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[Komasan can only drag his hands down his face, grateful Chihiro is willing to put up with him right now. He'll have to make it up to him again, make a dinner not on a Friday. That sounds good, that's a foolproof plan.]

Y-Yes, that's what I thought, z-zura!

[HAHA, EVERYTHING'S FINE.]

There were plenty of times when I was traveling that I wished I could have something nice and warm. Now that I'm in the city, I have to make up for all that lost time, zura!

[After finishing up with his rummaging in the cabinets, Chihiro walks back over to the counter and deposits everything he could carry in one trip with a soft clatter, returning to the drawers a moment later to get smaller tools- knives, a cutting board, things of that nature.]

I can imagine. Traveling makes you hungry, too...

What is your favorite thing to eat, Komasan-chan?

Soft cream, zura!

[Komasan doesn't even skip a beat as he grabs the pot and prepares the ingredients for the broth. That's not even his lack of filter, just his pure devotion to all things ice cream. As if on cue, Shiro finally hovers off of the floor and towards his trainer, helping emphasize his point. Everyone needs a visual cue.]

Back when I still had to guard my shrine, I used to watch the nearby festivals, zura. Everything was so monge~, but I especially liked it when people would come up just close enough where I could see their soft cream, zura~

When my shrine was torn down, the first thing I did was go to the city and look for some. Ever since then, I can't think of anything that tastes any better, zuraa~

[Unable to control himself any longer, his mouth latches on top of Shiro's head. If only Vanillish actually tasted like vanilla...]

What's yours, zura?!

[He says with a mouth full of Pokemon.]

[Ice cream, huh? He'll have to make a note of that for the future.]

Mine? Well...I do like sweets, myself. Though I'm not sure I would say they're my absolute favorite...I try not to be very picky if I can help it. Chocolate is nice, though.

[So clearly, they need to go out and get some chocolate ice cream sometime. Komasan's a human, not a dog, so that's probably okay, right?]

[He was also a magical dog, so eating chocolate has never been a problem. Are you saying normal dogs never get to experience the wonders of chocolate?!]

Monge~, I can see it! You definitely look like the chocolate loving type, zura!

[How anyone can look like they love chocolate is questionable, but apparently Komasan knows.]

Then the next time I come over, I can get you one of those chocolate boxes I always see at the store! They've been everywhere lately, zura!

[Chihiro sets out the cutting board while Komasan chatters away, preparing a space so he can start cutting up some green onions.]

Oh, that's right...it's getting close to February now. You'll probably be seeing a lot more chocolate and things in the stores here soon.

February is chocolate season, zura?! Monge...

[He is totally okay with that.

Speaking of cutting, though, Komasan pulls out the narutomaki once he finally finishes putting the broth together, cutting up some thin slices so they're ready to go when he needs them.]

[He can't help but giggle softly at that. Well, he isn't wrong...]

Have you heard of Valentine's Day, Komasan-chan?

Is it like Christmas, zura?

[That's the only holiday he knows, and it's only because he got recruited to help. By now, Shiro has left Komasan's mouth, which gives him the freedom to stuff some spare food into said mouth as he awaits Chihiro's answer.]

Edited (wording) 2016-02-01 03:35 (UTC)

[With a small nod, Chihiro pulls the onions from the bag to give them a brief rinse before chopping.]

It's a holiday, like Christmas. But instead of presents, people give each other chocolates and letters. It's popular with couples, but I think everyone can enjoy Valentine's Day whether they're with someone or not.

[O-Oh...a popular couples holiday. Of course it is, that's just the theme today, isn't it? Well to Komasan's misfortune, he still has his filter turned off, which only means he can only ask more embarrassing questions.]

S-So...would you like to try it, z-zura?

[But just because he has no filter, doesn't mean he can't sound nervous as hell.]

L-Like go on a date and see what happens, z-zura...?

[Oh is right. It's clear that Komasan's brain-to-mouth filter is virtually nonexistent right now, but even then...that still manages to surprise Chihiro as he turns the water off, looking over at Komasan over his shoulder with his face starting to grow red again.]

A-ah...

[He pauses for a moment before quickly walking back over to the counter, though he doesn't start cutting the onions right away.]

I...I wouldn't mind.

[Just to see what happens. Right?]

[...Komasan isn't sure how to feel. Happy is certainly in there, surprise's thrown in there for good measure, but mostly he's concerned. If it wasn't for whatever the heck's going on, he'd never have the nerves to get that far.]

M-Monge...

[Stop it, focus.]

