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Aya is totally, absolutely, completely, 100% freaking the fuck out.
Okay. Bad start. Backtrack—
It’s been less than a week since prom. Since Koga chose Aya over the party, since they kissed in the broadcasting room, since Aya finally learned the taste of Oniisan’s lips and the way they feel against her own—since the romcom confession of Aya’s dreams. And though she and Koga have been texting non-stop since, they haven’t actually spent any time alone together. They’ve seen one another at school, and at the record shop, but they haven’t…
They haven’t gone on an actual date.
Yet.
There wasn’t time before today, really, so it makes sense that their first free day after prom would also mean their first official date. But Aya would have liked a bit more of a heads-up than Koga texting her this morning, inviting her out with no instructions other than to ‘dress warm’.
?!?!
What is Aya supposed to do with that?!
So, it’s been three hours and all she’s accomplished today is going through her entire wardrobe, discovering she has literally zero appropriate first date outfits, and sending several panicked texts to Chizuru. And by ‘several,’ she means she stopped counting when she reached twenty. And now Chizuru is on her way to Aya’s house, because when she tried to help over FaceTime, she just complained about Aya’s camera work.
There are only five hours until Aya is supposed to meet up with Koga for their first date, and she doesn’t even know what shirt she’s going to wear.
And so—
Aya is totally, absolutely, completely, 100% freaking the fuck out.
She’s pacing her room and muttering to herself about what to do, debating whether or not she has time for a quick shopping trip, when there’s a knock on the door. She doesn’t even get a chance to answer before Chizuru steps inside, looking impassive as ever. She blinks at Aya, raising one eyebrow, and that’s enough for Aya to stop her pacing and throw herself onto the bed instead.
“I don’t know what to do!” she cries, burying her face in her hands.
“And that’s why I’m here,” Chizuru mutters. Through the cracks in her fingers, Aya watches her make her way over to the closet. “Where are the two of you going?”
“She didn’t tell me! She just said to dress warm!”
“I see…” Silence falls between them for several moments as Chizuru looks through Aya’s clothes. The mounting nerves in Aya’s chest threaten to burst, and she’s about to suggest they rush to the store when a pink coat comes flying her way.
She yelps, scrambling in an attempt to catch it.
“There you go,” Chizuru says. “You should be able to find something that matches well enough on your own.”
Aya looks at the coat now in her hands, then back up to Chizuru, incredulous. “Seriously?!”
“What? It’s a nice color, and it’ll keep you warm. You may not even take it off, so it won’t matter what you wear underneath. Pick a complementary scarf and pants, and you’ll be fine.”
“But—!”
Chizuru sighs. “But what?”
Aya curls in on herself, using the coat to cover the bottom half of her face. “But what if it’s not nice enough? Last time Koga-san and I saw each other was prom, and I was in that gorgeous dress Kanna-san helped me pick out, and—”
“And it was prom,” Chizuru interrupts. “It was a once-in-a-lifetime event. Koga-san isn’t going to expect you to look like that every day. Besides, you have seen each other since. When you were literally wearing your school uniform.”
“That’s different!”
“Then wear a skirt, but don’t complain about being cold.” Chizuru turns back to face Aya’s closet. “A white one would work. Maybe off-white if you have that? And matching tights?” She pulls something off of a hanger—a cream-colored skirt—and throws it at Aya. “There you go.”
Aya catches the skirt, with significantly less fanfare than she did the coat, and looks down at it. “You’re sure?”
Chizuru purses her lips. “I’m sure Koga-san will think you’re beautiful no matter what you wear. And if she doesn’t, you dump her ass.”
Aya squeaks. “I’m not doing that!”
“You’ll be fine.” Chizuru pats Aya on the shoulder, then heads for the door. “You can thank me afterwards!” she calls, waving as she goes.
She leaves Aya with a coat, a skirt, and four and a half hours until her first date.
Aya proceeds to spend the rest of the day mostly driving herself into a panic.
