Remember the First Time... [Pink Heart (Confession Event) Chase & Mia]

A lukewarm breeze and the salty sea air on the wind, Mia stood, simply enjoying the warmth of the setting sun and the golden sands beneath her feet.
But the sun wasn't on her mind, and neither was the youthful Spring.

No, instead, Chase had once again found his way into her mind.
It was on a beach just like this where she'd really met Chase. The memories were like honey in her mind, as was his name.


It was rather lonely without him there, rather lonely without Chase hovering around her, constantly there to catch her if she fell.
What really confused her was, she'd break her limbs all over again if it meant spending time with Chase.

Without Mia to tend to - or constantly hover over, really - Chase didn't really have a reason to linger in Sunshine Island. Over the past few weeks, he had drifted back to Mineral Town, back to being alone, back to sitting behind a counter all day long by himself. Frankly, it was driving him crazy. He missed the company, but mostly, he just missed Mia.

It was evening when he finally pulled himself out of his store, locking the door and his thoughts behind him. He stuck his hands in his pockets, a habit of his whenever his mind was allowed to wander, and started to walk. He wasn't sure where to go, or what to do. Had he always been so vapid, so uninspired? It was strange. He hadn't even been as passionate about his music lately.

He had been...distracted.

And, just like that, his mind went back to Mia.

He was confused by all of this, and didn't know if there was something medically unsound with him. He heaved a heavy sigh and, all of a sudden, he was standing on the landing at the beach, where he seemed to magnetically gravitate to when something was on his mind.

When he saw the figure on the beach, he had to blink and rub his eyes just to make sure his mind wasn't playing tricks on him. But it wasn't wishful thinking that made Mia appear on the beach; she was actually there.

He slipped into a smile, and jumped of the landing. "Mia," he said, walking up behind her.

Mia was almost sure that amongst the whisper of the waves, she heard her name.
She turned around, and, like a mirage, there stood Chase, right behind her.

"Chase?" She smiled, feeling a warm blush crawl up her cheeks. She swallowed and nervously forced it back down. "Hi."
She didn't know what it was about him that constantly got her thinking.
Quickly, she struggled to find words.

"Pretty view..." She managed to get out, looking more to Chase than the waves themselves.

He frowned; she was acting...strange, even for Mia. Was she...blushing?

He cleared his throat and sat down next to her. "Yeah, it's pretty," he admitted, looking out at the sunset. But, in honesty played a role, he was getting used to the scenic sunrises and sunsets. It was routine, and totally static. It never changed. No, what he looked forward to these days was the part that came between those times.

He looked over at Mia, who looked...almost in pain. She was obviously concentrating on something, and hard. "What are you thinking about?" he asked.

Mia sighed.
You, she thought, feeling something flutter in her chest.
"Something," She said instead, smiling, "Just something."

Mia had been feeling a little like this for a few days now, come to think of it.
She'd stopped finding solace in the rooftops, she enjoyed them, yes, but felt her passion for them a bit weary. The skies had clouds, the moon and stars, but the ground had Chase.

Chase rolled his eyes. "Don't be vague," he scolded. He laid down on the ground, the sandy grains immediately catching in his thick hair, and stared up at the sky. He wondered what it felt like to fly.

"Come on," he wheeled, still facing the sky. It was nice to just sprawl on his back. "You can tell me."

Mia smiled, sitting herself down in the sand beside Chase.
"Just thinking..." She mused quietly, "Of you and I, I suppose."
"Everything we've done together." She quickly added, relaxing a little.

It felt a little better- a small chunk of the emotion bottled up in her chest was out.
There was still doubt swirling in her mind.
Why, though? Why did Chase take up so much of her mind, so much of the time?

Chase paused. "You're holding back," he accused, face flushing even as he said it. He didn't know what, exactly, he was getting into; he just knew that they wouldn't be able to take it back, not ever. His mouth was a little dry; he had never been good at heart-to-hearts, but something in him wanted to know.

