Log: Birthday, Part the First

[glaciercleavage]

Who: Suzuki Adelheid, Katou Julie, Amaterasu
What: Julie takes Adelheid out on a date. Not everything goes as planned, but at least her gift is adorable.
When: May 7th, early afternoon
Where: Out at town, then Julie's room
Rating: PG-13
A/N: Contains mild sexual themes and talk thereof.


Adelheid felt just the slightest bit exasperated as she walked towards the café she and Julie had had their first date in. One would have thought he could have at least told her why he wanted her to go there, but no, he had just had to be all mysterious and vague in his note. Why would he leave a note, anyway? Why not just call her, or perhaps talk to her face to face?

Well, she supposed she would find out soon enough. Arriving at the café, she stepped in, looking around to see Julie.

Julie had been going for romantic with the note and the spot that he chose. He was sitting in the booth where they had sat previously, for once without his trademark uniform and hat. Instead, he had taken the time to comb his hair and chosen a simple outfit of trousers and a t-shirt. It was weird, not being without his hat.

But he wanted this to be perfect for Adelheid. They hadn’t gotten the chance to celebrate her birthday yet, and this was the only idea he could come up with.

For a moment, he was nervous that she was going to be late. But when she walked in, he let out a sigh of relief and waved at her, hoping to catch her attention.

Adelheid almost missed Julie, having been looking for his hat. However, his hair at least was distinctive enough to catch her attention. Walking over to him, she raised her eyebrows. "Well, someone sure looks special."

With a smile he stood, taking her hands. It still surprised him how much she made his heart race and his stomach flutter, but he was learning to deal with it. “Well, I wanted to for you. We never really got a chance to celebrate your birthday, so...I came up with this.”

"It's not that important." She gave him a small smile. "But... thank you for remembering."

He pressed his lips to the back of her hand lightly. “It’s important to me. I would have done it sooner, but I thought it might be best to let everything settle down first.”

"It has been quite chaotic lately, hasn't it?" She shook her head at his gesture. "You're hopeless." Her tone was one of slightly exasperated fondness, though.

“Ah, but you like me hopeless,” he pointed out. Then he smiled a little. “I’d offer you a seat, but we’re actually not going to be eating here. I just wanted a familiar place to meet you.”

"Oh?" Adelheid quirked an eyebrow. "Then where are we going?"

He smiled and reached over to tap her nose lightly. “It’s a surprise. We just need to wait for the food I ordered to go and then we can head to the spot I picked.”

"Fine, be all mysterious and secretive." Adelheid raised her eyebrows. "I didn't want to know anyway." Her lips curled a bit, though.

“Oh, I know that you do~,” he all but sang, teasing her. “Reverse psychology doesn’t work the same on me as it does Enma.”

"Oh, please. I will know sooner or later if you actually take me there, and if you take me somewhere else, you can't help but finally blurt it out anyway." She smirked a bit, crossing her arms under her breasts.

He smirked back and wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her close. “Do you really think so?”

"Oh, please. When have you been able to resist me?" There were some gazes from the other people around them, some disapproving at such a clear display of affection.

“There are different kinds of resisting though.” He ignored the looks from the people nearby, instead dipping down to brush his lips against hers. “Since I want this to be a surprise, I won’t give up the secret so easily.”

"Mean." She smirked a bit. "Does it really count as keeping it a secret if you plan to tell me eventually, though?"

“Well, I’ll be showing you, not telling you technically. So it’s still a secret.” He smirked a little and ran a thumb over her bottom lip. “You’ll see it soon enough.”

"Tease." She smirked.

He smirked back, leaning in to brush his lips over her ear. His voice was quiet, but the slightest bit husky. “You have no idea~.”

"Maybe," she said with an almost mischievous tone, "I do."

His teeth nipped at the lobe playfully. “Oh? And how do you know that?”

Adelheid flushed slightly as she realized the way some of the people around them were looking at them now, but forced herself to stay calm. "I know you, Julie. Better than even you realize."

“Really now.” He quirked an eyebrow. “When did that happen?”

"Ten years from now."

“And just what did you learn from my older self?” His hand slid up her back before pulling her flush against him.

Adelheid felt the blush on her cheeks deepen. She gathered herself, though, pushing herself away from him. They were in public, for goodness' sake. There were enough people staring as it was; they'd get kicked out soon. "Why don't you wait ten years and find out?"

He chuckled a little and was about to pull her close when someone called out his order. With a sigh, he placed a hand on the small of her back and led her to the counter. “Because I’m impatient and I want to know now?”

"Then try to be a bit more patient and you might learn it sooner." A smirk.

“I think that I’ve been very patient considering my usual nature.”

"Good for you." Because if he had gotten too... impatient... in such a place, she would have had to punish him.

“Do I get a reward for being good?” His hand curled around her hip and pulled her a little closer. They were still a respectable distance away at the moment. Julie just wanted her close to him.

"Being still in possession of all your body parts is not reward enough?" she asked with a sweet smile.

