1. Spider

—♡—

“Looks like so far so good!” Mari smiled.

Crazy:B was getting their costumes for ES Halloween fitted right now and so she and Mirai obviously had to tag along as their producers. Mari had seen the costumes before on the racks and had even helped with the sewing since she had experience from theatre, but it was very exciting for her to see them on the bees. So far HiMERU and Niki had been fitted while Rinne and Kohaku were only now changing due to the latter trying to knock out Rinne’s teeth.

“Your Queen Bee has arrived!” Rinne said dramatically as he shoved open the curtain. From what Mari could tell his costume fit well and needed minimal alterations.

“More like Drama Queen…” Kohaku spat as he came out of his stall. Mari glanced over and froze in shock. He looks… “What’s with the starin’, Mari-han? Does it look off of somethin’?” Mari snapped out of it when he said her name.

“Sorry, nothing…it looks good on you…” she muttered sheepishly. He smiled at the compliment and Mari felt her heart rate accelerate. Why is he so cute? Even so, she tried to ignore the fluttering sensation in her chest when he praised her work after finding out she helped and the way she couldn’t help but smile.

It’s nothing…

—♡—

It was definitely not nothing. Far from nothing in fact. When Crazy:B actually went onstage to perform for ES Halloween, she was inexplicably mesmerized by him and she couldn’t bring herself to look away. Unfortunately, Mirai noticed and waved a hand in front of her.

“Wha—shoot, sorry…” she apologized and Mirai just chuckled knowingly.

“You seem to be distracted,” he teased lightly.

“Am not.”

“Are too.”

Mari just sighed. Soon Crazy:B finished their performance and went back backstage.

“So, how was it?” Kohaku asked Mari with a smile.

“It was amazing,” she answered sincerely and tried to calm her racing heart.

“Oh, by the way, these are for you…” Kohaku said and handed her a bag of cookies. She paused.

“What?”

“You also helped the others tryin’ to help me face my fears so…this is a “thank you”…I gave the others their cookies before but you were preoccupied helping adjust a light last minute so I couldn’t give it to you earlier…” he explained, his face tinted pink as he looked away.

“Oh…thank you…” Mari said shyly and accepted the cookies, heart racing.

…This isn’t nothing, is it?

—♡—

2. Dance

—♡—

Mari sighed. Hikaru had just told her Yuna had said yes to being her date to the dance. Don’t get her wrong, Mari was happy for her friend, but now it meant her two childhood friends both had dates and she didn’t, as Tetora had gotten a date a week ago. So she was gonna be a fifth wheel. Fun.

“What’s with the long face?”

She looked up.

“Oh, hey, Kohaku-kun…it’s fine…”

She knew he didn’t believe it.

“Fine, I…I was just thinking about something.”

“What?”

She didn’t know how to tell him. She knew it really wasn’t that big of a deal, so it felt kind of silly for her to have these feelings. She also felt self-conscious admitting it to her friend who she realized recently she did in fact have romantic feelings for.

“Um…so there’s a dance at Yumenosaki…” she started.

“Ah, Love-han was tellin’ me bout that. Something about how Hiiro-han asked him and didn’t understand why he got flustered…” he commented, “Anyways, what’s makin’ ya so upset?”

“…I don’t have a date,” Mari admitted, looking away.

“Really? I would have thought you’d get a date. After all you’re a nice person and…really…pretty…”

Mari whipped her head towards him, trying to check if she heard him right. He was looking at the window, cheeks dusted pink.

“Did you just call me pretty?”

“…Anyways…so why is not havin’ a date such a big deal?” he tried changing the subject.

“Well I’m going to be a fifth wheel for Hika-chan and Teto-kun and their dates.”

“Can’t you go with a friend?”

“…I don’t know who to—“

“I’d do it.”

Her heart started racing at the idea of going on a date with him. Well, as a friend, but still technically a date. She just stared at him trying to figure out if he was being serious or messing with her.

“…You’re joking, right?”

He shook his head.

“No, I’d say yes if you invited me. I mean I’m no Prince Charmin’ or anythin’ but I’d go if yer gonna be upset goin’ alone…plus, I can see it being fun…”

“…Good to know…”

“…I mean it’s not a big deal either way, if you want to ask someone else—“

“Do you want to go with me?”

They both stared at each other for a while, both flustered.

“Yeah…I think we could have fun going as friends…”

“…Thank you…” she smiled shyly. Kohaku’s heart skipped a beat and he averted his gaze a bit.

“Anytime…so…any details I need to know about the dance?”

“It’s a week from Saturday at Yumenosaki,” she explained, reciting anything about the dance that may be relevant.

“Are ya expectin’ me to show up at your door with flowers?”

“You don’t have to.”

“What if wanna do it for the bit?”

“Don’t get me flowers,” she laughed.

