phoenixfalling | (no subject)

(no subject)

All too often Kim got lost in his own thoughts. Since his own thoughts were almost always of music, he found himself lost in the random soundtrack of his own life at times. Headphones in as he walked downtown it started with just a nod of his head and graduated to the tapping of his hands on his jeans to the beat of the music. A short time later and the rest of his body followed suit and he was half-dancing, half-walking along the street.

If he had been aware of it Kim would have been mortified. In his everyday life he did his best to not draw attention to himself. If he could be invisible, that would be awesome. Unfortunately that wasn't the sort of thing he was capable of.

He didn't even notice what was going on until he was rounding a corner on the street and almost ran into someone also turning the corner. Kim quickly skipped and spun out of the way to avoid the collision, feeling his stomach sink when he realized what he was doing.

"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry," he said, pulling off his headphones and holding out a hand to steady the person he had almost run into. "I- I'm so sorry, I, uh, I wasn't looking where I was going."

[Be the person he almost bumped into or just witness him dance-walking down the street.]

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The kid takes the corner too quickly, knocking into her hand which- she swears- slow motion flies upward. Bracing for impact she let out a gasp as her iced coffee tipped and spilled all over her white shirt. Standing there dripping in coffee, Keira blinked as she flicked off coffee drops from her hand.

"No shit sherlock," Keira muttered, pushing the books she was carrying into his chest. "Fuck, I liked this shirt. This shirt made my boobs look awesome, also Kaitlin had yet to steal it. Winner all round."

"Oh no! Oh no! I'm so sorry!" Kim said, eyes going wide in horror as he clutched the books to his chest as he saw what he had done. He thought he had dodged in time but he had only managed to spill the coffee all over her, making a huge mess.

"I'll- I'll pay to have it dry cleaned, I promise! And we can go right now and- and I'll buy you a new one to wear today! I'm so sorry!"

He clutched at her books, looking like he was going to go into a minor meltdown over the damned coffee. Raising an eyebrow at him, she began to undo her buttons before pulling the thing off. Looking down at the ruin that was the shirt, she swore as she realised it'd soaked right through to her vest.

"Ahuh, too damn right you will. Come on... vaguely familiar person, you forgot to add and I'll buy you a replacement coffee too." Keira muttered, pulling at his sleeve to indicate he'd better start walking with her and fast. "Just be glad I'm not the kind of- "Keira muffled a letter that started a word as she adjusted her top. "-itch who takes things personally."

"What- what do you want first? Coffee or a shirt?" he asked, not sure if she was going to say 'bitch' or 'witch'. Either way he was pretty glad that she had been nice about it all. Or at least as nice as he could expect someone to be. The fact that she thought he was "vaguely familiar" was not good, but that was easy enough to pass off. All Asian's looked the same, didn't they?

"And I'm really, really sorry. I- I just got really distracted by the music."

"Shirt, definitely shirt. Because as much as I love standing around in a vest, it's getting nippy." Keira replied, meaning it in more ways than just the one. If she had to stand out here any longer then she was probably going to poke someone's eyes out. "Ahuh, I can tell. Was it anything at least good that you just had to streetdance to?"

"Do you want my shirt?" he said. Kim would definitely feel stupid walking around shirtless and his tattoos would attract attention but it was his fault this girl was without a shirt and in the cold. He might not be allowed to go into a store with her if that happened but he could just give her some money to buy a new shirt.

"And, uh, yeah it was good. I think it was good."

"Yes, because that would not draw anyone's attention at all. Keep your shirt, I can deal with it." Keira replied dryly, snagging his arm and tugging him towards the nearest shop that didn't sell tourist shirts. He'd ruined a nice shirt, he was not replacing it with a t-shirt that read 'I went to Siren Cove and all I got was this lousy t-shirt' or one of the weird rude mermaids being fucked in their 'coves' ones. "You going to tell me what it was or was it truly embarrassing?"

Kim was silently relieved that she didn't want his shirt. While he'd been perfectly willing to give it to her that didn't mean he'd exactly wanted to. Maybe he should buy her two shirts or something to show how grateful he was, or would that be too much?

"It was the Temptations. Um, Ain't Too Proud to Beg," he explained. "It's an older song. 1966."

Keira tugged the kid into the store, glancing at the nearest rack of clothes and putting it against her body before dismissing it. Looking up at his choice of song, she smiled in bemusement at him.

"The fact that you don't think I know who the Temptations are is adorable. I know the song, not exactly sure it would get me dancing in the street but whatever floats your boat." Keira said, pulling on a top in her favourite colour. It did not exactly go with the pencil, librarian look but it was a cute top and fuck it the kid owed her for her shirt. "What do you think?"

