Arcade
Salty Lips & Late Night Dips06: Arcade
Luhan took his time teaching Tao how to close down the register and run the appropriate reports. Tao couldn't believe he'd been hoodooed into working at the Black Pearl Surf Shop for the summer. Luhan had a very odd yet effective way of getting what he wanted. It was annoying, yet at the same time, Tao had gained a certain level of respect for the his new boss. Even though they barely knew each other, Luhan was relying on him to do an honest job. It was the first time Tao had been trusted with something so important. Pride fizzled in his chest as he carefully recounted the cash, tucked it into the deposit envelope, and zipped it shut.
"Done," he said as he forked it over to Luhan.
"Simple, right?" asked Luhan with a chipper smile.
"Yeah."
"Good! I'm glad you think so. I tried teaching Sehun once but it didn't work out. One time, he came up seventy dollars short. How the frick does a person do that?"
"I heard that," droned a voice from the right. A boy was leaning over the far edge of the counter, his expression steely and lips tightly pursed. He looked like a delinquent in his ragged black t-shirt, leather bracelets, kohl rimmed eyes, and rainbow-colored hair.
"I don't hear you denying it either, kiddo." Luhan put the cash back into the register with a ding!
"It's not my fault your register is a clunker. It doesn't even have a scanner, so I had to key everything in manually. My finger must have slipped," the kid deduced while drumming his fingers against the counter top.
"More like your mind slipped," grumbled Luhan. "In any case, no more register for you. Now get back to stocking."
"Already did it."
"Then go scrub the bathroom."
"Ew."
"Consider it punishment for flushing my money down the proverbial toilet."
"Tch. Whatever." Mystery kid sighed, slid off the counter, and walked lazily towards the bathroom.
"And make sure you scrub the inside of the toilet!" called Luhan, surveying the kid with a strict eye.
Said individual entered the bathroom, turned as the door was shutting, quickly jutted an arm out the door, and flashed Luhan the finger.
Tao blinked. "Huh. So who was that?"
"That's Oh Sehun. He does nothing but cause me trouble. I don't know why I keep him around." Luhan shook his head with a peculiar smile, apparently amused by his ill-mannered employee.
Kris decided to make his entrance at that point. He'd changed into a pair of khaki cargo shorts and a fitted white t-shirt. Tao was beginning to think the guy didn't own a single pair of pants (or shoes for that matter).
"I think you've got a thing for the rebellious type," supplied Kris with a suggestive grin.
"Ha. No." Luhan smacked down Kris' attempt at riling him up, "You might want to save that comment for yourself."
"Good one!" laughed Kris, "You're getting better at being a smart ."
"I blame the undisciplined one."
"That sounds like a confession, Lulu."
"Nope," Luhan popped the 'P' as he collected the paperwork he and Tao had just completed.
"You two are so odd," Tao spoke without thinking, wishing he'd swallowed his words instead.
"Really?" asked Luhan, "How so?"
Tao was put on the spot as both Kris and Luhan eyed him expectantly. He picked at the edge of the counter as he tried to formulate an answer. "W-Well... It's just that when I'm around you guys... I get this... vibe."
The two surfers stood there blankly as they absorbed Tao's comment. Then Luhan cleared his throat and spoke to Kris while motioning a thumb back towards Tao. "Are you sure about this one? I don't think his brain is working quite right. Perhaps the sun got to him?"
"Either that or he ate too much sand," replied Kris, ignoring Tao's scowl.
"He eats sand too?" Luhan feigned surprise.
Tao narrowed his eyes into slits. "I wonder how long it would take to flush all your money down the toilet. Wanna make a bet on it?" Luhan's draw dropped before he erupted into laughter. Meanwhile, Tao stood there wondering what he'd said that was so damn funny.
Luhan caught his breath, reached up, wrapped an arm around Tao's neck, and pulled him down to his level. "I was right. This kid is gonna fit in with our group juuuuust fine. I like him. You should keep him."
"Maybe I will." Kris smirked.
"I quit," snapped Tao.
"Nice try," replied Luhan, "But I'm afraid you're stuck with us now."
