riverviewlogs | [open] February Catch-All

[It was still early, though not as early as normal because of the chill in the air. Shiro wouldn't care quite as much except that he wanted to go running with Youta. As he came down stairs, dressed for a run, Youta lay flopped lazily on the couch watching him, lions watching from their own spot in the room. It wasn't until Shiro went to the closet and pulled out the dog's harness that Youta got excited, leaping up, running over, and bouncing up and down in front of him until Shiro was ready to put the harness on.

That was an exciting thing for a young dog. Youta had already learned that he got to run and only Shiro keeping up with him was the only thing that held him back. He allowed to run when wearing the harness.

Shiro had the belt for himself, which would keep Youta from straying too far. Or maybe in Youta's opinion, it was to keep Shiro from straying.

But once Youta had his harness and leash on and they were outside, Shiro let Youta go, letting the dog take off running as he ran behind. They ran like this for a while, Youta always trying to see how far he could push getting ahead of Shiro. Leashed, he could only go so far. Clearly Youta was having fun!

After about an hour, Shiro pulled Youta to a stop, kneeling down beside his dog and fishing out a bottle of water from the backpack he was wearing]

Let's take a break for a minute, huh, buddy?

[He said as Youta walked over to him. He opened the bottle of water and poured some into his hand for the dog to drink]

[ooc: Shiro is essentially doing canicross with Youta]

[ And so it is like this that Marinette spots Shiro from where she was seated at an outdoor cafe, sewing what looked like small beads into some cloth. Glancing up from her work, she flashed a grin at Shiro and lifted a free hand. ]

Shiro, hey! Who's the furry little buddy? [ Actually he looked kind of familiar~! ]

[Shiro had been looking around while Youta had a drink of water and managed to catch eyes with Marinette. He waved to her with his free hand before getting up, leading Youta over in her direction. Not that he had to try hard, Youta had heard someone call out and was curious now]

Hey, good morning. This is Youta. You might remember him. He wasn't as clean as he is now. And a little skinnier.

[Youta's tail is wagging slowly. Hey! He remembers this human!]

Ahah, I thought he looked familiar! You named him Youta? What a cute name~! Hey there Youta, remember me?

[ She knelt with a grin, holding out a hand - pausing to glance at Shiro for permission in doing so. ]

He does. As you can see I went back for him.

[He had debated and having a living companion like Keith's cat had won out.

Shiro nodded once to see it was okay to pet Youta, the dog already pulling closer to receive pets before he had]

I think he does remember you. "Youta" means "big sunlight" in Japanese. There's definitely sometimes I've needed that and he seems to fit the build.

[The dog had already proven itself once when Shiro was having a nightmare. Youta had woken him up in the middle of it and then stayed with him until he had calmed down enough to try sleeping again]

I'm glad, he deserves to have a nice home. [ All the puppers did, technically, but... actually she wondered how many dogs and cats wound up getting adopted from that day. She hadn't asked at the time. ]

Big sunlight? That's cute, it definitely fits him. What a good boy, Youta. [ Marinette grinned, ruffling the pupper's ears gently. ]

He does. They all do, but there's only so much I can do.

[The lions would probably get mad having too many animals in the house]

He definitely has a big personality from a currently small dog. He's probably not going to be that way much longer.

[There is a happy dog face for Youta having his ear ruffled. Yes, he is a good dog!]

I know. If you adopted them all then they'll start calling you the Crazy Puppy Man. [ She paused. ]

To be fair, there are worse names people could call you. [ She giggles at Youta, giving him a scratch and pat before she straightens up again. ]

Is he getting along with Keith and the others?

Yeah, I'd say there are worse names to be called. Crazy Puppy Man was still kind of mundane... though still very strange.

[Youta is happy with scratches. When she looks back up at Shiro, Youta looks too]

He is. Keith's cat still isn't too sure about him, but he's getting along with the lions. I think Red likes having a playmate. She knows she can't be rough with him and she gets to run around with him.

