Bri stood on one end of the dojo, bouncing lightly on her toes as she stared ahead at Aiden. His face was stone cold as he stood slightly crouched, a tight grip on his serrated katana. In contradiction, Bri's arms were loose at her side as she slowly twirled her kamas between her fingers. The standoff between them lasted longer than a minute as they sized each other up and thought of their last spars, trying to balance a strategy while accounting for rolling with whatever the other person decided to throw.

The tension finally broke as Bri's bounces turned into a full leap towards Aiden. As she neared Aiden, she threw a shift slash through the air, aiming to run the tip of the kama across his chest. Aiden jumped back just enough to avoid the graze, the wind off Bri's swing causing his gelled back hair to quiver slightly. Not even a second later he parried forward, blocking Bri's second swing, and their metal weapons clashed with a loud clang. Bri grunted, sending a kick toward Aiden's side, but as if reading her mind, he let one hand leave the hilt of the katana and drop to his side, grabbing Bri's foot. He pushed the foot upwards with such force that Bri was flipped backwards.

But Bri's reflexes worked just as quickly as Aiden's. She was able to use momentum to turn the flip into a controlled spin, and while she was in the air, she threw out shuriken out in Aiden's direction. However, the throws were sloppier than they would have been if she had been able to properly aim, and Aiden dodged them with ease as Bri landed on her feet. She wasted no time diving back into action, running forward and swinging her kama once more. Aiden blocked every blow, but each blow got closer and closer to hitting its intended target. Aiden gritted his teeth, catching Bri's next blow before using his own blade to hook and twist around the Bri's kama, yanking it out of her hand. As it clattered to the floor, Aiden spun and kicked, smacking Bri's hand hard with his foot, which sent the other kama flying through the air.

Bri attempted to dive for the closest kama, but Aiden's hand wrapped around her arm and yanked her back towards him. He took his blade and held it against her throat. His face donned a crooked smile. "I win."

Bri scoffed in irritation, pushing Aiden's chest so that he took a step back. "Again." She demanded, turning to retrieve her kama. When she turned to face Aiden, she saw her was still sporting that stupid smile. "You're so annoying, Aiden, I swear."

"Oh, come on, Bri, don't swear!" He exclaimed sarcastically. Bri rolled her eyes but her lips couldn't help but curve up into a small smile. When he saw her smile, his grin became much more genuine. "That's much better. Your demeanor during spars has become much more serious since we moved here."

Bri shrugged, retrieving her second kama. "I just figured that if I'm gonna be one of these alphas responsible for controlling mutant soldiers, I should be putting my best foot forward at all times."

Aiden nodded with understanding. "Well, it hasn't gone unnoticed. You've become much more aggressive. That'll serve you well against a real enemy."

"Thank you." Bri stated, absentmindedly spinning her kamas with a sigh as she returned to her starting spot. "I'm definitely feeling the effects of the extra work by the end of the day, though. I feel like I haven't relaxed since I got here."

Aiden watched her with a careful expression. "Why don't we do something fun tonight then?"

Bri raised a brow. "What do you have in mind?"

Aiden rocked back and forth on his heels. "I don't know, maybe some dinner? A movie?"

Bri let out a short chuckle. "Sounds like you're asking me on a date."

Aiden took a deep breath. "That's exactly what I'm doing."

Bri paused, locking eyes with Aiden in slight disbelief. When his expression didn't waver, she felt her heart skip a beat. "Oh."

Aiden broke eye contact, his eyes finding the floor and then traveling up the wall. "So? Are you interested?"

It felt like all the proper responses got caught in Bri's throat. Instead, all she could manage was, "Yes."

That made Aiden flash a wide smile. "Perfect. I'll meet you in the lobby at 4?"

