El Paso, Texas, Tuesday Night

[weldedtomyspine]

"Have I mentioned how much I like that dress?" Jaime asked with a grin as he held the door open for Momoko. Because he did. Not that he didn't like Momoko in lots of things, but some dresses just... really worked for her.

"Also, I hope this place is good. I mean, the reviews say it is, but I haven't been here before."

He took a moment to exchange a few words with the hostess about their reservation.

"But if they aren't the best Italian place you've been to this year, don't blame me, okay?"

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[weldedtomyspine]

His fingers squeezed again, and he tugged her hand across the table, lifting her fingers to his lips.

"I never knew that."

[heromaniac]

"Which?" She melted at that gesture, as she always did. "I always tried really hard to make sure you didn't know I wanted you; are you saying it worked? I must have powered up without realizing."

[weldedtomyspine]

"The jealousy."

He grinned.

"Though you know I didn't know you wanted me. I thought you'd be too mad at me forever."

[heromaniac]

"Jealous like crazy! It hurt enough to think of you dating someone else, but then to think that somewhere some other me had done something right and not lost you?" Momoko pressed her hand gently against him where he still held it. "I couldn't even get hugs and she had a whole family. I was burning to know what I had done wrong that she had done different. And to take her place!"

"But with my you, not hers." In case you worried she would run off with an alternate you, Jaime.

"And I wasn't mad at you, you know. Well, immediately after we broke up I was, yes. After that I was just..." She shrugged. "Totally sure that your feelings had changed. That somehow I'd done something or you'd gotten tired of me, us. Or, if my day was really bad, that your feelings had never really been there to start with. I didn't get mad again until you confessed everything in the hospital."

[weldedtomyspine]

Jaime shook his head.

"I know you know this, but you totally didn't do anything wrong." And he did know it, but he still had to say it again.

[heromaniac]

She totally knew it now, yes.

"It took a while for me to learn that I didn't mess up. A little longer for you to figure out that you wouldn't. Maybe I should have moved here instead of going back to Tokyo City. Pounded some sense into you?"

"Oh." She blinked, realizing what she'd just said, and sat up. "Huh. I wonder if that's what she did?"

[weldedtomyspine]

"Huh." Now Jaime was blinking, too.

"But... why wouldn't she have gone home?" Even now that Momoko had moved to Texas, which wasn't something he'd thought was possible at all a few years ago, he still had a hard time imagining her doing it straight out of high school.

[heromaniac]

"Probably she went to college?" Momoko let the waiter set the steak in front of her, taking a moment to inhale the wonderful aroma it was giving off. "Mmmm. I mean, straight to college. Instead of the Police Academy first? I almost did."

[weldedtomyspine]

Jaime nodded absently, his attention split between Momoko and dinner.

"Sure, but you would have gone to college back home with your family, right?" That was the part that he sort of didn't get.

[heromaniac]

"Not necessarily. Why would I? Ah. Did I get your steak..." She looked at the piece on her fork. "Or did I forget to ask to it to be done well?"

[weldedtomyspine]

"I thought you'd just finally learned how to eat steak properly," Jaime smirked.

He cocked his head. "Want to ask them to cook it more?" It was Valentine's Day, so he didn't say "ruin it".

[heromaniac]

She totally heard that, Jaime Reyes.

"No thank you," she made a face and stuck her tongue out at him. "I just worried you may be eating yours at an actually safe temperature for human consumption," she teased and then daintily ate the meat.

"It's just a little more rare than I usually ask for; it's fine," she assured him a moment later.

[weldedtomyspine]

"So you are coming around," Jaime grinned, taking a bite of his own food.

[heromaniac]

"You will never sway me to the Dark Side, I assure you." Momoko snickered. "It's just really tasty tonight for some reason. Probably the sauce, since it totally can't be the company."

[weldedtomyspine]

Jaime put on a pout. "What's wrong with the company?"

[heromaniac]

Momoko pointed her fork at him. "Pouts aren't fair!"

[weldedtomyspine]

"Hey, nothing I've ever said has kept you from cheating." She'd used the Eyes on him just the other day! "So no complaining."

[heromaniac]

"That's because the rule is for you, and specifically for tonight."

...

"Also, I totally don't cheat. I strategize."

[weldedtomyspine]

"You do know that just calling it that doesn't mean you're not cheating, right?"

[heromaniac]

"No."

[weldedtomyspine]

"Oh. You didn't know? Well, it's simple if you want me to explain it to you."

"Again."

[heromaniac]

"Mmm. Please do." Momoko set her silverware down and folded her hands under her chin, giving him her full attention.

Or at least she was giving his lips her full attention.

Totally strategizing cheating listening, Jaime.

[weldedtomyspine]

Jaime heaved a sigh. "Okay. So the first lesson is the most important one. Can you at least promise to follow the most important rule?"

[heromaniac]

"Jaime," Momoko purred gently. "You know I'll do anything you ask me to. Anything. For you."

[weldedtomyspine]

It was hard to keep his concentration when she did that. And she knew it.

Cheater!

That was okay, though. Jaime was managing to hold out for now.

"Anything?" He smiled. "Good. I'm glad. Because I'm going to need you to give me your dessert."