cadereagratia | PSL/Meme Continuation

[My lord, this is awkward. Even permanently polished and pristine Gansey can’t help but grimace when he accepts back the...now gelato-covered phone.

[He then awkwardly pulls a napkin out of the dispenser on the table (thank God it was on the end of the table).

[He...cleans the phone with more than a bit of shame. He’s still smiling though, which might be making this entire thing more awkward.]

Nice to see you today.

[He glances at Kunimi again. Was he hoping that he’d soon know what to do of introductions? Gansey is here to save the day by offering you a supremely awkward handshake. He looks a little insistent when he says:]

Richard Gansey.

[Whelk silently counts to ten when Gansey leans down to grab a napkin. He counts to twenty when he makes them all three look like a total moron by sticking his hand on Kunimi’s face like he’s running for Congress. None of this shows too plainly on his face, although his lips are pursed tightly. He has to show a certain level of professionalism here, but his patience feels razor thin.]

[So, shaking hands is weird, right? It's not just because people don't do that so much in Japan, especially not at his age? It's actually a weird habit? His own handshake is a bit pitiful due to his discomfort with the gesture, and having many people comment on his cold hands hasn't helped matters, but he manages to pull it off in a way he hopes won't insult anybody.]

Kunimi Akira. Nice to meet you.

[Kunimi's recovered from his initial shock but that's not great news for Gansey, as it just means he's returned to his usual flat, unimpressed expression. His eyes dart from Gansey to Whelk again, as he wonders if this invasion will be shut down any time soon or if Gansey's going to invite himself to join them.]

Wonderful to meet you. [Wonderful? Laying it on a little thick there, aren’t you, Dick? He’s nervous.

[When he opens his mouth to speak again, Whelk cuts him off by clearing his throat. Gansey turns toward him with an attentive albeit slightly apologetic expression. It probably reads something along the lines of “please ask me to leave, please just ask me to leave.”

[Whelk, to Gansey, looks tired. Whelk, to Whelk, feels like trying to set Gansey on fire with his mind. Kunimi’s going to have the hear his teacher voice. He kind of hates that.]

Can we help you? If not, you are excused.

[Gansey nods, then shakes his head, and Whelk can’t tell if he’s confused or just covering all his bases.]

“Sorry agai—“

[Whelk cuts him off again.]

It’s fine. Please. Go.

[That “go” sounds pretty final, so Gansey nods, then kind of bows his head to apologize one more time, both to Whelk and his...friend, Kunimi Akira. Gansey wonders if he’s heard that name around the school at all? He’s not a student student, right? He considers tacking on some sort of “see you later” or “have a good day”, but Whelk is still glaring at him, so he just walks away.

[Under his breath Whelk mutters:]

Jesus Christ. Let’s...pretend that didn’t happen. [He looks so irritated. And so, so tired.]

[Listen though, listen. Listen.

The teacher voice is kinda hot.

Kunimi can't help but watch Gansey's retreating back for a long moment, utterly puzzled by the interaction he just had and the other, completely separate interaction that played out in front of him. He likes to think he's pretty astute, after all, but some people's behaviour is so outlandish that it renders their motives completely opaque and Richard Gansey definitely makes that list. Not to mention the hostility that rolled off Whelk in choking waves despite Gansey's apparent attempts to appear as non-threatening as possible.

What was that?!

Well, maybe it's best to do as Whelk says and ignore what happened. Maybe, at least for now, Kunimi has little choice unless he wants to torpedo their date.]

Uh, what was I - oh yeah, did I tell you that salted caramels are all four of my food groups?

[Whelk feels not unlike he’d like to crawl under the table and die. Leave it to him to think he could have something halfway decent come out of this date. It’s annoying to him that Gansey is still here, even if he’s just across the room ordering.

[It’s difficult to explain what about Gansey gets under Whelk’s skin so much, but it has more than a little to do with them being similar people, but one of them still having everything, and one of them having positively nothing - not even an uninterrupted date that doesn’t involve some asshole kid flaunting their fancy car and clothes in front of his face.

[He should get paid for every time he talks to a student outside of work.

[It’s not without effort that he’s able to focus on Kunimi again and continue their conversation. There has been phone in his gelato, so he’s more reserved about eating it.]

It was a guess.

[Actually, come to think of it, it’s actually much easier than it should be to get distracted from what’s bothering him when his focus lands back on Kunimi. It’s another one of those moments where Whelk realizes that he looks good - not just in bed either. He wonders half-idly how they look together.]

I was right. Bless the thought. [His expression is still a little tight, but the corner of his mouth does twitch a bit, and he can’t help but look a little satisfied that he pegged ~~hue~~ Kunimi correctly.]

["Bless the thought" gives Kunimi his first accent-related flutter. It's about the cutest thing he's ever heard anyone say. Grinning down into his dish, he takes another big bite before considering the state of Whelk's gelato.]

You should probably get a new one, huh. If you tell them someone spiked their phone into yours, maybe they'll replace it for free.

[Kunimi's not usually that comfortable with cheering people up, at least not deliberately, but he can't help throwing in a little bit of praise when Whelk's so tense and unhappy. He's already seen that a little ego tickle dows Whelk a world of good, so:]

It's really good. I like this place a lot, thanks for inviting me.

