[FFML] [fanfic][Yotsuba&!] Fuuka & Dating (part 2/?)

[Mythril Moth]

And now here's some more of this story. Enjoy! C&C welcome.

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Yotsuba yawned sleepily as she and Koiwai spread out the futons to go to 
bed. "Daddy, where'd you go today?" she asked.

"Hmm?"

"Well, Mom said you had to go out someplace, that's why I ate dinner with 
Ena's family..."

"Ah," Koiwai nodded. "Well, Yotsuba...Daddy went out on a date."

The little girl's eyes widened. "Eh? Really?" She smiled. "That's good!"

"Oh? It doesn't bother you?"

"Nuh-uh," Yotsuba said, shaking her head. "Daddy's super-happy, so I'm 
glad."

Koiwai breathed a sigh of relief. "I was worried you might get jealous or 
something, since me dating means I'll be spending time alone with...someone 
else," he said.

"Love is important," Yotsuba said, arms folded and nodding sagely. "Even 
daddies need love."

"That's an amazingly smart thing for you to say," Koiwai observed.

Yotsuba tilted her head. "You know, Fuuka went out on a date too," she said. 
"Mom told me Fuuka was pretty excited about it...I was glad because she got 
her heart broken over the summer."

"Is that so," Koiwai said.

"It's funny, you and Fuuka both went on a date at the same time..."

Koiwai sighed and braced himself. "It's not funny at all," he explained. 
"See, Fuuka-chan is who Daddy went on a date with."

Yotsuba's eyes widened. "You went on a date with Fuuka?"

"Yeah."

"COOL!" Yotsuba cheered.

Koiwai blinked. "You're okay with it?"

"Uh-huh!" Yotsuba nodded. "I love Daddy an' I love Fuuka. If goin' out with 
Fuuka makes Daddy happy an' goin' out with Daddy makes Fuuka happy, then 
everyone's happy!"

Koiwai smiled at the little girl. "So you're happy about Daddy dating 
Fuuka-chan?"

"Yep!"

"I'm glad." Koiwai ruffled Yotsuba's hair. "Come on, let's get to sleep 
now."

=================THE HALLOWEEN DATE===

Fuuka was in the middle of getting dressed for school when her phone rang. 
"Moshi-moshi?"

//Hey,// Koiwai's voice greeted.

"Ah! Kotashi! Good morning!"

//Just wanted to let you know I told Yotsuba about yesterday. We officially 
have her permission to date.//

Fuuka giggled. "That's good." She paused. "So, any ideas about where to go 
for our second date?"

//Not yet, but I'll think about it.//

"Same here," Fuuka said. "Well, I gotta get ready for school. Later!"

//Have a good day,// Koiwai said before hanging up.

Fuuka smiled sunnily as she finished getting ready.

--------------------------------------

The explosive rumor mill at school was almost enough to dampen Fuuka's 
spirits.

At lunch, she was surrounded not only by her own classmates, but by students 
from other classes; everyone wanted to hear the details about her being seen 
out on the town with Yotsuba's dad.

Shimau patted her on the shoulder. "Don't let it get to you," she said.

"It's not getting to me, it's just...aggravating, that everyone just has to 
know all about something that isn't any of their business..."

It didn't help that according to the rumor mill, Yotsuba was Fuuka's child 
and Koiwai was her husband.

"At least they're gossiping as much about how good he is at DDR as they are 
about us going out together," Fuuka muttered.

"Is he really?" Shimau asked.

"AAA on Expert after not playing since college," Fuuka replied.

"...wow," Shimau said. "I've really got to see that sometime." She tilted 
her head. "Isn't DDR kind of an odd date activity?"

Fuuka blushed. "Yeah, it was my idea. I had no idea he was a DDR champion, 
or I wouldn't have..." She shook her head. "Anyway, yesterday's date was on 
no notice whatsoever, so we just kind of winged it. Next time, we'll plan 
things out a bit more..."

"Well, as long as you're enjoying yourself, that's all that matters, ne?"

"You're right..."

--------------------------------------

Koiwai was just about ready to take a work break when he heard Yotsuba go 
berserk downstairs. He sighed. "Must be Yanda."

He went downstairs to find Yanda already boiling water, ignoring the 
rampaging tyke. "Yo," he greeted.

"Oi, Senpai," Yanda replied. He was scowling; he seemed more dour and 
unpleasant than usual.

"What's up?" Koiwai asked.

Yanda sighed. "I need a big favor," he said. "I...got this new girl..."

"Really? That fast?"

"Shaddap," Yanda grumbled. "We've only gone out twice, and we're...not 
exactly official yet..."

"Okay, so what's the problem?"

"Well, you know we've got that American in my division now, Brown-san. And 
he's throwing this party on Saturday."

"Okay..."

"And it's a costume party. It's an American thing."

"Ah, Halloween," Koiwai said, nodding.

"Right, that." Yanda poured water into his ramen cup. "Anyway, my girl's 
really excited to go, and I can't really say no at this stage, but..."

"But?"

"I can't afford a decent costume," Yanda sighed.

