Maruki had already begun his usual routine—his quiet, polite exit.
His fingers tucked back into his pocket, and with an easy, practiced motion, he dipped forward slightly, just the barest inclination of a bow.
“Well then,” he murmured, the words smooth, automatic. “I won’t keep you any longer—”
And then—
"—that way we can go on a date."
For the first time in a long, long while, Takuto Maruki stopped.
It wasn’t just a slight hesitation, not the quiet, calculated pauses he sometimes took in conversation. No, this was a full stop, a complete derailment of the train of thought he had so carefully constructed.
His breath hitched just slightly, his weight shifting awkwardly as his head lifted to look at her, blinking rapidly, dark brown eyes staring in what could only be described as pure, unfiltered confusion.
His mouth, which had been poised to continue speaking, parted—then hung open.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
1/2
His fingers tucked back into his pocket, and with an easy, practiced motion, he dipped forward slightly, just the barest inclination of a bow.
“Well then,” he murmured, the words smooth, automatic. “I won’t keep you any longer—”
And then—
"—that way we can go on a date."
For the first time in a long, long while, Takuto Maruki stopped.
It wasn’t just a slight hesitation, not the quiet, calculated pauses he sometimes took in conversation. No, this was a full stop, a complete derailment of the train of thought he had so carefully constructed.
His breath hitched just slightly, his weight shifting awkwardly as his head lifted to look at her, blinking rapidly, dark brown eyes staring in what could only be described as pure, unfiltered confusion.
His mouth, which had been poised to continue speaking, parted—then hung open.
Nothing came out.
A blink.
Another.
And then, finally—
“Uhh.”