OOC: LOG Shinji and Fuuka

[forsees]

Who: Shinji and Fuuka
What: Picnic in the park - with Koro-chan
When: Sunday afternoon (Today)
Where: dorm kitchen and the park.
Why: it's their second date. :3 And Shinji wanted to make up for worrying Fuuka the other day.
Warnings: Cute and sweet and sdkadjkadsjklasjd might cause cavities and/or diabetes.



Shinji bustled around the kitchen, filling a large basket and cooler with the many foods that he had spent his Saturday evening preparing. He figured Fuuka would be down any minute, and he wanted to not only use this time to pack, but to break in the new pair of slacks and collared shirt that Mitsuru had picked up for him. He didn't want to ask for help, but he wanted to look just a little bit more than just "presentable" today. Luckily, she didn't ask many questions, though he was starting to suspect that was a bad thing. He shook his head and quickly pushed those thoughts out of his mind, and instead focused on his day with Fuuka.

Fuuka changed her dress for the third time. Normally she didn't fuss over what she was going to wear, but given the way things had been going, she had a sneaking suspicion that this was more than just two friends and a dog out for a picnic. However, she didn't want to make an assumption and show up overdressed, nor did she want to look like she'd just grabbed the first thing out of her closet and thrown it on. She finally settled on a simple blue sundress that fell just past her knees. There was some detailed work along the edging, enough to make the dress interesting without looking dull.

She ran a comb through her hair and spritzed a small amount of body spray into the air and then stepped through it. She'd smell nice without being overpowering. She smiled and headed downstairs, quietly walking into the kitchen. Shinji was facing away from her and she stood there watching him, wondering how long it would be before he noticed.

Shinji hummed softly to himself, a tune that he was making up a he was going along. He couldn't deny his excitement and there was a rather visible bounce in his step. He was really looking forward to this day with Fuuka. He bustled around the kitchen, Koromaru hopping along beside him, shadowing his movements with an enthusiastic wag of his tail. Shinji would pause every few moments to run down the mental checklist he was keeping. He didn't want to forget a thing. He was so caught up in his preparations that he didn't hear someone else enter the kitchen behind him.

A giggle escaped Fuuka's lips as she watched Shinji at work.

Shinji spun quickly, a light blush appearing on his face, though a warm smile accompanied it. He blinked a few times, the mere sight of her making him smile a little wider. "H-hey...how long were you there?" he asked, his hand rubbing his neck in his signature motion.

"Only a moment," Fuuka said, blushing slightly herself. "Are you ready yet?"

He laughed a bit. "Oh good...so you weren't watching me look like an idiot for long then..." He could barely take his eyes from her. Something about her today seemed...almost too good to be true. If this were some kind of dream, I didn't want to wake up. Not anytime soon.

"I didn't think you looked like an idiot at all," she said. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and shifted her weight onto he other foot. Koromaru came over to her and leaned forward to put him, scratching him behind the ear.

His blush deepened a bit. He didn't know what to say to that, but he could feel his cheeks burning up. "So uh...hey....we're all packed up..." He lifted the cooler and basket off of the counter. He nodded to another smaller, lighter bag on the table. "Mind slinging that over my shoulder?"

"I can carry it," she said. She walked over and picked it up, slinging it over her own shoulder. "Come on, Koro-chan," she said, motioning for the dog to follow them out of the dorm.

He walked over to her "Well, if you're sure." He held open the door for her. "Shall we?"

Fuuka stepped out the door and smiled. "I'm sure, there's no reason for you to carry everything."

"Well, alright then." He blushed a little bit. "You uh...you look really nice today..."

"Thank you," she said, blushing. "So do you."

He smiled, not really sure what to say after that. He let the silence continue for a few moments. "So uh...we should....we should....y'know...go...."

"Oh. Right," she said, sounding flustered. She started walking down the sidewalk then paused. "Where are we going?"

He caught up with her and continued on. "I figured we could hit the park. There's plenty of room. I brought some balls and toys to toss around with Koromaru."