—♡—

Mari checked her appearance one more time. She felt really pretty in her dress but she couldn’t stop the butterflies in her chest from thinking about Kohaku. Even if they were going as friends, it was still technically the first time she was out on a date with anyone, and her growing feelings for the boy didn’t make it any better.

“You’re gonna have fun,” she reminded herself, “It’s just Kohaku-kun…”

“Mari! Your boyfriend’s here!”

“HE’S NOT MY BOYFRIEND!”

Mari grabbed her purse and rushed out of her room to stop her younger sister from embarrassing her any more. She got to the bottom of the stairs and gently pushed her sister out of the way of the door.

“Kohaku-kun! Hey…” she smiled sheepishly, “Sorry about her…”

She finally got a proper glance at Kohaku, and he looked handsome in his suit. Surprisingly he was holding a corsage.

“Mari-han…you look great…” he stammered out, handing her the corsage, “I know ya told me not t’ get ya flowers but I wanted to…”

“I…thank you…”

He helped her put it on her wrist. They somehow managed to survive Mari’s parents making them take pictures and her sister teasing them, although both were flustered as they walked together.

“…I am so sorry.”

“Tch…it’s fine…yer family seem like nice people…”

When they got to the dance Mari greeted her friends enthusiastically and Kohaku caught up with Hiiro and Aira. After a bit he asked her if she wanted to dance and she accepted.

“Thank you for coming with me…”

“Of course. We’re friends and plus, I wanted to know what a dance was actually like instead of just watching dramas,” he smiled. She smiled back and for a second there was an unspoken tension between them as the song ended. Kohaku brushed a strand of hair behind her ear and his hand lingered as he gazed at her softly. Mari felt her face heating up. Was this real? Was he actually trying to make a move on her? As quickly as the possibility crossed her mind he moved his hand away and let go of her.

“…D’ya wanna get punch?” he asked after clearing his throat.

“…Yeah…”

—♡—

3. Truth

—♡—

“Hey…Mari-han…”

“Oh…hi…”

And it was awkward again. Kohaku couldn’t blame Mari. After all, she had just learned what Double Face actually did behind the scenes. Kohaku had originally asked her to come to the Suou household to help with J since he knew she was a counselor at summer camp before, and then surely enough Madara and Kohaku had to tell her the truth. They had given her some time to process but Kohaku hadn’t spoken to her since and a part of him was scared. He wouldn’t blame her if she thought he was a monster, but it would hurt to lose a close friend like that.

“…So…how are you taking it in?”

“…”

He saw her hesitate to come up with an answer and started to fear for the worst.

“It would be a lie to say I’m not freaked out.”

Kohaku nodded.

“Now you know what kind of monster I am…”

“Don’t say that.”

“What?”

“You’re not a monster…”

Kohaku was taken aback.

“Mari-han, I’ve taken lives before…I have blood on my hands…staying away would be better for you…”

“Kohaku—“

“I’m a monster. Face it.”

“Kohaku, listen to me!”

Kohaku froze as she cupped his face in her hands.

“You’re not a monster. Yes, you’ve done really bad things but that doesn’t mean you’re not human…I still care a lot about you…we’re friends, remember?”

“Mari—“

“Yes, I’m terrified, but you’re still my friend. I trust you…”

Kohaku barely processed what he was doing before his arms were wrapped around her tightly. Mari hesitated for a second before hugging him back.

“…Thank you…”

Kohaku let himself relax in her embrace, indulging in the moment. She didn’t mind, holding him close and rubbing his back, even planting a kiss on his forehead as he silently realized his quickening heart rate was only confirming his suspicions.

—♡—

4. Yukata

—♡—

“Mari-han, you doing all right?”

She cursed under her breath. She was currently struggling to tie the yukata she had to wear for the Ephemeral Festival HiMERU had come up with to end the PBB craze. Thank God. Mari very much was not a fan of PBB when it started and her disdain only grew over time, especially when Kohaku ended up in the hospital.

“Mari-han?”

“I’m fine! Just…trying to put this on…” Mari explained, looking at her phone again to try to figure out how to do it properly.

“Do ya not know how to put on a yukata?”

“…”

“Are you decent?”

“Yeah, I’m wearing a tank top and shorts underneath…”

“Unlock the door. I’ll help ya.”

Mari unlocked the door and let him in.

“You really never had to put on yukata before?” he questioned as he closed the door.

“I’m not Japanese.”

“Shit. Right.”

Kohaku helped her, folding the yukata and tying the cords to secure it.

“…Thank you…”

“Not a big deal. Couldn’t let ya just suffer still trying to figure it out after all…” he teased, “Turn around.” She turned and he started to tie the obi in a bow. “So I heard ya stayed in my hospital room for a while ‘til I recovered…”

“Yeah, I wanted to make sure you were okay…” she explained, a tiny bit flustered.

“Well I appreciate ya lookin’ out for me…even if it’s your job as my producer. Turn.”

“…it wasn’t just because of that. I…you’re… important to me.”

