getting_better

Shiho's hands move to his face, framing that bright smile and matching it with one of her own. She's not sure when she'll stop smiling either at this point.

"Honey?"

Laughing warmly, she leans back a little just so she can lean in and bump her forehead against his.

"...does that mean I should start calling you... Darling?"

The word sounded so much sweeter, more melodious, that he initially thought making him quiver from the raw emotion it stirred in his chest.

"S-Sorry, could you call me that just...one more time?"

This, she thinks, is what happiness feels like. She can't say it again so blithely, not when she feels a little bashful this time but she looks up at him through her lashes,

"...Darling."

He paused for a moment to let the word sink in then breathed deep. Then quivered before hugging her tightly.

"Okay, yeah that's good."

Who needs drugs when you have this?

He holds her in his arms when he lets go(kind of) still smiling from ear to ear. "I've packed what we'll need, but if you want to go around and take anything else with us, we can take a look around."

As he folds his arms around her, Shiho reaches up, placing both hands on his back to hold him as well, tightening her grip and unable to stop smiling at the words that still reverberated through their very hearts.

"I'll just take some clothes."

She did, after all, have most things back home and if he was coming with her she had everything.

But she will go and find the gifts he's given her though, careful to shake most of the dust from them and pack them neatly.

"Alright. I'll go do one last look around the apartment then." Salvaging from ruins is something he hasn't done in a while, and probably will not do after today. He knows her world didn't experience the apocalypse like his did, but there is a threat to it's peace and stability.

Naturally he'll lend her and friends whatever aid and assistance they need that he can provide but if he can be so arrogant, as long as his opponent is remotely human he doesn't think he'll lose.

His first stop was the kitchen to see which of his precious utensils and appliances he mourns, which was naturally quite a few. The dutch oven was one he will miss greatly, along with the slotted spoon. The many eggs benedicts he made with that.

"Hmmm....I wonder if I should get a part time job once we arrive?" He asks to the wind as he starts to plan what he should do with his life once there.

It's nice that he's already planning ahead, thinking of the future. But for a second she looks visibly flustered as she comes back with his gifts and his gifts only tucked into one of the slightly less dusty and destroyed bags.

"...Well... It's not that you can't get a part time job..."

Shiho looks away, taking a quick stock of what needs to be replaced if just so she can have a moment before confessing:

"...Kaoru-chan, Aoi-chan and I... we're kind of... on the run? So getting a job might be a bit hard outside of what you can do at the Catastrophe."

But it's just your run-of-the-mill internationally-wanted fugitive thing, she's sure it's probably going to be fine.

Edited 2021-02-14 03:45 (UTC)

"On the run?" Sorry dutch oven, something more important has come up. "Like...fugitives on the run?"

He doesn't love her any less after that confession, mostly cause he's easily worse than any fugitive or terrorist, but that certainly raises some alarm bells. Mainly, who are coming after her and how many bullets is he going to need to make them stop so the two of them can go on a date. Another alarm bell is -

"And what's the 'Catastrophe'??" He hopes that's not the name of their base or something. That's a horrible name for place.

Edited 2021-02-14 16:55 (UTC)

"Exactly like that."

She just realizes she may have never told him about her being a fugitive. And also being considered a terrorist by more than one country at this point. Black Phantom has its claws everywhere, after all.

Though he doesn't seem bothered which makes her happy.

"The Catastrophe is just the terrible name thought up by a weird old man for a cruise ship."

Her oddly being a fugitive makes things easier, at least for him. He has time to acclimate to her world, test out if his abilities still work, examine if he can still play the underworld of society there, and most importantly prepare meeting with her father and mother. Him and law enforcement always had a pretty on and off relationship given that, well, he doesn't have any paperwork, identification, and is wanted by several government bodies.

All of this however, pales in comparison to the fact that -

"Why would anyone name a ship, of all things, The Catastrophe????? That's bad luck! More than bad luck!" He now thinks that maybe, just maybe, the first thing he'll do is corner some rich schmuck until he hands over enough cash so he can get them a better ship. One with fifty caliber mark seven cannons.

Being a fugitive is much easier, Shiho thinks. For certain things. At least now they could truly go wherever they wished without having to turn in paperwork in triplicate and hope that it would be approved. She couldn't even imagine the kind of strings they'd have to pull so she could keep seeing Sam. But now they could go somewhere fun after he'd gotten acclimated, they could find fun restaurants, go to a nice hot springs resort.

And also defeat Black Phantom.

Getting him accepted by the rest of PANDRA would definitely be easier too because Sam was strong, she thinks. They might not all like him or trust him (with the exception of Kaoru and Aoi), but at the very least they could respect him. As for her parents, well, she knows they'd like him too.

"It's a dumb name, isn't it? That's exactly the kind of thing you'd expect from that old man. If you tell him that though he'll probably throw a tantrum."

She pouts just thinking about it, already certain that Hyoubu would be the one who would cause Sam the most problems and with a petty vindictiveness that she had come to expect from that old man.

Petty old men, feisty teens, and a few skeptical adults is something he's more than capable of handling. Throw in the chances that they have psychic powers and the situation becomes easier AND harder at the same time. Won't be boring at least.

"Let him, then sit him down and give him a juice box and some string cheese." He paused for a moment, quickly profiling what age an old man would have to throw something classified as a tantrum, before continuing. "Actually that might work." A beat. "I peg him at....seventy...seventy five to eighty five years old?" Actually if she's a fugitive and she's with a guy like that, then he's probably either a fugitive too or something like that.

'Before the old man in a career where men die young' he suddenly remembers.

It's definitely going to be lively when they get back, that's for sure. It always is but would be doubly so with a new member to throw into the mix. For now though, Shiho is smiling at him as he so accurately profiles poor Hyoubu.

