お誕生日おめでとう~!

[sumarusfinest]

A day planner laid out on Katsuya's kitchen counter has a big red circle over the date.

October first.

The officer wipes his glasses clean with a cloth and removes the apron he'd been wearing until moments ago. Changes back into his suit and tie and resolves that his kitchen will just have to be cleaned when he gets home.

He has gifts for a very special someone to go deliver. He scoops up the cake box and his keys and leaves his apartment for the Nexus. A certain magi's tower in the Nexus, to be exact. He does have the courtesy to text her to let her know he's on his way.

Still feels weird to announce 'I'm here to see Miss Verity Willis' to a wall of solid crystal though. Would it still open if he spoke in Japanese? Experiments for another time.

"Verity?"

Comments

[sumarusfinest]

He seems confused when she lifts the arm they're holding hands with but smiles a bit more when she loops it around her shoulders. If she needs a bit of personal contact he is shyly happy to oblige.

"Do you really need a new coat or do you intend to burrow into mine while we walk places?" He..he's trying to tease?

[brave_heart_verity]

It's a good effort and she will go along with it. "Tempting, but I should probably have my own for when you're at work." It is really tempting. "Otherwise you'd worry. Besides, you're too skinny for me to borrow your clothes."

[sumarusfinest]

"Why does everyone say that?" The officer frowns slightly, glancing down at Verity. "I'm not unhealthily thin...You could surely fit my clothes." Well, her curves rule out his pants. And her bust rules out his suit jacket. If she wanted to close it.

"...I would worry if you were running around without a coat simply because I'd taken mine to the station." He agrees finally, trying not to pout. Pouting is a petulant action that he is above. Entirely above.

...Not that skinny.

[brave_heart_verity]

"You're super healthy," she assures him. No need to pout, darling, she adores you the way you are. "But I'm a girl." He might have noticed. Some guys like that kind of thing.

Why is it the guys she wants to have notice her never seem to notice?

Oh god is she going to have to start wearing dresses? Has her life really come to that?

[sumarusfinest]

"Well obviously you are." Of course he noticed. It's rather difficult not to. She looks rather nice, Katsuya would argue.

"...Proportions and curves as they are, I suppose it would be rather difficult for you to fit into my clothes. Not to mention the height differences."

The streets of Sumaru are busy, but not uncomfortably crowded on a day like today. The trip back to the Konan district is problem and demon free, which means Verity gets no interruption of cuddly closeness. When they reach the Nexus proper, Katsuya gives a small chuckle and lets go of Verity long enough to make sure his door is securely closed.

"It's warmer here than it is in Sumaru. I hadn't noticed the difference in weather as much before."

[brave_heart_verity]

"Oh, I dunno about the height thing. Shirt dresses are very fashionable right now." But she's not one to reveal so much cleavage, so if it happens it'll be in private.

Not being interrupted on their walk is certainly nice. She'd always prefer that to having to watch him fight demons, or worse, having to try to deal with them herself. They'd both be in a lot of trouble if she had to borrow his gun. Police departments are so fussy about that kind of thing.

She does not like this letting-go-of-her business. Next time they can close the door as a team if it really takes two hands.

"Yeah, the weather here is..." She shrugs a bit. "I've been told that seasons are more like suggestions."

That icon creeps me out for some reason

[sumarusfinest]

He just needs to make sure everything is sealed and there isn't any demon presence leaking through. Mostly in involves a visual inspection of the door, tugging to make sure it's firmly shut, and waving a hand around the edges to feel for presence.

Once certain everything is fine, he's right there next to her again.

"That's probably good though, considering that means no natural disasters." Katsuya ponders for a moment before glancing down Verity's way again. "Do you know any clothing stores here? A preference?"

Sorry :(

[brave_heart_verity]

Well. At least she doesn't have to prompt him this time.

"Not really. I hadn't really thought that far ahead yet. It's... there's only so much I can deal with at once?" The move wasn't a problem, but the reason for the move was going to be a problem for a long time. Getting roped into going back so much with Amelia and Samus hadn't really helped. "It's not like I absolutely have to get one today."

It's like some Jack Nicholson The Shining look. Maybe just the shading.

[sumarusfinest]

He's trainable.

Also he rather likes that spot.

"Well, we can get clothes to leave with each other some other time then." Katsuya gives her a reassuring smile. "What would you like to do now instead?"

I've recolored it so many times. It's just. The artist did "artistic lighting" on the panel...

[brave_heart_verity]

Like her very own puppy? Awesome.

"No, shopping is fine. It'll be more fun with you." And he won't be trying on all the same things she does, so it won't remind her of Loki too much. "Sometimes I'm going to need you to push me, Katsuya. The shock and denial won't last forever."

All work and no play makes Verity bored and grumpy

[sumarusfinest]

"Really." No one's ever said that about shopping with Katsuya before. Then again, he doesn't usually take other people with him when he's shopping.

"While pushing you may be necessary, the wound is still fresh Verity. No one is going to push you so soon. We'd all rather you take the time you need and then push you, only if necessary." She'll get pulled somewhat closer to him as Katsuya steers them toward the shopping district.

"Sometimes you're rather much too hard on yourself."

Yeah, but no work AND no play would be worse

[brave_heart_verity]

"Really." She may be the Worst Girlfriend Ever, but at least she enjoys doing just about anything with him? That's got to be worth something.

