Ishimaru was waiting.

He was waiting for Mondo Oowada, at a crowded fast food restaurant, fingers tapping the table anxiously. He hadn't gotten anything yet. It was rude, really, he was not going to eat before his… before his date got there.

Somewhere along the line they had gone from just being 'bros' to dating. To be honest, it wasn't much different. They still acted much the same, especially at school, the only difference being… well, they held hands occasionally, and they kissed a bit, though nothing intense. It was their first real date, and…

And Ishimaru was nervous.

He should not be nervous. It was simply an outing of two people romantically interested in each other. It was Mondo, and Mondo was his best friend. It should have been easier once he had embraced the fuzzy feeling and decided that, yes, he would date Mondo Oowada and, no, there would be nothing wrong with it. Any worries about dating cutting into his schoolwork were gone once he realized that Mondo already cut into his schoolwork, and worries about Mondo's gang… well, they would cross that bridge when they came to it, so to speak.

Mondo entered then, breathing hard. Ishimaru saw him, and stood up to go to him. They would order together, and Ishimaru would pay, because he had remembered his wallet and he had made sure that he had a good amount of money inside. "Bro!" he called, and Mondo turned, grinning when he saw him. Ishimaru smiled as well, grabbing Mondo's hand and tugging him to the counter to order.

"You haven't eaten yet?" Mondo asked, and Ishimaru shook his head.

"I was waiting for you, bro," Ishimaru said, and Mondo rolled his eyes. "It is simply common courtesy."

"I s'pose," Mondo said. He was a bit red. Ishimaru was sure it was from the cold. After all, it was quite chilly outside. Mondo should be wearing more than his regular coat if he wanted to stay healthy this winter. "Er, I can-"

"I have decided to pay," Ishimaru said, slamming his wallet down on the counter. Mondo blinked.

"No, I can't let someone else pay for m-"

"Bro, I insist! You paid the last time the two of us went somewhere!"

"An' that place was shit, wasn't it? Just let me pay!"

Ishimaru kept a tight hold on his wallet, other hand going out to grip Mondo's wrist as he tried to reach for his wallet. "Language, bro," he reminded him. "There may be small children nearby. Children are particularly susceptible to vulgarities."

Mondo sighed and tried to break Ishimaru's grip. Ishimaru refused to let go. Mondo put his other hand on Ishimaru's wallet. Now the two of them were locked in a battle of who was going to pay, the person behind the counter just wishing that they would cut it out and just leave so that someone who was actually going to pay would step up.

"Let me pay," Mondo said through gritted teeth.

"Not today," Ishimaru said, eyebrows drawing closer together as he scowled and concentrated on making sure that Mondo did not pay. Mondo should not have to pay every single time that they went out. He had paid the last time, and while it was true that they had not been 'dating' at that point, he has still paid. Ishimaru needed to this time. "It is my turn to pay."

They glared at each other for a bit longer before the person behind the counter made a hesitant suggestion. "Why don't you just pay for your own food?"

Ishimaru had an idea then.

"No, bro, I have a fantastic idea!" he said. Mondo loosened his grip on Ishimaru's wallet then. "What if I pay for your food, and you pay for mine!"

Mondo blinked, then grinned. "That's a great idea."

"Exactly!" Ishimaru said. He looked sideways at Mondo. "Order whatever you like."

"You first."

Someone on Tumblr wanted a sequel or follow-up to a previous fic I wrote, called 'The Fuzzy Feeling' – that's on here, too, if you would like to read it, but this can stand on its own, too. Either way, just something short and silly about Ishimaru and Mondo.