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It was a risky decision, but at the end of the day it hadn't been a decision at all.

Finding out the detail behind Meadowview's graduation ceremony hadn't been difficult. After all, he'd walked across the same stage almost five years ago, himself, so the location was easy enough to look into - all he'd needed from there was the date and time.

With his own schooling over and the ominous realization that he needed a job now terrifying him over the distant horizon, he'd had the day set aside for the occasion. She hadn't invited him - granted, she was probably concerned over the fact that the intimidating Mr. Willows would also be present there - but he hadn't minded. Aurora deserved the alone time to celebrate such a milestone with her family and friends.

He was simply selfish enough to want to share that moment with her, whether she noticed him there or not.

Adjusted himself in the chair he'd managed to find in the back of the packed auditorium, he awkwardly attempted to muffle the sound of the plastic wrap around the bouquet of lilies that he'd bought at the last moment for the occasion. He didn't even know what kind of flowers she liked - was it too much, for where they were at in their relationship? Girls enjoyed flowers, right? Would she be mad at him for spending money on her? She had been so against him helping her with things, but this was a gift and not assistance, right? It was just a boy, supporting a girl he was immensely proud of.

Eyes scanned the crowd in front of him, wary of seeing the familiar head of the one man he was doing his best to avoid that afternoon. The ceremony had been long - weren't they always? - but he'd patiently watched and waited for Aurora's turn before his hands cupped around his mouth and he hollered his appreciation for her, along with the handful of over-enthusiastic attendees that cried out for all the names in general.

Aside from that, he behaved. He didn't even pull out his cell phone, like the others around him had! She deserved his full attention, even if graduation ceremonies were one of the most boring things ever.

He really didn't even want to bother with his own the following week.

Sigh.

He'd seen the ominous form of Mister Willows before anything else, the young almost-college-graduate lifting the flowers up in an attempt to shield his face as the burly, muscle-bound man made his way through the sea of people and towards the exit door.

Wait.

Had he missed Aurora? If Willows was leaving, wouldn't he be following her ou--

Akio's head turned as he heard his name being called by the sweetest, most puzzled sounding voice. The sight of the short girl with such an excited expression caused his heart to skip a beat - she was happy to see him? Of all people, of all the friends and family that had come to see her on her big day and she was choosing him to run to?

Arms opened wide without a second thought, the taller man was scooping his girlfriend up as the lilies found themselves crumpling against the back of her gown. Her hat thumped his head but he didn't even notice - all he paid attention to was the coolness of her cheek as it pressed against him or the incredible need that had him pulling back far enough to plant a kiss across her lips, allowing all of the world to see that this gorgeous woman was his girlfriend.

Setting her feet back down to the ground but refusing to let go, he laughed.

"Do you think I'd miss one of the biggest moments for my beautiful girl?"

Ah, so that was where Mister Willows had rushed off to in a hurry.

She leaned up and kissed him, Akio taking delight in both her response and in the way her cheeks flushed with excitement. His arms loosened enough to present the lilies to her, the young man seemingly proud of his purchase.

"I'm sorry if it was presumptuous of me to sneak in here like this," he had the decency to look at least a little sheepish in his apology, "And I'm sorry if these aren't your color - I would be more than happy to keep trying until I get it right."

He would try roses next. Or daisies, perhaps? It would be fun, either way, especially if her face continued to light up as it did right then!

Offering to take the bag from over her shoulder, he shook his head at her admission that she hadn't any other plan than to spend the evening home - and alone, at that, if her father was at work the entire night.

"You've just closed a very large chapter of your life and you aren't going to celebrate it properly? Tsk."

He hadn't driven to the ceremony, but it wouldn't stop him from changing bus routes, especially if it meant having a partner along for the ride this time. One arm snaked its way around her waist as he began guiding them towards the large exit doors. "Pick a place, any place. You can chide me about costs later, but tonight, I'm going to treat my princess to whatever sort of celebration she'd like!"

He noted her fidgeting and found himself feeling guilty, despite the confidence behind his offer. Two fingers tilted her chin up and he kissed her nose gently. "How about... we pick up something to go and spend the afternoon discovering each other's favorite movies? Your place or mine - I don't care. We can use my Netflix account."

There was no way he'd allow her to feel uncomfortable on her special day - even if he'd much rather take her out for a fancy dinner and shower her with all the affection and attention she deserved. If she wanted simple, he would give her simple - above anything else, she deserved to be happy and Akio would do whatever it took to make it happen.

Pulling his phone out of his pocket, he slid the lock off and with a brush of his finger, popped the camera up.

"First thing's first. Smile for me, beautiful."

He took a few steps back, not seeming to care when he bumped into the backsides of others to get to the perfect angle. He crouched down, one eye closing as hands kept the phone steady while two fingers zoomed in on the beautiful smile of his gorgeous little lady.

"Three...two...one!"

The camera clicked several times as he captured her smile, all of which looked a little more forced than he would have liked. Well... he could take care of that issue.

Nudging one of the other girls in a cap and gown (a classmate, presumably!), he asked her politely to take their picture. The girl seemed willing enough to comply, allowing Akio time to slide beside his girlfriend in preparation for the picture.

Just as the girl suggested the cliche Say Cheese! comment, Akio swiftly turned his head and planted a kiss on Aurora's cheek, grinning against her soft skin as he heard her elicit a soft gasp. The phone clicked and the photographer giggled at the sight.

That would be one for the photo album!

