Visiting Hours [Demi/Ai]

[Demi]

It was a beautiful day in West Otonoki, at least, to Demi it was. The sky was a bit overcast, but... that was okay... it was still beautiful. Maybe it was because she was on her way to visit Ai? Yeah, that probably had the most to do with things. Pushing a lock of hair out of her face, she made her way off of the train and through the station. She was excited... she really was. She was going to get to see Ai, and he promised to make her a meal, and she was just... excited to see him. 

As she fiddled with her headphones, she looked around, trying to spot Ai. She knew he would be waiting for her to pick her up... not just because he said he would, but also because that was the type of guy Ai was. Today she was wearing something rather cute... but then again, wasn't she always? A cream oversized sweatshirt with a black pleated skirt and black leggings on underneath. She had a white tank top under the sweatshirt and one of the straps could be seen on one shoulder as the sweatshirt hung off of one shoulder. She had two necklaces on... one was the one Ai gave her... she hadn't taken it off since then, and the other was a longer necklace that had a The Pretty Reckless logo on it. She had her hair half up in a braid, the rest of her hair loose, her bangs brushed to the side a bit. Her boots were chunky and stopped at the ankle. Her nails were painted black with cream tips, and she'd even put on a bit of makeup. Instead of wearing her contacts as per usual, she wore her glasses, thick black plastic frames.

She wanted to look cute, but she didn't want to look like she put a WHOLE lot of effort into it... even though she probably spent an hour picking out what to wear. She pushed those thoughts away as she looked for Ai. Encore was cuddled up next to the light colored egg from before... she'd taken to calling the egg Lu. Demi asked why, but Encore just shrugged and said "He looks like a Lu." and left it at that. Either way, Demi wasn't going to push too much to figure it out... she still felt unsure about the egg, but who knows.

Ai

[Ai]

Ai had made a promise some time ago to cook a meal for Demi and today, he was finally keeping it. They boy had been thinking for some time, what would be the best time to call her over. One day when his father would be working, obviously. He DID want to introduce her to him, but for now, Ai just wanted there to be only the two of them. They could have a meal with his dad later. He had told him, obviously, that he made a girlfriend and that she would be coming over for lunch, that much he couldn't keep from him. Mostly because it was only appropriate for him to know and because... he was just so happy he could barely keep it in. Luckily, his dad was quite okay with the idea, though he did make sure to remind Ai to be careful, succeeding in making the boy a bit embarrassed. Not that anything would happen.

While Demi had spent a lot of time deciding on her outfit, Ai spent twice or three times the amount on coming up with a perfect ideea for a recipe, practicing it and using his dad as a test subject. Luckily, his skills were already decent to begin with, so practicing the same dish over and over again only made it better. He was quite confident regarding today, let's just see if things play out the way he expects them to. They could always go wrong but... let's not think of that.

Anyways, today was the day. Ai had made sure to call in advance and confirm that Demi was ok/ on her way/ arrived... you could never be too safe, especially on the OR line, a favorite meeting spot for egg hunters. He felt quite a bit guilty for bringing her to a dangerous place, but since he was taking the risk, Ai was prepared to protect her if anything happened. He stood put at the station, waiting for her and scouting for danger at the same time.

The train eventually arrived and surely enough, Ai spotted Demi through the crowd. There was no way he could miss her, since his eyes seemed to be naturally drawn to her whenever she was around. And by gods, she was beautiful, in his eyes at least. It made his heart thump loudly in his chest and just wish the crowd would go away so that he could hold her in his arms sooner. "Demi!" He called out and waved, hoping that she'd notice him. Though really, one couldn't really miss Ai in a crowd because of his unconventional looks. He'd taken to having his hair tied up in a bun because of the heat, but that didn't really change his appearance all that much. Unlike Demi, spending a lot of time picking his clothes was unfamiliar to him, so he just wore something casual: black, ripped jeans and and a red and black plaid shirt over a white tank top that had the logo of an unknown band.

[Demi]

Demi, thankfully, didn't have to go through the embarrassment of telling anyone where she was going today. She probably mentioned to her roommate that she was heading out, but it's not like she owed her any specifics or anything. She'd played her 3DS on the train during the ride, quietly biding her time, waiting. And when it was over, she closed it and stuffed it in her bag. Encore was really curious about it, but Demi told her not to mess with it... it'd be just her luck to have Encore break it.