She can hardly eat lunch due to the nerves, and when her mom asks if she’s alright, she gives a quick non-answer before retreating to her room and locking the door as fast as humanly possible. She tries on just about every shirt in her closet trying to find the perfect match to both her skirt and coat, and then spends even more time scouring her drawers in search of her thickest pair of tights. And then she still has to decide on a scarf, boots, jewelry and makeup.
Needless to say, it takes the entire four hours she has to get ready.
She arrives at the station with about thirty seconds to spare, convinced that she’s finally truly prepared for this whole first date thing. And then she sees Koga, and she freezes, her entire body seized with a nervous terror once more.
Somewhere, deep down, she knows it’s ridiculous. She knows Koga likes her, and that there are very few ways she could fumble one date bad enough to change that. But she’s also never been on a date before, at all. She was never particularly interested before Koga, because she really just isn’t into guys in general. Oniisan was a rare exception—which makes a lot of sense, now knowing everything Aya does.
Luckily, she doesn’t have to force herself to cross those final few steps between her and Koga, because Koga spots her, and then closes the distance herself.
“Oosawa-san!” she greets with a grin. “You made it!”
“Of course I did; I’ve been looking forward to this all day!” It’s not exactly a lie, Aya tells herself. She has quite literally thought about nothing else since Koga texted her this morning, and though she’s been so anxious it’s making her nauseous, this also might be the most exciting thing to happen to her ever. Surely ‘looking forward’ can encapsulate both of those feelings.
Thankfully, Koga doesn’t seem to pick up on Aya’s internal crash out. She holds her hand out for Aya to take, and they board the train together.
“Do I get to know where we’re going now?” Aya asks, once they’ve settled into their spots. It’s crowded today, which is only to be expected given the holiday season, but Aya doesn’t mind much. Not when it gives her the perfect excuse to cozy up with Koga for the duration of the train ride.
Koga replies with a cheeky smile. “It’s a surprise.”
“Still?!” Aya sighs, overdramatic, but Koga refuses to give into her pouting. She consoles her with a kiss to the cheek, though, which is even better than getting to know what sort of date she has planned.
The train ride feels as if it takes ages, but that might just be Aya’s excitement messing with her perception of time. Now that she’s actually with Koga, most of the nervous energy bubbling up inside of her throughout the day has turned into jittery anticipation. She’s certain that whatever they do will be fun—because she trusts Koga to know her, and also because they’ll be together. Koga could invite her to watch paint dry, and Aya would happily agree, and she’d have a great time because of the company alone.
After they finally disembark, Koga pulls Aya through the crowded streets, their hands linked tightly together. A few stray snowflakes have begun to fall from the sky, and Aya admires the way they look glittering in Koga’s hair.
“This was actually Kanna-san’s idea,” Koga admits. “It’s been a while since I’ve done this, but it sounded like it might be fun, so…” her voice trails off, and it hits Aya that Koga must be just as nervous about this as she herself is.
She squeezes Koga’s hand. “I’m sure it’ll be great.”
“I hope so,” Koga mutters. Before Aya can offer any further reassurance, they come to a stop. “Here we are!”
Aya frowns, looking up. She didn’t think they were near enough to any buildings to have arrived at their date location yet, which makes sense as soon as her eyes land on the sign—
Outdoor Ice Rink.
Aya gasps. “Ice skating?” She turns, grabbing Koga by the shoulders as a grin spreads across her face. “I love ice skating! I mean, I’m not very good at it, but I’ve gone with Chizuru and Mao before, and it was so much fun! You’re the best, Koga-san.”
Koga ducks her head, but she also visibly relaxes at Aya’s words.
“C’mon, c’mon!” Now, it’s Aya’s turn to drag Koga along behind her. “Let’s go!”
They get their rental skates, and Koga pays for both of them. After that, it doesn’t take long to change out of their street shoes and head out onto the ice. They wobble the whole way there, leaning on each other for support, but Aya giggles through all of it.
(Koga is cute, when she’s clinging to Aya’s arm and teetering around like a newborn deer. And it’s nice that Aya isn’t the only inexperienced one.)
