"You have to help me," the guy said, and that was all the warning Bruce got before he was enveloped in a hug that could, quite possibly, suffocate him.

"Oh my god, what," he said.

"I've been looking all over for you," the guy said. He pouted, and Bruce could feel himself going weak in the knees. This guy was totally his type: Asian, layered brown hair, big doe eyes, dimples, skinny wrists, and all. "I thought you said we were meeting in front of the restaurant."

Bruce really wanted to play along, but it was generally a good idea not to humor random strangers on the boardwalk, so he asked, "What the hell is going on?"

The guy kept smiling, but he lowered his voice as he said, "Can you pretend to be my boyfriend for, like, five minutes? My crazy ex is following me, and I don't know what he'll do if he catches me alone."

"You think I want to be caught alone with him then?" Bruce stared at the guy. It wasn't just the fact that he was cute; there was something familiar about him, a sense of déjà vu that itched at the back of Bruce's mind.

"Just walk with me to Lucky Star, okay? Please? I swear, I'll make it up to you if you do this for me."

Does that mean I'll get a kiss when this is over? Bruce thought. He cleared his throat, blushing (stop being such a whore) and said, "Okay, I guess. Where's your ex?"

"Uh, coming right towards us."

Bruce looked around and saw someone, clearly the ex, stomping along the boardwalk towards them. "Oh, shit," Bruce said, because the ex was easily six feet tall and big, big like a football player, and Bruce was only five feet ten, what the hell was he doing for this guy, this--it clicked. "Zach," he said.

The guy, Zach, only had a moment to glance at him and say, "Huh? How did you--" before the ex descended on them like a fucking stampede of elephants.

"Zach, who the hell is this guy?"

Somehow, Bruce didn't think "Hi, I'm Bruce and I'm just pretending to be Zach's boyfriend so you'll leave him alone" would go over well. "Uh, hi," he said instead.

Zach said, "This is my boyfriend, and we would both appreciate it if you left us alone, okay? I'm going to go to Lucky Star now, and you'd better not follow us, or my brother will see you and beat the crap out of you." He started walking away, very quickly, still hanging onto Bruce's arm. Bruce prayed very, very hard that one, Zach's brother really was at Lucky Star, and that two, he was at least six feet three.

"You know you'll just come back running to me!" the ex bellowed after them. At least he wasn't following. "He's not good enough for you!"

"Oh yeah, and you totally are, you lumbering brute," Zach muttered under his breath. He didn't slacken his pace until they were near Lucky Star, Sonreirse Beach's signature restaurant. Instead of going through the front door, he went around back and pushed open a door flanked by two huge trash bins, pulling Bruce into Lucky Star's kitchen. "Kazu onii-chan~" he sang, "I'm here!"

"Oh, shit," Bruce said, for the second time that day. "You are Zach Shirakawa."

Zach blinked and looked at Bruce. "Do I know you?"

Bruce stared at Zach, trying to formulate a proper explanation. He knew Zach, and Zach knew him--at least, he used to. They'd gone to the same elementary school, and despite having a highly embarrassing crush on Zach, Bruce had shoved him into a trashcan for a dare in the third grade. What could he say? He was nine. Dares were second only to the holy covenant. Zach hadn't talked to him until the end of eighth grade, though, and then all he'd said was, "See you, asshole."

"Um," Bruce said. He'd never gotten over Zach, not really, and he'd always wanted the chance to make things up. "I'm Bruce Quach. You know, from third grade?"

Zach looked confused (so cute, Bruce groaned inwardly). Then he smiled slowly. "Oh. You're the asshole who pushed me into the trashcan, aren't you?"

Bruce groaned, this time out loud. "You still remember?"

"I smelled like rotten tuna for a week."

"Zach, don't tell me you've gotten a new boyfriend already. What happened to Fletcher? And your history teacher?" Kazu Shirakawa, Lucky Star's owner, wound his way between counters and cooks and stood in front of Zach and Bruce, arms crossed.

"I broke up with Fletcher, and you can stop teasing me about Mr. Vu now, okay? I was a freshman. And anyway, he's taken." Zach sighed. "I'm never going to be able to compete with his boyfriend." He pointed to Bruce. "This is Bruce Quach. He pushed me into a trashcan in the third grade, but he kind of redeemed himself by pretending to be my boyfriend five minutes ago and saving me from Fletcher. Can he get a free meal?"

Kazu raised an eyebrow.

"A free meal?" Bruce echoed.

"Yeah. I promised to pay you back for helping, didn't I?" Zach said. "What were you expecting? A kiss?"

"Uh, well…"

"Because you are really not my type. Sorry."

Bruce's face fell. "You didn't have to be so blunt."

"Sorry," Zach chirped, smiling and patting Bruce's cheek. "No hard feelings, right? I mean, I am totally over you pushing me into a trashcan and everything."

"Liar," Kazu said.

"Shut up, onii-chan."

"Do you still want a free meal?" Kazu asked Bruce. "Even if my brother is a little heartbreaker who holds grudges like nobody's business?"

Bruce felt like a kicked puppy might feel, but he did want a free meal. Nobody turned down a free meal, especially if it was one from Lucky Star. "Yeah, sure," he said. "If you don't mind."