At any rate, when she arrived and looked around, it didn't take her long to spot Ai. He even called out to her. She waved her arm toward him, then made her way through the crowd to finally reach him. She smiled a bit. "Hey." She was going to wave, but instead she stepped over and carefully gave him a soft hug... a giddy feeling rising in her chest. She'd always felt giddy when she met up with Ai, even before they started dating, but now that they had... she felt things so much more intensely. She tried to squelch those feelings... for now at least. She didn't like to feel like such a... she didn't even know what... but she felt like she was always thinking about Ai anymore.

[Ai]

As if she had been reading his thoughts, Demi walked to him and gave him a soft and warm hug. Ai's heart skipped a beat as he smiled to himself and wrapped his arms tightly around the other, breathing her in. The crowd didn't matter anymore, not when it felt like they were the only people there, at that moment. "Missed you..." He whispered quietly, just enough for her to hear. Even though they saw each other almost every day at school, Ai still missed her whenever she wasn't around. He always thought about her.

Eventually, he pulled away and held her hand in his. "Well, should we head over then? We'll have to take a bus, but it's not that long of a ride." Ai just thought he'd warn beforehand, though he'd already bought the tickets and all. Part of him felt nervous about having Demi over, he'd even cleaned his room for once.

[Demi]

The hug was more for her benefit than his, but hey, it worked either way. "Pff--" She giggled a bit. "You saw me not 12 hours ago." She replied, nudging him in a playful and light manner. He was so sappy. It was... really, it's taken Demi a lot of time to get used to, and she still wasn't really used to it. Sometimes she got a bit nervous about the sappiness, and other times she just... tried to joke with him to calm her nerves. She liked the sappiness? But also got embarrassed by it.

She gave his hand a squeeze when he took hers. "Yep, let's go." She nodded. "Buses are fine." She would've bought her own ticket, but, she soon discovered that he had already bought them. "You really didn't have to buy mine." She commented with a smile as she boarded the bus. Was it just her... or did Ai seem nervous? I mean, she understood... she, too, felt nervous. She'd never been to Ai's house before... she wondered idly if she'd meet either of his parents. Well, she figured his mom was probably in the hospital right at this moment, but maybe his dad would be there? Well, guess she'd just have to wait and see.

[Ai]

Well, Demi, 12 hours is a long time when you're in love. Once Ai decided not to hold back, he won't, so you'd better be prepared. He did, however, chuckle softly at the joke and nudged her back. "Still did." Ai didn't want to make her too uncomfortable with his feelings or need for closeness, but at this point, he probably won't stop unless she tells him to.

"But I did, so." Ai just waved his hand dismissively while handing the driver the two tickets. He smiled in return, though, and held her hand again, leading Demi to two empty seats. He gestured her to sit down while he fished out his phone and earbuds from his pocket. On the way to his house, he'd ask whether she wanted to listen to music and assuming she did, he would let the songs on his playlist play until they arrived.

The boy was indeed a little nervous, so he shamelessly used music to calm his spirits. But there... wasn't anything to be nervous about, really. He was just too excited to have Demi at his house, probably, and hoped that everything would turn out alright and that she would have fun. She wouldn't have to worry about meeting his parents since they both were away. The house was mostly empty, except for maybe night time when Ai and his dad occasionally had dinner together.

The bus ride wasn't a long one and the two soon found themselves at Ai's house. It was a small, Japanese style house in a quiet and rather cramped neighborhood. He easily unlocked the door with his key and gestured Demi to go in. It probably wasn't half as nice looking as her parents' house (won't even say anything about her grandma's), but it felt warm and cozy. There were a lot of pictures on the walls, most of which looked like professional shots. Ai's mom actually was into photography quite a lot, and even their family portraits looked like they were pulled straight out of a magazine.

"Are you thirsty? Would you like some juice first? or water?" He offered.

[Demi]

"Pff..." Was her response, but with a smile anyway. She felt kind of spoiled, really, as they boarded the train. She didn't usually have people buying bus tickets for her. Then again, she rarely took the bus... her grandmother usually wanted her to have a driver if she was going anywhere that didn't require the train. Really, her grandmother would rather her not take the train either, but screw that, Demi would do what she wanted.

She did want to listen to music, and gratefully took one of the earbuds when it was offered. She didn't mind listening to music the whole ride, honestly... it was calming to her, and she knew it was to him, too. They both had communicated with music for quite some time, so she just... had a feeling he was extremely nervous based on the music. Which was fine, she couldn't deny her nervousness either.

Perhaps it was the idea of going to her boyfriend's house... perhaps it was the idea of being alone with him...? It was many things, really... those were just the tip of the iceberg.

