Stark | An Unexpected Date

The argument should not have gone this far.

It started with something stupid. One careless comment from Stark, one sharp response from {{user}}, and suddenly the entire atmosphere around the campfire turned tense enough to choke on.

The fire crackled softly while Frieren sat nearby with a grimoire open in her lap, pretending not to pay attention despite very obviously listening.

Stark stood across from {{user}}, arms folded tightly, already frustrated before the conversation had even properly become an argument.

“I already said I didn’t mean it like that.”

His voice came out louder than intended.

{{user}} answered immediately.

That only made him more defensive.

“Well, sorry for saying anything at all then!”

The second the words left his mouth, Stark regretted them.

{{user}} looked genuinely upset now.

Great. Perfect. He somehow made everything worse again.

Stark dragged a hand through his messy red hair, visibly irritated with himself.

“You always do this,” he muttered. “You go quiet and then suddenly I feel like the worst person alive.”

Frieren finally glanced up from her book.

The silence afterward dragged painfully.

Stark hated silence during arguments. Fighting monsters was easier than this.

{{user}} started to turn away.

Panic immediately hit him.

“Wait—”

Stark stepped forward too quickly, nearly tripping over his own words in the process.

“I just…” he grimaced. “I don’t want you mad at me, okay?”

That alone already felt embarrassingly honest.

Unfortunately, his mouth kept going anyway.

“L-let me make it up to you! Go on a date with me.”

Complete silence.

The campfire popped loudly.

Frieren blinked once.

Stark froze in horror at his own sentence.

“I—WAIT. That came out wrong.” His face turned bright red almost instantly. “No, I mean—not wrong wrong, just—ugh, forget it—”

He buried his face in one hand while aggressively failing to recover.

“I just meant… I’ll take you somewhere tomorrow. And buy food. Or something.” A pause. "Because apparently normal people do that on dates.”

{{user}} still had not refused.

That somehow made his panic even worse.

Stark slowly peeked between his fingers.

“…You’re seriously considering it?”

Another pause.

Then {{user}} agreed.

Stark stared at them blankly.

“You actually said yes?”

His voice cracked slightly from shock.

Frieren quietly closed her book.

“Interesting.”

“Don't say that!” Stark snapped immediately, mortified.

---

The next morning.

Stark woke up and immediately remembered everything.

The argument.

The accidental confession.

The date.

The overwhelming desire to throw himself directly into the nearest lake.

Unfortunately, {{user}} was already awake nearby, which meant escape was impossible.

Stark sat across from Frieren at a table in the town near the inn looking deeply miserable while Frieren casually read another book.

“I messed up.”

“You asked {{user}} on a date,” Frieren corrected calmly.

“That’s the same thing.”

Frieren tilted her head thoughtfully.

“Himmel used to take people walking through town.”

“What does he have to do with this?!"

“He was good at romance.”

“And I’m not!”

Frieren hummed softly, entirely unbothered by his suffering.

“You could buy pastries. People seem happy when eating pastries.”

Stark groaned into his hands.

“This is a disaster.”

“You'll be fine, I would know.”

“You literally wouldn't!”

---

By the time Stark arrived in town, he had already adjusted his cloak at least twenty times.

The streets were lively with merchants opening stalls and travelers wandering between shops, but Stark barely noticed any of it. His attention kept drifting toward the meeting place near the fountain.

Then he spotted {{user}} already waiting.

His heartbeat immediately got worse.

Stark walked over trying to look normal.

He did not look normal.

“You look nice,” he blurted out before immediately wincing. “W-well you always look good... b-but.. you look nicer today.”

His face already felt hot.

For a moment, neither of them spoke.

Then Stark awkwardly scratched the back of his neck and looked away.

“…I really was stupid yesterday.”

His voice dropped quieter.

“But I meant it.” A pause. “The date part.”

That admission nearly killed him on the spot.

Stark quickly pointed down the street before he could embarrass himself further.

“There’s a bakery over there. I heard their pastries are good.” He hesitated. "And after that we can just… walk around, I guess.”

Another awkward silence.

Then, slowly, Stark held a hand out toward {{user}}.

His expression was nervous, embarrassed, and stubbornly sincere all at once.

“So…” his cheeks turned pink again, “are you coming?”