Summary: Yukio finally worked up the courage to tell Ellie how she feels. The result (a first date, a first kiss, and her first girlfriend) are even better than she hoped.
The mall was a riot of colors and noise. Full of people, stores, food vendors, cute clothes… it was awesome. It was the perfect casual setting for their first date, which Ellie had told Yukio when they were planning. Yukio had been the one to work up enough courage to tell the other girl how she felt. The silence after her rushed confession- “I really like you,”- paralyzed her. She thought she’d ruined her first new friendship at the mansion. The fact that her feelings were mutual was almost more than she’d hoped for.
Yukio hadn't been able to get the giddy grin off of her face for hours. But two days later she was a nervous wreck. She had no clue how to dress for a date. It was at the mall, so maybe casual? But it was also a date, so fancy? What were they supposed to talk about? How were they supposed to act, now that she and Ellie were dating? She had about a million other questions and no answers. She had settled for a casual-ish outfit: jeans and a nice top. She decided she would let Ellie decide how quickly she wanted things to move; Yukio didn’t mind pda herself, and she certainly wouldn’t turn down a kiss from Ellie if the chance presented itself.
She’d been a bundle of nerves all the way through Colossus wishing them well and telling them to be safe, shyly saying a hello to her date. She was glad that Ellie waited until they were in the car to flash her a million-watt smile. With the way it made her knees weak, she might not have made it to the mall otherwise.
“You look nice,” Ellie complemented her.
Yukio could feel her face going about twenty different shades of red, but she somehow managed to keep her cool. “Thanks, you do too!” She was telling the truth; if anything, that was an understatement. Ellie was the very definition of suave, with her hair slicked back and her black lipstick on. She was wearing a tasteful all-black outfit. In short, she looked really good, and it set off the butterflies in Yukio’s stomach.
Ellie maneuvered the professor’s car out of the mansion’s garage and drove out the gate in silence. Yukio fidgeted in her seat uncomfortably, not even noticing the way Ellie was nervously tapping the wheel. “So, uh… how have you been?”
More silence, and then all of the nervous energy inside of Yukio reaches a breaking point. She burst into laughter. Soon Ellie was laughing, too, still facing the road. Her shoulders shook with the force of her laughter. Yukio covered her mouth with one hand as her giggles tapered off.
“That was really awkward.”
“Yeah, no kidding,” Ellie said.
Yukio realized she’d been overthinking this whole dating thing. “This is basically like being friends, right?”
“I-I mean, we’ll still joke around and talk and stuff, just with hand holding and kissing and stuff, right?” She said quickly, trying to dispel the confusion and hurt that had clouded Ellie’s expression. “I’ve been so nervous, but we should just be having fun, spending time with one another, right?”
Ellie relaxed a little. Now she looked thoughtful. “Huh. I guess I hadn’t thought of that. If I’m being honest, I was really nervous for today.” She flashed Yukio another smile, this one much shyer than before. She held out her hand, keeping the other on the wheel.
Yukio laced her fingers through Ellie’s. A tingly warmth was spreading up her arm, and both of them were blushing like crazy. For the second time that week, she couldn't stop smiling. She couldn’t be happier. “You won’t believe what happened in English today,” Yukio began.
They talked and laughed all the way to the mall, pausing occasionally to sing-slash-yell along with the awful eighties music on the radio. Yukio felt so happy and light she could’ve skipped all the way to the food court and through the various department stores they visited. Instead, she swung hers and Ellie’s hands between them. They both ended up with a new outfit or two. Ellie bought Yukio a necklace that had caught her eye, and Yukio gave her a nice pair of sunglasses in return. “They make you look like a secret agent, when you’re glaring,” she told her. Yukio didn’t want the day to end.
They were a little quieter on the way home, but no less giddy. This time the gaps in the conversation were comfortable. Yukio was glad she had finally spoken up about her feelings. The anxiety was worth it if it meant that Ellie was her girlfriend. Girlfriend. Yukio had a girlfriend. She would have to get used to that- she had never dated anyone before. She had time, she figured. The way they understood one another and listened and cared about one another, this was something that could last.
Ellie held the door open for Yukio as she got out of the car, but Yukio wouldn’t let her carry the bags. She turned to carry them up to the mansion when she felt Ellie’s hand on her shoulder.
She turned to face Ellie. Her breath caught in her throat when she saw how close they were- she could feel Ellie’s breath warming her cheek.
Yukio just nodded, stunned, as Ellie tilted her head up to press their lips together. Yukio’s eyes fluttered closed. Her arm slipped down around Ellie’s waist. Her lips were soft and inviting. She felt like her heart was going to beat out of her chest. The same tingly feeling from before returned, stronger this time. When they pulled away they were both breathless, Yukio a little dizzy. “That was nice.”
“Yeah. We should do it more often,” Ellie said with a wink.
“Agreed. Now let’s get inside before curfew.”
