A/N

Epilogue is next <3

✿✿✿

His migraine had worsened. All he could do was make himself some breakfast and try forget the previous night.

Bloss... er, Nya hadn't texted him since. It was quite early in the morning, yet still... He was silly for expecting anything after that.

He was sure her note was one of pity. Even he wouldn't pity himself after such a disaster of a night. Wisp was sitting by his side, patiently waiting beside him in the kitchen; even that wasn't enough to reassure him.

On his pancakes he drew a sad face with syrup. For a moment, he smiled at his corniness, but then his expression matched the pancakes'.

He had heard Cole getting up but didn't turn around to greet him. He could feel him reading the note he had left on the coffee table, too anxious to read it again. Much as he hated to say it, he hoped he would go away.

But Cole came up behind him, giving Wisp a treat before speaking. "It didn't seem that bad to me. She said she had fun."

His expression turned bitter. "I don't remember most of it and I was drunk! Me! Drunk! I hate alcohol! I hate coffee! I hate addictive substances!"

"You had like three glasses."

"Which is enough to make me stupid apparently." He sighed. "Forget it..."

He crossed his arms. "The Jay I know would not give up on love like that."

"She probably hates me."

"Did you even read the note?"

"What, should I text her and be like 'hey, sorry for getting drunk and making you uncomfortable on our first date, give the weirdo next door another chance'!"

"Strangely enough, I think it would work on her specifically." He shook his head. "You'll never know if you don't give it a shot. Why did you think alcohol was a good idea, anyway?"

He took a bite of his pancake, looking away from him. "Kai," he mouthed, gulping hard. He rushed to change the subject before Cole's gaze could pierce through him. "Anyway, I won't be here to cook lunch so grab something at work."

His features softened. "How come?"

"Told Skylor to work a day shift. I'll be back around six-ish." He leaned down to pet Wisp. "Just want to be done early and sleep."

He opened the fridge to put the spare pancakes in, only for Cole to slam the door shut.

"Firstly, I was gonna eat that," he said, yanking the plate from his hands. "Secondly, this is your opportunity to go and talk it out."

He groaned.

Cole persisted. "When you told me to stand up to my dad about those dance lessons, I did it. So, your turn."

"You're not letting me be, are you?"

"It's the old bandaid we were talking about! Just rip the thing off so the pain goes away faster. Just go for it."

"... I guess getting her coffee again wouldn't hurt."

"See? Much easier."

He pulled him into a hug. It was sudden, and Cole didn't quite know how to react. When Wisp joined, clawing at his hip with her own hind legs, he returned the gesture.

Though his grip was strong enough to crash bones, Jay welcomed it like a reassuring blanket. He buried his face in his shoulder, finally cracking his signature smile.

"Always," Cole told him.

✿✿✿

With a new plan in mind, he eagerly awaited for the clock to strike six.

He begged for no new orders to be made just so he could get there early. He had planned the note and everything:

"Dear Nya,

I'm sorry for the disaster of a date. I want to be honest with you from now on. It's OK if you don't want another date, but I would appreciate a second chance :)

Sincerely, Jay."

Okay, maybe it wasn't the best, and part of him cringed when reading it. But it was something. And something is better than nothing at all.

He had just taken off his uniform and changed into his usual clothes (a simple sweater, jacket, and jeans) when the bell on the counter rang.

"Delivery," an employee (Bolobo, his name was?) called out, slamming the receipt on the counter before heading back into the kitchen.

Jay audibly groaned, loudly enough that customers could hear. Nevertheless, he groggily made his way to it. Maybe he could pass it off to Turner when he arrived...

Seeing the address, though, his heart skipped a beat. If anyone had really paid attention to his shock, they would've thought that he was having a panic attack of sorts. But he just sat there, perplexed as he looked through the order.

He gasped when Skylor appeared in front of him, closely followed by Kai, who sweeping the floor.

"Can I take my own motorbike? It's the end of my shift anyway, and I think I just want to get home..." he told her sheepishly.

She raised an eyebrow. "You need to come back and drop off the money, anyway. Kai can go if Turner doesn't show up."

He clutched the paper so hard he was sure it was ready to crumble. "I'll pay for it," he said without missing a beat. Frankly, he didn't regret it one bit; he was planning on buying her something anyway.

Kai snickered. "If you're that desperate to go home early, just let me handle it."

"No, no, it's not that. It's someone I know. And I owe them."

"Cole?"

He didn't know what it was; whether he wanted to boost his own confidence or make himself appear cool in front of Kai. He ended up exclaiming: "My soon-to-be girlfriend! Hopefully."

Kai leaned against his broom, eyeing Skylor with a playful stare. "And that is why the Kai way always works."

Skylor rolled her eyes. Jay had some choice words of his own, but he didn't care. He rushed to fetch his wallet. By the time he paid Skylor, Bolobo came out the kitchen with the fresh meal. He grabbed it quickly, abandoned the receipt at the table, and left.

"You know, I never thought I'd see the day that Jay got a girlfriend," said Kai. Mocking as it seemed, his smile was genuine on the inside. "Think we've found our best man and woman? Although, we promised Nya the title."

