Charitable Competition

[its_me_hooray]

Characters: Materia, (viva_la_materia) Night (its_me_hooray), open to Kagerou (weaver_girl) to keep the tally, and YOU!
Date/Time: BACKDATE to May 28th, all day. Sorry this is so late!
Location: The Bazaar
Rating: PG for cooties.
Summary: Two rivals have a "Who's the Better Kisser" contest by opening up competing kissing booths in the bazaar! One coin per kiss! Of course, there's a

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Materia

[viva_la_materia]

Alright, this is it! The weather was all right, the Bazaar was bustling with customers, and Materia was totally buzzed on the vibe of competition. She couldn't help bouncing a little in her seat as she surveyed the sea of potential customers. (Some of them were even kinda cute! Bonus!)

She'd brought a floral teapot from home for her coins, but she didn't have the money at the moment for anything too expensive (and stealing decorations from the Bazaar to decorate a stall in the Bazaar bordered on idiotic)... So she'd simply splurged on some bright, cheap paper streamers and gone to the Park that morning to cut as many flowers as she figured she could get away with, dropping the colorful bouquets into cups and clean empty cans from home and arranging them all over the stall.

Elbows propped on the counter, she shot a Look at the curtains Night had put up. She was convinced that jerk was gonna try and use 'em to cheat somehow. Thank goodness for Kagerou!

Anyway, he might have music, but she had charm! Putting on her cutest smile, she leaned her chin in her hands and people-watched to pass the time, trying to look as cute and friendly as she possibly could.

[awokentospring]

Spring didn't like to think he was cheating by also considering to give Materia a coin too, but he did feel a little awkward visiting her too swiftly after having already helping her rival's booth. So, instead he had taken the time to go on a short run around the bazaar to calm his nerves before approaching.

He honestly didn't know what to think about Materia. He hadn't run into her yet in the sphere, at least he thought he hadn't, so he didn't know how to judge her character. He only knew that she wasn't on great terms with Bell and even his father was a bit wary of her. That put him a bit on edge. Spring relied very heavily on his father's judgment. He knew his father's friends were definitely all good people. Everyone else was still a mystery.

But Materia had also called him a genius over the journals and that earned her at least half a point in Spring's book. He didn't know why, but the thought of being considered a genius greatly pleased him. And she had already decided to also give her proceeds to charity. So, he was really only helping out a good cause, if nothing else. This definitely wasn't a betrayal to Night or his father or Bell.

"Good day, Materia-san!" He smiled, shoving his wariness to the back of his mind. "I hope you have been having a good day today."

[viva_la_materia]

Materia blinked and sat up slightly, startled. She'd been staring up at the patterns of tiles on the walls of the Bazaar, zoning out somewhat, since that was more relaxing than fretting about how little business she was getting so far. (It wasn't like Night was doing much better, after all.)

But now, a friendly-looking oddball with a nice smile and a truly awful haircut had appeared in front of her stall, and she had...no idea who he was. He probably knows my name from the journals, right?

Either way, he seemed like an okay guy, and he was a potential customer! She straightened up and brightened her smile back to a full 110%. "Better now that you're here!" she exclaimed. "Business has been flatter than last week's soda, sheesh. I...don't think we've met, though. What's your name?"

[awokentospring]

She seemed quite excited to see him, and that made smiling quite a bit easier for Spring. He didn't mind that she seemed to be lost on who he was. He probably should have introduced himself first, actually.

"We have not yet met in person! I am called Spring!" He made a dramatic gesture with his arm. "I have come to help your charity!"

Not that he planned on giving or receiving a kiss. He would be content with just a hug, or even feel comfortable just handing her a coin to help out. Of course that would mean the score-keeper wouldn't be able to add to her tally, but he hadn't kissed Night either so they would still be relatively even.

[viva_la_materia]

So this was Balls' step-son, huh? He really was a nice guy, even in person. At least, as far as she could tell. (Materia considered herself an excellent judge of character, anyhow.) So much for family resemblance...well, they weren't technically related.

"My charity, huh?" Materia echoed, and grinned, standing up and bracing her hands on the counter to lean forward. "I like the sound of that!" Not that the charity part had been her idea, but it did sound kinda heroic when he put it that way.

"Sooo...how're we working this?" She tilted her head, wondering what the best super ninja kiss approach vector would be. At least he didn't have much of a nose to avoid.

[awokentospring]

So far nothing objectionable had come to pass. Maybe his father's feelings concerning this girl were unfounded. It was strange to think his father may have been wrong about something, but mistakes did happen. His father was just a bit too cautious in this instance. Maybe.

She had a nice smile. And she seemed just as excited about her charity as Night had been. It was hard to choose one side over the other.

"Work this? I thought I would give you a coin to support you!" But he had already given Night two. Perhaps it was only fair to keep it even. "It is for a good cause, so I would not mind sharing two."

[viva_la_materia]

"Two?" That widened her smile considerably, and it was already enthusiastic enough to begin with. This was definitely worth a silly kiss. Take that, Night! "Alright!" she jubilated. "You know, you're a pretty nice guy, Spring!"

Might as well do it quick, then. She glanced around quickly, in case Balls was around playing chaperone-slash-creeper (he wasn't, thankfully) and decided to get this over with before any guardians did show up to yell at her...

"Here goes, then!" Before Spring could get another word out, a very determined Materia reached out to grab his face in both hands, leaning across the counter to plant a solid, albeit closed-mouthed, kiss on his lips.

[awokentospring]

Spring chuckled a bit sheepishly, feeling his chest swell along with his ego. Yeah, he was a pretty nice guy, huh? He must have made the right choice, giving both tables two coins.