She nodded. "Koro-chan should like that." As if to agree, the dog barked happily.

He rubbed his shoulder a bit. "I mean....is that alright with you? If you want to...we can go somewhere else....I wanted today to be special for you, y'know....?" He scratched his nose, trying to seem cool even though that deep down, his image was quickly fading.

"Oh. I like the park," she said with a smile. "I didn't mean to make you think otherwise. I just got excited over your remembering to bring toys for Koro-chan." She looked down at her feet and blushed.

He laughed. "I wouldn't forget anything...I've been planning this every day for the past few days." he admitted. He cleared his throat, accidentally admitting more than he had originally cared to.

Fuuka blushed so deeply that the color spread to her neck. "I appreciate all the effort you put into this."

He cleared his throat one more time. "W-Well...I mean....you deserve it...and...I wanted it to be special for making you worry about me...and all...." Way to go, Shinji. Way to make things awkward. Luckily, they were just reaching the park, so hopefully all awkwardness would dispel once they got their picnic started. "So...uh...there's a nice shady spot over by those trees....wanna set up over there?"

"Thank you, Shinji, and over there looks perfect." She smiled, the color fading from her cheeks back to normal.

"Well" he started over "let's get set up! I've got a lot of specially prepared food. I hope you're hungry! C'mon Koromaru!" He whistled sharply as he headed over, Koromaru running after him and hopping about happily around his feet.

"How much food did you make?" she asked, just now realizing how many bags they'd brought.

Shinji set the cooler and basket down. "The cooler is all drinks. I hope you don't mind juice. I also brought some fruit tarts that I had made earlier in the week for dessert. In the basket are sandwiches and whatnot...I..wasn't sure what you liked exactly...so I just made a big variety. I...probably should have asked but....I dunno...." He glanced to the side, growing increasingly aware of how stupid he was sounding.

Fuuka giggled, "At least you came prepared. We should set out any leftovers in the kitchen for the others."

Shinji smiled. "The others? What makes you think Junpei won't just devour it all? There's a blanket and a hammock in the bag...let's set up."

"You brought a hammock?" she asked. He was probably right about Junpei, though it was better Junpei ate the leftovers than letting them go to waste.

Shinji blushed a bit. "Y-Yeah...I figured it'd be nice to...y'know...relax in....I happen to like hammocks." He laid out the blanket nice and neat and started to unpack the food. All kinds of sandwiches, and fruit, and even some cookies shaped to look like the flowers he had seen in Fuuka's room.

Fuuka looked over the spread as Shinji laid it all out. Eyes wide, she looked up at him, "How long did you spend on all of this? It looks amazing."

Shinji rubbed the back of his neck and smiled. "well....I mean....I didn't really have a lot to do all day yesterday....and...y'know...like I said...I wanted to make it up to you so...I wanted it to be....y'know...worth it....I guess." In his mind though, he knew that for some reason, he wanted today to be special. He wanted it just right. He wanted her to smile like she did when she spent a week following him as her six year old self.

"Thank you, Shinji," Fuuka said, grinning up at him from where she now sat on the blanket. "You really didn't have to go to this much trouble just for me." She blushed and looked down at the food again. Koromaru curled up next to her and put his head in her lap.

Shinji looked at her and smiled, scratching his nose. "Well...I uh...I really...wanted to." He paused for a few moments before grabbing one of the sandwiches. He picked up the plate and held it out to Fuuka. "So uh....dig in?"

Fuuka eyed the plate for a minute, trying to decide which sandwich she wanted - Shinji hadn't been kidding about the variety. Blushing, she closed her eyes and blindly reached for a sandwich, accidentally knocking one over into her lap which Koromaru started eating immediately. She opened her eyes as she picked up a sandwich for herself.

Shinji laughed. "Leaving it up to chance?"

"Yes, they all look so good." She smiled.