He shifted the bag over his shoulder to get a better view of the pictures as she scrolled through them. Call him biased but, Akio happened to think they were one incredibly attractive couple - then again, what else would one expect when they put an incredibly handsome man together with an incredibly beautiful woman?

She hadn't seemed to mind the kiss, the young man watching her flip through the images as his cheek rested against hers. He'd have to get one printed out on the sly; his mother would probably coo over it too, since he was overdue in updating his family with this new turn of events.

As they made their way out of the building, she posed a question that arched an eyebrow on the tanned young man's face. His arm never left her waist, but the tightness in which he held her loosened significantly.

"Well," his tone was casual, maybe a bit hesitant, "Do you want this to be?"

One hand moved up and brushed through his brown locks, immediately messing up his otherwise combed hair. He didn't look down at her while she spoke, listening quietly as she explained the reasoning behind her initial question.

Akio hadn’t thought about Aurora’s past, truth be told. He'd put his own history behind himself, so his focus had always been on the present. The notion that he was her first for anything was both intimidating and humbling. She hadn't bothered dating, before now? No high school sweetheart, no junior high crushes?

….and did that mean their kiss had been her very first as well?

So he was her standard to judge by. Her first. Was he capable of fulfilling whatever expectations she had for a first relationship? And would he simply be her excuse to test the waters, to use him as a stepping stone to get into the world of dating?

“I like you very much as well, Aurora.”

His voice was quiet, eyes glancing around at the crowd they were leaving, adding distance between them and all the happy, proud parents and students.

“I admit, I used to go out on dates just to get out. But I'm afraid I'm more serious when it comes to relationships, these days.”

He used the plural term, relationships, despite the fact he wasn’t seeing anyone else aside from the fair Miss Willows. And it was true - when he'd arrived to the States, his boyish tendencies had followed but as the years passed, his ideals when it came to companionship had matured along with him. “When I decide to date a woman nowadays, I'm hoping to find someone with whom I can spend the rest of my life with, not just anyone to have a good time with.”

His loafers paused and he finally looked down at her, the somber expression turning rather sheepish. The tinge of color on his cheeks revealed his embarrassment as he murmured, “I'm sorry. That sort of thing is rather heavy to say to a new girlfriend, isn't it?”

He forced a laugh, raising his other hand out to pluck the cap from off her head, mindful to avoid sticking either of them, should a bobby pin be holding it in place. Placing the hat on his own head, he made a face and struck a pose, attempting to lighten the mood. “Anyways, to answer your question: I'm yours and yours alone for as long as you'll have me, beautiful. I can't promise that I'm the best first boyfriend out there, but I'm more than willing to try.”

Pausing by the bathroom by the exit, he gestured towards the duffle bag over his shoulder. “Did you need to change, before we leave? I wouldn't be offended, if you wanted to use the opportunity to find the nearest window to escape out of.”

He stood there, cap on head and flowers in hand as she stripped the gown off, the oversized black drape revealing the beautiful woman underneath it. The place where her hands had pressed against his cheeks still tingled - was it embarrassment at his revelation or simple excitement at being in close proximity with someone he adored? Whatever the reason, the goofy grin across his face remained in place while he watched her methodically fold up her gown. His own gown was at home in his closet, protected by a gown bag. He'd debated not even bothering with the walking ceremony, but...

At the mention of being forced to meet her father, his expression wavered slightly. An ominous inevitability, that one.

"I'll meet him, if it'll make you happy," He glanced idly out towards the dispersing crowd as the curves of his mouth slowly began to rise. "... And if you meet mine."

He let the compromise linger for a moment before his attention returned to his girlfriend, who was busy tugging the jacket out of the bag at his side. "We Skype once a week, to keep in touch. I'm sure my mother, especially, would love to meet the girl in the mermaid dress who stole my heart away at the Gala."

He didn't need to go into detail how he'd already spoken to her about the beautiful stranger and that she'd encouraged him to set things right between Mister Willows and himself... t-that would come with time. And courage.

"So, are you hungry? I know alcohol is now off the table," He gave her a sly grin, as if sharing an inside joke with her, "But we can do whatever else you'd like. Take your pick, beautiful."

"They'll love you, you know." His arm squeezed her against his side, forcing the gap separating them to close as he offered her back the lilies. "I'll even teach you a few things to say; they'll be so impressed that you bothered to learn it."

He just wouldn't bring up the fact that both of his parents spoke perfectly passable English - where would the fun be, if she knew that in advance?

The journey to the bus stop came quickly enough, though Akio was regretting his decision not to bring his moped. It was a tight squeeze for two, but eliminated the need to depend on a third party for transportation - though if he was going to see Aurora more and more often, he might have to consider another means of transportation, in the long run.

But for now... he would focus on their upcoming date night at home, sans the terrifying man who'd already left for work. Meeting the men in Aurora's life would be interesting, to say the least. Hopefully this Ax and Pasi wouldn't be nearly as scary and intimidating as the small girl's oversized father.

As far as dinner options went, cafe didn't sound nearly as exciting as a steak dinner, but while Akio's interpretation of celebration didn't meet eye to eye with his girl's, his wallet would greatly appreciate the difference of opinions that leaned towards her direction.

"I'm sure there's something there that'll look good," He agreed, quietly watching the others at the bus stop as they lingered, waiting for their ride as well. His free hand moved to adjust the strap of the bag on his shoulder and he glanced down towards her, still not making any movement towards removing the graduation cap from his dark hair. "Are you into ice cream? I bet we could make a mean sundae, if we put our heads together in the kitchen."

Ice cream fell under vegetarianism, right???