Day 2: Pizza (AU)
Living alone is great. After long insufferable hours of being forced to interact with idiots, coming back home to an empty, quiet apartment is the most enjoyable part of the day.
….That is, until the holiday breaks roll around.
Yes, living alone sucks when you have no friends and no plans. And leave it to Kinshiro to finish all his work beforehand. Holiday breaks mean three weeks of lazing around doing absolutely nothing, which would be fine for most people, but Kinshiro is the type who always wants to be busy. Being bored is Kinshiro's worst nightmare.
He reread the page again before giving up and putting the book down. Kinshiro laid on his couch, staring at the ceiling.
"I'm twenty-three years old," he muttered bitterly, "I should not be washed up already."
Kinshiro's stomach growled loudly. He groaned. It's too late to make dinner now. Kinshiro shut up his stomach with a granola bar and opened up his laptop, hoping to drown his hunger in YouTube videos.
He checked his email; nestled in the porn spam, he was surprised to find a coupon for a pizza place he had never heard of. Out of curiosity, he clicked the link. Kurotama's Pizzeria had only a handful of reviews, but they were all full of praise. Kinshiro's stomach growled again. He shrugged and took the plunge. Fifteen percent off if you order online; what a steal.
Half an hour and two FNAF let's plays later, there was a knock on the door. Kinshiro grabbed his wallet and opened the door. He yawned. Then the noticed the delivery boy.
"Thank you for using Kurotama's!" He said cheerily.
"Yeah, sure," Kinshiro reached into his wallet, "How much do I owe you?"
"Eleven ninety-nine!" The delivery boy smiled brightly.
Kinshiro pulled out the smallest bill he had on him and traded it for the pizza.
Kinshiro went to close the door when the delivery boy stopped him. "Fifty dollars! Sir, I need to give you your change!"
"Keep it." Kinshiro placed the pizza down on the coffee table. "Thanks for the pizza."
The delivery boy stared at Kinshiro in awe. "No, thank you!"
Kinshiro leaned against the doorframe and watched the boy skip away. The kid grabbed the helmet off of his motorcycle and had strapped it on when he caught sight of Kinshiro.
The boy waved excitedly. Kinshiro blushed and waved back shyly.
Kinshiro closed the door. His stomach growled again.
"Goddamnit," He muttered.
He turned on the TV, not paying attention, and grabbed a slice of pizza.
It was actually really good!
Though he would never admit it, Kinshiro ate over half of the pizza himself. He wrapped the remaining slices in foil and put them in the fridge. Then his actions came back to haunt him. Kinshiro was so full he couldn't move. He fell asleep on the couch where he would later wake up with a kink in his neck.
Kinshiro ordered another pizza from Kurotama's three days later. If asked, he would tell you it was part laziness and part great pizza. He wouldn't tell you he wanted to see the cute blonde delivery boy again.
"Thank you for using Kurotama's!" The delivery boy smiled.
"What's your name?" Kinshiro blurted. His face turned bright red.
The boy blinked. Then, with a laugh, he balanced the pizza on one hand and held out his other. "I'm Yumoto Hakone. You are?"
"A-ah, I-um" Kinshiro shook the extended hand. "I'm Kinshiro. Kinshiro Kusatsu."
"Nice to meet you Kinshiro. Here's your pizza. Don't worry about the cost; this one's on the house!"
"Eh?" Kinshiro said as the grabbed the pizza. "At least let me tip you." Kinshiro grabbed another fifty from his wallet.
"No, I can't accept this." Yumoto said gently.
"You will." Kinshiro stubbornly pushed the bill into Yumoto's hands.
"If you really, really want me to." Yumoto said with a chuckle. He put the dollar into his pocket.
"Thanks again, Kinshiro!" Yumoto walked back to his motorcycle.
Kinshiro blinked. Then he blushed. He watched the delivery boy drive off.
"Yumoto Hakone." He said to himself, grabbing a slice of pizza.
The third time Kinshiro ordered pizza from Kurotama's was another three days later. Yumoto showed up with a sly grin and asked, "Do you have a pizza addiction, Kinshiro?"
Kinshiro gave him seventy-five dollar this time and wouldn't stop blushing. Yumoto winked before he left and when he sat on his bike, he held his hand to his ear in a "call me" fashion. Kinshiro was confused, but then he opened the pizza box and saw a number written on the lid.
Kinshiro bit his thumbnail, phone in hand. He put the number into his phone immediately, but that was two days ago. Would he seem needy? What would he even say? "I want to see you again". Is that a creepy request?
He took a deep breath and pressed the call button, his heart pounding in his chest. Oh wait, what if he was working? Kinshiro was about to hang up and give up when he heard a "Hello?"
