Drabble Two: Dice
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DRABBLE TWO: Dice
A/N: O, si Dice naman.
Thanks boredom!
"It wasn't the rise and fall,
It was the way you'd looked through it all.
Smile for me,
As you always have.
And anything will seem like a dream."
He stretched out over the wooden table.
Pushed fingers into his spiky golden hair and meshed.
After a moment, he pressed his lips into the fabric of his jacket and yawned...
Another three seconds passed.
Scraping utensils clinked against glass, muffled talking ensued, and the waitress chirped out another order.
"Welcome to the jung-gaaaal-... We've got fun and games!-"
"-Okay, Axl Rose, you're taking a walk." The silver-haired boy in front of him curtly interrupted before lifting his ash-green eyes from the notepad he'd been scribbling on.
Ah.
He would have wanted to continue singing at least the whole verse.
"... What?" Dice's voice came out muffled against his sleeve.
"No." He continued, lifting his face.
He gave Endo a serious, unflinching gaze.
"Not before I see him." Dice finished with certainty.
The early morning sun bounced off the flecks of gold in Dice's eyes, and for a split second Endo caught
the rumored light of the world reflected deep in them.
The blonde smiled generously, thick eyelashes spreading out dark and beautiful against his cheeks...
And, that did it.
Something in Endo's chest melted.
"Fine." The older brother laced his fingers together and tucked his hands under his nose.
"Do what you want." He mumbled.
"When is he-"
"In five minutes." Endo closed his eyes briefly and Dice knew he'd set it once the minty, flat eyes looked back at him.
"Thanks." The blonde grinned.
He snatched his fork up and raked a dribbling lump of scrambled eggs from Endo's plate into his mouth.
....
5 minutes later.
The bell over the diner's entrance gave a tinkle as the man in a faded suit hurriedly walked in.
Dice watched him approach the U-shaped counter, awkwardly pulling at his pants before straddling a bar stool and plopping down on it.
Endo calmly chewed some sausage and eyed his brother.
The blonde didn't notice.
He never did once he was focused on his job.
Dice got up.
Endo smiled inwardly and continued to scribble idly on his pad.
....
"Good day, good day, It's gonna be a good one... Yep. Oh lordee..."
The man was sing-song mumbling.
"A cup of coffee please, oh... and the regular ham omelette special."
He looked down, flicked frustratedly at the peeling leather of his tattered suitcase and then adjusted his glasses with damp hands.
The bar-stool creaked as he shifted his weight and sighed.
Suddenly, a hand slapped over the counter, announcing a presence.
The man jerked and looked up distractedly with large eyes.
The sight of fresh, spring-grass green greeted his vision before he focused his gaze on the face wearing the color.
An attractive blonde boy looked back at him with a smile.
"Ohai." He greeted, eyes crinkling boyishly.
The man blinked back.
"Hello...?" He echoed back, uncertainly.
And then he dropped his car keys.
"Dang."
Dice had slid off the chair and scooped the keys up before the man could even shift a foot to the floor.
The blonde got back on the chair and pushed the keys across the counter to him.
"Do I... know you? Thanks, by the way."
"Neah, you don't know my name." Dice answered with a faint laugh, resting a hand under his chin.
"... But," The blonde's golden eyes flickered up to the man's face, "-we've grown familiar in more ways than some."
The man suddenly looked like he wanted to bolt.
"Listen, kid... Whatever this is, uhm. Whatever you're trying to pull..." He stuttered.
"Mr. Hoff..."
"... How do you know my last name?!" The man's panicked voice rose in question.
Dice looked out at the street.
He spread his two hands out on the table and slowly nodded outside.
"... That's your truck, right?"
The man turned around and focused hard.
After a few moments he gave a laugh and rubbed at his thinning hairline.
"Yeah. Oh! Ohhhh, the license plate. Of course. Customized."
He rubbed some more in frustration before cringing.
"'Mistah Hoff', kinda cool right? ... Sorry. You freaked me out a little bit, is all."
Dice smiled.
And then he put a hand into his pocket and pulled out a small die-cast Ferrari.
The man hesitantly watched him set it down on the table.
...
"Kid... " The man sighed after a moment and slumped. "I'm sorry, I got no money."
The blonde lifted his eyebrows, "Hmm?"
