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The food is starting to get cold.
Momo picks up her phone for what must have been the sixth or seventh time, checking the time displayed on the screen. As all the other times, it still confirms that she is not here too early. All of her previous messages remain unopened as well, yet she still decides to text one, quick 'u okay?'
A sigh escapes past her lips as she regards the plate of pasta in front of her now, poking at the dried out sauce with a fork.
This is so not Okarun, to be late for one of their dates. Granted, this only their third one, but for the two first ones Okarun had always showed up on time. Pristine and neat every single time, a cute blush adorning his cheeks as he took her in. A giddy smile on his lips as she had slipped her hand into his, walking the last steps to their destination for that night together.
The waitress passes her table again, and by this point Momo is sure that she is keeping an eye on her, knows that Momo has been stood up. The sympathetic smile she is sending Momo's way all but confirms it.
Worry starts to gnaw at her insides as she watches the time tick by. Other guests come and leave in faint waves of murmur in the background, but Momo keep sitting at her empty table for two, a forlorn look on her face as she keeps prodding at her food.
No, she decides. It really is out of character for Okarun. Something must have happened, and she really should leave and go find him, instead of sitting here and wallowing in self-pity. Her fingers tap a nervous tempo against the wooden table as she gazes out of the darkening window, trying to see if she recognizes any of the silhouettes illuminated by the soft street lights.
The plate of pasta disappears from under her nose, swiftly replaced with a plate of chocolate cake. Momo looks up, meeting the waitress' kind eyes.
"I know how it feels," she says, softly. "This one's on the house." And then she goes to the next table, leaving Momo behind to fight with all sorts of conflicting feelings.
She stares at the fudgy delight for all about two seconds before stabbing it with her fork, cutting a small piece of it with more force than probably is necessary. Someone mutters something from the booth behind her. She makes sure to grind her fork against the plate a bit more.
The moment she lifts the piece up to her lips her phone buzzes.
It takes her a hot minute to get it out of her pocket, fumbling around until her fingers grasp around it. Her heart drops in her stomach as it is just a notification that her battery is getting low.
Momo manages to take an actual bite out of the cake this time , chewing with a furious pace as she glowers at her phone, as if it is its fault for not having any notifications.
As the minutes tick away, it all gives way to the ever-growing worry within her until it is impossible to ignore anymore. His continued silence just confirms her feelings of wrongness over the situation.
A raindrop hits against the window next to her, the crowd outside starting to disperse as the rain grows heavier and heavier until it leaves nothing but a gray mist in its wake.
With a heavy sigh Momo closes her eyes, pushing the tempting plate of chocolate cake to the side. All of a sudden she doesn't feel all that hungry anymore. Her head soon hits the table as she slumps forwards in her seat, ignoring the clattering of cutlery as well as the dull throbbing now against her forehead.
She swallows down a groan of frustration threatening to tear past her lips. Overthinking the situation, while usually her forte is clearly not doing her any favors right now.
Ten more minutes, she tells herself. She will give him ten more minutes to show up, before officially having to declare this date as a total disaster.
Less than five minutes later, Momo feels the ghost of a touch at the back of her neck.
"Sorry I'm late, babe."
As soon as she feels his breath tickle against the shell of her ear Momo straightens up immediately, watching Okarun slide into the booth opposite of her.
At first, she is relieved that he is okay, if a bit irked that he had her worrying to begin with. Then she notices that he is not quite himself.
Red eyes meet hers in a quick flash as he hunches rather awkwardly over the table. His mask is currently slipped off, the usual frown she has come to expect on his face a lot more softer now. Momo tries to ignore the way her pulse quickens to a dangerous level.
None of them say anything. She continues to observe the way he shifts in his seat, eyes now cast away from her. Refusing to even look at her, the bastard.
A bead of water runs down his neck and disappears down his damp shirt, the only sign of him being a victim of the downpour outside. Momo's eyes trail after it, having to quickly swallow and look away as heat touches her cheeks at the way the fabric clings to his body.
She quirks an eyebrow as he reaches over to snatch her nearly empty drink, clawed fingers clutching around the glass in a tight grip while his other hand begins to fiddle with the straw.
