#ansuke

Daisuke was a lucky man. He knew he was a lucky man because he had a job and while he was working? He also managed to get a girlfriend. 

… Sort of. 

Anya said she didn’t want to start officially dating until they were off the ship. She said that there was a difference between knowing someone in a work environment and back in a more public setting. The rules are different, you act differently. 

Daisuke didn’t fully understand that.

He didn’t act much different on the ship than he did off. And.. Yeah, Anya could be a bit stoic but when they were sitting in the medbay together and it was getting near the end of their shift, he loved hearing every laugh he pulled out of her.

Or on game night? She would get so animated. He marveled at her frustration. Sometimes, if he pushed her too far, she would kiss him silly. 

He really liked being kissed silly. 

But, that still didn’t mean he understood what she meant fully. He would respect it anyways, he would keep it to light flirting and letting her guide him in what was okay affection to give. So far, kissing and light cuddling seemed to be on the docket- As long as they were alone, that is.

But as he walked into the medbay, he couldn’t help but frown as he heard sniffing behind one of the curtains. He let the medbay doors close behind him as he walked over. 

“Anya…? Are you okay?” He asked softly as he pulled the curtain aside. Sitting on the cot, Anya had her knees pulled to her chest and she looked up at him with wide eyes. 

Her eyes were red and puffy, tears rolling down her cheeks and a snotty mess beneath her nose.

“Babe, what’s wrong?” Daisuke asked, quietly pulling the curtain closed behind him. Anya scoffed a laugh, rolling her eyes as she wiped her eye with the end of her sleeve. 

“Nothing, just… realized something, I guess. Don’t worry about it.” She responded softly. But Daisuke moved to sit next to her on the cot, bringing his hands up to her face. He laughed softly, reaching over to grab a tissue and wipe her nose.

“If.. If it’s not a big deal, why can’t you tell me?” He asked softly, using the clean end of the tissue to wipe the other side of her face. 

Anya’s lips straightened into a firm line, then she looked down at her lap. She shrugged her shoulders, so Daisuke let his hand drop to her thigh. 

“Anya…?”

“I don’t think this is going to work out between us, you really don’t want to be with me.” Anya rushed out, turning her head away from him. 

“What? Why not?” He asked, leaning to the side hoping that he could catch her face.

“You just… You don’t want to be with someone like me, okay? I’m a burden, you should just.. Just go. When we get back to Earth, you can find someone else to woo.” Anya said softly, crossing her arms securely across her stomach. 

Daisuke blinked as he took in this sudden turn. He… He really didn’t understand this one. So, he only scooted closer and let his forehead bump against hers.

“Are you saying this because you don’t want to be with me or because you think I don’t want to be with you?” He asked softly. 

She didn’t respond. Her eyes stayed focused away from his burning gaze. Her silence told him everything he needed to know. 

Daisuke moved to stand up, grabbing her gently by the forearms and tugging her to stand up with him. She arched her brow as she watched him.

“Daisuke, what are you-“

He pulled her out from the curtain, making her stand in the middle of the medbay as he walked over to the desk. He dug around in the bottom drawer- A task he grew used to from exploring the medbay while he visited her.

He pulled out a small book box and hit play.

It was crackly and distorted, but some old pop track started to play from the speakers and Daisuke moved back to her. He started to dance, wrapping his arms around her. Slowly, he saw that smile start to come back to her face.

“Daisuke…” She chided, but there was very little heat behind his name. As the song played on, she started to dance with him. It was silly and upbeat, nowhere near a romantic waltz. But it made her smile and that was enough. 

As the song came to an end, Daisuke stopped behind her. His arms wrapped around her waist and he pressed a kiss to her shoulder, guiding her to lean her weight back onto him.

“There is nothing you can do to make me run away, okay? I’ll never leave you..” Daisuke murmured, smiling to himself as her head tilted to the side to rest against his.

