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“Boombox!”
The voice of the short idol caught on Boombox's ears and it sounded more ecstatic than usual; it seemed like Valk was far more than happy. The musician stopped on his usual doing—fixing on his gear, boombox, for future battles or just simply blasting the music— on the public. Boombox is fond of being in the public, mainly in the connected center, Crossroads, to do whatever he wants to do.
However, he hasn't even seen Valk this far than ecstatic. Maybe he has gotten too used to seeing his great lover be this happy.
He answers to Valk. “What is it? I haven't seen you be this ecstatic!” He chuckled, smiling.
Valk eventually approached after running miles and miles as is shown by the current sweat coming from his forehead to the whole face. Boombox pulled Valk into sitting on a public bench, leaving his gear unattended. He eventually got his tissue out of his pocket and handed it to the idol.
“Here. It's going to wear ya’ makeup out,” He spoke, warning him, as Valk picked it up—and cleaned his face, not caring about the makeup. “You're so sweaty, gosh, what happened?”
Valk chuckled. In the beginning, the short idol has a difficult job to handle; owns a huge company named The Flipside— a group with two famous brothers that hosts every special event each month; it can be Phestivals, musical events, or anything. Besides that, the group also posts podcasts and the music generally for the events and the battles to give more rave. It has gotten difficult since they got popular, so they hired management to run accordingly.
In the short term , they got too famous.
“Job's too excruciating,” he eventually shrugged it off. “But I have a surprise, my dear!”
Valk seems to be checking his pocket in search of something, leaving Boombox confused. The musician now has curiosity and wants the idol to reveal the surprise immediately; he's always impatient when it comes to surprises, especially from Valk.
Boombox isn't fond of giving many surprises to Valk, instead, he'd just straight tell him. The musician may be annoying and stupid, but he has some decency to not hide secrets from Valk and everyone else—he lets his emotions out randomly on his roommate, his friends, and Valk. Another thing is, he gets lost rambling with his lover and it would last hours and hours until the idol had to go.
Valk eventually takes something from his pocket, revealing a card. It is blue with random numbers and it has the written name “Microphone”.
“You're showing me a credit card,” Boombox smiled—he was nervous and confused.
Valk nods, giving his lover a smirking grin. “Why not, I have a great idea with my card!” He abruptly grabbed Boombox's hand (not with a grip but in a gentle manner, he didn't mean to hurt him) and placed the card on it. “We are buying stuff! We will be getting unlimited food!”
Boombox internally dropped his jaw.
“What?”
“We are going to clear a whole convenience store, Boom!” His voice has been raised due to how content he is. God, how can you be so happy that you want to buy a whole place for nothing but food? “It's going to be fun, trust me!”
“Wait, wait, wait,” Boombox needs to put this insanity to stop (and that's what he thought so), as he signals his hands as if he's telling Valk to pause. “We? Look, I don't think that's–”
“I'll just clear it by buying!”
Holy shit.
Boombox frowned for a bit, not wanting to hurt Valk's feelings. He has more questions. “I don't think you can afford that, my dear,” He wished he never said that phrase, and he wanted to kill myself because SFOTH, he swore to the deities that he saw his love frown for a tiny being. “B-but–”
“It's okay,” he chuckled. “My job is a lot and we rarely get time for ourselves, do we?”
He got a point. Valk has a lot of jobs to finish in his whole life. Boombox knows being an idol is never easy, especially when you're a known being– perhaps in the whole universe. They rarely had time for each other due to how uneasy their jobs were. Boombox is a known musician on Playground, and yet the way he never got his time due to his work is infuriating. All he wanted was some reassurance from Valk because the work was making him far more stressed; and distressed.
Maybe, this may be the best time to enjoy it.
“Y-yeah,” Boombox wished he didn't stutter. “We rarely got the time. I wish we could have breaks and all.”
The idol gives the musician a gentle smile. “I know right, love? I'm planning to have a break next week, so I can get some time with you.”
“Really?”
Boombox never felt this excited. Next week, he's going to have his time with his lover– the only thing he longed for. He mentally felt himself jumping up and down, and repeating.
For once, he's letting Valk do whatever concoction he's going to do, accepting his offer of buying a literal convenience store with a singular credit card, and Boombox swore he heard Valk murmur about the card being unlimited or having one cent. He hopes he doesn't get banned from the convenience store.
It is what he could say, he wanted to see Valk this happy.
“This is the store we will be clearing!” Valks begins as he shows the store with a motivated smile. The store looks relatively huge, although it looks a bit old. However, the store is full of shelves of packed food and all, even though there are toy sections in the store. It doesn't look very detailed, it's just plastic cars or trucks with the tickets labeled with the cheap prices.
Boombox doesn't know what to do. It was the convenience store he usually visited. He didn't know how Valk took an insane guess of his favorite place.