“What are body parts in comparison to your kiss?” He took the bag of food as it was handed to him and led her out of the cafe and prying eyes.

"Obviously, you have already lost your brain at least."

“Oh, I lost that long ago, my dear. I lost that the moment I laid eyes on you.”

"I thought that was just your heart."

“Oh, I think that I lost it all when I saw you. You own everything of mine now.”

"Really, now? It would be easy to think otherwise." Despite her words, there was still a smile lingering on her lips.

“Do you doubt my word, my love?” He was smiling as well, knowing that she didn’t really believe that.

"Don't I always?" Her tone was somewhat teasing, now.

“No, not always. If you did, you wouldn’t have come here.”

"Perhaps I was just curious to see just how you would fail to keep your word this time."

“Have I failed to keep a word to you since we began this?”

"No, you haven't. For which I'm glad." She smiled, though it became somewhat more faint as she added, "Though it does make me wonder just how all this will go to Hell. It seems quite too good to be true."

“I know.” He took her hand in his as he led her back towards campus. “I keep wondering the same myself. But then I’ll see you or speak to you and I realize, even if it all does, it will never change how I feel about you.”

"For what it's worth, you seemed to still be rather firm in your opinions ten years from now," she pointed out.

He smiled softly, giving her hand a squeeze. “And that is a great comfort to me. And it should be one to you as well, because even if things go to hell, we find each other again. And we’re happy.”

"Find each other again? So you plan to let go of me?" She was teasing more than anything. Mostly.

“Not if I have any choice about it. I’m not planning on letting you go anytime soon.”

"Is that a threat or a promise?"

“A promise.” He looked at her. “You know that I don’t do threats.”

"Only because you're lousy as hell at actually being threatening." She smirked.

He smirked back. “Yeah, I am. But that just means that people will be caught off guard when I attack.”

"Or are too busy laughing to defend themselves."

“Whatever the reason, I’ll still catch them off guard.” He leaned over and nipped at her earlobe playfully. “I caught you off guard, didn’t I?”

"Is there a particular incident you are referring to?"

“That day in the training facility when you first let me hold you and our first date, of course.”

"...Perhaps." Something was nagging at the back of her mind, but she wasn't sure what.

He glanced at her and noticed an odd look on her face. “Is something wrong, my love?”

"No, nothing." She shook her head to clear it, then gave him a small smile. "Just... feeling weird."

His brow furrowed. “Are you sick?” In order to check her temperature, he placed his hand on her forehead. “You don’t have a fever.”

Her lips twitched. "You just want an excuse to touch me."

“Well, of course I do.” He chuckled a little. “I hope that I can come up with a better excuse than that though.”

"You are... inventive." Still that nagging feeling, as though something was at the tip of her tongue yet she couldn't quite grasp it, only this was about memory and not words.

He smirked a little and nibbled on her earlobe. “You have no idea, yet~.”

"And if I do?" She bit back a small gasp at his actions.

He did it again, teeth scraping ever so slightly over the lobe. “How would you? I haven’t gotten the chance to show you yet~.”

"You forget~ I've met a you even you haven't met yet."

Julie blinked a little bit. “Did he show you something I haven’t yet?”

"Certainly he had more excuses than you do, as he got me into a less clothed state."

He quirked an eyebrow. “I’m sure that I have more than enough excuses to get you in that state. I’m just...letting this go slow.”

"I know." For some reason she couldn't even explain herself, her smile wasn't quite as bright as it should have been. "And I do admire your restraint."

He could tell her smile wasn’t as it should be. “What’s wrong, Adel?”

"...I'm not sure." She felt like fidgeting.

“You just seemed...upset all of a sudden.”

"I just..." She paused. "It's like my mind wants to tell me something but can't."

“Could it be something from the future? You said that you didn’t remember everything.”

"Probably." She gave him a weak smile. "We were just talking about it, weren't we?" Except that wasn't the first moment she felt this weird... thing.

For a moment, he watched her. There was something else wrong, he knew it. He just wasn’t sure how to get her to talk about it. “Is that really it?”

"That's it. It just bothers me. I wish I knew more of that time. I mean, it might not come to be, but it was still kind of nice, you know?"

He stopped and put the bag of food on the ground carefully. Then he tugged her close, resting his hand on her cheek and tilting it up toward him. “It will happen. I want that future as much as you do, and I’m going to do everything I can to see that it happens.”

Adelheid gave him a faint chuckle. "What, two weeks of dealing with my heavily pregnant self wasn't enough to put you off the idea of kids forever and ever?"

With a happy sigh, he pressed his lips against hers, keeping them there as he spoke. “No. In fact, it made me want them more.”

"How is that even possible?" she murmured against his lips.

He gave a chuckle and gave her bottom lip a light, playful nip. “Because I saw just how beautiful you are when with child.”

"So I'm not beautiful enough without?"

“You know I find you beautiful, no matter what.” He pulled back with a smile, picking up the food again. “Come on, we’re almost there.”

