The dinner wasn't too different from the shared drinks at Makino's. The atmosphere was different, and the food was certainly fancier, but it was comforting how easy the two of you spoke.

You and Marco walked down memory lane, talking about your days in the back woods, the times spent living in those hills and trees, learning how to deal with the wildlife and getting into no end of troubles. Troubles that could've been disastrous, but never felt like anything more than minor inconveniences at the time.

The silly arguments between you and Izou, and how Marco got a face full of powder even when he wasn't involved. Fights that happened in the school yard that no one would admit to the adults, and the long nights staying up later than you should've, watching stars and talking over the snails on a channel that seemed to exist just for the two of you.

Most of the kids in the small town had been in your life, it was a small town. Everyone knew everyone else, but Marco was something more than that. Never a brother, you were both very adamant about that. You'd both been found by families that meant a lot to you, and there was something in your hearts when you were younger that drew deep lines between family and not.

You had family, and you had friends. And you had Marco. The one you went to prom with because who else was there? It was always him. Always him on your team, always him by your side. At first you felt like you needed to protect him, he was so goofy and uncoordinated, but even during the last couple years of high school he was certainly standing beside you more than not.

Maybe you only refused to see the difference when you were younger because everyone else wanted to push it onto you. But you'd felt that loss when you'd left for college. Sure you two stayed in contact, but emails weren't the same as snails, and phone calls had been a lot more expensive ten years ago.

That's just how it was. Life moved on, and if you didn't move with it sometimes it would come through and sweep you forward harshly.

"I will admit," you say as dessert is brought to the table. "This feels a little like prom 2.0."

Marco smiles. "This place was filled with our entire high school the night of prom." He agrees.

"It's the corsage that really brings it to the fore." You tease.

"An underrated show of affection, yoi," Marco insists, digging into his dessert and giving you a moment to try and compose yourself. "I think they should come back into style, personally."

"Ahem," you clear your throat and enjoy a bite of your dessert before continuing. "Since it feels like prom night, I imagine there's more to this date than just dinner."

Marco nods. "A surprise, if you're comfortable with not knowing."

"If I couldn't trust you, I'd be in real trouble." You muse, enjoying the small smile on Marco's lips as his cheeks dust again. You'd been reminiscing and flirting the majority of the meal. It was fun, but it also left you feeling like you wanted more.

You suddenly wanted to have him backed against a wall sweating bullets, flushed down to his shoulders struggling to make eye contact with you. But that was going to take a lot of work and even more luck.

And time.

You felt another soft twist of guilt. As though you'd let so much slip through your fingers when you could've held onto it.

"What's on your mind, little warrior?" Marco says it with such concern in his voice that it brings you sharply out of your thoughts.

"A bit of regret," you admit with a sad smile.

"About?"

Pausing for a moment, you look at him. "You." You admit quietly. "Me." You sigh a little dramatically, trying to shake off the heavy feelings. "Time, you know. Things people regret."

"We did our best," he asserts, reaching out and holding your hand across the small table.

You laugh despite it, because of the thought that came into your mind. "I was thinking maybe we should do our worst, but somehow I don't think that'll lead to less regret."

Marco's confusion turns to a grin and he shakes his head. "Here, try this." He says, bringing over a spoonful of his dessert for you. You let him feed you, hardly thinking about how intimate the gesture was until it was too late to stop yourself.

"That is good." You admit, putting a bit of your own dessert on your fork and reaching over for him. "This is better."

Marco accepts the offered bite, savoring the morsel before nodding. "You've got good taste, yoi."

"I think I'm getting there." You muse, giving him a pointed look.

Marco's clipped laugh is a little awkward, but he recovers quickly. It really was fun to fluster him, but it was a thin line to walk. Go too easy and he deflected it easily, and go too hard and he'd turn it back around and use it against you.

Finishing up dessert the two of you left The Best Place in Town, and, after letting Marco get the car door for you again, hand kiss and all, you headed toward whatever his surprise was.

Which turned out to be not too far away.

"Are we making a stop at the store?" You question as he pulls into the backside of Pop's Stop.

"Nope, this is the place." He admits, getting out and helping you out of the car again. "I had considered going somewhere else, but, I have to admit I wanted to have you to myself for a little bit." He explains, opening the back door and having you step through.

It's dark in the back part of the shop and he takes your hand again once he's closed and locked the back door.

"You don't have to close your eyes," he prompts, but your hand tightens in his.

"I can." You assert, closing your eyes with a smile.

You feel him shift and he takes both your hands. "I've got you." He assures you, stepping backward as he guides you forward.

"I'm not as clumsy as you." You tease, sticking your tongue out.

"This isn't because I'm worried about you, I'm just being greedy for a few more moments."

"Greedy?"

"You're beautiful."

Your hands tighten against his as you almost do trip, and you hear him chuckle. To your credit you keep your eyes closed, but now you're trying to step on his feet.

"I hope you're not this violent with everyone that compliments you." He muses, tapping his foot underneath yours and knocking it up a bit so you step down on the floor a little harder.

"I just don't know how to take it from you." You admit, grateful to have your eyes closed at this point. "I... Augh! I can't deny that you actually mean it, and it's... different."

