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The headquarters is cleared out this evening, Zanka observes. Must be some kind of celebration. None of his business, really. He waltzes into the elevator, choosing not to torture his limbs further, show himself some mercy.
Top floor where his room is located is oddly quiet. He swears there's usually a presistent hum of the air conditioning or maybe water running, but nothing's on. It's hot in the corridor, leaving him to believe some bills were left unpaid.
Zanka unlocks his door, drifting in and setting his things down. Throwing his clothes off, he goes to shower.
Warm water slicks down his back, and soon his tense muscles unravel themselves. He lets out a sigh, finally relaxing. Soon enough, all good things have to come to an end, though, because a sharp knocking echoes from his door.
Swearing under his breath he'll kill whoever's out there, he ties a towel around his waist and runs to his door, almost slipping and falling on his ass in the process.
He slams the door open in a rage, "Wha' the actual fuck do ya need at 10 pm at night-"
A dark haired, scarred young man waves his hands rapidly, closing his eyes as a deep rouge spreads over his tanned cheeks, "I'm so sorry Zan-ka! I just, something bad happened, None of the higher ups are here and I really fucked upandIneedhelpnowormy assisgonnagetwhoopedpleasehelp!"
Follo was physically shaking, an expression of absolute bewilderment and regret strewn across his usually soft edged features. He looked like that one meme Rudo laughed at for hours, the one from the war.
Zanka soon sported the same bewildered look, just with more disappointment.
"Are you fuckin' kiddin' me."
Follo still shook, now trying to clean the ash. This guy fucking vaporized the company microwave. A smoldering lump of metal sat on the counter instead of a kitchen appliance. Zanka was appalled, "What'd ya even put in there... Holy shit.."
Follo sighed, then picked up a bent, smoking fork.
"Guita, Guita ... She,.." He stammered and turned away. Zanka summed up that Guita had a part in the multitude of forks and other metals in the microwave.
He patted Follo's shoulder, and took a deep sigh.
"Hey man, I'm gonna go put some clothes on. Meet me by the car lot door." With that, Zanka snaked back into his room, slamming his door. Another fucking day of dealing with other people's bullshit. But for some reason, he didn't feel as annoyed by Follo. His face was so remorseful, Zanka almost felt bad. Almost.
He threw on some pajama pants and a graphic tee, this one in particular was stolen a long time ago from the Legendary Laundry Mixup, or LLM. That one time everyone's laundry got mixed. The tee had a car design on it, along with kanji from his hometown. It was some sort of sportscar, definetly old. He slipped it over himself, and grabbed the keys to a sedan he was able to borrow before everyone left. He slipped into some slides and locked his door. Running down the stairs to the car parking lot, he slowed to a stop as he came upon Follo's figure in the flickering lights.
He'd really came into himself since Zanka first saw him. He was broad but not so much so that it was overbearing, and his eyes beared that same ambitious look they did all those nights ago. Since then, they hadn't talked much, only short nods, exchanges of pleasantries and the such. His outfit accentuated his warm amber aesthetics; a jacket of sorts with lapels facing out and covered in fuzzy wool. The main body was of a dim brown cordoroy, which went with his painted coffee colored nails.
Zanka smiled to himself more than anyone else in appreciatiation for the color-coding. Follo, slipping his phone in his pocket, looked toward Zanka with an inquisitive expression, head tilted 45 degrees.
"Hey Zanka, are you okay?" The raven smiled, teeth on display. His canines, Zanka observed, were quite sharp and distinct, an attractive feature that only served to muddle Zanka's already swept mind. He rushed forward past Follo with his chin high, shushing the hum of love in his brain.
***
Zanka always favored driving, when he was allowed to. Enjin once sat him behind the wheel and decided to look the other way while what Zanka assumed where right turns were actually traffic violations. Fastforward to now, atleast he knew basic road laws that would keep them out of trouble. He listened to the rev of the enjine as he pressed a bit harder onto the gas, merging onto the freeway.
Follo was panicking. Or hopefully he was panicking silently, unoticably. He couldn't help but stare at Zanka's hands effortlessly glide against the rigid leather of the wheel, skin tanned and gleaming gold in the sodium lamps of the freeway. He couldn't help but to indulge in those eyes drifting along the road as he cut up the lanes. Occasionally, a hand would come down to the center console to shift gears, usually from 4th to 5th and up to 6th. He was so deeply focused in the endless dance of light, gleaming into the close-to-midnight sky.
