1201/Morning Run

Morning Run
Date of Scene:	28 February 2024
Location:	Sports Pavilion
Synopsis:	Coco and Yuuto go for a morning jog. They have a misunderstanding, but their relationship is only made stronger from it.
Cast of Characters:	Yuuto Shiraishi, Coco Kiumi

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Yuuto Shiraishi has posed:
Track and field season is practically upon the school year calendar. And because of that, Yuuto has become more busy as he starts to train up for the meets to come. Which means he's had less time with Coco, but there have been plenty of texts and meals together when their lives crossover each other. Being in the school together really helps with their relationship.

And he had made sure that Coco got his schedule of training, which brings up to this morning. Down on the track, Yuuto is currently stretching out gretting ready to go for a jog, a few dozen laps around the track on the menu. Dressed in a uniform familiar to Coco, a black compression shirt fits tightly to give his chest definition and a pair running shorts, he has small weights around his ankles as he bends to the side, stretching out as he lifts a leg and bends it at the knee.

Coco Kiumi has posed:
Running is not exactly the way Coco chooses to exercise (although saying she 'chooses' to gives a bit the wrong idea given that in her natural environment she exercises just by going through her daily life, and that's before considering that running is basically land swimming as far as she is concerned), but anyway, with how busy Yuuto is with the beginning of the track season, Coco has found that the best way to spend the usual time together is to run with him.

Though, there are other benefits to that, and the mermaid isn't shy about reminding Yuuto of that, commenting he is looking good when she first comes to the sports pavilion. For her part, she is wearing a lime green tank top, dark red tight leggings and blue track shoes. For the moment she is warming up with lateral lunges and torso twists. In a moment she will be ready to start the actual running.

Yuuto Shiraishi has posed:
And one of the best advantages is seeing how Coco loves to remind Yuuto exactly how fortunate that he is to have her. Because she looks amazing and he was sure to remind her of that when they met along with a quick kiss. The only jewelry he wears is his two now ever-present items - his watch, and the ring Coco placed on his finger.

"All done stretching, Coco?" he asks fondly as he starts towards the track. Once she joins him, he sets a sedate pace so that Coco can keep track and they can converse - the weights on his ankle meant to make up that difference.

"So what's been up with you?" he asks, as they jog. "I've been working a little on a project. It's going pretty well. And I did pretty well on the recent tests."

Coco Kiumi has posed:
Coco kisses Yuuto back when he does, sharing for that one second her warmth with his and smiling affectionately at him when she pulls back. There is just so much that she appreciates in him, just his presence gives her enough energy to run from here to the furthest end of Earth.

Coco too has jewelry with her, although it's just the shell locket housing her pearl and a second golden necklace from which the Sealing Key dangles - definitely precious, but not the same kind of precious as the ring Yuuto wears.

Coco is just about done at that moment when Yuuto asks, and so she gets to his sidez reading to start running. "I am all done here, let's go!" she declares, pumped full of energy even though they are going to be pacing themselves."With me?" Coco repeats. "Well, nothing much, the usual Youma defeats and whatnot with Terribads, Witches and the likes", she replies. She has been giving the Grief Seeds to Amy when she does stumble upon a Witch, which isn't unusual with the sadly consistent streaks of the incidents.

"I have been doing good on tests too, and now my time is a bit occupied, since we will have to storm Gaito's castle soon, to break a spell a friend of mine has been put under." That's going to be quite hard, and they need all the help they can get.

"What side project have you been working on?", she asks curiously.

Yuuto Shiraishi has posed:
As the pair starts their way around the track, Yuuto listens to how busy that Coco has been as of late, and he feels a bit guilty. "You know if you need me to, I will easily by your side to assist you with hunting youma and all." he offers to her lightly, "You're not alone, after all!" A bit of encouragement. "I've been working on trying to find those two Steam Sentinels I came across, but no luck so far." He shakes his head. "I'm holding out hope, though."

"Well, if you need help with tutoring or anything, this is totally not me suggesting that we spend more time together." he teases as he listens to her talk about Gaito's castle. "I am on that list to help you." At least, he better be. He glances aside and considers Coco. "Even if it's going to be hard - I want to be at your side, my Coco." he promises her.

And then there's the project. That, he doesn't mention much on, getting a small, secret smile. "It's something!" he says to her warmly. "And you'll find out about it soon enough. It's a surprise." A wink as his girlfriend as they finish their first lap.

Coco Kiumi has posed:
"I would love that", Coco smiles at his offer. It's not like she has something against finding partners at the moment of the fight, but starting it out with someone she knows is much more pleasant, especially when that someone is as dear to her as Yuuto is. "You don't have to feel guilty, though", Coco remarks looking at his expression. "They are just standard Youmas, nothing that is going to put me in danger."

"A study session together sounds good", Coco replies before adding with a wink "Don't blame me though if we don't end up doing much studying." Yuuto should have probably seen that tease coming.

"And I will definitely tell you when we start organising something, thanks for being so willing to help, Yuuto", she says, reaching over for a peck.

"Alright, alright", she chuckles. "It's not fair that you anticipated me something, but I will wait. I think I deserve a kiss, though", she jokingly demands.

Yuuto Shiraishi has posed:
The cornerstone of any romance, miracle or not, is being there for each other. Yuuto is well aware of that. As well as remembering how alone Coco said she felt once - and he's determined not to let her ever feel that again. "Alright. I mean, I know we don't always mesh, but when we do, I'll be there." he promises her.