"As though you'd dare tell me anything else," she teased. "At last. It's been a while."

“It hasn’t been that long. We aren’t walking very fast.” He could see the greenhouse ahead though, and quickened his pace. “You’ll appreciate this.”

"A greenhouse?" Adelheid raised her eyebrows. "What are you planning now?"

“A picnic.” He led her into the building and hoped that the spot he picked out had all of his things there. “We’ve never actually been on one before.”

"...That's not a bad idea, actually." In fact, it sounded like a very nice idea.

“I’m glad I picked it then.” It took another moment before they arrived in a small area with grass, a blanket spread on the ground. Julie was relieved to find that all of his things were where he left them - the small basket with drinks and other supplies, the small gift that he had wrapped in the center. “Here we are.”

Adelheid blinked. "You really did set up a picnic."

Julie laughed and moved to sit down. “Yeah, I did. Did you think I wouldn’t pull out all the stops for you?”

"I'm learning." She sat down beside him, then leant closer to place a kiss on his cheek.

He smiled at that, turning to brush his lips over hers. “I’m glad.” He started to take the food out of the bag. “I got your favorite, by the way.”

"So thoughtful of you." Her lips twitched. "Now I wonder if you actually remembered what my favourite is."

“Oh, I think that you’ll be pleasantly surprised.” He handed her a package and smiled.

"...Oh, Julie." Adelheid found herself smiling even as she inexplicably wanted to cry at the same time. "Fatty tuna onigiri?"

He nodded a little bit. “Did you think I never noticed?”

"I did think I was being sneaky."

He laughed. “Oh, you were. But there’s very little that I don’t know about you.”

"Should I just assume you are a stalker, then?" Adelheid took one of the onigiri, weighing it in her hand before taking a careful bite. Ah, birthday traditions. Though usually she made them herself.

“No. You should assume that I’m someone who cares about you a lot.” He began to eat his own food, enjoying how happy it seemed to make her.

"Still. Taking note of the detail of my choice of lunch one day a year might be seen as stalkerish extents by some." It tasted good, she noted. Even more so because Julie had noticed and remembered.

“Maybe, but you know better with me, I hope.” He smiled softly at her. “Besides, it’s rare that you make something so...expensive.”

"I did have trouble rationalizing it sometimes." She gave him a faint smile. "I always ended up telling myself it was okay for me to make my favourite lunch if I didn't otherwise fuss about my birthday."

He put his food down and placed a hand on her cheek. “You should have made a fuss. You know that we would have celebrated it with you.”

"I didn't want to be selfish."

“Oh, my love, you are the most selfless person I have ever known. None of us would have thought you selfish.”

"That's not how I thought about it." Adelheid took another bite at the onigiri, chewing and swallowing before she added, "...This is good."

He was quiet for a moment, looking down at his lap. “I am so sorry that we never said anything to you.”

Adelheid blinked. "Sorry? Why?"

“Because we should have celebrated your birthday long before this. You do so much for us, and we’ve done...nothing for you.”

Adelheid shook her head. "What are you talking about? You guys are my family." ...However small a family it was right now.

“Which means we should have done something more than what we did.”

"Like I would have let you do something so unnecessary because of me."

“Well, you’ll have to deal with it now, because I am not missing another one of your birthdays.”

"Silly thing." Adelheid shook her head. "It should be a crime to remind a woman of her age."

“Now, now, would I dare actually remind you of that? I’ll just say you’re younger than you are~”

"Clever boy." She took another bite out of the onigiri, finishing it before licking some stray bits of rice from her hand.

He laughed a little bit, watching the way her tongue moved over her hand. “Did you ever think that I wasn’t?”

"Oh, quite often." She slipped a fingertip in her mouth at the end, sucking it clean.

Julie groaned softly as his eyes stayed fixed on her mouth. “...You know, you make it very hard to think sometimes.”

Adel blinked at him in innocence. At least, it looked very much like innocence. "I do?"

He quirked an eyebrow at her. She couldn’t possibly not realize what she was doing to him. “Yes, you do. I thought that you knew that.”

"Mm. Too bad I'm yet to gain full control over my most heinous superpower." Of course it counted as a superpower. How could it not have?

“Oh, I think that you have pretty good control over it.” He leaned over and brushed his lips lightly over hers. “After all, you can get me to react.”

She laughed lightly. "And if I want to make you think, not stop it?"

“What if I don’t want to think?” he muttered, not pulling back at all.

"Then you won't provide me with very interesting conversation, now will you?"

“I provide you with very interesting conversation a good deal of the time.” He leaned in a little more, starting to push her down toward the blanket gently. “But I don’t have to think all the time.”

She let him do so, lying down on the blanket. "Oh? In which situations is thinking unnecessary, then?"

He hovered over her, careful not to press down against her yet. “Situations like this where I’m about to kiss you.”

"Oh, really?" Her lips curved into a smirk.