Things get slightly easier once they’re actually on the ice, though Koga maintains her death grip on Aya. Not that Aya is complaining.
“This was easier in my head,” Koga admits as they slowly begin to make their way around the rink. “Maybe I should’ve thought about the fact that last time I was here, Kanna-san helped me, and she’s good at everything, somehow.”
“Well, at least you’ve got me this time!” Aya puffs out her chest confidently. She’s certain Kanna is far better at ice skating than she is—after all, she’s only gone a couple times before, with friends who are also amateurs at best. But she hasn’t fallen yet tonight!
(Ignore the fact that they’ve only been skating for about a minute and a half.)
“Right,” Koga agrees dryly, looking down at Aya’s slow-moving skates and the way she’s gripping Koga’s hand. “I’m sure you’ll be my knight in shining armor.”
“I think I’d rather be a princess in shining armor. Or a knight in a shining dress,” Aya muses.
Koga laughs. “My knight in a pretty pink coat?” She reaches forward to adjust the collar of said coat, and Aya suddenly feels self-conscious about her outfit choice all over again. Even though it was technically Chizuru’s choice. She did agree with it, and she does like this coat, but maybe it’s not actually nice enough? Not that Koga is wearing anything special, but—
“Do you like it?” Aya blurts out, before she can stop herself.
Koga frowns. “Like what?”
“The coat. It’s not too…boring?”
Koga looks down at her own clothes—the same black coat she’s worn all winter long, zipped up to her chin, with baggy black pants and a scarf Aya is pretty sure she’s seen Joe wearing before.
“That’s your style!” Aya defends. “And you always look so good, no matter what you wear. But I—”
“You think I always look good?” Koga interrupts, incredulous. “Have you looked in the mirror? You’re like a princess. I don’t think anything you wear could be ‘too boring’ because you’re the one wearing it.”
Aya’s face heats at the compliment. She’s hoping the cold has already colored her cheeks pink, so the blush won’t be as noticeable. She forgets they’re on skates, for a moment, as she leans in to kiss Koga where her own cheeks are flushed—
—and then she’s forced to reckon with her mistake as her footing slips and they both go crashing to the ground.
“I’m so sorry!” Aya exclaims. “I just…” her voice trails off when she realize Koga is laughing. It’s quiet, subdued, and half-covered by her hand, but she’s glowing beneath the lights and it may be one of the most beautiful sights Aya has ever seen. Her breath catches in her throat, and she finds herself unable to move.
“I thought you were supposed to save me, princess?” Koga teases.
Aya flounders, unable to come up with a response and wanting to hide her face while also continuing to admire Koga. Koga only laughs again at her misfortune, reaching forward to tuck a strand of Aya’s hair behind her ear. “You’re so cute,” she says fondly, fingers trailing down to cup Aya’s cheek so she can bring their lips together.
Vaguely, Aya is aware there are other skaters having to skirt around them, but it sort of feels like they’re the only two people in the entire world right now. When Koga kisses her, nothing else exists—it’s only the two of them, suspended in their own little eternity. It’s everything Aya dreamed it would be and more. It’s warm, despite the cold surrounding them, and it feels like coming home.
When they part, Aya huffs out a laugh. “I take it you’re not hurt?”
Koga shrugs. “A little bruised, maybe, but I’m fine. You?”
“I think you took the brunt of the collision,” Aya admits. “Looks like you were my knight in shining armor.”
“Always will be, princess,” Koga replies. It sends Aya’s heartbeat skyrocketing again, but it seems her charm was unintentional this time, because Koga immediately starts stammering, “I— I mean—”
“I’m going to hold you to that,” Aya warns.
Koga ducks her head. “Alright, then,” she whispers.
It’s a bit of a struggle for them to get back to their feet, and they nearly topple over again before they’re even fully upright, but there’s no one Aya would rather slip and slide around on the ice with.
