#8^d

     Alys lay in bed, cozied up to Romeo when she received his text. Her lips purse together, humming as she considers his questionable request. It may be some last-minute, birthday surprise -- or he may have absolutely no clue and simply wants some time on the swings. “What do you think?” she asks, raising a brow at her feline friend. He meows, burying himself under his new bow and ribbon collection. “Ah, I guess I’ll go.”

     Once there, she’s greeted just like any other day. They swing and chat, Alys finding this new found giddiness -- odd. He was up to something. So, she pried. Questioned and threw glances of suspicion his way. Partly hoping he may have some secret birthday surprise up his sleeve, and partly hoping he’d simply had a change of tune. He seemed ... happy. Birthday surprise or not, that’s all she could ask for.

     -- but no. Yuichi was full of surprises tonight, wasn’t he? She follows along, a bundle of anxious and excited nerves as she sits in a fancy car. Now, she’s never been invited to his home and is only left with more questions than answers on the short ride there. “Mm, am I having a sleepover with Juliet? A movie night with fried chicken and pizza? Wait, is there cake?” she asks. Her mind racing to all the possibilities of this surprise of his.

     “Huh?” she blinks, taking in her last sight of him before blindfolded. “Is this some sort of kidnapping?” she huffs, pouting her lips. Alys relying on his touch alone to navigate her ascension up the stairs. Up to -- wherever he’s leading her to. It was a tall building with many floors, halls, and rooms. Her only clue once at the top was the crisp air of the night hitting her skin.

     “Ichi?” He hasn’t said a word. He takes her hand and slips something onto her wrist - a bracelet she presumes? She blinks once fabric is removed, locking eyes with his - noticing the smile on his face.

     “So, you didn’t forget,” she laughs. He hadn’t. Not at all. Quite the opposite, really. She takes in the night air, the view of the city. The stars and moon above and the candlelit dinner below. At the sight of the pizza box, she chuckles. “Ah, so I was right about the pizza.”

     The fact that he hadn’t forgotten -- the fact that he remembered -- the fact that he intended to celebrate -- went through all this trouble -- “Thank you.” A whisper of gratitude from a giddy, starry-eyed blonde. One who brings him in for a hug. squeezing him tight with a smile on her face. “You really do love me don’t you?”

     He did it. He acted on it. Went above and beyond when she would’ve accepted a potato and considered it a gift out of love, as well. “C’mon, Ichi. We can’t let the pizza get cold or the cheese won’t be ooey-gooey enough!” Just as she reaches for his hand to drag him along, she notices it -- the bracelet.

     -- and his, too.

     For a moment, she stares. lifting her hand for a closer look. Fingers fiddling with the accessory before reaching for his own to compare. “Did you...?” She blinks in her second of confusion before smiling. “You’re such a dork!” Yuichi? The matching friendship bracelet type of guy? She would’ve never guessed. “I’m never ever ever taking this off, ya know!”

      Like hell she’d do something stupid like that. Again, she takes his hand. Eyeing their matching bracelets before dragging him to the table. “The cheese, Yuichi! The cheese!”