“When you ‘never’…” Anya started, turning her head just enough to look down at him. Daisuke’s smile widened to a grin and he quickly kissed her cheek.

“Well, you can try, but I’m quite the persistent man…” He teased in response. Anya pulled away, turning around in his arms. She brought her hands up to hold his face, brushing her thumbs against his cheek bones.

“… I’m not ready to talk about it..” Anya admitted softly.

Daisuke pushed up to press his lips to hers, quick but not without meaning.

First dates were always some of the more terrifying things you can get up to in this modern world. There was a threat of death if you picked the wrong person- And how are you supposed to tell? On the other hand, the worst consequence is you wasted an evening with someone who bored you to no end. 

For Daisuke, that was a real risk. 

But there was a lot of benefit to them as well. You always have to start somewhere and most marriages typically begin with a first date anyways.. So, he was on the right track! There was no need to feel nervous. 

Except for the beautiful woman who sat across from him. He could’ve sworn that the texts had said this was a casual dinner, no need to dress fancy. However, she looked absolutely stunning in that turtleneck and Daisuke felt like he just crawled out from under some bed in a fraternity. 

He’d just have to.. Up the charm. It’s not all about looks, anyways. 

“So! You’re a student? What are you going to school for?” Daisuke asked, leaning forward in his seat. His hands rested splayed out before he quickly remembered his manners and folded them neatly in front of him. 

Anya– That was her name, can you believe it?- laughed awkwardly, rubbing the back of her neck for a moment, 

“I’m surprised you remembered that… Most people assume..” Her words trailed off, causing Daisuke to cock his head to the side. 

“Assume what?” Daisuke questioned. 

“Well.. They assume I’m not because of my age. Or they make.. Other assumptions regarding my intelligence… But I’m going for nursing. I wanted to give it a try..” Anya explained, picking up her glass. She had ordered a Margharita, strawberry. Daisuke really wished he had ordered the same thing but his Root Beer would suffice. 

“That’s stupid.” Daisuke stated as he picked up a roll from the middle of the table. 

“So what if you’re a little older than your peers? Everyone starts their journeys or whatever at different times. I mean, look at me. I took two gap years before I started university. Technically, I’m also on the older side. Sure, the gap isn’t as large as your gap, but that only proves my point, you know? We’re all adults. You aren’t any more adult than the rest of us.” Daisuke rambled before taking a huge bite out of the roll. 

Anya stared at him, she had sugar from the rim of her glass at the corners of her mouth. Her eyes kept flickering over Daisuke’s face.

“Well, sure, I suppose that’s true but I really do feel like a grandparent walking amongst everyone. I might as well look like one.” Anya shrugged. She didn’t mind these facts, they were all something she had come to accept long ago. Daisuke paused, watching her closely.

“Except you’re not?”

Anya’s attention perked up at his words, which Daisuke took as more than permission to keep talking. 

“You’re not some old lady walking around, Anya. Not that there would be a problem if you were. You’re just.. A lady. A really pretty lady. I mean like… You’re hot- No- Well, yeah, but you are so much more than your age. And I think you’re really cool. Honestly, I don’t even think about your age if you want me to be completely honest. It wasn’t a factor at all when I asked you out. Because it doesn’t matter as much as you think it does or whatever. And if people do care so much then-”

Daisuke’s words were suddenly cut off by the press of lips against his. The first thought in his mind was ‘sweet’, literally. He could taste the sugar from her lips. The second thought that came to him was to kiss her back. Her hand was fisted in his shirt collar, tugging him closer to her. His hand moved to rest on her wrist. 

All things considered, it wasn’t a long kiss. But when she finally pulled away from him, he could feel that breathlessness. 

“You talk too much,” Anya teased, laughing as she settled back into her seat. Daisuke grinned brightly, propping his cheek up on his hand. 

“I can talk a whole lot more if that’s going to happen every time.” He responded, watching the blush start to crawl up onto Anya’s cheeks.