I spotted him before he spotted me.

He was leaning against the brick wall outside my apartment building, hands tucked into the pockets of a light jacket, occasionally glancing down the street whenever someone walked by.

For someone who had stared down kaiju without flinching... He looked surprisingly nervous.

I smiled to myself and quietly crossed the sidewalk. "You know," I said, "I heard waiting around on street corners is frowned upon."

His head snapped up. Then he smiled. "There ya are."

"I've been here the whole time."

"I know."

"...Then why were you looking the other direction?"

"I was makin' sure ya didn't sneak past me."

"As if I'd do that."

"You absolutely would."

I laughed. "I would've considered it." "I knew it."

His eyes lingered on me for just a second longer than usual. "You look..."

I tilted my head. "Hm?"

"...Really pretty."

Heat immediately rushed to my face. "Oh."

He scratched the back of his neck. "I practiced sayin' that smoother."

"You practiced?"

"Mhm."

"How many times?"

"...Enough."

I laughed so hard I had to grab his arm. "You rehearsed complimenting me?"

"I didn't want to sound like an idiot."

"You somehow made it cuter."

"...Mission failed."

"No." I smiled up at him. "Mission accomplished."

He glanced at me from the side, a smile growing on his face. "Let's get outta here before you keep lookin' at me like that."

"Like what?"

"...Like you're gonna tease me."

"I absolutely am."

"I knew it."

—

Our first stop was a tiny used bookstore tucked between a florist and an old tailor shop. The little bell above the door chimed as we stepped inside. The smell of worn pages and old wood immediately wrapped around us.

"This is dangerous," I whispered.

"For your wallet?"

"For my apartment."

"You runnin' outta shelf space?"

"I've been running out."

He wandered toward the mystery section while I drifted to the travel books.

Every few minutes I'd glance over. Every few minutes... He was already looking at me.

The first time, we both quickly looked away. The second time... He smiled. The third... He held up a mystery novel. "Read this one?"

"I have."

"Worth it?"

"I cried."

He quietly placed it back on the shelf. "...Never mind."

"Oh no."

"What?"

"Now you have to read it."

"You just said you cried."

"I did."

"I don't like cryin'."

"You fight kaiju."

"I can fight kaiju."

"You can't fight emotions?"

"They're considerably meaner."

I laughed loud enough that the elderly owner looked up from behind the counter with an amused smile.

—

"You cheated."

"I did not."

"You absolutely cheated."

We stood in front of an old arcade cabinet. The screen flashed:

Winner

(Y/N)

"I have witnesses."

"There were no witnesses."

"The machine witnessed."

"The machine likes me."

"It likes winners."

He folded his arms dramatically. "I demand a rematch."

"You've demanded three."

"I haven't warmed up yet."

"You've been playing for twenty minutes."

"I stretch slowly."

"I noticed."

He slipped another coin into the machine. "This time."

"Mm-hm."

"I'm serious."

"So am I."

Thirty seconds later...

Winner

(Y/N)

He stared silently at the screen. "...I think it's broken."

"It's working perfectly."

"I don't trust it."

"I don't think it trusts you either."

The teenager behind the prize counter snorted into his sleeve.

Hoshina looked over. "You saw nothin'."

"I saw everything."

He sighed. "I've been betrayed."

—

The cat café had been entirely my idea. "I can't believe you've never been to one," I said as we stepped inside.

"I've been a little busy."

The employee smiled as she explained the rules before ushering us toward the lounge.

Within seconds... Three cats climbed directly into Hoshina's lap.

I blinked. "...Excuse me?"

He blinked too. "I didn't do anythin'."

Another cat stretched lazily across his shoulders. One curled up beside him. A tiny orange kitten pawed at his sleeve.

"This is unbelievable."

"I think they like ya." The cafe owner said.

"They love you!" I was so jealous.

He looked genuinely confused. "I've never even met 'em."

I crouched beside a fluffy gray cat. "C'mere."

The cat opened one eye. Looked at me. Then deliberately walked past me... Straight to Hoshina.

He laughed so hard he nearly scared them away.

"I don't like your laugh."

"I do."

"Stop smiling."

"Can't."

One particularly grumpy black cat finally wandered over and climbed into my lap with a disapproving little huff. "Aha!" I grinned triumphantly. "I've been chosen."

Hoshina looked over. The cat immediately glared at him. "...I think it dislikes me."

"He has excellent taste."

"He?" I looked down.

The employee walked past. "Oh, that's Socks."

"Socks?"

"He only likes one person a day."

I looked at Hoshina with exaggerated pride. "I win."

He nodded solemnly. "I'll admit defeat."

"You've admitted a lot of defeats today."

"I don't appreciate being reminded."

"You'll survive."

"I hope so."

—

By late afternoon, we carried nothing more than a paper bag from the bookstore, two canned orange juices from a convenience store, and tired feet.

We wandered into a small riverside park overlooking the water.

Without discussing it, we sat on the grass. The city hummed around us. People walked dogs. Children chased bubbles. A cyclist rang a bell as they passed.

Hoshina cracked open his drink. "So..."

"So?"

"You've been smilin' all day."

"I have."

"'Cause I'm funny?"

"I wouldn't go that far."

"Ouch."

