crowspace | me???? tired???? sleepy??? yes constantly

[That...had happened. It's made Howard a little antsy - what if Shuji decided he didn't want anything to do with him anymore? That could be a possibility. He's just a weirdo, with this weird new ability, and now Shuji could suddenly find it within himself to be disgusted, and-]

[Oh, that's the sound of his phone.]

oh no i'm free. completely. absolutely free

[That's a positive response. Shuji couldn't hope for anything better.]

Then, do you want to get dinner together?

[Dinner? What, like a....a...]

[A date...?]

sure. i would be happy to

[Oh my god. Is he going on a date????]

[It's a date, and this is why Shuji's heart is thumping so loudly that it makes it hard to catch the buzz of his phone every time Howard texts him back.]

Olive Garden at 6 on Saturday okay? I'm looking forward to seeing you.

[HoooOOOOOO okay. He needs to calm down. It's a date. That's fine. He hasn't gone on a date in ages, but that's okay.]

absolutely fine. can't wait to see you then

[Now to have anxiety over what to wear to said date for the next two hours. FUN.]

[The clothes are the easiest part of this for Shuji. He's put enough thought into his outfits to know what's worth wearing to a date.

The most difficult part: basically everything else, starting with his arrival. How early should he show up? He can't be late and make Howard wait, that's just unacceptable. But if he shows up too early Howard will feel awkward about making him wait, and he doesn't want that-

Uuuuugh.

He makes reservations, because nobody wants to have a fifteen minute wait for their table on date night. On Saturday evening, he shows up ten minutes early, dressed to the nines and vibrating with nervousness.]

[They've literally had sex in a classroom, tentacles and all, and yet this is what Howard is most nervous about.]

[Eventually he finally finds an outfit he likes and arrives nervously, right on time. Shuji is already there, of course - his eyes widen when he sees him (wow, what an outfit) before he comes over to him.]

I-I'm sorry I...kept you waiting. [He says, voice low.] You...you look good.

You're really handsome.

[Not that he isn't the rest of the time, but especially now, all dressed up like that, Shuji feels his heart skip a beat.]

You don't need to apologize, I just didn't want to make you wait.

Oh. [His cheeks flush instantly.] I...thank you.

[That's not something he usually hears. Instantly flustered, it takes him a moment to find the words for what he wants to say.]

Uh, shall we go inside, then? I haven't been here before, actually...

Right, let's do that.

[They have a reservation for two, and Shuji specifically requested a quieter corner of the restaurant, so that's where they're lead to. Shuji opens his menu and hopes his face isn't red anymore.]

I've only been here a couple times, I'm not sure what's best...

That's fine. We can figure things out as we go along...

[This is a nice section of the restaurant - he feels warm, thinking of how Shuji must have chosen it because of him. Ah...that's touching...]

Um. Maybe the pastas? I've heard they're good.

[Neither of them are much for volume, but Howard especially, and Shuji just wants Howard to have a good dinner and an enjoyable date.]

That's what they're known for, so they can't be bad. I think.

[Please don't let them get bad food on their date. Especially don't let Howard get bad food - Shuji can live with it if it's just him.]

Alright. I'll get the fettuccine alfredo then.

[He's pretty sure it's hard to mess up fettuccine alfredo. He puts his menu down, looking expectantly over at the other.]

What will you get?

Probably the crab dish? Those are in season, I'm pretty sure.

[Osamu Dazai. Likes: crab.]

Oh, the crab? Go for it.

[A pause - he suddenly takes his hand and reaches over to lay it on top of Shuji's hand, his tone sheepish.]

I-I didn't expect you to...uh. To be interested in me more than the...you know. So, I'm...thankful. Happy. Thank you.

[Shuji turns his hand around so he can hold Howard's properly. His cheeks are pink, but he can't find it in him to be embarrassed right now.]

I'm - I'm really glad, I was kind of worried you were going to tell me you didn't want this kind of a relationship.

[And Shuji would've been stupid for getting his hopes up.]

I mean, I just never thought someone would like me like that. But I'm glad you do.

[He squeezes Shuji's hand - this is all so overwhelming, but in the best kind of way.]

I admit, I've always really liked you, in that way...I just never got the courage to say it.

Really?

[Okay, now Shuji's bright red.]

M-me too, I wanted to say something earlier, but...

[There were a lot of reasons why he didn't, but it was more his nervousness than Shuji technically being one of Howard's students that stopped him.]

...You were my student, and I didn't want you to be upset with me about it, so I just kept quiet.

[He pulls Shuji's hand towards him, giving the back of it a slight kiss before he lowers it - that confession being done, he's happy to move along with the date.]

Should we, uh, order the food now?

[Sorry, Shuji's dead because of how cute that was, please hold.]

...What? Oh! Yes, food. Is a thing. A thing we should order.

[Food ordering goes here.]

Yes! Yes.

[Even if he orders his food in the most quiet voice in the world, at least Shuji is here to help. All the while, he can't stop thinking that Shuji is his...boyfriend? He has to be, right? That's his boyfriend. They're on a date. Goodness.]

[After the waiter steps away, he just leans on his hand, staring over at the other.]

This almost doesn't feel like it's real. Just....all of this. Too good to be true.

[Shuji is on a date with his boyfriend and it's amazing. He's bubblier than his soft drink.]

What would convince you that it's not a dream?

[Because he would do whatever Howard said, even if it was making out with him in an Olive Garden.]

Uh.

[He blushes, suddenly, a strange scattering of color on his usually pale face.]

Kiss me? Just...yes. I'm sorry. I mean, we're in public, so....

[Before he can second-guess himself, Shuji leans across the table and kisses Howard very briefly and lightly on the lips.

Mwa.]

[Oh.]

[Oh!!!]

[Howard's cheeks flush further - he gasps slightly, placing his hand up on his cheek - he looks the very image of a bashful school boy who just learned what holding hands is about.]

That was...nice. [He's just....so happy.] Ah, Shuji...this really is real...I'm so glad.

me???? tired???? sleepy??? yes constantly

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