pettymuch | @badlucklady

[It's true; while not a kink per se, Warren appreciates the aesthetic of a good finger lickin' view. Giving Bandou the delight of a high-calorie meal was the intent of the gift, after all. Take-out isn't cheap these days! A young man needs to indulge the siren call of greasy food once in a while. Even if he does work in the industry.

Thus, Warren's spying eyes appreciates the demolition derby inflicted on chicken wing mountain, ignoring the angry buzz of his phone until after he has watched the angry slam dunk of the batman-box. He feels good. Happy. Bandou being Bandou, that's all it takes to put a smile on his face.]

You'll be stuffed with thicker meat than chicken wings, later.

[There's no chance a sensible argument reminding Bandou that this hour is designated as his nutrition break away from labor, not when a stupid joke is ripe for the plucking. Warren steps out of his beat-up, utterly embarrassing clunker of a vehicle. Ever seen a vampire in tan sweatpants? Now you have. He honks the horn. Yes, it's still la cucaracha.]

~🎵

[The matching amber hoodie proclaims in a sultry red font: blood is my love language.]

[ Should the boy be back on the clock by now? Probably. But, Bandou must savor the moment of receiving one of Warren's dirty puns without good, old embarrassment looking him right in the tinted lenses. He snickers at his phone screen. That one liner was beyond stupid, but he can't deny it put a pretty hot image in his head, too.

Unfortunately, Warren had a follow up to that saucy little pun. One that has Bandou visibly jumping as all heads in the restaurant turn to see who in the hell actually made that their car horn.

Real romantic there, baby.]

[What, does Bandou want his favorite suitor to roll up in a Rolex, Rolls Royce, Roses combo? The taunting from his burger-joint buddies would never end. The way things are, Warren's given Bandou plausible deniability. It's a coincidence that this weirder, older, hotter acquaintance showed up. Heck, maybe he's just Bandou's weed dealer.

Since honking wasn't enough of a lure to get Bandou to go outside into the darkened parking lot, Warren crooks his fingers at him, leaning on the hood. Come hither lil mama, lemme whisper in yo ear. Bet Bandou can't wait to see the depths of groan-worthy humor that awaits after reaching 'beyond stupid' tier.]

[And Warren will receive an infamous finger gesture in return! Give him a few minutes, though. Gotta convince the boss to let him leave early due to a tummy ache. You shouldn't go accepting candy from weirdos in the parking lot, Bandou.

Fully clad in his incognito attire, once more, he slinks up to the love mobile.]

Seriously?

[He gestures to the declaration on Warren's hoodie.]

After all that, I might not even give you your gift.

[The plea for an early end to the shift appears to have not fallen on deaf ears. No matter how blatant it may be that the tummy ache excuse isn't entirely legitimate. It could be, it just could be, though. That pile of wings really was gargantuan! Must be the supervisor's way of showing support to the right of all youths to act foolishly. Warren silently offers thanks for the show of good will.

Meanwhile, Bandou seems to have no gratitude for the generous meal. It doesn't have much effect on the way Warren looks at him, though. The softness in his eyes gives way to the usual mischievousness; he gives a 'can you blame me?' shrug. There's some movie tie-in or whatever (probably) associated with the slogan.]

You wound me! [Watch Warren clasp his chest. Cupid's arrow struck in the same spot some time ago...] Whatever do you mean, after all that?

You know they're gonna be on me about this until I explain it.

[Had he ever even told Warren which franchise location he worked at? Should he really even be surprised he figured it out? The creaking of the rusty van door mimicks the groan Bandou heaves just thinking about all the heckling that is to come once the next work week starts.]

I'm never working a closing shift again.

[Stated in all its bratty child glory. He even slumps onto his side of the bench seat with a pout and crossed arms. As if such a threat could even keep Warren's meddling in his social life at bay.]

[Heckling builds character. The crew will be amused to have seen Bandou with a persistent 'friend' then become bored of toying with the introvert's feelings. That's why Warren is better than they are; he won't stop treating Bandou like a plaything no matter how much time passes!]

Good. Use your daylight hours for money-making and spend your nights with me.

[Warren falls into step with Bandou, getting in to the driver's seat. Instead of pouting though, Warren scoots close to him.]

I could not wait one hour more to see you.

[A different tone. He means it. By mid-February, the long winter nights have begun to weaken against the daylight. Warren will lose much of his ability to wander. The intensity of his desire to see Bandou on tonight of all nights burns in his eyes, and yet he holds back from making a move.]

[The changing of the seasons, the return of long lasting hours of sunlight, it hasn't even occurred to Bandou that their time will be cut shorter each day. Certainly when it's realized, he'll long for night to fall just as deeply as Warren does.

But Warren's words erase any frustration Bandou'd felt as he hung up his work uniform and braved the embarrassment of walking through the restaurant's lobby. How can he stay mad when words of deep longing are being spoken to him? The dramatic antics that started their evening together showcased Warren's desire for him, but intimate words in private hit much harder for Bandou.

The pout vanishes, a shy smile slowly taking it's place. One that yearns to here more sweet words of affection.]

I've never gotten to spend Valentine's Day with someone. You're getting all my firsts.

