The Christmas Date (Japan and Taiwan)

There was a moment after the hug ended where they were holding each other's hands and just smiling at each other, and even that simple reality was bliss.

It was only after this that Kiku began to think about why there wasn't really anyone around to stare at them. He tore his eyes away from Mei to look around himself. Was the park going to close soon? He hadn't even thought about the time. It seemed like it hadn't been long at all.

Was it really just about closing time?

"Mei," he said, turning back to her, "is there anything else you would like to do, or do you want me to take you home?"

Take you home. The words almost felt like impending doom. Taking her home would mean their date would be over. It meant going home himself. That they would part for the night.

Unless...she invited him in for tea or something. She might do that. It was possible. There was hope. The hope of spending whatever time with her he could, however he could.

...Perhaps she felt the same.

"Oh..."

Mei looked around, scanning for signs of anyone else. What time was it? Was it near closing time already? Her heart sank. She didn't want to leave yet. Or more specifically, she didn't want to go home and then part ways with Kiku. It was like the carousel all over again--it felt like time had gone too fast, and she hadn't made the most of it, and she actually shouldn't complain because she had made the most of it.

"Well, I don't really want to go home, but I don't really have any other ideas on what to do around here..."

She pulled her phone out and checked the time. Ten fourty-four. Was that late? She had no idea when closing time was. Again, a map would have been helpful...

"We should probably check when they close?"

Was it possible to get locked in a place like this on accident? She hoped not.

Kiku gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. "We'll just head toward the exit and check there," he told her. "I'm sure we'll be fine."

As the pair walked, not exactly slowly - just in case, toward the place they had entered the park through, they started to see a few more people. As if they were wasting time near the exit, spending as much time in the park as they could without being there beyond closing.

He spotted a post with the hours on it near the information booth close to the entrance. 11. They would close at 11. So they were okay, but it was a good thing they noticed.

Then again, perhaps a park employee would have come around and spotted them. But still. It was nice to save themselves the embarrassment.

"So we have about...10 minutes now," he went by the large clock in the center of the opening square now, rather than his watch. "Not really enough time to do anything...." He bit his lip slightly. It seemed silly to just mill about. But then, he didn't want to close in on the impending doom of parting with Mei, either.

He looked at her, searching for an answer.

As they walked toward the exit, Mei felt worry and a slight sense of foreboding, and then felt worse when she saw her emotions had been pretty accurate. Eleven... that wasn't much time at all. At least they made it before they closed, but... She sighed and stared at the ground sadly.

"We... should probably start heading home now, then."

She felt terrible as she said it. Like the phrase was equivalent to a death sentence, or something similar...

But... they couldn't really do anything else. The closest thing was what they had started out with, the arcade games--and neither of them wanted to go back there. There wasn't anything that could be done in the short span of ten minutes.

And she concluded it would be rude to ask Kiku to take her somewhere else to kill more time... not that much was still open at this time of night, pretty much only convenience stores and bars were the only things open this late. Both seemed out of the question, anyways.

She swallowed and thought a bit. Maybe he'd stay with her even after he took her home?

Kiku nodded and they both left the park, hand in hand, with the slow stride of condemned prisoners about to meet their fate. He opened the car door for her and waited for her to settle in, pausing before shutting it and coming around to the other side to get in himself.

He paused again. In the partial gloom of his mind, all the things that had now come automatically to him for decades he suddenly had to think about to do. Buckle your seat belt, check the mirrors....

He looked back over at Mei as he started the car up, before he moved it anywhere, trying to find some idle piece of chat to lighten their soured mood. He wasn't very good at idle chat. "....Remember before we had cars?" was what he came up with to ask.

Then a little voice inside critisized, Of course she does, you idiot. She remembers the time before she was taken in by you, and that was longer. ...You were the one who built her first real roads. And she probably remembers centuries before that.

Still, it was something to say.

After she got into the car, Mei slumped down in her seat a little. Firsly, it was a little cold and she got some kind of idea that would help make her warm. Secondly, they were going home. But there was still that little bit of hope, so she told herself not to get too depressed. Besides, Kiku knew her so well, might be able to tell if she was down, and...

Or on the negative point of view, he might see she was down and might assume she didn't enjoy herself. And that was the last thing she wanted. Because she did enjoy herself, very much. And making him feel otherwise sounded so... nngh. She sighed and buckled her seatbelt and waited while Kiku readied the car and whatnot.

She was somewhat startled at the mention of the time before cars, yet couldn't help herself from laughing a little.

"Yes, pfft. It seems so long ago, it feels like cars have been around like, forever."

Of course they hadn't, but it did feel like it. Even though she could remember life without the vehicles, it seemed kind of... far-off and foreign.

She laughed again, louder this time, and added, "And, it's made people lazy. Nobody wants to walk anymore."

