15RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIING
The lunch bell buzzes throughout Ohashi High School, causing Ryuuji to stir. Another early rise helping Taiga, early breakfast, and an early rush to school. His fingers run through his hair in mild annoyance, resting his hand on his face after doing so.
I don't know why I'm acting like I'm not used to this already… Peeking through his fingers he notices Dominic leap from his seat and slink his way through a crowd of kids. As he watches curiously, Haruta hovers behind him, smacking him on the back, startling his absent mind.
"Geez what the hell?" Ryuuji blurts, lurching forward in his chair. Haruta gives him a cheeky smile and jeers.
"C'mon man don't be like that! What's your deal?" Haruta lowers his head to meet Ryuuji's face, and Ryuuji takes the opportunity to grab him by his unkempt hair, and angle it towards the door to the hallway.
"Ow! Hey what the-?" Haruta shuts up when he spots Dominic disappearing out the door without a word or a look back at anyone.
"Do you wanna try this one?" I hold up a can of juice that I can roughly make out as "Chocolate… something" to Ami's face. We decided to make this our not-so-secret rendezvous spot here in between the vending machines during lunch, packed together in the small gap afforded to us. She nudges her head off my shoulder for a brief moment before flaring her eyes and slapping it out of my hands. The can flies off towards the hallway and rolls around the corner.
"Eww, what the hell is that even? They mixed in starfish meat or something?" Her voice is dripping in revulsion. For a moment I'm caught off guard on how to react.
"I'm both mortified and frightened that they even created something like that." I give a deep sigh and sift through the four other drinks I purchased from the vending machine.
"C'mon you can't keep drinking that same crap every day." I mumble, picking up a can of Grape Coke, stifling a gag reflex.
"Why not? As you see, I'm actually quite good at maintaining my perfect figure you know." She huffs at me before snatching the Coke out my hand and ripping it open in a swift motion.
"Alrighty, you do you." If she's confident there's no point arguing. "But the moment you start complaining about gaining a little extra tummy fat, I'm gonna say I told you so. Those midnight food runs will catch up with you real fast." Ami was already in the middle of downing the can of Coke before briefly stopping to swallow and stick her tongue out at me.
"That's why I have you now." She says matter of factly, lightly jabbign her index finger into my right cheek. "You'll help make sure Ami-chan stays fit and beautiful forever right?"
"I think you're already knocking that out of the park but I'll do my part." I assure her with a grin. "I'd be hard pressed to even imagine-"
The sound of approaching footsteps causes me to lose my train of thought, and we hear a pair of familiar voices around the corner next to us.
"Ah sweet! Free drink!"
"You're gonna just pick up and eat something you found on the ground like that?"
"Dude, it's free. No better price than that!"
Great, it was gonna happen eventually. On reflex I try to stand up as soon as possible, but Ami clamps on my arm with an iron grip and pulls me back down to the tiled floor with a shake of her head, as if to say "It's too late". Shortly after making his presence known, Haruta rounds the corner with an open can of that chocolate hell juice in his hands and already going down the hatch. He almost doesn't notice us before halting dead in his tracks abruptly, causing Ryuuji, who was tailgating him in close proximity, to bump into him. The spotlight is on us both for all eyes to see, and at most I muster a meek wave at the guys with a smile. Ami doesn't even look up from her Coke, her legs still huddled together, one arm wrapped around mine. The guys freeze dead in their tracks, stuck like statues, and Haruta is visibly trying not to immediately spit up his drink. The tension bottles up like a pressure cooker, and while they do snap their heads to look at each other blankly, no one decides to make a move for what feels like 20 seconds. At least until Ami's latent irritation bubbles up, gripping on my arm with enough tension that if used with hostile intent, could remove it without issue.
"What the hell do you two gawkers want!?" In a fit of rage, Ami launches her half finished Coke with lethal intent at our audience, locked on to their heads for maximum damage. Ryuuji deftly sidesteps the projectile, but Haruta's reflexes fail him terribly. A horrendously loud CRACK! is heard, her weaponized can ricochets and flies off in a random direction drenching the perimeter in sticky liquid, and I physically cringe watching Haruta spit his drink up as he careens backwards onto the hallway tile with an unceremonious thud.
"Arggghh…"
Man down, I repeat. Man down.
Ryuuji briefly shakes his head at his fallen comrade before returning his gaze to us.
"So, I assume things went ok last night?" He cuts right to it. I give a slight glance at Ami, only to catch her whip her face away from us, a tinge of blush visible on her cheek.
