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Inside the coffee shop, the air was full with the smell of grinded coffee beans, plump breaded buns, and the crisp air of the cloudy day outside. There was a quiet chatter that filled the quaint little shop you and Blade found yourselves inside of, one that stifled nerves and relaxed your all too tense shoulders.
Your latte sat warm in your hands, held up to your slightly parted lips as your eyes watched the passing cars outside. The gentle rumble of running engines caught your attention, a gaze that spaced out in pure wonder at the machinery used for their transportation. They all were very different from the vehicle Blade used to get you two here, these cars were near silent, although the tires on the road made a kind of crunchy rolling sound that tingles at your all too keen ears.
The script was already done, now, you both were waiting for Silver Wolf to send a beacon to send you two, and the car, back to the spaceship for a some well-earned rest.
Already in no rush, you took another sip of your latte, the swirl of vanilla running down your throat made your eyes flutter close in bliss. You’d have to ask for their recipe on the way out, Kafka would appreciate something that doesn’t wake her up right away on an off day.
Once your cup was set down on a crocheted coaster, you made a glance to your companion across the table. Blade never usually orders anything, but, seeing as Silver Wolf hadn’t mentioned anything in the past half hour, he took a coffee, straight black, and was nursing the rim now as he kept his gaze beyond your shoulder to the interior of the coffee shop.
Always waiting for something to happen, you could see how his fingers were undulating against the paper cup he thought he was going to take to go. He mentioned on the way here that the script interrupted his bi-daily hand stretches, so he was near impatient to get back to the ship to continue until his hands could stop spasming at random moments.
You cleared your throat, wanting to tell him that he can continue them here, when a far away clap of thunder interrupted your thoughts. Both of your gazes drifted to outside, where the sky turned even darker, and rain started to pour down from the clouds. Huffing through your nose, you rubbed your bare thighs together, knowing you should’ve picked an outfit that covered you better.
But, the more important thing was Silver Wolf definitely won’t get a beacon out to you two until this storm passes over, knowing the sight of rain ceases all function of her wanting to do anything.
Before you knew it, the waitress had rounded back to your table, asking if the both of you needed any more refreshments or even something from the bakery. You opened your mouth to answer, but Blade beat you to it, “we would like the check.” The kind waitress nodded with a smile, saying it will take her some time and to please wait patiently until then. You thanked her with a matching smile, making haste to finish the rest of your cooling coffee and gathering your things into your small bag beside you.
If Blade wanted to leave, you certainly didn’t want to get in his way. Looking at him now, you can see that his pressed jacket was already unbuttoned, and his phone was put away into the interior pocket for safe keeping.
He watched you as you fretted over the state of the table, pushing all your dishes and trash to the front to be picked up easier, and leaving a kind tip to the waitress underneath them for keeping an eye on the both of you despite the busy shop. It made his skin itch that when you finally settled, you shot him a friendly smile.
It was rare for the both of you to be paired for missions together, due to your overly friendly nature and his nonchalant one, it tended to make missions drag when you asked a passerby for directions and stopped to compliment their outfit. An example, but one of many. He knew Kafka was definitely more suited for being paired with you, but he couldn’t deny that he liked the peaceful atmosphere of your chosen script. Your drink had looked delicious in his eyes, and when you took your small sips and sighed softly, it sparked a soft feeling in his heart.
He couldn’t help but order his own coffee.
Soon, the check had come, and, once again, before you could pull the shared credits between your group, Blade had set the shared card down, letting the waitress take it, along with your dishes and walk off.
Dumbfounded, your hand froze where it was reached into your bag, and when you glanced at Blade, you were sure he had the faintest hints of a smile at the corner of his lips, before he looked outside once more.
Your chest fluttered, and your stomach swam with butterflies. Was he being sweet on purpose? Or rather, you knew on his home planet that it was the person who initiated the dinner in the first place who took care of the payment. In this case, it was Elio himself, so he used his card.
It made your lips quiver in a barely concealed happiness, not that you didn’t have to pay, but knowing he stuck to even his own traditions after so long. If Blade noticed, he didn’t say anything, but he did stand when the card was returned back to his wallet, and the tip was personally handed to the waitress.
Blade did notice your barely concealed happiness, and it made his painfully beating heart seize with a kind of feeling he tried to temper down after being around you for so long.
