It was a sunny day, and Sone was sprawled across the floor of the mansion they'd been given. The hybrid lay beside him, and both of them were suffering in the heat.
Kiro had gone out to buy food with Worh and Eduin, leaving the hedgehog-looking guy alone with the wolf girl.
"I'm dyiiiiing!" the hybrid wailed, desperate.
Sone just stared at her. When she turned her face toward him, he flipped her off.
Her ears twitched in annoyance, and she began charging power in her hands.
Before she could do anything, a portal opened near the living room. Sone and the hybrid looked over and slowly crept closer.
A woman stepped out, her purple eyes glowing. It was Leslie.
"Warm greetings, Sone, and your..." She trailed off when she saw the hybrid.
"Yesyesyesyes, warm greetings! Let me introduce this hybrid, who still hasn't told us her name, and she's a wolf," Sone said, as casually as if he were introducing a roommate.
The two women locked eyes. Leslie stepped forward and took Sone by the arm.
"I can see you're hot. How about we go get ice cream?" she said, smiling and keeping her voice low. "It's to make up for earlier, if you remember."
"Sure, I'd love that, honestly," Sone said.
The hybrid watched them, noticing how close they stood.
"Can I come too?" she asked eagerly. "I can't stand this heat. Back in the cave I never felt it, because it was freezing in there."
Leslie stared at her, and an idea crossed her mind. She opened another portal, and a refrigerator stuffed with ice cream slid out of it.
The hybrid pounced on it, grabbed a cone, and started licking it with gusto.
"Well, wow, then we don't even have to go to the ice cream sh..." Sone began.
He never finished the word. Leslie dragged him off by the arm.
"Think of it as a date. The fridge is for her," Leslie said with a pout.
Sone went rigid, with no idea how to react.
They walked through the streets until they reached an ice cream shop nearby, then stepped inside and went up to the counter.
"Two vanilla with chocolate chips, please," Leslie said, leaning on the counter with her elbows.
The employee handed over the order in no time. Leslie pulled out a wallet, and it was Sone's.
*How did my wallet end up in her hands?* Sone wondered.
Leslie paid, walked over, and handed him his cone. Sone took it without hesitation, and they sat down at a table.
The silence between them was warm. They shared the moment in peace.
Then Leslie looked Sone in the eyes, which turned out to be a grave mistake. Her ice cream slipped from her hand and splattered on the floor.
She stared down at the mess, blank-eyed, and blinked so hard that a tear squeezed out.
Sone didn't waste a second. He moved to the seat next to her and held his own ice cream up to her mouth.
Leslie accepted without protest and took a giant bite that left only half the cone. Sone stared at her in disbelief.
"Oh, sorry, I got carried away," Leslie said, and then she took one last bite that finished it off.
Without a word, Sone wiped her lips clean. For a moment she looked at his. He finished wiping but left his finger resting on her lower lip.
Slowly, Sone leaned closer. Leslie reacted fast, slapping him so hard she almost launched him across the shop and wrecked the place.
"Ow!" Sone yelped.
"You're going too fast. You're making me even more nervous than I already am, idiot," Leslie said, looking away, her cheeks flushed a soft pink.
Sone pressed a hand to his cheek, feeling the heat burn through it.
"But you didn't have to HIT me!" he squeaked.
Leslie finally looked at him and nodded, but this time she leaned in and rubbed her nose against his.
Several people stopped to watch the tender moment. Sone's eyes went wide, and he stared straight into hers.
He held her gaze, their noses still touching, until Leslie pulled away, blushing.
*She slaps me for going fast, but she's the one who gets affectionate in a flash. Ironic,* Sone thought.
Leslie slowly opened a portal, pulled out a cup of coffee, and handed it to him. Sone took it and downed a big gulp.
"So, um... when are we making it official?" Leslie asked, not looking at him.
"What?" Sone blurted, with no idea what to say.
*Hmm, what do I tell her? I know, I'll say, "Not yet, not until we get to know each other 100%. After that, you'll be mine,"* Sone thought.
"Not yet, not until we get to know each other 100%. After that, you'll be mine," Sone said, following his own thoughts word for word.
"What?" Leslie said, not understanding.
*Oh, crap...* he thought.
"I mean getting to know each other better, going on dates, or whatever. I'm not exactly relationship material, but I'd give it a try," Sone said.
"I understand, but you'll have to teach me about dates. I don't know much about them, only that they're outings," Leslie said, blushing with embarrassment.
*I'll have to ask Kiro for advice, since he seems to get along really well with his little friend,* he thought.
Sone jumped up, grabbed her by the arm, and pulled her out of the shop and down the street.
"Where are we going?" Leslie asked.
"To the beach. The sky's about to change, and I want you to see the view," Sone said.
When they arrived, they sat at the water's edge and watched the sun sink little by little. A glow lit up Leslie's face as she took in the sunset.
"It's beautiful," Leslie said suddenly, her voice soft.
Sone nodded and gave her a little nudge on the shoulder. Leslie turned and nudged him back with way too much force. It shoved him forward, and Sone fell into the sea.
He slowly surfaced, face drenched and hair soaked, which made him look younger. He studied her for a moment, then flung a handful of water at her. Leslie didn't take long to retaliate. She launched herself at him, and their bodies crashed into the water together.
Night fell over them. Leslie rested her forehead against Sone's, and they stared at each other. A small smile spread across her face, and she tousled his hair into a messy tangle.
She kissed his cheek, and Sone's eyes went wide. His face turned red, and he froze.
Leslie slowly opened a portal, but before she stepped through, she paused and made a heart with her fingers.
"Goodbye, Soneki," she said, giving him a nickname.
She crossed through, and the portal closed at once. Sone stared at the spot where she had stood and scratched the back of his neck.
*She gave me a nickname already,* he thought.
A faint warmth spread through his body. He looked up at the stars appearing in the night sky, then slowly waded out of the water and walked back to the mansion.
His wet clothes dripped water on the floor as he came in. Kiro was reading a book. He looked up and took a deep breath.
*I just mopped the floor... ah.*
Sone strolled in as if nothing had happened and headed for the bathroom, but he paused for a moment to glance at the living room. Worh was stretched out on the couch while the hybrid stroked his ear, repeating the same gesture Worh had made toward her. Sone smiled to himself and kept going.
Eduin was standing in the hallway and saw him heading for the bathroom.
"Don't take forever singing in there. I need a shower too," Eduin said.
"Wait an hour, mwahaha," Sone replied with a grin.
He stepped into the bathroom and turned on the shower.
The wind rattled the windows, and the night showed a sky full of stars... They would be at peace for a little while.