"So…" She begins, quick to remind herself of her earlier ire. The snark easily slips into her words, but it is without any hostility. "Why did you transform, anyway? The extra speed didn't keep you from being late."
"Didn't mean to."
"What, transform or be late?"
Okarun sighs, pushing the drink away with such a sullen look Momo has to bite back a sudden, unexpected laugh. She hides her smile behind her hand, before clearing her throat and waving it away with a flippant flick of her wrist.
"And…?" Momo keeps on poking, snatching her drink back. She keeps staring at him while slowly taking a sip, reveling in the uncomfortable way he shifts in his seat.
"Woke up like this, this afternoon. Took a while to reach Seiko."
Momo stares at him, incredulous.
"You called my grandma?! Before me?" She sputters.
Okarun has at least the decency to look sheepish, casting his gaze away from her.
"Wanted to know if it was safe to see you afterwards. Never transformed like this before. Didn't wanna put you in any danger…"
Her heart hammers uncomfortably fast in her chest, bordering on near painful as she looks up at him. Her mouth is slightly hanging open, words escaping her for a small moment.
It is quick to snap closed as she reaches across the table and grabs his hands, almost on auto-pilot. His eyes widen behind his glasses as she squeezes it, and it doesn't take long before he wraps his own hand around hers.
It is way too bold for what Okarun usually would have done. Usually fumbling around with physical contact, she is the one to initiate. While Momo has never even considered that to be a problem, she is quick to find out that this new forwardness on his part is quite welcome.
His touch is careful, tender. His claws tap carefully against the back of her hand, gaze seeking affirmation. She nods, any words stuck in her throat.
Momo has to think back on whether she has ever had a moment like this with Okarun, in this form. After all, she only sees him like this whenever they're in the middle of a battle. Holding hands isn't on the top of their priorities.
Still, his skin is cold to the touch, the way she is used to after having been on his back countless of times. What is new this time around is the way his elongated fingers wrap themselves around her wrist. He taps one finger over her quickening pulse, followed by slow, lazy circles that light up her nerves like fireworks. Surely her cheeks must be aflame by now.
Their eyes meet, and Momo has to bite her lower lip. Has his gaze always been so soft, so fully attentive on her? It is a familiar look behind his usual brown eyes, but there is a new kind of fire burning now beneath red that draws her in a new kind of way.
So lost are they in their own, tender little world that neither of them notice the waitress standing next to their table. It is not before she clears her throat that Momo snaps back to reality, looking up at her with a horrified expression.
She tries to snatch her hand back, but Okarun clings to her relentlessly, forcing her to relent with a tired sigh.
"Would that be all?" The waitress asks, kindly.
Momo looks at the empty table in front of her, up at Okarun and back again. She honestly isn't feeling like staying here any longer, legs aching with the need to move after being still for so long.
Okarun is observing her as well, completely quiet. She gives the waitress a small, polite smile.
"Yes, thank you."
After the bill is paid Momo gets ready to leave, ignoring the way Okarun tilts his head at her as she puts on her jacket.
Without thinking about it she slips her hand into his as they leave the cafe together, only looking up at him as she feels him squeeze it back.
"Totally ruined the date, didn't I? What a bummer."
He is looking down at her with such a pitiful look it nearly makes her laugh. But being the kind and forgiving girlfriend that she is Momo does not, instead standing up on her toes to press a gentle kiss against his cheek.
While normally Okarun would sputter and blush fiercely at such an act, it seems as if he is incapable of blushing in this form. Still, the kiss seems to render him speechless, as he stares at her with his mouth slightly agape, unblinking.
"Guess you'll have to make it up for me some other way." While her tone is light and teasing, Momo still has to turn her head away from him as her cheeks heat up, stinging against the cold air around them.
With a huff she bundles her arms underneath her chest, trying to gather as much warmth as she can as she begins to pick up the pace.
Like a lost little puppy Okarun immediately follows after her, coming to a step by her side with an equally pathetic look plastered on his face.
Momo is quick to snatch his hand into hers, and immediately regrets it. Here, amidst the freezing air it feels as if she has dipped her entire hand into a bucket full with ice.
