him around to face her and bringing their faces dangerously close.
He yelped, and before he could recover, her lips were on his, kissing him fiercely, soft lips pressed against somewhat-rough and chapped ones, and he let out a squeak, his eyes widened in surprise.
Jane’s lips were soft, they were plump, and they were everything that he had been dreaming of, not lacking in any particular area. He could taste the faintest hint of her sweet cocktail, the liquid leaving its mark on her lips, and perhaps it was on purpose; but nevertheless, the kiss she gave him was everything he had ever dreamed of.
She pulled away after a few seconds, leaving Seth in an almost trance-like state, but her face remained close to his, her arms still snug around his neck. “Surprise, surprise. You’re not the only one full of them.”
“Huh…”
“…Goodnight, Seth.”
And just like that, she had slipped away, disappearing behind the entryway door of her apartment complex, the only evidence of their kiss being the red lipstick smudged around his rosy lips, and the lingering taste in his mouth. He raised a hand, touching his fingers to his lips, and he stood, dumbfounded, unable to make sense of his situation.
Somehow, he found the strength to move, and as he began to walk away from the entrance to her apartment building, he shoved a hand into his pocket, expecting to feel nothing but the fabric of his dress pants. And yet, there was a crumpled up note— something that hadn’t been there before.
The contents of the note made his heart palpitate in his chest, the clamminess of his hands returning, and as he read the words on the paper, he felt his face redden.
‘Call me. XXX-216-0408
-Jane.’
A successful date, he thinks.
Maybe, just maybe, he should call Zhu Yuan and Qingyi.