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Iwatodai dorms – Night time
Jessie and James,(aj for short) local prophecy haver-about-er, current leader of SEES’s strike team, and known shrimp enjoyer was currently enjoying a movie with Yukari while she painted his nails.
“You know, Sanada-san is still raving about your performance at the track thingy,” she began as she switched polishes to a black for the non-thumbnails, “you plan on doing anything else to get him shouting or is that it for the summer?”
he shrugged, which made her eyes sharpen into a glare as intense as the sun, “I suppose I’m done; I haven’t got much planned outside of the giant monster fights.”
“Don’t remind me about those!” she sighed, “I don’t even get to have a relaxing time at the dorm because of those, Senpai has asked me to come with her to watch Aigis at the festival, and we only just got out of summer school too…”
“There’s a festival tomorrow?”
She raised an eyebrow, “Who are you, Junpei? We’ve mentioned it so many times! Anyways, do you plan on going?”
That was a silly question on Yukari's part as, one thing about Jessie, he really liked festivals, he really liked the souvenirs, the atmosphere, the companionship and the fireworks.
For as much as he’d been moved around in the last ten years, he’d always made an effort to go the festivals, which is why he was thrilled to hear there was one in Iwatodai, at the shrine no less!
He actually knew how to get there.
“Um, earth to Jessie, you in there?” Yukari asked, “Your eyes are telling me you’re out there somewhere.”
“Do you think Bebe would want to come with me?”
She switched hands as she stared at him incredulously, “I do not think there is anywhere you could ask him to come that he wouldn’t go with you. Weren’t you raving to me just the other day about how he called you his ‘Closest Tomodachi’?”
He nodded, “But what if I don’t want it to be a friend thing?”
“Look I’m not one to ask about romance, granted I don’t think anyone in the dorm would be particularly helpful about the subject, but I’m pretty sure you need to ask him out in order for it to be anything else.”
“So last minute? The festival is tomorrow! I’d need to ask him out before or during it at this rate!”
“Yeah.” She let go of his hands and put the caps thoroughly back on both bottles of polish, “Don’t touch anything, if you ruin my paint job I’m eating your chilled Takoyaki.”
“Anything but the Takoyaki!” He reached out for her as she stood from the couch only for his hand to get slapped away.
“Hey! I’m part of anything! No touching!”
He waited patiently for his nails to dry as they finished the movie.
He had considered asking his dormmates, but he was pretty sure Koromaru was the only one with decent advice.
His mental projections of what they might say were more than enough to dissuade him.
His first thought was Akihiko, but he definitely wasn’t going to have any good advice. “Punch him good! Make your feelings known through your fists!”
Junpei was in a relationship already, according to him, Jessie had his doubts about rather this affection was returned.
Aigis would probably say something like, “How to ask someone out? Is that similar to taking them out? Because if so then a firearm or explosive weaponry would be the fastest way to do so.”
He could ask his brother, he had a girlfriend already, but Yo was very…
Well, he supposedly got with her by bathing in pheromone coffee, which Jessie did enjoy grabbing a drink from Chagall here and there, but he seemed to be going a little far.
Oh well, tomorrow could wait, he’d just have to make the phone call when it came time.
Time came too soon.
Steeling his nerves, he reminded himself this wasn’t as scary as entering Club Escapade and dialed his number.
The moment the phone picked up Bebe’s infectious good energy was apparent, he’d been worse for wear recently so Jessie was happy to hear him somewhat back to normal, “Oh? Jessie-dono? Magnifique timing, I was just about to email you to ask you something.”
“Oh, okay. You can go first.” If it was possible to add an :D to speech, he would have.
“Zere is a festival happening tonight, I want to attend but I simply could not bare the thought of going to a social event without you, especially not since this would be my first one.”
He barely held back a gasp as Bebe continued, “I want such a special event to be shared with the most Sugoi person I know. So would you please come with me?”
He almost dropped his phone as she scrambled to find a way to reply normally, “Absolutely!”
“Incredible. Now what was it you wanted?”
A nervous laugh escaped him without his input, “Well, you’ll never guess but I was also planning on inviting you. I suppose I’ll see you tonight?”
“Oh you know it! Prepare yourself Jessie-dono, I will knock your socks off!”
With that, the call ended, had to save their minutes after all.
Jessie almost instantly collapsed onto his bed, staring at the ceiling as he had to try and comprehend that he was going to the festival with Bebe.
Sure, he hadn’t organized it as a date like he had (sort of kind of not really) intended originally but he had time still, he’d just need to pick a moment within the festival itself and officially ask him out.
He would find some point that would be perfect, hopefully before the fireworks, he wanted that perfect kiss.
Or you know, he could see how the night goes and just live and let live, not make things awkward.
*---*
From the moment they arrived at Iwatodai Station together, Jessie was pretty sure he was going to actually explode.
Bebe was all smiles as per usual, he had on a bright yellow Yukata with a slight sunset like gradient to it, “I believe I already mentioned it, but this is not only my first summer festival here in Nihon, but my first true event.”
