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“So um, where do you wanna go?”
Oz looked around the harbor board walk where he and Bella were at to begin their very first date, “N-Not sure. What do you feel like?”
Despite living in Monstropolis for the majority of her life, some parts of the local harbor were still unfamiliar to Bella; so she had no idea where to begin, “Well um, I guess we could get dinner first. Do you know a nice place to go?”
“Sure! There’s a pizza parlor over there... and a diner a bit away. Oh, and a new seafood place just opened up just a few steps away!”
“Oh, fresh caught fish sounds nice actually! Let’s check it out!”
“A-Alright! Let’s go!” Oz said cheerfully as he led Bella by her hand
The lycanthrope looked at all the buildings that sat next to the ocean as its waves crashed smoothly on the shore. Seagulls were squawking and the breeze carried the familiar salty smell that brought Bella to a tranquil state. The forest was her home, but she always loved the sounds and smells of the ocean.
Ever since the day they met, Oz and Bella became super close, finding ways to spend time together every hour of the day. At night after school, they talked over the phone or played games online on their computers or game consoles; and at school they sat next to each other in all the classes they shared while showing one another silly memes and funny videos, as well as presenting each other’s latest doodles and drawings. Oz also let Bella sit with his group of close buddies at the lunch table whenever she wanted, and the same went for Bella and her little group of friends. The two groups also got to hang out all together just the other day at school and had a great time chatting and getting to know one another. Overall, it was a lot less stressful for Bella knowing she had such a wonderful group of individuals to call her friends, both new and ones she knew; as well as a cute shadow boy that made her feel happy.
After walking for a few minuets the two came to a stop at a pirate themed seafood eatery that was called “Captain Hook’s Line and Sinker.” Despite its cheesy and overly tourist trapping pirate décor, and the fact the entire building looked like a wrecked ship; it was oozing with a certain campy charm you couldn’t get anywhere else.
Bella’s tail began to wag, “What a cute little place!”
Oz then went ahead and opened the door for Bella while doing a little dorky bow, “After you~”
Bella giggled sweetly at the gesture, “Why thank you sir~”
As one took a single step into the restaurant, the smells of freshly caught fish and shrimp that were being pan-seared and sautéed greeted them; enrapturing them in their delicious haze of select spices and seasonings. Bella and Oz were no different as they felt both calm and hungry as they looked around the place.
Soon a friendly face greeted the two, “Hello! Welcome to Captain Hook’s Line and Sinker! How many will be dining today?”
“For two please!” Bella answered as Oz tensed up at the thought of having to answer back to a member of the waiting staff here.
“Of course! Right this way!”
The cheerful, anthropomorphic dragon-fish looking sea serpent then grabbed a couple of menus with his thin, sharp claws as gently as possible and kindly walked the couple to a booth seat with a window to look out into the beautiful, sparkling blue ocean; whose horizon line was meeting up with the sun as it dipped down to paint the sky it belonged to in various shades of warm colors, ranging from pastel pinks and purples to deep hues of orange and red.
Once the werewolf-walker and fear incarnate couple took their seats across from one another and took the menus offered by the waiter, the sea serpent person took out a small notebook and took out a pen that was tucked in his uniform shirt pocket and clicked it, “Can I get you both started with a drink?”
“Oh yes umm let’s see...” Bella scanned the drinks on the menus, “I’m not in the mood for alcohol tonight. Do you have any iced tea?”
“Yes we do madam! We even have half tea and half lemonade!” the serpent nodded
“I’ll take that then!” Bella smiled as the waiter jotted down her drink. He then looked over to Oz,
“And for you sir? What would you like to drink?”
There was no answer as Oz was sweating up a storm and shaking a bit as he covered his face with the menu pretending to read it, “Ahhhhh-I-I- um!”
The beads of dark sweat seemed to drip down like thick candle wax and then suddenly disappear as if some force evaporated the droplets like whips of black, ominous rain falling upwards. He continued to shake and his hands found themselves gripping tighter to the laminated menu as he shut his eyes as tightly as possible.
