Akimbo ✓

17 : Breathed

Ignatius' initial shock transformed into embarrassment as he realized that Thrill saw him looking at his videos!! "What are you doing here?" he cried, his voice shrill.

Thrill was beaming. "What are you doing here?" He picked a french fry and popped it in his mouth.

Ignatius felt the embarrassment increase tenfold. "I asked first."

"Fair." Thrill nodded. "I was going somewhere," he pointed at his black car parked by the side, "and saw a kid sitting on the edge all by himself. I wanted to come and make sure he didn't do anything stupid," Thrill burst into laughter again, "but who would've thought it was you."

Ignatius hmph-ed. "I'm not a kid."

"Says every kid ever."

"You're annoying."

Thrill flashed him a toothy grin. "What about you, what are you doing here? And why are you watching my videos?"

Blood rushed to Ignatius' face and he felt incredibly hot. His throat also went dry. He did not know what to reply to that. Because I'm jealous of what you have did not sound right.

"Let me guess." Thrill leaned back on the railing, his eyes on Ignatius. "You finally ran away from home."

Well, yes but no. He wanted to escape the people in his house and, strangely, the Nagata Bridge was the first place that popped to his head. Well, second to the small restaurant that served these delicious burgers but he could not sit there in that fowl-smelling place now, could he? "I'm going back."

"So, you've temporarily run from home," Thrill corrected himself, eating Ignatius' French fries.

Ignatius said nothing. He locked his phone and pocketed it, trying to also push away the sheer embarrassment that came from being caught red-handed like this.

"I'm starting to think if I've been a bad influence on you," Thrill hummed.

Ignatius was starting to think so too.

Neither spoke after that. They looked out into the vast lake lying in front of them as they shared a plate of French fries. Once, as Ignatius reached out to pick up a fry, his eyes on the horizon, his fingers brushed against Thrill's and he immediately retracted his hand. "Sorry," Thrill said, though there was no need to apologize. It made Ignatius feel guilty.

"You can have the burger if you want," Ignatius said.

Thrill chuckled softly. "No, thank you, I'm good. You have it."

Ignatius frowned and turned to Thrill. "It's impolite to do that."

Thrill raised his brows, before letting out a laugh. "You're adorable."

Ignatius felt his heart skip a beat. He pursed his lips and said nothing.

"Have half of it then," Thrill prompted. "I'll eat the other half."

"But how do I... cut it?"

Thrill laughed again, and Ignatius realized how it was a strangely beautiful sound. A smile tugged his own lips whenever he heard Thrill laugh. "You don't have to cut it. Just take a bite. Take as many bites as you want. I'll eat the rest."

To Ignatius, the proposal sounded beyond crazy. "What?"

"What what?"

"That's – I... no!"

"Why not?" Thrill sounded confused. "Do you have any communicable diseases that spread through saliva?"

"Um, no."