Really, his biggest concern as he's realized through his fog of lovesickness is he has no idea where they are headed. He eventually gains his voice back, not before clearing his throat loudly in a way that gets a small snicker out of the ash blonde.
"Zanka, mind if I ask, where are we headed even??" There's a slight tremble in the older's voice as he speaks. He plays with his hair while looking out the window. The blonde laughs under his breath, and the jingle of his earrings are evidence of that.
"We're headed to Best Buy to get us a new microwave."He chuckled a bit more in mirth, covering his mouth with a hand. Follo also laughed, Zanka's warm exterior and the calmness of the car ride compared to what happened 15 minutes ago spurring him on. Soon, both were freely laughing, Follo wheezing and clutching his stomach and Zanka accidentally swerving and then swearing loudly, which only served to make Follo laugh harder.
Soon after gaining composure again, Zanka turned into the downward ramp, guided by the GPS. They slowed to a stop at a red light, and Follo blinked to clear the laughter tears out of his eyes. He was met with a loud yellow sign in the shape of a sales tag seemingly floating in the darkness of the night, bold blue block letters in the middle spelling out 'Best Buy.'
"Looks like we're here," Follo proclaimed. He giggled a bit before shifting in his seat and exhaling. Zanka scoffed, pulling into the parking lot of the electronics store.
"But at what cost?" Zanka smirked, and Follo nearly started cackling again. The new fresh LED lamps served for a change of atmosphere, now a laser through the moonroof. The light landed onto Zanka's face, lighting those dusky blue eyes up to sky blue. Follo felt his heart catch in his chest, he was entranced. The way the blonde's eyes focused and the pupils tightened in the new light, the way he seemed so calculated was making his brain short circuit. Zanka seemed to notice his staring though, and commented.
"Hey Follo, is my hair out of place?" A concerned look crossed Zanka's face, brows furrowed. Without thinking, Follo winced, "Yeah, here, let me get it for you." Before Zanka could object Follo's feigned concern, tan, scarred hands reached up to Zanka's ash hair, and swooped a random strand on his head onto the left side.
Internally, Follo highfived himself. 'Good save,' he thought. Zanka was thrown off for a moment, kinda weirded out by the care. He parked their car near the entrance, bringing the hum of the engine to a stop.
They walked inside, greeted by that weird gust of air from that linear machine always bolted to the doorway. Zanka observes the signs hanging overhead, looking for 'Kitchen Appliances.' Follo already scampered off to look at the PCs. 'Nerd,' Zanka thinks. He goes over to where Follo is greedily eyeing a premade, and pulls him jokingly by his collar.
"Wanna help me choose, fiend?" he smirks at 'fiend,' and a tint of red goes over Follo's freckled face. He looks beyond Zanka's smoke blue stare, and rubs his neck nervously.
"Yeah, sure, man!" Follo says almost all too eagerly. He hopes Zanka doesn't pick up on the little squeak in his voice.
Follo ends up getting semi dragged to the holy grail; an entire aisle JUST filled with microwaves. They begin browsing for the perfect one. The chosen one must withstand the evil forces of an entire company full of 'dangerously corpulent vessels,' Zanka's words; such a microwave must be an easy to use force to reckon with, Follo's words.
They finally decide on the one. The strongest of the litter. The only one fit for the job. A GE GCST07N1WSS Microwave Oven, 700-watt, with Child-Lock Technology, it's size being a compact 0.7 Cu. Ft, not to mention Stainless Steel.
A robotic voice announces the store closing time to be in 10 minutes, so Zanka and Follo rush to the cashier with their newfound beauty. They scrounge up their paychecks, and pay for it, along with some pokemon game for Follo's 3DS, and some chocolate for Guita. Making their way back to the car, Follo loads the trunk of the black coupe with the pride and joy of their night.
***
The drive back is filled with the soft sound of some rapper, along with the wind whittling past as they glide through the night. The clock reads 11:56, close to midnight. Zanka takes his eyes off the road for a split second, to steal a look. His eyes meet warm amber, staring right back at him. They drift closer, closer yet further, into a warm kiss. Follo gently shoves his younger, seemingly now lover,
"Eyes on the road, please."
Zanka's lips pull into another one of those smirks.
"But I have someone worth gettin' in a crash for right nex' to me."
Follo scoffs, and turns away chuckling.
"Don't be stupid."
***
At 12:30 PM sharp, the new microwave stands tall and proud on the deathbed of its former. A true symbol of something new beginning.