“I can get your drink order when I come back with the iced lemonade tea, if you’d like,” the serpent waiter offered in his best attempt to be patient while also not trying to add on to this rather awkward situation.
Bella nodded at the waiter, “Yes that’ll be fine sir, thank you. Could we also have a glass of water too?”
“Of course!” the waiter nodded as he jotted down the extra drink in his notebook, “I’ll be right back!”
“Thank you so much, sir!” Bella politely called after the waiter as he left and turned her attention to her date; who was still hiding behind the menu that was now completely covering himself as his head was face flat on the table as he continued to shiver like a tiny chihuahua out in the snow.
“Ozzy?” Bella quietly asked as she carefully placed a hand on Oz’s quivering one, “Are you okay?”
He timidly lifted up the menu so he could peek up at Bella, somehow making the underside of the laminated item look like a pitch black void with only a pair of wide and frightened eyes looking back at her while still sporting their iconic fluffy white eyebrows. His voice was hushed and seemed to synchronize with his shaky body,
“I hate ordering for myself...”
Bella couldn’t help but give him a soft smile. Oz was just so precious to her and she wanted to comfort him as best she could as she leaned in and gently touched his hand with her fingers, “Hey, its okay. I know it can be a little nerve wracking talking to new folks, but you can do it!”
“I-It’s not only th-that...” Oz looked away in shame, “What if they think the thing I order is weird? Or my lisp comes out! O-Or I stutter, or say the wrong thing!”
He made a little whine under his breath as he let the menu cover his face again. He then let out a frustrated sigh, “I’m sorry I embarrassed you like that... It’s okay if you wanna leave. I understand... I’m an uncool, dorky, nervous wreck after all...”
Oz then felt the menu lift up a little bit as he saw Bella looking at him with her usual sweet expression, “Don’t worry I’m not gonna leave. I wanna spend time here with you; I was looking forward to this date all week! We promised we would go on an official date a few days after prom remember?”
“Oh yeah... prom was just a couple of weeks ago huh...” the shadowy monster looked to the side in thought, having a hard time believing he was actually dating someone. Someone so lovely and sweet and kind; and willing to sit here with him as he had a mental melt down, literally and figuratively, over ordering a soft drink. “Still... I’m sorry if I’m ruining the vibe... I-I’ll do better.”
“And you’re best is more than enough for me darling. Even if your best is 70% or even 50%, it’s still your best and I’m proud of you either way.”
Oz let out a huge sigh mixed with a groan as he closed his eyes and let his eyebrows knit together tightly, “Dang it...”
“What?” Bella asked in a mild and concerned manner as Oz recomposed himself as he sat up and laid the menu down flat on the table with his eyes and eyebrows still closed and knitted as he clasped the hand that Bella placed on his own, and folded her fingers in-between his as he kissed them.
Bella’s heart fluttered as Oz opened his eyes half way and his eyebrows were now much softer as his white pupils looked into her eyes. He sighed again, this time in a dreamy manner,
“How are you so perfect?~”
Red flooded Bella’s cheeks, highlighting her freckle dusted apple-shaped cheek bones as she giggled lightly and squeezed Oz’s hands back as she leaned in and looked into his sparkly eyes that reminded her of starlight, “I could ask you the same thing~”
The two felt the urge to lean in closer and they were soon about to kiss until someone cleared their throat next to them. Their little bubble of a magic moment popped as their heads quickly turned to the voice as they saw their waiter give them an awkward look,
“I’m sorry to interrupt, but I brought the water and the iced lemonade tea.”
“Oh, its okay!” Bella waved one of her hands in a polite dismissal, “Thank you very much!”
The dragon-fish looking sea serpent used his delicate yet sharp fingers to place the glasses down in front of the couple and held the circular serving tray in both hands, “Are you ready to order your drink sir? Or would you like some more time?”
Oz’s eyes darted to Bella and she gave him a reassuring nod, “Uh-um, yeah uh... just a Dr. Popper, please.”
“Alright!” the server nodded as he jotted it down, “Are you both ready to place an order?”
