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To say Zanka was nervous would only slightly undersell the boy's distress. He was on the brink of a full-blown meltdown, pacing across his upturned room.
He was going on a date. Not just any ol' date like the ones the kids at the academy went on.
No, he had a date with the Enjin.
Enjin had invited him to dinner to celebrate his 1000th successful job.
Okay, maybe it was a bit like the dates the kids at the academy went on.
But unlike the typical massive parties thrown in the cafeteria with the entirety of Team Akuta passing around a few smuggled pints of beer, they were going to be alone. Even the setting was different, one of the smaller, fancier restaurants in the city willing to host them exclusively.
He didn't need Enjin to call it a ‘date’ to get the message. They were leaving the eyes of the group and getting to experience each other all alone. No job or responsibilities attached.
He’d hafta be a fool to miss out on such an opportunity. There was no telling how many strings Enjin had to pull to make it happen, from getting the boss’s clearance to reserving the eatery. All he had to do was show up and, easier said than done, not blow the entire thing.
It would just be the two of them. Zanka repeated this to himself as he rummaged through his wardrobe. Clothes consumed the room, lying across his bed and floor in an assortment of outfits.
Comin’ with his family had its problems. A lack of resources wasn't one of them.
Even without August's custom outfits, he had plenty of options. His sister, responsible for purchasing the household attire, held the opinion that less was more. For some reason, this didn’t seem to apply to him.
If he hadn’t known Kyouka’s stone heart, he woulda thought she saw him as some doll to dress up.
Everything he pulled out was tailored to complement his shape, hugging his slim waist and making it the center of his outfit. Intricate belts overflowed out of a box long abandoned at the back of his closet, and resting an oversized bag on his hip no longer seemed like a viable option.
Nearly an hour of his own personal fashion show passed before he settled on what to wear. His sister hadn’t completely lost her mind and left him with a few dress shirts that gave him room to breathe. Like anything, it came with a tradeoff. Along the shoulders were horizontal slits, glimpses of his milky skin breaking up the deep navy blue.
That damned sister of his thought out everything down to what colors would look best on him. Rather than admit she provided him with high-quality and sensible options, he tossed aside the matching tights for a pair of loose trousers that August designed for him during a particularly warm winter. The sandwashed denim was a rare find, but he had a good eye for fashion, much better than Kyouka.
When he saw his reflection in the window, he had an itch. Something was missing that he couldn’t put his finger on.
No matter how many times he smoothed the shirt, untucking and tucking it back in while rotating the pants from mid to low to high-rise, the fit felt incomplete.
Then, he spotted it.
In the mirror’s image, there was a view of his messy closet. Farthest back lay that box, taunting him with its presence.
“Fuckin’ sake,” he hissed between gritted teeth. He marched over and snatched up the first belt he happened to touch. To his luck, it was soft cream leather with a silver buckle that did more than accentuate his waist. When he returned to his reflection, the earlier doubt had dissipated.
A single piece made everything come together in harmony. His look wasn’t too basic, nor was it indicative of a minimalist wardrobe. It wasn’t fit for huntin’ trash beasts, but with the word ‘date’ rolling around in his head, he looked perfect.
He spent a heapin' amount of time on such a small part of preparation; there wasn’t much time left after he stuffed those old clothes back where they belonged. A light bag and Lovely would have to do, both grabbed before he ran out to the truck, where Enjin was already waiting behind the wheel.
"Well, would ya look at that?" Enjin flashed a bright smile, in no rush as Zanka slowed his steps. He waited until Zanka slipped into the passenger seat to continue, giving him a few seconds to take in what he could of his outfit.
He wore a low-cut shirt, the sleeve of ink along his arms exposed from the elbow down. His usual slacks had been traded for a pair of dark blue jeans. Rather than clashing with the red and black tattoo, his pale yellow top brought out the gold in his eyes that were fixed on—
“Earth to Zan-Zan!”
His head snapped up, recounting what he’d barely heard over his gawkin’. The slam of the car door made him a tad more aware of what was probably said. “Yeah uh…” He clicked his seatbelt in place and swallowed the lump in his throat, hopin' to wash the nerves down with it. “Thank you. You look nice too.”
Zanka felt the crushing weight of humiliation after his stuttering performance. Enjin had gotten used to brushing things off with a laugh, and the pitiful show he put on was no exception.
He turned the key in the ignition, drumming a finger against the wheel as they pulled off from Headquarters. Umbreaker lay across the back seat, just out of reach from the arm he slung around the passenger seat.
All of Zanka’s reclaimed cool died as his anxiety came rushing back up.
He’d rode with Enjin enough times, studied his posture enough times, to know that he kept one hand on the wheel while the other alternated between slapping the outside of the vehicle and bringing a cigarette to his lips.
Thinkin’ of it, the finger tapping was entirely new to him, almost like a nervous tick to stop him from doing something else.
A red hue crept up his cheeks as realization set in. He tried to take a breath, but the sound of his heart racing reached Enjin’s ears.
His voice was honey like the eyes that cut off the short road to look over. “I thought it’d be rude to smoke you out on our first date, Zan.” Their gazes met, and Zanka felt a throb in his chest. Rudo would have to move over for Team Akuta’s biggest sugar addict.
It wasn’t like the dates at the academy. Enjin had said so.
A few months ago, even a week ago, he would’ve screamed.
Now, he sat stunned.
Telling himself was one thing, hearing it from Enjin was another.
He couldn’t tell which was hotter, his face or his sweat-soaked palms clutching so tight onto Lovely that they slid down to the middle of the stick. He watched Enjin tap again, just hopin’ somebody would pinch him already.
“Ah date?” The blood had divided itself from his cheeks and his ears, a pink tint all over as he shrank into the passenger seat. His sister always told him to ask clarifying questions, and this was no exception.
Enjin glanced over, eyebrows furrowed in a twisted expression. “Hahh? What else would we call going out together alone for dinner? Dude, we’ve got to get you out of the field and into town more often.”
The insult to how he spent his free time rolled right over Zanka’s hunched shoulders. He brought a hand to cover his mouth, pulse ricocheting off the wall of his heart. His nervous speech turned into a quiet snicker, held in his palm.
But the more he thought about how long, how hard he worked for this, the more uncontrollable his laughter became. He felt his chest tighten, ready to burst from something a whole lot stronger than affection. Pure euphoria.
Once he recognized the feeling, it was impossible to retract. His head tossed back, and he let out a cackle so loud that the screech of the tires kicked into high gear was no match for his victory cry.
“A thousand trash beasts?!” Lovely trembled under his grip as he doubled over. The seatbelt prevented him from going further down, but with his new resolve, he was sure he could snap it off the seat. “BRING IT ON! I’LL DEFEAT A MILLION OF THEM TODAY!”
While Zanka enjoyed a premature celebration, Enjin was starting to second-guess his methods.
He had thought a date would be enough to satisfy a young heart, but he’d somehow managed to forget who he was dealing with. At this point, Zanka wouldn’t quit slaying beasts until they were married with a family of five.
“Shit,” he muttered under his breath, drowned out by the mania next to him.
All of those hot chicks would have to wait.