Skylor's chuckle turned into a laugh. But it wasn't directed towards him; instead, it was at the receipt. He didn't notice until she calmed down.

"Hey, babe?" she said, stepping closer.

"Yeah?"

She pointed at the receipt, stifling another laugh. "Isn't this Nya's address?"

He connected the dots all two quickly. The broom plunged down with an audible thud.

"What?"

✿✿✿

She relaxed on the sofa, leaning over Lloyd's shoulder. She played with his blond locks, finally giving him a hug.

"I'm so proud of you," she said, pinching his cheeks playfully. He pulled away in fake disgust.

"Relax!" Adjusting the laptop on his lap, he finally closed the screen. "It's just social service, I'm not majoring in genetics or anything."

"Well, you'll help a lot of kids in need," she said. "And I think that's great."

He couldn't deny her genuine expression, pulling her into a much-needed hug. "Thanks, Nya."

The doorbell rang.

Lloyd couldn't help but chuckle. "Or, shall I say, Blossom."

"Oh, zip it." Her eyes widened in realisation. "Did you order food?"

"Noodles," he admitted.

She knew his intentions fully well. And yet, her heart thrummed like a drum at the thought of him at her doorstep. She fixed her hair, suddenly conscious of her favourite pyjamas. She rushed to her wallet, grabbing out cash along with a hefty tip.

Lloyd pretended to scroll through his laptop, though his ear was discreetly pointed at the door. She shook her head, opening it.

She was right. The awkwardest of smiles was plastered on his face. One hand was holding her food while another was fiddling with something in his pocket. She grasped the doorway, unsure of what else to do.

Jay took a deep breath. At the last moment, he crumpled up the note in his pocket, ditching it all together. "Uh... hi." He cleared his throat, then sighed in defeat. "I'm sorry about yesterday... I wanted to apologise for... uh... everything. I was really nervous and I took some dumb advice and..."

"I know."

"You know?" His face paled. How much had his drunken self told her? Cold sweat built up in his palms.

"Happens to the best of us," she said. "You don't have to apologise, really."

He wasn't convinced. "Are you sure? I didn't do anything weird?"

"No. You were..." Sweet and adorable and so cheesy you would make mozzarella jealous. "... Respectful."

"That's good." He plucked up the courage to look into her eyes. "I get it if you don't want to, but I would like to have a proper date sometime."

"Give me twenty minutes."

He was flabbergasted. A stifled laugh was heard from inside the house. "Right now?"

"If you have time..."

"No, I have time! I'll just... go grab some things from my apartment."

"Alright."

"Alright!"

She closed the door, tossing the food bag to Lloyd. "I guess you're eating double today."

"See? It's a win-win."

Her phone rang; her brother. "Kai can wait," she mumbled to herself, rushing to get ready.

✿✿✿

He grabbed everything they needed, including Wisp. He was out of breath by the time they met again.

She was beautiful as ever. The red dress complimented her so well (even though blue was their favourite colour). It wasn't a winter outfit necessarily, but it was the least of her concerns.

Upon seeing her, he audibly gasped. And then he gasped at his gasp, hoping she hadn't heard it. He choked on his breath, his cheeks flush with embarrassment.

What he didn't expect to see was her own face even redder than his. She awkwardly tugged on her hair, avoiding his gaze. "Oh, I thought we were dressing fancy again," she admitted in a meek voice.

He felt like an idiot for wearing that tux the previous night. Now, he felt like one for not wearing it. "It's okay! You look fantastic," he blurted out quickly, causing his voice to crack. He didn't let it stop him. "Aren't you going to be cold, though?"

She waved her hand dismissively, deep down knowing he was fully right. "I don't get cold that easily. And we're right by our apartments, anyway."

"Oh." He lifted his arm up. "Shall we?"

She laughed, yet happily wrapped her arm around his. Wisp, free of her leash, led the way to the familiar cherry blossom tree. As always, it was empty.

He pulled out a bundle of toys from his bag for Wisp to play with. She happily accepted, though Nya's attention was drawn as well.

She lifted up a frisbee, making sure few people were around before she smirked. "Interested in a game?" she told him.

He nodded excitedly, and off they were. With each throw, Wisp jumped higher and higher to catch it. She ran so fast, in fact, that she didn't notice Jay in her path. She knocked him down, ignoring his fallen figure to retrieve her toy.

He gave a thumbs-up to Nya, who simply smiled and helped him up. Seeing as Wisp was hesitant to let go of it that time, they abandoned the frisbee with her, rushing back under the tree.

The next hour was what he would call relaxing; talking, drawing (well, her teaching him the basics) watching Wisp run around them and settle between them when they got too close. His awkwardness had gone extinct, his gaze was glued to her. He was afraid that he would get so lost, he would accidentally stop paying attention and lose her words. He did, for a moment, but when he came back to reality, she was doing the same.

He smiled. "Hi."

"Hey."

They laughed.

