Work Text:
‘I Wanna Hold Your Hand’
November 21, 20XX
Ryuji Sakamoto fidgeted with his pants pockets as he anxiously waited on a bench inside Shibuya Station’s green line stop. The young man only days prior made a commitment to go on a date with his new girlfriend Makoto Niijima, and even through all of his preparation Ryuji was still nervous as could be. Despite his many attempts to hook up with his female peers over the course of high school the athlete had never been on a real date before, and he never imagined that his very first one would be with a friend he had known for a few years at this point. Prior to heading out, Ryuji consulted his best friend Ren Amamiya for dating advice, considering the latter had been in a relationship with Ann Takamaki for three years at this point. Ryuji’s thoughts raced through his head.
C’mon Ryuji, pull it together. Just remember what Ren told you: keep it cool and be yourself.
And yet, Ryuji practiced all weekend to act his absolute best in front of his new girlfriend rather than his usual careless self.
At last, the 18:10 train had arrived on schedule, and Ryuji watched as a flood of commuters scrambled through the subway car’s doors. As the main crowd dispersed, he saw Makoto step out of the train, dressed in her casual teal blue coat with a turtleneck shirt and black pants.
“Oh, Ryuji!” Makoto waved as she saw the young man sitting on the bench across the platform. Ryuji stood up and walked towards the subway car; the pair opened each other’s arms and caught each other in a warm embrace.
“Glad ya made it,” Ryuji said enthusiastically, breaking the hug.
Makoto giggled, as Ryuji had been texting about his excitement in the days leading up to this evening. “I’m happy to see you too, Ryuji. Class was so stressful today,” she said as she sighed with a smile on her face.
“Hey, you don’t have to worry about any of that tonight - we’re just gonna have fun,” the athlete declared. The two started walking towards the station’s exit as they climbed the staircase from the platform; Makoto wrapped her arm around Ryuji’s so they wouldn’t get separated in the sea of people. Ryuji felt his insides jump as he wasn’t expecting his girlfriend to link her arm with his, but he also felt happy knowing Makoto trusted him enough to keep her close amidst the large crowd.
“So,” the brunette spoke, “did you have a place in mind for dinner tonight?”
“I do, actually. I found this new ramen place a couple blocks from here that I haven’t tried yet, s-so I was hoping we could try it…together…unless you had something else in mind,” Ryuji nervously said, hoping Makoto wouldn’t mind his choice of restaurant.
“That sounds lovely,” the criminal justice major responded. “A bowl of ramen would be excellent now that you’ve mentioned it.” Her response put Ryuji’s mind at ease, as he was worried his suggestion would have been too predictable. With that, the couple headed west of Central Street.
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The two college students were lucky to get a table when they arrived - the store was unusually busy for a Tuesday. The young adults were seated across from each other at a booth near the window. The waiter handed menus to the hungry couple, and the young adults were quick to notice the vast amount of choices they could order; it actually took longer than usual for either Ryuji or Makoto to decide what they wanted.
“The amount of things to choose from is astounding,” Makoto remarked as she stared at the entree section of her menu.
“For real, though,” Ryuji responded, who also stared at his menu with amazement. “I’ve been to so many ramen joints in Tokyo but none of them have given me such a hard time choosin’.”
The two eventually made up their minds and told the waiter their selections - they could hardly wait for their food to arrive. Makoto initiated some small talk.
“So, Ryuji,” the brunette asked, “I hope you don’t mind me asking but, is this your first time taking someone on a date?”
Ryuji was almost scared to answer the question, worried he would stumble over his words trying to explain that he never had.
“Well, to tell you the truth it is,” the fake blonde admitted. “I’ve never really done anything like this outside of a few awkward chats with a girl or two in school around lunch time.”
“And that’s nothing to be ashamed of,” Makoto assured. “There are plenty of people our age who’ve never been on a date or even in a relationship.”
“Yeah, but even so it was kinda weird for me to have not even dated anyone in high school. And even when I had feelings for you I just…didn’t know how to say so until a few days ago.”
Makoto blushed, as Ryuji’s confession from the previous Saturday still meant so much to her, as she also had a crush on the athlete for a while at that point.
“So how about you?” Ryuji was equally curious if Makoto had ever been on a date before.
“No,” the brunette bluntly said. “I was always too focused on my studies to be interested in relationships. Although, I’ve definitely had feelings for a few boys at certain points in my life.”
“For real?” Ryuji was surprised. “Well, come to think of it, I always thought you were kinda interested in Ren before we found out he was with Ann.”
“For a brief period, yes,” Makoto confessed, remembering back to when she had Ren pose as her boyfriend to learn the truth about Eiko’s partner. “Although I didn’t want a relationship to interfere with our Phantom Thief duties on top of my presidential duties.” She paused, and blushed once more. “Then the more time I spent with you the more I started having feelings for you. To tell you the truth, Ryuji, I wanted to tell you so many times since our Phantom Thief days that I liked you. I just…didn’t think you were interested in me as more than a friend.”
Ryuji smiled as his face turned a bright red, then he chuckled. “That…means a lot to hear.”
“And I’m glad to be spending my first ever date with you, Ryuji.” The two stared at each other in absolute content, continuing to make small talk as their food was being prepared in the kitchen. The couple talked back and forth about their respective days at class, with Makoto explaining her struggle to catch up on her homework so that she would have enough time to meet up.
At last, their order arrived. Placed in front of Ryuji was a large bowl filled with egg noodles, slices of seasoned beef, pork, and an assortment of vegetables with a hint of hot sauce. Makoto, on the other hand, had a large bowl of chicken, rice noodles, and a double serving of vegetables. Taking their first bites, the couple were blown away by how exquisite the flavors of their meals were; the savoriness of the meat, the balanced seasoning of the broth, and the fact the noodles were cooked to perfection.
