Misinterpretations

"All right, as promised! Happy belated birthday." I hand Aika her belated birthday gift, neatly wrapped (re-wrapped) in recycled wrapping paper.

"Oh, you really didn't have to..."

"Listen, we're officially friends now, and friends don't miss friends' birthdays."

"Evren..." She smiles her dazzling toothy smile, so much that her eyes crinkle closed. I've learned that she only smiles that way when she's particularly happy and at ease. I've also learned that that smiles makes me feel like launching myself into space. "So, you just get to decide when we're 'officially' friends?" Aika continues.

"Are we not?"

Aika snorts. "You're funny." She pauses, placing her wrapped gift on the table between us. "I'm glad I get to know that side of you, actually," she says. "You're, uh, a little intimidating from afar."

"Aika Inoue, fast-forwarding Timelord, er, Timelady? Intimidated? I don't believe it."

Aika laughs. "Really! You're... a really good fighter."

Has the air in here gotten thinner, or is it just me? "Thank you," I manage to breathe out.

Aika nods. "Thank you," she replies. "Now, help me open this. Ripping wrapping paper is a little hard with the one hand."

"True," I laugh. "Here." I hold down the package as she pokes it.

"It's squishy."

"Mm-hmm!"

"I... have absolutely no idea what this could be." Aika grabs a taped corner of the package and pulls at it. She's being quite deliberate about it; I honestly thought she'd be more delicate.

I think she's seen the black fabric. She must have by now. Her expression hasn't changed much from mild confusion, though.

"Is this...?" She's trailed off. She's holding up the folded piece of clothing.

"Well, unfold it and find out!"

She does, and she nearly squeals. I wish I had filmed that, I didn't even know she could make a sound that high. I didn't know she squeals, though it did sound more like a squeak. I wonder what else I could do to get her to make that noise again. Wait. No. "Evren, I love this." Aika's voice thankfully interrupts whatever my mind was about to do.

"It's lined," I say, trying to keep my focus on our conversation. "So you can run outside in the wintertime. You said you like to run for your cardio on your off-days, right?"

"I did, yeah. Thank you." She holds the jacket up to her chest. "And the colour-"

"I hope you like it! I know you usually wear all black, but I was such a fan of the neon stripes on the sleeves, I just had to get it. Pop a little bit of colour in there, ya know? Give it a little bit of me, so you remember who it's from."

"No, I... like that. I have a little Evren on me." I'm going to short-circuit. "Oh..." Aika suddenly turns around in her chair and grabs at something in her coat pocket. She hands it to me. It's a... marker? "Now you autograph it, and it's legitimate."

I give her the strongest Look I can muster but she pretends not to notice and just waves at me to sign her jacket. I put my signature on the inside tag.

"Wow..." Aika takes the jacket back and admires it a tick. "Now it's expensive."

Excuse me! "Are you implying it was cheap?!"

She cackles her endearing cackle.

"Don't you dare sell it!"

She waves her hand at me as she sits back down, still snickering.

I think I'm starting to get what she was talking about earlier, about me. It's nice to see her out of the ring, and out of the limelight. It's nice to know her genuine self. It's warm. Is... this what she meant when she thought about me?

No, don't think about that. She thinks of you as her friend. Don't ruin it. You can't get too attached right now.

...I've been staring too long.

Iida would never let me hear the end of it if she found out I was gazing starry-eyed at my co-competitor and thinking some... dangerous thoughts. I really need to get over this.

"Really, thanks for this," Aika suddenly says. "And for the hot chocolate. You... really get me. Somehow. Even though we haven't been friends long."

I smile. "I could say the same for you."

We're both silent for a second, just staring at each other. Aika's gaze is steady. Always genuine. Every minute she lives she takes on with spirit, with purpose. Every step she takes, toward an opponent or toward a goal, is with determination. Even if her aim is less than accurate, she never stops trying, and I can see it reflected right down in her pair of almost-black irises.

"You're amazing." Aika's brows are furrowed. Shit, did I say that out loud? "Oh, uh, sorry! That was meant to be my inside voice." I try to laugh the comment off, but now Aika's pursing her lips. Goddamn it, I've made her uncomfortable.