"Great!" Zach said. "Just pick anything from the menu, and I'll cook it for you."

"You'll cook it?" Bruce asked.

"Of course." Zach grinned, convincingly innocent. "No hard feelings, remember?"

*

"I don't know. He's not dating anyone right now, and he's always draping himself all over me. But when I try to do something, like hold his hand, he moves away and pretends like it never happened." Bruce stared forlornly at his plate of sushi as he explained his predicament to his friend, Hayden Saporta. Even food from Lucky Star couldn't cheer him up when he thought about Zach and how he had been persistently ignoring Bruce's feelings for the past several weeks.

"He's just playing hard to get," Hayden said, picking up a piece of sushi and dipping it in soy sauce. "You know, like me."

Bruce snorted and nearly choked on his water. "Oh, sure," he said, coughing. "You play hard to get? Give me a break. You're so easy the Surfing Shack boy could lay you."

"At least he's cute."

Bruce shook his head. "Why did I even bring you here?" he asked. "You'll probably just flirt with Zach, and then it'll be over for me."

"You brought me here so I could meet Zach and figure him out for you, or something. Seriously, man, I don't know either. It's not like you're straight and Zach is a girl. You're both boys. You speak the same language, right?"

"Clearly, you have not met him."

"Met whom?" Zach said, sliding into the seat next to Bruce. He grinned at him. "The lunch hour is ending, so things have slowed down a little. I thought I'd hang out with you for a bit before the dinner rush. Whoops, shoelace came loose." He leaned over, and his shirt rode up, giving Bruce an unobstructed view of his bare back. Bruce took a very long sip of his ice water.

Hayden mouthed "tease" at Bruce. Bruce glared at him, just as Zach straightened up and asked, "So, who's your friend? Or boyfriend?"

"Oh, I'm single," Hayden said, smiling at Zach. (Smiling flirtatiously. Bruce scowled). "Hayden Saporta. Nice to meet the guy Bruce has been talking about nonstop."

"Saporta? Your name sounds familiar."

"No relation to Gabe Saporta, I promise."

"No, that's not where… ah! You're the bassist in that band, Past Imperfect. Right?"

"That would be me," Hayden said, leaning back in his chair and smirking.

"You guys are pretty great. Although," Zach said, "don't start thinking that I'm one of your groupies. You're not my type."

"I'm not your type, Bruce isn't your type. What is your type?"

"Your lead singer, Thom. That boy is fine."

"He's a frigid bastard," Bruce muttered. He pushed around a piece of sushi on his plate. He knew he was sulking, but that didn't stop him from stabbing the sushi with unnecessary violence.

"Why are you sulking, Bruce?" Zach asked, pinching Bruce's cheek. "And don't abuse the sushi, it's only an inanimate object."

"I'm sulking because I dislike Thom's type, and the sushi just happened to be a convenient substitute for his face."

"Aw, don't be a baby. I'm sorry I like my men mysterious." Zach propped his chin up in one hand. "What's your type, then?"

"You," Bruce said.

Zach sighed and didn't say anything.

There was an awkward silence until Hayden coughed and said, "So, uh, guys…"

"Yes," Bruce said flatly.

"Some of my friends are planning a bonfire on the beach. You know, to celebrate the end of the school year. Bruce is going--"

"I am?"

"--and you should come, too, Zach."

"I don't know," Zach said. He bit his lip. "Bonfires aren't really my thing."

"Thom is going to be there."

Zach perked up. "Really?"

"Yeah, really. I figured his cold ass could use some thawing."

Zach giggled and said, "Well, in that case, I'll come. When is it?"

Hayden gave Zach the date and time, just as someone from the kitchen called Zach's name. Zach stood up and stretched (this time, Bruce got a view of his stomach, and so did Hayden. Hayden stared, and Bruce kicked his leg underneath the table).

"Looks like I'm needed," Zach said. "I'll see you guys later, yeah?"

"See you," Hayden said, waggling his fingers at Zach.

"Bye," Bruce muttered. When Zach had disappeared into the kitchen, he glared at Hayden. "I can't believe you. Who are you trying to hook Zach up with? Me or Thom?"

Hayden said, "Oh, relax. It's like you said. Thom is a frigid bastard. He's not going to be interested in Zach, trust me. And anyway, I've got him taken care of."

That took a moment for Bruce to understand. "No," he said, when he did. "This is how you lost your last lead singer, remember?"

"Well, we're not even dating… yet."

"Slut," Bruce said, sighing. "You're a slut."

Hayden just smiled.

*

Bonfires weren't quite Bruce's "thing," either, but he did enjoy sitting on the beach, warming himself by the fire and talking to friends. And despite Thom's presence, Zach attached himself to Bruce for the night, assigning him the task of roasting all his marshmallows.

"You're not even dating and he's got you whipped," Hayden said in awe, watching Zach bring back another handful of marshmallows.

"What," Bruce said, offended. "I am not whipped."

"Bruce, can you lend me your jacket?" Zach asked, sitting next to Bruce. "It's freezing out here." He shivered, and it was no wonder: all he wore was a thin white T-shirt and shorts.

