Parking Lot
Crimzon Ruze x GN!Reader | TW: bug, weapons mention Words: 1375 | Rating: PG
Ruze had offered to take you out on a date, although he had refused to call it that. A “non-friendly public coexistence” was his exact wording, although the blush on his cheeks when he had asked you settled your nerves. He’s never been one to confront his feelings with anything other than Zephyr or a box of matches, so the note with a “hate poem” in it was extra adorable. It read as follows.
I don’t entirely hate you.
How dare you.
Meet me in the Trader Joe’s parking lot.
We will fight to the death.
Prepare to die, nerd.
It was hard not to laugh when you read it, giggling behind your hand as his face turned bright red. You called him “Rouge” and there was a brief moment where you thought he was either going to disintegrate or kill you on the spot. Fortunately neither happened, and here you are getting ready for your “fight to the death”. You grab yourself a tote bag, hiding a knife in there along with your wallet and keys, just in case. Never quite know when it comes to Ruze.
You pull into the parking lot, which is surprisingly empty. It’s not hard to spot him leaning against the hood of his car, fiddling with a lollipop in his mouth. You close the door to your car, smiling at him as you catch his attention. He grumbles, shoving his hands into the pockets of his jeans. His outfit is very punk, a muscle tank with a leather jacket, ripped jeans, and chains all over. A glance at his shoes makes you realize why he seems taller than normal, wearing pretty tall platform boots. Even come with bonus spikes. He tries to seem disinterested in you, but it’s clear he’s excited to see you by the blush on his cheeks, poorly hidden by his sunglasses.
“You know, it almost seems like you’re trying to avoid being recognized here. Which is funny, considering you chose for our fantastic battle to be here.” “Oh well, too many fucking weirdos in the Denny’s parking lot. Didn’t want to have to fight them for enough space to fight you. Waste of energy.” “Uh-huh. And where’s your weapon, tough guy?” “Don’t need one. I am a weapon.”
All you can do is chuckle, rolling your eyes as you lean against his car as well. Ruze glances off to the side, and you can visibly see the wheels turning in his head. “Well, why don’t we go in and investigate the inside, gotta make sure we weren’t followed by any of those other fucks.” “Mhmm. That’s why you wanna go into the store.” “Glad you understand. Let’s go kick some ass!” He cackles, hopping up onto his feet as he starts walking towards the store. His first few steps are him walking backwards, trying to match your pace so you can walk together. He cracks a few jokes, lighting up when he gets you to laugh. You make it into the store, grabbing a basket. He immediately snatches it from your hands, looping it over his arm so you can’t steal it back. “I should carry it, gotta show everyone I’m a big strong man.” “Ah, thank you Mr. Big Strong Man.” “You’re welcome! You should thank me more often.” He cackles, letting you check out the front display as he tucks some flowers into the basket.
“See anything ya like?” “Thinking of getting some of these maple cookies. They’re pretty good.” “Get two.” He snatches the boxes from you and tosses them into the basket, adding in a tin of maple spiced nuts as well. You try to peek around him into the basket, to which he quickly spins so you can’t see the flowers, being a bit of an ass about it.
“Ah-ah-ah, no peeking!” “Peeking at what? My cookies!?”
“Don’t worry about it.”
You glare at him, which just earns you a cocky grin. You continue walking through the aisles, getting other snacks and things. You spot the Jojo plush, not telling him as he’s heavily invested in the various cheeses they have on display. He grabs a few of them, making enough of a selection of foods you realize you could probably make a solid charcuterie board with it all. Maybe that’s the idea. You grab a bottle of wine, handing it to him as you get in line. He places the basket down for the cashier to check out, and you mention the plush to them. They ring the bell, handing you a sticker.
“You didn’t mention it to me? I’m hurt.” “Oh hush, Mr. Big Strong Man. You really want a sticker that bad?” “Maybe it’s a manly sticker! Maybe I do!” You laugh, handing him the sticker. He blushes, sputtering for a second before mumbling a “thank you”. Ruze shoves it in his pocket, not meeting your eye. You catch sight of the flowers, it now being your turn to blush. The cashier, your unwilling third wheel, hands Ruze the receipt and makes it out of the store with all the bags in his hands. Seems that he is a one-trip grocery man.
“Seems like we have to take our battle to the park. You alright meeting me there? Can’t reveal my preparations to you before we fight.” “Sure, I’ll meet you at the park.” Ruze seems rather insistent on walking you back to your car, making sure your doors are locked before he jogs back to his, and driving off. You wait a few minutes, watching him get out of the parking lot before following him. If your suspicions are correct, he may want a few minutes to prepare for the picnic. When you know he’s out of sight, you drive over to a nearby pawn shop. You’re not sure what you’re looking for, but when you spot a taxidermy rhino beetle display, you knew you had to pick it up. A quick dip into the dollar store gets you a gift bag and a heart balloon, hopefully that he doesn’t try to pop.
You meet him at the park, seeing him with a whole picnic set up. He looks at you, surprised at the gift. You set it down next to him, smug at how you’ve managed to fluster him.
“Open it.” “The fuck did you get me!?” His surprise is very quickly overcome with pure excitement at the beetle, immediately going into a full hyperfixation explanation about beetles and how they fight each other for dominance. It’s hard not to find it cute, just eagerly listening as he rambles about it. You both start snacking as you talk about various things, all rather enthusiastically. After a while, you both realize how long you’ve been talking for, and how much you really enjoy each other's company. You pour the two of you some wine, laughing together about some of the shenanigans you could get up to if you continue to be unsupervised.
As you lean back, your hand rests on top of his. He stops mid-sentence, staring at your hand, glancing between it and your face. Ruze’s face turns as red as his wine, placing it down to hide behind his other hand.
“Y’know, I kinda like you.” “I… don’t hate you as much as other people.” “Do you think we could do this again?” “Maybe… if you want to.” He hands you the flowers, which he put into a vase for you.
“I think I would.”
The two of you stay out in the park until the street lamps turn on and the moths begin to dive bomb you. Ruze tries to shield you with his jacket, offering it to you as you shiver. You pack the food away, placing it in the back of his car with the exception of your box of cookies and flowers. He walks you to your car, and refuses his jacket when you try to give it back. “We’re seeing each other again, right? Just give it to me then.”
He jogs away before you can argue, pumping his fist a little before getting into his car. You watch him drive off before pulling out yourself, wondering what parking lot he’ll want to fight you in next time.