"Go as a butt-face!" Yotsuba suggested. "You don't need no costume for 
that!"

"Shut up, turd," Yanda grunted.

Koiwai shook his head. "Well, I can loan you money to get a costume..." He 
frowned, rubbing his chin. "Hmm. Is this gonna be a really crowded party?"

"Probably not. I think maybe half the division and some of Brown-san's 
foreign friends are comin', that's about it."

"Invite-only, or...?"

Yanda looked up. "I can square you away, why, you're interested?"

"Well, it's just..." Koiwai shrugged. "I have a new girl too, and this 
sounds like it could be fun."

Yanda blinked. "Eeeh?! You've got a new girlfriend, Senpai?"

"I sure do," Koiwai replied, smiling.

"Daddy's goin' out with Fuuka!" Yotsuba piped up.

"And Fuuka is...?" Yanda asked.

"One of our neighbors," Koiwai replied.

"The tall pretty one?"

"No, that's Asagi. Fuuka is her younger sister. She's...still in high 
school."

Yanda's eyes widened. "O-ho. Senpai, you dog..."

"No idiot comments, or I won't lend you any money," Koiwai said.

Yanda snorted. "Wasn't gonna say nothin'..."

"Riiiiight. So, think you can get me and Fuuka invited to this thing?" 
Koiwai asked.

In response, Yanda pulled out his phone. "Hey, Brown-san. I got a friend who 
wants to come to your party. Cool? Thanks. Looking forward to it. Ja na!" He 
smiled smugly at Koiwai. "You're in."

"Good. We'll go costume-shopping tomorrow..."

--------------------------------------

When Fuuka came home from school, she was surprised to find Koiwai sitting 
in the kitchen with her mother, drinking coffee.

"Yo, Fuuka-chan," he greeted.

"Hi, Kotashi...wasn't expecting you to be here..." She blushed. "Not that 
it's a problem, I mean...!"

Koiwai chortled. "Calm down, Fuuka-chan. C'mon, have some coffee while it's 
still warm."

"O-okay..." A moment later, Fuuka was sitting with her mother and her 
boyfriend, drinking coffee. "So, what brings you over?" she asked.

"It's about our second date, actually," Koiwai said. "I felt like I needed 
to discuss this one with your mother since it's...fairly different from what 
we did yesterday."

"Oh?" Fuuka asked, perking up. "What do you have in mind?"

"My kohai Yanda has an American co-worker who's throwing a Halloween party 
on Saturday. Yanda came around to borrow money for a costume; I finagled us 
an invite to the party."

"A costume party?" Fuuka asked. "That sounds like fun!"

"I hope so," Koiwai said. "It doesn't sound like it's gonna be a huge party. 
Anyway, since it's an adults' party, I figured I'd better ask your mom's 
permission before asking."

"As long as the people at this party are well-behaved, and as long as you 
don't expect Fuuka-chan to wear something...*indecent*," Mrs. Ayase said, 
"And as long as you'll have her home by a respectable hour, then by all 
means."

"Thanks, Mom!" Fuuka cried. She looked down at her coffee. "But what kind of 
costume should I...?" She looked up. "What are *you* gonna wear, Kotashi?"

"I haven't decided yet," Koiwai shrugged. "Me and Yanda are going shopping 
tomorrow."

"I see." Fuuka frowned. "That won't give me much time to coordinate my 
costume with yours..."

"Well, you can go as whatever you want..."

"Yeah, but I want..." Fuuka blushed. "I want people to know we're 
*together*."

Koiwai blushed faintly as well. "Okay then...I'll be sure to let you know 
right away what I'm wearing."

Mrs. Ayase smiled. "You ARE a cute couple, aren't you..."

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"The thing about Brown-san," Yanda was saying as they pulled up to a store 
Koiwai had never been to before, "is that he's a serious otaku."

Koiwai grimaced. "Ugh."

"Oh, he isn't THAT bad," Yanda said, shaking his head. "He just gets really 
worked up over anime and manga and stuff. And he's really popular with the 
bosses because of his work ethic, so..."

"So everyone going to this thing is gonna curry favor with him by playing up 
to his interests," Koiwai guessed.

"Pretty much, yeah," Yanda said. "I mean, I'm not expecting YOU to, 
but...just keep it in mind, okay?"

"Got it," Koiwai said.

The proprietor of the shop turned out to be a flamboyant, ebullient nerd, 
and Koiwai wasn't entirely sure the man wasn't gay. The second he laid eyes 
on Yanda, his eyes lit up. "Ah! An Ichigo!"

"An Ichigo?" Yanda asked, blinking. "I'm not dressing up as a strawberry..."

"No no NO!" the proprietor cried, forming an X in front of his chest with 
his arms. "Ichigo the Shinigami, from Bleach!"

"...Bleach?" Yanda asked, tilting his head. "What the hell's that?"

"It's very popular right now..." The man waddled over to the counter and 
rummaged around, pulling out a greasy, dog-eared issue of Shounen Jump. He 
thumbed through it and laid it down on the counter for the two men to see. 
"See? This is Ichigo. He's a Shinigami. I've got a custom Shinigami costume 
just waiting for the right wearer, and with that hair, you're perfect!"

