Ice Cream in Winter {A KuzuSouda Fanfiction}

Chapter One: Snow and Sprinkles

Kazuichi watched the flurries of snow fall from the window of the drive-in ice cream store at which he worked. He glanced at the clock on the wall by the door. 10:56 pm. In four minutes, his shift would be over, and he would be able to walk home. He sighed, knowing that he would be exhausted the next morning when he woke up to go to school. He really wished that he didn't need to work in the ice cream store, but his family's bike shop was beginning to go out of business, and they desperately needed extra money. He had gone to the mechanic's in town to see if they would hire him, but was told that they didn't hire people under the age of eighteen due to liabilities. Dejected, he had come to the only place which had been hiring, which was the ice cream store. He had gotten the job in the summer, but the store stayed open year-round, so he had stayed on and continued to work there. Most days, only a couple of people showed up. That day was the same. During his eight-to-eleven shift, only three customers had shown up. He sighed again. The tips were not good during the winter, and the hourly wage was no better.
He looked back out of the window, watching to see if any night owl would come at the last second. After not seeing anyone for another minute, he decided that there was no point in waiting anymore. He got up from his chair in the corner of the room to turn off the ice cream machines and put the tubs into the freezer. As he began to do this, however, he heard footsteps approach the store. He turned around to see someone walk up to the ordering window. To his surprise, it was one of his classmates.
"Oh, hey, Fuyuhiko-kun! How can I help ya?" Kazuichi grinned, showing off his sharp teeth.
Fuyuhiko's cheeks were pinker than normal. Kazuichi wondered if it was due to the cold or something else. It seemed odd that Fuyuhiko would blush, so he assumed that it was probably from the cold.
Fuyuhiko's eyes widened upon recognizing his classmate, then he immediately resumed his normal scowl. "Oh, it's you. Can I get a small soft serve vanilla cone with, uh..." His cheeks darkened. "With rainbow sprinkles?" He looked to the side as he ordered, avoiding eye contact.
Kazuichi was a bit puzzled by his classmate's embarrassment. "Yeah, sure, man. Just give me a moment to turn the machine back on." He flipped the on/off switch and grabbed a cone from the stack. He expertly layered the ice cream and twirled it in the sprinkles. He handed it to Fuyuhiko, relieved that his last order of the night was done and he could start to prepare to leave. Since he had been working for the store for a while, the owner had entrusted him with his own key and let him work by himself on most nights. While Kazuichi appreciated the extra tips he got because of this, he felt lonely in the empty store, and was happy when he got to go home and see his family again.
"That's three dollars," Kazuichi told Fuyuhiko. The other boy took a five-dollar bill out of his pocket and handed it to Kazuichi. Kazuichi put it in the cash register and gave the change to Fuyuhiko. Fuyuhiko put it in the tip jar.
"Oh, thanks, man." Kazuichi looked at it in surprise. It was rare for somebody to put one dollar in, let alone two. They usually just threw in a couple of quarters. "You didn't really have to do that, y'know."
"Well, I'm holding an ice cream now, so it would be hard to put it back in my pocket. It was just easier to put it into the jar," Fuyuhiko retorted, sounding a bit defensive. He still wasn't making eye contact. "I-It's not like I care." His stutter surprised Kazuichi. He had never shown any sign of anxiety in the past.
"Hey, are you okay, man?" Kazuichi asked, leaning on the counter to move closer.
"Um, yeah. I'm ****ing okay." His head snapped around to look at Kazuichi, his eyes unblinking. "And mind your own **** business, got it?" He stared unnervingly into Kazuichi's eyes.
Kazuichi felt a flicker of nervousness, but didn't stand down. Instead, he leaned closer. "Dude, if somethin' is bothering ya, don't keep it in. It's much better to let your emotions out."
Fuyuhiko visibly gulped, and, for a moment, he looked very vulnerable. Then his eyes became steely and determined as he seemed to make up his mind about something. "Fine, then," he whispered. "I'll do that." Suddenly, he leaned forward and pressed his lips against Kazuichi's.
Kazuichi stood unmoving, in shock. He didn't know whether to pull away or to let it happen. He was the one who told Fuyuhiko to 'let his emotions out', after all.
Fortunately for him, the kiss was relatively quick, and Fuyuhiko pulled away. There were tears in his eyes. He took one bite of his ice cream, then ran away.
"Wait!" Kazuichi called after him, but it was too late. The other boy had disappeared into the snowy night. Kazuichi put his head into his hands, confused by what had just happened. He dragged his hands down his face, suddenly extremely exhausted. Slowly, he turned off the machines and closed up the shop, thinking about what Fuyuhiko had just done. It was completely perplexing. He had never seen Fuyuhiko give any special interest in him at all, and he had always thought that Fuyuhiko was in love with Peko. They spent a lot of time together, after all, and she was very protective of him at times. However, after what had just transpired, that seemed questionable. If Fuyuhiko liked Peko, then why would he kiss Kazuichi? Ah, man, my first kiss was from Fuyuhiko! Kazuichi suddenly realized. Jeez, I had hoped it would be from Sonia-san. He sighed. Well, no one has to know. I'll just pretend it didn't happen. He exited the store and locked the door behind him. He shivered in the cold air, and, anticipating the warmth of his home, began to jog back to his house.
As he ran, he could not forget the look in Fuyuhiko's eyes right before the kiss. He had looked so small and vulnerable. He hadn't looked like a tough yakuza at all. Kazuichi wondered why Fuyuhiko had kissed him. Was it some kind of dare or something? If it was, though, it had lasted a bit longer than was necessary, and there was no one around to confirm that he had done it anyway. This meant that Fuyuhiko had wanted to kiss him. Why, though? I'm just a pink-haired nobody who likes messing with machines. Why would someone as powerful and well-known as Fuyuhiko like someone like me? Kazuichi couldn't wrap his mind around it. Fuyuhiko rarely talked to Kazuichi outside of school ((please note that I am not taking Nagito and the World Destroyer into account here)), and had never given any indication whatsoever that he liked Kazuichi. He wondered why Fuyuhiko had come to the ice cream store at 10:57 at night in the first place. He had clearly been surprised upon seeing Kazuichi, so he hadn't gone there just to see him. Vanilla soft serve with rainbow sprinkles, huh? Not quite what I'd expect from him, but he's a pretty mysterious guy. And there's nothing wrong with sprinkles, Kazuichi thought. Kazuichi stopped in front of his house, noticing that the lights were all off. I guess my parents went to bed. He unlocked the door and stepped inside quietly, not wanting to wake them up. He tiptoed to his room and changed out of the store's uniform. He hopped into his bed wearing just his blue-and-pink underwear, exhausted. Aw, man, I forgot to take my contacts out. He got up and went to the bathroom. He took out his contacts and looked at his slightly blurred reflection in the mirror for a moment. He sighed, then went back to his room and climbed in bed once more, too tired to brush his teeth. Even though he was exhausted, however, he couldn't find sleep. He couldn't stop thinking about the kiss with Fuyuhiko. He felt so confused. Why him? Why not someone else? It just didn't make any sense. Not only was he confused about Fuyuhiko, he was also confused about himself. He had always thought himself to be straight, but the kiss hasn't been awkward or uncomfortable. It had felt natural, if a bit stiff. Having no experience, Kazuichi didn't know what to think. Was that normal? Or did it mean that he liked guys as well as girls? What would his parents think if they found out he had kissed another boy? Continuing to think thoughts like these, Kazuichi fell into a fitful sleep.