Takumi was a little distracted as he worked, and his coworkers teased him.

"I'm just trying to think of what I can do to create a memorable two week's celebration with my girlfriend," he explained.

Hori groaned, "God I hate you. Trade problems with me you freaking womanizer!"

"I'm not womanizing. I adore her, and I'm totally serious!" Takumi protested. "I need to think of something really good, because I really want to make her totally fall for me."

One of the married men, Endo, suggested suddenly, "Make sure that you do something she's comfortable with."

Takumi turned away from his screen and raised an eyebrow.

"My wife told me recently that while we were dating, her favorite date wasn't any of the times that we dressed up and went out, but the time where we got ice cream and spent the whole evening playing WorldCraft," Endo explained.

Hori leaned over and asked Endo, "How did you find her?"

Endo cleared his throat and studied his own screen intently. "Table tennis ricochet."

--

When Takumi finally picked Eri up from the library after work, she told him worriedly, "Chisa says she's going to start dating my uncle, and that's why she's been so happy about breaking up with the guy she was… um, dating."

He looked at her a little blankly. "Okay? Do you disapprove?"

"I don't know, she's had a crush on him forever." Eri shrugged uncomfortably. "But he's a lot older, and he has always treated her like a little kid before now. I don't know?"

Takumi reached out and pulled her close so that he could hug her gently, before suggesting, "So let them figure it out? Isn't the worst case that she finds out her crush was really just that, and they break up after awhile?"

Eri explained uncertainly, "But my uncle never dates anyone that I know of."

He grinned at her suddenly. "So you're actually more worried that your friend will hurt your uncle? I thought you were worried about your friend."

"I'm worried about both of them, I love them both," she protested.

Takumi reached up and slid his finger along one of her curls. "Then let's just hope that they'll both be really happy in the end, whatever happens between them," he said comfortingly.

After a moment Eri nodded, and pressed her cheek into his hand. He leaned in and kissed her.

"Want to go get ice cream?" he asked.

She smiled up at him and nodded.

--

Takumi took Eri to a grocery store.

She gazed at him with such surprise that he asked a little nervously, "Would you rather go to a shop? I thought you'd rather get it here because it's less expensive, and we can also pick up ingredients for supper and breakfast?"

"I want to get it here," Eri agreed quickly.

She clung to his hand as they shopped, which made him happier than he expected. And when they reached the freezers, he watched her expressions change as she tried to choose a flavor with a great deal of amusement.

After a little while Takumi suggested, "Why don't you just choose several you like?"

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"They won't fit in your freezer," Eri pointed out.

"One or two will, and we can eat some right away?"

"Which ones do you like best?" she asked. But before he could answer, she added anxiously, "And don't say you don't care?"

He repressed a laugh as he replied cheerfully, "I like chocolate or fruit flavors best. And don't complain that I'm not specifying a fruit, because I haven't found one that I don't like yet."

"I don't like very many kinds of melon," she admitted. "Or mangos."

"How about this cherry cheesecake flavor and that chocolate mint?" he suggested a couple that she'd looked at for awhile.

"Okay," she agreed happily.

--

After they finished shopping, Takumi took her home. Eri gazed up at him questioningly when they reached the door and found a bouquet of flowers waiting in front of it.

He grinned at her and explained, "Well I couldn't really surprise you with them if I made you choose them while we were shopping could I?"

She kissed him enthusiastically, and then released him before he was ready, so that she could pick up the flowers while he opened the door.

Takumi drew a deep breath as he hurried into the apartment and set everything on the counter before turning, pulling her up tight against him, and asking, "Can we?"

Eri leaned into him a little shyly and admitted, "I want to, but our ice cream will melt."

He turned away from her again, picked up the two flavors and asked, "Which first?"

After a moment of indecision, she chose the chocolate mint. He tucked the other flavor into the small freezer compartment and put away the other cold things. She smiled a little as she watered the bouquet.

He turned back to her with the ice cream in his hands, and asked, "Want to play with it?"

"Play with it?" she repeated with puzzlement.

"We can start by feeding it to each other," he replied with a suggestive grin.

"Start what?"

He raised an eyebrow. "I'm suggesting we mix sensations, fool around with the cream?"

She blinked at him with a startled expression, and then shyly nodded. He pulled out a spoon, and they sat on the bed near the balcony before he offered her the first bite.

Takumi kissed her slowly and then told her teasingly, "You're delicious."

Eri fed him the next bite, and watched as he sucked the spoon dry.

After a few exchanges he asked gently, "Ready to do a little more?"

"Okay?" she agreed curiously.

He pushed her back against the bed and dropped a small spoonful on her skin. She gasped, and he bent and licked the cold cream off of her.

--

When they finished, Takumi picked up the carton and said smugly, "That was the best ice cream I've ever eaten."

Eri laughed and complained, "But we wasted part of it."

He pounced on her and pinned her to the bed. "Anytime you want to waste food again, I'm totally up for it," he informed her seriously. "I loved every second of it."

He kissed her, and she blushed so cutely that he had to kiss her again.

"It was fun," she agreed.

He kissed her once more before asking, "What would you like to do next? Should I tear up a few flowers and make love to you on a bed of rose petals? Do you want to go out? We can do anything you want."

Eri wrapped her arms around him and asked hesitantly, "Can we take a nap then?"

Takumi reached out and caressed her face. "Sure," he agreed.

He rolled off of her and pulled the covers out from under her like a magician doing a table trick and she laughed. Then he covered her up and crawled in beside her. She fell asleep quickly and he watched her sleep for a while.

--

When she woke up quite a while later, Eri immediately apologized.

Takumi looked at her and said firmly, "It's fine Eri." He reached out and caressed her as he told her, "You'll probably get tired more often now, so don't be afraid to rest?"

She flinched, and went pale.

"I'm sorry," he apologized uncertainly.

"It's okay, I just sort of forgot for awhile," she explained uncomfortably.

He looked at her for a moment and then said ruefully, "I'm really sorry Eri. It's not going to go away if you forget about it, but if you're happier when you're not thinking about it then I really want to distract you more."

She just looked at him for a minute without speaking. Finally she asked, "Want to go for a walk somewhere? It feels kind of like all we do is eat and make out?"

"Too boring?" he asked uncomfortably.

She grinned at him suddenly. "There's nothing boring about you Takumi, so can we do a few boring things sometimes so I have time to rest?"

He kissed her until she gasped for breath, then told her almost fiercely, "I love you. Let's go walk by the river?"

"Yeah," she agreed with a shy smile.