"I'm really not."

"...What?" She's avoiding my eyes. "What are you talking about? You've been a trooper for continuing the NCC. You've been injured twice and have had all the pressure of being a newbie in this incredibly intense competition, not to mention the extra attention on you because of your figure, and you've been handling it all like it hasn't even fazed you."

"I thought of quitting the other day."

There's a pang in my chest all of a sudden. It feels like my ribs are on the verge of collapse, like a giant cinderblock has just been dropped on them.

"I've been injured twice in the competition. Twice in four fights! And look at you, you haven't been injured at all!" She stops to take a breath. "I'm not quitting now, but you'd be wrong to say I've never thought about it, to say I haven't been fazed."

"Aika, sorry." I speak gently. "I was just... babbling. There's nothin' wrong with all that. Everyone has bad days. Everyone doubts themselves. Hell, I even doubt myself." Aika scoffs. "No, you've seen it, Aika. You heard me on the phone the other day."

"Yeah, but that's people stuff. I'm talking about fighting."

"I've thought about quitting before too."

Aika squints at me. "...You have?"

"Of course. Ask anyone in the NCC. We've all been there. We've all gotten injured before."

"You haven't. I've watched all your fights."

"Not on television I haven't." That seems to have gotten through to her because her hands are no longer balled up in fists. "My point is, look where you are now. You've struggled and had doubts – honestly, none of us assumed you were waltzing around totally A-OK with your injuries, as if the NCC was the easiest thing in the world to you – but you're still here. You're still fighting. Your determination despite all the drama is inspiring, Aika. Not just for us, but for the audience too. People talk about you, you know."

"...What do they say?"

"That you're strong. And I agree."

Aika's trying to hide her smile with her sleeve but I still manage to catch it. It's contagious. "Thanks, Evren. I'm glad you reached out to me, continued to after Lev coerced you into meeting me, even if it was just to punch me around a bunch at first."

I laugh. "Listen, I'd be a bad NCC rep if I didn't take care of our newbies. And besides, it's not often I get to train with someone with such an unusual figure. It's been refreshing." I pause. Is this getting to be too much? "Also, all the black made you look pretty badass, and who doesn't want to befriend a badass?"

"See? The black is good! Take that, Lev!" Aika backhands the air for emphasis. I laugh. "You're pretty cool yourself, by the way, with the bright colours everywhere and the... fairy princess vibe. I've definitely seen little kids just staring at you with their jaws dropped, do you even notice?"

Ok, we really need to stop this compliment train or else my face is going to burn itself off. "All right all right, I'm awesome, you're awesome, we're all awesome. Finish your hot chocolate."

Aika lets out a soft chuckle. "Yes, ma'am." She sips her drink and gives me a warm smile.

God, is this a date? I mean, I said it was a date but I didn't mean it like... this. I like this, but am I reading too much into it? Does Aika think this is a real date? Or a friend date? She keeps giving me jokes and smiles I'm not used to. But maybe I'm not used to those because we mostly hang out at the gym. Aika's allowed to be smiley. That doesn't mean she likes me in that way. Chill out, Evren. She's your competitor. You said you wouldn't crush. You can't go back on what you've already set in motion.

"Evren?"

"Huh?"

"Um, are you ok?"

Absolutely not. "Oh, yeah, sorry!" I try to chuckle nonchalantly, but I sound kind of possessed. Aika's staring at me. Why am I like this? What am I, twelve? "Uh, so... Tell me about your final fight!" Steer the conversation away, Evren. We will need to deal with this later, though.

Aika doesn't look convinced of my sanity yet, but she humours me. Anything NCC always shifts her attention. "I'm up against Sofia Tranche... Tranchemontagne," she stumbles out.

"Justin's sister!" I remember the blonde gymnast. "That's exciting; she's a newbie to the competition as well."

"Yeah, I thought you'd know her."

"Not very well," I admit. "I know Justin for sure, but Sofia seems just as driven. They'd make quite the team if they got along better."

"They don't get along?"

"No, it's more like... they're not particularly close."

"Ah, I can understand that."

"So." I hesitate. Is it too soon to bring up Aika's injury? If this was a real date, I'd be blowing it big-time. She literally just told me she was thinking of quitting the NCC. She was in the hospital a few days ago.

"You don't have to tiptoe around me," she says. Crap, she noticed. "It's ok," she laughs. "I know you're probably being weird because you saw me at the hospital. I get it." Oh no, she thinks I'm being weird. I can't let her find out everything. "Everyone's been worried about me. Honestly, it's kind of annoying sometimes but, don't get me wrong, I appreciate it. Seriously, you don't have to treat me like I'm made of glass. You... called me strong." Is she blushing? Her ears seem redder than they were a few minutes ago. "I can and will live up to that."

The air returns to my lungs and I sigh. I didn't notice I was stiff until I let myself relax against my chair. "Of course you can. Sorry if it seemed like I was doubting you."

"No, like I said, I didn't think that. I appreciate your care and support. Everyone's, really."

"All right." I give her a thumbs up. "I promise not to underestimate you in the future."

"Definitely don't, because I'm coming for you." Aika's stare is hard, but I keep it.

I don't have to ask anything anymore. I know she'll claw her way past Sofia to get to me no matter what. Maeva was right; now I can see it up close. But I definitely don't have time to be worrying about dating or feelings or whether Aika's stare right now is in any way the kind that could see into my heart. I need to prepare myself for the Battle of the Unusuals. This... could really be the end.

Focus, Evren. We'll deal with the feelings when all of this is over. And that's due to happen anytime now.

"Uh, do you... know them?" Aika's looking behind me.

I look back and see a couple of people glancing our way. My attention seems to embolden them, because they approach us excitedly. These must be fans. One of them lowers their hands from their face as they get closer, and I recognize them. "Oh! Chris! Hey, how are you?"

Chris smiles widely at me before glancing at Aika.

"Oh, right! This is Aika. You probably know her from the NCC. I haven't fought her yet, but she's someone I'm looking out for. Might even give me some trouble." I give Aika a wink and she waves at Chris, chuckling.

"Hey," she says. "How do you guys know each other?"

"I'm Evren's biggest fan," Chris says, smugly. I clear my throat and give him my Look. "Er, second biggest fan. Next to Miss Faith, of course." I nod in approval. "My friend and I just popped in and saw you two together. We weren't sure if we should say hi or not." He gives me a look I've seen before.

"You're always welcome to say hi," I say, returning his expression only briefly, discreetly. "Who's your friend?" I smile at the quiet girl behind him.

"Kaye," Chris answers. "She's also a big fan of yours."

"Well, thank you!" I answer.

"What are you up to today?" Aika asks. She side-eyes me. I can hear the teasing even if her mouth isn't moving. I give her another Look. I'm meeting my weekly Look quota in just a single afternoon.

Chris clears his throat. I whip my head back around to him. A weird look flashes over his face: eyes a little wider than usual. I only ever catch the end of that expression. "If she can, Kaye would love an autograph from Evren."

"Of course," I say. I grab Aika's marker from the table and uncap it. Kaye shuffles past Chris and holds out a little notebook. I sign my name neatly, for the second time today now that I think about it, and I give Aika back her marker. "Looks like this came in handy for someone else, too," I say cheekily.

"Thank you," Kaye squeaks out. She grabs Chris and quickly retreats. Chris gives her a not-so-subtle glare, which stays on his face when he looks back at us. I hope Kaye doesn't have to deal with the brunt of that for too long.

"All right." I clap, turning back to Aika. Things are clearly starting to happen now. "I think I've kept you here for too long. You have an appointment to make, right?"

"...Oh, yeah. I forgot, thanks for reminding me. Sorry I have to go so quick." She starts scrambling to get her coat on, glancing at the clock. I stand up to help her with her other sleeve. I try to keep my breathing level when her hair brushes against my face.

"Don't worry, don't worry," I say. "Thanks for hanging out with me. It's always nice to see you."

"Yeah, you too." She gives me another one of her radiant smiles before she reaches for the jacket that's still sitting on the table. Her arm brushes mine. "Thanks again, Evren. I'll see you in the ring?"

I almost stutter. "You got it."

She gives me a light punch on the shoulder before heading out the door.

I can still feel her warmth.