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Koki was focused; her brows furrowed, and the tip of her tongue peeking out as she concentrated on her target – a line of balloons, with only three needing a take-down in order to win a certain prize she’d eyed coming up to the booth.
A rush of joy teased the network of nerves running throughout Koki’s body as she wound up for another pitch she hoped would land her target this time, and she would release a tiny huff of frustration whenever she still hadn’t given enough power to pop a damn balloon.
”Sorry, maybe next time?” The guy behind the counter gave apologies, leaving Koki to collect darts and reset his booth.
Was she truly not tossing hard enough?
Was she miscalculating the distance?
Was the stupid thing just fucking rigged??
”Having trouble? Is a simple carnival game giving you more heat than you can handle? Kaiba was a bit teasing in his remark as he stood nearby, watching the spectacle unfold before him, and clearly amused over his girlfriend working herself up over some game.
A sharp glance that could cut glass was cast Kaiba’s way, inducing a deep shudder, accompanied by pleasant tingles Seto had gotten accustomed to every time Koki sent a fierce expression his way.
”I’ll show you ‘too hot to handle’ if you don’t step in and give this a try.” Koki sounded saccharine, betraying the sheer vexation she felt beneath and succeeding in making Kaiba feel a bit apprehensive about the sudden switch in disposition.
Seto knew it meant he was on thin ice.
Still, he felt a bit proud that Koki was even capable of making him experience a hint of nervousness at all – not many people were capable of such a feat.
”Are you threatening me with a good time, Koki? Ha! Move aside and let me show you how this is done.” Kaiba matched Koki’s cheeky attitude, taking her place at the pitch-mark as Koki folded her arms across her chest and waited to see if he’d make a fool of her, or not.
Heat from the lights beating down on Seto caused slight discomfort as beads of sweat formulated on and made the back of his neck feel gross, and after exchanging money for darts and determining how he was going to embarrass Koki, he promptly did so by effortlessly flinging his tiny weapon into the only blue balloon put out.
”One down. And you made this look difficult –“ Kaiba couldn’t resist rubbing it in, feeling a sense of twisted triumph when he felt Koki lightly swat him in the side for the remark.
”Good job, dear! You make this look easy… and you’re making me look lame Now – repeat it...please?” Koki was sincere in her congratulations to Seto, although she would follow it up with more bratty behavior that Kaiba found to be cute.
”Careful, you’re playing a dangerous game… But, since you’re trying to be a good girl – I’ll see what I can do about winning this thing.” Kaiba was waggish back, glancing over so Koki could catch the smirk sent her way before going on to pop the other two balloons needed to win Koki the stuffed dragon she’d been wanting!
Red eyes lit up with glee as the stuffed animal was gotten down and given to a Koki trying to keep composed despite wanting to jump up and down with joy.
Fingers sunk into the plushness of the toy as Koki examined it up close, and a tiny, yet truly genuine smile etched its way onto her face before she hugged the white and blue dragon close to her.
”Thank you –“ Koki murmured into the stuffie, her eyes barely visible in showcasing her more, and rare, bashful nature over the plushie’s fuzzy head.
”It was nothing. Now, don’t we have something we’re supposed to be doing?” Kaiba acknowledged Koki’s awkward attempt at being appreciative, and, likewise, reciprocated it with a bit of self-efficacy before moving on to remind Koki of their siblings and that Roland might be wanting a break from them.
”Right. Roland was kind enough to give us a window of alone time, we shouldn’t exploit that kindness.” Koki was tender, permitting Seto to relish her outside of the front she typically projected; if only for a fleeting moment.
Roland, alongside Mokuba and Rumi Ichiho ended up locating Koki and Kaiba before they could even step away from the ‘Balloon Pop’ booth, both young teens sprinting over and already trying to relay everything they’d missed while separated.
Koki and Kaiba were back to their usual selves by the time their siblings reached them; Koki by deflecting Rumi’s attempts to snatch her dragon to tease her with, and Kaiba with lending Mokuba an ear to gush about all the sweets they’d consumed, and prizes they’d won, too!
Roland, following behind the group as they moseyed over towards the lake’s edge for the main event, never felt more proud of the four youths he oversaw – knowing they’d matured so much in such a short time.
Familiar faces were quick to catch the attention of Koki and Kaiba’s group once they were spotted through the dense crowd, and after a bit of catching up with the rest of the friend circle, everyone settled down into the spots they’d be in throughout the duration of the firework display.
A head softly leaned against Kaiba’s shoulder made him feel warm and fuzzy, and his chest pinched as it always did when Koki gave him the slightest of affection.
Still, the barest of grins was present as Kaiba leaned back into Koki just about the time the first set of sparks lit up the night sky with miraculous dots of blues and purples.
Koki was such a bossy, bossy little thing, but she was still so loved by Seto – in his own way.