I-I mean, great! It'll...it'll be fun, zura...

[BACK TO SOUP MAKING.]

I think so, too.

[He agrees before finally getting to work, trying his best to keep his own nervous tremor out of his voice. This was really happening. But...Komasan is his friend, and a 'date' didn't necessarily have to mean anything more than friends spending the day together. And the thought of it really is...well, fun. And he's spent a lot of time with Komasan already, and it's been enjoyable. What would make that any different?

...well, by then he might be a little less loose-lipped, maybe.]

[It's been a little over three weeks after that Friday where Komasan almost ruined his life. By some sort of miracle, he didn't, but that didn't change the fact that he could have. Instead, he foolishly found himself on a """date""" thanks to his uncontrollable mouth, and now it's finally time to follow through.

At least it wasn't another Friday.

These three weeks have been especially difficult for Komasan as he mentally prepared himself for what he considered his first date ever. He read books, talked to people, practiced on Noko, ordered chocolate he hoped got delivered on time, studied television shows... Everything you could think of, but nothing truly helped his confidence. It shows as he stands at Chihiro's door, like he's done a million times before since he arrived in Goldenrod, only to hesitate despite all his prepping.

His Pokemon even helped out, mostly Chairo. She got him out of bed early, brushed his hair, even tied a little bow around his neck like any embarrassing mother would. Noko somehow managed to find a flower in this cold weather and gave it to him for good luck, which he placed behind one of his ears to make sure Chihiro would see it. She insisted upon it, she would've cried otherwise. But all this dressing up and tip-top grooming didn't seem to cut it for Komasan, it felt more like a mask to cover up all his insecurities.

Even though Chihiro pointed out he wasn't a youkai anymore, it didn't make him feel any less stranger. No one wants to date a former monster, that's what he told himself, that's like if someone's Pokemon became a human and wanted to get together with you. That's...weird. But he agreed to it anyway and Komasan couldn't for the life of him figure out why.

Still...he's already here, did he really want his hangups to cause him to stand Chihiro up? Maybe he was looking forward to this... That thought alone is almost...exciting, Komasan could feel his heart racing. Besides, he said it himself, it was only to see what would happen. Nothing's riding on this, he could do it...]

Here goes nothing, zura...

[He says to no one in particular, but looks at the empty space next to him as if Shiro were right beside him per usual. His Pokemon wished him well, but stayed at home. This is his thing, not theirs.

With a small, defeated sigh, he knocks on the door.]

[It was funny. Whenever Chihiro ever thought about what it would be like to be asked out by someone, it always felt like it would be a huge deal. And it is, make no mistake, but...somehow, it's different. Komasan had asked (albeit a bit bluntly, given how he was affected previously), but he'd also asked honestly. Chihiro had agreed and...that was it. Perhaps the fact that it didn't seem like a huge deal made him feel a bit better, even though that didn't mean he was without nerves. Far from it, really. He's probably nowhere near as nervous as Komasan is right now (for once), but it's certainly up there.

He looks up from where he had been working away at his laptop when he hears a knock on the door, looking over briefly at where his Linoone is lounging on his bed. Fast asleep, unsurprisingly. Chihiro decides not to bother him, instead grabbing his Gear just as Zip disappears into it before carefully pushing it into his bag. He takes a slow breath before heading to the door, wearing a cream peacoat with thick leggings to keep warm. He's also wearing one of those terrible scarves, but he seems more interested in showing off his Pokemon's work than being fashionable.

Chihiro can't help but smile when he sees how cleaned up Komasan is. It's definitely surprising, but not unwelcome in the least.]

Good morning, Komasan-chan. You look nice.

[And right on cue, Komasan jumps like his life is on the line, still totally expecting a shark.]

MOOOONNGEEEE!!

[Okay, now that that's out of his system, Komasan calms down when he finally gets a good look at Chihiro. He recognizes the scarf right away for obvious reasons, Chihiro's Pokemon made it. Despite its...uniqueness, Komasan is well aware of its sentimental value, it's like wearing art.

Like everything else about Chihiro, Komasan finds it cute. His whole outfit is cute, and thankfully Komasan can keep himself from blurting that out and making things awkward right off the bat. That level of self control gives him a tiny boost in confidence, that means nothing weird is going to happen today. Hopefully. Let's keep it that way.]

H-Heh...thank you, z-zura...

[He gives a small smile as he rubs the back of his head. Still obviously bashful, it takes everything in him to take the compliment. He could easily deny it, sure, in fact it takes everything in him not to. But he trusts Chihiro enough that he wouldn't lie about something like that.

