sweetdevil | 79th ♫ | the two of us aren't really considered a pair, but i think we could get there!

[ ooooo u wanna get her dogshit inedible homemade honmei choco so bad ooooo ]

[ As far as seasonal events for idols go, Valentine's Day is basically the final boss - especially for a group like B-Komachi that courts only the most gachi of gachikoi fans. For the sorts of fans who fall that deeply in love with their favourite idols, Valentine's is the closest any of them ever get to touching their dreams and... despite herself, Ai has never really minded it. Being an idol is about showing someone a lovely dream, after all, and if she can make someone who's feeling lonely and lost on Valentine's Day feel just a little better or like someone has seen them, then she'll give it her all.

For the first time ever, though... she's not quite, one hundred percent happy about it this year. In fact, if she's telling the truth, she kind of... doesn't want to be here at all! There's the mini-concert of their Valentine's songs for all the lotto ticket winners, the handshake meet and greet afterwards, the post-concert stream for everyone who couldn't attend, pouring her heart out to all her fans and trying to pretend she doesn't have it full of anybody else.

Sure, that totally makes her a liar. But lies like that are exactly what the people who love her are asking for.

It's well past seven by the time Ai's free and she makes a barely passable excuse to Miyako as to why she might not be home until late so could she please get Aqua and Ruby to bed? - then shoves on her street clothes at top speed and takes off from the performance venue before Saitou can even try to offer her a ride. She's got somebody to meet, after all.

She's already sent him kind of a sappy message this morning, before she set out for work, just in case things ran too late but she just barely might have enough time so long as Rinne's not trapped at work too. Texting while she runs is kind of dangerous but the risks are worth it today! ]

I'm finally free!
Are you almost done with work too?
I bet you were super busy today too lol
So good job! ⭐

[ Rinne's going crazy, and it's all Ai's fault. Why did she have to send him that message first thing in the morning? Ever since getting his first Valentine's text (!) from his first girlfriend (!!!), he hasn't been able to think of anything else. On Valentine's, he always makes sure to tell his fans the feelings are mutual, but the way he says it is a little more polished than usual. But of course. He can't let anybody know where he'll be going and who he'll be seeing after this. After years of building his walls and perfecting his act, lies like these are only second nature.

He can't wait for them to end.

Once work's over, he throws his coat on and rushes out the studio. His phone buzzes in his pocket. A text? She's probably running out the door like he is. That's not safe. ]

yea im free!
good job me!😤✨
did my cute ai-chwan do a good job too???
here's her good job ki

[ Hmm. Backspace. That last line's too much. ]

be careful ok?
don't walk while texting😊

[ But he's doing the same...

He doesn't have to ask where they should meet. He doesn't have to ask when. Maybe Ai will ask because she tends to forget, but small details like these? Rinne will always, always remember. ]

I gave it my all today!
I guess you could say I was charging up so I'm at full power for when I get to meet my favourite fan tonight? ❤️

[ It's a cute line but it's so totally not where her head was at today. If anything, she feels a little like she's poured herself empty and it's going to take her just a minute longer to refill. But now she's on her way to see him, she feels like she's on cloud nine and all that pent up exhaustion... well, it's not quite gone but she knows it will be once she gets swept up in one of his hugs.

To that end, she picks up her pace. She's not walking while texting, she's running while texting! Totally different. ]

I let Miyako-san know I'd be out late so we've got plenty of time!
I just have to hop on the right train. Or at least I hope it's the right train lol
If I was coming to meet you from home this would be so much easier!!!

[Of course Rinne laps it up. If she's going to make a boldfaced lie like that for him, then he should give her the chance to rest tonight all the more. It's still kind of embarrassing, though! Her favorite fan? Can this not be a story where he looks crazy and obsessed? But it's true that he's a bit crazy, so maybe he'll let her have this. After all, it makes her happy.

That's all he wants, really.]

then let's meet at [REDACTED BECAUSE I CAN'T DECIDE] station
that's where you're at right?
i'll go to u
then we can ride the train together🥰🥰

[It's not as if they're at opposite ends of the line. He's only a couple of stops away. Hehe... Riding the train with Ai... He's going crazy again from just thinking about it.]

Edited 2024-02-03 11:54 (UTC)

Yup! I'm heading over right now!
You'll probably spot me right away lol but just in case
Today's street clothes are a cap, a long skirt and a big wool cardigan ⭐
If you can catch me before I see you first you'll get an extra reward!

[ Which would probably sound like a bit of a challenge to anyone else, but Ai has a fair amount of confidence in Rinne to be able to pick her out of a crowd of any size, no matter how she was dressed up or down. He's the only person who's always really looking, after all.

So she picks up her pace a little more. With it being so dark out and everyone so busy with their own business, nobody so much as gives her a second look as she goes charging past. In a strange way, it's nice. Maybe just for tonight, Hoshino Ai can be a normal girl on a normal date with her boyfriend.

