Work Text:
It was a calm and uneventful day on Sixth Street, which included inside the small video store Random Play. Belle was scrolling through Inter-knot on her phone behind the front counter, burning away time through her workday as she waited for customers to come by. Eventually, the sound of the door opening caught her attention, causing her to look towards the entrance. Walking inside was an all too familiar white haired girl clad in green, a common sight in the store.
“I'm here to return ‘Late Night Truths’.” Anby said as she put the tape down on the counter, her voice monotone and her expression neutral as it tended to be. Belle knew better than to assume it meant anything against her or the movie though.
“That's pretty quick. Did you enjoy it?” Belle asked, curious to hear her fellow movie fanatic's opinion on this romance flick she rented, putting it aside for now.
“The story was very sweet, and the female lead's struggle to earn the affection of her crush was interesting to watch unfold. It was inspiring.” Anby smiled a little, talking about movies always being able to cheer her up easily. “Also I wanted to ask. Are you free this evening? At six, specifically.”
That one was unexpected. “Am I free? Sure, I can just get 18 to watch the store for me while I'm gone. Aren't I usually the one to invite you, though?”
“Hm. But I wanted to invite you this time. I was thinking about food and a movie, so we should meet on Lumina Square. Is that okay?”
“Of course! I'll be happy to join you there.”
“Then it's a date. I'll see you at six.” And with that, Anby left the store without giving Belle a chance to react. Belle had teasingly asked Anby out on a ‘date’ before as well over text, something she thought went right over her head at the time. Is this retaliation for that? If it is, her reddened cheeks are proof that it worked. She shakes her head, refocusing herself.
“Didn't expect her to tease like that… Okay, so six o'clock. Yeah, that should definitely be fine.” She thought to herself, wondering what Anby was planning in terms of food. Actually, no, it's Anby. They're definitely going to a burger joint.
—
Belle stands in Lumina Square, looking around to see if Anby is anywhere nearby. It's almost the time at which they'd meet, so she expects to see her soon. And sure enough, she spots Anby looking around herself some distance away, quickly heading over to her.
“Anby, I'm here! You ready to have that ‘date’?” Belle said, smugly smiling with hands behind her back.
The attempted teasing seemed to fall flat again as Anby looked at her. “Yes, I am. A new burger joint opened up nearby recently, so I wanted to try it. The movie after is just for fun.” She kept her hands in the pockets of her jacket, a dark green turtleneck sweater worn under it while black leggings led to sneakers of both colors. A notably more casual outfit than Belle usually saw from her. “Why are you laughing?” She then asked, turning her head a bit.
Belle was chuckling to herself hearing her plan. “Oh, it's just you're so predictable Anby. Not that I mind of course, it's cute.”
Anby smiled a bit at this notion. “Hm. Then maybe I should stay predictable. Let's get going, I'm eager to try it out.”
The two then walked to their destination, chatting with each other as they did. Apparently, the Cunning Hares had managed to get a good batch of jobs lately, good enough that they're actually in the green for once. Anby decided to use her share of that for tonight, for both the food and the movie later.
“You know, you didn't have to invite me out for this. Knowing Nicole, you probably won't stay in the green for long.” Belle remarked, glancing to Anby walking beside her.
“Maybe. But I wanted to. You're always inviting me to do things, so I thought I'd return the favor now. And…” She trailed off, looking ahead still. But her focus seemed to waver a bit.
“And?” Belle asked, wondering what the other reason could be. Wait, don't say it's…
“Food and movies are better with company.” Ah. Yeah, that makes more sense.
—
Before long, the two had their food. Anby gave this joint a critical score of eight out of ten, accompanied by detailed explanation when asked, to the amusement of Belle. The movie the two watched together after was a recently released tragedy piece, of two lovers unable to reunite with one another following a Hollow disaster. Luckily, it had a happy ending, or neither of the movie fanatics would have been able to keep their composure within the cinema. Soon after the movie ended, they left together.
“So, shall we call it a wrap with that? It's gotten pretty late and I wouldn't want to keep Wise waiting too long. I have to open shop tomorrow.” Belle said, turning to Anby. She in turn stopped for a moment, seemingly thinking it over.
“Actually, I wanted to ask if you wanted to walk by the river with me.” Anby turned to Belle saying this, surprising her a bit. After all, that wasn't part of the original plan. But, well, a simple stroll shouldn't take too long.
“Well, because you asked nicely, sure. It'll probably look pretty good at this hour.” Belle noted, already turning to head to the riverside. Anby followed her, close by her side.
They walked together by the riverside, eventually heading up to the nearby playground to stop and watch over the river itself, standing beside the railing. The sky was clear tonight, the stars shining brightly in the endless sea of black, reflected off of the surface of the water below.
“The river really is beautiful, out at night like this. I can see why you wanted to come here.” Belle remarked, looking over the river with two hands on the railing. Anby was standing a short distance away, but her gaze wasn't fixed on the river at all. Instead…
“‘It really is. But it is not nearly as beautiful as you are.’”
Belle's head snapped to Anby, her face a deep crimson and her jaw slightly agape at the sudden declaration. But then, the gears in her mind started turning. That line… she had heard it before. Not just that, but the order of events tonight. Meeting at six, getting food, then watching a romance centered movie before walking by a river. It all slots neatly in place.
“Anby… Have you been planning tonight around ‘Late Night Truths'? For me?” Belle asked, bewildered at the prospect that Anby had been using a romance movie as reference to have a date with Belle. A real, actual date.
Anby however simply nodded. “The protagonist’s feelings were described in a way similar to what I am feeling towards you. So I hoped that by following the same plan, it would lead to the same end.”
Belle was speechless for a moment. And then, she couldn't help but laugh. This girl, this incredibly sweet and adorable girl had really been carefully watching a romance flick just to plan the perfect date for her. Even to the point of memorizing the dialogue. And as stupid as it was to admit, with that fact now revealed, she could only accept that it worked.
“Um… How should I interpret your laughter? Are you happy or do you think it is funny?” Anby asked, turning her head slightly.
Belle wiped her right eye as her laughter died down, smiling widely. “I'm sorry, it's just… You really are far too cute. You didn't have to plan all this.”
“Did it work though?” Anby's face remained stoic as ever, yet inside she was hoping to hear the right answer from Belle. The one she had been waiting to hear for a long time now.
Belle, in response, carefully took hold of Anby's hands, looking her in the eyes with a smile. “Yes. Yes it did. Honestly… You didn't need all this, really. If you had simply asked me out, I would have gladly said yes. Because I'll admit, I've actually had feelings for you as well for a while now. There was no need for any grand plans like this to earn my affection. Though… I have to say, it definitely helped.”
Anby, hearing this, smiled. Not the usual small smile she'd have when eating burgers or discussing movies. It was a large, bright smile, one that to Belle looked brighter than even the river or the starlit night sky. It was a smile of deep happiness unlike any she had shown before.
And then, Anby stepped forward, catching Belle in a warm embrace. She in turn placed her own arms around Anby, the two enjoying each other's warmth as they stood there, taking in the sounds of flowing water and their own heartbeats. Eventually, Anby backed up from the hug, her hands still on Belle's sides. Her expression meanwhile had returned to the one Belle was so used to.
“Ah, I forgot. This is supposed to be the scene where the two ki-”
Her words are then silenced by Belle. After all, she too had seen ‘Late Night Truths’.