Arithmetic

Sacchi was pissed. Pissed off beyond belief. And if he could have, he would've stabbed his boss right then and there.

"Sacchi, just get over it already." Josh rolled his eyes. "One week working the late shift with 'Kere won't kill you."

"No, but it might kill him," Sacchi grumbled, glaring at the cheerful, black-haired clerk out of the corner of his eye. "Please, Josh, I'm begging you. Don't make me work with that bastard until eight or nine or whenever we close."

"Ten," Josh told him with a small smile, but then ruined it when he said, "What am I supposed to do, Sach? Rosa's off 'till next week, and you know how Emily is." Josh rolled his eyes to emphasize his point.

Sacchi made a face, momentarily distracted. "You should just fire her."

"I plan to, if she keeps this up much longer. I've got a couple replacements lined up already. Until then though, I need both you and 'Kere to work the late shift."

Sacchi glared. "I want money for this."

Josh rolled his eyes again. "How about a free ice cream?"

"Two."

"Fine, whatever. Just get to work, will ya?"

With a theatrical sigh, Sacchi turned back to the counter and went back behind it. He was determined to keep his cool, no matter what. He actually liked Josh, and knew the man was short on help lately. He would do his job, and he would do it well, dammit, to help Josh out, no matter how many infuriating red-heads tried to interfere.

"Hey, Sach," called out said infuriating red-head, a smirk on his lips. "Josh cut your paycheck?"

Sacchi closed his eyes and took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. Then he did it again. Ice, he thought, I am ice, cool and composed. Okay, maybe it was stupid, but it worked, most of the time. "No, 'Kere," he said, voice calm but cool. "He was asking me for a favor."

'Kere raised a brow. "Really? I didn't think he swung that way."

Sacchi blinked quickly, then made a face. "Ew, no! That's disgusting, 'Kere, he's my boss!"

"So? How's that stopping you?"

This time, Sacchi took a deep breath and looked up at the ceiling, forcing himself to realize that 'Kere was just looking for a reaction. "Because I don't sleep with people to improve my standing in life." He winced at the wording. No more staying up late at night reading those old bodice-rippers. Manfully ignoring it, he looked at a customer coming up to counter. "How can I help you, ma'am?"

"Oh, nothing yet, we're just looking right now," the woman, in her thirties maybe, told him with a smile. Then she looked down at the little girl clinging to her hand, beaming in excitement. "Can you see the choices, Allie? Which one do you want?"

"Can't see, Mommy! Pick me up!" the little girl chirped. Sacchi smiled as the woman sighed tolerantly and lifted the little girl. He noticed she had one of those little toy kaleidoscopes in her hand, clutched tightly.

"See, they have chocolate, and vanilla, and mint, and strawberry..."

"Chocolate! Chocolate!"

"How'd I know," the woman said with a smile. She put the girl down, despite wails of protests. "We'll take one chocolate and one hmm...one mint chip cake cone, please."

"Coming right up," Sacchi said with a smile as he turned to go scoop up the ice cream. And if he made the chocolate scoop a little larger than normal, who would notice? Except 'Kere, who was scooping up ice cream for another customer. But despite Sacchi's challenging stare, he said nothing, simply scooped his ice cream and moved on. Sacchi was surprised, but decided that even 'Kere had to have a soft spot for children.

Even if he seemed to hate Sacchi.

It was very late when Sacchi looked up around at the small ice cream parlor. It hadn't been too terrible for a Thursday night, but still busy. It was almost closing time now, and there was only one customer sitting in the corner booth, an empty dish to her right, an open thesaurus to her left, and a notebook in front of her in which she was writing almost non-stop.

A glance backwards showed 'Kere too busy clearing up a mess someone had made on the floor to do anything, so Sacchi approached the girl. "Excuse me, miss, but it's closing time now and you have to leave."

The girl had jerked up when he'd spoken to her, and blinked chocolate eyes for a bit while he talked. "Oh, wow, it's that late already? Jeez, I'm sorry. Just let me pack up here..." she closed the notebook and clipped the pencil onto the spiraled bit, then put the thesaurus on top, then picked it up in classic student style. She flashed a smile at him. "Sorry about being here for so long."

Sacchi smiled back. "No problem, so long as you go now." As she was leaving, the light caught her hair, which he had taken for dark brown. "Hey, I like your hair."

"What? Oh, my hair." She laughed. "Yeah, it's pretty awesome, huh?" She expertly pulled a lock out from behind her ear and held it up to the light so it shone purple. "I like it too."

"It's like...an iridescent sheen, you know? Cooler than if it was just plain purple."

She grinned at him. "Iridescent? My hair's been called a lot of things, but iridescent's a first."

Sacchi flushed. "Well, you know, it's just-"

"Nah, it's okay. I'm just teasing." She waved at him. "Bye, see ya later!" And she winked at him.

Was it his imagination or did she glance over to his left before she winked? Sacchi looked over to his left, but there was only 'Kere, working diligently. He shrugged it off as tiredness and went to start wiping off the tables.

