Oh, hello again!
As promised, I didn't make you guys wait another year for an update. Yay for keeping promises~! :D
It's a bit short compared to my previous chapters, but this was more of a filler chapter than anything else.
The real story begins when Zero steps foot into Kaname's clinic again.
Chapter 9: Casual Chat...
"Kyaaaah!" If Kaname's ears had been any more sensitive, he would have most definitely gone deaf because of his sister.
Said sister was currently squealing like a dying hog (not that Kaname would ever point that out to her), and it actually made the older brunet's skin crawl unpleasantly. "Thank you for completely busting my eardrums, dearest sister. I can feel the love," Kaname commented dryly, raising an eyebrow.
Yuuki ignored him, instead focusing her attention on her brother's cellphone—more specifically, Zero's phone number. When Kaname had told her about his meeting with Zero, she had half expected him to either come home beaten up or not come home at all (possibly dead in a cold and empty alleyway). But then Kaname had surprised her my sauntering—sauntering—in her house with a shit-eating grin on his face, and she had immediately known something had happened. What she hadn't expected, however, was for Kaname to actually obtain Zero's phone number, and she'd been even more flabbergasted when Kaname informed her of their "budding friendship".
"I still can't believe you actually managed to get the Zero Kiryuu's phone number!" she exclaimed, a wide smile adorning her pretty face. "And to think it took me such a long time to even get his attention!"
"Yuuki, it's not like we automatically became best friends the second he gave me his number," Kaname commented, rolling his eyes at his overly eager sibling. She always blew things out of proportion.
"You will be in a short while, though!" she replied, beaming with happiness.
"I'm not so sure about that. He doesn't exactly...like me."
Yuuki scoffed. "Zero doesn't like people in general. Believe me when I say I had to persist to get closer to him. But once he opens up a little and starts trusting you, he'll warm up to you in no time. He's secretly a giant sweetheart who craves company, but he's too cool to admit it."
Kaname didn't say anything to that, instead nodding in understatement and relaxing further into the armchair he sat on.
The idea of Zero opening up to him didn't sound bat at all, especially if that meant Kaname would then be able to see the silveret's true colors, a Zero Kiryuu with no filter.
The idea was sure promising.
It was two weeks after their encounter that Zero received the first text message from Kaname, lounging in his living room as he watched his favorite TV show. It didn't say much, just a simple [Hello], but it still made his mouth twitch at how...polite the brunet was trying to be.
was his response, and he put his phone back in his pocket after sending the message.
[Hey, what's up?]
He didn't even have time to put his phone down when it vibrated again, and he actually chuckled at that. Kaname must have been waiting for his response.
[I just finished work, currently getting in the car. You?]
Well, that was very specific. [Watching "Kitchen Nightmares". It's my favorite show.]
[Of course the chef would like a culinary show.]
That made Zero smile a little to himself. He didn't remember ever telling the brunet what his field of study was, but he assumed either Yuuki or Ichiru had, and he appreciated that Kaname actually remembered that. [What can I say? Chef Remsay is a one-of-a-kind man.]
When Kaname didn't immediately reply, Zero frowned slightly but thought nothing of it. The brunet did say he was making his way home, after all, so it would be expected not to have his full attention. So, instead of worrying over it, the silveret went back to watching the show, chuckling when chef Remsay turned a "Finding Nemo" reference into an insult.
It was towards the end of the show that he finally received a response from Kaname, and Zero was a little shocked by how fast he picked up his phone almost...eagerly. [Oh? Looks like someone here has a small celebrity crush, hm?]
[I don't like him as much as I respect him.] His words have never been truer. To an aspirant chef like himself, Gordon Remsay was basically a legend in the culinary career. Zero didn't look up at him with the eyes of a fan, but with those of a man with dreams of one day being able to meet the blond man and maybe even get taught a thing or two. Of course, the silveret knew it was probably all wishful thinking from his part, but it still didn't hurt to dream.