"Yeah I think that's an apt way to put it." I told him with a smile. "Not getting into the nitty gritty but we had an illuminating chat." Ami doesn't respond to the inquiry, and I feel her grip loosen around my arm, pushing herself from our spot on the floor.
"Later, don't feel like dealing with the whole peanut gallery right now. Gonna go see Maya and Nanako." With a flip of her hair, she brushes past Ryuuji and steps over Haruta's lifeless body. Me and Ryuuji sort of sit in silence for a brief moment until we gauge that Ami is out of earshot.
"Hope you like being teased and flirted with until the end of time." Ryuuji laughs.
"Bro, you guys were the ones who asked me to talk to her and get the real her out." I raise my eyebrows while reaching for the rest of the drinks left on the floor, and toss them into my backpack. "Don't act all surprised now."
"Yeah yeah, sorry. Didn't mean it like that. She can just be a handful is all. Trust me when I say that." Ryuuji scratches his temple is mild embarrassment. "You know everyone's gonna freak out when you tell them right?"
"Me and her already had a fun little back and forth on that. The rumors started getting passed around like Christmas dinner ever since that little fall we had outside the class." I pause for a moment to focus on Haruta, who begins to stir from his premature death. "If anyone needed to know, best it was probably y'all."
Ryuuji saunters over to Haruta, grasping his limp hands and hoisting him to feet, giving him a few moments to remember what plane of existence he resides in. He shakes his head vigorously before cracking up with laughter.
"Is it wrong that I wanna see Aisaka's face after she finds out?" Haruta chuckles to himself, not skipping a beat.
"If she heard you talkin' like that, she's gonna beat your ass before she gets to mine man. I'll take the head start." I check my phone for the time, taking note that we only have another eight or so minutes left before the next period. Guess I'll see her after school or something. The situation had me scrambling for a good while, but seeing Ryuuji jogged my memory about something extremely important that I wanted to ask him.
"Yo, I was curious, could you do me a huge favor, man?" I sheepishly ask Ryuuji while pocketing my phone. He acknowledges my inquiry with a nod.
"Could you… teach me how to cook?"
"Huh?" His gruff eyes squint in response.
"Not just… following instructions on the box type deal, like legit cooking. I was thinking to myself, I'd like to be able to do something for Ami, and I've seen firsthand what your cooking can do to Aisaka's mood." Ryuuji's regular piercing gaze widens abruptly and his face goes red.
"Wait what are you talking about?" He interjects defiantly.
I'm not having any of it right now. Shaking my head at his dismissal, "dude don't play dumb we all know you're cooking lunch for Taiga."
"Damn it man, don't tell anyone else about that…"
"Had no intention, but the point still stands. A pot of gold and a rainbow couldn't bring a smile to that girl's face but the love you put in that food you make for her, hell the food you made for me? That's something I want to be able to give to Ami, anytime and anywhere." Even through his slight irritation at his poorly kept secret being discovered, his eyes soften when he perceives how serious I am about my words. After a brief second, he agrees.
"Come with me after school Saturday, I'll start off on the Takasu Homecooking Crash Course right."
"Hell yeah, my man!" We exchange a quick handshake and smile, only for Haruta to smush himself in between us, throwing his arms around us both.
"You're gonna need a taste tester right? How 'bout I volunteer myself and make sure ol' Dom here gets his fundamentals right?" Ryuuji and I give off exasperated sighs, but even just the fun of the moment has me snickering to myself.
Down the hallway, Ami leans against a row of lockers, hidden out of sight, but just within range. A slight smile reaches her lips at the sound of Dominic's request, and she can feel her chest tighten a fair bit at the thought of him.
As the school day begins to close and students begin the daily ritual of packing up, meeting friends, or heading towards clubs, I march at a slow pace out to the courtyard. As much as I'd like to wish it, the world around me isn't slowing down in the wake of last night's confession, so I need to start doing my best to put some focus on my school studies. As best as possible anyway. It's not the easiest thing to ask of me now I'll admit. My distracted brain however opens me up to another surprise ambush.
"Holy crapbaskets! You two are perfect for each other!" I hear the shrill scream of Minori at my back side, right inside the front door. I don't even have a chance to react before I feel the weight of a human landing on me, anchoring me to the ground face forward with a slam. A heavy wheeze bursts from my windpipe, with Minori treating me like a common ragdoll, flipping me over on the ground to face me.
"Why… are you… like this!?" Coughs out of me, but she's far too excited to listen.
