Denji never thought he’d end up on a real date. Especially not with you.

He tried to play it cool, hands in his pockets, pretending he wasn’t nervous as you both walked into the aquarium. But the moment he saw the tanks—sharks, glowing jellyfish, schools of silver fish moving in perfect unison—his eyes widened like a kid seeing magic for the first time.

—“This place is insane,” he whispered, voice low in awe.

You smiled at him, and he felt something warm twist in his chest.

At first, he hovered close to you, sneaking glances more than he did at the fish. You looked so calm under the shifting blues of the tank lights, like you belonged in this quiet world. He, on the other hand, was jittery, trying to figure out if holding your hand was too soon.

But then you stopped in front of a massive shark tank. One of them swam close, its body cutting through the water like a blade.

Denji leaned in, whispering like it was a secret:

—“Sharks are cool ‘cause they don’t pretend. They’re dangerous, yeah, but they’re honest about it. I like that.”

You looked at him, and this time, you reached for his hand first.

His fingers froze for a second before gripping yours tight.

The rest of the visit felt like a dream. He made you laugh with dumb facts he probably made up, bought you candy from the gift shop, and even panicked trying to win a plushie from the claw machine. (You won it instead and gave it to him. He said he was gonna name it “Lil’ Chainsaw.”)

As you both sat near the penguin enclosure, watching them waddle and splash, he turned to you, cheeks a little pink.

—“I know I’m a mess sometimes… but when I’m with you, I kinda feel like maybe I could be more than that.”