---

THIS IS LATE I AM SORRY -wrists-

Well, she was laughing, so somehow he managed to remove some gloom. That had to be good at least, right?

"It has made people lazy," Kiku replied, and laughed a little as well. Then realized he still hadn't budged from his parking space. So he slowly let go of the brake and started moving out.

"Sometimes it's strange to think," he continued, "There are old people today that can't fathom technology like computers and cell phones and the like, because they are so new, and yet they were young when we were...pretty much the same ages we are now. And then we get along just fine. As if...as if we are constantly part of the younger generation of adults, despite how long we've been around."

It was odd the ease with which the words started leaving his mouth. He hadn't just...talked about this sort of thing before without prompt. He tended to keep his thoughts to himself. Everything was changing.... These...feelings of love...wanting to share himself with her...it was different, but pleasant.

But did she like the changes? Or would he turn into someone different from the person she fell in love with?

Was that possible?

Don't worry about it, you'll just depress yourself.

Mei found herself nodding while Kiku talked. Well, it was true. She loved her cell phone and other miscellaneous modern devices. She couldn't exactly say she couldn't picture life without them like most modern people, but they were... kind of impossible not to use.

"I think... maybe it's because the changing cultures probably reflect that in ourselves. Or...　something like that..."

She laughed a little nervously. Why couldn't she find some way to explain it better? Instead of the... vague, odd way she usually did. She hoped Kiku understood. She assumed he did, since he seemed to understand everything. It was both reassuring and a little scary how well he knew her.

After some probably-useless, worrisome thoughts on her part, Mei found herself staring out the window idly, watching the scenery pass by, trying to remember how everything looked before modern technology, and enjoying the comfortable atmosphere in the car.

"Un." Kiku nodded. "We change with the times. Or the times change us. Either way, the people change, and so do we."

She seemed a little...nervous or worried, but the emotion still seemed better than the waves coming from both of them when they left the park. What else could he say to alliviate her worries? ...He wasn't good at this! What kind of things did other people always carry on about? No, that seemed so...not him. He needed to find what would come out more naturally. There was no point otherwise.

"I'm actually having a hard time figuring out what to say to you," he admitted. "Mostly because I actually do want to say something to you. With most people, I don't. And I'm not good at...chatting."

He concentrated on the road for now, and waited for her to respond.

Mei was fine just watching the trees and buildings go past, almost a little surprised when Kiku confessed he didn't know what to say. And of course, she couldn't help laughing and thinking it was cute. She turned away from the window to watch him for a little bit instead.

"Hmm, well..."

She thought for a moment. What did she want to talk about, to hear? She was fine talking about most things as long as he was, and if not talking, she was fine listening. Car rides were meant for that kind of stuff, right? ...Random, slice-of-life sort of stuff.

"I'm not a hard person to talk to, am I? You could say a lot of things. Talk about something you saw yesterday, a movie you want to see, anything. Just... relax?"

Mei felt kind of spoiled. Kiku didn't like talking to people, and here he was wanting to say something to her. She smiled to herself.

"T-Though, I'm kind of the same... It's not like I always know what I should say sometimes either."

"Of course you aren't hard to talk to," Kiku assured her. "It's just me...I...just..." He stopped and took a breath. His concentration needed to be on the road. Thinking too much about what to say in this scenario wasn't that good. So he paused for a moment, looked forward steadily and spoke.

What the words were wasn't important. Just that he was talking to Mei, and she would reply back and he would listen. They passed the time.

...Until they reached Mei's home and some of his mood from before returned. The night was ending. They were here.

As he shut of the car and starting getting out he wondered if she would invite him in - delay their parting further. It would be nice. But he wouldn't ask himself.

She thought of all the things she could say, but Mei didn't want to distract him too much. Her attention usually switched from Kiku to the window to the road, with varying order and span. Maybe the ride wouldn't end, and then he wouldn't have to leave. That was a nice thing to believe. Until she happened to look out the window again and saw familiar houses and landmarks, then finally her own home.

Well, it was nice while it lasted.

Unless... she could make it last longer. That seemed like a nice plan. She unbuckled slowly, got out slowly, walked to the door slowly. Mei wondered if she seemed obvious. Well... wishful thinking told her maybe he wouldn't want to leave so soon either. After getting the door opened, she turned back to him and took a breath.

"S-So, wouldyouliketocomein?"

Oh great, it came out too fast. She sighed and restated it again, trying to say it slower.

"I meant, would you like to come inside. Of my house. Right. Unless you don't want to. Maybe you're tired. Or something."

She mentally scolded herself. Nervousness was such a nice thing to have if you didn't want to make complete, sane-sounding sentences.

Kiku moved as slowly as he could excuse to the possible doom of Mei's doorway. ...Was she going slow as well or was it just his imagination being hopeful? He didn't want this time with her to be over yet. The way she acted, it certainly wasn't a stretch to think that she quite possibly felt the same. But that didn't mean that she would ask him in for sure, and he couldn't be too presumptous.

