Ten Days of Katsuki (Todobaku)

Day 9, Part 1

"That's okay," I tell him. "I don't have much dating experience either." I sport a suggestive grin. "But if you ever get too nervous and don't know what to do, I'll never turn down a kiss from you."

Katsuki beams at me before capturing me in another kiss. His lips brush against mine as his voice lowers to a hush. "Good to know."

*

"Can I, um, hold your hand?"

I skip over a verbal response and instead slip my hand into Katsuki's. A small blush forms on his cheeks as he threads our fingers together, my heart melting into one huge puddle at the sight.

"Thank you," he mutters.

I giggle. "You don't have to thank me."

He tilts his head down. "Sorry. I told you I'm new at this."

Smiling at him, I give his hand a reassuring squeeze. "Let's find something to do."

We, along with the rest of our group, are currently on the mainland of Aikojima where all the shops and restaurants are. Our bus dropped us off here minutes ago and we have a few hours to explore before we'll be transported to a waterfall for the one activity I've been looking forward to since this trip started: cliff jumping.

Still, even with all that excitement ahead, I'm still going to enjoy my time with Katsuki on the mainland. It's our first date, after all.

As we stroll past several shops, I observe Katsuki's face. There's still some hesitation in his expression, most evident through how hard he's clenching his jaw. Wanting to ease his mind, I kiss the back of his hand. He flashes a small smile and relaxes his shoulders.

Finally, he stops in front of a cute little shop. "Can I get you some ice cream?"

"It's ten in the morning," I tell him.

"Right." He scratches his head with his free hand. "Well, do you want some lemonade? Or I can just buy you water if you want that instead. Or if you're hungry, we can try to find a place that sells-"

"Actually," I say, "I could go for some ice cream."

"You're just agreeing now because you feel sorry for me."

"So?"

He chuckles. "Fair enough."

I press my lips to Katsuki's before leading him inside. This ice cream shop is quite cute. The walls are decorated with pastel colors and the tables have these little abstract patterns on them. There aren't many people here, probably because it's still early in the morning. That's fine with me. The quicker we have our ice cream, the more time Katsuki and I will have to explore the rest of the area.

Katsuki places his hand at the small of my back when we reach the front of the line. "What would you like?"

I inspect the various flavors behind the glass, my eyes lighting up once I spot my absolute favorite.

"Strawberry, please."

He snickers. "So polite."

He relays my order to the cashier and requests mint chocolate chip for himself. He removes his hand from my lower back to pay for the both of us, then immediately snakes it around my waist to pull me in for a side hug. I lean my head on his shoulder until our order is ready, to which we then slide into a booth to enjoy our ice cream.

"Are you feeling better?" I ask once he has several spoonfuls.

He nods. "Sorry I'm such a nervous wreck. I just want today to be perfect."