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[No, it wouldn't be. It's nice to have a break from pushing himself around--the only time it's insulting is when people do it without asking.

He's watching. He is so watching her little hops in those heels and admiring every second of it. Guess that's one advantage of pushing himself around.]

How is that cheating? Sounds like an authentic experience if I've ever heard of it.

[...isn't he overdressed for a sub shop though...?]

Well, we might be a tad overdressed. [The cheating part lies in the fact that she genuinely forgot to give him a heads up to where they were going, so he might have chosen a different outfit if she hadn't been so worried about her own.] Granted, I'd feel worse if you didn't look just as good with clothes on as you do with them off, but ...

[She grins then, both sheepish and flirtatious for as little sense as that makes. Her eyes do catch on his wheelchair, it's not that they've got a long walk or anything, and she doesn't doubt his strength, still.]

Can I? [She motions at his chair. She's offering to man the wheels.]

I'll say, but it's always better to be overdressed than underdressed.

[He didn't really have a choice in the matter. He's either professional-mode or swimming, and his closet reflects that. Boxer chuckles.]

I'd say the same about you.

[He takes his hands off his wheels when she asks, able to sit up a little more comfortably, and gives her a grateful smile.]

By all means.

[His closet won't continue it's way of life if Boxer finds himself with a steady girlfriend.

But there's a surprising amount of relief that comes with his answer and if he enjoyed her hopping around then he'll really get a kick out of the vaguely excited leaping! Of course Nariko isn't taking into account how heavy Boxer is going to be, so the first attempt isn't exactly graceful.

The second works because she puts her actual muscle into it and even though there's a noticeable little burn in her arms it's worth it for the moment that his chair gets moving. Maybe it's magic or physics but once they're going it feels a lot easier! For now, anyway.]

You know, I just found another reason to like you even more than I already do!

[Yep. "If".

He laughs. You're so easily excited, Nariko. It's cute.]

Oop. Really wasn't exaggerating about my weight.

[He tilts his head upward so he can look at her, smiling.]

Convenient cardio?

[She makes a gentle snorting little noise at that - well, of course he's going to be weighty! It's not a big deal. But since she would like to be able to push him more comfortably she might go back to weights for a little bit - administrative work has made her a bit lazy and weak.]

Okay, so I have two reasons. [In truth she could probably just practice with him instead of using actual weights! But that's not the point.]

My original reason is that I actually get to feel like the smaller one with you! It's nice to be the relatively tiny and cute one for once!

[Nariko was certainly feminine enough but a voluptuous body didn't make for the most stereotypically 'adorable' sort of girlfriend. It was difficult for a regular man to pick her up or even be the big spoon at times, and the above average strength didn't exactly help. Boxer could probably pick her up and toss her if he wanted to, and there was something endearing about it - it wasn't the easiest thing in the world for her to vocalize, but it was an incredibly positive thing.]

[She'll just have to settle on using weights on the days they don't meet, huh? He understands, though. Boxer would go crazy if he had to do deskwork.]

You always wanted to be the tiny one, huh?

[To be honest, he never even considered that might be the case. Even with the tallest humans and monsters, he's still massive--even though he can't stand and loom over him, his girth tells enough of the story that would have been if he had legs.]

You'll be my pretty little doll, in that case. The figurative type.

[...is...is that too much? he wonders.]

[It's .... Something, because she hadn't expected him to say something like that.]

I wouldn't believe anyone else meant it positively, so it works out well! [She'd also punch anyone stupid enough to call her that out of nowhere. But it's cute from him. Surprising, but definitely okay, and to make sure he knows it she leans in to kiss his cheek.

It almost worries her that he's that smooth.]

But for the record, I can still kick someone's ass if needed! All tininess occurs for the sake of intimacy and spending time together!

[No one likes a helpless woman, she knows that better than anyone else in all of Cloud Bank.]

[Ah, it went over well! He's gonna run with it, then.]

Can't think of anything more apt--since I'll be dressing you up and playing with you. [...the way he says it makes it doesn't sound sexual, surprisingly enough. Like he's gonna sit down and play videogames with her. But the implication, while silent, is clear.] Since you're cute as a button.

[He leans into the kiss, giving her a little chuckle.]

You know what they say about dynamite, right? There's a reason why it comes in small packages.

You're going to embarrass me out of my heels.

[But judging by the uneven, excited sort of smile on her face it's a good thing! She's just not used to it, but it'll be a fun adjustment period!]

Because it's volatile and can blow your hand off if you aren't careful?

[Boxer do you really play video games, though. They're coming up on the sub shop now, by the way! It's not too crowded, they'll have the place to themselves! Knowing that they're going to have more time to really sit and talk makes her nervous and elated at once - but maybe that's how dates are supposed to feel.]