"Oh goody," Tao rolled his eyes. Although, his lips did curl up at the corners.
-
Kris took a long swig of his beer and let out a pleased sigh. "Nothing like a nice cold beer after a hard day's work." Luhan, Kris, Tao, and Sehun were sitting at one of the picnic tables located at the front of the surf shop. The sun had started to set, taking some of the overwhelming heat of the day along with it.
"Tao, would you like a beer?" offered Luhan as he dug into the cooler to his right.
"I tried beer once but didn't like it," said Tao.
"I have a couple of cider ales in here. Why don't you give one a try? They don't really taste like beer."
"I guess I'll try one."
Luhan pulled out a light amber bottle and twisted open the top. "Drink up, new cashier."
Tao smiled halfheartedly and accepted the drink.
Sehun rolled his eyes and nudged Luhan. "Hey, hand me a beer."
"Who says you get any?" Luhan teased, taking a gigantic swig of his Corona. "You're too young to drink anyway."
"Your point?" droned Sehun with a frown.
"That I as an adult will not be responsible for the delinquency of a minor."
"Fine then. I'll just help myself." Sehun pushed Luhan out of the way, causing the elder to bump into the table and spit out his drink. Then he reached into the cooler, plucked out a Corona, and claimed it with his lips before Luhan could stop him.
Kris leaned in and rested his forearm onto Tao's shoulder. "They're so entertaining to watch, aren't they?"
"I'm not so sure that entertaining is the right word," replied Tao. He took a sip of his drink and eyed the bottle with surprise when he discovered that it actually tasted pretty good. So he could drink beer. It just had to be the right kind.
Kris squinted and motioned his bottle to a figure walking across the parking area. "Hey guys, isn't that Jongdae?"
"What?" Luhan glanced over his shoulder before turning back around and slamming the cooler shut. "! Quick! Hide the beer!" He stealthily moved the cooler under the table and kicked it towards Tao. Not a minute later, Jongdae arrived with a curling grin and hopeful eyes.
"Hey guys! What's up?" he asked as he slid in next to Tao, nudging the younger's shoulder playfully.
"Oh not much," Luhan replied nonchalantly as he took a casual sip of his beverage.
Jongdae nodded, pooching out his lips slightly. "Got any more beer?"
"Nope. Sorry. Fresh out." Luhan faced into the wind, focusing on something random in the distance.
Jongdae looked around the table, took note of Sehun's obvious smirk, and sniffed the air a few times. "Funny. My beer senses are tingling."
"I already told you, we don't have anymore be--"
Just then Jongdae's foot connected with something underneath the bench. He smiled cheekily. "Oh! Would you lookie here!" He pulled the cooler from its hiding place and dug out a cold one. "Holding out on me Lulu? You're so cruel."
Luhan scowled. "Goddammit. There goes the rest of our beer."
Tao couldn't take it any longer and burst into laughter. Everyone around the table stared at him like he had four heads. "What?" he chuckled.
"Nothing," replied Kris as he extended a hand and ruffled Tao's bangs. "Nothing at all." Tao swatted Kris' hand away.
Luhan smiled at the minor exchange. "So, as promised arcade games are on me tonight. But if you guys want drinks you'll have to buy your own."
"Fair enough," Kris agreed.
"Sounds good," added Sehun.
"Ditto," said Jongdae after downing half of his beer in one go.
"Nobody said you two were invited." Luhan glared at Sehun and Jongdae.
An argument suddenly erupted at the table. Tao and Kris sat back and sipped their drinks, watching the three idiots make even bigger fools of themselves. It wasn't until Tao had finished his drink that he realized Kris was still leaning against his shoulder.
His heart skipped a beat.
-
That night they arrived at the arcade with hands itching for a good game. Neon lights flashed and electronic beeps echoed from wall to wall as people dashed from one game to the next. Tao had been to a couple of arcades in the city but had always gone with a limited amount of money. Since Luhan was paying, there was no limit on the number of games he could get into.
Luhan came back from the coin machine and gave everyone a handful of them. "Have at it, but don't arcade me out of house and home, okay?"