She quietly followed him into the house nevertheless, though, looking at the walls full of family photos. She smiled a bit... they were nicely done. She was about to say something about them, but Ai's question of a drink pulled her from her reverie. "Oh- water is fine, thanks." She smiled. "Hey- who took these photos? They're all really well done..." She'd know, she'd had a lot of professional pictures done... everything always had to be perfect for her grandmother, after all.

But these pictures looked so much more... lively. So much more loving... warm and happy. That thought made Demi smile a bit. Already she'd just... calmed down so much. It was odd, it's not like she thought Ai was some alien or something... but seeing his family pictures made him more real, more solid in her head.

[Ai]

Ai took off his shoes and put on a pair of slippers. He made sure Demi had her own pair to wear before going in. The hallways was small and connected to a Japanese style sitting room. From there, a door would lead straight to the kitchen, where the two would be going. Ai was about to tell Demi to follow him, when he noticed that she was staring at the pictures on the walls. The boy smiled, briefly, a hint of sadness in his expression.

"Ah, my mom is interested in photography, so she always went an extra mile with everything." Sadly, she wasn't able to practice her hobby much at the moment. There were plenty of things she couldn't do anymore. Sometimes Ai wondered how she could still look so happy and be strong. If he was ever forced to quit or take a long break from music, he'd probably crumble. "It used to be quite overbearing while I was growing up, but looking back at it, they're nice memories."

Ai looked so much more different when he was younger. It was almost crazy how much of a difference hairstyle could actually make in a person. He looked way more... normal, more gentle and resembled his father a lot. They shared the same warm, hazel eyes, while his smile seemed to be inherited from his mother. They indeed looked like a happy family and to some extent, they still were, since they loved each other lot. But due to all the misfortunes that they'd gone through in the recent years, a shadow was cast upon them.

[Demi]

She gladly took the slippers, slipping them on, after slipping her shoes off. When he mentioned his mom being interested in photography, she glanced over at him. "Is she?" It was nice to know, honestly. Everything definitely seemed more solid for her, yes. "Hmmm..." She glanced back to the pictures. "I'm sure..." She nodded. She had pictures of her family, but they were a little... too professional for her tastes. She wondered what it would have been like... growing up the way Ai did... with a loving family who took pictures together like this... a family that lived close together. Even if they looked professional, they still looked very happy. She pushed the thoughts away after a moment. But they were replaced of thoughts of wanting to meet Ai's mother. Some day, she was sure.

"You know..." She started. "You look a lot like your father..." She glanced over to him. "Judging by the pictures." She smiled. She padded over to him, then reached up and brushed a loose strand of hair out of his face that had fallen from the bun. She withdrew her hand after a moment. "You have his eyes. But you also look like your mother." She put her hands behind her back now, just as something to do with them, clasping them together. Otherwise she'd want to touch him more, and she wasn't really ready for that quite yet.

[Ai]

Demi would, for sure, get to meet both his mom and dad at some point. They already knew about her since the boy really couldn't hide something as important as their relationship from his parents. He was sure that they would like her, since he did.

Somehow it felt weird... having her in his house, looking at his pictures from when he was younger, but part of it felt nice. They were slowly learning more things about each other, they were becoming closer. Ai didn't know whether he was used to all of this, still, all of these feelings were so foreign and so overwhelming at times, but they felt good... they made him happy, just by thinking of her, just from seeing her.

Ai stood still for a bit at the other's touch. Eventually, he couldn't help but look at her, their eyes locking. And the same spark that he always felt between them ignited again. "I get that a lot, but I'm their son, am I not?" Ai smiled a bit, tempted to just pull her in and kiss her right at that moment, but he held back. There was another reason why he called her here to begin with. "Well, I hope you're hungry!" Ai smiled enthusiastically, taking her hand and leading her to the kitchen. The place was small but it was nice and clean. He gestured the other to sit down while he would be preparing their meal. Demi wouldn't just get to eat Ai's food, but also watch him cook it.

[Demi]

She would be happy to meet his parents. To be honest, she'd thought about just... going to pay a visit to Ai's mom, just to see her, meet her, talk to her about Ai... but she'd chickened out last minute because she worried she might be stepping over a line or something, and she didn't want to upset Ai or anything.

When he looked at her that way, she smiled a bit. "True." She nodded. He was, indeed, their son. When he spoke about hunger, she nodded. "I'm starved." She replied, being led into the kitchen. It was small, but quaint. She liked it. "Ohh, you're going to cook it right now?" She asked, raising her brows a bit as she took a seat.

