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They argued for twenty minutes about where to go. Kentarou didn’t care as long as there was fried chicken and left the rest up to Shigeru. But while he didn’t have any sort of preference about what they ate, whenever Kentarou suggested where to eat, Shigeru had sighed out a ‘I don’t really feel like it’, which caused another round of back and forth between the two of them. He didn't think his indecisiveness was entirely his fault though, because there were so many places they'd already been, and Shigeru wanted to try something new tonight. Kentarou gave up when Shigeru said, once again, that he didn’t care yet refuted another suggestion, and he just grabbed him by the hand to force him inside some random restaurant on the street corner they were on.
The place was nice. Nothing fancy, a simple little outlet with less than fifteen or so people throughout the dining area, mindless chatter providing nice background noise. Shigeru sat across from Kentarou and they placed their orders with some idle conversation about whatever movie Kentarou was trying to get him. Apparently it was about some giant robot and some kid and no Shigeru, it’s not stupid, don’t be a dick when you haven’t seen it yet.
They'd drifted into silence as they ate, and Shigeru can’t help but stare. Kentarou keeps drawing his attention no matter where they are and what they’re doing. He’s still got the dye job that makes him look like the main character from the Bee Movie, his eyes are still a striking gold color with dark rims that make him look ten times more thuggish than he actually is, and his jaw is still sharp enough to kill a man. But under the cheap yellow lighting in their booth, Shigeru can see that his scowl disappears and his shoulders relax while he eats, he’s got a few freckles scattered across his nose while one little straggler is near his chin, and he’s just so mesmerizing that Shigeru can’t tear his gaze away even when he knows he should be eating his noodles before they get cold.
Kentarou notices of course, and his eyes narrow in suspicion. He manages to speak without any food flying out of his mouth, and it's a miracle that he doesn't choke. “What? I got somethin’ on my face?” He’s got a mouth full of chicken and rice, and it should be gross that he’s speaking without swallowing first, but it’s not.
Shigeru just smiles at him, because Kentarou probably thinks he’s being intimidating and threatening and a whole bunch of other bullshit, but he just looks like he’s pouting or trying to solve some kind of puzzle or read into his expression and it’s just so… so...
“You’re cute.”
He can see corner of Kentarou’s lips twitch like he wants to grin like the big goof he is, but instead, he just shoves more food into his mouth with a grunt. He looks happier though. Cheeks tinted with a faint pink, tips of his ears red, foot bumping against Shigeru’s, leg absentmindedly bouncing, humming some song that Shigeru’s going to ask him about later just to harass him.
Shigeru bumps his foot against Kentarou’s, and they don’t need speak to each other to know what Kentarou was trying to say.
You’re an idiot, but I love you anyway, so I’ll let that slide for now.
He's got a mouthful of noodles and warmth spreading throughout his chest when he sees the challenge in Kentarou's eyes, and Shigeru is more than happy to match it, because Kentarou is cute, and he's willing to fight him about it too.