Something was nagging at the back of her mind, but she couldn't figure out what it was. Ah well. She was probably just hungry, still.

“Yes, really. I’m not going to pass up an opportunity like this~.” With that, he leaned down to nip playfully at her bottom lip before moving to kiss her fully.

Adelheid returned the kiss, simply lying there to enjoy the moment before lifting her hands to tangle them in his hair, knocking his hat askew in the process.

Julie let out a low rumble at the hands in his hair as he set about deepening the kiss. As his tongue traced the seam of her lips, silently asking permission to enter, he marveled at the situation. If anyone had said a couple of months ago that he would have Adelheid under him, willingly returning his affections, he would have laughed at them. Now, he wouldn’t have it any other way.

Adelheid responded by parting her lips, more than willing to go deeper into the kiss, reddish locks woven around her fingers.

Julie sighed softly into the kiss as his tongue moved inside to touch against her own softly. One of his hands ran up her stomach softly, enjoying the feel of her under his hand.

Adelheid suppressed a shiver. This was all so very new, yet... familiar, almost, in ways she couldn't entirely explain or examine. She met his tongue with her own, her hand in his hair making sure he wasn't going anywhere.

Even if her hand hadn’t been there, he wasn’t planning on moving any time soon. He was enjoying himself far too much right where he was. As he explored every inch of her mouth, moaning softly into it, his hand moved further along her torso, just along the center, until it rested between her breasts.

Adelheid was not complaining, even at the somewhat bold move. She murmured something into the kiss that might have been words or simply a name.

Just a few inches to the left or right, not even, and Julie’s hand would be filled with Adelheid’s lovely breast. But he wouldn’t take advantage of her like that. His fingers drummed softly against her chest as he sunk further into the kiss.

Adelheid had to admit she was vaguely impressed by the self-control Julie was exhibiting. Well, she would have been impressed had she still had the presence of mind to care all that much. For the moment, she allowed herself to get lost in the kiss, simply enjoying the feeling of holding her boyfriend close.

Boyfriend. She kind of liked the sound of that.

It was easy to forget where they were, or why they were there with Adelheid responding so wonderfully to him. He was tempted, so very tempted, to take it to another level, to make her want him like he wanted her. But at the same time...

At the same time, he was content to simply enjoy this moment. The feel of her pressed against him, the taste of her fruity lip gloss on her lips, the smell of the flowers around them mingling with her own soft scented perfume. He didn’t want it to end.

Adelheid fell deeper into the situation, enjoying all that her senses could perceive of it. The taste of Julie on her lips, the touch of his hands, the almost-weight of his body hovering above hers --

She froze, her body struggling to catch up with the images supplied by her mind.

He knew the moment there was something wrong. Adelheid went stiff under him, and not for any reason he could think of. So, he pulled back, looking down on her with concern.

“What’s wrong?”

Adelheid was looking right at him, yet she wasn't. Her mind was somewhere entirely else, going through images of another time, another moment, but still with those same touches, that same taste.

Her eyes widened just a fraction. "Oh, gods."

“Adelheid?” Now there truly was worry in his voice. “Adelheid, what’s wrong, love?”

"I... you... in the future, I..." She couldn't remember details yet. However, she could remember just enough to know.

“You what? What happened to you, Adelheid?” He was scared that something horrible had happened.

She closed her eyes, drawing a deep breath. "I had sex with the future you."

For a moment, Julie thought that he was hearing things. His eyes widened at the statement and his breath caught in his throat painfully. She had...

“You slept with him?”

Eyes still closed, Adelheid swallowed, managing nothing but a small, silent nod.

A million things went through his mind at that, a million things he could ask - how could this happen, what does he have that I don’t - but the only thing that comes out of his mouth is, “Why?”

"I don't know." She honestly did not. Well, she knew she'd had a reason, but it was not quite as easy to put into words.

He moved back, fixing his glasses. It was odd feeling all of these things - guilt, hurt, betrayal, some resignation. She may not have known why she didn’t sleep with him, but he had a feeling as to why. “You trusted him, didn’t you?”

"...I did." Again, Adelheid swallowed. There was something stuck in her throat.

“And you don’t trust me.” It wasn’t a question, but a statement of fact. He knew that she didn’t trust him, that he hadn’t earned that trust yet, but it still hurt to know.

"I..." Adelheid opened her eyes at last. For some reason, they were full of tears.

“I know that you don’t trust me. I’m surprised that you’ve allowed me as close as you have.” He could see the tears and he was surprised by them, but he wasn’t quite ready to comfort her yet. It still hurt for him.

"It's not that I trusted him more," she murmured. "Not really. But... the other me trusted him. And if there's anyone whose judgement I trust, it's myself... even if I always shouldn't." She swallowed. "And... it was an entirely different situation. If... if it's you, I... there's always the risk of everything going to Hell later. With him, I had little chance of ever seeing him again once I return. He was a safe you." She paused, closing her eyes again before she added, her voice barely audible, "It... didn't exactly help that he knew all my turn-ons. Even those I did not."