She opened the door. He swallowed and started sweating a little.

Was he supposed to just - Wait, what was it that just just said? Was it what he thought? He almost didn't dare to hope he had heard correctly. But...he was just standing there...if he didn't figure it out what -

And then she repeated herself. He blinked before his mind started forming around a proper answer. "Yes. No." Not very helpful, brain. "I mean, no, I'm not tired. Yes, I'd love to come inside." He blushed, like so many times already today.

He waited for her to enter before following her inside the house.

"Oh, okay," she paused, then added a little more quietly, "Yay." Might as well show she wanted him to stay, even if that last part was a little childish in her eyes. But she was happy.

She waited for Kiku to come in, then shut and locked the door behind him. From there, Mei wasn't being significantly physically slow anymore, now it was more... mental. Had she really just extended their time together, just like that? And then, she thought of... what next? Of course, she didn't think this far ahead. Well, that wasn't smart.

Dropping her things on a end table nearby, Mei motioned to the main room.

"You can go and sit down in there if you like. Or at the dining table. Whichever. Would you like something to drink? Or something to eat, though-..." She suddenly regret mentioning the eating part somewhat. "E-Everything I have at the moment are all pretty much snacks..." she finished nervously.

Aiyah. She was the most unprepared person ever.

Kiku once again found himself surrounded by her girliness and the overall...Mei-ness of her living space. "Thank you," he told her, "and I wouldn't need anything more than a snack now if I wanted food. We didn't eat all that long ago."

He still hadn't sat down in either place she had suggested. He kept her in his line of vision, fairly unmoving. He spoke again. "I suppose a drink would be nice. ...You like that...bubble tea, right? Maybe I'll have some."

He curled his toes up in the house slippers and then released them. He figeted a little. He should probably move. Sit. As she had requested. But something rooted him in place.

His eyes caught hers and he was even more rooted. Look away, someone needs to look away so we can move.

"Oh, okay, that's fine," she replied happily. She hadn't gotten the chance to make bubble tea for someone else for a while, it was nice to know there were other people out there who did like it. She was used to always making one (the same flavor usually) for herself, which was kind of boring sometimes.

Mei automatically moved to the fridge for milk and ice, but turned back toward Kiku, almost forgetting something.

"Did you want flavored or just..."

Ah.

They met eyes again, and as usual, something so simple as asking a question turned into something she had to remind herself to remember how to do. Like all her sense went down the drain, just because he looked at her or said something to her or... yeah. The cup of ice in her hand seemed to be helping with the remembering though, the cold reminding her she had things to do, questions to ask.

"...j-just milk and tea?"

Kiku blinked rapidly as she finished her question. Right. He should answer. Why did he suddenly find himself incapable of making even the simplest of decisions? The effects of love on the brain were baffling to be sure.

More blinks. "Etto.... Either way is good, so however you like it," he finally answered. He bowed his head a bit, hoping the time it took him to say something hadn't been too rude.

That snapped him out of his unending look, at least. He began considering what he should do with himself. Should he sit as she had said? But which place? What were the pros and cons of each?

...He was clearly overthinking this.

He ended up sitting in neither place. Instead, he followed her like a puppy. Well...an exceptionally quiet, well-behaved puppy.

She nodded slowly. "Okay~"

Mei felt somewhat happy at his reply, though she wasn't sure if she really should. She had wanted to make him something different, but then again, if she made what she was used to, there was less chance of her messing up and making a fool of herself. So... yes, she was relieved in a way.

Working like clockwork, she went about making it as usual, except now, she made two instead of one. And didn't fumble or mess up, or at least not more than accidentally pouring too much and too fast into one cup.

Though, that only happened when she noticed Kiku hadn't sat down yet, and ended up looking at him questioningly instead of paying attention to what she was doing. Multitasking was not her forte, apparently.

"Don't you... want to sit down?"

Not that she minded him nearby, but she still worried. They had been walking quite a bit, anyways.

Kiku was quietly watching her when he saw her notice him and suddenly pour too fast. "Ah, I'm sorry!" He finally spoke up. "I startled you." He had caused her to mess up. He really should have sat down as she had suggested. Or at least made his presence more obvious from the start, so she would not be so suddenly startled.

At her question, he shook his head. "I'm fine," he replied, not mentioning his indecision, feeling rather silly about it. "I'll just...stand here until you are finished, and then we can both sit. ...Unless there is something I can help you with?"

As long as he was standing there, he might as well be useful. Provided she could still use any help, that is. ...He really should have offered in the first place. Not that he knew how to make it, really, or not as well as she did, but he at least could of retrieved things for her.

He looked down, embarrassed at his lack of foresight in this.