"Most people wouldn't know who the Temptations were," Kim pointed out, milling around awkwardly while she looked through some shirts. It wasn't that he was impatient, he didn't have anywhere to be or anything to do, but he'd only ever gone shopping with his great aunt before and he'd been equally unsure what to do then.

"Uh, yeah, that ones looks nice on you?"

"Wow, yeah because that sells me on this shirt. Does this shirt make you want to rip it off my body and do unspeakable things to me? While at the same time being appropriate enough for work?" Keira asked, not giving the poor awkward kid a break. He'd ruined her shirt, he was going to have to pay the cost... or some embarrassment as well. "And I'm not most people."

"It, uh, makes me want to buy it for you because I feel bad about ruining the one you had on?" Kim offered, face flushing when she mentioned the "unspeakable things". He had actually seen a few girls rip their shirts off at concerts and that level of fanaticism to someone you didn't really know kind of terrified him. Kim didn't want to be that guy.

“I’m not hitting on you, I’m pretty sure you’re younger than my kid brother. But I’m not going to fulfil the stereotype boring, hair in bun, glasses wearing librarian who shushes everyone either. So, appropriately sexy and yet wearable for work?” Keira asked, indicating the choice. Keira sighed, looking at a few other tops while he made his decision about the one she was currently wearing.

Kim didn't think she was that much older than him but he wasn't really going to start arguing with her. All he wanted was to buy her a shirt and coffee and pay for the dry cleaning so he could leave in shame. She really wasn't making this easy on him though.

"Uh, This one is definitely appropriately sexy but wearable for work," he said, handing it to her. He hadn't actually looked at it before grabbing it and in hindsight he should have because it was really ugly. It kind of looked like something you'd find on a deck of cards.

Keira looked at the outstretched hand holding the world's ugliest shirt she had ever possibly seen. Staring at it for a long, silent while, Keira pressed her lips together to try and contain the sniggers. Laughing loudly, she covered her mouth almost crying with tears because he had the worst taste.

"Oh god, no. That... just no." Keira said laughing loudly at the hideousness that was the shirt. "You... really? No. No! Oh my god."

"It, uh, it would definitely make me want to rip it off you?" he said, making a bit of a face. Not necessarily in the way that she had meant, but that was a minor quibble. But apparently she wasn't going to just accept that and get the first thing he suggested. So this might actually take a while.

"Because it's so offensive to the eyes. Not because this in any way shape or form incites desire in anyone. Oh god now I kind of want to take a picture wearing it and send it to Genevieve," Keira muttered with a warped little smile at that idea. Ignoring the offered hand, Keira found a sheer burgundy shirt that revealed probably more than concealed but it as fine as long as she wore a vest beneath.

Kim waited patiently while she continued to look, hoping that he had successfully demonstrated that asking his help in determining if a shirt was good or not wasn't a wise idea. The girl was pretty so he was pretty sure that any shirt she tried on would look good. Still, maybe he could hurry the process up...

"That one looks nice."

"Actually just hold it up, I'm going to take a picture of it and send it to my friend. She usually thinks I look hot, how little does shes know." Keira replied, taking a picture of it before sending it with a text to Genevieve. She doubts it would incite any stirrings of lust of desire. "Thank you, you're sweet for trying. I like it. A little too high collared but I can work with it. Come on... you're buying, remember."

"Right, yes, buying," he said with a nod as he headed toward the cash register. Then they could get to the dry cleaners and get her a new coffee and then it would be all better. Or at least as better as he could make it after his mistake.

"So, uh, is this all?"

"Yes, this is all. I don't need to rob blind some kid. Whose face... do you lurk in the upstairs part of the library? It's on the tip of my tongue," Keira said, making a gesture towards his whole face. She knew she'd seen it somewhere she just couldn't figure it out.

"I do go to the library?" He said. Not a lot, but he did go and the familiar feeling of illness at the panic at maybe being discovered. This girl didn't really seem likely to out him if she did figure it out but he didn't like having to worry about it.

"Huh, maybe that's it. Maybe you're the upstairs harlequin romance reader," Keira replied, looking at him suspiciously before ushering him towards paying for her new shirt. He didn't seem like a bad kid but he was very... odd, at least his taste was very odd.

"That's probably it," he said with a nod. That wasn't it AT ALL but it was better than her actually knowing where she knew him from. Plus, he did go to the library sometimes so that was possibly where she knew him.

"And please. I read my Harlequin in the corner of the first floor."

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