Because of the vending machines; it is the only store that has vending machines that sell at incredibly cheap prices. Drinks, bagged foods, even the actual foods (it is enclosed in a plastic box, bag wrapping it).
He has absolutely zero idea. “Are you sure?”
Valk giggled. “Silly you,” he placed his hand on Boombox’s shoulders as he faced him. “We will be fine. The worker may or may not recognize me– because I am just simply using the actual outfit , and somehow no one noticed me!”
“Lucky of you,” Grumpy, the musician, crossed his arms. He wanted to be alone and relax in his place, despite being known on the Playground. “Wish I could have that.”
“Maybe I can help with that situation, Boom!” The short demon exclaims, giving the musician the brightest smile ever. “But after we clear the store!”
Valk stopped looking as he approached the cashier who was asleep at the register–the sun was rising and it was almost night. Being ecstatic, he poked the worker with his singular finger. The musician just watched and let this happen with his own eyes. He is far more surprised.
The idol continues poking the worker demon until they woke up, groaning in a broken voice. “What.”
“Can I buy the store?”
“Sure—” They pause for a second. They had to rub his eyes with his hands and then blink to get a clear sight of a famous Flipside duo member. “Wait, what?”
Valk giggled like a child. He had to turn his head to glance at Boombox who was far away from him. He signatures the musician to come and see the next thing that will happen. Reluctantly, Boombox is met by the surprised sight of a worker demon when he approaches the golden demon.
Valk continues. He abruptly pulled out the card he had been talking about earlier. “How much is it?” The question was followed with a smirk on his face and the cashier just felt wordless.
The worker demon cleared his voice with a cough, then sat straight. “ Sorry , I don't think this store is for sale.”
“No— I mean , I want to buy every single thing you have in the store.”
The cashier demon is bewildered as they pause.
“I believe it is possible,” they continue. “Though, it'll take a while.”
Valk and the cashier agree. Both Boombox and Valk decided to help the cashier collect every single item from the shelves and so on. The musician keeps blabbering about his favorite food in this place, the idol doesn't mind but the worker demon is on the verge of banning this regular customer forever and would like to call the police and put Boombox on Banlands forever, as well. Though, he can't.
The trio picked every single item and put it in the carts until they were full. Each time passes, each cart will be filled until the last. Valk and Boombox felt exhausted after a long time of picking and putting on the cart. The cashier helped as well; they scanned a single item before putting it on the cart to make it easier.
After a while, it is done. The convenience store now looks more empty than before, even the toys section. There are sixteen carts filled with bags of food sitting on the corner of the store. The lovers felt proud of the accomplishment, though Boombox was worried about the price. He would pass out if it costs more than five thousand Bux.
Eventually, the cashier checked at the register and the computer for the price, with his neutral face, he turned to see Valk and said;
“Ten thousand two hundred forty-nine.”
“What?” Boombox asks, his heart beats quicker. The musician is never used to seeing insane amounts of price ever in his life. He has lived in Playground and went to Crossroads for this store to buy food at a cheap price; this was too much for him.
The cashier repeats, “Ten thousand two hundred forty-nine.”
“Swords!” Boombox exclaims as he looks at Valk with concern. However, from what the musician could see, the idol is still smiling as usual. How is he usually cheerful when paying stuff up? He imagines; how ecstatic he is at paying monthly bills.
Surely, Boombox knows Valk is rich due to his job, but just because you are rich doesn't mean you get to buy everything. Sometimes in life, there is a limit.
He's concerned.
“Valk, are you sure about this? What if it gets declined?”
Valk chuckled. “Didn't I say that this card is unlimited?” He punches softly on Boombox’s shoulder in a reassuring way. “I doubt it will decline.”
He hands the card to the cashier.
The demon nodded, using the card on the scanner– it took them to type the code out and the price, now sliding it up. Boombox felt the sweat coming from his forehead, and he needed to be outside. The silence was killing him so much, and he couldn't wait. Eventually, the reader beeps and prints a long receipt which it took almost four minutes to finish printing.
The cashier is surprised. How did it accept? He hands the card back alongside the receipt, smiling. “Accepted. Enjoy.”
There is no way.
“Awesome!” Valk exclaims, picking up the card and the long receipt. Excited, he hugged his lover. He has made it, his first buy on the whole literal store.
Boombox is speechless. How did he manage to have a wonderful, amazing, and lovely person, and made his favorite being in the world? He had no idea– and was surprised by the sudden embrace. The musician followed, hugging back. He kissed Valk’s forehead, whispering to him praises; “You did amazing,”, and “Good job, I love you.”.
Valk giggled at the praise. He eventually pulls away from the hug; he waves the cashier off as he plans to bring all the items off from the store.
It was the night when they exited the store, Valk and Boombox were currently walking with one cart on hand for each person, and each cart was filled with bigger bags of the items bought in the store. It isn't enough, but the worker demon has promised the duo to keep the items in the store, so they could go back to the store and get more– to head back home.
