First Date

First Date is the first Tim x Azusa fanfic. It was posted in 2015 along with 6 other fanfics on the Notes section of his Facebook page.https://www.facebook.com/timothy.gregory.923/posts/1710955669135449 It is the first 'main story' of the series. 
== Notes==
* The first fanfic I did where Azusa and I become a couple.
*Takes place in the K-On world where we are the same age.
*We have the same birth year (1992), but we keep our original birth days and months (22 September for me, 11 November for Azusa).
*I use the name Shigure Saruwatari for myself instead of my English name.
*My Japanese name is Shigure Saruwatari, I'm a student at Sakura High and I'm in the same year as Azusa.https://www.facebook.com/timothy.gregory.923/posts/1236060179841439https://www.facebook.com/timothy.gregory.923/posts/1770306296533719https://www.facebook.com/timothy.gregory.923/posts/1779998772231138
== Text==
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"*pant pant*" My breath poured out my mouth loudly as I ran. The sound of my footsteps filled the air. [Of all the days for me to forget my alarm, why did it have to be today!?] There are many things I hate. One I really hated was being late, especially on important days, and they rarely got more important than today. This was my first official date with her. As the only male student at Sakura High, I had tried my hardest to keep my nose clean. The last thing I wanted was to be labeled as a pervert. So far, my hard work had paid off. The girls were nice to me, and some even treated me like a friend. I was really happy at school, and I worked as hard as I could.
I'd always thought that they were all varying degrees of gorgeous, but none of them really grabbed me as potential girlfriends. Except one. As I was in the same class as her, seeing her was inevitable. Azusa Nakano. There was something there that drew me to her. I couldn't quite put my finger on it. All I knew was that I had a crush. I mostly kept it to myself as I didn't want to do or say anything to scare her off. I limited myself to just "good morning" and a smile and wave here and there. During lunch, I watched her sit with who I assumed were her friends, wishing I could join them.
Working up the courage to approach them took what felt like a lifetime. Eventually though, I pulled myself together and asked if I could join them. I received their blessing, and after some of the usual social awkwardness I felt when meeting new people, we hit it off. After that, I joined them at lunch every day. As I wasn't in any clubs, I generally headed straight home to my apartment (I lived by myself to avoid lengthy travel to and from school). I learned that Azusa was in the Light Music Club, and I paid a visit to see what it was like, but since I didn't play any instruments and had never considered myself very gifted with music, I didn't join.
I found the other members of the club quite a humorous bunch. There was Yui Hirasawa-sempai, who I could only describe as an airhead with a fixation on sweets and cute things, and a real glomper of Azusa. I will admit that seeing her do that did make me a bit jealous. Not that I wanted to throw myself all over Azusa, that is. I could tell that she really disliked it. There was Ritsu Tainaka-sempai, the president of the club who, based on what I heard, never took her role seriously. Although she was said to be very hyperactive, she and Yui-sempai were also said to be the laziest members of the club, more inclined to relax and pig out on cake and tea than practice, and I could clearly see that.
There was Mio Akiyama-sempai, who I learned was quite possibly even more socially awkward with people she didn't know than me. She had been put into a separate class to her friends, and her apparent saving grace was that Nodoka Manabe-sempai, the president of the Student Council, was her classmate. She was also an unfortunate victim of Ritsu-sempai's antics. Lastly was Tsumugi Kotobuki-sempai. Affectionately called 'Mugi' by her friends, she gave off the vibe of a classy rich lady (which she pretty much was), but like Yui-sempai, she was a total airhead, though hers wasn't quite as extreme.
The club adviser was Sawako Yamanaka-sensei. According to the seniors, she had been a previous member of the Light Music Club in Sakura High, and had been a real hardcore rocker, something that she was ashamed of. Like Ritsu-sempai, she failed to take her role seriously, usually joining the girls in their relaxing. As time passed, Azusa and I became very good friends. I really wanted to ask her out, as I could feel myself falling in love, but I needed to be careful. One false move and I could destroy all my hard work getting her approval. Soon though, I could take no more. One day, I waited until after school had ended and Azusa was about to head to her club.
"Hey, Azusa?"
She turned to me. "Yes?" It would be a lie to say that I wasn't nervous.
"When you finish with your club, could you meet me back here please? There's something I'd like to talk to you about."