"Different?"

"Whenever someone else compliments my looks, I feel like they're either just being nice, or they're not seeing anything else except my looks." You admit. Marco's stopped moving you and you pull your hands away, covering your face. Having your eyes closed isn't enough right now. "But you know me.

"And I know you know me. I can't... I can't hide from the truth of what you say and it's not scary, but it's a lot."

"I-." He starts.

"I don't hate it." You clarify quickly, voice muffled from behind your hands. "Can I open my eyes now?"

"Yeah, pretty bird." He says it softly, and you open your eyes. The look on his face, tender and understanding, full of admiration and love is almost overwhelming, but when you look around you gasp.

A space has been cleared in the back of the store. Tapestries and silks are hung all around, and fairy lights are woven through. The simple white lights reflect the different colors of the silks and tapestries and fill the space with a smattering of soft colors.

There's a small table off to one side with a pitcher of water, and a couple chairs.

"You did this in a day?" You murmur.

"Couple hours." He admits, picking up a remote and turning on some music. Setting the small remote down he bows a little, holding a hand out to you. "May I?"

"Prom 2.0." Smiling, you take his hand and fall into an easy slow dance with him.

"A little bit." He admits, one hand holding yours, the other against the middle of your back as you rest that arm against his. "We can't go back to that time, yoi."

"I'm going to college in the city. I want to see what I can do."

"I got accepted at the academy, but we can keep in touch, yoi."

"Yeah. We're gonna leave this small town behind and see the world."

"It'd be nice to see it together."

"It would. We should do that one day."

"I'm going to college in the city," you say, looking up at Marco. His eyes go wide, but you smile and keep going. "I want to see what I can do."

"I think you're going to do amazing things, yoi." He says.

"Hey, you're off-script already."

Laughing, he dips you down suddenly and you yelp before he rights you. "I... got my acceptance letter from the academy two weeks later." He admits.

"You-."

"I didn't want to hold you back, yoi." He looks away, guilt on his face. "I didn't want you to worry about me."

"You didn't want me to change my mind because of it?" You question and he nods. "I guess... we were both idiots back then."

"I keep trying to tell myself it was for the best," Marco grumbles a little, leaning down and hugging you close for a moment as you two sway to the soft music. "That we went through what we did so we could be here now."

"I'm sorry."

"For what, pretty bird?" He questions, straightening back up.

"There's so much tucked in the phrase 'had a few broken hearts'," you say softly. "I just... I had a couple flings, nothing ever got serious until the last one, and I knew. I knew for a good while, and so when it ended it was almost a relief."

"That's not your fault, yoi." His face turns stern, but understanding. "I - my..." Marco pauses and takes a breath. "Stuff like that isn't anyone's fault. It was what it was." He says finally.

"This is, what it is."

"I... I don't know that I know what this is." You stammer, feeling overwhelmed by the big expectations of weighty things like love and commitment.

"What it is, is good." He declares, holding onto your hands as he takes a step back. "All we have to do is let it be what it is."

"Yeah." You agree, smiling up at him. He moves to continue dancing but you take a step back. "Wait, I... There's something I need, before we do anything else."

Marco pauses, looking down at you with a grin on his face as yours turns brighter and brighter.

"We never... Gods looking back I think we almost did a dozen times, but it just never happened." You shake your head, pulling yourself back to the present. "Kiss... Kiss me, this tension's killing me, Marco."

His hand is on your back, steadying you as his other hand tilts your head back with a curled finger beneath your chin. Your hands are on his arms, holding yourself steady in the embrace. He holds you like that, just a couple inches away from your face, catching your gaze for a moment.

"Please," you whisper.

"Sorry, I just," he leans in closer slowly. "Don't want to rush, yoi."

"Your eyes," you murmur, watching flecks of gold and blue shift beneath hooded lids. You really thought his eyes were more of a golden brown.

You didn't hold onto that thought as warm lips pressed against yours. A soft thrill runs up your spine and you breathe in deep as the brief kiss parts. The hand that had tilted your back shifts, cradling the back of your head as he kisses you again.

It's warm and heavy, sinking into you. The rush from the broken tension gives way to heat that swirls in your chest. The soft hum soaks your lungs and pushes against your lips, parting them as the sweet lingering taste of brandy and dessert accent the need growing between you.

You can feel the reluctance rolling off him as he pulls back, face flushed. You barely form the shape of the word 'more' against the press of your lips and he's leaned back in, pressing soft, hungry kisses against them, again and again.

His lips trail down your jaw, but once he presses a kiss into your neck, causing you to gasp, he stops, pulling you into a hug.

"I made you wait," you murmur, hugging him back.

"You did not." He asserts, shifting enough to kiss the side of your cheek. "We lived our lives. Now we're here, yoi."

The two of you begin to sway to the music again. Occasionally pressing soft kisses into fingers, hands, cheeks and lips. Nothing else is really said, the music, sometimes the lyrics, prompts one of you to sing along softly.

But otherwise intimacy is the only language upon your lips.

A/N: Kissing You, by Des'ree was 100% the song they began swaying to, in my mind. FWIW.