𝐦𝐢𝐝-𝐣𝐮𝐥𝐲 - 𝘬𝘦𝘯𝘮𝘢 𝘬.

three

┌──❀*̥˚─────❀*̥˚─┐
𝒜𝑔𝒶𝒾𝓃
ᴷᴬᴸᴵ
└───❀*̥˚─────❀*̥˚┘

.❀。• *₊°。 ❀°。

one week.

one week has passed since you last saw the boy at the arcade.

part of you was relieved.

both encounters with him
were quite mortifying,
best leave it there.

but another much smaller part of you
kind of missed him.

you missed him as if you actually knew him.

hell, you never even got his name.

you wanted to talk to him again,
maybe even hold a good conversation.

even if you couldn't, just seeing him again would make you feel a bit better.

then again, was your embarrassment
worth seeing his face again?

those thoughts filled your head
as you wandered down the street
in the late afternoon.

you'd been visiting a small bakery
every few days,
so that's where you were headed.

it almost went unnoticed,
but the familiar arcade was
right in front of you
once you rounded the corner.

you froze.

maybe, just maybe, the boy is in there.

and maybe you
work up the courage to talk to him.

so many possibilities.

but you'd been meaning
to try their brownies all week.

what if you stay in for too long
and the bakery closes?

and what if you don't even talk to him?

all of that wasted time
and you wouldn't even get a snack after.

just as you were settling on a decision,
a familiar figure passed you.

two-toned hair.

your feline friend always shows up on time, does he not?

he walked with his eyes glued to his PSP, not minding the world around him.

you mumbled out the start of a word
that was never finished.

fortunately or not,
it was enough to catch his attention.

he turned to look at you,
holding the PSP to his chest.

"h-hello," he muttered, averting his eyes.

he would've been inaudible
if he were a foot farther from you.

"hi," you said, awkwardly waving.

a second of silence passed.

the boy looked away towards the door, about to make his escape.

"um!"

he was already halfway through the door.

"can i come with you?"

you prayed that you didn't
make him too uncomfortable.

an odd desire to be around him
was driving you to do stupid things.

you wouldn't be able to tell
either way, though.
whenever you spoke,
you couldn't look him in the eyes.

"uh, a-alright," he said, quietly.

following him inside,
he wandered to a game
and checked the leaderboard,
letting out an exhausted sigh.

he put in two coins and started playing.

you just stood and watched,
unsure of what to start a conversation with.

he held the joystick funny.
his palm was facing up.

"are you not gonna play anything?"
he asked,
breaking your stare from his hand.

"huh? oh, no.
i doubt i'm any good anymore."

"what were you doing here then?"

"w-well, i was going to the bakery,
but i saw you!" you said, anxiously.

he paused.

"did you used to play?" he asked.

"when i was little.
no arcades near my house anymore."

"oh."

"it'd probably be more fun
watching you play
than losing every two seconds anyway!"
you said followed by an embarrassed laugh.

"maybe."

he talked quickly,
partially distracted by the game.
it was a good five minutes before he died.

the player "applepi" moved up to first place on the game's leaderboard.

how cute is that?

you trailed him
as he wandered to different games.

he was quite good at most of them.

not the new ones though.

the little confused face he made
when he couldn't figure out
where to go next was
undoubtedly quite adorable.

the sun was beginning to set
by the time you two left.

you were about to walk back
the way you came
when the boy spoke again.

"weren't you going to the bakery?" he asked.

"oh, right."

it was still open?

"i'll see you around then," you said, a smile forming on your face.

"yeah."

you turned to walk away,
but you were forgetting something.

"um, what's your name?" you asked,
loud enough for him to hear.

"kenma's fine," he said.

kenma.

something about that name
just fit him perfectly.

your smile only grew.

"[first name]."

.❀。• *₊°。 ❀°。