But yet she soldiers on, mustering a brave face even though it feels as if her fingers are about to fall off. She even gives him an impatient tug as they turn around a corner, urging him to walk faster.
"Night's not over yet, right?" She asks without looking at him, adjusting her jacket to cover her mouth as the warm air disappears around her alongside her words. It is a pretty useless task, and Momo mutters a curse under her breath. "We can go over to my place. Grandma shouldn't be back tonight, so y'know. It'll just be the two of us."
Surely it is just the bitter wind around them that is keeping her cheeks rosy red, and not whether her suggestion might have been taken the wrong way. Just the two of them. Alone…
She is lucky that Okarun is a lot more quiet in this form.
Another step, and she ends up nearly tripping over her feet as Okarun comes to an abrupt stop. Still, the ice underneath her feet make her slip and she has to grab onto him to stop her fall, letting out a pathetic yelp as she tightens her hold around his arm.
"What the hell, Okarun? Why did you stop-"
Her eyes travel up and the rest of her words die upon her tongue. Okarun is hovering over her, eyes burning impossibly bright in the darkness that surround them.
The world around them stops existing, if only for a small moment. Their breaths mingle as Momo pulls herself closer to him, her hand traveling upwards to grab him by the lapel of his coat, dragging him down to her height. But only because the ground beneath her is still treacherous. Obviously.
This close, it would not take much for Momo to close the gap between them, to press her lips against his. Okarun tilts his head slightly to the side, a challenge, the glow in his eyes positively blazing by this point.
It should be eerie, off-putting. She has never been this close to him before, not when he has been in this form. Yet it is precisely the otherworldly nature of it all that makes her heart beat faster in her chest, makes her nervously drag her tongue across dried up lips.
"Did I ruin it?" He asks, voice low. Uncertain.
It takes an embarrassingly long time for Momo to understand what he had meant, her mind gone to an entirely different place.
"I just told you I'd give you a second chance, didn't I?" she says, tilting her head. An invitation. "Depends on how you're planning to make it up for me."
The distance grows even smaller, becomes more heated and in the end, it is Okarun who closes it, his warm breath puffing across her face as his lips press gently, carefully against hers. She can feel his hesitation, his uncertainty, a stiffness to his body that signals his willingness to pull back immediately if needed.
With a huff Momo finds herself pressing closer against the kiss, her hand coming to a rest above his chest as she allows herself to fall closer against him.
A stumbling step backwards and she has Okarun pressed right against the brick wall behind them. Right where she wants him.
Momo smirks into the kiss, pleased at the sharp intake of breath from Okarun as her other hand cups his cheek. She opens her mouth, just a little bit, deepening the kiss as her eyes flutter closed. Okarun replies in kind, weaving his hand through her hair before landing on the back of her neck.
He grasps at the sensitive skin there, and Momo's knees buckle.
She pulls back from the kiss with a gasp, heartbeat loud in her ears. She presses her head against his chest, trying to hide her overheated face.
"Definitely forgiven," she mumbles, most of her words lost against the fabric of his shirt.
"Momo…" The breathy way her name escapes past his lips send a tingle down her spine, and her hold on his jacket tightens considerably.
Before Momo has any time to truly recover something soft touches her skin, first around her neck and then over her mouth, leaving her soon trapped in a warm cocoon.
She blinks, incredulous, looking at the scarf now wrapped around her.
"Thought you might've forgotten yours," he says, voice still rough from the kiss.
And of course he is right, the bastard. Momo takes in a deep breath, the faint scent of his soap in the fabric leaving her lightheaded.
Okarun pulls himself away, a small, satisfied smirk on his lips. Momo wants to immediately kiss it away but refrains herself, barely. As of right now she can barely feel her toes, and despite the warmth provided by the scarf she would still like nothing more right now than to hide underneath the thick cover of her duvet. Preferably with Okarun.
She pushes him lightly forward, indicating that they should get the hell away from here. As they leave the alleyway Momo wraps herself up against his arm, not at all complaining as Okarun clutches her against himself as well, equally greedy.