She crossed one leg over the other, leaning forward with interest. "So what are you even going to cook anyway? I've been curious what your master mind would come up with..." If she had a tail and animal ears, it would be swaying and the ears perked with interest. "Hopefully something delicious..." She had no doubts though that Ai would be good at cooking... he just... seemed that type. Especially since he'd been called 'Mom' by his band mates. So!

[Ai]

Ai probably wouldn't have minded a whole lot if Demi visited his mother, provided she told him about it first. If she just went without saying anything, he might have gotten a little suspicious.

"Well, I mean, not everything." The boy shrugged as he opened the oven which had apparently been running while he was away. Some dishes took a bit to prepare and he didn't want Demi to wait for too long, so he started a bit beforehand. "This should be about done...in a few minutes." They did have great timing on this, it would have been terrible if the shiitake was overcooked. "Oh, you'll see what it is when I'm done." He teased, taking the mushrooms out of the oven and replacing them with a small baking dish which contained shrimp, but not before seasoning it lightly and covering it with a tin foil.

For the 15 minutes that the shrimps were in the oven, Ai put a pack of soba noodles to boil according to the instructions and rinsed them with cold water after. He cut the asparagus and shiitake that had been in the oven and set them with the noodles. Then he made the dressing for it. When the shrimp was done, he added it to the noodle dish together with some green onion and sesame seeds. "Alright, I'm done! Hope you like Soba." He offered the other a light smile. The bowls were ready for them to eat, though they'd probably have to move to the sitting room to be more comfortable.

[Demi]

She just figured it'd be best for, right now at least, her to not go visit his mother... maybe some time soon, though. Maybe together, though... she wouldn't want to show up without Ai... that would leave a kind of bad impression... at least if you asked Demi. And she really didn't want to leave a bad impression... so Ai going with her was a must.

She watched him open the oven. She could already smell whatever it was. "It smells good..." she murmured, resting her chin in her hand. She watched him idly as he moseyed around the kitchen, cooking for her. She felt so important honestly... so happy that he was willing to do this for her.

When he was finished, she smiled a bit. "I do like soba, yes." She replied happily. "Where are we going to eat?" She'd just... follow him into the sitting room with her bowl heh. "So it smells good, let's see if it lives up to its scent, hmm?" She was teasing, mostly... but her smile wasn't there anymore. However, Ai would probably be able to tell she was happy... even if she didn't smile. It was mostly because he knew her so well already.

[Ai]

Ai felt a bit nervous about cooking in front of Demi at first. He was afraid not to mess up or set things on fire or anything, although that had never happened to him before. Just, his heart was always beating a mile a minute whenever she was near, and that could easily become distracting. However, after he started cooking, Ai felt slightly more at ease, mixing the ingredients and making them into something delicious for both of them to enjoy.

After the soba noodles were done, the feeling resurfaced, this time because the boy was worried about whether the dish would actually taste good... whether Demi would like it. He'd done his best, even practicing a few days before, so let's hope all the hard work would be worth it. Ai wanted to see her enjoy herself... to see her smile. As long as she was happy, his mission would be complete."Oh, just follow me to the living room, we can eat there." He smiled briefly at her, replying to the question.

It would be a bit difficult for him to pick up both bowls and bring them so he would be grateful if Demi took hers. Assuming she did, he'd walk to the living room and place his on the small table, waiting for Demi to sit down. "Well, I hope it does." Ai giggled at her teasing remark. But really, even if he felt a bit insecure, the soba would certainly have a good taste.

[Demi]

Yup, she'd definitely take her own bowl... she didn't need him to carry it, and plus, his hands were full with his own bowl. She trailed after him into the living area, then set her bowl down gently onto the table before moving to sit down with him. She found herself getting comfortable, sliding her feet out of the slippers idly as she relaxed.

She glanced over at him for a moment, just watching him. He was so... hmmm, she didn't know how to describe him sometimes. Just... she always felt so safe around him, so calm, and happy. It was amazing to her, after all this time of unhappiness, that someone could make her feel so calm and at ease. Maybe it was because Ai allowed her to take things pretty slowly... and he didn't make her feel rushed or uncomfortable.

Picking up her chopsticks, she moved to pick up some noodles. Here goes! She leaned forward, slurping up the noodles in a quick motion, putting a hand in front of her mouth as she chewed. She seemed to light up a bit. After she'd finished chewing and swallowing, she glanced to Ai. "This is really good..." She gestured to her bowl with her chopsticks. "Who taught you to cook?"