As you were standing, he took your hand to lead you out of the booth, taking a precaution to make sure you didn’t fall. Blade gently rolled the strap of your purse down your arm, and held the small bag in his hand as the other was smoothed on your lower back, leading you out of the shop that took up your morning.
Outside, the rain spared no one that was caught without an umbrella, and you sighed knowing the car was parked in the parking garage a few blocks away. Your worried eyes caught sight of children running through puddles, and their mothers laughing as they chased after them, office workers who used their bags, and even their jackets, to shield their head from the elements.
Goosebumps settled across your bare arms and legs, and you instinctively brought your hands up to rub across your cold flesh. Blade caught on to your shivering right away, and he spared no time before he was shrugging off his jacket and draping it across your shoulders, much to your chagrin about his own state of getting wet.
He hushed you, knowing you’d catch a cold in weather like this, and you stayed silent as his shaking fingers buttoned up the jacket.
It was warm, unexpectedly so, and it smelled of faint cologne and a metallic scent that never seemed to escape the man looking down at his own handiwork of making sure you were swaddled. Your shivers subsided soon enough, and you thanked him as he helped you tug your arms through the all-too long sleeves.
Looking around, Blade caught sight of an umbrella rack just to the left of the doors, and grabbed one of the larger ones without hesitation. Popping open the umbrella, he grasped your wrist gently to have you hold the umbrella over your head.
You weren’t going to mention he just stole an umbrella, but you weren’t complaining knowing you were going to be safe from the rain.
Quickly, your concern and fretting over him reared its head, “you’ll get sick too!” You weren’t dumb, you knew his curse ensured that a sickness, other than Mara, would never plague him, but it was pure instinct when you held out the handle of the umbrella to him, instead.
“Nonsense,” he uttered, already starting to turn away to walk straight into the peltering rain that splattered against the ground.
Panicked, you shot forward to wrap your arm around his bared one, and hold the umbrella over your heads, and soon, the rain hit the umbrella, and barely hit your ankles as you both wandered into the storm. Pressed against him, you sputtered out an apology at the intrusion, but you weren’t going to walk away without him being underneath the safety of the umbrella.
“You are just going to have to tolerate it for now,” you whispered, and Blade grunted an affirmation, he knew you weren’t going to back down and he didn’t want to waste his time in a petty argument. You seemed to argue more over the state of others than for your very own wellbeing, and while it was dumb of you, he couldn’t help the slight relief in knowing you were concerned for him.
With that in mind, he freed his arm and wrapped it around your back until his hand could settle in the dip of your waist, pressing you against his side until a warmth radiated into your own side.
Your face heated up, and when you thought it couldn’t get any worse, a pair of chapped lips pressed into your cheek, right on the corner of your lips, and you squeaked when he initiated a fuller kiss to mold his lips against your own, which held the taste of the vanilla latte you were sipping just minutes ago. Your breath stopped, and your fingers trembled where they held the hook of the umbrella, not believing your eyes to have Blade so close to you, and… kissing you so gently.
Sparks went off in your stomach, and you couldn’t help the hush of breath that escaped your lips before you responded in kind, lips slotting against his own to taste the coffee he had also been drinking, and perhaps even a hint of the cigarettes he said he quit a long time ago.
Soft smacking filled the air in between you, hushed breaths that couldn’t be caught and even the slight creaking of his jacket and he pressed you even more into his side.
The kiss ended before you were ready for it, and both of your lips were slightly parted as you tried to catch your breaths. It wasn’t much, it truly wasn’t any more than just a kiss, but it made your head turn all fuzzy, and weird. You wanted more, much more.
Though, he soon licked his lips, and pulled you close to start walking with you towards the parking garage. You fell into step with him, holding the umbrella with unsteady hands as he made sure the winds didn’t sweep you away.
Wanting to get back at him for the times he stole the words out of your mouth, you let your gaze fall onto the wet streets of the city, “thank you for taking me out on a date, Blade.”
Your mumble wasn’t lost on Blade, and his breath caught in his throat as he registered what he just heard.
Before he could control it, his unoccupied hand fisted in his pocket, and his teeth bit through his bottom lip, filling his mouth with the metallic taste of blood.
You caught him off guard, and you smiled your kind smile as you hugged around his side and let him lead you across the street.