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Today was the first day that Aki was able to pull Yusei out of the garage to enjoy the blanket of thick snow that now coated Neo Domino City. She was grinning as she pulled him through the park, and while he was still anxious about being in public, he'd agreed to this date. As to why she wanted to go to a park, he wasn't sure. At least until she turned to him and asked, "Have you ever built a snowman?"
Yusei laughed at the question - was that why she was so instant they had to go to the park for their date? "Of course I've built a snowman before," he said with a lighthearted grin. Aki was already busying herself with rolling a snowball up for the base, a light flush from the cold across her cheeks. She'd taken off that power limiter and exchanged it for a pair of earmuffs. He liked the new look she'd been going for as of late. "Jack, Crow, and I used to go out to play in the snow in Satellite, and Crow always insisted on each of us making one."
"I didn't really get to build them," she said casually, glancing over at him as she dropped the base down - now coming up to her shins. The red of her wool coat against the white snow was striking, like blood, and Yusei shoved aside the sudden reminder they almost didn't have this. That at any point in reaching here, either of them could've died. It wasn't a cheery thought, and he wasn't sure what brought it on. She was now frowning at him. "Yusei, are you okay?"
And then it all became too much - it was like his heart was clenched tight in his chest and he couldn't breathe. He was knocked to the ground, tensing up. There was no danger, why was his body acting like there was? He shook his head, unable to form the words with his mouth. Aki was staring at him with terror in her eyes as she reached for him, and the world was spinning. He blinked, and suddenly he was staring up at the sky. "I," he managed to say as he sat up, and she was kneeling next to him, gripping his hand so tight it felt like it might fall off. "What happened?"
"You just... passed out," she said as her fingertips went just beneath his jaw. He was confused for a moment until he realized she was taking his pulse. Her forehead wrinkled as her frown deepened, shaking her head. "Your heart's racing a mile a minute, Yusei. What happened? From your perspective, that is."
"I just... your coat," he said, feeling the heat rising to his cheeks. While he'd prefer to never speak of it again, he knew that Aki wouldn't let go of this so easily. It was better to just tell her now rather than let her worry for days about it only to give in and tell her anyway. "It... looked like blood against the snow. And I just thought of all the ways I nearly lost you and..."
He cut himself off, unable to continue. Aki glanced down at her coat, then at the unfinished snowman. She sighed, and then smiled at him - like he hadn't just ruined their date. "There's a charity shop nearby. I'll go buy a new coat and we'll finish our snowman," she said, and there was something about the way she said that indicated this was not up for discussion. "I guess... I should probably find a new color to wear if red's going to be an issue for you."
"It's not that red is an issue," he began to protest, but she shook her head.
"No, it's that it looked like blood against the snow," she agreed as she stood up, holding out her hand to him. "Which means for winter, I'll need a different color to wear. But you, Yusei, are going to see a therapist."
And well, Yusei was in no position to argue with her. He joined her at the charity shop, and she picked out a new winter coat - one that matched his eyes. And when it was next to the snow, he only saw the sheer joy on her face.