"Have I told you lately how much I love you? I think that pervert's been around since the dinosaurs though, he might be confused if you offer him juice in a box."

Or so she says. She'd never admit to being rather fond of and rather worried for that weird old terrorist.

He was a little confused by her response but -

"Not in the last sixteen to twenty four hours because - " He gestures to the outside. "Well, as long as the juice box shuts him - " And then it hits him, like a snowball to the face.

"PERVERT?????" Triggered. Now images of a dirty old man touching Shiho and Kaoru (mostly Shiho), lifting their skits, or asking them inappropriate questions like the color of their panties today or asking for kisses, race through his mind like an old slide show. Needless to say, it's making him a tad angry.

Screw if he's an old man, he'll tie him to his rocking chair. He's not afraid to disrespect his elders. No one harasses his fiancee, age be damned.

Shiho can't help but think that she loves him a lot, especially when he makes a very scary face. Ah, it really does make her nostalgic for home.

She should probably clear up that misunderstanding though before Hyoubu sees something and gets mad about it. A psychic fight where she could cheer for her fiancee was fun and all, but she'd probably get a long lecture about not letting Sam destroy things and spending their first day being forced to kneel on the ground in penance was no fun.

"I don't know what you're thinking, but Kaoru-chan is much more of a pervert than that old pervert."

Sorry not sorry best bud.

"I can handle him so you can just focus on me instead."

Right now he's thinking of all the horrible things he could do to an old man and categorizing them on a scale of bad to worse depending on what perverted thing said old fart did to his girl. His rage doesn't quite dissipate but he does calm down somewhat at her casual tone and assurance.

"Are you sure? I mean, I'm sure you can but still..." He moves closer, arms wrapping around her waist in a loose embrace. Then much like earlier but with much much less anger but the same impact - "W-Wait, Kaoru is???" Now he wonders if his concern was directed at the wrong person.

Her husband is the worrying type, it seems! But Shiho leans into his embrace, snuggling into his chest even as her own tone is light and cheerful.

"She is, but again your job is to focus on me. I can protect myself, you know."

Also who knows what it would become if Kaoru and Sam started a no-holds-barred psychic battle on the Catastrophe!

The ship would live up to it's name if that were to happen. IF it were to happen. He wouldn't fight Kaoru, unless one of them was mind controlled - he doesn't know, he's assuming.

"I know you can, I'm just a bit surprised. I know Kaoru was a bit on the eccentric side, but...for you to say she's more perverted..." He guesses that knowledge is thanks to their history together.

'Young ladies now are-' he was thinking to himself which he quickly shut down, lest he feels his age. Or maybe feel older than his age. Now that was truly terrifying.

Psychic battles can easily take the form of life-or-death uno with them. Fights probably shouldn't break out when they were on the sea?

"You'll see soon enough, probably. But I shouldn't be talking about her while she's not here~"

Because Kaoru would get embarrassed and while she loves Sam, she's also not going to gossip about her friend while she's not here to defend herself!

This is one strange friendship, although to be fair the two of them aren't exactly your average girls.

"Well...okay. If you say so." Now that he thinks about it, he'd probably have get used to not having Shiho's attention and affection all the time. Kaoru and the rest of her friends would be around, probably eager to see her and she them, not to mention there's the whole being a fugitive thing.

"I suppose, when we get to your world, I'd have to meet your parents one day." He smiles. "I'm not gonna need a kevlar vest right?" Her dad is the commissioner and if he finds out that he did more than just think of doing something 'funny' with his daughter, he may just suddenly be on Tokyo's most wanted list. The top.

It's definitely strange, but it's very precious to Shiho all the same. After all, if Kaoru can love her despite her terrible personality, she can definitely love her best friend despite her strangeness!

Besides, in the grand scheme of things, Kaoru wasn't even the strangest one so he'd have a lot to learn and she's already decided to be there as much as she can. He might not have all her attention and affection, but at the same time he'll get attention and affection she'd never show to anyone else.

"You won't need it. Papa is actually really reasonable despite how he might look."

Also Shiho would be extremely angry at her dad if he threatened her fiance. Even if she herself can't help but blush a little as she thinks about it. They'd definitely have to keep what they'd already done a secret.

"Well, if you say so." He still thinks he should be prepared. He has seen all the overprotective habits of one mister Kimura when it came to his teenage daughter and still sincerely believes that to be the standard of dads to their daughters.

He took one more look around their apartment, smiling but a touch of melancholy in his eyes. "I guess this is it, huh?" It was more than just moving out, for him it was more. It was leaving behind his world and heading in a future filled with more uncertainty than even Prismatica could offer. It was scary and anxiety inducing, or at least it would be if Shiho wasn't there to hold him together.

"W-....We'll be okay, right?" He asks, smiling but still a touch anxious and afraid but excited for tomorrow.4

The overprotective ones he really has to worry about are probably Kaoru and Aoi, honestly. Her dad would never be able to beat her best friends to Sam if he ever did something to make Shiho cry.

She sees the apartment through his eyes, their beginnings, their memories as well as his worries for the future and in reply she gently leans into him, holding him together to the best of her ability.

"...Yeah."

A hand comes up to touch his cheek as she smiles up at him with bright eyes, "...I can't promise that nothing will be scary, and that we won't have ups and downs but I can promise that I'll be there and that we'll get through it together. Okay?"

He put a hand a top hers, leaning into her palm with a soft sigh and finding the small comfort her touch brings. There is no promise that things won't be difficult, there is no certainty that it'll be smooth sailing from here, but her words and promise were more than enough for him.

"And that's all I'll ever need." He's never believed in gods or divine beings of any kind, but he can't help but wonder if Shiho suddenly appearing on his path was the work of a god and if he'll ever get the chance to thank them.

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