Selection

Date/Timing: 21 April 2007
Setting: a small; Berlin area, Germany
.
Hermann keeps one eye on the store's other customers and one on the selection of shirts hanging in front of him.
Bastien wanders over, dragging his fingers along the fabric. «What're you looking at?»
«Tee-shirts.»
«Why? You don't wear them.»
«I'm considering one as a birthday gift.»
Bastien brightens, bounces on his toes. «Right! When's his day again?»
«The first of next month.» Hermann points to a section of the rack. «What colour are these?»
«Bright blue.» Bastien wrinkles his nose. «They'll look bad on someone with red hair.»
«Ah, thank you.» Hermann moves farther around the display.
«How old will he be?»
«Twenty-one. What about these?»
«Twenty-one? Wow. Those're pink and'll look totally /awful on him.»
«What's 'wow' about twenty-one?»
«He's kinda, uh, old?»
«That's not 'old' by anyone's estimation. These?»
«Green. Ish. It /might work.» Bastien crosses his arms. «He's almost twice my age.»
«Karla and Dee are older still.» Hermann grins. «This one?»
«Navy blue. /Totally safe.» Huffs, «But you're not dating /them. He's /old compared to you.»
Hermann searches among the blue tees for a small. «Bastien, there's only three years difference between us.»
«Even so, maybe Dee was right,» drawls Karla, strolling up swinging a small bag, «and you /do have a thing for older men.»
Hermann pulls out the shirt, cocks his head to examine it. «He's closer to my age than either of you are, and, Karla, before you say /anything about him being even closer to /your age, he's exclusively gay and not at all your type.»
«Too skinny!» chirps Bastien. «Not to mention freckled and Scottish.»
Karla laughs, «What /is your problem with freckles?»
Bastien shrugs. «They look weird.»
Hermann carefully refiles the small, picks out and holds up a medium. «Tell her the rest.»
«Sometimes I think they move and it creeps me out,» mumbles Bastien.
Karla blinks, smile toying with her mouth. «Really?»
Bastien blushes furiously.
«Well, I can see why that's a problem,» says Karla, mostly keeping the giggle out of her voice and ruffling—
«Stop that!»
—Bastien's hair, «but what's wrong with being Scottish?»
«Nothing really. They just talk funny.»
«Yea ... I have to agree with the Bunny on this one. Scottish accents /are funny.»
Hermann scoffs.
«How Scottish does he sound?» Karla looks to Bastien.
Bastien looks to Hermann.
Hermann drapes the shirt over its fellows, examines the seams.
«Well?»
«Very,» he murmurs, picking off a bit of lint.
«Very what?»
«Very Scottish.»
«Like Shrek?»
Hermann controls a cringe, sniffs, «Not that ridiculous.»
«'/That ridiculous'?»
«His accent isn't nearly so—» Vague gesture. «—/exaggerated, but the students from London still made fun of him for it.»
«Like the Berlin kids teased us after we moved?»
«Rather like that, yes.»
«I guess—» Bastien rubs the back of his neck. «—I guess kids're awful about differences everywhere, huh?»
«But, Bunny, you just said he was old.»
Bastien furrows his brow. «Oh, uh, I guess /people are just awful then.»
«You're too young to be so cynical,» chides Hermann.
«My teachers say I'm precocious.»
Hermann snorts a laugh and Karla hides one behind her hand.
«What's so funny?»
«You are, kid. You're both precocious /and precious.»
Bastien preens.
Hermann rolls his eyes.
«You find what you're looking for, Manny?» prompts Karla.
Hermann inclines his head toward his find. «I believe I have.»
«Let's see it then.»
Hermann offers the screen-printed front to her view.
«'Never forget', huh? I take it he's on the opposite side of the Great Pluto Debate from you.»
Hermann nods to Karla.
«I don't get why it's such a big deal,» grumbles Bastien.
«Some people don't like change,» says Karla.
«True enough, but it's not actually a big deal between us,» amends Hermann, setting out for the cashier. «It's more like we mock each other for having different favourite football teams.»
«You space people are so /weird.»
«C'mon, Bunny, there's a shop with anime stuff—»
Bastien squees.
«—two doors down we can check out once Astro Boy—»
Hermann rolls his eyes.
«—pays. I owe you an extra-large birthday present.»
«You /do, don't you?»
«Her visit is more than enough, Bastien.»
«No, it's not,» Karla declares.
«She's right!» cheers Bastien.
Hermann sighs, places the shirt on the counter, and fishes in his pocket for his wallet.
Category:Ficlet
Category:Hermann
Category:Hermann's POV
Category:Hermann (ficlet)
Category:Bastien
Category:Bastien (ficlet)
Category:Karla
Category:Karla (ficlet)
Category:Edan (mention)
Category:Dietrich (mention)
Category:Ficlets with images
Category:Shrek (reference)
Category:Astro Boy (reference)
2007 04 21
Category:Celestial Mechanics