[After everything with the giant bugs had been taken care of, Shiro had begun to see things for these... crystal caves. So he had decided to go, leaving Black behind. He didn't really have anyone to go with, but that was okay. A lot of things had been happening recently and thought that being able to go there would give him a chance to reflect some... and not because crystals were shiny.

So there he was, wandering the caves admiring the different crystal formations. Maybe he needs a friend to look at them with him]

[ooc: dream incoming shortly]

[ To be perfectly honest, Hana had forgotten about Valentine's Day.

And to be even more perfectly honest, she'd known for quite some time now, how she'd felt about Shiro, that she wanted to respond to his confession. It was the how that she'd gotten stuck on, and then work kicked in, taking up her time with mission prep and training leading up to her being away on said mission for a good part of the month.

She hadn't even realized that Valentine's Day fell in there until a message from Jason reminded her of it. But it wasn't until the 17th that the mission would wrap up, and while a part of her realized Valentine's would have been the perfect time to tell Shiro - she was going to be too late.

It was a few days after that when she finally reached out to him again - for the first time since the glow ball. It wasn't her intention to refrain from talking to him this whole time, but life had its way of ruining one's best intentions. Still, she hoped that he understood she needed time and that she got busy - and that her silence wasn't in any way an indication that she wasn't interested.

Especially since she hadn't been able to stop thinking about him ever since that night. ]

Hiya! It's been a while. I've been away on a mission, sorry. TT

Will you meet me at the observatory tonight?

[ She trusted that he knew she was referring to where they'd had their first 'adventure' together.

And she would wait there indeed, right by the telescope where he'd first shown her the stars.

She'd never been this nervous in her whole life... ]

[Since their kiss at the party, a lot of things had been going through Shiro's mind with the one that repeatedly came up being Hana. Of course he was wondering about that. It had been left up in the air, by her choice. She needed time to think. It was understandable after someone telling you those sorts of feeling.

He had known she had been on a mission, working with the Perimeter Guard as well. It wasn't like he hadn't been busy either. He had been on a mission as well with Black since then. Of course things got put on hold for that. It was their job after all.

Even so, it nagged at the back of his mind - what was her answer? He was too polite to ask straight out since she had needed time to figure this out.

And now a message from her... which made him smile just getting it]

It's fine. I know you've been busy.

Sure I'll meet you there.

[Of course he knew which observatory.

At the appointed time, he headed to observatory. He'd left Black behind for this one. He didn't need the lion prying into what he was doing right now. He paused at the door, taking a deep breath to calm his nerves before pushing open the door and heading inside to see Hana already there standing beside the telescope.

He smiled]

Hey. It's been a while.

[ When she saw Shiro step through the door and walk over to her, she felt her heart thumping in her chest. Louder and louder the closer he got. She was trying her hardest to keep a neutral expression on her face, but it had been so long since she'd seen him - and the last time was on that night. Her heart was filled with all sorts of emotions - happiness and excitement and nervousness and fear - but once she saw his smile, heard his voice, she felt a bit more relaxed. She swallowed thickly as her fingers tightened around the handles of a pink gift bag that she had been holding behind her back. ]

Hey!

[ Then the hand came around, holding the gift bag out at him. ]

I missed Valentine's Day so it's late, but... this is for you.

[ Inside was a small, personal-sized, heart-shaped chocolate cake with a pink glaze covering it. Since she was late, she couldn't find any Valentines chocolates, so she'd taken it upon herself to make something, instead. She wasn't really a baker, so she wasn't sure how good it tasted and it definitely didn't look as good as the picture on the recipe, but she tried. With a bit of help, but she tried. ]

I want to talk to you about stuff too, but I thought I should give that to you first.