She looked a little surprised at my request. "Okay." She then left the room.
While I waited, I used the time to work on the homework we'd been given, though it was a little hard to focus as my mind was all over the place, hoping she'd remember, and wondering what I would say. When she finally arrived, I decided to just be completely honest with her. "So, what did you want to talk about?" she asked. I breathed deeply, then looked straight at her. This would either end how I hoped, or end with my heart broken.
"Azusa. We've been friends now for a little while. I really enjoy hanging out with you, Ui and Jun at lunch, and I really appreciate you three letting me join in." My heart started pounding. "However, as we've come to know each other... I've started wanting more. I have to be honest. When I first saw you, I felt something... click." I could feel my hands trembling, so I balled them into fists. "The truth is... I've fallen in love with you." A look of surprise filled her face. "I've felt like this for some time. But I've stayed quiet about it up until now, because I always feared that you'd say no, or that if I told you, I'd scare you off. But, I can't take it anymore."
I could tell I was starting to sound desperate, but I kept going. "I've held myself back because I wanted to make sure it was love I was feeling and not just a crush. And I now know it is. So... do you think maybe, starting tomorrow... we could be a couple? I don't have much to offer you except my love, and support, should you need it. I want to be with you more. More than just friends." Getting this off my chest was starting to make me feel better. "Azusa, I have no idea what you think of me. I'm pretty sure you only see me as a friend, and if you say no, I will try my best to accept that. Even you don't return my feelings, just having you as a friend would still make me happy, because I'd love to keep hanging out with you. But I have to say all of this now, before I do something I may regret. So... would you allow me to go out with you? I know I'm not perfect, but it would make me so happy if you'd become my girlfriend."
When I finished, she was quiet. I knew she needed time to process what I'd said, but when she didn't say anything after a couple of minutes, I began thinking that she was in the process of rejecting me. "Anyway, thanks for hearing me out. I really appreciate it." I put my things away and grabbed my bag. "See ya." I whispered before leaving. I was almost out the door, when...
"Wait." Turning back, I saw Azusa coming over. Stopping in front of me, she held her hands in front of her chest. She clearly had something to say, so I stayed quiet. Gathering herself, she looked up at me. "Did you... really mean what you said? All of it?"
I felt my hopes start to lift, but crushed them back down again. "Yes. I wouldn't lie about something like this." I meant that. I didn't believe in playing with a girl's feelings. She fell quiet again and lowered her gaze. I was starting to get a bit concerned. "Azusa? Everything okay?"
She then stepped forward and slowly put her arms around me, catching me by surprise. She then spoke again, very quietly. "You really mean it?" I could hear the uncertainty in her voice. I put my arms around her small body.
"I promise you." I whispered.
"... Thank you." She then proceeded to pour out her own feelings. How she had fallen in love with me, how she had struggled to find the courage to tell me, how she had feared that I might say no, basically going through the same ordeal as me. She had not said anything to anyone since it was hard for her to tell people her true feelings.
I gently grasped her face and tilted it up. Her eyes were filled with nervousness, worried about whether I really did mean what I'd said. I slowly lowered my head and gently pecked her lips. Looking straight at her, I whispered "Do you trust me?"
Eyes quivering, she gave the faintest of smiles. "Yes." She then kissed me, a bit more firmly. Holding on tightly, we melted into each other.
Fast forward to now. Checking my watch, I could see that I was running late. My thighs ached, but I pushed myself forward. Nearing our meeting place near the shopping district, I spotted a pair of black twintails. "Azusa!" She turned towards my direction and waved. Finally reaching her, I stopped to catch my breath, arms on my knees.
"Shigure, you didn't need to run. I got your message that you'd be late."
Looking up at her, I smiled and chuckled. "I know that. *pant* *pant* However, it's not polite to leave a lady waiting." Sweat dripped from my brow. Times like this, I really wished I'd taken up running. I then felt something soft touch my head.
"Try to keep still." Azusa said, wiping me dry with her handkerchief.
"Thanks." After a couple of minutes, we headed off. I made no mention of holding hands as I didn't know where her comfort level was. Our first stop was a cafe. Finding a table to ourselves, we placed some orders and waited. The cafe was mildly busy. Glancing at Azusa briefly, I quickly looked away to avoid looking like I was staring.