"You've got no idea how happy I am for you dude!" Minori's excitable energy and adrenaline lets her effortlessly yoink me from the ground and bear hug me. I start to sweat immediately, but I'm able to get a grip on myself long enough to just hug her back in response, trying to roll with it. Spying some of the other students gossiping amongst themselves, I release my hold first, signaling my assailant that it's time to let me off the ground.
"How…" dribbles from my mouth as I pick myself up but Minori huffs with a smile and interrupts.
"No need to wonder. I have my sources, my eyes and ears amongst the school, who know your every move before you make it." Kushieda waves her fingers in an ominous manner for emphasis.
"...Ryuuji told you."
"Ryuuji told me." She admits with a big grin.
The both of us decided to duck back into the school for a quick chat, since it felt like half the student body had witnessed her sneak attack on me. Luckily, the Health Committee club was doing some community work outside of the school that day, so their room was conveniently vacant. We flip the lights on to find a mostly untouched classroom with numerous tables with sets of chairs placed at them. I lean against a wall near the front of the room, and Kushieda snatches a chair and plops it down in front of me, eager to hear what happened with the largest grin known to humans.
"Wow you're all in aren't you?" I quip. Her disposition itself is lighting the room better than the overhead bulbs.
"Come on, spill the beans already! Tell me exactly how it happened!" The girl bounces in her seat with hyperactivity.
"I mean, I guess I'll start off by saying we hung out yesterday…"
"Ooooo, juicy…" A mischievous look affixes to Minori's lips.
"N-Nothing crazy happened I swear!" I feel warmth rush to my cheeks in a flash. "I mean… sigh ok, here's what happened…" I give Minori a rather detailed rundown of last night's occurrences, sating her appetite on the going ons of it.
"You know it doesn't surprise me at all that her kitchen is probably a pigsty." Minori ponders with a finger on her chin.
"Yeah that was the biggest surprise to me to-wait is that the most notable thing you pulled from all that?" I catch myself immediately.
"Noo of course not! I'm still sorting through all of it in my head too." There's a short pause between us, but she continues on. "But the way you confessed to her was so sweet." Her hands grasp together and her head begins swaying back and forth as if in a trance. "It sounded so perfect it felt like a romance novel."
"You think so? Ehh, I might have to ask her for a do-over then." I groan.
"More importantly though," Minori lifts herself from her chair and approaches me, stopping about a foot away from me, the air of happiness dispersing. "You went and got the girl." Kushieda's eyes begin to well with tears, but her smile doesn't leave her face and she wipes them away before a single one graces her cheek. "You know, I'm sorta jealous. I told you to take your shot for a chance at happiness, not to let it get away from you. And now that you've gone and done it, I... "
"You feel more alone now don't you." I solemnly spoke without hesitation. She didn't even need to say it, it's something that comes into my head every time I see her and Ryuuji. The cheerful girl's expression drops, and just like the previous time, all pretenses of jubilation are gone, and her true feelings are laid bare in front of me. She begins to sniff for a moment, yet she takes a deep inhale to stifle her oncoming whimpers.
"Mhm, read me like a book, why don't you. But I know it's ok. I'll just have to keep being strong, like I have been, and be there for you and the rest of my friends." The girl gives me a resolved smile, even with a faint tear falling down her cheek.
"Minori, you don't have to be strong alone you know." My voice comes out shaky, but as I continue I gain more conviction. "As much as you feel like you need to shoulder that burden by yourself... there's nothing stopping you from reaching out for help." As if to reinforce my point, I take hold of Minori's hand with my own, and squeeze it gently. "It's literally the same thing I said to Ami, everyone wears their mask to keep themselves safe and move through life, but our friends, even you, live by that facade to a detriment. It's ok to let the act drop sometimes and just be the whole instead of one part of it. Believe me, it's super easy to forget which aspect of yourself is the ideal and the real one." Time seems to stop, and the only sound is the faint chatter of students in the hallway for what feels like ages. After some time though, Kushieda is able to grant me a reassuring nod in response.
"I'm sorry for doing this again, Dominic." Minori is able to give me a warm smile once more.
"Don't apologize. None of us really know what the heck we're doing, so it's ok to be lost sometimes. Maybe things will change and you'll get your shot too, I honestly can't say how things will turn out, for either of our endeavors. But I'll be there to help push you along, just like you helped me." With a smile of my own, I let go of Minori's hand, and we delivered each other a tiny little fist bump.
