This isn’t their usual joint, nor one of their customary haunts. There are a few local bars they frequent with running tabs and familiar bartenders who preemptively pour their drinks as soon as they enter. This place, in contrast, is a restaurant Kento has never stepped foot in before. It's out of the way, quaint, dimly lit, with a vacant space in the centre, gradually filling with bodies as the night unfolds.
After relishing the excellent cuisine, Kento decides to extend the evening by ordering a few more drinks than initially planned. As the place overflows, servers start filling tables haphazardly, and he throws his blazer on the adjacent chair, keeping Shoko's spot secure. Upon her return from the washroom, he tugs the blazer off the seat. When she doesn’t sit down, he tilts his head upwards, a questioning arch in his brow.
Soft violin fills the air, creating a backdrop for the couples swaying to the gentle rhythm of the music. Kento's gaze lingers on them briefly before returning to Shoko and then dropping to her extended hand. While his expression remains flat, it isn’t a no. It’s a ‘really?’ followed by ‘I’m thinking about it.’ Eventually, he eases off the chair, finishing the last of his whiskey for a touch of Dutch (no, Danish) courage, and settles on ‘ok.’
“Be gentle with me,” he murmurs, a smile tugging on his lips as he clasps her hand. “I’m not as spry as I used to be. Might even throw a hip out.”
Strangest part of my life is that I am a-OK being a woman right now this very second, but later??? Who knows??? But also, when I am around fifty or sixty, I would like very much to become an old man who lives in a cave. Specifically an old man, mind you, because I would like 1.) to grow a beard, 2.) to spout riddles, 3.) to be a hero’s mentor, and 4.) I basically just want to become ANH-era Obi-Wan.
How long have I known of my wish, you may be wondering? Good question, I first realized when I was around three and watched Star Wars and I told my mom that the character I wanted to grow up to be like was Ben and she said “??? Why’s that?” and I said “I want a beard.”