Chapter Text
The blast of air conditioning from the convenience store created a sharp, invisible barrier against the relentless heatwave outside. The cicadas were screaming loud enough to induce a headache, and the asphalt road looked soft, baking under the midday sun.
Sebastian pushed the glass door open, clutching two ice-cold Cokes fresh from the freezer.
"Here."
He tossed one casually over his shoulder to Kimi.
Kimi caught it with practiced ease. With a simple flick of those large Finnish hands—snap—the tab was cracked open. The hiss of escaping carbonation sounded impossibly refreshing in the stifling heat.
Without thinking, Kimi extended the now-open can directly toward Sebastian.
Sebastian froze. He hadn't even had a chance to open his own yet. He looked at Kimi’s outstretched hand, then up at the impassive face hidden behind sunglasses.
His brain rapidly (and incorrectly) processed the signal. Oh, a toast? Seriously? He needs a ritual just to drink a convenience store Coke?
Sebastian grinned, showing a flash of white teeth. He raised his own unopened can and, with absolute confidence, clinked it against Kimi's.
Clack.
The sound of metal on metal rang out.
"Cheers!" Sebastian chirped, his tone bright.
The sudden impact caused the dark liquid in Kimi's can to slosh, splashing a few sticky drops onto his knuckles.
Oblivious, Sebastian kept his "cheers" pose and teased, "Wow, you opened that fast. Showing off, are we?"
The air solidified for three long seconds.
Kimi didn’t pull his hand back. He didn’t drink. He just stared at Sebastian through his dark lenses with the look one might give an alien—or perhaps a rabbit that had suddenly short-circuited.
If it were anyone else, Kimi would have walked away. But this was Seb.
"Not a toast," Kimi finally said, his voice carrying that familiar, flat cadence.
He pushed the open can closer, until the cold aluminum almost brushed the tip of Sebastian’s nose.
"I was offering you this one."
Kimi paused, his gaze dropping to the unopened can in Sebastian’s hand, before delivering the final blow:
"By the time you get yours open, summer will be over."
Sebastian’s grin froze. His teasing comment about "showing off" came back to hit him like a boomerang. It wasn't a flex. It was... an act of service? A feeding?
His face went nuclear red. Flustered, he ducked his head and took a quick sip from the can still in Kimi’s hand. The ice-cold liquid slid down his throat, sharp with carbonation and sickeningly sweet.
Sebastian licked his lips, his voice small. "Thanks."
Kimi watched Sebastian’s embarrassment, the corner of his mouth twitching upward just barely. He pulled his hand back, took a long swig, and then effortlessly swiped the unopened can from Sebastian’s grip.
Snap.
Another crisp sound.
Kimi cracked that one open too and shoved it back into the hands of a still-dazed Sebastian.
"Now," Kimi said, holding his own half-empty can. He tapped it gently against Sebastian’s full one.
Clink.
"That," Kimi smirked, "is me showing off."