Bri gave a quick, small nod. "Yes, sounds good."

~~~~~

The elevator opened slowly in front of Bri, and she stepped in. It felt like she had 10 pounds of lead in each of her flats and she turned and leaned against the handrail, watching the elevator doors close, leaving her in silence as she stared at her reflection.

She wasn't quite sure what kind of restaurant they were going to- dinner and a movie was very vague. So she opted for something nicer, but not necessarily formal. She was wearing the outfit she wore on her last day of in-person school, a mid-thigh length coral dress, a black jacket, and black flats. She had took her hair out of her head wrap for the special occasion, washed and styled it so that her kinky curls were more defined. Normally on days like this she would have a the lesser side of her part braided to her scalp but that was not something she was willing to dedicate the time to without her mother's loving hand. Instead, she just went with a offset part and laid edges where they were visible. Her make up was very light as well- just some mascara, eyebrow gel, highlight, and lipgloss. 

She took it all in, staring as she tried to swallow but it feel like there was a bulky razor stuck in her throat. She had feelings for Aiden, but she just wasn't sure that they were... the same feelings that Aiden felt. As far as she was aware, Aiden was heterosexual. Bri, on the other hand, was asexual, fact that she kept close to her chest; not that she thought anyone really cared. What did her sexuality matter as long as it didn't stop her from executing her tasks correctly? It just wasn't something that came up in conversation in the dojo, so she never bothered to say anything.

Now she felt like that was biting her in the ass.

Sure, she did have feelings for Aiden. She was pretty sure that, in terms of romantic orientation, she was still heteroromantic. Her heart flutters when he smiles and she finds his voice (when he's not yelling at anyone) rather comforting. She had often envisioned a nice date with him, a walk in the park, a picnic, and yes, dinner and a movie, but she never let her daydreaming get too serious. She wasn't only scared of initial rejection of a date proposal, but also Aiden finding out that Brianna was asexual and wasn't interested in any physical aspects of a relationship. And, in this hypersexual world, she never dared to imagine his reaction. 

Much like the query of which came first, the chicken or the egg, Brianna wasn't sure which should come first, the first date or coming out. But now Aiden had made that decision- a decision that she otherwise might have just left to stew for the rest of her life. And she didn't know how to feel about that either.

The ding of the elevator snapped Bri back to reality. The doors slid open to quiet lobby. The kids that come just for their martial arts fix were home by now and the actual clan members were now within the upper levels of the building, either in their room or training in one of the more advanced dojos. 

As she stepped out, her eyes fell on the only person in the lobby. Aiden was leaning against a pillar, staring out the lobby window so that Bri could only see the scarred part of his face. His outfit was clean and simple; a dusty blue button up and a pair of dark jeans. As Bri's footsteps announced her presence, Aiden turned to face her and his eyes widened. "Woah. I... don't think I've ever seen your hair like that."

Bri shrugged shyly. "I probably could have done better with more time."

Aiden shook his head. "No, you can't do better than perfection. Though I'm sure you would try."

Oh, that was smooth. Bri felt her face get warm and she gave him a light punch to the arm. "Shut up."

"What? I meant it as a compliment!" He laughed, making his way towards the door and holding it open as Bri followed. 

"I know. Its just weird to see you so nice." Bri smiled, walking through the door. "Usually you're very... broody."

"Broody?" Aiden asked, his voice sowed with false disbelief. "No, you got the wrong guy."

An Uber car pulled up to the sidewalk and Aiden said that was for them. They got in and the driver drove off. The conversation died down in the car- Bri was not interested in having conversation with someone she didn't know in the car, and by the look on Aiden's face, she figured he felt the same way. Her heart fluttering, Bri grabbed Aiden's hand. He looked at her, and she instantly looked away, but seconds afterwards Aiden fingers intertwined with hers and squeezed gently. 

Finally, they arrived at the restaurant- Trattoria 'A Vucchella and Wood Pizza Oven. Even just exiting the Uber, Bri found the smell outside the restaurant made her stomach growl. "Wood oven? Very fancy."

Aiden shrugged. "I spoil."

The smell inside was even more intoxicating. The hostess sat them down and Bri felt that very lightheaded- she suddenly realized that she was not taking very consistent breaths. 

"Hello." A waitress walked up to them as they were situating themselves in a couple's booth. "I'm Emilie and I'll be your server for... today." Her voice dropped and slowed slightly, causing Bri to look up at her. The waitress's eyes were locked on Aiden- more specifically, the scar ravenging the side of his face. The drop off was less than a second, but still noticeable. Bri's eyes flinted to Aiden quickly, who she saw was staring at the table intently, his ears turning red. "Can I get you two started on some drinks?"

Bri cleared her throat, bringing the waitress's attention to her. "I will do a Cherry Coke, please." 

"Same here." Aiden stated. 

"Perfect. I'll be right back with those." Emilie smiled, before leaving. 

With the waitress gone, Bri turned to Aiden, but his eyes were trained on the menu. She pressed her lips together but also lifted her menu to look it over. "Woah. There are some very fancy pizzas on here."

"You're telling me. Look at this seafood pizza. Clams, mussels, calamari, and shrimp? Holy crap." Aiden stated.