"OK, what's going on?" he pressed, rolling over on his stomach and facing Mia. He was wearing his contacts that day, and repressed the common sensation of wanting to push his glasses back up on his nose. He shook the sand out his hair as he waited for her response. "Mia..."

Mia withdrew a little, thinking.
Chase probably didn't feel the same strange thing that she felt whenever they were together; it was probably just some girlish phase.

"No, there's nothing." She lied, shaking her head.
It was probably entirely unhealthy that Chase popped up into her thoughts so frequently, and there might never be a chance where she could pop into his.
She lightly bit her lip as she thought, as she often did, although knowing Chase would likely pick up.

But, no matter how much she pushed him out of her mind, he just kept coming back.

Chase sighed, exasperated. He sat up. "Why do you have to lie to me?" he asked, brushing sand off of his clothes with a swipe of his hands. They were harsh movements, rough, unlike him. He folded his hands together and stared at her, tilting his head. "I'm no mind reader," he said gently. "I can't tell what you're thinking. Not if you don't tell me." He hesitated, gauging her reaction. "What are you so scared of?"

Why was he so anxious to know? Something inside of his chest squeezed, and then started to pound against his ribcage. He frowned.

Mia looked to Chase for a moment, unable to bottle up anything anymore.
She just hoped, hoped with everything in her that Chase could understand.

"Chase, there's something I have to say..." She began quietly, nervously twiddling her fingers in the sand.
She took a deep breath, looked up to Chase and hoped for the best.

"I love you."

Chase blinked. He couldn't quite register that; it had come fast, but, strangely, not unwanted. In fact...

"What?" he stammered, watching her. The wind picked up, but he stayed rooted in his spot. His heart threatened to pop out of his rib cage at any moment. "Seriously?" When he saw the dead seriousness of her expression, everything changed.

Just like that, the wind died, and the sea quieted. Just like that, the world skipped a second of rotation. Just like that, time stood still.

Just like that, he bent forward, closing the gap between them, took her face in his hands, and kissed her.

Just like that.

In the few moment of silence before Chase reacted, Mia felt quite befallen.
I've lost him, I've done everything wrong.

But then, the world seemed to fall from it's place.
She almost forgot to breathe; she was so stunned, but so happy.
She knew the moment couldn't last forever, but she wanted it to, she wished it could.

That one moment was the warm glow in the lukewarm wind, and a light to the clouds of doubt that were chased away in the seconds.

Chase exhaled, and pulled away. "Uh," he stuttered, his face coloring. Should he apologize? He wasn't sure how to gauge her reaction to something as impulsive as him kissing her; a million questions danced through his head. He tried to quiet them, but he didn't move away from her. "M-Mia?"

I really, really hope I didn't just mess everything up. He mentally palmed himself in the face. Stupid, stupid, stupid.

Mia couldn't help but smile when Chase pulled away.
"I love you. I really do." She said, finally unafraid of those three little words.
Ther didn't seem so hard to say anymore.
But those little words, those three heart-shaking words meant more to her than anything else.


Looking up to Chase with endearing eyes, she tried for the millionth time to see through his eyes and into his heart.

He bit his lip. When was the last time anyone had said that to him, and truly meant it? He was more than a little inexperienced in this area.

"I love you, too," he said quietly. That much, he knew to say. He looked at her, meeting her gaze, and all at once his mind was spinning again. Should he kiss her again, or just sit there for a while, or get up and leave? Well, the last option kind of sucked. But...

Bah. He needed some time to get used to the whole "love" thing, that was for certain.

They were silent, but the waves whispered for them.

Mia had never felt quite like this for anybody, and she didn't know what to do, or say.
But, as always, she thought with her hands and not with her head; and she inched a little closer and softly rest her hand on Chase's.

There wasn't much to say, but as the glistening world around them fell into a twilight, the waves, the sands, the world around them, said everything needed.

He pulled his hand away just long enough to slide his arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer to him, and used his other hand to cover hers. He kissed her again, this time on the forehead, and settled his cheek against her hair, staring out at the ocean and wondering if she could feel his heart pounding incessantly behind his ribcage, threatening to burst.