“You want an appetizer, Ozzy?” Bella asked her boyfriend gently
“Um sure! You order whatever you want, I’m not super picky! Just make sure it’s not too spicy though...” Oz looked at Bella so he didn’t have to make eye contact with the waiter as he whispered the last part.
“Okay uhhh, what do you recommend sir?” Bella asked the waiter kindly
“Well, I do enjoy the fried pickles and okra!”
Bella saw Oz wince at the mention of pickles.
“Not a pickle fan?” Bella teased Oz with a light chuckle
“N-No... Not a big fan of them,” Oz whispered while he still cringed at the thought of the taste and texture of the brined cucumbers
“That’s okay! What else do you recommend?” Bella looked to the waiter again
“We do have a lovely shrimp cocktail! They make the sauce here fresh in-house, and it’s not too spicy! It also comes with tartar sauce as well, and you both can choose from sautéed or fried shrimp.”
Bella’s tail began to thump against the seat, “Oooh that sounds yummy~!”
“I like fried shrimp,” Oz whispered to Bella
“Then we’ll start with a fried shrimp cocktail, please!” Bella beamed
“Alright! One fried shrimp cocktail...” the waiter nodded as he finished writing the order down, “Do you two want a little more time deciding on your main meals?”
“Y-Y-Yes... p-please,” Oz answered shyly
“No problem! I’ll be back with your appetizer and second drink shortly,” the waiter responded and turned the other way to head to the kitchen.
“Th-Th-Thank you!” Oz blurted out as politely as his voice would allow him to
“Hey, you did it hun!” Bella beamed as she took Oz’s hand to give it a little squeeze
Oz responded with a hint of sheepish blush and a nervous yet proud chuckle, “Hee-heh- ye-yeah! Yeah, I did!”
“Just keep it up and you’ll be ordering for a whole dinner party soon!” Bella giggled
“Heh, I doubt that...” Oz chuckled as he scratched his chin timidly, “-but... thank you. For believing in me; even if it’s something as small as ordering a soda, heh...”
“Of course, anytime love,” Bella said with a little smile that made her eyes close a bit.
Oz couldn’t help but just feel all warm and fuzzy inside as he found that to be very, VERY adorable. He coughed a little as he didn’t want to make her uncomfortable with him staring into her eyes too long as he knew she wasn’t a huge fan of eye contact. Like him.
“Ahm, so uh... do you um... like dating so far? I-I mean like the whole thing where we go to places to get to know each other more and uh... um ya’ know... stuff like that.”
Bella felt a giggle bubble up inside her as she couldn’t help but just find Oz the cutest thing alive right now and let it erupt softly from her mouth, “Yeah I do in fact. I like getting to know you more. It’s fun!” She then looked away shyly as she blushed a bit, “I um, hope you feel the same way about me too heh.”
Oz then nodded very enthusiastically, "I-I do yeah! I-I like dating you very much!”
“Thank you”, Bella tenderly said and looked at Oz to admire him
Oz couldn’t help but do the same and he was now all flushed and flustered as he looked at her with such pure admiration it could rival how Liam saw a blue steak of paint on a blank white canvas at a prestigious art show.
Soon the waiter came with the soda and appetizer and the two ordered their meals with Bella ordering a fillet of the fresh catch of the day that was pan-seared with seasoned rice and sautéed veggies and Oz ordering the same exact thing because he was too nervous to say another word to the waiter, but he also felt like it sounded too good to pass up.
That got Bella into talking in depth about how the reason why fish meat can be red or white depending on their diets, like the salmon; which made Oz sigh and swoon over her as he let his head rest in his hands and sway his feet under the table in a mindless daze as he kept thinking, God she’s so hot...How can I NOT kiss her???
Soon they got their meals and Oz let Bella keep talking about marine biology, and how she was learning about how cetaceans used various vocalizations to find food and communicate with others and how they sounded so cool and eerie at the same time, because it was the only thing he wanted to hear at the moment. If one paused they could probably see little cartoony hearts pop up from his being and hear dove cooing sound effects in the background as his eyes were half-lidded in a dreamy gaze.