“And yet, even after seeing that future, you still don’t trust me. I know why, and I accept it, but that doesn’t mean I have to like it. Or that it doesn’t hurt to know that you do.” With a sigh, he moved to lay on his side next to her, his arm going over her waist. “I’m not...I don’t blame you for how you acted. But why can’t I be hurt by it? Would you be hurt if I said I slept with the future you?”

"I'm not saying you can't feel hurt," Adelheid murmured. "I'm sorry, but... it's just not simple." She shook her head. "Nothing is simple anymore..." A teary chuckle escaped her lips. "I wonder... wonder if this is some kind of divine punishment. I always thought my first time would be with you... but then it wasn't. Not the real you. Except I can't remember most of it, except that it happened." She paused, then whispered, "Either it's my punishment, or an act of mercy."

“It’s not a punishment,” he murmured, pressing his lips to her cheek softly. His arm tightened around her waist and he sighed, nuzzling her cheek a little. “Even if...even if your first time isn’t with me, as much as I wanted it to be, all that matters in the end is that you do want to be with me. When you’re ready and trust me enough, of course.” He brought his hand up to cup her cheek, turning her face toward his, and brushed his lips over hers softly. “I’m sorry I got...upset.”

"It was you," she murmured. "Just... another you." She gave her a careful gaze again. "I... at the time, it seemed like the right thing to do. the sensible thing. But it should have been you. I should have waited until I can trust you, not taken some strange substitute who comes with trust pre-installed."

He took one of her hands in his own and brought it up to his lips, pressing them to the back of it softly. “In a way, it gives me hope. I was scared for a little while that you didn’t want me. The fact that you do...it makes me happy.”

"I do. I just... I'm afraid of getting hurt." Not something she was often inclined to say, but then she was somewhat shaken right now.

He pressed his lips to hers with a sigh. “I won’t hurt you. But I know I have to prove that to you.”

Adelheid couldn't say anything to that, so all she did was kiss him back.

She felt... strange.

With another sigh into her mouth, he drew her closer, his hand running along her side. At least in this, he knew what he was doing. At least this wasn’t something he could screw up with her. He began to slowly deepen the kiss, hoping that this would be enough for now.

Adelheid leant into the kiss, trying to regain the feeling she'd had earlier. It wasn't easy. Just as she began to relax into the kiss, she was again reminded of the newly surfaced memories, shattering the moment.

Julie sighed again and pulled back from the kiss, his hand rubbing her back. “I’m sorry.”

"For?"

“For ruining this.”

"You didn't."

He reached up to brush his hand over her cheek lightly, watching her. “Are you sure?”

"You didn't. I did." She sighed.

“You didn’t ruin it though.” He kissed her softly again. “You couldn’t control remembering what you did.”

"So how are you to blame for the situation, either?"

He opened his mouth to say something before closing it. She had a point. “You’re right. Neither of us are to blame.” He ran his thumb over her bottom lip lightly. “Let’s just enjoy the rest of the day.”

"...Right." Adelheid managed a small smile. "We didn't even finish the food yet."

He smiled at her. “We haven’t. And I don’t want you to miss out on your special treat.”

"You're the one who kissed me first," she pointed out.

“Only because you’re so irresistible.” He sat up and grabbed the package for her onigiri, holding it out for her. “I promise not to do so again until you’ve finished your food, my darling~.”

"So gracious of you." She sat up as well, taking another onigiri and biting into it.

He smiled and reached for his own food. “When you’re done with that, I have a gift for you.”

"Oh?" She raised her eyebrows. "It seems you are truly determined to make up for my missed birthdays."

“It’s going to take a long time to make up for that.” He took her hand and gave it a squeeze. “But I will, I promise.”

"...I guess the least I can do is give you the chance to try." She smiled, the proceeded to finish the onigiri.

“Thank you for that.” He finished his own food before reaching over for the package. “Would you like your gift now?”

"I guess." She eyed the package curiously, trying to guess what it could be.

He placed the small square package in her hand. “It’s a two part gift. And please, don’t make any assumptions from this yet.” Don’t hit me yet wasn’t said, but by his tone, it was certainly implied.

Adelheid's eyebrows flew up at that, but she didn't say anything. She licked off some grains of rice from her hand before starting to open the package. As she got it open, she found herself looking at a collar. "I assume you have an explanation for this."

“It’s not what you think. It’s not anything kinky or perverted. But we’ll need to go to my room to get the gift that goes with that.” He didn’t want to say what he had gotten her yet.

"Something to go with this?" Adelheid blinked. "You got me a pet?"

He chuckled a little and 3stood. “Come with me and find out~.”

"How could I say no to that?" She stood up, now, wiping away the last of her tears.

Julie smiled and took her hand, leading her toward the dorms. He would clean the area up later, after he had given Adelheid her gift. “You could, but now you’re curious.”

"True enough." She gave him a small chuckle, entwining her fingers with his.