Kohaku paused for a second, ears pink. He cleared his throat and continued to tie the obijime.

“Yer important t‘ me too…” he muttered shyly.

They were both silent as he finished helping her. When he was done, he puts his hands on her shoulders.

“Well there you go. Have to say, you look…really pretty…”

He caressed her cheek, his own face tinted pink. She couldn’t hold back how she felt any longer.

“Kohaku…I—“

They were interrupted by loud knocking.

“You two aren’t supposed to be in the same changing room, you know!”

They both backed away from each other and left the changing room mortified, Kohaku excusing himself to get ready to go onstage.

“Why was he even in there with you?” Mirai asked.

“He was helping me with my yukata…”

“Why didn’t you say anything earlier?”

“I was embarrassed…and before you ask, yes, I was wearing a tank top and shorts.”

“Ah, well, it was nice of him to help…you two really care about each other, huh?” he smiled.

“…It’s not like that…”

“I said nothing.”

“Your smile says it all.”

—♡—

5. Confession

—♡—

“So…what am I here for?”

Kohaku watched Mari fidget with her bracelet she always wore, the one she had gotten when she got her black belt. She had an uneasy look on her face, like she was going to say something he wouldn’t like. Her odd behavior didn’t ease his own nerves one bit. She took in a deep breath.

“I…I wanted to tell you something…”

“Which is…?”

Words could not describe how much she wanted to disappear or run away or chicken out of this, but Hikaru, Tetora, and Mirai didn’t spend hours yesterday hyping her up for her to not tell him. If she was right, then she might actually cry tears of joy. If she was wrong, she’d accept it and cry herself to sleep later. She took Kohaku’s hands in hers.

“Ever since I became your producer, I’ve really enjoyed getting to know you and I consider you a good and trustworthy friend of mine…But you don’t know something, and you might not want to talk to me after this…I’ll understand…”

Kohaku raised an eyebrow.

“What are ya gettin’ at, Mari-han?”

“I don’t think I see you as just a friend to me anymore…No, I know how I feel about you is more than that…I really really like you…romantically…and if you want me…I’m yours…”

Her heart must have been racing 1000 miles an hour as she finally told him, but she pushed through the embarrassment and told him everything she had to say, rambling on.

“Of course I like understand completely if you don’t feel the same we can pretend this never happened and like I know you deserve so much better than a half-assed confession and heck you deserve better than me—“

“Please don’t insult the girl I like…”

She froze and processed his words and the pink that covered his face.

“Wait, did you—“

“Yes.”

“So you—“

“Yes.”

“Would you like to—“

“Go out with you? Yes.”

Silence.

“So…what now?”

“Uhh…let’s just…take things slow…?”

“That sounds good to me…”

“Cool…”

“Cool…”

“…Can I hug you?” Kohaku asked. She nodded and hugged him. They stayed like that awkwardly for a bit before parting.

“…I should get to my meeting…”

“Oh…I have practice too…I’ll text you later about the details…?”

“It’s a date then.”

Neither slept that night, replaying the moment over and over again in their memory.

—♡—

1. First

—♡—

Kohaku sighed as they returned to ES. He had just taken Mari on their first date, which Kohaku was worried would be their last with how it went. Originally, he had wanted to go to this cafe with her because he knew it had some Filipino desserts she had mentioned before, but he forgot to check the open hours and they were closed. They had ended up going to a cafe she found online that had Japanese sweets. While they had a great time, Kohaku felt bad as she struggled to find a dessert without red bean or matcha. He had a perfect date planned in his head from watching romance dramas, and so naturally he was disappointed when he wasn’t able to make their first date as special.

“Why are you sighing? Was it that bad?”

Kohaku looked up to meet her gaze.

“No, I enjoyed it…but…I just wish I could have given you the perfect first date…you deserve better than—“

He was interrupted by her pressing a kiss to his cheek. His face heated up instantly. She was going to give him a heart attack if she kept being affectionate out of nowhere.

“Remember what you said to me when I confessed…you told me not to insult the girl you like…so you can’t insult the boy I like~” she smiled, “I had a great time and I really want to go out with you again…” She cupped his face in her hands, and he leaned into her touch. He tried avoiding looking at her lips but he noticed she was staring at his.

“…Can I…?” he asked, reaching his fingers to caress her cheek, heart racing as she eagerly nodded yes. He leaned in and she closed her eyes as the distance got increasingly smaller. He closed his eyes as he was millimeters away and they finally kissed. The feeling of their lips against each other created a pleasantly warm sensation inside him. If this wasn’t love, he didn’t know anything at all. The kiss was far from perfect, but he was enjoying it and from the way he felt Mari’s lips curve into a smile against his, he knew the feeling was mutual. When they pulled away they were both smiling shyly, Mari breaking the silence first.

“I’ve been wanting to do that for ages…” she admitted.

“So have I…”

“Well…I’ll see you later?”

“Yeah…see you…”