She pulled out bags of chips from her own bag. She opened them, and the few chips that fell were quickly devoured by Wisp.

As the sun began to hide behind the buildings, dark clouds conquered the sky. A cool breeze replaced the gentle weather. Soon enough, the first drop fell.

Dread piled up in her stomach. She had to tell him eventually.

So, she turned to face him...

... Only to be met with his gaze locked on hers. Looking downward, he was wearing her orange scarf. Even further down, he was offering her another one; a red one, to be exact.

"Uh... I brought backup," he said awkwardly. She tried to process the situation; her lips were parted and her eyes curious. All she could do was nod with a small upturn of her lips.

She reached her hand out to accept it, only for him to lean close, wrapping it around her neck instead. She watched him do his work, fail to tie it into a knot, and go for a more simple pattern instead. Almost instinctively, she pulled it over her nose (whether due to embarrassment or the cold). It shared his scent, and she inhaled. She cringed at her own action, but he didn't seem to notice.

His posture had slumped and his expression fallen, his hands fidgeting as he debated his next question.

"Uh..." He tugged at his jacket. She realised.

"You don't need to, really. I'm the one who didn't bring anything warm."

As if nature was against her, the rain only thickened. All the while, Wisp was running around, rolling in the wet grass. She came up to them and shook her fur, ungracefully landing a few drops on them.

"Wisp!" Jay exclaimed, but she returned to the rain.

Nya ran her hand up and down her arm, internally cursing at the cold. "You know what, maybe I'll take you up on the offer."

He was kind enough to hold back his laugh. Indeed, he was wearing a warm sweater underneath. She didn't feel as bad, but it didn't make it any less awkward.

It was so sudden, and so soon, stuff that not even Kai and Skylor had done until a few weeks in. But it felt right.

More droplets fell. They reached them through the branches. She shielded the chips.

"Wait," he said excitedly. At once, he fetched an umbrella from his bag, opening it above their heads. She scooted closer to him, so much that he could feel her scent. A flurry of emotions overtook him, but none matched his contentment and burning face.

A few moments were spent there, sitting together in utter silence. Her head was against his shoulder and he was trying to avert his umbrella-holding hand from getting too close and wrapping around her, curious as he was to do it.

She lifted her head up ever so slightly, looking at him through her eyelashes. She turned away quickly, instead watching Wisp run and jump in the rain.

"I really like you," she ended up telling him.

He felt as if an arrow had pierced through his heart; of the good kind, at least.

"But..."

And now came the bad arrow. The painful one, the one he was used to getting hit with.

"I have to move for a job and it's pretty far away. It won't be permanent, but... I get if you don't want to go through with this. Sorry for not telling you."

He tilted his head, trying to keep his tone gentle. "What kind of job?"

"It's in Stiix. From what I got I'm there as a mechanical engineer but they'll also train me for software engineering so I can work remotely. It's basically about eco-friendly machines running on water-based renewable energy."

He was genuinely impressed. She didn't know whether to take it as a good or bad sign.

"Someone has to clean up Stiix, right? That place is a dump," he joked. "You said it was temporary?"

She bit her lip. "Yeah, but it's six months and I'm starting in two weeks and I think it would be really unfair to start a relationship then abandon you for so long..."

He laughed. She couldn't help it, she glared at him.

"What's so funny?"

"Six months? You had me thinking it was for years or something!"

"Do you really want to spend half the first year of your relationship through video calls and emails?"

His laughter died down. He shrugged. "If it means spending the rest of my life next to you, why not?"

They both paused. His face paled. The umbrella almost escaped his grasp. He cleared his throat. "I can wait," he said more calmly. "If not now, we could make it official after you come back."

"I... wouldn't mind it now."

"And, I mean, we have two weeks left to do all sorts of stuff! And online we can text each other and send pictures and play video games..." He noticed her fallen face and, in a bold move, took her hands in his. "You shouldn't give up on this opportunity, whether it has to do with me or not."

"Even if you really really want to be together?"

He chuckled painfully. "When you phrase it like that, it stings more. But... uh... yeah. Maybe. Yes."

She smiled. "Thank you."

"So..."

"I'm paying for our first date in Stiix," she stated.

He took a few seconds to process her words. "Okay," was all he could blurt out. "Uh... can I pay for our next one in the city?"

She moved closer to him. "Nope."

He lowered his hand, both for the exhaustion of holding the umbrella and for creating a better cushion on his shoulder.

"Fifty-fifty?"

"I'll think about it."

Wisp ran up to them. Instinctively, he put the umbrella in front of them to shield them of her shaking fur. They chuckled and Nya gave her a well-deserved pat.

"Hey, Jay?"

He turned his head, only to be met with her lips against his cheek. If he hadn't frozen by that point, he had now. His theory proved true; they were the softest thing in the world, and he wished he could kiss them back.

Unfortunately (or fortunately), her touch didn't linger. She pulled away, just as embarrassed as himself, hoisting her hand to rest on his other shoulder.

"Can I still call you Sparky?"

His grin reached his ears. "Only if I can still call you Blossom."

She happily accepted.