It was pretty late, and Boombox felt unsafe. In the Playground, Boombox loved being out at night— mainly because of the beaches that the waves relax the musician, as he brings his gear to make calm and soothing music. But, in the Crossroads there are a lot of dangers. Boombox has heard on the news that Crossroads has raised the percentage of robberies happening in the place, especially at night.
However, being with Valk made him feel safe. Despite being a Phighter and having his gear on his back, ready to use in any case if a robbery has happened. However, Valk is an idol—though he has some powers, it won't be useful for defense. He would need a Boombox in his life for protection.
Currently, they're walking on sidewalks, the light guiding them to the home. Silence creeps the duo, but Valk eventually breaks it.
“Boombox,” he calls, causing the musician to flinch in a second as he turns around to focus on his lover. “Did you like the.. experience?”
He wanted to ask mainly because he's feeling unsure about his lover's opinion of him buying almost everything. It is his desire; he buys what he wants with his card. The idea of buying a whole convenience store sounded funny, yet scary. Valk felt the horrors and thought; Could you imagine in a different universe where the card gets declined? You'd be arrested at any moment by your cousin!
“If you want my honest opinion,” he replies, continuing the walk. “It was scary. Didn't you see the price, Valk?!”
The short idol almost laughed, hand covering his mouth, as he continued to push the cart with a free hand. “– Ahaha! I'm so sorry, but it was so funny!”
Boombox is confused. “What?”
“You were so scared when you saw the price. I'm used to that, dear.”
“Oh for Swords,” he groans as he rolls his eyes. “Valk, I'm NOT used to that. You're lucky I didn't pass out, otherwise you'd be paying the medical fees.”
Valk chuckled. “ Sheesh , all right. Fine, fine, for your sake, I will stop buying stupid stuff, okay?”
The musician smiled. “That's all right,” he wanted to hug his lover— but he didn't; he felt awkward and scared of this place, yet knowing where he was going. He wants to hug him in nowhere. “Jus’, ‘m all right. But, are you all right, my dear?”
Valk's usual demeanor faded away, as his smile had switched to a frown.
“I am. Price doesn't matter if I am here! My card is LITERALLY limited. But, I got too nervous and my heart was beating so fast and all, because– I'm so sorry , it's– my first time,” he speaks, shrugging. Boombox looked at his eyes, and he felt his heart shatter; Valk looked slightly stressed. “I just wanted you to smile. Y’know…”
“You always make me smile,” Boombox contradicts. “Always. You're like, ehm my bright sun , here. I just wanted you to smile, a full grin, right?”
Bright sun.
Valk never thought of being called that.
When he was young, alongside his brother, he was called ‘Little Sun’ only mainly because of what he looked like; he also remembers his brother being called ‘Little Moon’. It made him smile, but being called bright sun by his favorite lover made his heart beat faster. He loves Boombox so much– that he never wants to break up with him, never. He leaves a mental note to give him something as a response.
“...bright sun…” Valk repeats. What he didn't notice was his face being red.
“You're red, Valk. Is that too much?”
He loved Boombox's worries.
“No, no— I love that. Just.. keep calling me that.”
“All right, dear. I love you, okay?”
“I know.”
I know. I know that you love me. I want your warm hug—
“Hey..” Boombox suddenly cuts the thought. “What about our food? I mean… we have enough, don't we?”
Now that he thought, Valk had enough food in his home; but he doesn't think Boombox did. He considered buying the store and donating the items to the hospitals, daycares, and small demon cares earlier. It is the true reason why he is this ecstatic.
“We will be donating these to the places in need of food,” he finally answers. “ And you will be getting some of it. ”
Boombox smiled. “That's kind of you. But I don't need that—”
“Okay, I will be taking your favorite chips then, I'll eat it!”
“No! You cannot do that!” He exclaims, surprised. “Okay! Just.. two and it's enough!”
There is a silence.
…
“I'm glad we did have fun together.”
“Yeah, same here. I love you.”
“I love you too.”
Afterwards, the duo continued to have more chatting in the middle of the night, with the carts in their hands. It was a successful day for them, and it has made them smile. Boombox wanted to thank Valk for the offer and the experience of buying a whole store, though he didn't expect that it would happen someday. Valk wanted to thank Boombox for the support.
As soon as they went home, the lovers dashed on their way to their bed to cuddle each other and sleep.
On the next day, Valk donated the food bought from the store to the centers, hospitals, and everything else, with Boombox following him. He loved the sight of happy small demons thanking the idol for everything he did. It made him melt his heart— and plans to make more donations.
Boombox wished he could do more, but he was running out of money. Valk wanted to help him, but eventually, he gave up as the musician kept saying “No.”
However, Boombox wanted to buy another convenience store, right now. What if he stole his lover's card and—