[ Which should hopefully be a good sign for Shiro. If she was planning on rejecting him, she wouldn't have gone through the trouble of preparing a Valentine's gift for him, right? ]

[It's so strange. He hadn't seen her in so long, but when he saw her again, it was like no time had passed. He had wondered so much what the silence between them after the party meant, but it could have only been a day later.

It didn't stop him from feeling nervous as he walked over. She had asked to meet him. That was good, right? She had also asked to meet him in a place that had special meaning for the both of them. That was also good, right?

As she handed him the bag, he smiled more. She wouldn't be giving him a present if she wasn't at least willing to try, right? Especially one that looked like a pink heart. Shiro didn't care if it wasn't like a picture. It was perfect to him]

Thank you. It looks good.

It's good to see you again. So... what did you want to talk about?

[ She couldn't help but mirror his smile with one of her own; there was just something about the way he looked when he did that had her heart feeling all weird and almost... goofy. And no one had ever made her feel that way with just a smile, she thought.

With the gift-giving over with now, though, there was... that. Hana found herself reaching up to her hair again, this time to brush a handful of stray strands behind her ear as she hummed and looked away for a moment, trying to find the words she wanted to say to him. ]

The, um. That night, at the ball.

[ She cleared her throat, and with another deep breath, she finally looked up to meet his gaze. ]

I really like you too, Shiro. You're an amazing person and when you told me that liked me it— made me really happy. I've been thinking about it since.

[ She actually chuckled a little to herself, then, how silly was she being? ]

I needed time to think about it because I... I've been a bad girlfriend, before. I just don't want to mess anything up or hurt you... But, um. I think... I want to try, for you.

[Shiro took a deep breath as she brought up the night at the ball. The night that he had told her how he felt about her. He could only hope that it was good.

As she finally told him, he closed the distance between them, taking one of her hands in his]

I'm glad that you decided to try. That's all I want, is that we see how this goes.

[The fact that she had agreed to try meant more than he knew how to say at the moment. It had been so long and he'd thought he'd never be able to let someone that close to him again but with Hana, he was willing to try too]

I'm sure you were a wonderful girlfriend.

[ Her fingers curled around his gently - and for someone so strong, his grasp on her was so gentle. Her lips split into a smile. We see how this goes. That's all she wanted, too. Not a lot of things scared Hana at this point, but this... was an exciting sort of scary, somehow.

So... that was it. She was his girlfriend now, right?

At his later comment, her gaze fell a bit, equal parts bashful and almost worried. ]

I don't know about that. A lot of them called me selfish. But I think... it was because I didn't really like them. They'd ask me out and I would just say yes because I didn't really care - [ then she looked back up at him, this time determined. ] but it's not like that with you at all, Takashi! I've never—

[ she bit down on her lip for a second. ] I've never liked anyone as much as I like you.

[Shiro wasn't asking for forever, just that they try and see what happened. This was new for both of them.

Shiro didn't honestly believe that she had been selfish. He was mature enough to know that everyone needed space in a relationship, was allowed to have hobbies that the other person didn't enjoy but respected, and was allowed to have separate friends. Shiro wasn't going to pressure her like that just for himself]

I've never liked anyone as much as you either. So I guess we are a couple now.

[And now... it took a brief moment of a pause before Shiro had a random idea]

We should get a picture together.

[ Hana's free hand went up to her face, clapping softly over her mouth, and she dragged it down the rest of her face. Just declaring that they were a couple now... it sounded kind of embarrassing, but at the same time, behind that hand of hers she was smiling like some kind of dork. She ducked her head and leaned forward a bit, pressing her forehead against his chest, and chuckled a bit. It was then that his idea hits, and Hana has to look up. ]

You wanna take a selfie?

[ She laughed again. That was a first, wasn't it? She reached into one of her jacket's pockets and pulled her phone out. With a few quick swipes, she got the camera going and then reached out with her arm to try and frame the both of them in the photo, which was a bit challenging given their height difference. ]

How's this? You ready?