But then she winks at him and mentions that studying may not just be studying and he feels the heat in his cheeks substansially. "Maybe." he allows, a playful smile. "But I could make it interesting enough that you have to learn something." he responds.

She leans in for the peck and he nods. "Of course I'll be there, my Princess. I am, after all, your Consort." That is said with a hint of pride, having warmed up considerably to the idea ever since she placed the ring on his finger.

"You need to learn patience~" Yuuto teases as he mimes looking at his watch. "You only have a couple of more weeks to wait. But... you deserve a kiss, hmm?" He starts to pick up his pace.

"If you can catch me - I'll totally kiss you!" he teases as he creates seperation between himself and the mermaid, blowing a kiss to her as he speeds up, seeing if she wants to play along.

Coco Kiumi has posed:
Of course she knows he will be there. If Yuuto says he want to help, Coco is well aware that he will actually do he said. He is very dedicated, and sincere. "We have only really fought at each other's side when we first met, I am definitely looking forward to see what we can do together.

Coco blinks when he mentions he could make her worthwhile enough to have her learn something. "Hey, Yuuto, you know that I am not doing badly in school, right? Studying together is a lovely idea, but I am not in remedial classes." She isn't offended, just confused why he would imply that.

"It's not a honeymoon, you know", Coco reminds him. "But with all of us, we can definitely show why they shouldn't try it again", she smiles, heartwarmed.

'Picking up the pace out of nowhere, such a rascal', Coco playfully thinks as she shakes her head in amusement and then sprints ahead, going faster so she can be back at Yuuto's side. And when she is, she lightly elbows his side, smirking and saying "So, I think you owe me something for catching up to you".

Yuuto Shiraishi has posed:
"I know, I had thought we would have more opprotunities by now..." A shrug of his shoulders as Yuuto comments, "...but it seems that when I stumble across Cogs, I'm usuaully out alone. Maybe they're scared of you." A small smirk at that, before he looks thoughtful.

And a sigh comes from him. "I was trying to flirt back about you turning studying into a make out sesh. I wasn't saying you were bad in school just..." And like that, the moment's gone. And he's ruined it.

"Nor did I say it was a honeymoon." He slows down considerably, because he looks a little hurt. "I was trying to tell you I'd be by your side, not that I wasn't taking it seriously." He is taking what is coming seriously, and wanted to show her that he would be there. A sigh comes from him as she is able to catch up and nudges him.

A brief smile as he she does so, and her heart-warming smile causes any worry he had to melt away and rebolsters the confidence he was starting to let go of. She's there, and they are together and they will deal with all the things, his arm slipping around her waist to pull her into a kiss, warm and affectionate, before he breaks away again.

Coco Kiumi has posed:
"Maybe they just believe they will have an easier time doing that if they deal with us separately. Clearly that line of thought isn't doing them much good", Coco smirks, reaching over to gently boop him on the nose, her gaze full of affection.

"Yuuto, I am not mad, nor was I holding anything against you", Coco says at his dejected reaction. She would hug him if she could, but that's not exactly possible while they are jogging. So she just resorts to tell him. "We are running right now, but if we weren't I would give you a hug. So let's not talk about that. You wanted to say that you would give me incentive to focus, right?" she gives him an incentive to pick his line of thought back up.

"I appreciate that so much, Yuuto", Coco gazes at his emerald eyes intently, hers an inhexaustible source of affection, and then she leans passionately into that kiss, wanting him to feel all of that, because he truly is her Prince Consort.

Yuuto Shiraishi has posed:
"Maybe." Yuuto agrees with the idea as she boops his nose, his eyes going cross as she tags him. As the pair of them continue to talk, Coco gently corrects his thoughts on the whole thing about her thoughts and feelings on the matter. "You have so much going on... I want to see you succeed in everything." Yuuto confesses to his Princess quietly. "I want noone to doubt that your chosen wants nothing but the best for you.

And then those blue eyes cut through his momentary gloom and what was meant to be a quick kiss turns into something else much more quickly, he does come to a halt. His arms swing around to capture Coco within his grasp, holding the mermaid princess tightly as her loving kiss is returned in spades as he squeezes Coco to him.

When their passionate moment ends after a moment, his forehead is pressed to hers. "I'll love you forever, Coco." he whispers quietly to her, his nose brushed to hers.

Coco Kiumi has posed:
Coco wants him to succeed just as much, whether as a sculptor, or as Steam Sentinel, she wants nothing but the most radiant of futures for him. "That's the same for me too", she replies. "I know you will have great success as a sculptor, and the Steam Sentinels will become a really close-knit group." Not a hint of doubt in those golden eyes of hers.

For Coco, every single time it happens, those moments are moments in which time ceases to be a factor, and she clings closely to him. Even when they have stopped kissing, she doesn't stop staying so close to him. "I love you forever too, Yuuto."

Yuuto Shiraishi has posed:
"My greatest success is yet to come, Coco." Yuuto responds to her quietly. "That will come when we're officially married, and we build our future together." he points out to her. Because in his most radiant of futures - his heart is hers. Compleletly.

They're still tangled together as he breathes her in. "Let's finish our run and then we can find someplace to continue this more... intense conversation."

Coco Kiumi has posed:
"That will be marvelous", Coco confirms as he outlines his vision. "There is noone else for me but you, no matter what happens." Even if he can't escape the Fade, she would never seek another. Her destiny is sealed together with his.

"We probably should", Coco says smiling, detaching from him and going back to jogging. "Let's go then", she says with energy.