"Never stop being awesome." I tell her with sincerity. With her trademark upbeat energy, she reciprocates,
"I'll do my best, partner!"
After the two of us part ways, it's no surprise that I feel all the energy inside me drained on a moment's notice. I don't know if that's my blood sugar acting up or I'm genuinely fatigued. I exit the front door of the school, and a smattering of students are still hanging around in their cliques. Checking the time on my phone again, I figure I might as well start heading home if nothing else rears its head today. Gliding down the stairs and squeezing past a group of guys from the sports club, my eyes make contact with Ami near the school gate, giggling with a couple of other girls who I don't really recognize. Ah, wait, I've seen them around before, duh. Those must be who she was talking about yesterday. None of them seem to have noticed me yet, and I contemplate just walking past them and heading home but… damn it. I might as well introduce myself now. Get it over with. With a creeping worry inching up my entire soul, I continue making my way over to Ami's group, taking a deep breath to steady myself. As I get closer, one of the girls who's facing towards me halts her laughing when she glances up, spotting me before I can even say anything. Her interruption is detected by the other two, and suddenly all 3 of them have turned to face me, though one of them is more visibly excited to see me, while the other two are more confused.
"Hey there!" Ami struts up to me and grabs my right arm, taking firm hold of my hand. The boldness of it has me and the other girls stunned.
"Oh Ami-chan, I didn't know you were dating someone!" The girl with the beauty mark and purple hair is the first to speak up.
"No fair, you didn't tell us you were with the cute new kid." Comes from the other orange haired girl, with a noticeable pout to boot.
"Cute?" blurts from my mouth but I quickly try to cover up the outburst with a cough into my left shoulder. Ami simply giggles and squeezes my arm even tighter before teasing,
"Sorry girls, you'll have to get your own." Her gleeful gaze pierces through my shaken visage, and she nudges me hard, and I instantly realize it's because I haven't introduced myself.
"Ahem, uh hi, I'm Dominic, nice to meet you two…"
The two girls give each other a quick glance before crowding around me, antsy and forthcoming with too many questions for me to answer.
"How'd you two first meet?"
"Does he have a brother?"
"Did you guys kiss already?"
"Is he a good kisser Ami-chan?"
"What do you do for fun?"
"Ami's super amazing isn't she?"
Someone. Please. Save me from this fate. In what seemed to be a response to my query, a disturbance is felt across the school courtyard. An imbalance of energy, like the world itself was just… fractured. My head cranes to face the anomaly, and it was there that I saw the source of the disruption. In the far distance, a group of familiar figures stand huddled together, with one lone figure standing short amongst them all. The death aura radiates stronger than it ever has as she stares blankly in our general direction, but without perceiving us. I really hope she's not upset at me. Snapping back to the present, I struggle to form an appropriate response to Nanako's and Maya's interrogation, however Ami deflects all the inquiries with an sly,
"Next time we go out, I'll bring him along and he can answer all those questions for you! Right Dommy?" She leans towards me and delivers a soft kiss to my cheek, no hesitation at all. For real? Right here, right now. I don't think my heart can deal with this. I'm able to keep it together long enough to give them all a reassuring answer.
"R-Right! Getting to know all of you sounds like fun actually. Especially…you." In retaliation and against my better judgement, Ami receives a quick kiss on her cheek from me as well. A wave of red rushes to her face yet she holds it together just as well as me. The girls let out surprised gasps together, obviously taking pleasure in watching us make fools of ourselves this way. The conversation turns to idle chatter for a few minutes, with both Maya and Nanako expressing deep interest in how me and Ami plan on moving forward. Of course I hit them with the "taking it slow" deal, since in my head, nothing good comes from trying to rush anything. However, a feeling of danger causes me to snap my neck back into Taiga's direction, who I now notice has Minori whispering in her ear. Oh no. Kushieda turns her head and gestures towards me and Ami. In that second, I could feel my fight or flight response jack all the way up to 11. Kawashima must've noticed I wasn't paying attention and raised her eyebrows.
"Dommy what's the matter?" Her voice lightly dripped worry and agitation.
"I feel like we're about to have some company." I warn.
"You don't mean…"
"Oh yeah."
Even from what feels like over 50 meters away, behind another four groups of students, Taiga very obviously locks her eyes on both me and Ami, and her fist clenches up in what looks like an unconscious response to hearing Ami's name.
"We should probably… go say hi I guess?" I offer to Ami. "Better than her getting the drop on us?" Her visual expression drops like a rock, a deep frown meeting her face.