"Are you selling that little car? To me? ... I mean," Mr. Hoff plucked a handkerchief from his front pocket and dabbed at his sweat-beaded upper lip.
"I love Ferrari collectibles... But I just...-"
Dice suddenly laughed, leaning forward and openly giving the man an amused look.
"Hell, no!" His eyes sparked candidly.
"I love this thing. It's mine. What are you thinking, man?"
"I don't know... Well, you just suddenly..."
"What. Pulled a gun out of my pants and demanded money?"
That sunny disposition coupled with the boy's charming grin...
Something in the man broke.
Perhaps his restraint.
And he laughed a little.
It felt good to laugh.
His chest lightened significantly and he began to notice the small things, like the baby yellows framing the bar-stools, the crackling 70's music and the radiance of morning glow bathing this boy in front of him with soft light.
Well, it really was a sight.
"Sorry." The man laughed some more as he apologized.
And then, his forehead wrinkled and he studied the boy curiously.
Dice softened, and his eyes lowered to the gleaming Ferrari under his finger.
"You looked like you needed a friendly conversation..." He trailed off significantly.
Dice slid his finger back, winding up the Ferrari's mechanism.
And then he let the car go.
It rolled forward, before snagging on the napkin in front of the man.
Mr. Hoff watched the warm, honey-brown eyes flicker up to his face.
Trying to understand how it drew him in so sincerely.
How its golden-flecked depths seemed to hold a heavy sort of wisdom.
Such a comprehending gaze that seemed to know far more than it let on.
How the patience in them seemed to make his problems disappear.
"Who are you?" Mr. Hoff asked, ignoring any earlier statements.
Dice's mouth tugged at one corner.
As if he knew he'd been discovered.
And the man felt an invisible hand carefully move over his back, resting there in reassurance.
"One day..." The boy in front of him started...
"You will drive your own Ferrari." He murmured knowingly.
On any other day, with any other random stranger...
Mr. Hoff would have hit the table with a fist, laughing at how ridiculous a thought it was.
But something in that moment with this nameless boy struck Mr. Hoff so deliberately and certainly.
That he began to believe it.
And soon, the child in him started to hope again.
Because he had always wanted to drive a Ferrari.
---
<3 Anj
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....
...
..
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DRABBLE TWO: Dice
A/N: O, si Dice naman.
Thanks boredom!
"It wasn't the rise and fall,
It was the way you'd looked through it all.
Smile for me,
As you always have.
And anything will seem like a dream."
He stretched out over the wooden table.
Pushed fingers into his spiky golden hair and meshed.
After a moment, he pressed his lips into the fabric of his jacket and yawned...
Another three seconds passed.
Scraping utensils clinked against glass, muffled talking ensued, and the waitress chirped out another order.
"Welcome to the jung-gaaaal-... We've got fun and games!-"
"-Okay, Axl Rose, you're taking a walk." The silver-haired boy in front of him curtly interrupted before lifting his ash-green eyes from the notepad he'd been scribbling on.
Ah.
He would have wanted to continue singing at least the whole verse.
"... What?" Dice's voice came out muffled against his sleeve.
"No." He continued, lifting his face.
He gave Endo a serious, unflinching gaze.
"Not before I see him." Dice finished with certainty.
The early morning sun bounced off the flecks of gold in Dice's eyes, and for a split second Endo caught
the rumored light of the world reflected deep in them.
The blonde smiled generously, thick eyelashes spreading out dark and beautiful against his cheeks...
And, that did it.
Something in Endo's chest melted.
"Fine." The older brother laced his fingers together and tucked his hands under his nose.
"Do what you want." He mumbled.
"When is he-"
"In five minutes." Endo closed his eyes briefly and Dice knew he'd set it once the minty, flat eyes looked back at him.
"Thanks." The blonde grinned.
He snatched his fork up and raked a dribbling lump of scrambled eggs from Endo's plate into his mouth.
....
5 minutes later.
The bell over the diner's entrance gave a tinkle as the man in a faded suit hurriedly walked in.
Dice watched him approach the U-shaped counter, awkwardly pulling at his pants before straddling a bar stool and plopping down on it.
Endo calmly chewed some sausage and eyed his brother.
The blonde didn't notice.
He never did once he was focused on his job.
Dice got up.
Endo smiled inwardly and continued to scribble idly on his pad.
....
