sweetdevil | 65th ♫ | by the look of the sky, i wonder if the raindrops will turn into snow

65th ♫ | by the look of the sky, i wonder if the raindrops will turn into snow

WINTER HOLIDAY ❤ 2022 CMO

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[ He's looking forward to this, isn't he... it's a little cute to hear. She gives him a smile and a nod. ]

I am. It seems like we're at the perfect time to go see them, too.

[ It's just late enough that it's started getting dark but it shouldn't be too much colder out by the time they've dropped off their mountains of shopping and headed off on their way. ]

Is Taroimo invited, too? Or is it just the two of us?

[ come on, ryoko, teasing him like that's just mean. ]

Taroimo?

[Akira looks completely thrown for a second, but seems to quickly realize he's being bullied. Not that it does him much good.]

H...He's busy! He's got, y'know, turtle shit to do.

[Whatever that means. It's not like he'd mind having him along in any other circumstance, but needing to keep an eye on him on a date isn't exactly an appealing thought...

After a quick swing by the orphanage to drop everything off and another quick exit before Taeko can really ask where they're going again (begrudgingly bringing a jacket, just in case), Akira takes Ryoko to the center of the city, the sky getting just dark enough that the stars are peeking out from behind the clouds, accompanied by the twinkling of artificial lights below.]

...It always seems a little brighter than last year, every time.

[Then again, he isn't usually the type to notice. This is the first time he's thought to bring someone out to look at them.]

They built some fancy tower recently, too...that's all lit up, you can see it from here.

[He points toward its familiar silhouette—it's pretty close, and even for a recently finished structure it's dazzling.]

[ It occurs to Ryoko only as they're setting out from the orphanage that she's never actually seen a full-fledged display of lights before, at least not in person. She's seen photos on cards and social media and twinkling decorations in windows around their neighbourhood – but it was never something her family did and she'd never bothered to go by herself because... well, why would she? It's not like she's ever cared that much about the holidays.

So she's completely floored when they make their way there – or rather, she's dazzled. As they'd headed into the city center and the lights had gradually increased in number, she'd repeatedly assumed she'd seen the peak of their brilliance but now under the starry night sky with nothing to drown them out, it's all so bright that it makes her eyes blur a little to look at it straight on – but she can't make herself look away. ]

I really don't know what I was expecting, but... [ Her breath comes out in a silvery cloud. ] It really is beautiful.

[ She even sounds a little awed, completely caught off guard. ]

And– it really is like this every year?

[Truthfully, Akira's so used to it that it barely registers after the first few days or so, but taking another look after seeing Ryoko's reaction and hearing the tone of her voice...

...Damn. She's right. It is beautiful.]

Yeah. It's like this every year.

[It's another thing he's just sort of taken for granted that no longer seems to exist in her time he can add to the increasingly long list. And maybe there's not anything he can do about the arrival of the kaiju, or anything else, but...what he can do is make sure she remembers this sight fondly.]

There's a couple trees too, a little further in. The buildings only get lights, but the trees usually get these shiny glass balls too.

[He thinks he's gauged the mood correctly when he offers her a hand, and he is trying very hard to come off like he's not desperately hoping he's wrong. Trying not to read her mind is, as always, a struggle for someone who does it instinctively, but it's worth it if it means she can trust him.]

[ It feels a little childish to be so easily dazzled, but she really never has seen anything quite like this. Really, there are a lot of things back in Akira's time like this – things that make her realize that for as hard as she'd been fighting to keep the world safe, she'd seen comparatively little of it before it was all destroyed. The more time she spends here with everyone, the wider and more full her own tiny little world gets.

That's why, when Akira extends his hand to her, Ryoko only hesitates for a second before she reaches out in return and takes it. Again comes that uneasy knot in her stomach, a prickling on the back of her neck trying to tell her that she needs to be more cautious – but for the first time in a good while, she's able to not just ignore it but outright dismiss it. Everything's fine. ]

Mm. Lead the way, then.

[ Even though Ryoko's the one dressed for the weather and Akira's... less so, his hand feels warm around her comparatively frigid fingers and she's glad that the cold evening air gives her a pre-made excuse for the colour rising to her face. She's never thought of herself as a girl who blushes easily but... it's not unpleasant. ]

I'm expecting your best running commentary, too.

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65th ♫ | by the look of the sky, i wonder if the raindrops will turn into snow

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