Edited 2018-02-27 04:23 (UTC)

[That was so weird for Shiro too. He hadn't thought about dating until recently and it was a strange feeling to suddenly be part of couple again. The last time... felt like it had been forever ago. Her reaction to his declaration made him chuckle a little, looking down at her.

Of course how could she feel like a dork when he had the random idea to take a selfie to essentially commemorate this moment]

Yeah sure.

[As she pulled out her phone, he stepped in closer, crouching down a little so the picture wasn't so awkward and she didn't have to try so hard to hold the phone out]

Yeah, ready when you are.

[ Hana couldn't even remember the last time she was really someone's 'girlfriend.' After she became a soldier, and even more so when she became a hero of sorts, those sorts of distractions were no longer allowed. Almost as though she was one of those pop idols who weren't allowed to date or had to do so secretly.

Here, though... She didn't have those restrictions. She didn't have that wholesome, infallible persona of D.Va to maintain - and she knew Shiro liked her for her, not for that persona.

Once he crouched down, her smile got a little bigger as an idea struck her. ]

Okay, here we go! Three, two—

[ Instead of completing the countdown, Hana turned her head, and just as her finger swiped at her screen to take the picture, she pressed a kiss to Shiro's cheek. Only after that did she pull away and say, ]

One.

[Shiro laughed as she turned to kiss him on the cheek. Okay that had to be a cute picture. He absently wondered when she had taken it if she had gotten him laughing in it or at the very least grinning like a loon. Either way, it definitely described how he felt right now. A month ago he had told someone he liked them and they had finally told him back.

Even though she had already taken the picture and pulled away he turned to give her a kiss on the cheek as well]

Can I see?

[ Her smile only got bigger when she felt his lips press against her cheek, then she held the phone up at him so that he could see their selfie. Sure enough, it turned out great - how could it not, when the two people in it were just so happy ? ]

Here. It looks good, yeah? Is it okay if I post it online?

That looks good. Sure if you want to post it.

[Then an idea occurred to him]

Wait, we should get a picture of both of us holding the cake that you made. Since its shaped like a heart.

[ Her brows went up at Shiro's suggestion. She was surprised to hear such a cute, wholesome, sappy idea from him and yet - not at all surprised at the same time. She smiled at him, something goofy and playful. ]

That's super cheesy, though. [ she teased but still, she was giggling too. ] Okay. Want to take it out and hold it up and then I can take the picture of us?

[He really is just a wholesome, cute, sappy guy underneath his rough exterior. Besides if they were going to take cute pictures, why not take one that showed off the cake that she had taken time to make for him.

Super cheesy, but she still is willing to do it]

Sure.

[He takes the cake out of the bag, angling it (carefully) so the fact that it is heart-shaped is obvious to the camera]

Whenever you're ready.

[ And really, that was just one of the reasons she'd come to like him so much.

When Shiro positioned himself, Hana contemplated whether to hold the cake up with him - but ultimately decided that since he was leaning down for the picture, she would put her arm around his shoulder instead. Then her other arm went outstretched again for the selfie. ]

Okay, here we go! Three, two, one!

[ Click! ]

[Shiro smiled for the camera as she took the picture. Once she had taken the picture, he moved to put the cake back in the bag. Okay, that was a cute picture, but he didn't want to risk dropping the cake longer than necessary]

Did you have one you wanted to do?

[ Usually Hana had at least a million ideas in her head of things to take pictures of, but right now?

Right now she just wanted to be in the moment with Shiro. Her boyfriend.

So she smiled and shook her head, pocketing her phone once more. ]

Nah. We'll have plenty of chances for more selfies later. I just wanna be with you right now.

[ —oh. Did that really just come out of her mouth? That's so embarrassing? ]

[open] February Catch-All

Dog Days of Winter

Re: Dog Days of Winter

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Crystal Caves

Dream a Little Dream

Wildcard

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