"He does look a little like you," Koiwai mused.


Yanda shrugged. "Che, whatever. Sold."

"Excellent!" The proprietor turned to Koiwai. "And you...hmm..."

"Nothing too weird, and I kind of need something my date can coordinate 
with," Koiwai said. "She wants us to match."

"Oooh, how cute," the shopkeeper squealed. "What's her body type? How tall 
is she? Is she more cute or pretty? I need to know so I can think..."

Koiwai frowned. "She's not too tall but not too short, she's not fat but not 
really skinny, she's more cute than anything...oh, she's a little younger 
than me..."

"Ahh! I know just what you need," the proprietor said. "It's a little retro, 
but it should do just fine...just make sure she comes HERE to get her 
costume, alright?"

"No problem," Koiwai replied...

--------------------------------------

"What the HELL is this."

"It's Tuxedo Kamen!" the proprietor gushed. "The mysterious guardian and 
love interest of Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon!"

"I've heard of that," Yanda said, rubbing his nose. "That was some girly 
thing a while back, wasn't it?"

"It's an epic tale of romance and strife, of a beautiful princess and her 
lover and all her friends reincarnated to battle evil--"

"Nevermind all that," Koiwai said. He frowned. "I dunno. This doesn't really 
say 'costume' to me, it says 'tuxedo'...what else you got?"

"Hmm...let's see..."

--------------------------------------

"Now THAT show, I've seen," Yanda smirked. "It's not a bad fit at all, 
Senpai."

"Hmm..." Koiwai looked dubiously at himself. "I dunno...it's a blue suit and 
a green wig. Really, what..."

"This is what your girlfriend would wear to match that," the proprietor 
said, pulling out a scandalous yellow outfit...

Koiwai's eye twitched. "HELL no. Her parents would skin me."

--------------------------------------

Yanda laughed. "You look like a biker that had a fight with a belt factory 
and lost!"

"Oh, shut up," Koiwai groused. "At least this one's got a sword, and it's as 
big as yours."

"You wish."

"So if I go with this, what's my date gonna be wearing?" Koiwai asked 
tiredly.

The proprietor showed him a picture.

Koiwai raised an eyebrow. "That's...not bad, actually." He ran a hand 
through his hair. "Okay, I'll take it. I'll have Fuuka-chan come by tomorrow 
for hers."

"Excellent choice! I appreciate your business and look forward to serving 
you again."

Koiwai privately decided he'd never set foot in this particular shop ever 
again in his entire life.

--------------------------------------

The next afternoon, the three Ayase sisters entered the little costume 
boutique together, and were immediately confronted by a large, energetic, 
pasty-skinned nerd. "Um, hi?" Fuuka hazarded. "My um, date for Saturday sent 
us to pick up a costume..."

"Ah, so you're the cute young lady going out with Koiwai-san!" the 
proprietor enthused. "I've got everything ready, it just needs a few 
alterations..." He turned a critical gaze on the other two girls. "Can I 
interest you ladies in anything?"

"Oh, no, we're just here to see what our sister's going to be wearing," 
Asagi said with a smile.

"Are you sure? I've got lots of cute costumes for this little sweetie..."

"Eep!" Ena eeped, hiding behind Asagi.

Fuuka sighed. "Just get me fit for my costume," she grumbled.

"Aww...you're almost as much fun as your boyfriend," the proprietor pouted.

--------------------------------------

Saturday evening came at last...

"Mou, this WIG," Fuuka complained into the mirror. "I look like Selena Gomez 
with all this hair..."

"Nah, she's a lot cuter than you," Asagi said, ducking a thrown hairbrush.

"How's it coming along WHOA," Ena said as she peeked into the bathroom. 
"That's a LOT of hair..."

"I know, right?" Fuuka asked, fluffing and primping the wig. "Just...gah."

"It's not THAT much hair," Asagi noted.

"It's just...not me," Fuuka replied. "Maybe I could just...ditch this 
thing..."


"I wouldn't," Ena said. "I just saw Yotsuba outside. She said Koiwai-san 
spent half the day at a salon today."

"WHAT?!" Fuuka and Asagi chorused.

"Her exact words were, 'Daddy got pretty!'," Ena replied. "So I'd wear the 
wig, Oneechan."

"Kotashi...went that far?" Fuuka asked, reddening.

"This, I have GOT to see," Asagi smirked.

Downstairs, the bell rang. "Eep! He's already here!" Fuuka yelped.


"Well duh, he lives next door."

"Yeah, but even so..."

--------------------------------------

Mrs. Ayase peered curiously at the man standing at the front door. 
"Ah...yes?" she asked.

"It's me," he replied in a familar voice. "I'm here to pick up Fuuka."

"...Koiwai-san?" Mrs. Ayase gaped in astonishment.

"Yeah," Koiwai affirmed. "I know, it's a bit...much."

"It's...it's fine," Mrs. Ayase replied. "You look just fine! Um...let me 
just go check on Fuuka-chan..."