"Do we have to? I really have nothing to say to her right now." A defiant scoff escapes her lips, and I've half tempted to just relent and go with what she wants. But apparently, Aisaka doesn't seem to give a damn about that, and she lumbers towards us with Minori in tow.
"God damn it." Kawashima moans in exasperation.
Maya and Nanako only just now realize what's happening and the duo decide to make themselves scarce by speed walking away, but not before Maya audibly yells,
"Take care Ami! Congrats on your new boyfriend!" Are you kidding me? They disappear off my peripheral vision because my brain decides to focus on the potential threat advancing on me. Ok just calm down. She can't hurt, not without good reason. Hopefully. It's not that big of a deal. Part of me wants to let go of Ami's arm so we don't look like a bunch of idiot lovebirds, but she doesn't release a single pound of pressure from my arm and doesn't move. I guess she's resolved to deal with this head on now as well.
Minori and Taiga reach us before we can do anything else. Aisaka folds her arms with a stomp of her foot, and scans both her mortal enemy and the poor sucker who got roped into this mess. The little firebrand angrily pouts at both of us waiting for an actor to make the first move. Minori says absolutely nothing but hovers around with a smile while humming to herself. Flocks of students begin to crowd around us all, obviously anticipating a scuffle to ensue. A couple more seconds pass, before Aisaka smirks,
"Congratulations StuChi, you found someone to give you walks when you get antsy."
"That's rich coming from a gremlin like you." Ami claps back without a second thought. "Maybe you need a collar and muzzle yourself! I don't need to take any crap from a freakin' oompa-loompa. " Holy shit, people have seen that movie over here?
"You wanna say that to my face? Come closer and I'll make sure you look for your dog pound photos!" Aisaka takes an advancing step towards us, and I instinctively place myself in her path in response.
"You awful little!~" Ami's getting ready to come to blows with her on a whim.
A blind turtle could see where this is going, so I decided I'm gonna cut this off right here and now. I yank my hand away from Ami's and with a stern shake of my head I intercept them both, placing myself between them.
"Ok hold the eff up. If you wanna throw hands? You do it at a different time and place. But not while I'm here." My interruption catches both of them off guard, and the malevolent energy begins to get directed at me. Yikes. Regardless, I nut up and proceed.
"I'm not telling you to pretend to be the best of friends just cuz I'm in the picture, hell no. But I know everyone else doesn't just let this crap run wild, and I don't want to be the guy scraping one of you off the concrete." Aisaka continues to glare at me and Ami holds her pissed off gaze towards Aisaka. "Look I know you two aren't each other's biggest fans but for the time being, can we reduce the antagonism like, 20%? If not for your own sanity's sake, for mine?" I'm not sure what it was that compelled her to do so but Taiga's stare softened towards me.
"10%." Taiga sneaks in to counter my request.
I groan, "Sure, I don't really care, whatever I can get." The opposing duo continue to have a staring contest briefly before Aisaka sighs and murmurs,
"Fine." Her glance darts to Ami. "You're lucky you found someone who loves your ugly mug so much." In response, Ami sneers and looks away. Then Taiga focuses on me. I don't feel any of the regular raw rage I usually feel from her, more like impassioned indifference. "And… I'm happy for you. I guess." She whispers to me. Ami and I are absolutely stunned. Never in my time did I think I'd get a response like that from the PalmTop Tiger.
"I appreciate it. More than you know." I'm honestly surprised I was able to defuse that situation, usually they'll keep going at it. Ami moves to say something but holds herself back, simply brushing her hair back behind her face and nudging closer to me. She angrily grunts but otherwise doesn't continue to provoke Aisaka. Minori, who was positioned behind Taiga this whole time gives me and Ami two big thumbs up and mouths wordlessly,
"Mission Accomplished." She's a goddamn mastermind my goodness.
Retreating to a park a few minutes walk away from Ohashi High, Ami and I find ourselves amongst some benches situated around the set piece fountain in the center of the park. The overcast sky blotted the sun from sight, and dark grey clouds sluggishly ambled their way over the city. Throwing myself onto a seat, Ami gently places herself next to me before she begins to stifle laughter that had been building since we left the school grounds. The infectious nature of her adorable giggles snap me out of the tense mood I had adopted. "Jesus Christ, you were about to rip her throat out weren't you?" I exclaim with amusement.
"Not my fault she wanted to go at it." Ami folds her legs and twirls the ends of her hair playfully.
