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Señor Hueso is about to close the restaurant when he hears the secret entrance open behind him.
“I’m sorry, but we’re closed already. Come another time.”
“Oh my, really?”
Hueso squints his eye sockets and turns around. And as he guessed, his favorite customer is at the entrance, looking at him with a worried smile.
“Ah, Todd!” Hueso exclaims, turning around and handing him his hand. “What are you doing here this late, amigo mío?”
“Oh, it’s not a really interesting story. I just came here for some pizza!” Todd smiles fades away, and he puts a hand on the back on his neck. “Although if you’re closing, then I shouldn’t bother.”
“Oh, well, maybe we can do something about it.” Hueso waves his hand dismissively. “You’re our favorite customer, after all.”
Todd smiles becomes so wide that Hueso can’t help but smile as well. “Really? Wouldn’t I be bothering you?”
“Oh, please.” Hueso puts a hand on Todd’s shoulder. “You could never bother me.”
It takes some time, but eventually Todd agrees to ask for a pizza: he asks only for a hawaiian, and Hueso patiently makes it for it. He follows the process by pure instinct, and while the pizza heats up Hueso comes back to the table Todd’s currently sitting, handing him a glass of water while he seats.
“Tell me, how has been your day?”
“Oh, golly.” Todd laughs softly. “To be honest, I’ve been running non-stop ever since I woke up!”
“Is that so?”
Hueso knows he has around ten minutes until the pizza heats up, so he reclines a little in the seat, allowing Todd to explain how his day has been.
“Oh, you know how dogs are,” Todd says after a while, sipping the water. “You give treats to one, and the rest just come swarming like tiny adorable beasts!”
“Ah, yes. I know adorable things can be some true… troublemakers, sometimes.” Hueso says, his body trembling a little remembering a specific incident regarding tiny unicorns. “And then you have to clean the mess.”
“Exactly!” Todd laughs, looking up. “But well, my days are always like that. I don’t mind so much the cleaning.” He then looks around, and puts a sympathetic smile. “Although, I’m pretty sure taking care of a restaurant is much more work.”
“Oh, bambino, I don’t think I have it that rough.” Hueso stays quiet for a second, resting his head on his hand. “Although, less annoying customers would be appreciated.”
“Oh, I can’t even imagine!”
Todd starts to drink, but suddenly stops and speaks again.
“Are you talking about the turtle brothers?”
Hueso looks at Todd, a tiny smile. “Oh, believe me, those pepinos have given me too many headaches!” Todd laughs and Hueso does too, but quickly continues. “But they aren’t the worst, not even by far.”
“Oh, really?”
“I assure you!” Hueso sits a little straighter in the chair. “Today, for example, I had a very… persuasive yokai, who wanted to get the pizza for free!”
Todd gasps, covering his mouth with a hand.
“No way.”
Hueso nods, and continues speaking. “And let me tell you, she’s not even the worst. I’ve had troubles in the past with some yokai who came day after day, confusing my quality of service with wanting to get their attention!”
Todd snorts, and he opens his mouth to say something, but shakes his head and takes another sip of water. Hueso raises an eyebrow.
“Something on your mind?”
Todd looks at him, and Hueso sees the faintest blush on his face. “Oh no! It was nothing, sorry.”
“Don’t say that.” Hueso says, extending a hand towards him. “I don’t mind you speaking out your mind.”
“Oh,” Todd simply says, “I mean, I was just thinking that being handsome must have its problems too, apparently!”
Hueso blinks, and stays quiet for a second. He’s about to speak but Todd beats him to it, his words coming out like bullets from a machine gun.
“Ah, see? I should have kept my mouth shut.”
“Please, don’t apologize!” Hueso tries to laugh, and quickly thinks about how much time has passed. “Wait, let me get the pizza, it must be done already.”
“Oh sure! Wouldn’t want to burn your restaurant!”
Hueso laughs as he leaves, but as soon as he turns he quickly steps on the kitchen, his mind thinking a thousand miles per minute.
Why does Todd think of him as handsome? Sure, he’s heard it from the occasional people here and there, but it’s been so long since someone has actually called him handsome directly.
Hueso puts his oven mitts, and carefully grabs the holder of where the pizza is heating, putting it in a plate. While he’s cutting it, he can’t help but remember Mrs. Hueso, how she was the only one to call him handsome so… sincerely. It’s been a while since they last talked, and he wonders how she is, if the last maintenance payment reached them well.
Hueso shakes his head, and grabs the plate. He doesn’t need to think about those matters right now. Instead, he needs to think about being a good pizza maker.
“Pizza’s here!” Hueso says, putting the plate with the cut pizza in front of Todd’s face. The yokai smiles instantly, smelling and sighing happily.
“Ah, this smells wonderfully! Thank you so much, Mr. Hueso.”
“Oh please,” Hueso says as he sits down again, “it was my pleasure.”
Hueso watches as Todd eats the pizza, but his mind wanders to other places. It’s been a long time since he thought about dating at all, but now ideas are popping into his head, and before he can dismiss them they change and shift into others, only leaving him enough time to ponder them for a second. Does Todd really see him as attractive?
“Hueso?” Todd asks, and Hueso snaps out of it, looking at the yokai in front of him.
“Oh, my apologies, friend. I was just thinking.”
“About what?” Todd then raises a hand. “If you don’t mind me asking, of course.”
“Oh, well...” Hueso looks around, until an idea hits him. “About dogs. Since you mentioned them, I’ve remembered the one I had one when I was a pepinillo.”
“Oh, really?”
“She was a prankster, let me tell ya!” Hueso cracks a smile, memories flooding him. “Oh, Carmelita was such a ball of energy, she was running all day and leaving the entire house dirty! My mother got furious!”
“I can only imagine!” Todd laughs, and is then that he opens his mouth wide. “Oh, you could visit me!”
Hueso blinks, taking a second to answer.
“I beg you pardon?”
Todd stays quiet for a second, confusion written all over his face, and suddenly he opens his eyes really wide, moving his hands wildly.
“To visit the dogs, I mean!” Todd laughs, a hand on his neck. “Oh, I should probably have specified, but since you talked about not having seen a dog in a long time, I thought coming to the sanctuary might cheer you up!”
“Cheer me up, huh…”
Hueso ponders for a second. He looks at Todd, and the idea of spending time with him doesn’t sound so bad. At the very least, he will get some fresh air.
“Sure.” Hueso says, relaxing in his seat. “Would tomorrow work for you?”
And when Todd says that it does, Hueso can't help but feel happy about it.