"Hey, Shigure. Um..."
I returned my gaze to her. "Yeah?"
"..." I could see she was having trouble finding her words.
"If it's too difficult to say, please don't force yourself."
"No, I'm okay." She breathed deeply, then focused on me. "What was it that drew you to me?" I was surprised by this question. "I'm just curious."
I gave her a smile. "How do I put it? I guess one answer would be 'love at first sight', if you believe in that sort of thing. If I had to make a serious guess however..." I paused to think. "I think it was just that, as I told you before, when I first saw you..." I snapped my fingers. "Something clicked. Part of me just said 'she's the one'. That answer your question?"
"I think so. I'm actually kind of flattered someone would think of me that way." She gave me a smile, causing my heart to flutter a bit. Our orders then arrived. Some cake, a hot chocolate for Azusa, and a coffee for me. Conversation slowed down as we tucked in.
A few more people came in as time passed. "Is coffee nice?"
The question drew my attention. "Hm?"
Azusa looked at me with some interest. "I think you said some time ago that you're a coffee drinker. I don't really drink it myself. Is it nice?"
"I guess it depends on how you drink it. I also think it's an acquired taste. You either like it, or you don't."
"Okay." We soon finished our snacks and left. Walking around the district, we exchanged a bit of chit-chat. Passing a music store, Azusa mentioned that she needed some new strings for her guitar. I decided to wait outside for her. As I waited for her return, I let my mind wander a bit. Part of me was still in disbelief that I actually had Azusa as a girlfriend. We had broken the news to the rest of the Light Music Club. Reactions had been mixed. Mio-sempai and Mugi-sempai were surprised but happy, offering their heartiest congratulations. Ritsu-sempai gave us a goofy congrats as well and made some jabs at Azusa, earning herself a hit to the head from Mio-sempai.
Yui-sempai was devastated, clinging onto Azusa and demanding to know how she could betray her. I sometimes visited the Light Music Club when invited, and had seen how attached Yui-sempai was to Azusa, so her reaction to the news was of quite little surprise. We all comforted her as best we could, and after eating some cake, she eventually accepted the news. We also mentioned it to Ui and Jun. They were both really happy for us and wished us the best of luck. Ui also admitted that she had had a hunch that something was going on, but had stayed quiet out of respect. "Shigure?" A voice brought me back to the present. Azusa was looking at me curiously.
I gave her a smile. "Sorry, just reminiscing. All done?"
She held up a small bag. "I got what I need."
"Alright, off we go." I started to head off.
"Um..."
Looking back, I saw Azusa looking embarrassed. "Yeah?"
"Um... Do you want to..." She blushed deeply. "Do you want to... hold hands?" She looked really awkward.
I went up to her. "Are you comfortable with it?" She looked up at me. "If you're comfortable with it, then sure. I've actually wanted to from the start, but I didn't say anything because I didn't know whether you'd be okay with it."
Her brown eyes shimmered and she fell quiet. I waved in front of her face. "Hello? Anyone home?"
She blinked, then gave a small smile. "Sorry. I'm just surprised at how thoughtful you are."
I returned her smile. "If we want this to work, that's pretty much a given." I then offered her my hand. After some hesitation, she slowly extended her arm. When her fingers brushed against mine, I wrapped my hand around hers. Continuing our date, we browsed the available movies (but failed to reach a shared decision), got lunch, spent some time in an arcade, and window shopped. Eventually, the afternoon sun began setting, bringing an end to our time together. I offered to escort Azusa home, but she politely refused, saying that seeing her off was fine.
Waiting at the bus stop, she leaned onto me, looking a bit tired. I kept as still as I could, keeping an eye out for her bus. I noticed some people giving us looks, but I don't think Azusa really cared. Her weight was comforting.
"Thank you for a wonderful time out, Shigure. I really enjoyed it." she said.
"Anytime. I had fun as well." I replied. I then saw her bus coming and shook her. "It's here." Getting up, she wiped her eyes. We then faced each other again.
"Well, guess this is goodbye then."
"Until next time. Let me know when you want to hang out again." Briefly hesitating, she slowly hugged me. I held her close, enjoying her warmth. "Don't fall asleep and miss your stop, okay?"
"I won't." We then separated and she boarded the bus. After watching the vehicle leave, I made my own way home.
THE END
==References==