I don’t mind paying for one.

[It doesn’t sound defensive, but he’s afraid it might seem that way anyway. He doesn’t like remembering that he has to think about money.

[He wonders, of course, whether Kunimi is trying to placate him. Logically he should be offended by that - how irritating. Except it’s not irritating, partially because of the dead pan, accented way he speaks.

[Whelk doesn’t notice himself smiling. He almost just comes out and says it - ”I like the way you talk.” But that seems excessively intimate somehow. He shakes off the impulse after maybe staring at him for a little too long.]

It’s a popular spot for these sorts of things. [These sorts of things...

[He feels weirdly naked all of a sudden. It’s more than a little uncomfortable.]

I’m glad you’re enjoying yourself.

[It’s genuine, because with Whelk it has to be or he wouldn’t say it at all. He’s mastered the art of walking around a compliment while still remaining passably professional. When he says this one, he sounds lightly cautious, almost teasing.]

[The way Whelk watches Kunimi for that long, long, long moment, a smile playing on his lips and a thoughtful gleam in his eyes, makes him look naked too. Far more naked than removing his clothes did. There's so much softness in his features that Kunimi has to look away, too late to hide the dramatic blush that washes over his face.

It's not just Kunimi. Something really is happening between them.]

Are there any other hot spots I should experience?

[There's a touch of irony in the question because Henrietta's such a sleepy town, but Kunimi doesn't even try to deny that he's also asking to spend more time with Whelk after this.]

[Like Whelk's gazing wasn't lost on Kunimi, Kunimi's blushing isn't lost on Whelk. It's an extremely endearing image, the realization of which again makes Whelk feel more than a little uncomfortable. Even so, the small smile on his face endures.]

In Henrietta? [Whelk's accent is more present on the name of the town than it's ever been. It's a hard word to say without letting the last three syllables roll off the tongue all at once. He looks amused when he leans in over the table and says in a low voice:] Nowhere we won't be assaulted by overly-friendly teenage boys.

[He leans back then and raises his eyebrows just a bit. Kunimi is asking to see him again, or maybe even to continue spending time together after they leave Harry's. It can't be any later than 11:00am now. So Whelk plays a card that will place them together in the evening. What they do between these two periods will be inconsequential. He just wants to make sure that Kunimi will have to stick around for as long as possible.]

There's a bar downtown that has dreadful country karaoke on Saturdays. Truly Henrietta's finest in the flesh. [He sounds dryly sarcastic, though his expression remains amused.] You have to witness firsthand at least once.

Don't worry. The drinks are strong enough to get you most of the way through the secondhand embarrassment.

Ehh... [Kunimi makes a small show of "considering" whether he'd like random teenagers tagging along everywhere they go.] I prefer having you to myself.

[Not like Whelk needs Kunimi to point out how horribly his mood tanked when Gansey barged in, so again, Kunimi massages his words a little to turn the blatantly obvious into a compliment. They can always go somewhere private (read: Whelk's place) and spend some time getting to know each other (read: actually swapping stories and learning more about each other's lives), as long as they don't get distracted (read: bang too hard to make it out that evening.)

At the mention of karaoke, Kunimi has a brief moment of cultural vertigo that leaves him staring at Whelk as if waiting for the punchline. No, drinking isn't the punchline, it's just a fact of karaoke... so that means... Whelk really is telling him...]

American... country music... karaoke... [Like Whelk with the name of his hometown, Kunimi just slips into proper pronunciation naturally on the odd occasions when Japanese loan words come up in their conversation.] It isn't surprising, I just... never considered...

[He's not saying no, Whelk. He's just in shock.]

[The mildly distressed look on Kunimi’s face is enough to push Whelk’s vaguely amused expression over into a soundless laugh. He nods.]

You’re right. Terrible idea. [He looks thoroughly amused now. It’s not his idea of a good time either - maybe it had been a bit sadistic in nature to suggest it - and it’s further confirmation that he and Kunimi are more similar than he had any hopes for finding when he initially entered speed dating. What a grump this guy is. Again, he’s struck by feeling endeared. He’s beginning to get used to the way that makes his stomach flutter.

[He’d very much forgotten what it felt like to actually enjoy someone’s company.]

Screw Henrietta then and come over. I’m sure we’ll find someway to entertain ourselves.

[Kunimi sits back and lets out a sigh of relief when Whelk lets him off the hook. He wouldn't have said it - he's already gotten the impression that Whelk's goodwill has an off switch that tends to stick in that position, making it very hard to regain - but country karaoke sounds to him like a fever dream. Hilarious and strange but not date material.

So once again, they've come to a natural agreement without needing to compromise. It really does sound pleasant to spend some time together with the TV on or music playing, just catching up on what they didn't learn about each other when magnetic sexual attraction took over their first meeting.]

I prefer the sound of that. We can buy some drinks to bring along, maybe some take-out... in case we don't feel like leaving at all later.

[Heh. Heh heh. That's barely innuendo but it leaves just enough unsaid that Kunimi's eyes sparkle with mischief.]

PSL/Meme Continuation

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