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“This is him?”
“Yes.”
“You’re joshin’ me. That’s not a dog,” Alfred said, leaning in to take the photo from Kiku’s hand. “That’s a ball of fuzz with eyes and a nose.”
The man seated across from him chuckled, taking a sip from his iced tea. “He’s cute, isn’t he? The owner of the pet store near my apartment wanted to get rid of him - he was the runt of his litter.”
Alfred handed the photo back to him. “You live in an apartment? They don’t seem your style.”
“I wanted to try something different,” Kiku said, slipping the photo back into his bag. He gestured to Alfred’s hair, “Mullets do not seem your style, either.”
The blonde ran a hand through his hair, laughing. “It looked good on John Stamos! I wanted to see if I could rock it.”
Kiku said nothing, covering his smile with his hand. Alfred swiped one of his fries and began going on about the new Disneyland he had negotiated with Francis, hoping it would be as extravagant and “magical” as the one in California.
“Let’s be honest here,” he leaned in close, prompting Kiku to do the same, “nothing can beat the original.”
Their monthly outings was something the two mutually agreed to after over four decades of not speaking to each other. The subject of their past was something they preferred to leave out of these outings, focusing on what they’ve missed - Kiku’s booming new economy, Alfred’s race to the stars with Ivan, the rise of video games and debates on which company was better (Kiku insisted Nintendo was the ultimate victor, Alfred held hope to the new contender, Sega). Nothing was left out over fries and Pepsi cola.
And in all honesty, Alfred missed being able to talk with someone so easily. Kiku didn’t say much, but he listened very well, even when Alfred wasn’t speaking.
He wondered if Kiku could hear him asking to stay. Eye contact and subtle touches begged him to spend a few more hours with Alfred.
Kiku seemed to dance around the possibility with graceful hesitation.
“Well,” Kiku said after his fries were finished and Alfred’s Pepsi cola had been drained, “I should get back to the hotel. Thank you for the meal and conversation, Alfred.”
The blonde watched as he stood, flashing a smile and waving off his thanks. “Anytime, dude.”
Then, he was alone in the mall’s food court.
The man chewed on his lip. This was a cycle that would never end unless one of them said something, and Kiku certainly was not going to overstep any unspoken boundaries.
He would continue the careful dance with tact: fingertips brushing against Alfred’s as they both reached for fries, accidentally taking a sip from Alfred’s soda instead of his iced tea, sneakers nudging against his under the table.
Alfred glanced behind him. Kiku couldn’t have gotten very far...
His empty soda cup was tossed haphazardly into a nearby trash bin in near record time. Alfred weaved his way through the throng of people spilling into the food court while keeping his eyes out for Kiku’s mop of raven hair and dark denim jacket. A part of him feared losing this chance - if he didn’t manage to find him now, he might never get the courage to say anything ever again.
Kiku was crouched in front of the pet store’s window when Alfred found him, tapping the glass of a white and gray tabby cat.
“So much for heading back to your hotel.” Alfred said behind him, startling the man.
Kiku gave a bashful smile. “You know animals are my weakness.”
There it was - a side of Kiku Alfred hadn’t seen in decades. His heart skipped a beat.
“Hey,” he said, “do you wanna hang out for a bit longer?”
He didn’t meet Alfred’s eyes as he asked, “How long?”
“As long as it takes. We could see a movie. Or hit the roller rink.”
Kiku hummed, and when he spoke, it was coy. “What if it gets late?”
Alfred could play along. “I’ll take you back to your hotel. Or we could save the gas and just head back to my place.”
That elicited a reaction from the man. He raised his eyebrows in surprise at Alfred’s bluntness. “Your place?”
“Yup.” He grinned, taking a step closer towards Kiku. “You could sleep on the couch. Or we conserve heat and share the bed.”
“I - I see.” Kiku could only imagine how flushed his cheeks were. He wasn’t sure if he would be able to keep up the coy act for much longer. “The offer sounds tempting...”
“Come on,” And instead of a subtle brush of fingertips against his, Alfred took hold of his hand and squeezed. “What’ve you got to lose?”
Kiku dropped the coy act like a hot plate. “Show me your place first.”