"Taiga always wants to go at it, you know that better than I do. You escalated it so fast it made me think I forgot my striped shirt." I quipped. After a bit of thought I decide to add,
"Even if she did lay hands on you, I'd be pulling her off in a heartbeat." She cranes her head to face me and a devilish smile forms on her lips.
"That's right, the only hands Ami-chan wants on her are Dommy-kun's~" I snap my head straight ahead and freeze like Jack Frost had clamped his icy claw down my spine. Gauging my response with amusement, Ami chuckles,
"Heh heh, just kidding!"
"Whew, of course you were! Didn't… didn't doubt you for a second!" I mumble, unsure of how I'm supposed to react to her.
"Or was I?" Ami jeered. Before I knew it, she had scooted herself directly next to me and wrapped her arms around me, squeezing me sensually.
"Ami don't…" I fix my lips to tell her to let go while we're here, yet the feeling of warmth and affection radiating from her puts me at ease, and I simply let out a relieved sigh.
"'Ami don't' what?" She hums softly in my ear.
"Don't… ugh. Never mind."
"~So predictable Dommy-kun~." A few more unspoken but blissful moments pass between us before Ami releases her hug, but she makes sure to grab hold of my left hand before resting her head on my shoulder, similar to this morning.
"You must really like holding my hand." I say with an air of smugness. "You know if you want skin this smooth I can let you borrow the moisturizer I use."
"Hmph." Ami holds her tongue for a moment, contemplating her next few words. "If I told you I've always dreamt of being able to hold onto someone I care about this tightly, would you believe me?" I feel my heart race in response, and I simply nod my head.
"If I told you I've had the same dream for the past since I've met you, would you believe me?" I joke. Ami roughly impales my rib with her elbow and muses haughtily,
"I'd believe you're an idiot, you jerk."
What feels like minutes go by as we sit on that park bench, ignoring the windy gusts breezing past us, not paying attention to passing pedestrians and children. We simply just enjoy each other's company as best we can. Ami's the first to break the stillness, raising her head from my shoulder.
"I actually almost forgot, I have a modeling gig out of town next week in Roppongi, it's for a high profile fashion show that comes around every year. Do you maybe wanna... come with?"
"For real for real?" I raise an eyebrow at the proposition.
"Yeah, all these big names in the industry will be there, and after I was thinking… it'd be the perfect place for a first date?" Are you serious right now?
"Ami, most people have their first date at a movie theater, an arcade, or a restaurant. Roppongi is like, cream of the crop of nightlife living. " Astonishment doesn't even begin to describe my thought process at her request. "But damn…I can't say I wouldn't jump at the chance to visit the city like that!"
"On one condition though!" Ami holds up a single finger and pushes it into my face.
"You have to cook me dinner on the night we come back!" It was like everything in my life had led up to this moment. It was like a small ray of light pierced the cloud filled sky and spoke to me, saying "Boy, you better go for it".
"Easy peasy." I answer with confidence as a droplet of water hits my hand. The sky above us begins to darken further, and the rain clouds finally begin to make their move to drench the town. Ami raises her palm up to catch the first few drops descending from the air.
"Ah damn it, I know I don't have my umbrella." She curses. "I didn't think I'd be out this long."
Thinking quick on my feet, I grab my backpack from the side of the park bench and unzip the rear most pocket, rummaging around for a couple seconds before grabbing hold of my own plain black umbrella. "I got you, don't worry about it." I undo the strap on the umbrella and let it unfurl to start blocking the oncoming drizzle, guiding it so it covers both of us together.
"You really are handy aren't you? Water doesn't stand a chance of catching me with you around to protect me." Ami shoves me playfully, but "playfully" for her means near braining me on a nearby tree.
"I try my best for you, wouldn't want the illustrious Ami Kawashima being seen drenched to the bone by just anyone, would we?" I remark while offering my hand to help her up from the bench.
"Dommy!" She gasps in her classic 'airheaded' fashion while accepting my offer and standing herself by my side. "We both know that's for your eyes only…" She begins to trace her finger from her lips down, drawing a phantom line in between her breasts. My brain turns into unga bunga mush my eyes glide down to gaze where she wants my attention.
"Gosh you look… hungry~." She says coyly.
Shaking myself out of the stupor, I poise myself to catch her with a witty comeback but before I can, a thunderous clap echoes around us as the rain begins to crash down heavy around us, causing Ami to squeal in shock. One by one the park lights flicker on and cast their bright shine throughout the otherwise gloomy environment. It's nuts how fast the weather shifted, goddang.