“This is nothing short of incredible,” Makoto declared as she took another bite of noodles with her chopsticks.
“Right? I wish I’d found this place earlier,” Ryuji agreed as he grabbed another piece of beef from his bowl. The faux-blonde made sure to take his time as he ate, slowing down from his usual pace when he ate ramen to be as polite as he could in front of his girlfriend. Throughout the dinner, Ryuji was trying his best to act as professional as he could, making sure to say please and thank you, wipe his mouth clean, and slow down as he feasted on his ramen - he didn’t want to offend Makoto with his usual mannerisms that night.
The pair of students took their time to savor every bite. Each element of their meal was everything they could have wanted from a ramen place - it seemed that Ryuji had made an excellent choice. Unbeknownst to the occupied young adults, dark clouds began rolling over the evening sky outside the shop.
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“That was absolutely delicious,” Makoto said as she wiped her mouth with a napkin. Her bowl had been emptied of its contents, signaling she had enjoyed her meal.
“I gotta agree,” Ryuji responded, making sure to mind his manners after finishing his bowl. While Ryuji was normally accustomed to slouching in his chair following a big meal, the fake blonde still didn't want to be rude in front of his date.
The waiter arrived with the check, placing it between the two patrons at the table. Makoto instinctively reached into her purse to retrieve her wallet, but as she did so she felt a hand tap her arm.
“Hey, don’t worry about it - dinner is on me tonight.” Ryuji then reached into his pocket to pull his own wallet out, placing enough yen on the table to cover both of their meals.
“Oh,” Makoto said in a surprised tone, “that’s very kind of you Ryuji. You really don’t need to pay for me, though,” she added modestly.
“It’s no biggie,” the athlete assured, “this is on me tonight, it’s a…g-gentlemanly thing to do.” Ryuji cracked a smile, but in his mind he almost regretted how he phrased himself.
Oh, come on, that's so corny, Ryuji. Aren’t you trying a little too hard?
Makoto let out a short laugh. “Well, I do appreciate it,” she said. “Thank you for treating me.” Ryuji let out a small breath, thinking he had embarrassed himself on his first date, but relieved that his choice of words didn’t result in a weird look from his girlfriend - quite the opposite.
The couple got out of their booth and exited the restaurant, taking a few steps away from the entrance before Ryuji stopped underneath a canopy and turned to face Makoto.
“Hey, Makoto,” the fake blonde said anxiously. “I-I hope you had fun tonight.”
“Of course I did,” the older student said with a smile on her face. “I think you picked a delicious ramen shop and I enjoyed talking to you tonight. I hope we get to do this again soon.” Hearing her compliment put a small smile on Ryuji’s face, but deep down something was itching in his mind - his eyes were darting around. “Is something wrong, Ryuji?”
“Oh, uhh-hh,” the younger student stuttered, but he took a deep breath and explained himself. “I just…hope I’m good enough to be your boyfriend after tonight.” Makoto stared at her boyfriend, seemingly caught off guard by his question. “I know I already kinda said this last Saturday but I’ve been so nervous all night about acting my best in front of you. To be honest I’ve been practicing these past few days for tonight.” He hung his head as he continued. “I just don’t wanna say the wrong thing or act the wrong way in front of you. The fact I stuttered back at the table was a perfect example. I just wanna find ways to be better for you.”
“Ryuji,” the brunette said with a caring look in her eyes, “you don’t have to change a thing about yourself to be my boyfriend. I definitely appreciate you minding your manners, and if anything I was impressed.” That last comment made Ryuji blush. “However, that doesn’t mean you should always try to be perfect just for me, I love you the way you are - imperfect as you may be. The important thing is we had fun tonight...and I really wanna do this again sometime.”
All Ryuji could do was smile, his cheeks still slightly blushed. As if by pure coincidence their faces drifted closer together as they just looked at each other in content; the gap between them was then closed in a soft kiss. It only lasted a few seconds, but it felt like an eternity to the young adults - both of whom had never locked lips with anyone before. Makoto had previously given Ryuji a quick kiss on the cheek a few days ago, but this felt so much different.
“That was…my first kiss.” Ryuji giddily smiled, taking a moment to realize what transpired.
Makoto giggled as her face turned beet red. “Mine too…I’m glad you liked it.” The two continued to stare into each other’s eyes until a digital clock outside of a shop across the street caught Ryuji’s eye; it was currently 19:45.
“Woah, is it really still that early?”
Makoto looked behind her in equal surprise. “Huh, I suppose it is.”
“We still got a bit of time, do you…wanna go to the arcade maybe?” Ryuji’s voice was shaky as he was still trying to process the kiss he had just received.
“I haven’t been there in a long time. I would love to,” Makoto said with a content smile on her face. As the two were about to head in Central Street’s direction, a loud boom of thunder was heard over them, bringing a rain shower with it.
“Oh no, not now! I forgot my umbrella today,” Makoto exclaimed.
“Shit, me too,” the athlete replied. Then an idea sprung into his head. He removed his purple hoodie and handed it to his girlfriend. “Here, use this to keep ya dry.”
“That’s very thoughtful of you, but what about you?” Makoto didn’t want her boyfriend to be soaked while she stayed relatively dry. She then had her own idea to return the favor - she removed her own coat and handed it to Ryuji. “There, now we’ll both be safe from the rain.” She also reached her hand out to her boyfriend’s, ensuring the two would be safe on the way.
Ryuji smiled broadly as the happy, and dry, couple walked hand in hand down the city block.