The click of his heels sounded as they walked the stairs to Naganaki shrine, “Oh right, before I end up out zere in the eyes of the locals where they can tell me what I have done wrong, I am wearing it right, non?” he asked as he carefully turned around for him to see.
“Looks great!”
His grin only widened, “I am thrilled to here that! I was somewhat worried since this is only a rental, there was no time to buy or rent one.”
“There’s always next year.” Jessie replied.
Bebe nodded, “And you will go with me then too, yes?”
“Of course.”
The festival wasn’t exactly big, there were only about four stands on either side of the shrine since the playground equipment was still open, on which several kids were playing.
Jessie grimaced as he saw one such ‘kid’ couched down in front of Maiko.
He tapped Bebe on the shoulder, “I’m gonna step away for a second.”
Approaching the two, dreaded whatever topic was being told to Maiko in a completely dry voice.
“Remember, it’s always ethical to tell him he’s stupid. If he comes up with a good reply, steel your face and tell him his favorite cartoon character can’t beat Goku. He’ll be crying in seconds.” Advised Yo Daddy.
Maiko smiled, “I can do that!” she leaned past Yo when she saw someone approaching and waved wildly to catch his attention, “Sausy!!”
Yo turned to stare at him, the expression on his face was completely neutral but he could tell it wasn’t exactly thrilled, “She calls you what?”
“Long story.” Jessie dodged the derailment trap his brother was trying to lay, “More importantly what exactly are you teaching her?”
He brushed his bangs out of his eye, which somehow only covered it more, “My way of life.”
“Maybe… don’t.”
He shrugged and simply walked away, no doubt waiting for his date to arrive. Finally able to return to Bebe, the two decided to grab some Octopia Takoyaki from the stand.
“Are you sure? You do not have to get Takoyaki simply because I want it, I can pay for my own meal.” Bebe offered as Jessie paid for the meal.
“No, I’m fine with this. I can more than cover it and this way if you end up not liking it, I can eat the rest.”
Bebe grinned and began fanning his face intensely, “So gracious and thoughtful!”
As they sat and ate, Bebe admired the sights and sounds with eyes wide and full of admiration, watching the bustle of the crowd as he took each yukata that passed by on the way to pray the shrine.
The murmur and roar of the crowd, the people themselves were eye catching too. From the food critic raving about how good the limited edition Takoyaki was, the kid and his dog playing chase by the playground equipment, the student council president and the weird exchange student staring at the catchable goldfish.
It was all breathtakingly interesting and beautiful in his eyes.
While Bebe intently watched the crowd as he ate, Jessie was busier chewing on the inside of his cheek as he tried to figure out a way to just confess.
“Hey, Bebe? I’ve got something to ask but I’m worried it might be… too much.”
He turned his head to look at him, “Hmm?”
Why was his throat feeling so tight? Was this a courage test? He should be able to pass any of those by now, “Look, it’s big and I’m... I dunno how best to say it since its so,” he felt so tongue tied!
Bebe sighed, “Jessie-dono… what was it again, Ah yes! We have a saying in my language, Ce n’est pas la mer à boire.”
Jessie nodded, “And that means…?”
He looked deep in thought for a moment before nodding, “It means it is not the ocean to drink.”
“Okay. And that means?”
“It is meant to express that whatever you need to do, it cannot be as difficult as drinking zee ocean.” He replied with a smile, “Whatever it is you need to say to me, I await the news with open ears, and hopefully the appropriate response.”
Had Jessie’s face always been this warm? He didn’t think so, but his brain was basically short circuiting at the moment, “Right. I really like you and I think that we could be more than friends, if you want that. If not I’m happy just to have it off my chest!”
He gasped, hiding his face behind his fan, “This is the ‘forbidden love’ thing your incredible animations speak of, no?”
Jessie tried not to pay attention to being compared to Yaoi, or how it strangely stabbed at him, he waved his hands wildly as he floundered in an attempt to recover, “It’s not important, forget about it.”
“No! that simply will not do, how am I to forget about it after you confessed in a true display Passion?” he pulled the fan away to reveal his equally flushed cheeks, “You did mean it, right Jessie-dono?”
Oh he was gonna melt, “Y-yeah.”
Bebe nodded and stood, “Then I accept! But come now, zere is still more to do! After all, we’re at a festival! Let us do everything we can while we still have the time!”
And everything they tried to do, Jessie caught a goldfish for him first try, which Bebe said he would treasure and named “and James-san”.
There was a ball toss minigame where Yo and Jessie ran paths again, Yo goaded him into competing for who could win the bigger prize, Jessie didn’t play as much as Yo expected so while Chihiro did still end up with the turtle plush, Bebe ended up with the much larger Black Frost they promised to pick up at the end of the night.
They picked up Oni masks, Bebe insisting they go for the wildest loudest designs they could, which ended up being a very ornate King Frost mask for Jessie, and a more traditional red-faced Oni for Bebe.
The night was spectacular, and not one Jessie would be soon to forget, especially not when the fireworks went off and Bebe pulled him aside, hiding their faces as they snuck a quick kiss.
It was short, but it fired whatever brain cells he had left that night.