He'd only been working maybe ten minutes when 'Kere suddenly spoke up. "She couldn't have been more than sixteen."

Sacchi looked over at him. "What?"

"That girl you were flirting with. She couldn't have been more than sixteen."

Sacchi rolled his eyes. "I wasn't flirting with her."

"You're like, what, twenty? Too old for her."

Sacchi stared at him. "What is with you?"

"What's with you?" 'Kere shot back, glaring murderously.

Just when he thought they were getting along for once. Sacchi rolled his eyes, a bad habit he'd picked up from Josh. "What kind of question is that? I'm being perfectly normal."

With something that sounded like a muted snarl, 'Kere grabbed his mop and bucket and stormed to the back. Sacchi slowly finished with the tables, feeling that sinking feeling that he always got whenever 'Kere got mad for inexplicable reasons and started in on him. I mean, what was so wrong with him? He'd never done anything to deserve this kind of treatment.

Sighing heavily, Sacchi went to the back, where 'Kere was angrily putting things away. Silently Sacchi did the same, not willing to provoke 'Kere more. It was only when he had to that Sacchi asked, "Are you done?"

"Why? You wanna go home and fuck your little girlfriend?"

Sacchi jerked up, startled. "What?"

"You think I haven't noticed the way she comes in here every week and fawns all over you?" 'Kere sneered. "Don't tell me you've never seen her."

"But I haven't!" And why would 'Kere think that he would do that? Sacchi hid his growing hurt under anger. "Why do you always do this! You always assume the worst about me when I've done nothing but be nice to you! Seriously, how do I know you haven't been doing all these things too? Huh? Tell me that!"

"At least I keep it overage!" 'Kere shouted.

Sacchi's temper snapped. That was it. He was sick of dealing with this asshole, and screw how much he liked Josh. He couldn't, wouldn't, take this abuse any more. Ripping off his apron, Sacchi threw it on the ground and glared at 'Kere. Somehow, from somewhere, words bubbled up, flew from his lips like sharp barbs of wire. "You only said that because right now, you're feeling very small inside!"

Ignoring 'Kere's shell-shocked expression, Sacchi tore through the store, ripping open the front door and running out. It had started raining sometime, a heavy, drenching downpour, but he didn't care. He stood for a moment, staring up at the sky, blinking and pretending that the tears on his cheeks were just rain.

When 'Kere didn't show up, Sacchi ground his teeth together and turned to go home. He'd only taken ten steps when he heard the jingle of the shop door opening. "Sacchi! Wait!"

Sacchi refused to turn around, walking until a hand on his shoulder spun him around. "What, Enkere." He didn't put any emotion into it, kept his face schooled, just stared into 'Kere's wide green eyes emotionlessly. That's what would hurt the most. Let 'Kere fall apart this time. Sacchi was sick of it.

But he didn't react, not even to his hated whole name. "Sacchi, listen-"

"Hurry up, Enkere, I have to get home," Sacchi told him flatly, feeling viciously vindicated when he saw a spark of rage in 'Kere's eyes. But then it turned suddenly to determination, and before Sacchi could wonder why, there was a hand in his hair, tilting his head up, and then he was being kissed.

But not like he'd ever been kissed before. This was savage, angry, with no semblance of gentleness. After his initial shock, Sacchi's rage flared back up and he kissed back just angrily. For a long minute, or two, they remained like that, until need for breath separated them. Sacchi glared at him. "What did you do that for?"

"Because I'm sick of standing there and watching you being so goddamned friendly with all those goddamned people and not being able to do anything but watch you," 'Kere told him. "Ever since you first started working here, I've barely been able to control myself, but I didn't know if you were...you know. That way. So I just tried to weasel it out of you, by making fun of you, but you never answered the way I wanted. And tonight it was just too much. I don't care if you hate me or whatever. I'm sick of this whole damn thing."

Sacchi just stared at 'Kere throughout his entire confession. Then he smacked his arm. "You freaking moron! That's why you've made my life miserable these past six months? Gods above, why didn't you just ask, you idiot! We could've solved this 'whole damn thing' months ago!" Exasperated, Sacchi tried to run a hand through his wet brown locks, only to have to stop and free his hand.

It was hard to tell, with the rain and the hour, but it looked like 'Kere's dusky skin was flushed. "What do you mean?"

Sacchi rolled his eyes. "If you'd just asked, I could've told you yes and we wouldn't be in this situation now!"

'Kere blinked in confusion. "What?"

Shaking his head, Sacchi grabbed 'Kere shirt and pulled him in for another kiss.

Neither of them noticed the girl with dark brown hair across the street holding an umbrella as she took a picture of them with her phone. She sent the picture to someone, then hit dialed a number.

"You owe me twenty bucks." She grinned at whatever response her comment had elicited, then shut the phone. Still grinning, she watched the two for a second before turning away and murmuring, "It's simple arithmetic, boys." Giving a laugh, she made her way home, leaving two very content people to stand and kiss in the rain.