...You know, lie about something as simple as "you look nice."

Speaking of, that book did say something about compliments...]

Ah...that's a really cute coat, zura!

[I-It's not calling Chihiro cute if it's just the coat, right?! It's...totally different.]

Um... [Shoot. Already running out of steam. ...Oh, wait!] Did...Did you get the present I sent you, zura?

Thank you. I got it just this morning.

[You can probably imagine his utter surprise to get this hunk of chocolate in the shape of a laptop. Like, to scale and everything. But more than anything else, the image waiting for him to see on the 'screen' touched him more than anything.

There's a light blush dusting Chihiro's cheeks pink as he folds his hands at his front.]

That was very thoughtful of you. [A pause, then-] I...I really don't know what to say.

[Honestly, it's one of the more thoughtful gifts he's gotten.]

We can share some of it later, if you would like. I...I actually got something for you as well.

[Oh thank goodness, Komasan isn't sure what he'd do if it got lost in transit. It was expensive.

And super sentimental.

But he liked it, he actually liked his bizarre chocolate computer idea. Like everything else, it was a huge worry, some people might have found the whole thing weird. That's where it normally turned to, isn't it? Weird. And yet every single time, Chihiro finds a way to surprise him. Just by accepting it for what it is.]

Yeah? T-That's great, I'm so glad you—

[Woah woah woah, what? The book never mentioned gifts for him.]

Y-You...you did, zura?

[And now it's his turn for his cheeks to turn a light pink.]

[Chihiro nods, reaching into his bag and pulling out...well, another bag.

Only, this bag might look a bit more familiar to Komasan. Not exact, of course, but...it's very close.]

When you came here during that weekend...you had a bag like this with you. I thought you might like to have another one, since you're going to be here for a while.

[Yes, he's saying that because Komasan isn't allowed to leave. Not yet. ...not just yet.]

[Of course, Komasan's first thought is that Chihiro is pulling some sort of matryoshka doll stunt, and he waits half a second to see if he's going to pull out another bag. It's amazing, he can't believe Chihiro has a bag that looks just like...

...his.

That's when it hits him, that's...it's really his bag. He can't even remember how long it's been since he's had it, who would've thought someone could miss something so simple? His hands tremble slightly as he reaches out for it, and he gasps a little when he finally touches it. It's real, Chihiro actually went through the effort to make it real again. Sure, it's not the exact same thing, but as long as it's green and covered in swirls, that's really all that matters.

He wastes no time throwing it on, shuffling it under his scarf and wearing it on his back. He's ecstatic, feeling it against his back again lights up his eyes, and he's already forgotten he was dealing with horrible teenage-related nervousness.]

M-Monge~!! It...it fits perfectly, zura!

[Komasan's excitement is positively infectious. Chihiro can't help but giggle softly, which turns into a real laugh when he quickly wiggles the backpack onto his shoulders. Isamu lifts his head from where he was asleep on Chihiro's bed, blinking drowsily at the two standing near the door. Who is, why noise.]

I'm glad you like it! It's not quite the same, but...

[It's close enough, and that's what counts.]

[Overcome with joy and unable to contain himself, Komasan throws his arms around Chihiro. Enjoy the show, Isamu, because the noise is only going to get worse.]

T-This is the greatest thing anyone's ever given me, zura~!

[It's not easy being so vastly different from what you are, but any little reminder he can get is good enough for him. But besides that, Komasan has never once brought up this bag to Chihiro since he "got" here, which means that the magical weekend he's somehow forgotten must have really happened. It's physical proof and that's...comforting.]

Thank you so much, zura...

[Although he continues to smile, his enthusiasm finally starts to dwindle. Tears slowly begin to gather along the side of his eyes as he tries to keep himself together. You can do this, Komasan, it's just a bag. Remember, this is supposed to be a date, no need to...embarrass yourself...so soon...]

Oh-!

[Chihiro gasps a little at the sudden hug, but it only takes him a second to return it. It's amazing how such a simple little thing can make someone so happy. He'd been hoping that Komasan would have liked it, but this exceeded all expectations. He didn't just like it. No, it was something that he clearly cherished from the moment he laid eyes on it.]

You're very welcome.

[Chihiro gives him a little squeeze before moving to pull back, right about the time that Komasan's smile falters and tears well in his eyes, causing Chihiro's own smile to fade ever so slightly. His expression turns a bit warmer, and instead of letting go, he pulls him back into the hug again with his head hovering just over Komasan's shoulder.]

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