Outfit later (picture on side/top)
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"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to do that to you. I'm stupid. I didn't mean it." Michael fiddled with the bottom of his polo shirt as he spoke to Ashton.
Ashton pursed his lips with his arms crossed in front of his chest. "So, you don't like me?"
Michael looked up from his gaze at the floor (and sorta at Ashton's bulge). "I do. I want to be friends."
"You like me, but you want to only be friends?" Ashton looked baffled.
"Well, Ash, you're not going to give me anything more so I'll take what I can get. Do you not want to be friends anymore?" Michael finally turned his gaze to Ashton's eyes, which turned away immediately after meeting his own.
"I figured it out."
"Figured what out? Figured out how to finally swirl soft serve into the cone?"
"I don't want to hear your sass when I tell you this, Michael." Ashton gulped. He wiped his clammy hands on his khakis to get rid of the sweat, but it really did nothing.
Michael turned away. He smiled lightly as he handed a customer their watermelon sherbet. "Spit it out. You've made it clear that you don't like me, I understand."
"No, Michael, that's not it. I promise-"
"Then what is?" Michael spat. "You're straight. Good for you. And even if you were gay, what would it matter. You're...perfect and I'm...me. Okay, it doesn't work."
"It could. It could because I'm neither. And it could because I like you for you and not your dick. I like you for your phlegmy morning voice and I like you for calling me at one in the morning for nightmares. For the way you screamed at me for not making second when we're on the same team on Mario Kart. I like how you play footsie with me when we're sitting at the same table at dinner. Especially when you accidentally kicked Calum's shin and he took the entire burger off of your plate. Jesus, Michael. I like you. And I'm sorry for not realizing it sooner. I was just caught up with thinking I was straight. And I didn't want you to hate me."
"I could never hate you, Ashton. I was just mad."
"Michael."
"Can we talk about it after work? I'm not really in the mood to listen to this right now."
Ashton slowly nodded. "Got it. That's fine. I'll drive you home."
Michael just gave him a small smile. He then fixed the stacked sugar cones on its holder. He listened to his other coworker, Gavin, drone on about people at his uni who dissected cats. Neither Michael nor Ashton gave a shit.
"And-And apparently there was a disease in one of them that they didn't have tested and they had to shut down the lab room for three weeks. It was cool. And my-and my roommate, he-he said that the kids almost died but his girlfriend told me that they didn't and he was lying. So I don't really know what happened but it was cool."
Michael awkwardly chuffed. "Great." He smiled widely as he handed an old lady a chocolate swirl in a waffle cone. He thanked her for coming and she thanked him for being adorable. "Ash, we need a triple scoop vanilla in a cup," he notified as he took a man's order. He passed him a foam bowl. He took the man's money, before sending the customer to the right with his receipt of his order number.
He went through each customer until he got to one who caught his attention. "Hello, how may I help you today, ma'am?
"Is Ashton here?"