"I'd say..." I leaned back on my hands, looking out over the river. "...Because today was easy."

He looked over at me. "Easy?"

"I don't have to interview you."

"Mhm."

"I don't have to impress you."

"Mhm."

"I just get to spend time with you."

For a long moment, he didn't answer. Then he quietly bumped his shoulder against mine. "I was thinkin' the same thing."

"You were?"

"I spend enough time bein' Vice-Captain." He took another sip of orange juice. "It's nice just bein' Soshiro."

I smiled. Looking at him into his rich purple eyes. "I like Soshiro."

His lips curved into a softer smile than any he'd worn all day. "I'm glad."

The conversation faded. Neither of us rushed to fill the silence. We simply sat there, watching the river drift lazily past.

After a while, he spoke again. "So..."

"Hm?"

"Same time next day off?"

I looked at him out of the corner of my eye. "You asking me on another date already?"

"I figured I'd better book early."

I laughed. "What if I'm busy?"

"I'll wait."

"What if I make you wait a long time?"

He pretended to consider it. "...Guess I'll bring snacks."

I couldn't help smiling. "You really think food fixes everything."

"No." He looked at me with a grin. "But it gets me invited back."

"You've got me figured out."

"I've been trying to."

And somehow, as the sun dipped lower over the river, neither of us felt any hurry to leave. For the first time since we'd met, it wasn't the excitement of something new that kept us together.

It was simply the comfort of knowing we'd both rather be exactly where we were.

...

By the end of the afternoon, neither of us wanted the date to end.

Not because we'd done anything extraordinary. Quite the opposite.

I unlocked my apartment door. "This is where I decide if you're trustworthy enough to come inside."

He folded his arms dramatically. "Thought I'd already proven that."

"I don't know." I stepped inside, kicking my shoes off near the entrance.

"And yet..." He looked around my apartment with a small smile. "...I'm still here."

I tried not to smile back.

"Take your shoes off."

"Yes, ma'am."

...

"What are we watching?" I stood in front of my television, scrolling through movie options.

"I don't care."

I looked over my shoulder. "You absolutely have an opinion."

"I do."

"And?"

"I don't care enough to voice it."

"That's incredibly unhelpful."

"I know."

I sighed dramatically. "You're the worst."

"I've been told."

"You've told yourself."

"Also true."

I finally landed on an old action movie neither of us had seen in years. "Perfect."

"Is it?"

"No."

"Then why pick it?"

"Because if it's terrible, we can make fun of it."

He nodded thoughtfully. "...Solid reasoning."

An hour later... Neither of us was paying attention anymore.

The movie had become background noise while we debated whether pigeons secretly judged people.

"They absolutely do," I said, reaching into the family-sized bag of barbecue chips sitting between us.

"They're birds."

"They're judgmental birds."

He stole another handful of chips. "Based on what evidence?"

"They always look disappointed."

"They're looking for food."

"They're judging."

He laughed. "I think you're projecting."

"I think you're wrong."

"I usually am?"

"Sometimes."

"I'll take sometimes."

I nudged his shoulder. He nudged me back.

The argument somehow shifted from pigeons to whether orange cats were naturally chaotic before eventually dissolving into comfortable silence.

The movie continued playing. Neither of us could've explained the plot anymore. The bag of chips sat forgotten between us. Outside, the sun had disappeared completely.

The apartment glowed with nothing but the warm light from the lamp beside the couch and the flickering television.

It was... Peaceful. Unexpectedly peaceful. I glanced beside me. Hoshina had gone unusually quiet.

"...Hoshina?"

No answer. His head had tipped back against the couch, arms folded loosely across his chest. His breathing was slow. Steady.

Asleep.

I blinked. "...Seriously?"

I leaned over slightly. There, caught in the corner of his mouth, was the tiniest barbecue chip crumb.

I covered my mouth to keep from laughing.

Vice-Captain Soshiro Hoshina. One of the strongest officers in the Defense Force. Fast enough to cut down kaiju before most people could blink. Completely unconscious on my couch...with chip crumbs on his face.

I carefully reached over, brushing the crumb away with my thumb. He didn't even stir.

My chest tightened in the gentlest way. He trusted me. Enough to let himself fall asleep. Enough to stop being Vice-Captain Hoshina for a little while.

Enough to simply be...Soshiro.

I pulled the throw blanket from the back of the couch and draped it carefully over him.

He mumbled something unintelligible.

"What was that?" I whispered.

His eyebrows scrunched together for half a second before relaxing again. "...Orange juice..."

I stared at him. Then quietly burst into laughter.

Even asleep...He was unbelievable.

Still smiling, I curled back into my corner of the couch, tucking my feet beneath me as the movie continued playing.

I wasn't tired. Not yet. So I let it play. Every now and then, I'd glance over. Just to make sure he was still there.

The city outside carried on as always. Sirens in the distance. Passing cars. The occasional train.

But inside my apartment... Everything was still.

For the first time in a long time, there was nowhere either of us needed to be.

No interviews. No paperwork. No alarms.

Just two people who'd accidentally spent an entire day learning that the best dates weren't always the exciting ones.

Sometimes...They ended with a half-empty bag of chips, a forgotten movie, and the person you liked snoring softly beside you on the couch.