Edited 2025-02-17 21:37 (UTC)

[Until the baneful rule of Summer Warren will be a steady fixture hovering around Bandou's supper hour. Like the hoodie's delicate cursive says, food is a love language. Perhaps it's some remnant of Warren's upbringing in the Old World ways (in his babushka era). The cold of Winter encourages reliance on hearty carbs to fight sickness. He wants to see his favorite slender young man thrive against the tendency for colds and flu to insidiously spread this time of year.

If Bandou had wanted to stay mad, he could have. The consequence could have included pinched cheeks...or kissed cheeks. The way Bandou responds to honest desire is heartening; they share that need. Even if Warren doesn't show it as openly, he needs to be told he's wanted too.

The look in his eyes becomes soft and affectionate. One more first to claim until they've all been gathered to his chest like a vibrant eternal bouquet.]

I cherish each one more than you can imagine. Your precious feelings are what fill my black heart, Saburouta.

[Saburouta. Even if Warren's used his given name for a time now, he might not ever fully get used to it. But it's spoken with such affection, growing on him a little more each time the name falls from Warren's lips. Bandou hopes that one day, he'll hear the name and only good memories will fill his mind.]

Which first do you want next?

[A flirtatious question, similar to the one he'd asked moments before Warren nearly took his life. Gosh, they're even seated in the same spot, like a couple revisiting their honeymoon destination after being sworn to one another for a decade. Except not nearly as much time has passed.]

Black's such a boring color. You'd look much better in red!

[Hope for the future...? One day. What might one day hold? Good memories of special moments is what Bandou hopes for, and Warren's words are nearly literal; his heart can only hold what hope Bandou delivers to him.

He makes a small noise, like a breath taken when surprised by pain. That instance of losing his self-control was no honeymoon.]

Would I...?

[No, no. No. Bandou would never want to see Warren coated in red if he truly understood what it meant. The flame clan's primary color will have to make way for fire's secondary hue if Warren were to humor Bandou's hint.]

I like orange best of all. That's not boring, is it?

[He smiles, in return one for one to Bandou's flirty air.]

Don't you like my Valentine's outfit? I chose it especially for you.

Edited 2025-02-19 03:07 (UTC)

I guess you pull the hoodie look off pretty well.

[Can't really dis the outfit when it essentially matches his own. He turns to face Warren more directly, snickering the tiniest bit. Now that he's not fuming from the chicken wing incident, he can appreciate the swirling text that decorates the front of the piece.]

It's missing something, though.

[Isn't his mischievous smile just the cutest? He feels like Warren hasn't seen it quite often enough, what with him always being the one causing the mischief.]

[The lighter earth-tones of Warren's matching athleisure fit compliment his hair, and are not to be found in Bandou's nearly monochrome wardrobe. It absolutely was chosen to be a comfortable snuggle zone for Bandou, and to seamlessly jive with his fashion sense.

Bandou's assessment isn't glowing but it'll do. His gaze watches him become more at ease. Given that the windows aren't tinted enough to completely block someone from seeing in, Warren's kept his nonverbal gifts out of the conversation.

That smile tho........ It's very hard to resist. The cutest, 100%. It makes Warren sigh girlishly - thankfully it's so subtle Bandou won't notice.]

Sunglasses?

[The smile immediately droops, excitement quickly replaced with his more common emotion of pettiness.]

You're not supposed to guess!

[With an overlay dramatic huff he slumps back into his seat.]

[Baby...]

[Wordlessly, Warren reaches over across the sulking nerd's lap to pop open the glove compartment. He slides on a pair of sunglasses.]

[He'd laugh if he wasn't preoccupied with pouting.]

Don't tell me to "Deal with it." I was gonna be real smooth with my follow up.

[C'mon, that was worth a laugh! He had to buy those meme glasses off Temu and plant them in advance for this gag! Aaaah... fine, fine. He can't resist Bandou's pout for long.]

Achem!

[Warren coughs and whips off the sunglasses, throwing them in the backseat in one smooth movement.]

'Don't you like my Valentine's outfit? I chose it especially for you.' What's that you say, it's missing something?

[His mouth works in place, trying to decide if Warren's stolen too much of his thunder to deserve the silly thing he had in mind. It won't be nearly as effective now (if it had ever been destined to, at all) but Warren did drop the teasing and give him a second opening so...

Bandou shifts in his seat, pulling one of his long legs up onto the bench so he can fully face the man.]

Yeah... [The tone of the word still has a tinge of bitterness to it as he raises one hand to slide his sunglasses off. But as the opposite hand lifts his hat, he edges closer, lips parting and voice slipping into something softer, breathier.] ...this.

[The glasses — no longer a valid option for his remark — slip from his fingers, landing somewhere at Warren's feet, and his now free hand presses against the delicate embroidered scripture of the hoodie. Eyes uncovered, Warren will see them focus on his lips, subconsciously licking at his own in preparation for their union. Then, with a steadying breath, Bandou slips his hat onto Warren's head, making sure to yank the brim down as far as his nose will allow.]

You're missing the hat.

@badlucklady

puny! paltry! i eat that snowfall for breakfast

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asjdfh LOVE MOBILE i'm crying

If the bus is a rockin'...

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🤣

:p

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