"Alright," Hanae chirped. "Do you want to pick first?"

Itsuki looked down at the slips of folded papers before them on the table. There were about ten. The coffee shop buzzed around them, crowded enough to give the occupants a sense of privacy, which was just what Itsuki needed. He was freaking out internally.

Only yesterday he and Hanae had confessed to each other, so, officially this was their day one. Last night, after Itsuki returned home, he and Hanae talked on the phone into the late hours of the night. It was surreal, laying in bed listening to Hanae's soft, warm voice and feeling his heart pound whenever he remembered that this would be the new normal. It was the kind of thing besotted teenagers did and felt in movies.

At the end of the call, Hanae asked if Itsuki wanted to go on a date. A date. Itsuki's stomach performed excited acrobatics. When his love was hidden and (he thought) unrequited, Itsuki daydreamed about he and Hanae going on dates, but never did he believe it would actually become reality. He had imagined a million different scenarios, but, of course, when Hanae asked what they should do for their date, Itsuki's mind went instantly blank. He went into mumble mode and claimed to know nothing about what made a good date. He felt like a bumbling fool, until he realized Hanae's voice had also dropped shyly.

"Well," Hanae said into the phone, "what if we each write down some ideas and tomorrow we can pick one?" It was an idea only Hanae could think of, weird but exciting, and Itsuki agreed immediately.

Which led them to this moment. Both of their date ideas had been piled on the cafe table between them, and the moment of action was a breath away.

Itsuki cleared his throat. "You choose."

Hanae's smile looked as nervous and excited as Itsuki felt as he reached into the pile and pulled out a paper. He laid the unfolded idea out on the table sidewise so they could read it together: Go to an arcade.

Hanae flashed Itsuki a small smile. "An arcade, huh?"

"I've never been, so… I thought we could go...together." Itsuki's gaze had slowly wandered away from Hanae, seeing the way Hanae's eyes sparkled and his smile grew larger as he spoke. This was more embarrassing than he thought it would be.

"I think it's a great idea. I haven't been to an arcade in ages."

Hanae's face took on a thoughtful aspect, and Itsuki snatched the moment to rove his eyes over Hanae's person without the threat of Hanae noticing and making him feel like a puddle of feelings. He had exchanged his school uniform for a pair of jeans and a yellow t-shirt, and when he combined his outfit and the excited sparkle in his eyes, it reminded Itsuki of how perfectly Hanae's warmth mirrored the sun.

Itsuki was dressed in slacks and a white button-up, because he hated the way jeans felt and he realized, when he was fretting over what to wear today, that he only owned white button-ups. Apparently Itsuki had never before imagined he might want to look interesting on a date, and his wardrobe reflected his failing. Still, he at least thought he looked polished, and that was attractive…. Right? Maybe? Itsuki frowned at himself.

"What's wrong?"

Itsuki wiped the frown from his face. "Nothing. Let's go." He pushed up from the table and stalked toward the cafe door. Hanae snatched the papers from the table, crammed them in his pocket, and scrambled to follow.

"So, um, actually," Hanae said after a few minutes of walking, "I was thinking, since today's our first day of dating…." He paused and Itsuki side-eyed him. His heart fluttered when he saw the blush on Hanae's cheeks. At least Itsuki wasn't nervous all by himself.

"Well, I was thinking," Hanae started again, "that we could ask questions back and forth to get to know each other better." His voice trailed off and reached a question by the end.

Itsuki slowed as he thought about it. "I guess we don't know that much about each other…" He turned to Hanae, face plain with surprise. "I never really thought about it."

"Right? I mean, we see each other all the time, and I know the important stuff about your personality and job, but the little things—your favorite color, or best memories, things like that—I don't know any of them." Hanae bit his lip. "I want to know everything about you."

Their hands brushed and a shock of pure emotion shot through Itsuki's chest. His heart galloped as he stretched his fingers toward Hanae's and he felt Hanae's fingers seeking his in return. Their pinkies had just started to link when a group of people walked out of the convenience store in front of them. Their hands jumped apart. The group walked by, chatting loudly and apparently oblivious to the two furiously blushing teens staring at the ground as they passed.

Itsuki recovered first and mumbled, "The arcade is just up there." Hanae nodded and they started walking again. "My favorite color is red."

"Hm?"

"My favorite color. It's red. You wanted to know."

The shiny exterior of the arcade came into view. It was an older building, but had been kept in good shape over the years by loving owners. The doors were wide open today—the weather was gorgeous, sunny and neither too hot or cold—and the music and random electronic pings from the machines inside the arcade flowed out onto the street, enticing passerby.

"Mine's blue," Hanae said.

The corner of Itsuki's mouth quirked up. "Why doesn't that surprise me?" Hanae laughed and Itsuki's amusement turned into a full blown smile as they stepped inside the arcade.