He smiled fondly when she laced their fingers together. It still surprised him a bit when she so willingly returned his affections, but he was slowly getting used to it. He gave their arms a little swing. “I think that you’ll like what I go for you.”

"I do hope so~" She smirked. "It's got to be very cute to make up for this." She held the collar up in her free hand.

He laughed a little. “You won’t be disappointed, I assure you.”

"I hope for your sake that I won't." A chuckle. "I suppose you and Cavallone are far too similar in the end."

“You and Hibari seem to say that a lot. How are we similar this time?”

"Hibari got his puppy as a surprise Christmas gift from Cavallone."

Julie laughed at that as he led her up the steps to their dormitory. “Somehow, that doesn’t surprise me. I suppose we think similarly because our...what was the word that Hibari used?...our carnivores are very similar in some ways as well.”

"Well, I suppose it does take a special brand of insane to deal with the likes of us." She had to admit she was quite curious to see just what Julie had gotten her. A collar implied a dog, but that still didn't narrow it down much.

“Oh, I don’t know if we’re insane. We’re just very much in love.”

"Considering how crazy one would have to be to fall in love with either of us, that's the same thing," Adelheid teased.

Julie smiled and lifted their joined hands to his lips, pressing them to the back of her hand. “If that’s what it takes to be with you, then I’ll be crazy forever.”

"Crazy about me, eh?"

“Very much so.” He stopped in front of his door and smiled at her. “I hope that you’re ready.”

"Ready as I'll ever be," she replied easily.

With a chuckle, he opened the door. Immediately, there was a small, fluffy dog bounding toward him, yipping and barking. He bent down to pat the dog for a moment before picking it up and turning towards Adelheid. “This, my love, is your birthday gift.”

"Oh, he's adorable!" Despite herself, Adelheid couldn't help the sudden outburst. It wasn't like anyone could blame her for it, surely. The cute little dog was just irresistible. "...He? Or she?"

Julie chuckled and held the puppy out to her for her to take. He yipped, trying to get closer to Adelheid. “The puppy is a boy. They tend to be less aggressive than females, actually. And you said you didn’t want a dog that was too aggressive.”

Adelheid held the dog close, chuckling a bit. "Is that just your way of saying aggressive females are a bad thing, hmm?"

He ran a hand over the dog’s fur, smiling. “Not at all. I like my females to be strong and aggressive. I’m just trying to give you what you want, dear~.”

"Sure you are." Adelheid scratched the dog behind the ears. "I suppose you need a name, huh~"

“I thought that I would leave that to you.” He smiled at her as he scratched the puppy under his chin. “He is yours, after all.”

"A name for a little dog, hmm..." Adelheid was thoughtful for a moment, then smirked. "Amaterasu."

“Amaterasu,” he muttered thoughtfully. He bent down and looked at the puppy. “What do you think of that one, pup?” When the puppy barked at Julie and licked his face, he laughed. “I think he likes it.”

"Good boy," Adelheid praised, petting the puppy. "I'll have to raise you well, don't I? Have to have at least one man who'll listen to what I say~"

“Hey, I listen to what you say. Most of the time.” He reached over to scratch behind the puppy’s ears. “Mama’s being mean, isn’t she little one?”

"I'm only telling the truth," Adelheid shot back. "Don't listen to him, Amaterasu."

“If I didn’t listen to you, I wouldn’t have gotten you the type of dog you like the best.”

"Just because sometimes you do listen doesn't mean you do so most of the time."

“I’ve listened to you more often than not as of late,” he pointed out, a little annoyed.

"I know, I know." She poked his nose, the gesture one of gentle teasing more than anything.

Julie blinked a little bit at that, his nose wrinkling. “What was that for?”

"I felt like it," she replied. "Why, did you want me to cry again instead?"

“Well, no, of course not. I never want you to cry.”

"Well, I'm not going to apologize.”

He stared at her for a moment before poking her nose. “I wasn’t expecting you to.”

"I know, I know." Adelheid hid her face in the puppy's fur.

He watched her with a faint smile on his face. “You know, I think you may just be cuter than little Amaterasu.”

"You're biased on that matter," Adelheid pointed out.

“That may be, but it’s still true.” He reached over and played with a strand of her hair.

"You can't claim something is true when it's a matter of subjective opinion." She leant her head into his touch ever so slightly.

He continued to play with her hair, stroking his fingers through it softly. “Yes I can. Because it’s true to me.”

"Biased," she said again. "Amaterasu's just downright adorable. There's nothing adorable about me."

“I think that you’re extremely adorable. The way you just buried your face in his fur was adorable, and the way you’re denying it is adorable.”

"You're just twisted, that's all." Adelheid snorted, drawing away but keeping her eyes still on the puppy in her arms. "I guess the little fellow needs food."

Julie smiled and opened his door a little more. “I thought of that. His dish is over by the desk and the food is in a bag on top of the desk.”

"You really did think this through, didn't you?" Adelheid gave him a smile.

