Zen and Seven walked into the diner in uncomfortable silence, arms still linked. The bustling of the diner broke the silence, laughter coming from different corners of the room and black shoes squeaking on the checkerboard tile.
There were three other pairs of people seated, and most of them were laughing hysterically, probably because everything was funny at three in the morning. Waiters smiled, sporting minty green uniforms that matched the color schemes of the walls. The walls seemed to crack and peel in some corners, revealing the barren parts of the original wall.
Seven grabbed Zen's hand, dragging him to a booth. They both sat down, and stared blankly at each other.
"What did you want to talk to me about?" Zen asked, holding Seven's hand across the table, softly stroking his knuckles, in hope that Seven would open up.
Seven, slid his hand away, picking up the menu. "Why don't we order first?" He said, pointing at a strawberry milkshake on the menu. "We could share one?"
Zen smiled, "Of course." He couldn't help but be a little bit offended that Seven had refused to hold his hand. Is that what this was about? Was he being too touchy?
A waiter approached the two of them with tired eyes but a warm smile. "What can I get you two today?" He said, opening up a notebook.
"We'll have the large strawberry milkshake. Two straws." Seven replied, winking at Zen. The albino chuckled. "Anything else?" The waiter asked.
"No, that'll be all." Zen said, smiling. The waiter shot Zen a thumbs up and headed back into the kitchen.
Seven fidgeted with his glasses, wiping them off on his sweater and breathing of them. "So. Seven, what did you want to tell me?" Zen asked, causing Seven to flick his eyes to the side.
"Why don't we wait until the milkshake comes?" Seven asked, trying his best to stall time, absolutely dreading having to break up with Zen.
"Fair enough." Zen shrugged. Seven let out a sigh of relief and looked around the diner for something to talk about. In a window, he saw Vanderwood doing paperwork, presumably Seven's. Vanderwood looked up from the papers and scowled, pointing at his watch aggressively. Seven clenched his teeth and turned back to face Zen, who had his head propped up by his elbows.
"You're so handsome." He said, chuckling. "I love your eyes. Those honey eyes that are so sweet you can't stand to live without them. You know, they say eyes are the window to your soul. Your soul must be absolutely beautiful to have eyes like those." Zen rambled.
"Oh.. yeah, haha." Seven forced a chuckle. He shifted his eyes for a second, considering something, then decided that he was just going to enjoy Zen's company until he had to break up with him. Seven propped up his chin with his elbows, mimicking Zen.
"The curls in your hair are like the ocean. The waves bringing me in, making me want more, and then pushing me out just to pull me back in again." Zen sighed, smiling.
"Your eyes are red like they're burning with passion." Seven attempted.
Zen laughed. "I think fire is orange, but yes, I have a lot of passion. Mostly for you."
"Why do you like me?" Seven asked suddenly.
"Seriously? We've been together for so long," Zen replied. "Seven, you're such a perfect human being, your humor, your depth, your way of brightening up the mood just by you being there, your smile making my day worthwhile, making you happy makes me happy." He said, staring at Seven.
Seven smiled, "I love you."
The waiter set down the milkshake and pulled out two straws from his apron. "Let me know if you need anything else. Enjoy!" He said, returning back to the employee's only room.
The glass was kind of anxiety inducing, with whipped cream standing tall and cherries threatening to drop at any moment. Seven licked his lips, sticking a straw in. Zen stuck his straw in the drink as well, waiting for Seven to take the first sip. "You look so handsome today." Seven chuckled. Zen was wearing sweats and an old tee shirt, his hair dishelved from Seven's antics earlier. Seven put his hands on the table and sort of started to stand up. Confused, Zen did the same thing.
Wait, this seemed familiar.
Seven leaned in, finally fulfilling the kiss he woke up from prior to their dating. Zen attempted to hold Seven's jaw, but was interrupted by a knocking on the window next to them.
Vanderwood tapped on the window, looking pretty annoyed. One could clearly hear him sigh through the glass. Seven seemed embarrassed and just froze, standing there, looking at the man in the window.
"I..um, I need to go home." Seven said finally, grabbing his coat and putting it on quickly.
"Wait, what about why you brought me here?" Zen asked, pulling money out of his pocket and setting it on the table more as an apology than as a payment for the waiter. He took the milkshake glass and sipped it, walking out the door.
"I'm sorry I just need to go home right now, okay?" Seven said anxiously.
"At least let me walk you home?" Zen said, holding out his arm.
Seven looked confused, more at himself than the gesture. "I should go alone." He said, grabbing onto Zen's hand.
They began to walk, Seven feeling more melancholy as they passed familiar houses. He felt almost kind of nostalgic, as in the past, they walked these streets just for the sake of strolling around. While they walked currently, Zen occasionally tipped the milkshake in Seven's direction, offering him a sip.
Stars seemed to fill the cold night sky, reminding Seven of when they first officially started dating. He sighed, leaning his head against Zen's shoulder, trying to bury himself in it. Zen wrapped his arm around Seven's waist is response, holding his other hand.
Eventually, they reached Seven's house, and the milkshake was finished. "And we have arrived!" Zen cheered, breaking the silence they had throughout the walk home. "Yep!" Seven attempted a cheerful tone.
He gave Zen a tight hug that had the ability of possibly suffocating him. For a while, they just swayed there, hugging on the sidewalk. The hug broke after a few long minutes, and Zen gave Seven a quick peck. "Make sure you get some rest babe! See you tomorrow!"
Seven waved and ran into his house, grabbing all of the suitcases he owned.