[That's really nice, Kiryuu-kun.] He felt the urge to correct Kaname and tell him not to call him that, but he refrained from doing so. After all, what else would the brunet have called him? "Kiryuu-san" irritated him to no end and "Zero" was definitely too familiar for him—they weren't at that point, yet, and it would probably be a while before Zero allowed Kaname to call him by his first name. [Listen, I was thinking...]
And Zero had to roll his eyes at how dramatic the older man was being. He knew from past experience that when someone ended their sentence with an ellipsis, it meant they wanted him to encourage them to write the rest. He never thought Kaname would be one of those people. [Yeees?]
[Well, I just thought that it was nice talking to you at the cafe the other day. So I was wondering if you'd want to do that again, sometime?]
Oh.
Oh.
Kaname was asking him out on a...date...? Wasn't that jumping straight to third base? [I don't think going on dates so soon will do anything to this "friendship plan" of yours, Kuran.]
The reply to that came sooner than expected, and the silveret raised an eyebrow. [Don't think of it as a "date", Kiryuu-kun, that's not how I meant it at all. Just a meet-up. So we can talk face-to-face and, I don't know, get to know each other better.]
So...basically a date. Right. Zero let out a long sigh as he read over the words again, prodding the inside of his cheek with his tongue.
Despite the surprisingly nice talk he'd had with Kaname, the silveret still felt hesitant to accept the man as potential "friend material". After so many years spent hating the other's guts, how was he supposed to act now that they've come to some sort of truce? Zero still felt awkward about the whole situation, so he knew for a fact he wouldn't be able to have a proper conversation with the brunet in person—maintaining eye contact with someone who knew his embarrassing secret was by far not on his top ten "Things I Love" list.
On the other hand, Zero had to admit that Kaname had actually managed to make feel feel somewhat comfortable the last time they talked, so maybe he wouldn't feel awkward as long as the brunet was the one keeping the conversation going.
Sighing once more, Zero shook his head to clear his minds of all negative thoughts and doubts and replied to the waiting Kaname. [Fine, then.]
Not a second after, his phone vibrated with a quick response. [Great! So, same cafe as last time?]
[Yeah.]
[Will you meet me there, or should I...pick you up?]
Zero hesitated. [It's okay, I'll get there myself.]
[Okay. Is Saturday good?]
No, it wasn't. [I have lessons, but I'm free Friday.]
[Then I'll meet you there when I get out of work, around five?]
[Yeah.]
[Alright, then. I'll see you then.]
[Yup.] Zero wanted to leave it at that, but something about his response seemed a little too...cold and unfriendly, so he quickly typed up a following message. [Yo, Kuran.]
[Yes?]
[I'm paying this time.]
[As promised, yes :D]
"Oh, my fucking God, he really added a smiley," the silveret chuckled, staring at the last message for a little longer. He didn't reply to it, ending the conversation with a "happy note" of sorts—pun intended—and instead going back to watching "Kitchen Nightmares." He was surprised to notice that, despite his previous doubts, he was actually looking forward to see Kaname again.
Sort of.
...just a little.
I tried my hardest to come up with a "normal" conversation between Kaname and Zero. I would have gladly based it off a conversation that I would usually have with my friends (I know, right? I have friends!), but then I remembered I'm a fucking lunatic who can never be "normal". Because normal is boring.
I promise their conversations will be more...interesting as they get to know each other better—IF YOU GET MAH DRIFT *winks hysterically*
By the way, I don't own Gordon Remsay or his show "Kitchen Nightmares". I do think he is one fine man, however, even though I know many people who would contradict that.
He's an...acquired taste. And yes, I am aware of the fact that this particular TV show probably doesn't even air in Japan. I WAS OUT OF IDEAS, OKAY? I'M SORRY *sobs*
Also, the "Finding Nemo" reference is a meme I found on the internet: "This fish is so raw, it's still trying to find Nemo!"