(Y/n) glances down at the polaroids in her hand. She stood in front of the bulletin board, wondering what location the pictures corresponded with on the map of the Gaol. Unconsciously, she was humming to the song that was currently playing on the jukebox.

Eventually, she was able to find where to pin the pictures. Slowly but surely, she assembled the pictures on the board and made sure to mark their precise locations with the red string.

In the distance, Yakumo finished his second cup of aged brandy. He placed the glass aside, knowing Louis would skin him alive if he were to get drunk again. Deciding to leave the bar, he hopped off the stool and wondered what he should do next. While walking toward the hot spring, he spotted (Y/n) pinning up the pictures of her latest expedition on the map. He could hear her humming and grinned when he saw she was bobbing her head side to side in sync with the music.

Yakumo approached (Y/n), purposely making sure his footsteps were muffled. He didn't want to startle her and throw off her concentration. Coming to a stop a few feet behind her, he leaned against the couch with crossed arms and watched her. A grin crept onto his face when he saw she began swaying her hips to the beat while still focusing on updating the map.

After the song ended, another one accompanied it. Unlike before, this song had a slower, gentler beat. Yakumo's grin morphed into a smile as he pushed himself off the couch and reached out toward (Y/n).

The girl gasped in shock when a hand grabbed her wrist and spun her around. The sudden movement caused her to drop the remaining polaroids as she came face to face with Yakumo. Her cheeks turned bright red when seeing how close their faces were. "Wh-What're you doing, Yakumo?"

"What does it look like?" Yakumo adjusted his grip and grabbed her hand while wrapping his other arm around her waist. "We're gonna dance."

Arching a brow, she peered into his eyes with curiosity. "Since when did you learn how to dance? Last time I asked if you could dance with me, you said you have two left feet."

"I may have asked Louis to teach me a thing or two about dancing," he replied.

"As much as I would love to dance with you, I have to finish updating the map," she sighed. "Once I'm finished with that, I have another expedition to complete."

"Oh, c'mon, (Y/n)," Yakumo's grip on the girl tightened. "You at least have time for one corny slow dance, right?"

The (h/c)-haired girl glanced at the map before sighing once again. "Okay, fine. One dance and that's it." She gripped his hand and placed her other one on his shoulder.

He chuckled. "That's all I want."

Yakumo watched his footing while listening to the beat of the song in order for them to dance along. After both of them were in sync to the beat and were gently dancing to the beat, he asked, "So where're you off to next?"

"The park ruins. I ran into a group of revenants during my previous expedition and they mentioned the goddess statue in the park ruins has a secret mechanism that controls the ladder. I'll be able to explore the area beyond now that I know how to lower the ladder," (Y/n) answered. "Hopefully, I'll return with some good news. Maybe I'll be able to locate the source of the bloodsprings."

"That area is shrouded in miasma. Don't you think it's a little too risky?"

"It is, but if I can find the source, it'll be a risk I'm willing to take. Our supply of blood beads is dwindling and we barely have enough to get all of us through the next month."

Yakumo stared into her (e/c) eyes as he gently spun her around before pulling her back into his arms. "This will be the third expedition this month, (Y/n). Don't you think it's time you took a break?"

"There's no time for breaks when our sanity is on the line." She locked eyes with him and noticed the worry in them. "I'll be fine, Yakumo. I've done this plenty of times."

"Not in high-density miasma," he retorts. "If you don't plan on backing down, at least let me come with you. I'd feel better knowing you weren't out there by yourself. Besides the Lost and miasma, who knows what kind of weirdos are out there."

"Weirdos like you, probably," she snickered.

"Hey, if I'm a weirdo, I'm a charming one," he chortled. "There's no way someone out there is as charming as me."

"Uh-huh, sure..." (Y/n) mumbled. "Whatever you say, Prince Weirdo."

"I think you're forgetting the "charming" part."

"Oh, trust me. I'm not."

"Ouch..." Yakumo feigned a painful expression. "Talk about a slap to the face."

"I know your ego isn't THAT fragile."

Their bodies continued to sway back and forth as their feet moved in tandem to the beat of the song. They both were shocked neither one of them had yet to step on the other's foot or trip.

As the music slowly began to fade, (Y/n) was prepared to break away from Yakumo but froze when she felt her body tilt backwards. She gasped and promptly latched onto him, feeling her fall being halted. Realizing he was dipping her, her heart started racing. Like before, their faces were mere inches apart. She could feel his warm breath brush against her lips. Blinking owlishly, she stared into his lime green eyes with her wide (e/c) ones. "W-Well that was...sudden."

Yakumo didn't budge. He refused to let her go until she agreed to one of his terms. "Listen to me closely, (Y/n). You can either let me go on this expedition with you or you're not going anywhere. I heard from Louis about your close call with a Lost horde during your previous expedition. If you think I'm going to let you walk out that door without me, you've got another thing coming. There's no way I'm going to lose you."

"You don't trust me to be able to survive on my own and carry myself through a fight?" She inquired.

"Far from it. I know you can kick ass whenever you want to, but that doesn't stop me from worrying about you."

(Y/n) knew how stubborn Yakumo could be and had no other choice but to decide. "Okay, okay... You can come with me on tomorrow's expedition. I could use the company, to be honest."

"Good choice," he grinned, pressing his lips against hers. It was a brief but sweet kiss. After their lips separated, Yakumo spun her one last time before heading over to where he kept Oni Bane. With the expedition scheduled for tomorrow, he knew he'd have to spend some much needed time on preparations.

The female revenant stared at his back, flustered at the sudden kiss. Her cheeks were a brighter red than they'd ever been and covered them with her palms. Shaking her head, she regained her thoughts and bent down to pick up the scattered polaroids. "I swear, he's unpredictable..."