She likes the part where he's pulling her closer, but the rest of that answer isn't great. "Why, because I'd rather not lay in bed crying for days?"

Much worse

[sumarusfinest]

See? So hard on herself. She's not the worst girlfriend. She's cuddly and sweet and positively adorable. Katsuya certainly thinks so.

"Because you're not dealing with it at all." He says gently. "Acting like everything is fine when it isn't won't work forever...and no one wants to see that other shoe fall. Especially if we're not there to help you when it happens." He doesn't let go of the closer pull, rubbing her shoulder while he talks and walks.

"As someone who has literally wasted years of their life doing exactly such....I'd hate to see you lie to yourself. Especially in your case." His voice is soothing, gentle.

And he's walking slowly in case this conversation justifies a change in plans to an isolated place in the park district instead of shopping.

So attentive.

[brave_heart_verity]

Wait, does letting her guard down mean all kinds of people can see how screwed up she is now? Have they been talking about her? Who's this "we" he's talking about?

...crap. He's right. Sort of.

She's going to be quiet for a while, letting him steer her wherever he wants to go while she thinks.

"I think it's because it hasn't happened yet. When it does I'll be. I'll probably." She sighs. How the fuck can she begin to imagine how she'll handle something on this scale? "That's when I'm going to need people to make sure I get up and eat and go outside sometimes. But everyone grieves in their own time and... it's not helpful when you make me feel like I'm doing it wrong. I know it's not going to be like this forever. I just said that. And I know I'm bad at talking about these things. So when I manage to, please listen."

[sumarusfinest]

"I'm not saying you're grieving wrong." Katsuya doesn't change his tone, nor does he change their destination yet. "I'm explaining why I've been loathe to push you. You tell me to insist on you doing thins when I listen, and when I insist, you tell me to listen."

No laughing, no edge to his voice. Just plainly explaining.

"All I want to do is do whatever will be best for you. I'm afraid I may make the wrong choice sometimes, or be unsure as to what to do. but I'll keep trying. it's the least I can do for you. I'll be here.'

[brave_heart_verity]

She sighs and stops walking, pulling him into a proper hug. "I'm sorry. I know I'm being difficult. I don't mean to be." It may be difficult to make that part out because she's got her face half buried in his shirt.

There will be more hugging while she tries to sort herself out. Feelings are hard and neither of them is very good at this so she wants to make sure she's doing it right. "You may be right that right now I'm trying to pretend everything's okay. I want to enjoy the first birthday I get to spend with real friends and the last one I'm ever likely to want to celebrate. I think it's like... when someone's told they've got a month to live and they go out and do all that crazy stuff they've always wanted to do. You do it because you know it's not going to last. I just. Right now I'm just trying to get through today, okay?"

[sumarusfinest]

"The difference is, you will live to see tomorrow. And the tomorrow after that." He pulls her close, holding her flush against his body.

She has to. He'll protect her form the world if he has to. Any world. Every world. It's selfish, and stupid and a million things but he's not going to just let this good thing be taken from him again. Katsuya Suou has learned his lesson there.

"You don't have to do it alone." He finally says, choking slightly on the words. There's a fire of determination in his eyes. Katsuya has Verity's back on this.

[brave_heart_verity]

She doesn't respond quickly. Or rather, her vocal response is delayed. Her arms tighten around him and she presses up close, and though she isn't crying yet her breath is ragged in that 'gonna cry soon' kind of way. "If you keep being perfect, I'm either going to cry or start kissing you."

Little does she know she's capable of doing both of those things at the same time.

[sumarusfinest]

"So far from perfect. So far." Katsuya fights back the lump in his throat. She has no idea how lost and awkward and worried he is about screwing this up somehow.

But he's doing his best.

"Look up for a minute please?"

[brave_heart_verity]

Oh, don't be so sure of that, Katsuya. She's feeling pretty damn lost these days too. "You need to learn to take a compliment."

She'll look up when he asks so nicely, blinking a few times because wow everything gets bright when your eyes are teary. "Hmm?"

[sumarusfinest]

"So do you."

Barely a sentence, more a breath against her cheeks as he tilts her chin up just a bit further and leans down to cover her lips briefly with his own.

"...Feel better?" When he pulls back, he's blushing, but he isn't ducking his head at all.

[brave_heart_verity]

She'd admit that yes, she has a lot of things she needs to work on. But then he's kissing her and she's not thinking about any of that anymore. Or much of anything other than the kiss, brief though it may be.

"Mm. I dunno. I think you may need to do that again." No, she's not going to pretend to be sad to get kisses. She's already looking considerably happier now. But a little teasing is okay, right?

[sumarusfinest]

It's so out of his comfort zone and they're in public and Katsuya isn't really this confident to do public displays of affection. But then she's smiling and teasing and it's suddenly worth it.

"If I concede, will it tide you over until we're done shopping?" He can't help but smiling around his words, trying to return her jests.

[brave_heart_verity]

Siiiiigh. She is so put-upon by that question. (It is legitimately disappointing for her. She's not as anti-PDA as he is.) But after a moment she'll nod her agreement. "Probably."

[sumarusfinest]

He chuckles, shaking his head. But he will lean down again, and there's a follow up kiss to match the first.

It's nearly impossible to say no to her. She will never have to worry about not being spoiled.

And not just with baked goods, apparently.