“Did you think that I wouldn’t?” He led her into the room, going over to fill the dog bowl with food.

"Well, at least I see you are going to teach him to hang around your room."

Julie laughed a little bit. “Well, he needs to be able to go to both of his parents, right~?”

A small chuckle escaped Adelheid's lips. "You know, usually it's the girl who informs the guy he's suddenly a parent."

“Well, you do keep calling me strange,” he pointed out, putting the bowl back down on the floor for the puppy.

"You like me. What else could I think?" She set the puppy down on the floor, watching as he practically attacked his food.

Julie watched the puppy with fascination. “...You’d think I hadn’t fed him at all today. And you could think that I’m just a normal man in love.”

"He's a puppy," Adelheid reminded him. "He's a growing thing and needs his food. And one would think that a sane man would fall for a less difficult woman."

“Oh, I know. I’m just saying that one could think I didn’t feed him.” He was quiet a moment before reaching out to cup her cheeks. “Why would I want that when I can have the perfect one in you?”

"Flatterer." Then why was she flushing?

“It doesn’t make it any less true though.”

"It does make your sincerity questionable." Yet she wasn't drawing away.

He moved closer to her, their bodies nearly touching. “Why do you think I wouldn’t be sincere?”

"Oh, you might well be. It just proves your insanity."

“Would you have me any other way?”

"I suppose not. You really have ruined my sense."

He laughed lightly, leaning in to rest his forehead against hers. “Is that such a bad thing?”

"We'll see eventually, won't we?"

“I suppose that we will.” He brought his other hand up to frame her face and leaned in slowly to press his lips to hers.

Or he would have if he didn’t hear barking and have tiny teeth nipping at his ankle. “Ow!”

"Amaterasu!" Adelheid looked down, startled by the barking. "What's the matter?"

The puppy looked up at Adelheid and barked, tail wagging. Julie just stared at him. “I think he was jealous.”

"He just met me a moment ago," Adelheid pointed out. "I hardly think he's already that attached."

“I meant that he’s jealous that he’s not getting any attention.” He reached down to pick up Amaterasu, running a hand over his back. “He’s a puppy, so he probably wants to play.”

"Takes after you, obviously." She smirked.

Julie just smirked back. “Which means you’ll love him even more.”

"Someone's certain of himself." Adelheid scratched Amaterasu behind the ears. "Try not to become too much like him, okay, boy?"

He quirked an eyebrow. “I’d be offended if I thought that you meant that.”

"Well, I'd like one of you to stay cute and innocent."

“...I’m still cute.” He scratched the puppy’s neck softly. “I’m just a different brand of cute.”

"You're an insufferable brand."

“If I’m so insufferable, why are you with me?”

"Repeated exposure builds resistance, I suppose."

“Again, I’d be offended if I thought that you meant that.” He pressed his lips to hers softly. “I know better though.”

"Well, either I don't mean that, or I'm just as insane as you are."

“Oh, I don’t think that you’re insane at all.” Amaterasu yipped and leaned up to lick Adelheid’s chin. “...I think someone feels left out.”

"The poor dear." Adelheid scratched him again. "Worry not, I'll give you plenty of attention."

Julie gave a little whine. “I want some attention too.”

"You've already gotten plenty of attention from me, though," Adelheid pointed out. "Amaterasu and I just met."

“And we just got together.” He leaned over to kiss her again. “You could always give us both attention~”

"Assuming the baby doesn't get jealous again because he wants all the attention instead of just some."

“Oh, I’m sure that he’ll be okay with it.” He moved in for a kiss. “Please, Adel~.”

"I'm just teasing." Adelheid placed her lips against his.

He smiled and returned the kiss, sighing happily into it. “Good. Because I would be the one getting jealous if you weren’t.”

"Silly boy." Adelheid brought up a hand to play with his goatee. "You have just as furry a chin for me to scratch~"

He blinked and then laughed a little bit. “I never would have thought of it like that, but I suppose that you’re right.”

"Of course I'm right." She tugged lightly at the goatee. "It's kind of cute... even if it does tickle."

With a chuckle, he leaned in to nip at her bottom lip. “You like it~.”

"I don't hate it." She chuckled.

“It would be weird if I shaved it off.” He rubbed his chin. “And it makes me look dashing and debonair. So I know you like it~”

"You're just attached to it because it's the only thing that makes you look older than fifteen."

“That’s not true at all. I keep it because it makes me look suave. I look older than fifteen without my goatee.”

"What, sixteen and half?"

“Haha, very funny. I look my age when I shave off my goatee. Which isn’t happening any time soon.”

"Well, in that case, you cannot prove that." Smirk.

Julie laughed and pressed his lips to hers. “I’m not that competitive remember? That doesn’t work on me.”

"Pity." Adelheid sighed. "Guess I'll just have to set it on fire some time when you're sleeping."

“Aw, but then you’d ruin my pretty face~”

"Oh, dear Julie. If I can't do anything to control a little fire, who can?"