After a while they finished up their meals and the waiter came by with the bill. They split the difference because they wouldn’t let each other pay for both meals out of politeness and decided on a middle ground where they could both practice decent dating etiquette. It was also the better choice for both their wallets’ sake, so who could really argue about that?
The bill was paid and the waiter was given a hearty tip since he was so kind to them; and Oz kindly led Bella out of the restaurant by her hand and they headed out to finish the next half of their date by walking along the beach as the stars began to pop into the sky in the deep purple twilight along with the rest of its orange and yellow hues.
Once their feet touched the shore they decided to get more comfortable by taking their shoes off to enjoy the fading warmth of the sand and the increasing coolness of the air.
Oz was finishing taking of his sandals as he looked over to see Bella taking off her shirt and revealing she had on a one piece swimsuit underneath with a pretty marbled purple, lavender, and black pattern on it that showed off the shape of her body in a way that made the shadowy young man freeze in his tracks.
She kept her shorts on and tied her hair up in a pony tail, and the young fear man just drank in how immaculate her curvy arms and legs were, along with how a simple task like tying her hair up made her rival the statues of Aphrodite and Athena.
Once her hair was tied up with a spare scrunchie she kept in her purse, Bella looked over to Oz who was just completely red in the face as he continued to drift of into space powered by his sheer adoration for her. She smiled and giggled at the sight,
“You okay, Ozzy?”
Oz shook his head realizing how silly he must’ve looked, “H-Huh? Oh y-yeah heh, I was just uh um uh, thinking about how the colors of your swimsuit look very nice!” He then looked to the side and whispered to himself, “Especially on you...”
“Thank you, love,” she sweetly said coming over to give him a kiss on the cheek on her tippy toes, “It must be an especially nice swim suit to make you blush like that~”
He could’ve melted on the spot right then and there, but he did his best not to and just made a bunch of flustered mumbles and wiggled and fidgeted around in a blushy mess, “Aww da-ghhh-kh! W-Well I- hee hee uh-I-ummm-aaaaaaaaa~”
Bella giggled and then took Oz’s sandals from him to put in her beach bag, “My sweet, silly shadow~ C’mon, get comfy so we can head to the water!”
“Y-Yeah! O-Okay!” Oz fumbled over his words as he tried to take off his shorts to just have his swim trunks and his button-up, pineapple patterned shirt on so he could trail after Bella and into the water.
The waves were gentle yet frequent as the salt water rolled over the sandy shore and onto the feet that traveled across it; washing away the heaviness of the day.
The shadowy and wolfen lovers just held each other’s hands and swung them back and forth as they both enjoyed the fresh, cool water and the sodden sand beneath them while they collected sea shells and showed them to one other. Everytime Oz picked one up he would ask Bella what shell it was just so he could hear her talk more about what she knew about the marine life, and he was all the glad to get more facts and information from his aspiring zoologist girlfriend as she talked about mollusks and marine invertebrates for the next half hour.
Soon, twilight turned into night and now the two were lying down on a couple of beach blankets they brought and looking at the stars as they popped up across the sky.
“Look! It’s Scorpio! Your sign!” Oz pointed up to the group of stars that resembled the water sign of the zodiac scorpion
“Oh yeah! I love how it looks like her little tail is coiling up!” Bella commented happily as she traced the curled up part of the constellation imagining the starry scorpion was resting her tail
“You know the story behind Scorpio, yeah?” Oz asked curiously
“Of course! It’s one of my favorite stories! About how Athena had to summon the little guy to deal with Orion’s bullshit!” Bella laughed, “Guy really thought he could kill all the animals in the world to save his ego...”
“Hm yeah, he was a big show-off,” Oz chuckled remembering his days in ancient Greece as a little kid.
“Is Athena nice?” Bella asked, “I know she would be a neutral force to be reckoned with, but I always liked the stories that showed her softer side.”
“From what I remember yeah, she was very chill. She liked animals and loved the forest and LOVED women.” Oz said as he did his best to recall what he remembered about the goddess of the hunt, “But then again, who doesn’t?”
Bella laughed a bit when Oz said that last bit as he looked over at her and gave her a silly wiggle with his fluffy eyebrows at her, “Ha ha stop it! It’s too cute when you do that!”
