Cooked Fishly for You

"I must say, Cykes-Dono. You... never fail to surprise me."

"That's a good thing, right?" Athena smiled, posing in her evening gown. Good thing she wasn't wearing Widget right now, or he would have been chattering nonstop.

Athena brought that thing on a date once. Only once. Never again would she make that mistake.

She sized up the samurai before her. The past two months had been good to him: he'd cut his hair, willingly dyed it one color, and all but lost the bags beneath his eyes, though they sometimes reappeared after a long night at the Prosecutor's Office. All in all, the press (and public) would have a hard time recognizing him.

Seeing him dressed formally wasn't what surprised her. No. Simon Blackquill... was wearing a color. He'd put on a shiny yellow tie for the occasion, something that went perfectly with her dress.

She smiled to herself. Of the three girls who could have leaked it to Simon, she'd put her money on Pearly. Sure, Trucy and Junie had their moments, but Pearl had spent months pestering Simon, trying to land the two of them a first date. Judging by tonight, they must've reached an agreement.

"It's a secret, Athena! All you need to do is find the most beautiful dress in the world. On the most romantic day of the year, you wear it, ad Mr Simon will take you to a wonderful place!"

Trucy had picked out the dress for her, spotting it on display in a shop window on the other side of the mall.

"Ooh! Athena, pick this one!"

*cough* "I don't know, Thena... aren't you worried it'll show too much?"

Well, she wasn't until now. Thanks, Junie.

Simon was covered from head to toe, as usual. Suddenly, with her split skirt and low neckline, she felt... wanting. Like a little girl, trying on her mommy's old clothes.

She'd just wanted to look like an adult tonight. The last time they'd been out together, someone asked if he was he was her father. Athena looked deep into his eyes, waiting for a reaction.

He blinked once, serenely. A lazy smile spread across his face, filling her with warmth and calm. "Fey-dono told me I'd be met with a goddess tonight. She did not lie."

A blush worked its way across her cheeks. One comment, and all her worries were gone. "Well, I'm glad Pearl told you what was going to happen. I wasn't told a thing!"

"Have no fear. Fey-dono and I collaborated endlessly on tonight. I can assure you," he held out an arm, which she eagerly took. "It will be something you do not easily forget."

"Well, that tells me exactly nothing!" Athena teased, walking with him out of her apartment. She locked the door behind them, and before she knew it, they had set off.

Simon had only one shot at tonight. It had to be perfect.

The prosecutor did everything in his power to stop himself from staring at Athena. Fey-dono may have given him a picture of her dress, but the teen had done nothing to prepare him for the woman within, Hair pinned up in loose curls, eyes shining from a light deep inside. She was the treasure in a sea of gold and fire, a warm sun shining on a man who'd been trapped in a cave. A beacon of light, reminding him of a light beyond darkness.

And now, she was in his reach. Something he could grasp and hold, if only he approached correctly. If only she didn't run away.

I shouldn't have made her walk, he realized. He'd thought a walk through the city would set a good move, but one look at her feet (and the sharp heels attached) were enough to send pangs of worry through his heart. He mentally resolved to carry her home, should the need arise.

Was that too forward of him, for a first date? He couldn't let her hurt her feet, but what if she was put off? How could he let her be uncomfortable like this?

"Simon?"

"Yes, Athena?" he replied. He had to get himself in order, before she heard the strain in his voice. "What is it?"

"Where are you taking me?"

He smirked, sending her a wink. Wait... was that improper? "We will arrive shortly, I assure you." He felt her shift her grip on his arm, like she was about to let go. He breathed in, then let it out sharply.

How was she able to do this to him? He hadn't been this nervous since he was a teenager. How could he behave so immaturely?

"I hope it isn't too far. I... didn't know we'd be walking." Athena broke eye contact with him, looking down at the ground.

"We're almost there, I promise. Then you can sit down."

"Thank goodness. I thought you might have planned a sword-fighting lesson or something!"

In the clothes I'm wearing right now? How does that make any sense? "It crossed my mind, but Fey-dono was staunchly against it. She insisted we begin with something more... traditional." Suddenly, he stopped walking, gesturing to the building across the street. "And here we are now."

Athena looked in the direction Simon was pointing... right at the most expensive seafood restaurant in all of LA. Reservations must have cost a fortune. Oh Simon...

"Wow. I've never been," inwardly, she cursed her lack of voice. She should be grateful, he was willing to spend this much on her. Surely she wasn't this much on a first date?

"Nor have I," Athena caught the slightest hint of discord in his voice. What was he upset about?

But then he smiled, chasing all her worries away. She tightened her hands around his arm, perhaps a bit too tightly. "Well then, come on! Let's go together!"

In a flash, they'd crossed the threshold into a world of opulence and privilege. She glanced at her companion, eyeing him as he checked his watch.

He turned to her. "We're right on time." Simon walked right up to the hostess at the front, Athena following close behind. "Yuugami Jin, party of two."

What? She could understand not wanting to use his real name, but where had that from?

The lady in front of them squinted, also suspicious. Then she smiled, "Of course, sir. Right this way."

Simon motioned for her to go first, which she did. They were escorted to a small table in a quiet corner of the restaurant, where few other patrons could see them. The hostess laid out menus before them, and asked if they wanted any alcohol. Both declined.