Shinji eased back on the blanket, quietly eating his sandwich. His eyes settled on Fuuka and Koromaru, and he couldn't tear them away. He was looking at two of his favorite things in the whole world, he silently admitted to himself. Fuuka showed him a warmth that no one else showed him. And Koromaru was as loyal as they came. He realized he had been watching her for quite some time then, and cleared his throat, glancing away. "S-So...how'd your exams go...?"

Fuuka had noticed how long Shinji had been staring and she blushed as she spoke. "They went well. I'm certain I did my best on them. You?" She was fairly certain Shinji liked her - as more than a friend, possibly - she liked him, too. Her crush had popped out of nowhere, or, if she thought about it, it had probably been developing after the first few cooking sessions, but she hadn't noticed it until he posted that picture of himself in a suit. He looked almost as handsome today as he had in that picture.

Shinji scratched behind his ear, reaching into the cooler and pulling out an apple. He took a bite out of it and shrugged. "I did about as well as I normally do...I mean, I haven't really cared about exams or shit for awhile now." He reached into the bag and pulled out a tennis ball and held it up for Koromaru to see. Koro-chan's ears perked up and he watched the ball intently in Shinji's hand. With a smile, he tossed it hard to the side, sending Koromaru bounding happily after. "Guess it's just the way I became."

She nodded and glanced over at the cooler. "Could you pass me something to drink?"

"Oh sure." He leaned over and opened up the cooler. "What juice would you like?"

"Surprise me," she said.

"Alright, close your eyes then." He smiled.

Fuuka closed her eyes, the color in her cheeks darkening as she waited to find out which flavor Shinji would pick out for her.

A few moments passed and she felt his large hand take hers, placing a small, cool bottle into it. "Alright, you can open em up." His voice was much closer than before.

As Shinji placed the juice into her hand, Fuuka's heart skipped a beat, and then another as she noticed how close his voice sounded. She slowly opened her eyes and smiled, blushing. "Thank you." She didn't bother to look down at the juice as she opened it, her eyes focused on Shinji.

He was next to her then, their shoulders almost touching. He smiled warmly at her, a dusting of a blush across his face. "It's uh....I hope you like apple juice..."

"It was my favorite when I was younger, but I still like it now." Fuuka tried not to blush too much as she glanced up at Shinji. Quietly she added, "I liked you when I was younger, as well, but I think I might like you even more now."

The light dusting of a blush became a full on flush at her words. He swallowed hard as he looked at her. "I.." he began, "I...like you...more now too." He leaned in closer to her, lowering himself so their faces were almost even. To him, what he was about to do felt right.

Suddenly, a warm, furry mass pushed between the two of them, a ball dropping in Shinji's lap. Koromaru sat between them, his tail wagging, as he barked enthusiastically.

Fuuka was quite sure her face was going to catch fire from all the heat rushing to it. She wasn't sure if she was disappointed or thankful for Koromaru pushing between them. She reached down and picked up the ball, throwing it for Koro-chan to catch, but he throw didn't go very far and he was returning before she could even speak.

Shinji laughed despite the fact that he knew how ridiculous he looked and felt. But for some reason, watching Fuuka play with Koromaru, none of that seemed to matter to him. What mattered to him...well...he was watching it right now. "I uh...I'm....I'm going to set up the hammock." He reached over and grabbed another sandwich, sticking it into his mouth as he fumbled with the hammock in both of his hands.

"Okay," Fuuka said, throwing the ball for Koromaru again. "Good boy, Koro-chan, good boy!" she called out as he returned again, the ball in his mouth and tail wagging proudly. As she played toss with Koromaru, Fuuka kept glancing over at Shinji as he set up the hammock.

Shinji kept fumbling with the damn hammock. Maybe because he was still flustered by what he almost did with Fuuka. Maybe because he'd never entertained these feelings about anyone else before in his life. Maybe it was Badou's words ringing out in his mind, clear like a bell. Make happy memories with her. Something for her to treasure when his time finally came. He found himself glancing more at Fuuka than actually setting up the damn hammock. And every time Fuuka looked his way, he quickly tried to pretend like he was working. It took a full half hour and three more of Shinji's sandwiches before he finally got the hammock set up. "Finally..." he muttered.

