Wired (Gencio)

Chapter Seven

A few months had passed since Genji and Lucio had started talking. After his classes, the Junior had made it a habit to stop by Sinta a Batida and chat for a bit. Sometimes he'd help the musician do things around the store, like reshelve things and locate certain items. He was never asked to do any big tasks.

At least, not until today.

He heard the bell above the door chime and went to step inside, but froze. He glanced down at the concrete floor, seeing it was covered in lime green paint. There were pathways throughout the store, leading to different aisles and backrooms that were unpainted. They were a foot wide, at most.

In the back of the store, he heard the sound of metal clinking, along with the shuffle of feet. He tried to peer around and over the shelves to find the person, but to no avail. A voice made its way to the front of the store, answering his unspoken questions.

"Sorry, we're currently closed. I know the door's unlocked, but as you can see--"

Lucio's monologue stopped as he rounded the corner and saw Genji at the door. He looked disheveled, sweat pouring from his face and his clothes covered in various shades of green paint. His hair, usually down in thick, multicolored dreads was now up in a ponytail. It looked like a rainbow was pouring out of his scalp and running down his back. In his hands were two, huge buckets of green paint.

The Shimada blinked, surprise clear in his expression. He opened his mouth to say something, but the words wouldn't come out. His gaze traveled to the bottom of Lucio's white shirt (which now looked like camouflage), the to the floor. Finally, he managed to murmur, "Bad time?"

"Oh, no no no!" He set down his cans of paint, the brushes in them spinning in circles. "I'm never too busy to spend time with y- my friends." A small smile made its way onto his lips as he hid his paint-splattered arms behind his back. "So, how've you been?"

The green-haired male decided not to question him and stepped inside. "Alright. Work's been a mess, though."

"Yeah, I feel that." The Brazilian made his way through his little pathways, heading towards one of the side rooms. "Both financially and literally..." He glanced back over his shoulder at the other. "You comin'?"

Carefully, Genji started weaving his way through the unpainted paths. "Reyes said he might increase my hours." His eyes rolled so hard they could've popped out of his skull. "And he knows the chaos that is spring semester is starting to hit."

"Damn." He shook his head, finally reaching the room be was going for. He pushed down the door, revealing a nice, wooden office with bright, yellow walls. "When does the exam prep start?"

"Today. In an hour, actually."

Lucio gave him an incredulous look and stepped into the office. "What're you doin' here, then?"

The Asian shrugged, not answering the question as he followed the store owner inside. Relief washed over him as he realized the floor wasn't painted. He heard shuffling followed by an awkward clearing if the throat. Glancing up, he briefly caught the musician's gaze.

"Say, uh... When do you get off? I was wonderin' if we could... Y'know... Hang out afterwards."

A hint of amusement flashes din his eyes and he crossed his arms. "About six, give or take. Where do you wanna meet?"

Next thing he knew, Lucio whipped out his phone, the tree frog on it staring intently at him. He tapped it a few times before looking up, brown eyes gleaming. "How about the roller rink? It's about fifteen minutes away from the both of us."

Genji found himself biting his lip, deep in thought. "Are they even open at six?"

"Open 'til eight tonight," he said, sliding his phone into his back pocket. "So, whaddya say, Sparrow? You in?"

A grin broke out on his face before he could stop it. "Sure thing, Lu."

Lucio laughed at the nickname and it sent a pulse of heat through the Japanese man. Trying to push the feelings down, he laughed with him. "These feelings will pass eventually... Or, at least, I hope they will."