Her feet don't slow down once until she arrives at the station and while she's catching her breath, she pulls out her phone so she can try and neaten up her hair and tidy what's left of her makeup before he gets here. Even if she's dressed down out of necessity, she wants Rinne to know she's put in the effort anyway. ]

LMAO is that a challenge??
idk if i told u
but being sneaky is my specialty☆

[ He's not bluffing.

Anyway, Ai's right — Rinne will know how to find her. He always does. He doesn't tell Ai what she should look for in case he gets there first. He wants it to be a surprise, and with how tall he is and how vibrant his hair can be in the light, he's not so hard to spot. But he knows how to hide. With experience in hunting game and running away, he's learned how to conceal his presence completely. She'll only notice him the moment a hand from behind covers her eyes. ]

Guess who~?

[ This is too easy, actually. If he wasn't her boyfriend, she'd be in a van by now. Maybe he should start going home with her more often? ]

[ The entire time she's waiting for Rinne, Ai feels oddly fidgety. She's excited and antsy, sure, but she feels oddly... nervous? It's a little like stage fright. She's not been nervous or keyed up on a date with Rinne in what feels like a long time but maybe it's because this is their first Valentine's date together, she suddenly feels oddly aware of how badly she wants this to go right.

Which is silly. This is Rinne, after all. She can count on maybe one hand the times they've been together and not had fun. And in its own way, the novelty of being antsy about a date with her boyfriend... it's kind of fun. Maybe this is how normal girls get to feel all the time.

She's still mulling all that over when Rinne's hand slides over her eyes and she immediately leaps in surprise before letting out a peal of sunny laughter. So he really did get her after all. ]

Oh no, what am I gonna do! I'm being swept off my feet by a hot, suspicious stranger!

[ She immediately all but flops back against his chest, no resistance whatsoever. Go ahead and kidnap her, tall dark and handsome stranger. ]

Kyahaha! Scream and cry all you want, you're still mine!

[Just kidding. Rinne tugs his face mask down, and with her back pressed against his chest, he lifts her chin and pushes her bangs aside to press lips to her forehead.]

You're way too open, silly.

[It kind of makes him wish he could be the same. It's the result of living in a kinder, easier world. If Rinne had been born into a world like that... Well, that would have its own share of problems. He probably wouldn't have been able to meet Ai, much less protect her. Her being defenseless like this is going to be trouble for her later on. He still remembers how she startled when he teased her too much. He's glad he doesn't scare her now.]

Didja miss me?

I was waiting for you, so it doesn't count!

[ Ai's always bright - that's why she gets away with so much as an idol, after all - but right now she's practicality sparkling. It isn't quite as intense as the floodlight everyone sees on stage, it's something softer, warmer and a little more delicate.

The smile she's giving him, though, is almost blinding. Before he can move away, Ai twists around in his arms and shamelessly tosses her own around him so she can squeeze them both together in a hug. Tight. ]

Mm. I was thinking about you all day. [ It comes out a little indistinct, given that she's just as shamelessly plopped her face right into his chest. ] I really, really missed you.

I really, really, really missed you.

[He doesn't always tell people that, especially not in a tone that gentle, but he's not about to withhold anything that Ai needs to hear. He rubs her back as he hugs her tight. For once in his life, it feels like he can let go of his pride and be a normal boy on a date with the girl he likes.]

Your fans got to see you all day. I'm so jealous. Can't you tell 'em you've got me?

[He's kidding. Probably.]

[ Rinne's hand is so warm on her back... It's nice. She's all bundled up, sure, but she'd chosen her clothes today more for layers and stealth to make sure nobody recognised her than she had for warmth and in the February chill, it's not holding up as well as she'd hoped. Being hugged this tightly and this warmly is doing wonders to perk her back up. ]

I'll think about it. Once the President comes back around from the first time I asked, I'll run it by him.

[ As if she's even told Saitou she's friends with Rinne, let alone how close they are. She wonders if at least Miyako suspects something is going on, though. Neither of them are stupid and Ai is definitely a prior troublemaker. ]

The same goes for you, though! You should tell all those girls I'm you real number one fan and if they've got a problem with it, they can take it up with me. I'm not giving you up to aaaaanybody.

[Rinne freezes as his cheeks burn a bright red and steam comes out of his ears. He knows it's great for both of them to finally say whatever they want, but Ai is on a different level. It's hard enough for Rinne to say he loves her without wanting to crawl into a hole and pretend it didn't happen. But ever since that trip, he thinks he's summoned some sort of demon. The cute kind! The kind you sell your soul to. That makes it sound like he's being kept here against his will, though. That's absolutely not the case.]

...I'll tell 'em.

[Soon. They can't rush these things. He has to make preparations. They probably have to wait a few years.]

You ready to go? You remember where we're headed, right?

Ai Hoshino ★ Oshi no Ko

➵ hanikamu

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➵ lifeprice

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Ryoko Shinonome | 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim