Golden 5

Shota was nervous.

He seldom went to an art exhibit with a date ... no, if he were to be honest, he had gone only once with someone and rarely on any public dates at all. He had been happy to go it alone for so long that he forgot how it felt like to care about his appearance. He wore a decent outfit, not a tux but very nearly. A soft, black vest snugly fit his body over a charcoal gray, long-sleeved shirt that was unbuttoned at the top. He had pressed his slacks to perfection and polished his shoes as well. A long, black coat eould complete this ensemble when he left, though they wouldn't be out in the cold long.

The most important part of his makeover had been to shave his stubble into some semblance of form instead of an unruly mass. Shota took his time and also worked his dark hair up into a neat bun. Besides this, he wore an intricate silver ring set with several small rubies on his right hand that had belonged to his grandfather.

"Geez, are you really just going to the gallery?"

He paused in the act of trying to decide if he should wear cologne or not. "Yes."

Hitoshi pointed. "Wear it," he suggested. "You bought it for her, right? If it's something new, she'll probably get excited you went to all the effort."

He raised an eyebrow at the teenager. "How did you get so knowledgeable about dating all of a sudden?"

"Internet," he answered promptly. "I kept asking questions on reddit and stuff. I googled a bunch of different articles and stuff, too."

"Well, I'm not sure but I did ask the woman behind the counter what scent a cat mix would like." He spoke almost to himself and then jumped guiltily when he was reminded of his son.

Hitoshi just rolled his tired-looking eyes. "You've dropped enough clues that I knew she was an anthro or a mix already. Relax."

He grunted and splashed the cologne on his neck and wrists. "You okay by yourself all night?" Eri was sleeping over at a friend's house, so Hitoshi had the house to himself.

"Yeah. I know how to set the alarm and stuff. I'm okay."

"Good. Eri won't be home until lunch tomorrow, and I'm planning on staying the, ah, night." His son's eyes widened but he didn't say anything, just nodded. "I'll be home before she is. Not sure when."

He decided on hiring a limousine for the event, and pulled up to the hotel where they were meeting in style.

Elly was waiting for him in their suite, sitting fully dressed with her hair curled in an elegant fashion far different than the spiky upsweep she normally wore. She sucked in air through her teeth when she saw him.

"Oh, wow, baby, you're gorgeous."

He choked a little on that, but managed to compliment her. "You look stunning, Ches." He held out a small, long box toward her, his cheeks flushing. "I bought you a gift."

Her eyes were huge and shining as she opened it. "Oh," she gasped in awe at seeing a necklace inside. "You didn't have to do this."

He waved a hand around in embarrassment at her reaction. "I wanted to. It's okay."

"But -"

"Yes, it was expensive." He answered before she could protest too much. "Quite a lot, actually."

Her ears wiggled. "That's a strange way of reassuring me."

Shota reached in and brought the necklace up, laying it around her neck to fasten it. She turned so it was easier for him to slip the catch closed. "I don't care <i>how</i> expensive anything is. I want you to have the best. And besides, these were the ones I thought would look the nicest with your eyes." His ears started to burn as he admitted that so his entire face was red from his forehead to his neck.

"It's gorgeous," she murmured, laying a hand on the extravagant spill of precious stones sparkling under the light.

"I didn't  - ah, I wasn't sure if you could wear earrings."

"Some do, but my ears are too sensitive for piercing."

"I ... I bought a bracelet, too." He sheepishly held out another packet.

"You <i>are</i> spoiling me." She put the matching jewelry on and then threw her arms carefully about his neck. "But I love that you were thinking of me."

He kissed her lightly on her upturned lips and smiled. "Shall we go, then?"