"Yikes, we should get out of here before we end up swimming home. C'mon I'll walk you back to your place." Turning my head to look at Ami, it's really easy to read her expression, a downturned frown, as if something had made her rather upset.
"Probably a good idea. But um, could we… maybe..." Another crack of thunder rings out, deafening us slightly. Numerous kids that were playing in the grass have since started screaming and scrambling to escape the downpour. Some students from a school I don't recognize sprint past us in a rush. The only souls in the vicinity are me and Ami, flanked on all sides by the deluge of rain around us.
"Is it… ok if we go back to your place?" Ami timidly requests without making eye contact with me, gazing down at her shoes. You would think, after everything we've been through, this would be expected. This would be normal. I should be a rock, stone resolved and unflinching. Static. Snow. Bzzt.
"Bruh." That's the only thing that can escape my mouth, before another thunderclap rings out. A discontent pout forms on her lips, her patience diminishing slightly.
"Wh-what? Is that weird?"
"I.. I.. uh… wasn't really ready for it I think?"
"Is Dommy uncomfortable?" Ami flips the switch and inches closer to me and presses herself against me, nudging her nose against mine.
"Personal space! I mean, no I'm good. Just peachy." The mood is light enough that I feel a little outgoing, and my free arm glides around Ami's waist and guides her closer to me. So close that we're essentially occupying the same space. Even though we're under the shadow of the umbrella surrounded by rain, her reaction is enough to betray that her face has gone flush with red. "Doesn't feel too good does it?" I jeer.
"Geez, Dommy. You don't need to be that forward!" Ami stammers in surprise. However a pause rests over her for a second, and she leans into my ear mischievously with a gentle,
"But I don't hate it."
My entire being goes rigid after such an honest declaration, and Ami giggles to herself while pulling herself away. Distant but constant bird calls ring out over the oppressive pouring of rain around us, and a quick chill runs through me, reminding me that we are just standing out here in the middle of it all prattling like idiots.
Scratching my temple, I jokingly offer. "I think we've given mother nature a good enough show huh? Maybe we'd do best to get out of here huh."
"Noooo really?" Ami mocks in jest, elbowing me in the arm. Together, hand in hand, we departed from our little silly rendezvous and began the journey through the city back to my apartment.
Hopping the fence from a shortcut that led to the suburban neighborhood where I was living, it was only a matter of minutes before we'd make it home. Home. Hmm. The rain hadn't let up in the 20 or so minutes we'd been walking, but the volume of chemistry we were carrying with us in conversation the whole time distracted us entirely from the world passing us by. We chatted about hobbies, movies we love, people at school we straight up can't stand, life goals, and a myriad of other topics. Admittedly, I held back on asking if it was possible if our futures involved one another, a heavy topic. Possibly too heavy this early on, so I put it to bed for now. After some laborious deliberation in my brain however, I figured now was the best time of all to answer another burning question I've had for Ami since this whole shebang kicked off.
"Ami," a stern look grows on my face, and I struggle to form the sentence. "Am I really your type?" I blurt without a hint of tact. The hell kind of phrasing was that? Turning my head to face her, she's only just barely stifling her laughter.
"Are you stupid or something Dommy?" She snickers, making a poor attempt at hiding her amusement at the question.
"I think it's a valid question!" I counter, not seeing the humor. The girl suppresses her giggles before clearing her throat in a manner all too similar to that of a parent about to admonish a child.
"Let me tell you something I picked up from my acting gigs, Dommy. Don't ever ask your girlfriend if you're her type." Ami flips her hair and raises her eyebrow, a sly smirk forming on her lips. "Super not cute, and it makes you seem like you've got the confidence of a frightened turtle." The gears turning in my brain all grind to halt as they process the absolutely savage but 100% correct statement tossed at me.
Well goddamn. "I can tell us gettin' together didn't make you any less blunt. But... I guess that's a good thing though really. Still being honest as always." Her response is a emphatic wink, and she continues,
"Besides 'Dummy'", she says with a level of compassion, "as your 'girlfriend' what do you think I'm gonna tell you?"
"True. Very true, you got me there." A pause. "So then, what exactly is your type?" Not willing to give up that easy, Ami scoffs and replies,
"I'll let that one fester in your mind for a while, and you tell me what you think, hmm?"
"See, you're teasing me a whole lot right now, but I don't think you realize I'm into that all day." I tell her without a hint of shame.