Tao didn't have to be told twice. He quickly located his first game of choice--a racing game called Grand Strand that looked promising. He settled into one of the seats and stuck in the appropriate amount of coins. Suddenly, he was joined by someone and turned to see Kris sliding into the the accompanying seat.
"Prepare to crash and burn." Kris bit the tip of his tongue as he gripped the steering wheel, the embers of impending competition burning in his eyes.
"In your dreams, surfer boy. I may at surfing, but I can light your on fire in a game like this." Tao white-knuckled the steering wheel before selecting their course and pressing the gas pedal to start the game.
A dubstep reggae mix began to play as the countdown began. Then a female voice called out, "Three, two, one, GO!" Tao slammed his foot onto the accelerator, sending his car squealing into action as it tore down the track, flying up to top speed within a matter of seconds. He rounded the first curve easily, then the second, but as he approached the next curve, something tapped the back of his car and caused it to wobble and lose velocity.
Kris' car zipped past and Tao cursed. "YOU ! THAT'S NOT FAIR!"
"I never said I would play fair!" Kris snickered, car hugging the curves while Tao trailed closely behind.
"When I catch up to you, you're dead!" Tao bit his bottom lip, winding down the road at an unstable speed, somehow managing to creep up to Kris. He tried passing once, twice, but each time Kris would move over, blocking Tao from slipping through.
"MOVE OUT OF MY WAY OR I'M GOING TO SPLATTER YOUR BLOOD ACROSS THE ING ROAD."
"NOT A CHANCE, TAOZI!"
"YOU ASKED FOR IT!"
Kris didn't even know what hit him. One moment he had the finish line in his sights, then the next he was a burning heap of metal rolling down the road. Tao crossed the finish line and fist pumped the air.
"WHAT! WHAT!" he gloated in Kris' face, taking pleasure in the other's -hurt look. "FEAST YOUR EYES UPON MY GLORIOUS VICTORY!"
Kris was taken aback. Tao had never been this excited before. It was completely new territory and he wasn't sure if he should run straight into it or approach the other cautiously. In the end, Kris decided to take the more cautious route. "Well damn. You weren't joking when you said you'd light my on fire."
Tao stuck his nose into the air proudly. "Of course I wasn't. I take these games very seriously."
"I can tell!" Kris laughed as he climbed out of his seat. "Now what?" he asked before doing a double take. Tao was looking about the arcade, a childish glint shimmering in his eyes. Kris saw Tao's lips move but didn't hear a thing. He was far too enchanted by the new side of his normally moody friend to take in much of anything else.
Kris numbly followed Tao to the air hockey table and stuck in a few coins. Not two seconds after the table buzzed to life, Tao sunk the puck into Kris' slot and flashed a cocky grin. "I'm gonna toast your in every single game tonight as payback for making me your surfing model." Tao smirked as Kris placed the puck back onto the table and clumsily swished it back and forth.
"Well good luck with--" Kris squinted and pointed, "What in the hell is Jongdae doing?"
"Huh?" Tao turned around and was quickly rewarded with the distinct sound of deception. "I hope you didn't cheat just now," warned Tao as he turned back around, gaze burning like molten lava.
"And what if I did?" Kris smirked, nonchalantly drawing a finger across the hockey table.
Tao slammed the hockey puck onto the table. "I'm going to shove this hockey puck down your throat, surfer boy."
"I'd like to see you try, surfing model."
Kris and Tao approached their game of air hockey much like two savage soldiers on the battlefield. They growled, cursed, slammed their fists to the table, and played so ferociously that it didn't even look like they were playing a game anymore. Several people gathered around the table to gawk at them. Luhan looked back from shooting hoops with Sehun and laughed at this friends' stupidity. It was nice to see Kris acting like an idiot for once instead of always being the responsible one.
"Why do I always catch you staring at other people," droned Sehun as he sunk another hoop and gained several more points.
Luhan shrugged before picking up another basketball. "I find people interesting I guess."
"That's a really lame excuse," Sehun huffed.