Bri looked over the menu. "I don't see a seafood pizza."

"Sorry. The fu-tti di Ma-re pizza." Aiden stated in a butchered Italian accent.

Bri laughed. "Did you even pronounce that correctly?"

"Pssshh. I have no idea. I don't think I have an Italian bone in my body." Aiden joked.

Bri shrugged. "Yeah, me neither." That made Aiden stifle a surprised chuckle. "Sorry, couldn't resist."

"No worries. It was funny." Aiden smiled. Bri found herself staring at his sapphire blue irises. They glistened even more when he was smiling. 

Then, Bri realized that they were both just staring at each other. Oh god- how long had she been doing that? Her eyes dropped instantly and she gripped the menu a bit tighter, clearing her throat. "Umm, what if we just go with a margherita pizza?" 

"Sounds good to me." Aiden nodded.

As if on cue, the waitress returned with her drinks. She sent them down with a smile. "Okay, lovelies, are we ready to order?"

"Yes, we'll do-" Bri's eyes were on Aiden as he was speaking, and she noticed that as Aiden looked up at the waitress, Aiden's mouth shut mid-sentence, before clearing his throat. Bri's eyes switched to Emilie, who she saw staring again as Aiden continued. "We'll do a margherita pizza."

"Got it." Emilie muttered, fumbling with her notepad and writing it down quickly. 

Bri's blood was starting to boil, and as she watched Aiden shift uncomfortably in his seat, she found that she couldn't stop herself. "Excuse me, I understand it may be difficult to not stare, but you're making my date uncomfortable. If you're unable to serve us in a professional manner, I would like to request that we're given a new server."

Emilie's face turned bright red. "I'm so sorry, I really meant no disrespect. I-" She took a short breath, "I will get you a new server so you can enjoy your meal in peace."

"Thank you." Bri stated and watched as she walked off. When she looked back Aiden, she saw him still looking at the table. Aiden carried quite the stoic demeanor around the dojos. He carried himself with high esteem, and he demanded great respect from the other clan members. When he received his scar from Shelby, nobody dared to stare- eye contact with Aiden was unwavering in fear of the consequences. However, outside the Foot Clan, he was just a random teen with a disfigured face. And now, for the first time since the incident, he was being reminded of it.

"Are you okay?" Bri asked with a soft tone.

Aiden face turned hard and his upper lip curled slightly as he turned his head away. "This was a mistake."

Bri stopped. She was familiar with this defense mechanism- he used it against Tyler all the time when he was upset. But after all the nervous thoughts she had held prior to the date, Bri found the words stung. She felt her shoulders drop as she leaned back against the booth, her throat burning. "I'm... sorry that you feel that way."

Aiden glanced at her with wary eyes. "You don't think it is?"

"I-" Her voice wavered slightly, and Aiden's eyebrows instantly shifted from a furrowed glare to neutral confusion. "I don't want it to be. I like you. Like, a lot. I think you're very handsome and you're great company. You're very loyal and despite what you want people to think, you have a very big heart- I mean, you helped me save my father when no one else cared. But, I'm scared."

"Hey," Aiden offered an outstretched hand, and Bri took it hesitantly. "I meant coming here was a mistake. Not coming here with you. But... why are you scared?"

Bri's heart felt like it was punching her lungs and her trachea was trying to shrivel up in her throat. "I'm scared that you, um, that our feelings for each other are different. That you like me... in a normal person way, and I like you in a different way."

His brows furrowed. "I'm not following."

She wasn't sure what else to say without just coming out and saying it. She looked around. They were surrounded by people, but everyone was fully entranced with their own tables' conversation. Something felt wrong about saying it public. And would Aiden even know what it meant? But then he squeezed her hand gently again and she met his intent gaze.

"I'm asexual." She whispered, her guts tying themselves in knots over and over again.

Aiden blinked. "Oh." He took a second before nodding. "Oh." Bri squirmed in her seat and tried to pull her hand back, but Aiden kept his grip. "Woah, hey, its okay. I don't care."

Bri hesitated. "You don't? Do you actually know what it means or are you thinking of, like, plant asexual?"

"I know what it actually means and I know you're not a plant. I really don't care. I asked Brianna Stockman out on a date, and that means that I like you- every aspect of you." Aiden said.

"You don't think its weird?" She prodded.

"No. There are much weirder things about you than your sexuality, trust me." Aiden stated.

Bri raised a brow. "Oh yeah, like what?"

"Your father is a giant mutant fly." Aiden muttered.

Bri narrowed her eyes. "And your's is a giant orange rock dog."

Aiden let out a hearty laugh, covering his mouth to try to stifle it. "Touché.

The rest of the dinner went without a hitch. Their new server gave them their pizza and was socially competent enough to not stare at Aiden's face, and Bri and Aiden enjoyed their pizza with good conversation and lots of laughs. The only rule Bri made was no talking about Foot Clan business; this was a break from that that they deserved. 

An hour flew by like it was nothing. However, the conversation on Aiden's side died down and he reached for his temple, frowning as his eyebrows furrowed together. "Mm. Headache." Then, his eyes widened. "I think Shelby's awake."

Bri tensed up. "What... should we do?"

"Nothing while we're here. Let's get the check and go back." He paused. "As... long as that's okay with you."

"Yes, we don't need to go to a movie. Getting your sister back is more important. Let's get back and figure out what we're going to do." Bri stated in a hushed voice.