Mei smiled at the 'stand here until you're finished' line. He really was adorable. She opened her mouth for a moment, an automatic 'No, I can take care of it' on the tip of her tongue, but she decided against it. There was something he could do, and it would hurry things up...

She worried again when she noticed Kiku abruptly look down. Aw. Definitely didn't want to tell him to go sit down now, no.

"Actually, you can help, if you want. Just put a pot filled halfway with water on the stove and wait for it to boil." She pointed with one elbow to a cabinet, both hands still holding glasses of tea or milk. "Pots are in there, the sink and stove I think you can find." She smiled. Hehe, this was kind of... fun? Comfortable. Or something. For now, she had to concentrate on what she was doing.

Measure, stir, pour. ...Look over not-so-subtly and watch him.

Well, at least the rest of the process didn't require that much concentration. As long as she didn't almost-spill again. Right.

Kiku nodded at the request. "Yes, I can do that." He retrieved a pot and did as she told him. He noticed she would look at him sometimes, and other times he would do the same and look at her. Although, he tried his best not to do so while she was looking, in an attempt to avoid a repeat of earlier.

But it was nice, working together like this. It reminded him of...well, more complicated times, actually. When Mei had lived with him a lot was going on, and the present time was much happier than back then. The situation was reversed now, anyway. He was in her home, helping her make something. But the process still felt achingly familiar. But different - completely different at the same time. And not just because of their change in place and role. It was that before, when he watched her, it was to make sure she was doing things correctly. And he certainly didn't have a faint blush across his cheeks as he did now.

...Or had he just not noticed before? When exactly had his feelings toward her taken such a turn?

How much did it matter to know the answer?

His task was thankfully simple enough to do and think about this at the same time.

Well, this was... kind of amusing. She'd look at him, turn away, he would look at her, do the same thing. Pfft. It reminded her of... grade schoolers. Oh geez. Mei laughed quietly to herself, then thought again on what had to do. Then again, she could take her time... which meant the drink would take longer, thus meaning Kiku would stay for longer.

...was she really thinking about this so much? She noted how much her thoughts sounded like she was scheming something. Aiyah. Concentrate!

Alright, so the main mixture was done, all that was left was to add normal ice and tapioca pearls. Which was pretty much the easiest part of everything. Mei retrieved the little bag from the pantry and made her way over to the stove, near Kiku. She peered over the pot of water. It didn't look ready yet, so she waited quietly beside him.

She felt only a tiny bit awkward standing there, and especially since she remembered that 'watched water never boils' saying... she could probably say something, but what?

She was standing next to him now. It seemed a bit of awkwardness had made its way in now that they had nothing to do but wait. Would she say something? Should he say something?

"I feel like it will boil the minute we stop staring at it," he commented lightly.

He looked at her again, this time allowing her to look back at him without looking away. He gave her a slight smile, tinged with embarrassment. "How long has it been already, anyway?" he asked. "I lost track. Thinking."

He wondered briefly if he should have left off that last bit. It was like a hanging invitation for her to ask him what he was thinking about, and he wasn't sure how he'd phrase it if it came up.

But there was nothing he could do about it now. It had been said. And trying to retract it would only call attention to it. So he just fell silent again to listen to what she would say.

"You're probably right." Mei sighed and tried her best to quit watching the water. No surprise if it only began boiling when they forgot about it. The wait wouldn't be so... odd if she could only say something.

Ah, well. Kiku had given her something to respond to now, though she didn't really... put much thought into her answer. And oddly enough, she was okay with that. It was nice, saying something without being so careful, without being worried she would say something wrong.

"I don't really know how long it's been. I haven't been keeping track either." She shrugged, a little embarrassed, and broke her eye contact with him to look at the clock on the wall. She probably should have looked at it when they first walked in, because even though the time was sitting there, plain to see, she still didn't know.

"Several minutes, maybe?" she guessed. Organized, no she was not.

After some time standing there, Mei gave up and set the bag she was holding on the counter beside the stove, before climbing up and sitting on the counter herself.

"...Thinking about what kind of things?" she asked quietly, swinging her legs back and forth.

She was so cute sitting up there with her legs dangling, he couldn't stop a subconscious smile from creeping onto his face. But then it registered. She asked the question afterall. About what he was thinking. The smile hid as fast as it had appeared.

He paused for a moment, thinking about how to put it. "...About what this reminded me of...working in a kitchen together. I sort of got this feeling of...nostalgia, I guess." There was no sense in dodging the question, it would only get her more curious, and he wanted to establish a precident of honesty in this relationship.

"Also, the differences between then and now," he continued. He felt he might as well just let it out. If only to her. "...And about my feelings for you. And when...when...things...changed." He swallowed.

He wasn't sure what else to say...or even what he could say...other than iterating his thoughts exactly, which would be hard if not impossible.