There was already an afternoon crowd. Little kids horded around the skee ball alleys and clogged up the car simulators. Teens cackled as they shot up pedestrians and zombies in the first-person shooters. The adults that were there were occupied with the more physical games, such as pinball and air hockey.

Itsuki swallowed at the buzz of voices and games. He avoided busy places like this if he could help it, but he could sense Hanae's excitement beside him and so kept his body still and mouth shut.

"What's your favorite game?" Itsuki asked.

"Mmm… Pacman!" Hanae chirped. "We have to get coins first, though."

He pinched Itsuki's sleeve and tugged him toward the back of the room. Maybe he hadn't been to the arcade in a while, but he certainly remembered its layout well enough. They argued at the coin machine over whose yen they would exchange for tokens, but Itsuki eventually won by sheer stubbornness.

Hanae huffed. "Fine, since you paid, you can ask me a personal question and I have to answer it. Deal?"

Itsuki arched an eyebrow at him, but as they walked to Pacman he considered what he should use his question for. Hanae inserted the coins and started the game up. Itsuki squinted as a bunch of pixelated blobs materialized on the screen. Hanae was pretty good, but by the third time he died, Hanae began to eye him expectantly.

"What's your deepest darkest secret?"

"What?" Hanae turned abruptly from the game and Itsuki almost laughed at the gobsmacked look on his face.

"You said you had to answer it, so I thought I'd make it a hard one."

"I…" Hanae pouted. The Pacman had died and the game asked if he'd like to play again. "I don't even think I have a deep dark secret."

"Really? Wow, how boring." Hanae made a face and this time Itsuki did laugh. "Okay, then… Have you liked anyone before?" The question was out before Itsuki could think better of it. He had a feeling of the answer, but even so, his stomach tied itself in knots while he waited for Hanae's response.

"Once." Hanae dropped his gaze. "She…"

She? Itsuki's throat felt like it was being squeezed shut.

"She was my kindergarten teacher." Hanae finished, smiling up from beneath his lashes.

Itsuki blinked at him. "Kindergarten...teacher...?"

"Oh, yeah. Bando-sensei. It was really serious; we colored together, took naps…" Hanae uttered a forlorn sigh. "I gave her all my macaroni sculptures."

Itsuki made a strangled, irritated noise and gave him a light shove. Hanae stumbled back, snickering, and stuck out his tongue.

"I'm kidding, obviously," Hanae said. "I've never liked anyone but you, Itsuki."

Itsuki crossed his arms. "Well," he muttered. "Fine. Good. You better not have."

Hanae snorted and said something under his breath that sounded suspiciously like "tsundere." He took Itsuki by the shoulders and turned him toward the center of the arcade. "Pick a game to play."

Itsuki eyes drifted around the room, and settled at last on a brightly lit case near the front of the arcade. No one was over there and it looked relatively quiet. He pointed. "That thing."

"The crane game?"

The crane game. That's right. Itsuki knew it well by reputation. The rigged contraption was in many dramas and movies he'd seen. Whenever a couple went on a date to an arcade, they played the crane game. He didn't know why, but he wanted to find out.

Hanae made a curious sound. "That's a hard one. You sure?"

Itsuki glared at it. "I'm sure."

Hanae collected their remaining coins and they walked to the entrance. Itsuki stared down the assortment of plush cats and furry bears inside the case, searching for a target. "There," he announced, jabbing his finger at a stuffed animal at the edge of the pile. "I'm going to get that for you."

Hanae peered into the case and his eyes lit up. "It looks like Fuzzy!"

It wasn't an exact match, just a fluffy white ball with big bright eyes stuck to the front, but Itsuki knew it would please Hanae, and he'd be damned if he didn't win it for him. He set up in front of the crane game and inserted his coins. Hanae hovered at his elbow, murmuring encouragement as he began to guide the claw toward its prey.

He failed. Multiple times. Itsuki's mouth slashed a grim line across his face as he launched the claw for the fifth time in a row. The claw fell over the hairball toy, clipping the synthetic fur and lifting it skyward. Hanae gasped and Itsuki held his breath. The toy slipped from the prongs and bounced into the center of the case. Itsuki hissed and thumped his fist against the controls.

"I told you the game was hard." Hanae sighed and flashed a smile at him. "Hey, it's okay, you don't have to get it for me."

"No. I'm getting it," Itsuki growled, slotting another coin in before Hanae could protest. This was no longer about getting the toy, it was about winning. It was about beating this confounded game.

"Itsuki…" Hanae said drily.