"Ah!" He was startled, "I, mean, um, hi, Yumoto. It's Kinshiro."
"Kinshiro! I was hoping you would call!"
Kinshiro blushed and smiled softly. "Yeah, I, well, I was wondering if you'd, um, if you'd like to hang out sometime?"
He heard Yumoto laugh. "Of course! I'm free this Friday. Anyplace in mind?"
Oh shit. Kinshiro hadn't planned this far. "Um, I don't know. I've kind of been wanting to see this new movie? I think, hold on a second, I'll check."
"I love movies!" Yumoto hummed a tune while Kinshiro looked up movie screenings.
"There's a show at nine." Kinshiro mumbled, forgetting he was on the phone.
"I'll pick you up at eight-forty-five?"
Kinshiro blushed (again. He'd been doing that a lot lately). "S-sure."
"It's a date! Bye, Kinshiro"
"O-okay, Yumoto." Kinshiro hung up. He hid his red face in his arms.
"A….date." Kinshiro peeked out from between his fingers, "I have a date."
Friday finally rolled around and Kinshiro wouldn't stop pacing. He wore a pair of black skinny jeans and a grey sweater. He tripped and almost fell on his face when he heard the doorbell.
Yumoto stood at the door wearing jeans, a t-shirt, and a red cardigan. "Ready to go?" God that smile was beautiful. Kinshiro nodded and followed Yumoto out.
"Have you ever ridden on a motorcycle?" Yumoto asked, handing Kinshiro a helmet.
"Maybe twice? When I was thirteen?"
"Cool!" Yumoto hopped on and tapped the seat behind him.
Kinshiro blushed and sat behind Yumoto. "I left the sidecar at home; it smelled like pizza."
Kinshiro chuckled and hesitantly wrapped his arms around Yumoto's waist. The blonde hummed happily. The drive wasn't very long.
"We're here!" Yumoto chirped.
Kinshiro pouted, not wanting to let go. He did, eventually.
Yumoto chatted. He asked what type of hobbies Kinshiro had, what type of music he liked, his favorite book. He always offered his own answers, too. The two found out they had the same taste in books, and had a lengthy discussion about which volume was the best in a series.
"But book seven had the most character development. Ari and Violet were finally able to let go of their differences for the good of Sparrow. They realized how petty their hatred for each other was when compared to the love Sparrow had for both of them!" Kinshiro argued.
"What about in book five? Sparrow's backstory is revealed and we see why he's so affected by the loss of Mother." Yumoto ordered the snacks.
"Yes the backstory was beautifully written, but what about when Sparrow finally confessed to Ari? The torment and tension in the group was so well done. You could feel the struggle they all had to go through as they coupled their confused emotions with their anxiety over the Escape."
"Okay, you're right. Without book seven, the series would've fallen apart. Book five felt like filler, no matter how good it was." Yumoto said sheepishly.
Kinshiro smiled triumphantly. Yumoto laughed.
They sat at the top row in the very middle, the "best seats" Yumoto said.
They continued chatting until the previews started. "I love watching the previews," Yumoto whispered.
"So do I," Kinshiro agreed. Yumoto grinned.
The lights dimmed. Kinshiro felt a light tap on his hand. He looked over. Yumoto was blushing. Kinshiro smiled softly and turned his hand over on the armrest, allowing Yumoto to lace their fingers together.
"She was such a strong character! Why would they give her such a cliche ending? Was there even any connection between her and Tyler?" Kinshiro ranted.
"Maybe she wasn't in love with him, but with the idea of freedom." Yumoto replied.
"But she's smarter than to spend the rest of her life with someone she doesn't love."
"That's true, but it would be a lot easier to run away and start over from a tourist country than on an island." Yumoto threw away his empty cup.
"That's true! Why else would she pack her mother's china set if she was just going to come back to it!" Kinshiro's eyes glittered.
"I swear if they mess it up in the sequel-"
Yumoto laughed. He squeezed Kinshiro's hand. Then Kinshiro realized that they'd never let go. He blushed.
Kinshiro sat a little closer on the ride home.
Yumoto walked him to his door. He looked at Kinshiro shyly. "So, will there be a next time?"
"Definitely."
"Can I kiss you?"
Kinshiro didn't answer. Instead, he gently pressed his lips to the blonde's.
When he pulled away, Yumoto gasped. "I can't figure you out, Kinshiro Kusatsu," Yumoto said playfully.
He kissed Kinshiro's cheek. "But I'll have a lot of fun trying."
Kinshiro ordered pizza four times the next week.
A/N: A pizza delivery AU? Okay. I think this one came out better than the last.
Day 3: Movie Marathon