"That's because I'm lame. This is what happens when you hang out with someone older than you," Luhan teased. He liked using the age card. It was total bull, of course, but he wanted to see what type of reaction he'd get.
"You're not old." Sehun grimaced when he missed the next shot.
"Really now? Then what am I?" Luhan turned towards the younger with an amused grin.
"Ancient."
"You little er! Come here!" Luhan made a grab for Sehun but missed when the other shoved a basketball into his chest.
"Nice try, boss. But you'll have to do better than that." Luhan nearly choked on his own saliva when Sehun flashed an eye-crinkling grin--a rare sight indeed. Luhan should've been annoyed, but Sehun never smiled for anyone else. Somehow, that extinguished his anger before it even had a chance to blossom.
-
Sadly, their group didn't stay at the arcade for very long. Between Tao and Kris' horrifying game of air hockey, Luhan and Sehun's rough housing, and Jongdae hitting up the pretty girl behind the counter (which was really more like borderline ual harassment)--they were all shooed out by the manager and scolded for setting a bad example for the young ones.
"Well this ," huffed Jongdae as he kicked a seashell across the sand. "This is the third time this month that we've been kicked out of there. I'm surprised we're not completely banned from the place by now."
"Of course not. We're paying customers and play a lot of games," replied Luhan. The only plus side to this situation was that he still had a good bit of cash left in his wallet.
"Wait," interrupted Tao, "Are you telling me you guys get kicked out of there regularly?"
"Um..." Kris laughed while rubbing the back of his neck, "Yes."
Tao pinched the bridge of his nose. "Why am I friends with you people," he grumbled.
"Well I have no intention of going home," stated Sehun as he played with his bracelets. "Let's find something else to do."
"We could go to Lay's house," offered Jongdae.
"How about no," replied Luhan.
"What? Why not!"
"Lay's mom is in town. Which means she's staying at his house for the week. Which means hell no."
"What's wrong with Lay's mom?" asked Tao.
Kris cleared his throat. "Uh..." he paused, "How do I put this nicely? She... thinks we're a bad influence on her son."
Tao stood there blankly before exploding into laughter. "Gee! I wonder why! Getting drunk at tiki bars and getting kicked out of arcades. Is there anything else I need to know?"
Luhan seemed to take the question seriously as they walked along the beach, the cool night air ruffling their hair and clothes. "Sehun is on probation for setting a mannequin at the mall on fire. I quit law school to run my own surf shop instead. All Kris does is surf and talk . Minseok is... well... Minseok. And you haven't even met our other friends yet."
Tao blinked. "All I got out of that was 'setting a mannequin at the mall on fire'."
"One of my best accomplishments," Sehun stated proudly.
Tao contemplated turning around, going back to the surf shop for his bike, and going home. The more he got to know these people the more he began to question his common sense.
"I know! Let's go to Kris' place!" suggested Jongdae.
"No," said Kris. But it did little good. Luhan, Sehun, and Jongdae had already started back towards the surf shop. Kris sighed, "I guess my house it is then."
Tao suddenly felt nervous. He hadn't even thought about the possibility of seeing Kris' place. The guy was a hard shell to crack. He still hadn't been able to figure him out. This would be the perfect opportunity to learn something about him.
Kris threw an arm around Tao's shoulders, making the other tense up. "Oh, and Jongdae!" called Kris.
Jongdae didn't even bother turning around. He looked like he was busy texting someone. "Yeah?"
'Don't you dare tell Minseok where we're going," Kris threatened.
Jongdae stuffed his phone into his pocket and shrugged his shoulders. "Whoops! Too late!" Kris gritted his teeth. That bastard didn't sound apologetic at all.
"Why can't Minseok come?" asked Tao. As far as he could tell, there wasn't a single thing wrong with the guy. In fact, he seemed to be well mannered and pretty laid back when compared to the rest of their group. Tao liked him.
"Give it an hour and you'll see why," replied Kris as he took out his frustrations on a few unsuspecting seashells.
8/26/15 - SL&LND is now complete. Extra side stories will be added soon. [RuinedReverie]
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