The Varied Path (Akatsuki no Yona Fanfiction)

25k Special: Shin-ah and Calista's First Date [Oneshot] Modern AU

Words: 4.2k

"Shin-ah, where are we going?!"

He didn't answer her, his slight smile secretive as he pulled her along behind him. She trailed him through the blocks of the windy city of Chicago. Their friends had broken off from them right after the lunch they all had at Jimmy John's, leaving the two of them alone to have their first date.

Her first date with Shin-ah.

She would never forget how he asked her out, with a furious blush spreading across his face as he asked her while they were celebrating Yoon's birthday. The nervous stutter was so adorable that the thought of rejecting him didn't even cross her mind as she blurted out a yes before he even finished.

They had gotten swamped with work and school, but now here they were months later, finally on a break long enough to have their long overdue date.

And she had such a hard time deciding what to wear. One would think that a skilled assassin of her caliber would have nailed down the basics by now, but she overthought everything when it came to him.

She wanted to impress him, but she didn't want to appear too flashy. Something nice and sweet, but not too over the top. After all, she didn't know how fancy he was going to be dressing. And after going through countless articles of clothing and modeling them all for Yona, the redhead helped her narrow it down.

Her blue-tinted hair that she had for her mission had faded back to its usual shade of black. Styling it in a half-up, half-down hairdo secured with a red, velvet bow, it complimented the sundress Yona had picked out for her. It skirted just below her knees, and the floral pattern swirled beautifully across the breezy material.

Wobbling unsteadily as she swayed on her feet, an arm caught her fall as she pitched forward and Calista glanced up at Shin-ah sheepishly.

She had chosen to wear heels for today, and now she was seriously starting to regret that decision. It's just that the strappy heels went so well with her dress that she had to!

As he set her back on her feet, he took her hand so that she didn't trip again.

Trailing behind him, Calista's face broke into a soft smile as she noticed how the way Shin-ah was guiding her was keeping her safe on the inside, opposite to the busy street. He might not have said that it was his intention, but the action spoke for itself and she tried not to get too carried away as her heart somersaulted in her ribcage.

They had been friends for a long time, so it wasn't like they were uncomfortable with each other, but this way new.

The way he was holding her hand was foreign to her, but she quite liked how hers fit in the palm of his perfectly. She was so distracting from the warmth emitting from his touch that she missed it when he suddenly stopped. If it wasn't for the pressure on her hand, she would've walked straight into a lampost.

Shaking her head to clear the haze, Calista's smile grew ten times wider at the huge building that loomed in front of them. Whipping around to face him, she squealed, "Really?!?!"

He had barely nodded when she shot off towards the grand doors of the Shedd Aquarium.

Tucking his hands into his coat pockets, he followed her, albeit slower but kept her in his sights the entire time. Ever since he could remember, she had been wanting to go but because of her busy schedule, she never went.

This was a dream come true for Calista.

She loved that he took her here, and that he was the one to think of it. She recalled only mentioning it once to him, during her rant about how important it was to preserve marine wildlife and how interesting sea life was to her.