Peaches 'N Cream

2. Night

"If you don't leave me alone..."

He didn't trust himself to say anything else, so when he stopped grinning so hard, he crossed his arms. Waiting until the other boy stopped guffawing at him so he could tell his piece and leave him alone, at least he couldn't see the blush on his face. Probably.

"Sorry 'bout that," wiping the moisture from his eye and then chuckling again quietly, "seein' you smile makes it all worth it, though. These are for you, by the way. I know they're your favorite." He pulled the peach rings out of the brown bag and held his hand out for him to take.

"Oh, thank you."

Jericho grabbed them and opened it up to pop a few in his mouth. Technically he wasn't supposed to be eating on the clock, but there were no other customers around, so he made an exception.

"Ma doesn't even remember things like this half the time."

He mumbled to himself with a mouth full of sugary candy, but Joseph still somehow heard him. The blond flashed his perfectly straight teeth again and winked.

"Anythin' involvin' you is important to me."

Jericho would ignore that entire statement because it could've meant many things he would rather not think about. A few silent minutes went by, and another problem he discovered was that he wasn't leaving.

As a matter of fact, he looked like he was making himself mighty comfortable. Resting a hip against the counter casually, watching the cars go by outside of the windows, and guzzling down his trail mix. The brown-haired boy cleared his throat and leaned over the fake granite countertop.

"It's late. Don't you have to get going? I know you probably have to work tomorrow."

Joseph turned his head and studied him, eyes beginning at his hair and moving downwards slowly. He sealed the package he was eating out of, dusted his fingers off on his jeans, and turned around to face him again.

"No sir, I do not actually, pops gave me the day off tomorrow... mm, you look different," The taller boy leaning forward as well to get a better look at his face, and Jericho backing the hell up because there would be nowhere else to look but his eyes. Lord knows he was getting lost in that neck of the woods already. "good different, though."

It was probably the hair. He unconsciously tried to smooth out his curls, failing miserably when they sprang back up. Truth be told, he wanted to cut it all off, but his mom wouldn't let him.

She'd always say something along the lines of, "You got all that beautiful hair from me. As long as you live under my roof, you won't lay a finger on it." Something about him looking like, in her words, his clown of a father if he ever did.

"My hair, maybe? It got wet on the way here. I undid the twists, but when I tried to pull it back, the elastic broke and landed in the shadow realm. That's just how it goes."

The blond arched a golden eyebrow and smirked. He reached out his clean hand but stopped himself almost immediately.

He cleared his throat, "You haven't worn it out in a minute. You mind if I...?"

Joseph gestured to his hair; the brown-haired boy laughed under his breath and shrugged in an 'I guess' sort of way.

"C'mere then, you know better than anyone I don't bite."

He made the demand sound sweet as pie, but the shorter boy was still dragging his feet.

"How am I supposed to reach you if you're all the way over there? My arms ain't that long, doll."