Work Text:
"Hey, Kiyo! How was it?" Rantaro beamed at his friend, sinking into the seat opposite him. He had just finished ordering something at the counter for himself and Kiyo.
Sounds of the coffee shop blurred into the background, the very definition of background noise.
The friend in question calmly looked up at him after having admired the surface of the table. He asked, "How was what, exactly, Rantaro?" Not one of his words was muffled by the mask he wore.
"Our classes today, of course," he huffed. "So...?"
"They were...fascinating." Kiyo tightened his long ponytail with a sigh. "Though I wouldn't want to speak of it now. You see, I really want a drin—"
"Avocado?" Someone at the counter called out.
"Oh right, that's us!" Rantaro interrupted what Kiyo was going to say, and got up from the seat for the second time that day. He seriously hoped Kiyo wouldn't mind the silly nickname "Avocado" he'd used for ordering the food.
After getting the stuff they ordered without much fuss and sitting back down again, he didn't begin to drink yet.
Personally, he really wanted to see something.
"Hehehe...you've really been staring at my mouth for quite the while," Kiyo raised a brow, and Rantaro could tell he was teasing.
Like, how could he NOT stare at Kiyo? The boy was casually putting the straw under his mask in order to sip the drink!
"Um, sorry. W-Why do you even wear that mask?"
It looked related to medicine. Or something like that.
Kiyo pulled the straw out from under his mask, and Rantaro could tell that his smile faded away.
"You see," he paused, then looked around. "I am...sick. With a very deadly disease I caught from my sister. So I wore this mask so as not to spread it."
"I....If you don't mind me asking, what even is it, this...um...illness?" Rantaro looked at him in concern.
With a completely straight face, Kiyo simply stated, "Ligma."
What a strange name for an illness.
"Geez...I hope it gets better for you!" Rantaro thought that term had sounded very familiar....like something one of his sisters had recently said. "What is it though?"
"What ever do you mean, Rantaro?" Kiyo's eyes started twinkling for some unknown reason.
"What's...ligma?" as he said this, his face scrunched up in confusion.
"Eheh...kuhuhuhu...." Kiyo's shoulders shook with laughter at his friend's confusion. He then contained himself enough to look up at him, about to say something.
🎶All~~🎶
🎶For nothing at all—🎶
That completely random(and loud...) phone audio was paused right at that line. Both Rantaro and Kiyo whipped their heads around with wide eyes at the source of the sound, which was....
A girl sitting alone at a table, twin tails down her back. She had her phone to her ear, then she looked at the screen with scrutiny after presumably nobody answered.
Of course, she could feel the two friends' eyes on her.
"Sorry." The girl turned around swiftly with a mildly pinched look on her face. Rantaro was taken aback by her red eyes. "Accidentally set my ring tone to the highest volume."
"I must congratulate you on your excellent taste in music!" Kiyo said immediately, making the girl's eyebrow raise a little.
She then gave a light nod and turned back to...whatever was on her table.
"What the frick," was all Rantaro could say while Kiyo was quietly snickering behind him.