He sighed, and Itsuki finally broke out of his glare. Hanae's attention had drifted outside and something in his face became deeply focused. Itsuki didn't know what he saw or was thinking, but fear stabbed at his gut. Hanae was losing interest. That couldn't happen. This was only their day one.

"I…" Itsuki glanced at the crane game. "Sorry, I'll stop," he blurted. "I put a coin in, so I have to play this one, but then—"

"No, actually, keep playing," Hanae said suddenly. "Play until you run out of coins. Make sure you get that toy for me." The sentence was a command, and Hanae's face was so deadly serious that Itsuki could do nothing but nod mutely. "I'm going to the bathroom for a sec. Stay here; I'll be back."

Itsuki watched him run off, his heart sinking. I ruined it. I'm the most boring date in the world. Itsuki slapped at the crane game controls, barely paying attention now. His head clouded with anxiety. He's not going to just run away and not come back, right? He's not going to break up with me… Right? Itsuki banged his head against the glass and groaned. No, shut up. He'll be back by the time you use the last coin.

Itsuki focused on the crane game, trying not to think of anything else. Five minutes went by, and he was on his last try when at last the claw snagged the toy and dragged it into the bin. Itsuki stared wide-eyed at it. The swoop of relief and pride in his chest evaporated, though, when he realized Hanae hadn't returned. Itsuki grabbed the toy and clenched it in his hands as he scanned the room for his date.

He had disappointed Hanae, but he would fix it. He would present this stupid stuffed animal to him and apologize. He would get down on his knees if he had to.

Itsuki stalked toward the bathroom and waited, practicing his apology. But when another minute ticked by and still no Hanae, he checked inside. There was no one in the bathroom. Itsuki's heart pounded in his throat. Had he really up and left? Feeling faint and sick, and not knowing what else to do, Itsuki wandered back to the crane game.

And there Hanae was. The boy turned this way and that, combing the crowd with flashes of his dark blue eyes. The pressure in Itsuki's heart eased; Hanae looked just as worried and scared as Itsuki had felt.

"Hanae," he called.

Hanae's gaze found him at once and the smile of pure relief that blossomed over his face made Itsuki's legs go weak. They moved toward each other with the unerring intent of magnets, meeting in the middle.

"I got you a present," Hanae announced the minute they stood together again.

Itsuki's heart fluttered as he produced a single flower from behind his back. It was egg yolk yellow, six-petaled, and trumpeted at the center. Itsuki felt like he had seen such a flower before, but as he took it, he looked up at Hanae for an explanation; as the son of a florist, he suspected there was more to the gift than it just being a pretty flower.

"I didn't go to the bathroom," Hanae confessed, rocking back on his heels. "I went next door to the flower shop." He gestured at the flower. "It's a jonquil. In the language of flowers it means, 'I like you too, and I want to keep liking you.' " He and Itsuki colored at the same time, but Hanae was quicker to recover. "I wanted to buy you a whole bouquet, but I thought it'd be difficult for you to carry around a bunch of flowers all day. ...And I'm poor."

"Thank you," Itsuki murmured. The jonquil had a dainty spring-like fragrance and he was pleased that it matched Hanae's outfit. "I got this for you. Finally." He handed over the fluffy toy.

Hanae beamed and hugged the faux hairball to his chest, and Itsuki was suddenly overcome again with the reality that they were a couple. Never could he have imagined this would be his life, that he would learn something as precious as love, and that he would be loved in return.

Itsuki was constantly feeling like he was behind the world, like he was missing things. Being the Master of the Mononokean had shifted his priorities as he grew up, and even though he still attended school in the human world, he wasn't truly present when he was there. It always felt like he had left his heart and soul behind in the Underworld.

Until he met Hanae. The moment the loud, eager, compassionate boy stumbled into his life, Itsuki began sliding on a downward slope. The feeling had been terrifying at first, but once he succumbed, life was so much more rewarding. The worlds were brighter with Hanae in them, more full of life and passion. He discovered that humans could be kind and understanding, and not everyone struck out in fear in the face of the unknown. Hanae taught Itsuki it was okay to want and feel for himself, that it was quintessentially human and that was something to be proud of.

Hanae was simple and straightforward. He knew what he wanted out of life. Itsuki adored that about him. But at times it also made him feel like he was being left behind. Itsuki had miles yet to go before he could match Hanae's stride.

But at least now, in this moment, this relationship, he and Hanae were both new and nervous. They had hours and days and years stretched ahead of them if they wanted, and they would all be spent together. His heart felt so full he thought it might burst. Could you die of happiness? Itsuki might be the first to manage it.

"Hanae," he said, quietly. He pressed the jonquil to his chest, and with his other hand, he took Hanae's.