“...I’d rather not be doused with ice, thank you.”

"Aw, I thought you liked me." Almost a pout.

“I do like you, very much.” He nipped playfully at her bottom lip. “But I’m not a fan of going hot to cold in five seconds flat.”

Adelheid laughed. "Makes you even more insane for dating me."

“Oh, I wouldn’t say that. I always think that you’re very hot~”

"Ah, but if you start feeling too heated, I might just have to make you cool down."

“I don’t know about that. I happen to like the heat~ Desert is my flame, after all.”

"But if you get too hot under the collar, I just might melt~ And that's obviously no good for glaciers."

He leaned in and pressed his lips against her softly. “When I’m done, you won’t mind a little melting~”

"Silly Julie. Melting makes ice disappear, remember." Then why wasn't she drawing away?

“Hm. But it takes glaciers hundreds, sometimes even thousands, of years to melt, so it doesn’t disappear right away.”

"I'm smaller than most glaciers, I should hope."

Julie laughed, kissing her softly. “You are. But you won’t disappear.”

"And how can you be so sure about that, hmm, wise guy?"

“Because you’re stronger than that.”

"And now you go for the flattery. What do you know, you're learning." She smiled at him.

He smiled a little. “Is it flattery if it’s true?” The puppy in his arms barked, his tail wagging. “See? He agrees with me.”

"He probably is just saying he wants some attention, too." Adelheid smiled at the little puppy.

“Hm...nah. He was agreeing with me, weren’t you boy?” He scratched behind his ear as the puppy barked again.

"I really don't think we're going to have much luck using the baby to back our arguments when he hasn't even learned to speak."

“Aw, I know what he’s saying. He’s agreeing with his papa.”

"Are you saying he would disagree with his mama?"

“I’m saying that he knows his papa is right about his mama.”

"He only agrees with you because you've fed him." Why exactly was she arguing against a compliment to herself?

“I don’t think that’s it at all.” He nuzzled the puppy. “He just knows his mama is a strong woman.”

Adelheid couldn't help but laugh. "I bet you only got me a puppy to get a second vote for all your own opinions."

Julie smiled and shook his head. “No, I got him to see that smile on your face.”

"I don't hear you complain about the additional benefits, though." Adelheid took the puppy from him, receiving a lick for her troubles. "Fine. I'll admit, I'll admit. I'm strong." She smirked a bit. "I have to be strong and a bit of a bitch to take this cutie away from his papa."

Julie laughed. “Now, now, I didn’t say any of that.”

"Didn't say any of what?" Adelheid raised her eyebrows.

“I didn’t say that you were a bitch.”

"Nah, I'm well aware of that fact all by myself."

“I don’t think that you’re a bitch at all.” He scratched the top of the puppy’s head. “And I’m sure this little guy doesn’t think so either.”

"I'm just not going to tell him," Adelheid replied. "Have to protect his innocence somehow."

He chuckled a little bit. “I’m sure that he’s going to be plenty innocent. No one will be able to take that from him.”

"Not even being raised by me?"

He smiled and cupped her cheek. “Especially then.”

"You don't seem very innocent."

He laughed a little. “Yeah, but you won’t let me corrupt him.”

"Of course I won't, but my point here was that my best attempts at raising you didn't stop you from turning out like this."

“That was different though. We were children raising each other. We’re not children anymore.”

"You could fool me sometimes." She poked him more or less gently.

Julie laughed and brought her hand to his mouth, nipping at the tip of the finger that poked him. “Darling, I’m a man. I will always act like a child.”

"True enough." She laughed. "I'll keep that in mind."

He smiled before glancing at the puppy in her arms. “Aw, he fell asleep. He must be worn out.”

"He's had a lot of new things to take in," Adelheid chuckled. "I suppose I should take him to my room and find somewhere for him to sleep."

“Yeah, that would be a good idea.” He ran his hand along the puppy’s back. “Would you like me to walk you back?”

"That would be awfully gentlemanly of you."

“I’m always a gentleman~,” he answered, going to grab the dog food and bowl. “Besides, I don’t think you can take everything at once.”

"So sweet of you." She rewarded him with a little peck on the cheek.

He smiled gently at that, giving her a brief nuzzle. “We should go before the little one wakes up.”

Adelheid laughed softly. "You sound just like your older self while talking about the kids."

“Well, he is our baby. That doesn’t surprise me.”

"And a cute baby he is." Adelheid smiled down at the puppy, then at Julie. "...Thank you."

He smiled back at her. “You don’t have to thank me. That smile of yours is all the thanks that I need.”

Adelheid couldn't help but chuckle at that. "My, you really are getting sappy."

“I can’t seem to help myself around you.” He leaned over to give her cheek a kiss. “I guess you just have that effect on me.”

"One would think you'd be immune by now."

“I doubt that will happen. I don’t want to be immune anyway.”

"Silly thing." Far it be from her to complain, though.

Right now, however, she wanted to get their furry little baby to sleep.