Chapter Text
“And in other news, recently a strange tragedy has occurred. A car crash just on the outskirts of town has resulted in the death of one man and the injury of another. Neither seemed to be harmed by the crash itself, but the injured man has reported not knowing what else could’ve caused them. Remember everyone, stay safe out there and-”
~~~
A bowling ball crashed through pins, knocking all of them down with a loud clatter. The bowling alley was full of noise, everything from the sound of pins, to music and laughter. Grian cheered and jumped before pumping his arms in the air a few times.
Mumbo laughed as he bent down to grab his ball from the ball rack, “You’d think you won the lottery with how loud you’re cheering right now. Are you trying to get kicked out?”
“Oh, shush! You’re just jealous of my skill, I bet you can’t get a strike on the first try.” Grian turned around with a grin. He stepped to the side so that Mumbo could walk up to the lane, watching as the pinsetter fixed what he had done, “When’s the last time you’ve even gone bowling, Mumbo?”
“I’ll have you know I was a great bowler, so I’m sure I can do it just fine. It’s been some time, but it’s really not difficult to understand, so it’s not like my skills will degrade too much.” He laughed.
“A plate of nachos, that’s what I’m betting. If you can get a strike, I’ll buy it for us, but if you can’t, you’ll buy it.” He crossed his arms as he dropped into his chair.
“Must everything turn into some sort of bet? Fine,” He shook his head with a fond grin, “You’re on, I hope you’re prepared to eat your words, money AND nachos.”
Mumbo rolled his shoulders a bit before taking one step back and drawing his arm back. He took a deep breath and rushed forward, letting the ball go as he stopped at the edge of the lane. The ball rolled and rolled and…
Grian’s laugh was loud as the ball curved into the gutter, rolling away without taking down a single pin. Mumbo stared at the pins in surprise, shame. Slowly, he turned to look at Grian, who was clutching his stomach because of how hard he was laughing. He sighed as he picked up a ball again. Sure, he’d have to buy the nachos now, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t at least try to get a spare first, right?
Right?
He had no idea Grian could laugh so hard that he’d fall out of a chair until he missed a second time. As it turns out, it is surprisingly easy to forget how to properly bowl, and even easier to eat your own shoe by acting like you know what you’re doing when it turns out you don’t. At least he could bury the taste of his own words behind terrible, terrible nachos.
~~~
“How are you doing that, do you LIVE at the bowling alley or something?” Mumbo asked as he sat at the table, arm out and gesturing towards the scoreboard as yet another STRIKE labeled the screen. He clutched his cup of soda as he turned to look at Grian.
Grian grinned and shrugged a bit, “I guess I’m just that great, aren’t I? Sometimes I go bowling when my friends ask me to go, you know. Instead of saying ‘oh, but wouldn’t it be more fun to go to the park instead?” He raised an eyebrow.
“You can’t blame me for enjoying a nice walk with my friends! I go to other things though, I just usually don’t want to go bowling!”
“I can see why you wouldn’t want to go bowling with other people, don’t want anyone to witness that, do you?” He gestured with his thumb towards the scoreboard. Mumbo’s score was…laughable low. The highest number he’s gotten so far was five, and frankly he’d only gotten that once. Grian sat down next to him and leaned over the man to grab some of the nachos to his other side.
Mumbo rolled his eyes as he leaned back, sitting forward again once Grian was done grabbing chips. He sighed and stood up, “Why do I hang out with you again?” He grinned a bit as he started to walk to the ball rack.
“Because I’m endearing and you love my company?” He put a hand to his chest as he watched Mumbo pick up a ball.
“Debatable really, I may need to reconsider those facts after tonight.”
That had earned a gasp from Grian, all the while Mumbo chuckled. He rolled his bowling ball and grinned at the other man, who jokingly shoved his hand into his chest. For the first time that night, the clatter from the pins Mumbo hit was loud. It only made both of them grin more.
~~~
Grian and Mumbo laughed as they walked together, arms wrapped around each other's torsos, out of the building. It was late, very, very late, and they had to be essentially kicked out to actually get them to leave. They'd gotten lucky that they were even allowed to stay while they were closing up, the worker who was letting them said that normally they'd be shooed off immediately.
"I think I'm getting better at bowling, my old skills were really starting to come back near the end there." Mumbo laughed as he let go of Grian, stopping to put a hand on his door, "Maybe next time I'll be able to get two strikes."
"Oh, so now you want to go bowling? I thought you preferred going on walks in the park with the people you care about." Grian raised an eyebrow as he grinned on the other side of the car, “What’s the truth, Mumbo?”
“A man can have many opinions, and they can change like the tides of the sea. I am not a stagnant pond, you know.” He opened his door, “Also, I need to knock that smug grin off of your face eventually, and if it means becoming an amazing bowler, then that is worth every lost second I could spend in a park.”
“Of course that’s why,” He laughed and shook his head, “What else should I have expected from you?”
Mumbo laughed as well as he got into the car and shut his door. Grian joined in the passenger seat as he buckled, the two laughing as he started the car. They’d certainly stayed out far too late, but at least it had been fun. Not to mention, Mumbo now had a goal to work towards. He needed to absolutely kill Grian in bowling, he needed to prove himself. Or, at the very least, continue to have a fun time going bowling in the future.
For now though, he needed to drop Grian off at his house, and then head to his apartment to go to bed. It was rather late, and he didn’t want to be too tired on the road. Wouldn’t want to risk anyone with poor driving, after all. That would be irresponsible and there was no way Mumbo would admit to being a reckless individual, so he wasn’t going to give anyone evidence for that by crashing his car.
Grian turned on the radio and stuck his tongue out at Mumbo when he slapped his hand away from the channel dial. They got into a bit of a stalemate for a bit, Grian trying to go for the dial and Mumbo stopping him every time. Eventually, they’d stop and start driving, until then, however, Grian’s laugh got louder and Mumbo’s scolding got more playful. It was going to be a long ride home if it was taking this long to even leave.