Bruce didn't even think about it. "Sure," he said, taking off his jacket and draping it around Zach's shoulders.

"Whipped," Hayden pronounced, laughing, before walking off.

"So I ran into Thom while I was getting the marshmallows," Zach told Bruce. He handed Bruce the marshmallows, and Bruce stopped giving Hayden the finger so he could roast them. "He's even better looking up close. He looks familiar, too."

"Maybe he shoved you into a toilet once," Bruce suggested.

"Nah, it's not that. I feel like I've seen him on T.V. or something, or in a magazine. Like he was famous."

"He's Kim Jong Il's son in disguise?"

Zach laughed. "Oh, stop, you racist. Just because he's Korean doesn't mean he's related to Kim Jong Il. Although he does look like…" Zach stared thoughtfully at Thom, who stood a few feet away talking to Hayden. "Huh, that would explain a couple of things."

"What would explain a couple of things?" Bruce asked.

"Nothing," Zach said, voice bright. "So what do you think, Bruce? Is Thom good looking?"

"Eh," Bruce said eloquently.

"He was nice to me."

Bruce snorted.

"But not as nice as you."

"Nobody is as nice to you as me," Bruce said, sighing. "I slave over your every need. You are my everything."

Zach pouted. "Now you're just teasing."

"I meant it. Except I don't actually think about you in exactly those words. I'm less cheesy than that."

Zach leaned against Bruce's shoulder. "Bruce?"

"Yes?"

"Do you like me?"

"Yes," Bruce said slowly.

"Then why haven't you ever asked me out?"

"Uh, well," Bruce said. "I figured that a good prelude to asking you out would be holding your hand, but you weren't really into that, so I never got to the date part."

"You don't even try to hold my hand anymore."

"You didn't like it."

Zach sighed and said, "You are a nice guy, Bruce."

"With or without capital letters? Because if you mean Nice Guy, with capital letters, I swear I was not trying to be a creep who expected you to pay me back for doing things for you, or anything like that."

"I meant it without capital letters," Zach said, nuzzling Bruce's neck. "You don't expect me to like you back, do you?"

"Not anymore."

"But you do still like me?"

"Yes. Why are you asking me? I'll still roast your marshmallows for you, you know."

"I'm asking," Zach said, "because I wanted to be sure before I did this." He kissed Bruce, right on the lips.

At least, Bruce thought later, he didn't fall all the way into the fire. He only managed to burn his hand, when he fell over flailing.

"Oh my god," Zach said. He yanked Bruce away from the fire. "Are you okay? Oh my god, I didn't mean for that to happen. Someone get me some ice!"

Bruce groaned as his hand was dipped in a pail of ice. "Ow, ow, ow, fuck."

Zach kept apologizing as he bandaged Bruce's hand. When he was finally done, he looked at Bruce and asked, "Do you feel better? Do you need anything?"

"Um." Bruce was still slightly in shock, from Zach's kiss and from the burn. Mostly from Zach's kiss. "I could use another kiss," he finally said, smiling weakly. One kiss to counteract another. Made sense to him.

"Oh," Zach said. "Oh, okay. I can do that." And he threw his arms around Bruce, kissing him.

(Ow, my hand, Bruce thought, before kissing Zach back.)

*

"So you pretended to not like me because I pushed you into a trashcan in the third grade?" Bruce asked, a week later. "You were getting back at me?"

"Didn't Kazu tell you I could hold a grudge like nobody's business? And anyway, I wanted to get to know you, take it slow."

"You could have said, 'Bruce, I'm not sure I'm ready to go out just yet. Could we please take it slow?'"

"But it wouldn't have been as fun." Zach petted Bruce's cheek.

"You're evil."

"But cute, right?" Zach smiled, showing off his dimples, and Bruce sighed. "You're nice enough for the both of us. And that, by the way, is totally my type. I was lying about Thom, not that he isn't hot."

"Thank you, I guess."

"Anyway, it's a good thing I'm evil. That way, if anybody ever messes with you, I'll get back at them and all you have to do is sit and watch."

"Should I be scared? I think I should be scared."

"Only if you get on my bad side~" Zach said, and kissed Bruce on the nose.

Bruce laughed and kissed him on the nose, too. Cute and evil, he thought. Definitely my type.

*

NOTES:

Song to go with this is "Dynamite," by A'ST1. Now available for download at my PB wiki! Just follow the link you'll find in my profile.

Onii-chan is an affectionate term for "older brother," in Japanese. Please do not think that this is all the Japanese Zach knows. I swear, he is fluent. Will come into play at... some point.

There are pictures of the characters! Please check out the link in my profile, once again. Should you do so, you might think: what the hell? Why does Hayden Saporta look kind of...Asian? Well, you'll see. He comes into play in another story, along with Thom (and his mysterious ability to look familiar) and Past Imperfect, the band. No, really. I promise!

What is the difference between a nice guy and a Nice Guy? Again, link in my profile (I'm sorry guys, Fictionpress kind of hates links here).

And yes, Zach does work at Lucky Star. He cooks, cleans, and takes orders, all for money to buy fabulous clothes (seriously).