"Good day, good day, It's gonna be a good one... Yep. Oh lordee..."
The man was sing-song mumbling.
"A cup of coffee please, oh... and the regular ham omelette special."
He looked down, flicked frustratedly at the peeling leather of his tattered suitcase and then adjusted his glasses with damp hands.
The bar-stool creaked as he shifted his weight and sighed.
Suddenly, a hand slapped over the counter, announcing a presence.
The man jerked and looked up distractedly with large eyes.
The sight of fresh, spring-grass green greeted his vision before he focused his gaze on the face wearing the color.
An attractive blonde boy looked back at him with a smile.
"Ohai." He greeted, eyes crinkling boyishly.
The man blinked back.
"Hello...?" He echoed back, uncertainly.
And then he dropped his car keys.
"Dang."
Dice had slid off the chair and scooped the keys up before the man could even shift a foot to the floor.
The blonde got back on the chair and pushed the keys across the counter to him.
"Do I... know you? Thanks, by the way."
"Neah, you don't know my name." Dice answered with a faint laugh, resting a hand under his chin.
"... But," The blonde's golden eyes flickered up to the man's face, "-we've grown familiar in more ways than some."
The man suddenly looked like he wanted to bolt.
"Listen, kid... Whatever this is, uhm. Whatever you're trying to pull..." He stuttered.
"Mr. Hoff..."
"... How do you know my last name?!" The man's panicked voice rose in question.
Dice looked out at the street.
He spread his two hands out on the table and slowly nodded outside.
"... That's your truck, right?"
The man turned around and focused hard.
After a few moments he gave a laugh and rubbed at his thinning hairline.
"Yeah. Oh! Ohhhh, the license plate. Of course. Customized."
He rubbed some more in frustration before cringing.
"'Mistah Hoff', kinda cool right? ... Sorry. You freaked me out a little bit, is all."
Dice smiled.
And then he put a hand into his pocket and pulled out a small die-cast Ferrari.
The man hesitantly watched him set it down on the table.
...
"Kid... " The man sighed after a moment and slumped. "I'm sorry, I got no money."
The blonde lifted his eyebrows, "Hmm?"
"Are you selling that little car? To me? ... I mean," Mr. Hoff plucked a handkerchief from his front pocket and dabbed at his sweat-beaded upper lip.
"I love Ferrari collectibles... But I just...-"
Dice suddenly laughed, leaning forward and openly giving the man an amused look.
"Hell, no!" His eyes sparked candidly.
"I love this thing. It's mine. What are you thinking, man?"
"I don't know... Well, you just suddenly..."
"What. Pulled a gun out of my pants and demanded money?"
That sunny disposition coupled with the boy's charming grin...
Something in the man broke.
Perhaps his restraint.
And he laughed a little.
It felt good to laugh.
His chest lightened significantly and he began to notice the small things, like the baby yellows framing the bar-stools, the crackling 70's music and the radiance of morning glow bathing this boy in front of him with soft light.
Well, it really was a sight.
"Sorry." The man laughed some more as he apologized.
And then, his forehead wrinkled and he studied the boy curiously.
Dice softened, and his eyes lowered to the gleaming Ferrari under his finger.
"You looked like you needed a friendly conversation..." He trailed off significantly.
Dice slid his finger back, winding up the Ferrari's mechanism.
And then he let the car go.
It rolled forward, before snagging on the napkin in front of the man.
Mr. Hoff watched the warm, honey-brown eyes flicker up to his face.
Trying to understand how it drew him in so sincerely.
How its golden-flecked depths seemed to hold a heavy sort of wisdom.
Such a comprehending gaze that seemed to know far more than it let on.
How the patience in them seemed to make his problems disappear.
"Who are you?" Mr. Hoff asked, ignoring any earlier statements.
Dice's mouth tugged at one corner.
As if he knew he'd been discovered.
And the man felt an invisible hand carefully move over his back, resting there in reassurance.
"One day..." The boy in front of him started...
"You will drive your own Ferrari." He murmured knowingly.
On any other day, with any other random stranger...
Mr. Hoff would have hit the table with a fist, laughing at how ridiculous a thought it was.
But something in that moment with this nameless boy struck Mr. Hoff so deliberately and certainly.
That he began to believe it.
And soon, the child in him started to hope again.
Because he had always wanted to drive a Ferrari.
---
<3 Anj