Summary: A regular date night out turns into a big moment for Drake and Mika.
“This is what you want to do tonight?”
Drake comes to a halt, eyebrows raised and a skeptical look on his face as he takes in the neon lights in front of them. The scent of sugary sweet cotton candy and buttery popcorn wafts around them, and Mika tugs at Drake’s hand impatiently, pulling him in through the entrance.
“It’s my turn to pick the date night activity,” she reminds him gleefully after she buys them wristbands. “And you owe me for last time.”
“How do I owe you?” Drake asks in protest, yanking Mika to the side to avoid being barreled into by several children rushing by them.
“You made me go horseback riding, and you know horses and I don’t get along,” she reminds him.
She scowls as a smile dances across his face. “Nothing bad happened,” he points out.
“My butt hurt.”
She stops in front of Zero Gravity, looking at Drake expectantly.
“I have a feeling a lot more than just my butt will hurt by the end of tonight,” he grumbles, joining her in line.
For all his grumbling, Mika can tell Drake is having fun as they go on ride after ride.
“You’ve been holding out on me. You’re such an adrenaline junkie,” she laughs as they get off the Zipper.
Drake shrugs, twining their fingers together as they meander towards the food stands. “I might be having a little fun,” he allows.
Mika rolls her eyes, bumping his hip with hers. “You know it’s okay to have fun,” she teases him. “That’s the whole point of going out.”
She can see Drake hide a smile as he shakes his head at her. “Yeah, yeah,” he says.
He buys them cotton candy at her insistence, and she grins as a piece of the blue sugary treat catches on his nose, swiping it off with her finger. They share a bag of popcorn as they wander through the midway games, Mika leaning into his side, just enjoying this moment with him that for a while, she hadn’t thought would be a reality.
“You know these games are designed to make you fail,” Drake says.
“Yes, mister party pooper, I know,” she retorts, jabbing his side lightly.
“I’m not a party pooper,” he insists. “I’m just saying. You’re better off saving your money.”
“Oh? And what would you spend all that saved money on?” Mika says it lightly, means it to be teasing, but Drake’s neck flushes red for some reason, and she looks at him in confusion.
“What’s wrong?” she asks.
“Nothing,” he mutters. “Let’s go do another ride.”
“But-“
“We haven’t done the Ferris wheel yet.”
“Drake,” she calls unhappily as he goes to walk away.
He keeps holding her hand, but she can tell something is bothering him. Drake insists the rest of the night that nothing is wrong, that the comment about saving money was just that: a random comment. It’s taken him so long to really trust her and open up to her that it bothers her, a lot, when he’s closed off like this.
They make their way through the rest of the food booths, but she’s lost her appetite and really just wants to go home. The rest of the evening is silent and almost awkward between them. She feels like crying in frustration, which frustrates her even more. She never cries.
When they finally get in Drake’s truck to drive home, he sits stiffly in the driver’s seat, staring straight ahead. Rain starts falling, lightly at first, then a little heavier. Mika slumps against the passenger door, staring out the window. She’s confused when Drake pulls into a quiet cul-de-sac after a few minutes; it’s not raining that hard out. She turns in her seat, waiting for him to speak, the windshield wipers and the rain the only sounds for a few moments. Finally, Drake sighs, and rests his hand on hers.
“What do you think of this neighborhood?” he asks.
The question takes her by surprise, not at all what she was expecting him to say. “This neighborhood? I mean…”
Mika glances out the window. It’s almost dark, but she suddenly recognizes where they are, from when she’d pleaded with Drake to drive her around after she’d moved here. “I need to have some idea of where I’m going,” she’d explained.
She remembers this neighborhood, the quiet, tree-lined streets, the cute two-story houses with front porches. She’s always wanted a front porch. There’s a park not far away, and it’s close to a coffee shop she’s started frequenting. The older woman who owns it always asks about her “handsome young man”, and it makes her cheeks turn pink.
“This is my dream neighborhood,” she remembers telling Drake as they drove through it.
On days when he was busy and she wasn’t working, she’d taken to coming here and walking around, delighting in the friendly greetings she got.
“I love this neighborhood,” she finally tells Drake, swallowing at the sudden lump that’s formed in her throat. “My dream neighborhood,” she murmurs, smiling faintly.
“Why?” she asks, and Drake starts to fidget in his seat, squeezing her fingers reflexively.
“There’s a house for sale,” he explains, pointing at the For Sale sign she hadn’t noticed through the rain.
“Oh?” she says, then, “Oh” as it suddenly hits her.
“Drake, have you been saving up for a house?”
His neck turns red again as he sheepishly runs his free hand over his hair. “Yes,” he admits.
“But you love your house,” she whispers, voice thick with emotion.
“I do. But it’s full of my stuff, and memories of my family, and…” he sucks in a breath. “You moved to another country to be with me. I want us to have a place that’s ours. To make our own memories.”
He grunts in surprise as Mika hastily undoes her seatbelt and launches herself at him, burying her face in his neck and wrapping her arms around him.
“I take it this is a good thing?” he asks, squeezing an arm around her and running his other hand through her hair.
She pulls back, eyes glimmering, and presses her lips to his. “It’s a very good thing,” she murmurs. “I can’t believe you didn’t tell me.”
Mika climbs back to her seat, opening the door.
“Where are you going? It’s raining!” Drake says.
Mika shrugs, turning in a slow circle and looking up at the dark gray sky with a smile. “It’s just water. Come on! We have to celebrate!”
Drake grumbles quietly but joins her, watching in amusement as she spins in another circle, the rain dampening her jeans and making her straightened hair go back to its naturally wavy state.
“You know we haven’t actually bought the house yet,” Drake points out.
“We will,” she says confidently. “Now come on!”
“I am not performing Singin’ in the Rain,” he insists, but he grins as she loops her arms around his neck and he lifts her up.
She shrieks as he spins them around, bringing her mouth to his, sighing into his mouth as he strokes his tongue over hers.
“You’re ridiculous,” he murmurs, his lips soft and sure as he kisses her again.
“You love it,” she smiles, threading her fingers into his damp hair.
“I do love it,” he confirms, setting her back down but keeping his arms wrapped around her.
He chuckles as she tilts her head back and sticks her tongue out. Mika looks at him pointedly and he shakes his head. “Nope.”
“Drake. No one can see us. Be silly for once.”
“I am plenty…silly,” he protests, but he gives in when she tugs his head down and kisses him.
They’re both soaking wet when they finally climb back in his truck, Mika smiling as she brushes raindrops off his face.
“I love you,” she murmurs, pressing her mouth to his and shivering when his hand snakes around her waist.
“I love you, too,” he says, tucking her damp hair behind her ears.
“Take me home?” she asks in a quiet voice, leaning into him.
“Always.”