Unaware of the thoughts going through Materia's head, Spring was just as content to let things go as they were. But before he knew it, suddenly her hands were on his face and she was leaning in. Typically, he would have the reflexes to block an sucker punch or a low kick, but this was not an attack. This was--

The other ninja's lips touched down on his and Spring's face turned a healthy tomato red. He stood stalk-still. What... what what what whatwashesupposedtodointhissiutation??? He didn't have experience with being kissed before, or at least, he didn't remember having the experience. And for someone who was practically a completely stranger to just kiss him out of the blue was... well, this was a kissing booth. He should have guessed kissing would happen around a kissing booth but he had never expected to actually get one himself.

He still wasn't sure what to do so, he thought he might just. Not move. Until she was finished, or something. This was so... unexpected.

[viva_la_materia]

After a moment - how long were you supposed to hold one of these, anyway? - Materia let him go and sat up straight again, slightly pink in the cheeks but looking reasonably pleased with herself.

"There!" she said, and when that didn't seem like quite enough, she added, rather awkwardly, "Thanks."

He didn't reply, though. In fact, he wasn't saying much of anything at all. Actually, he was just sort of...standing there, looking like somebody had hit him upside the back of the head with a two-by-four. Materia wrinkled her nose, and gave him a concerned look. "Hey...are you okay in there?"

[awokentospring]

Really, how was he supposed to react? What should he say?

"I... I...." This was so unlike him, but he was at such a loss. He needed to regain hold of himself. Best way to bring oneself out of a shock was pain. With that in mind, he slapped his hands against his cheeks and shook his head, eyes squeezing closed in the process.

"I believe that was my first kiss." He removed his hands from his face, which was now red from more than just embarrassment. He wasn't thinking much of the stinging pain or embarrassment now, however, instead focusing on looking anywhere but at Materia. "I do not have many memories, but I think... it felt unusual."

[viva_la_materia]

His first kiss!? Materia's mouth dropped open in dismay.

"Oh, gosh," she said, unable to come up with much else. "It...oh, geez." She knew somehow that she'd had her first kiss before being born here, but she also had a distinct sense that first kisses were special. And she'd just taken his?

"W-why'd you want to get your first kiss at a kissing booth?" she blurted, bewildered.

[awokentospring]

Spring was also the type to think first kisses were a sort of one-of-a-kind moment shared with a special someone, but right now he was more shocked and embarrassed than hurt and embarrassed.

"I did not plan on it! I mean..." Spring searched around for words. Why were they so hard to speak? He was normally very loud and articulate, but right now he was just very loud, and probably garnering a few stares from other people in the bazaar.

"I was going to come to offer support but I did not mean to give, I mean, I did not expect anyone to want to... even if it was a kissing booth, I am not..." Honestly, where was he going with this? His words just refused to work right.

[viva_la_materia]

"You..." Materia clapped her hands over her mouth, eyes going wide with dismay. "Oh, geez! I didn't, I mean, it's a kissing booth and you were just kinda standing there like you were waiting for something and, and I figured...!"

Okay, now she really wanted to bang her head on the counter for a while.

But she didn't want him to think she was crazy or anything, so she settled for awkwardly suggesting, in a rather small voice, "Um...I don't think it has to count if you didn't want, um...if you don't want it to. Right?"

[awokentospring]

Spring realized from the changing of her tone of voice that she was putting the blame of the incident on herself, which was absurd. He quickly shook his head, waving his arms in an attempt to stop her from feeling any more guilt.

"Please! Do not worry! It was my own fault! If I had just said so in the first place..." But he supposed yelling wasn't helping much now. Shoulders falling, he muttered in a soft voice, "I'm sorry."

Still blushing up a storm, he hunched at his shoulders a bit, looking to the side. "I guess that is true. But I did not... I mean, it was not a bad feeling."

Really, thinking back on it, he supposed there wasn't anything wrong with kissing someone at a kissing booth. It was what they were there for! But he still thought maybe he could have handled the situation better. He had never thought of giving Materia or anyone else that he had met here a kiss, but she was a girl and probably wanted romantic kisses. He felt bad that that wasn't something he could her. Instead, he had just stood there like a scarecrow. How... uncool.

[viva_la_materia]

His flailing was so funny that it brought the smile back to her face, just a little.

"It...oh." Materia blushed. Not a bad feeling, huh? So...so she wasn't so bad at this, after all, huh? "Um." She jerked a thumb at Night's booth. "D'you mind telling him that?" she joked...then frowned as she noticed how unhappy Spring still looked.

"Hey...if it wasn't bad, what's with the long face, huh?" she asked, leaning across the counter again to give him a look that was both bewildered and a bit worried.

[awokentospring]

She seemed to cheer up at least a little bit, which helped put him at ease, but he still felt like it was greatly his own fault for the awkwardness they now shared. At least she was smiling.

"Oh, um, uh, I do not know about that," he responded, darkening a little more at the thought of bragging about kissing to the competition. He was also on Night's side here. He didn't want to alienate one friend in favor of another if he could help it.

He paused, unable to answer for a moment. The feeling that hit him now was a different kind of embarrassment. It was strangely lacking in confidence, which was not something he was used to feeling. It felt wrong, but also completely sincere. He turned his eyes away, finding himself clasping and unclasping his bandaged hands a bit in his awkwardness. "It is just that you probably expect more from a kiss because they are important and I am not..."

His voice trailed off, unsure of just how he wanted to end that sentence. Cool? He wasn't just a moment ago, but he liked to think he was suave in his own way. Handsome? He looked like a younger version of his father, so of course he was handsome! Desirable? That... actually seemed more adequate here, but he didn't want to say that either.

"I am just not someone who can give you a special kiss is all," he muttered at last, kind of lamely. It hurt his ego to admit it, but it was true. He always felt comfortable training or fighting, but girls were definitely not his strong suit.