*Come on. You've been living with her for a bit. This shouldn't be that hard. But then, why am I so nervous??? Take a deep breath. In. And out. Good. You can do this. It feels unsurmountable, but I need to get closure.* Ika walked up to Mako, shaking a little, sweating a little. She flicked her newly grown hair to the side, letting it down onto her shoulders. *She probably doesn't even like me that much. Just be suave, let it be her idea.* Mako's just combing her hair after a shower, having not even noticed Ika. Ika starts. "Hey, Mako? You busy?" The other jumps. "Wah! Sorry, you scared me. No, I'm just combing my hair. Didn't you take care of your makeup already?" Ika nodded. "Yeah, I did. I was just wondering, uh..." *Don't stutter now!* "There's this, uh, new Diner that opened up in town, and... well, since you've been letting me live here, I thought I'd return the favor for you. May I, uh, treat you?" Ika was sweating bullets. Mako smiled, hair covering one eye, as always. "That sounds like a great idea! I didn't have any plans today, so, why don't we leave at dusk?" *AAAAAAA! She said yes?! Okay???* "Sounds like a d- uh, a plan! Sounds like a plan!", hastily said Ika. "It's a date, then!" Gay panic could not describe the emotions Ika were feeling. It was more like an extreme excitement, fangirling over your roommate. She tried her best to make sure everything was up to par - asking the mailman to put in a reservation for her, trying to pick out a good outfit (*You know, I think a green skirt looks good on dress pants!*), and doing some heavy lifting with stones to keep her mind off things. but eventually, nothing could prepare her for when dusk came. Time's up. "Hey, Ika, you ready to go?", "Just a minute, Maks!" Ika was putting the finishing touches on her look in the bathroom. *Just a little more eyeliner... Perfect!* She headed down the stairs towards the front door, but stopped halfway. *Just breathe.* "Alright, I'm ready." They headed out the front door, side by side, for once. As they walked down the forest trail, the setting sun created beautiful colors of pink and orange. "It's pretty, isn't it, Ika?", questioned an enamored Mako. "It, uh, is, yeah. You know, I've always liked sunsets and sunrises." She paused. "It's like the sun saying goodbye or hello, in the most beautiful way it can. It's bliss for me... What about you?" Mako put a hand on her chin and thought for a moment. She doesn't usually *need* to think about these things, but she did anyways. "I suppose I could see it." Her pause gave Ika the time to look her over. She was wearing something of a light pink sundress, that went down to her knees, with some thigh highs to supplement, and a nice pair of black shoes. "Ever the minimalist, huh? You're so adorable." Mako looked at her. "Huh? Oh, my outfit! You like it?" *I said that out loud?? Just play it cool!* "Y-Yeah! I do! The pink goes well with your eyes... and your hair, honestly. I really, uhm, like your hair..." Mako chuckled a little bit. "I get that a lot. People always say I look like a fireplace, what with my lashes." Ika liked that idea. "Well, you know a fireplace can be something pretty warm, something nice to sit by, something to stare into and let your mind wander..." Unknowingly, Ika had clasped her hands around one of Mako's and leaned in. "O-oh! I'm sorry! My mind's just been wandering lately." She started to withdraw them, but Mako grabbed one with her own. "No, no, it's alright. I kind of... like it." They held hands until they reached the diner. The new place, "Tabby's 'ol Family Diner", wasn't that busy at this hour. It was red roofed and looked much like any other establishment you'd go to, with white bricks on the outside and a row of flowers populating the earth just below. Walking inside, the diner extended to the left with various booths and seats at the counter. In front of them was a chippy waiter, who asked if they had a reservation. Ika couldn't get the feeling of her hand being held by another off her mind, but she still perked up. "Yeah, I think I do, should be for Ika? Just for two? Me and my, uh... compatriot here." Mako rubbed her finger on Ika's hand. Ika wondered if she could tell that she wanted to change that. It made her all too nervous. Ika sat down in a booth, but instead of going on the opposite side, Mako sat next to her. They were handed menus, [[Fork]]s, and [[Spoon]]s. Ika was perusing it, when she looked at the person sitting next to her. *The flame... She does look like fire. She's smoking, isn't she? She's so...* "Ika? Plane to Ika? You alright?" Ika snapped out of it. "I'm fine, I'm fine, sorry!" Mako put her menu down on the table. "You're not mad at me, are you? You've been looking at me all day." *She noticed???* "Sorry, sorry, I'm being weird I know, I just... I'm so thankful for all your hospitality, Mako, and... I wanna make sure you're having a good time." Mako nodded. "I get it." Another introspection with the menu. The waiter came up to their table and took their order. A hearty salad for Ika, and for Mako? Chicken and gravy. "I didn't make you feel weird when I held your hand, did I?" Ika looked down at the table and stuttered. "No, well, uhm, I..." *C'mon, just spit it out!* "I actually really liked it. Your skin is so soft and... " She paused and looked up at the flame. "I want to get to know you better..." Mako was a little perplexed by that. "Me? I'm nothing special..." Ika clasped her hands around Mako's again, looking at her eagerly. "But you *are*, Mako. You're... you! You're the person who helped me out of a really dark spot, you're the person who keeps me calm, who anchors me away from my troubles..." Mako was taken aback. "When you put it like that... Yeah, okay, I guess I am alright." Mako chuckled to herself. The laughter helped ease the nervous Ika. The rest of the night was filled with good food, and good friends, even getting the waiter involved in a couple of jokes. Afterwards, the sun had wholly set, letting a young moon come to play. On the walk home, the pairing held hands not with nervousness, but with an unsure confidence. Just before heading inside the cabin, though, Ika stopped. "You know, Maks, there's something I want you to see first." Mako tilted her head. "Oh? What's that?" "Here, it's this way." Ika led her by the hand to a place behind the cabin, a little ways down. She turned on a light switch, which brightened a bulb, shining a soft light on a cobblestone heart. "I made this for you, Mako. I just wanted to..." she paused. *Why can't I find the words? Just tell her! Just tell her!* "Mako, I wanted to tell you something that's been.. gnawing at me for a while... It's just hard to say..." She faltered, but reaffirmed herself by holding each one of Mako's hands with her own. "I've known you for so long, and... You've been so nice to me, a-and you mean so much to me, and..." She froze. The words still wouldn't come. She looked into the eyes of Mako... *Such a lovingly crimson-hazel...* She leaned in to get a better look... A kiss. Neither one of them wanted to pry away. It was Ika's idea, sure, but that didn't matter. Nothing mattered. Ika's brain was firing sparks, simply unable to cope with what was going on. Mako was a bit more composed, but still completely bewildered. When they parted, they both looked at each other, red in the face. They didn't know what to say. Mako finally found it. "So... that's what you really think about me?" Ika looked down in embarrassment, holding her arm. "Yeah, I do... I love you, Mako- I'm *in love* with you." Mako hugged her new lover. "I've had a crush on you for quite some time too, Ika... I just didn't wanna be weird, you know?" Ika's eyes started to grow tears, but she shook them away. "Well... at least we can tackle all this together, right?" Mako gripped a little tighter. "Yeah. [[Together]]."