Work Text:
This definitely won't top that date in the aquarium, but it will definitely be close.
Except this isn't a date. And neither was the aquarium…hangout. It was just a friendly hangout amongst friends. Of course. That is what he repeats to himself as he fixes his shirt for the hundredth time today, nervously looking around. The idea had been his. He was from around here; he wanted to show her the beauty of his homeplace. He just hoped she would love it as much as he did.
He rolled his eyes in annoyance, grabbing his keys. "This isn't a date, Cassandra."
"Oh, it isn't a date. Then what is it?" Cassandra teases, blocking the door.
"I'm going to be late, move!"
"Please, you're an hour early! Admit it's a date, and I'll let you leave."
He sighs, scoffing. "Fine. It's a date…"
Cassandra takes a step away from the door, raising an eyebrow but not quite freeing the way fully.
"Move!" he tugs her from the door, opening it. When he's already outside, he comes back and says, "It's a date between friends!" Before slamming the door closed.
—
"Okay, I've got everything. Keys, purse, money, phone charged…" she repeats, pacing around the room. Vax, slumped over the sofa, just sighing and standing up. He grabs her shoulders.
"You'll be fine, Stubby," he says in a calming voice. "He's head over heels for you! "
She turns fully red, breaking free from his grasp. "That's—That's not what I'm worried about! He's just a friend, Vax!"
He raises an eyebrow, chuckling. "Could have fooled me."
Before she can protest further, the bell rings.
"I'll be there in a minute!" She shouts on her side of the door, picking up her purse and keys before rushing out the door, almost bumping against Percy, who was just in the doorway.
"Hey. Didn't expect to see you here," he chuckles, kissing her hand. It's a habit he has picked from those old romance movies, she believes, but he insists it's a family habit: manners, or something.
"Oh, please, quit it," she answers playfully, yanking her hand away and grabbing her purse from the rack. "Shall we?"
"We shall."
From inside the apartment, Vax mouths a "Good luck with your boyfriend!", which Vex responds with another mouthed "fuck you."
The date starts fairly simple. They go, hand in hand because it's fucking cold, to the market in the center of the city. Her hand is inside his pocket, and she now very much regrets not grabbing a coat back home.
The streets are all decorated, with big neon lights hanging from every wall, along with Christmas-themed streetlights. Red ornaments, green mistletoe, and the occasional yellow crown are in every corner. They have been like that since the end of October, just like every year, and they won't be retired until the beginning of March, but the decorated streets do have some charm.
The streets are filled with people of all kinds, some carrying children, some with their partner, and some alone, either talking on the phone or checking the shop windows absentmindedly. It's awfully cold, as always, and there isn't a soul who isn't at least wearing four layers of clothing, except her. Where she lived, it was always sunny, even in winter. This is fully new. In between the wind and the lack of sun, it's surprising it isn't snowing. Well, technically speaking, it doesn't snow much over there, but it would still make sense. In summary, fuck, it's cold.
Thank God Percy and his stupidly warm hands and general body are there to keep her steady.
But the fact that Percy is like a human stove isn't the only thing on her mind, not even close, when they finally get to their destination.
It gets prettier every year, for what Percy has told her, and God, she can't imagine something more beautiful than this.
In a street that stretches as far as the eye can see, tons of little shops in tents, with all kinds of trinkets displayed on their counters, stand proud, with kind vendors announcing their wares. There are necklaces, earrings, all kinds of figurines, most of if not all self-made. Percy didn't lie when he said she would love this; this is filled with those little trinkets and pieces of jewelry she loves. All awfully expensive, of course, but she isn't going to ask him to buy anything.
He, of course, doesn't mind buying everything she wants.
"Oh, look at this necklace!" she says, holding up a beautiful silver necklace with a blue bear-shaped jewel. "It's adorable…Excuse me, how much is it?" She asks the shopkeeper, who immediately looks up from whatever she was doing. She's an old lady, in her sixties, wearing a red and green dress, very traditional with a line pattern. Her graying hair is in a bun.
"Oh, sweetheart, it would usually be 70€, but for you, such a lovely couple, I can make you a discount. 60€ to make the lady happy, hm?" The lady grins, looking at Percy, whose brain seems to have stopped functioning. Vex's eyes light up, but she still goes to put the necklace back in its place.
"Oh, it's still too expensive. Percy, let's—"
Completely red, Percy fumbles with his wallet, putting the money on the woman's counter, looking away. He knows she should probably correct her, because of course, he has no intention of dating Vex, but it's still a good discount and something he can't decline. And it makes Vex happy, so... "Here." He sets the money on the counter, grabbing the necklace with care. "Everything to make my darling happy." He adds, instantly regretting it and worrying that he has maybe overdone it. However, Vex doesn't seem to mind, instead planting a peck on his cheek.
Needless to say, it doesn't help with his blush. Vex chuckles, grabbing him by the arm and thanking the woman profusely. "Don't worry about him, we've been dating for a short time, and he's still embarrassed in public…Thank you so much!"
"Oh, to be young and in love again…I need to buy my wife some roses."
"Do so, she'll love them!" She grins, taking Percy, still stunned, away from the stall. "Great act, dear." She whispers, once they're far enough. "Was the kiss too much, though?"
"N-no, no, just…give me a warning next time." He mutters, smiling sheepishly.
"So there will be a next time?" She jokes, hitting his ribs.
"If it needs to be…It was a good discount, after all." He mutters.
They seem to make a beautiful couple, because every single tent they stop in, every single vendor thinks they're either together or married. The fact that they're technically holding hands in his pocket doesn't help.
"Oh, are you two planning on having children?" Asks the vendor at the tent with embroidered dolls, each with a personalized name. "I bet they would like one of these. Hand-made, all of 'em!"
"I-I-we aren't—" Percy stutters, before a doll catches his eye. A doll that would be an amazing gift for Oliver. And he doesn't have much money left, and they've been getting quite a lot of discounts…so he goes with it. "We haven't planned on any names yet, though Oliver would be perfect, wouldn't it, dear?" He smiles awkwardly.
Vex, initially stunned, recovers quickly and nods in agreement, holding his arm tighter and picking the doll up. "Oh, yes, darling, it would be perfect. How much is it?"
The vendor chuckles, grabbing the same doll and examining it. After a second, he looks back at them. "For you two? 15€, and don't haggle! It's better than what most get!"
"Haggle? Me? Never!" Vex grins, paying before Percy can get the chance to do so. He's already spent too much money on this. "Thank you so much!"
From there, the entirety of the market thinks they're together. And maybe it's because they're incredibly lucky, but half the vendors also lower their prices. And so, correcting them is no use.
"Sure, dearest," He says, holding her hip to convince a particularly skeptical woman, while she tries on a pair of earrings.
"Of course, darling," she says, kissing him close enough to his mouth to make the shopkeeper believe it.
When the sun begins to fall, fairly early, as it's winter, they're both giggling to themselves after successfully fooling half the market. "I told you it would work out." She teases as he sits next to her. He hands her the hamburger and begins to unwrap his own. That, along with a couple of products, are the only things they've paid full price for.
"These people are the kindest." She says, taking a bite out of her food. "Though I feel bad. Don't you feel as if we have scammed them?"
"Oh, don't be sorry. If it doesn't have a price set, the vendor can sell it for whatever they want. It's especially bad if you look like a tourist; they're probably going to charge you double for sure." He explains, stealing one of her fries. "Don't feel too bad, we've probably only saved up to three euros of their original value."
"Damn, I've got a lot to learn." She leans against the wall, looking at him. "I had so much fun today."
They've picked a great spot. There's no one in the park at that hour, the stars look beautiful, and the sky is clear. It's pretty cold, so they stay close. It's a moment so mundane, to eat junk food with a…friend, looking at the stars. But it feels intimate, for some reason, like they're something more than friends.
Which they aren't, of course.
"I had a lot of fun, too." He chuckles. "Though being confused as a couple was…something."
"It…it definitely was."
They're both looking at opposite sides, avoiding each other's gaze. The only thing that interrupts the silence is the crickets, and even they get drowned out by the sound of their heartbeat. He feels like he's about to pass out, and she feels as if he's going to hear her heart if it continues beating so loudly. "It didn't bother me as much as it should have." He lets out before he can think twice.
She turns to look at him, blinking. "I…Me neither."
They stay quiet again, like they'd said too much. But there's no point in stopping it now, right? "I've actually been thinking about you in a…well, romantic context for a, uh, while." He says sheepishly, looking at the floor. He's fully red.
She takes her time to answer, opening her mouth and closing it, thinking well what to say. "I…You're saying you've been thinking about dating me?" She asks, with a tiny, unsure voice, as if it's too good to be true.
"I'm in love with you, Vex'ahlia." He turns, grabbing her hands desperately. "I've been for a long time."
"Well, then…" she chuckles, thanking the darkness for hiding her reddening face. "You could say I've been thinking about you in a romantic context, too."
His eyes widen. "You have?! Does that mean—"
"Yes."
He blinks, mouthing like a fish out of water. He was so prepared for rejection that he hadn't planned what to do in case of actually having his feelings reciprocated. "May…May I…" he pauses, looking at her again. "Kiss you." He mutters with a strained voice.
"Yes, you may." She smirks.
It takes them a while to leave the park. When they do so, disheveled and with their clothes wrinkled, they encounter a man selling flowers, specifically roses.
"A rose for the lady?" The man asks, extending a flower.
Vex bats her eyelashes at him with a mischievous grin. Percy chuckles, looking at her and then back at the man. "Sure, everything for her."
"Half price for the pretty couple?"
"No, no, no need for that. I'll get it for full price."