Oz felt a little cocky and rolled over to get up in the werewolf’s face, “Oh you mean, this?”
He furiously wiggled his eyebrows more and Bella felt her breath fighting with her laughter, “Aaah! Stop! I-I can’t breathe- ha ha ha!”
She playfully tried to push Oz away but that just made him all the more bold and returned the gesture by laying on top of his girlfriend and laughing along with her as he peppered her cheeks with kisses.
“EEEE! Ozzy! AAA!” Bella squealed as she continued to laugh
Oz’s more goofy and playful side was now in full swing as he made little “rawr rawr” and “mwuah mwuah” noises as he kissed Bella
Bella was now ready to fight back and wrapped her arms around Oz and pulled him in and gave him the tightest squeeze she could give and kissed his cheeks back. He laughed and squeaked trying to squirm out of the tight embrace as Bella’s lips tickled his jaw line and neck,
“EEK! AAA BELLA!”
“Hee hee! Got cha’ back!” She giggled as she rolled onto her side so both of them were back on their blankets and could take a breather while they looked at one another.
“Hey... I’m not being too much am I?” Bella asked slowly
“What do you mean?” Oz replied
Bella moved a bit off of him to look away, “I mean um... Am I talking too much or being overly touchy or affectionate? It’s my first time really dating someone this seriously and I just want to make sure I’m not doing anything wrong like pushing you to do something you don’t like or chatting your ear off...” she trailed with a nervous laugh
It was Oz’s turn to move as he sat up a bit, “What- No! No, you’re not doing anything wrong! I’m okay with you playing around and giving me surprise cuddles! A-And I love hearing you talk about animals and nature and stuff you learned in class! It makes my day!”
“Are you sure?” Bella timidly asked as she gave Oz a worried look, “I don’t wanna talk so much that I don’t let you get a chance to talk about what you like too... I don’t wanna take away what you have to say.”
“But you don’t,” Oz looked at her as he gently leaned in, “You let me talk about my nerd stuff and I wanna hear about the stuff you find cool too. It’s one of the many things I love about you. I can’t get enough of listening to you~”
A comforted smile appeared on Bella’s face as she nuzzled into Oz’s chest and laid down on her side against the cooling fabric of the beach blanket, “Thank you Ozzy... It means a lot to hear you say that.”
Oz let his hand sweetly drape on her shoulder as she curled up next to him, “Of course, anytime.”
“Maybe we should start a podcast,” she giggled as she turned over to look up on him, “I love hearing about what you have to say too! I could talk about comics and marine zoology with you for hours!”
“You think anyone would wanna listen to us talk about obscure superhero comics and hermit crabs for an hour?” he giggled back
“Uh, yeah!” Bella laughed back, “I know I would listen to that as I’m studying for my next big test! Wouldn’t you!?”
“I would, yeah,” he answered in thought
“Then we need to put out the content we deserve to have!” Bella exclaimed as she pumped her fist in the air and then grabbed Oz’s face to pull closer to her, “And you’re so sexy when you talk about Moon Knight comic lore~ I wanna hear more!~”
Oz blushed and giggled with a snort as he grabbed Bella’s wrists and gently held them, “Heh heh, oh stop! You’re just saying that to get me flustered!”
“Well its working!~”
Bella then sat up to place a kiss on Oz’s nose, “And I genuinely love hearing about it! Did you read the new issue you got this month?”
Oz’s eyebrows rose up enthusiastically, “I did actually! We’re not in any rush, are we?”
Bella then pushed Oz back a bit onto the blanket so he could get the message that she wanted to lay on the sand a bit longer with him and listen to what he had to say. She rested her head on his chest and got comfy, “Not at all~ Now, what’s Moon Knight up to these days?”
Oz got comfy himself and put his arm around Bella to let her cuddle into him, “So this time, it begins with Moon Knight watching over the city-“
The evening was spent listening to one another talk about Moon Knight and mollusks of the sea as the sun finally set behind the horizon line. As the stars began to sprinkle across the night sky, the last few hours of the day would be cemented into their minds forever; just listening to the best podcast in the world.