"Yuugami Gin?" she questioned right after the woman left.

"Jin," he corrected. "It's my Japanese name."

"Oh," Athena's hands flew to the sides of her face. "Did you make it up for yourself?"

"No. My mother was born a Japanese. She gave both names to me at birth."

"Oh wow! I'm sorry." And all this time, she'd assumed he was just a weeaboo. "What's Aura's name?"

"Yuugami Kaguya. In Japan, the-"

"Family name comes before the given name," Athena finished. "I remember this now. You told me a long time ago."

"Did I, now?" the voice of his heart was curious. "I'm surprised you remember such a small detail."

"Well... I also tried to take Chinese in college," she winced. "Failed the first semester."

"Don't be ashamed," he reassured her. "Eastern languages are far different from those of the west. It's only natural you'd encounter difficulty. I, myself, only know a small amount of Chinese. The Zheng Fa variant."

"Maybe we could learn it together!" Athena laughed. "There's gotta be somewhere in this city that offers a class."

Before she knew it, they'd agreed to weekly Chinese lessons. They would attend every Sunday evening, so long as work permits.

Conversation flowed easily from there. So easily, Athena forgot they were on a date at all. To her, this was just like any other outing the two of them had, albeit in fancier clothes.

Why had she ever been worried? They'd been dating for months now.

"I don't know what I want to eat," he heard Athena comment as she looked over the menu. "It all looks so good!"

And so expensive. Simon didn't want money to be an obstacle, but he'd only brought so much. "The portions here are very large, or so I am told. Unless you intend to carry half your meal back home, I suggest you choose wisely."

"Don't worry, Jin. I won't order something expensive," she replied with a teasing smile. Simon looked down, ashamed. She'd seen right through him.

"Apologies, Cykes-dono. I-"

"It's not a big deal, don't worry. I would have brought my money too, if Junie hadn't forbidden it."

"For people who aren't a rightful part of this, those young women have quite the impact on tonight."

"Don't forget Trucy. She helped," Athena giggled, a sound that brought joy to his heart. "We'll have to thank them, when all this is over. This wouldn't have happened without their help."

"Agreed," Simon nodded, glancing back at their menu. "I have an idea, about our food situation."

"Ooh, what is it?"

"What if we split a dish? I wasn't lying about the portion sizes; it should be sufficient for the two of us."

Athena clapped her hands below her chin. "Sounds great! What do you want?"

"You may choose. I will eat anything you put in front of me."

Simon didn't like the mischievous glint he saw in her eyes at those words, but he wasn't about to say anything about it. The man merely waited for her to make a decision, relieved when the deviousness faded from her expression. It must have occurred to her that whatever she ordered, she had to eat as well.

"Hey, Simon?"

"Yes, Athena?"

"Have you eaten snow crab before? I've eaten crab cakes, and those were good, but I wasn't sure if you wanted-"

"Snow crab tastes wonderful. I've had it twice in my life. Both times, I shared it with Aura."

That seemed to surprise the girl. "Oh! Well, we don't need to-"

"It's fine. If you want it, we can order it." No need to consider a food exclusive, though Aura would no doubt request it the second she was free from prison. Ten years from now.

Within minutes, Simon flagged down a waiter and requested the dish be served to them on a single plate.

When their food came out, he began to show Athena what he remembered of extracting the meat from the carcass. It was messy work, but she seemed pleased.

He smiled, watching her pry open the creature's claw. "Mm! This is great!"

"I'm glad you like it," he spoke genuinely. "This night is for you alone."

She blushed a deep, passionate red. It made his heart melt inside. He reached for a leg, running into her hand on the way. She only blushed deeper. "Sorry."

He didn't mind at all.

Athena was floating on the clouds. She hadn't wanted to leave the restaurant, though they'd been about to close. After she nearly tripped in her shoes, Simon offered to carry her home in his arms, causing her to flush for the billionth time that night.

What had this man done to her? She hadn't felt this way for any of her previous boyfriends. All two of them.

She felt the ever so slight bounce in his step, the way she moved up and down on a constant rhythm. Between the soft lull of his voice and her full stomach, it was enough to make her sleepy.

"Don't doze off on me now," he teased, shaking her awake.

"Uh! What was that?"

"No more naps in my arms. You're too old for that."

"What?! Objection!" she curled up in his chest, ignoring the stares passerby sent their way. "I'm finally the right age for what I'm wanting to do."

She felt, more than heard, the laughter rumble in his chest. "Oh? And what would that be?"

"When we get home, I'll show you," she mumbled. "it's the most romantic night of the year. You really think I'm letting the opportunity pass?"

"Assuming you don't fall asleep first."

"Hm...True."

A/N's: Sorry, no sex for you people. I'm not that kind of writer, nor do I have that sort of experience. Reading Explicit Klapollo is not the same as being familiar with male anatomy. I just wanted to give them a nice, sweet first date with no major incidents.

Ugh... their beautiful love life just reminds me of how nonexistent mine is. Screw V-Day.

Still, I hope you found this enjoyable. I've always wanted to ship these two! Thanks for reading, I'm off to bed, and I'll see you on the far side!