Koromaru had gotten bored of catch after twenty minutes, and spent the next ten with his head in Fuuka's lap as she ate a couple of cookies and tried to surreptitiously watch Shinji. Every time he looked over, she looked away, turning her attention to Koromaru.

He turned to Fuuka "So...hey...it's all set up....do you wanna..."he paused, his hand doing his signature neck rub, "y'know....join me....I guess?"

Grabbing the plate of cookies and tossing a broken piece to Koromaru, Fuuka headed over to the hammock. "I'd love to," she said, carefully sitting down near the center of the hammock.

He smiled and sat down next to her, but he misjudged his weight compared to her own. As he leaned back, the hammock took them. "Holy sh-" were the only syllables that could escape Shinji's lips as he toppled back into the center of the hammock, taking Fuuka with him.

The plate of cookies went flying up in the air, most of them landing on the ground and a couple landing in Fuuka's lap. She clung tightly to Shinji as they toppled over, thankful when they didn't hit the ground.

The hammock rocked back and forth gently with the wind. Shinji broke the silence, laughing hard. "Not exactly what I meant by joining me but..." his arm settled around Fuuka, "I...don't necessarily mind this." He scratched his nose, wondering if the blush adorning his features would be a permanent fixture.

Fuuka relaxed and tensed at the same time when Shinji put his arm around her. It felt nice and comforting, kind of like when she'd been younger and fallen asleep on him in the armchair. He also smelled nice and without realizing it, she'd said that aloud. She blushed and hid her face against his chest.

He chuckled a bit. "I'm glad you think so." His heartbeat was returning to normal, though clearly heard through his chest. The truth was, she smelled nice to him too. He almost lost himself in that smell. He shifted so that they were better balanced in the hammock, his one arm around her, his other behind his head, the warm breeze causing the hammock to rock slowly. What a perfect way to begin the summer. "Hey...Fuuka...?"

"Yes, Shinji...?" she asked, turning her head to face him.

He looked up at the canopy of leaves above them, sunlight filtering down upon them. "What...what are you going to do...when we finally get rid of the Dark Hour?" He realized that this was a strange question to ask, but he wanted to know. All he had known, all that he had become was because of the Dark Hour. He honestly never contemplated a future beyond it, should he have lived to see the day. The time he has spent with Fuuka, however, made him increasingly aware of a possible future for him. A future he wasn't sure he was capable of facing.

Fuuka closed her eyes and thought for a moment. Several passed before she opened them again and looked at Shinji again. "I'm not entirely sure. There's a lot of things I'd like to do, things that I'd wanted to do before I even knew the dark hour existed. I think what's best though is to take things one day at a time, and see where that takes me."

He absentmindedly ran his fingers through her soft hair, something he had grown accustomed to doing when she was stuck as a child. "One day at a time, huh...?" He looked down at her beautiful face, then glanced over to see Koromaru curled up in the shade next to them, napping soundly. He closed his eyes and smiled. "Yeah....yeah I think I can go with that..." His heart beat stronger at that moment but a lump caught in his throat. This was what he feared. Make happy memories, yes. He wanted that for her. But happy memories for him? He was dying. Happy memories for him only meant regrets when his time eventually came. Happy memories for him only meant that he'd suffer, knowing what he was about to leave behind. He opened his eyes and looked at Fuuka again, and suddenly, nothing else mattered. What he had this moment, this second was all that mattered. If he were to close his eyes and never wake up at that very moment, this memory, this feeling of total warmth that washed over him, would remain with his spirit forever. He held her a little closer, a little tighter, thankful for what he had for once in his life.

The feel of Shinji's fingers running through her hair, pushed away any remaining tension Fuuka felt, and as she relaxed, her eyes drifted closed. She took deep breaths, basking in the comforting scent of freshly washed laundry, a hint of cologne or aftershave, or whatever scent that was Shinji wore. "Good," she murmured, before drifting off to sleep.