"Wow Dommy, you don't have to admit to being a weirdo! That's dangerous info for someone like me…" Ami's voice trails off for a spell before she breathes a deep sigh. Just barely audible over the sound of rain and thunder around us, she muses,
"It's no wonder I'm in love with you."
My ears perk up and my heart starts to speed off.
"What was that?" I feign ignorance to see if I can fish that comment back out. Her eyes roll dramatically at my attempt.
"You don't need to play dumb Dommy. I know you heard me." Drat. Ami comes to a sudden stop with a dramatic stomp of her foot on the wet pavement, making me freeze in place so I'm still in range to cover her with the umbrella. We both lock eyes with one another, my face that of visible confusion, her's of stalwart seriousness.
"What you said last night, about how everyone is just doing their hardest to pretend to be someone else. And how amazed you were that we were all able to hold it together somehow despite almost none of us showing our true selves to one another, had me thinking. Even you admitted that you found it difficult to put yourself out there truthfully, and that it was easier to fake a persona rather than show yourself." She pauses, closing her eyes and taking in a small breath. "I spent most last night after you left thinking about what you told me, about how everything was forced on me and just realizing how… stupid it was for me to think that I'd be better off if people only knew part of me, the nice, cute, and prissy self that everyone else loves, but not the self that I love. I genuinely thought that... if that's how everyone truly saw me without ever knowing me, that I'd be safe. That it would make me happy." The despondent expression leaves her face the moment she shifts her eyes back at me, cheeks tinged with red.
"Well...Say something you jerk! This isn't easy for me you know..."
"I mean, I know I told Minori I wanted to redo my confession but I didn't realize we were doing it so early." I laugh anxiously.
"C'mon! At least try to take this seriously!" Kawashima says in a sulking manner. "You know what? Screw it." Ami grabs me by the collar of my uniform and pulls me into close orbit of her face.
"I love you, you moron!" Her whole face goes red now, body trembling, fist clenched. My own mind goes blank temporarily, searching for a response.
"Is- Is this when I say it too?"
"Dommy you-"
Before she can finish berating me, I decide to take the lead on the situation, hoping I'm right on the mark. On instinct, I lean just a little closer towards Ami, and surprise her with a modest but short kiss to her own lips. Retreating my head back slightly, Ami's eyes widen dramatically, and a small smirk begins to form.
"Jerk. I was supposed to do that." Ami doesn't even wait for a witty comeback before she presses her lips back onto mine. She releases her grip on my uniform, tossing her arms around my neck, pinning me in place. The wave of bliss consumes us both, and it feels like the world around us stops for some time. My head starts to race with sorts of thoughts about what the future holds for us, but Ami's lips leave my own, and I have to wake up to the present moment.
"Now we're even 'Dummy'." She gleefully giggles in her airheaded tone. I'm still entranced by her and forget to actually respond back for a second.
"Last night wasn't enough for you huh?" I jest. "The confession in view of the moon wasn't picturesque enough, now we're kissing the rain."
"You should know by now I'm a really picky girl~"
"At least you'll have an answer for your friends now." I breathe a deep sigh of relief, thankful for all the things that led up to this moment. "It goes without saying then Ami, that I'll be by your side for as long as you'll allow me."
She shakes her head in denial. "You walked into my life and helped me find the self I didn't want to acknowledge. Even if you wanted to leave, I'd drag you back in a heartbeat." Ami hugs me with fervor, and my free hand wraps around her waist. It felt unreal that I'd be in this position right now, holding the girl of my dreams. Even as we proceed, I faintly notice the torrent of rain around us has started to rescind, and the downpour that surrounded us gives away to a weak drizzle that fades away in time. In reaction, I lazily let my arm fall, dropping the umbrella to the wet concrete so I can hold Ami Kawashima with both of my arms, embracing her with enough love and strength that she understands that the prospect of me leaving is a null one.
"It'd take everything short of an army of Taiga's to pull me away from you." I whisper in her ear. A violent snort of air bursts from her nose followed by a snicker.
"Oh my god, you are so super hopeless, it's adorable." Ami cracks up before giving me a peck on the cheek. "C'mon, we're gonna go work on your 'romance' talk right now." She takes hold of my hand and leads us back on our way, and as I snatch my umbrella from the ground, I defiantly rebut,
"Cut me some credit, that was pretty clever huh?"
Ami squints at me before rolling her eyes with enough force to spin the planet upside down.
"You're the cutest loser ever you know that?"
"It's what I'm good at!"