Once they’re skating again, Aya silently vows to not forget that they are, in fact, ice skating right now and she does not have normal shoes on and therefore has to pay closer attention to where her center of gravity is. She’d rather not fall again, and more importantly, she doesn’t want to be the reason that Koga falls again.
They have a couple more close calls as they continue around the rink, but they manage to complete their first lap without another full tumble. It gets easier after that, too, now that they’ve found the rhythm. They won’t be doing any fancy tricks, and they’re moving pretty slowly, but they’re not falling. And that’s what matters most!
Plus, they’re having fun.
Instrumental Christmas music plays from the speakers, and while it’s clearly not the sort of thing either of them would typically listen to, Aya has to admit it’s appropriate for the mood. They talk as they skate, catching each other up on everything that’s happened since last time they spoke—which, admittedly, was only a day ago—and then delving into a conversation about holiday traditions with their families.
“You know,” Aya says, “we could visit a shrine together this year. If you want to join my family, or if Joe-san would be okay with me joining you, I mean. If you want to just go with him, though, that’s fine too—”
“I’d love for you to join us,” Koga interrupts. “Or I could join you—whatever you want!”
Aya thinks, briefly, about Koga tagging along with her mother and brothers, and immediately discards that as a terrible idea. “I think I’d rather go with you and Joe-san. …Would he be okay with that?”
Koga shrugs. “Probably. He’s still sort of thrilled at the prospect of me having any friends at all.” She squeezes Aya’s hand. “He likes you a lot, you know. I can’t imagine him being upset if you tag along.”
“Okay.” Aya nods, trying not to have an internal freak out about the confirmation that her girlfriend’s guardian likes her enough to let her join in on a family tradition.
“I’ll ask him tomorrow and let you know,” Koga offers.
“Sounds good!”
(It sounds almost too good to even be true—welcoming the new year with Koga by her side. Like a promise that no matter what the future holds, they’ll stick together.)
They skate for a while longer, until Aya’s fingers have gone numb beneath her gloves and her teeth are chattering. She doesn’t want this moment to end, but she can’t deny she’s getting too cold to continue on, and Koga seems to be in a similar state. So, they make their way off the rink, change back into their boots, and return the rental skates.
“We could get hot cocoa,” Koga suggests, her words slightly slurred from the cold. “Either here, or there’s probably a coffee shop somewhere nearby.”
While staying here and admiring the scenery while they sip on a warm drink does sound appealing, Aya figures it may be best to go inside somewhere. They can go on a romantic walk through a snow-covered park some other time.
“I vote we find a coffee shop,” she decides.
“Whatever my princess wishes.”
After a few minutes spent struggling to use their phones with numb fingertips, they find one that’s only a short distance from the ice rink. Aya links their hands together, and they dart through the streets, laughing all the way.
When Aya was little, she imagined her first date differently from this—either a nice restaurant, or a shopping spree at the mall, with some faceless boy who would finally be the one to teach her what it means to fall in love. But, as always, Koga blew all of her wildest fantasies out of the water. She swept Aya off her feet, showing her that she didn’t have to change a thing about herself or her interests, and that the guy of her dreams was actually a girl all along.
“Koga-san,” Aya says, lifting her voice to be heard about the chatter and wind swirling around them.
“Yeah?”
“Thank you. For—for the date, and just…everything.”
Koga slows to a stop, and Aya follows suit. They haven’t yet reached their destination, so Aya isn’t sure why they’ve stopped walking, until Koga leans in and kisses her.
It’s clumsy, and it’s over nearly as soon as it started, but it’s perfect all the same.
(Aya is beginning to think every kiss with Koga is perfect—she can’t imagine describing any they’ve shared so far as anything less.)
“Thank you,” Koga murmurs. “I’ve had a lot of fun.”
“Me too!”
And though it’s cold—though only a moment ago, Aya wanted nothing more than to be nice and warm inside somewhere—she makes no move to continue walking. Neither does Koga. They stand in place there, grinning at each other as snow falls around them.
It is, undoubtedly, the best first date Aya could ever ask for.