They were in public, someone might see, but Itsuki didn't care for once. The only gaze that meant anything in that moment was Hanae's and he wanted to memorize every aspect of it. The light in Hanae's face softened, and he knew his feelings were reaching him, pulsing warm and alive like a heartbeat dovetailed between their palms. Itsuki felt the thrum of Hanae's energy twisting around his own.

Hanae took a step back, pulling him gently by the hand toward the corner of the room. "Come this way."

The area Hanae led them into was shadowed and virtually deserted, and Itsuki's mind filled with a flurry of burning hopes. He hastily squashed them before their intent leaked through their connection, but when Hanae glanced back at him, his eyes sparkled in a knowing way.

"Let's commemorate today," Hanae said, and swept his hand towards a lonely photo booth in the corner.

Itsuki arched an eyebrow. "Really?"

"Really." Hanae squeezed his hand and a flood of sensations and insinuations danced up Itsuki's arm. Itsuki swallowed and asked no more questions.

They did take a few serious pictures. But mostly they made out. It was a difficult process in as close quarters as the photo booth presented, but they were very determined.

"I like this," Hanae managed between kisses, "but I liked it a lot better when we were in my room, and..." he pulled back and sighed, "you know...had room."

Itsuki nodded, trying to find a place to hold the flower where it would not be accidentally crushed when they shifted positions. They barely fit on the bench shoulder to shoulder, and he wanted to be able to kiss Hanae properly without worrying that someone would pull back the curtain suddenly. "Do you think we should go home, then?"

"Just to make out?" Hanae laughed, but trailed off a second later, seemingly taken with the idea. Itsuki certainly was. "You don't think we should… I don't know… Do more date stuff before that?"

"Kissing is date stuff," Itsuki muttered. Hanae hummed in thought, tracing idle lines over Itsuki's thigh with his finger as he did so. It was maddening. Itsuki would say virtually anything at this point to continue doing what they had been doing.

"We can't go to my house, though," Hanae said at last. "My mom's started spring cleaning, and the minute I show my face, she'll have us helping her. Then it'd be..." he made a gesture and sound like a bomb exploding, "...end of date."

"I have my own place," Itsuki volunteered before his mind caught up to his mouth. Hanae's eyes flashed and he felt an inexplicable thrill of fear shoot down his neck.

"You do?" Hanae asked, a little too innocently.

Wait a second… "Were you…trying to get me to invite you over?"

"What, no, of course not." He leaned forward. "So where is it? Where do you live? I wanna see."

Itsuki narrowed his eyes. I can't believe this. He definitely tricked me. How is it that he always tricks me? Itsuki knew why though, blinded by affection as he was. In a way, he wanted to be fooled.

"You're a pain," he growled at Hanae. Then he grabbed his stupid smiling face and kissed him for everything he was worth. Hanae looked well put in his place by the time they parted, and Itsuki was dizzy with the want of him.

"We're not going to my house," Itsuki said, leaning back against the wall. He needed to put some space between them to catch his breath and slow his pulse. "We're stopping here and doing other date stuff instead."

"What? Why?"

"Because… I don't know what will happen if we're alone in my house like...this."

Hanae dropped his gaze. His face was already flushed, but Itsuki had no doubt it would've went red with the insinuation otherwise.

"I don't want to go too fast, Hanae," he said gently. "I want..." He stared at the photo booth screen, trying to order his thoughts. "I want to go on more dates, and help youkai together, and hold your hand. I want to get to know you better as a person, and I want to learn how to be a better boyfriend before we… You know. Do more than that." Itsuki scrubbed a hand over his face. "Sorry, I'm not sure I'm making sense. I'm not good at talking about stuff like this."

"No, I get it." Hanae laid a hand over his. "I want all that too. I want all of it, but there's definitely no rush. I mean, I'm only fifteen and we just started dating yesterday!" He laughed self-consciously. "Sorry, I get carried away sometimes, but I… I definitely don't want you to feel pressured or uncomfortable. We have all the time in the world."

"Yeah… Okay." Itsuki swallowed. For some reason he felt like crying. He turned aside and choked back the emotion as best he could.

"Come on," Hanae said. "Let's get out of here. Get some ice cream or something." They slid out of the booth and collected their photos and gifts.

Hanae chatted about silly things and food as they left the arcade. It wasn't anything different from what he usually prattled on about, but Itsuki couldn't help listening and looking at him like he was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen.

"Hanae." The boy broke off mid-tangent and blinked his blue eyes at him. Itsuki slipped his hand into Hanae's. "I love you."

Hanae's lips parted. His voice caught just a little when he said, "I love you too."

Itsuki grinned at him and Hanae grinned back, and they just stood in the middle of the street grinning like lovestruck teenagers until they cracked and started laughing, giddy at the absurdity, lightheaded with the absolute perfection of them.

Then they walked on, hand-in-hand beneath the spring sun.