No! [He acts like he's genuinely devastated by the mere idea.] Not the heels!

I...think that fits with the metaphor somehow. [Heh.]

Ah... [He's noticing the place now.] Is this it? [So empty. He supposes that subs aren't the first thing that comes to mind when dinner rolls around.]

Mmhm! It's a little busier at lunch but!

[They have to get the door open, which means that she stops rolling him along for a second to get a hold of it.]

What can I say, I kind of wanted you all to myself anyway, while being very fancy.

[Or at least half fancy, the dark blue plunge dress might have been better ... Ahh, well, in they go!]

[He'll take the opportunity to scoot himself in while she holds the door open.]

You won't have me truly to yourself--you'll have to compete with whatever hoagie I order.

[Or several hoagies.]

You, me, and the bread! I'm okay with that sort of threesome.

[Look, she made it more than twenty minutes before inserting making some form of sexual innuendo, it's a record for her.]

Besides, I like you and all but it's Tomato Bisque night!

[With extra croutons!! But once they're in she gets a hold of the handles again. A benefit to the place being empty? They don't have to wait in line, so aside from a glance or two from some existing customers they're free to consider their choices.]

Oh, hell yes.

[His language.]

Tomato Bisque? Hmm...

[He looks through the options.]

I think I'll go for minestrone myself. Large. [Obviously.] And for a sandwich--

[Please hold.]

Does that say pot roast sub?

[She leans on his shoulder a bit and says, knowingly:]

It says pot roast sub, dear.

[His voices are a+.] Try it with the homemade hot sauce if you want to give it some real kick!

[She's still getting the tomato and half a Turkey Club.]

I'm gonna get that.

[He orders the full thing, even though he probably shouldn't eat such sloppy food while dressed in a nice suit, but...ah, fuggit.

He opts not to get the hot sauce, though.]

Not...real hot on spicy things.

[Heh! Get it?]

[He'll be alright. Besides, she's not just pretty, she's good for cleaning! And there's nothing in that sub that she doesn't know how to get out, so he's good.]

We'll never be able to share wings, then.

[Spicy all the way, man. But then she catches that pun and she has to cover her mouth to keep from laughing too loudly.]

Something tells me you wouldn't be willing to share them in the first place.

[His sense of taste is just too powerful. With a monsterkind body come monsterkind senses, unfortunately.

Which means he burns his tongue a lot, too.]

Not wings. But I will share fries and most appetizers!

[This isn't because she's really that selfish about food, she's just not the type to go sharing it left and right, like how some families will just take stuff off of each other's plates. It's something of a personality quirk.]

Come on, let's order.

[She pushes him along, and doesn't go first just because she doesn't think too. In fact, she's already looking for a good place for them to sit.]

I'll have to content myself on that, then.

[Or, you know, order his own...not-wings dinner. Or whatever recipe they have for wusses.

He orders for himself, then starts to order for Nariko once he realizes she's not paying attention.]

Tomato bisque and a--

[Oh, crap, she never told him what sandwich she wanted.]

Hey. [A gentle nudge.] What were you gonna get for your sandwich?

[It's okay Boxer, you're allowed to not want to burn your mouth off! But Nariko will do it at nearly every single opportunity because she makes bad life decisions.

That corner looks nice. And ... Honestly she just kind of blanks out there for a good second until she hears his voice.]

Oh, sorry! Half a Turkey Club, with extra bacon and water, please!

[Augh it's gonna be so good with the soup, too.]

Oh, yeah, and a water or me too.

[As long as she doesn't make fun of his sensitive tongue.

Now they have to wait, and Boxer picks at the armrests of his chair in the meantime. He doesn't know why, but a sudden curiosity comes to him.]

Were you born here, Nariko? In New Cloudbank.

[She can drink Sriracha, everyone has a sensitive tongue compared to her and she's managed to not be an asshole about it, so they'll probably be fine.]

Ahh ... [This is one of those moments where she could lie or divert from the truth but ... She doesn't want to. She trusted the guy to take her home with him and not be a serial killer, so it'd be fucked up to not trust him with a perfectly valid question like that.]

Nope! I ended up moving here when I was pretty young, but I've never imagined leaving since. I don't think there's another city in the world like it.

[But that leads her to another fair question to ask him:] Have you ever left?

[From his small smile, he seems pretty content with her answer.]

It's what your heart calls home that matters.

[He gives her question some long, thoughtful consideration. There's a lot of technicalities that make it surprisingly hard to answer. Eventually, he settles on what he think she's trying to get at.]

I've never been on any other land mass, no. I've been in a lot of different waters, though.

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