Chapter Text
He always enjoyed her smile. Not the fake one she gave to others as Kawaii~Chan, which was stretched and contorted to be absolutely perfect. The one that hid any negative emotion she might feel, and faced anything negative that came her way.
No, he enjoyed her real smile and all the imperfect forms it took. From the tiny curl at the edge of her lips when she admired something mundane like an overheard conversation at the cafe or a flower she liked, to the wide flustered grin she got when the two of them were alone and Zane had the confidence to make her blush.
He liked how soft her lips always looked, how they formed around every word she spoke. He especially liked how they formed around his name with an extra hint of joy at the edge.
He liked how her cat fangs would peak from her mouth as she stifled a grin or gasped in excited surprise at something. How they fit so well in the rows of her teeth without any imperfections. Lucky girl never even had braces.
Lastly, he liked the smile that was saved for him alone. The smile only he received whenever she looked at him. You had to know her well enough to notice, but there was something different about her smiling at one of her friends and smiling at him. Whether it was the shine in her teeth or the crinkle near her eyes, but you could see the overwhelming love that tried to pour out of her through it.
She always had to walk on the curb. Whenever they took a stroll in town, to get somewhere, or just for fun, if they were close to a curb she had to balance on it like a child. He’d seen her do this plenty of times before when the group would be out. She would always place herself near the street so she could balance on the curb. It was just something that happened and no one seemed to notice or care.
When he first started to crush on her, he found himself also walking near the curb with the group. He wasn’t sure if it was to watch her balance or to be there in case she fell. Either way, she never fell and he always tried to look away.
Then they started dating, he was finally able to admire the quirk without shame. It had finally hit him on one of their first dates. They were walking to the restaurant they planned to have dinner at, Nana balancing on the curb while Zane walked beside her. It was a beautiful evening and she looked so stunning in the setting light and glow of the street lamps and-
Suddenly her balance faltered, her foot slipped, and she was about to fall out into the street. Zane quickly reached out, one hand grabbing hers while the other grabbed her waist. He pulled her back, switching their spots so he stood next to the road. They were holding each other, frozen for a moment processing what had just happened, before they both let out a slight sigh.
“I’m holding your hand every time you do that now. No exceptions.” It was a stern promise but there was still a tad of joy in the words, giving them less weight. Nana giggled and nodded.
“S-sorry, I’m usually great with my balance,” she muttered as a blush came to her cheeks. Zane had opened his mouth to tell her things were okay when- “It doesn’t help that I’m so nervous tonight,” she confessed. Zane raised an eyebrow.
“Why would you be nervous?”
“I don’t know- things feel different… In a good way!” her face was growing more red and her body had tensed. Zane let go and the two parted from their hold.
“I mean, this is our first date back home that hasn’t been spent at one of our houses.”
It was true. Almost every date they’ve had since coming home had been at one of their houses. Either watching a movie, TV show, baking, or playing games. Granted they hadn’t been on that many since they got back, but still it was different.
Zane pulled down his mask to show he was smiling and that alone seemed to comfort her a little.
“If it makes you feel better, I-I’m pretty nervous too.”
“We can be nervous together then,” she giggled.
The two were pretty calm the rest of the night, with the new added bonus of Zane holding Nana’s hand to help her balance on the curb.
A lot of her cat mannerisms were adorable to him. The flick of her ears when she noticed a noise or heard her name. The swish of her tail, how it had a mind of its own yet was in sync with Nana’s emotions. How she didn’t have a typical human nose, but rather a small cat-like button in its place.
He adored how her eyes were slightly pointed and her irises even more so. How her hands were so soft yet they held wicked sharp claws that could put the fear of Irene into anyone. How she always landed on her feet somehow when she tripped or fell.
Zane adored every non-human aspect of her.
But one of his favorites had to be the way she tilted her head with certain emotions. Typically it was when she was confused or curious. If she was confused, she would tilt her head to the left as her ears followed that direction, her right ear flattening while the other stayed alert. If she was curious, it would be in the opposite direction.
He found it especially adorable when she looked that way at him, because even when she was confused with what he may have said she never tilted her head to the left.
With him, she always tilted her head to the right.