Straight as They Come, Kinda

8: Pikachu

"So why were you such a dick to me again?" Colin asked Peter who was beginning to wish he had stayed back at the apartment.

They had been sitting there for a while-- God knows how long. Peter didn't have a phone so he had no idea what the time was. Colin too, had left his phone on charge so they both just sat on the bench, looking at the handful of people who pass by every once in a while. It got really boring real quick and Colin had decided to initiate a conversation.

"Ugh, dude, I don't really want to talk about that now," Peter mumbled with a groan. He wished he could hold his face in his hands and ultimately bury it in his lap but his hands were currently in Colin's sleeve.

"Then when?"

"Never?" Peter swung his feet to and fro, his shoes scraping the cement floor every oscillation.

"Not an option, unless you maybe want to go live with Ivy again."

The dark haired boy's eyes, which were beginning to fall closed, opened as wide as saucers as soon as the words left Colin's pouted lips. "Alright, I'll say it," he replied in a rush. "I was having the shittiest day, you know. Kayla was being unreasonable, Ivy was nagging. I had to sit still for pictures I had no desire to take. I was just tense and you making that shit-eating grin didn't help."

"Still doesn't certify you to be a jerk." Colin huffed out a breath. "And point of correction, my grin is sexy. S-e-x-y."

Peter noticed that when Colin had pronounced the "x", it had come with a whistling sound. He concluded that it was because of the chip in one of Colin's front teeth. Peter wanted to ask about it and faced Colin but seeing those brown eyes meet his gaze when he turned, created a turmoil in the pit of his stomach. He felt his stomach coil even more when Colin asked him what was wrong with him. The way you look at me, that's what's wrong with me.

Instead Peter said, "Nothing. Just wondering who lied to you," in a voice that sounded to hoarse in his own ears. Maybe it's the cold.

"It's probably the entirety of the people I have photographed. Or maybe it's how your face goes red when I grin that's lying to me, Peter Chu." Another self-satisfied look adorned Colin's face when Peter remained speechless.

He stared at the trees whose branches were swaying in time with the periodic passing of the cool wind. It was really dark now and if not for the presence of the high-powered lights mounted at vantage points in the skatepark, the place would have been shrouded in a thick blanket of black. There was no moon out tonight, so even the little glow it brought was not to be seen.

"Peter Chu. Pe-teh-chu. Peterchu," Colin murmured to himself. "Pe-terchu- "

"Dude, what are you doing?"

"Your name reminds me of something but I can't quite put my finger on- " Colin cut himself off, face clouding in concentration before it breaks into a smile. "-hey, I got it. Pikachu. That's what your name sounds like?"

"Pikachu, as in the Pokemon?"

"No, as in the priest- of course the Pokemon," Colin made a gesture to throw his hands up and Peter's hands went up with his in the process. "You're just like the little furball. Cute yet full of thunder."

"Is that supposed to be a... compliment?" Peter was surprised-- for lack of a better word. Colin had called him cute. It was not a big deal and it wasn't supposed to be one. Lot's of people had told him he was cute so why had it feel different when Colin said it. Why had it sounded better?

"It's whatever you want it to be, Pikachu," Colin answered with a smirk, tilting his head to the side.

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