Kristoff hadn't spoken to Buzz since their breakup. It wasn't as if he was necessarily avoiding him... It was just that they kind of parted on bad terms. Even though Misty seemed convinced that Kris and Buzz needed to talk things over -and part of him knew she was right- Kris wasn't so sure he was ready to do that. He should have known that something like this was going to happen. Now, Kristoff was headed downtown to pick up a few things that he needed. Not expecting to run into he knew, Kris was wanting to go, get everything, and leave.
Okay, what do I need? Groceries, I have to pick something up for my mother, get new tools for work... Oh, an- wait... Shit. Shit, shit, shit. Kristoff caught a glimpse of strawberry blond hair, and his eyes widened. Turn around... Turn around and walk the other way he told himself. However, that suddenly became non feasible, with the giant mob of people following behind him. It was a nice day out, so everyone was out and about, and would have had to against the current. Instead, Kristoff attempted to get lost in the crowd, which seemed to work for all of a few minutes, as he didn't see that strawberry blond hair anymore. That was, until he wasn't watching where he was going for a moment, and ended up crashing right into "Buzz..." Kristoff said, holding his breath. "Um.. Hi.”
Nice weather always drew out the crowds, and this day was no exception. September meant the beginning of fall, and Buzz was like everyone else, out and about through town. Many people took leisurely strolls with their dogs, took their kids to the park, or even just walked instead of driving for once. Buzz walked every single day no matter the weather, so of course he was out, but it amused him to see just how many people came out in autumn. Like every day, he had his earbuds in, playing a podcast or some music, depending on his mood, and he walked along, doing at least two miles on the course. He switched it up a lot, not liking too much monotony, and today he chose to go through downtown.
From Prydain to the downtown area was over two miles already, so he started to slow his pace, and he pulled his phone from his pocket, switching from "Don't Fear The Reaper" in his playlist to "Carry On My Wayward Son." He continued walking, and almost literally bumped into someone, and he yanked out his buds to apologize. "Oh, I'm sorry, I -" His words caught in his throat as he realized that he'd ran right into the one person in town he had been avoiding the last few weeks. And of course, lucky him, he was coated in sweat and was breathing hard from his quick walking pace. Because sweaty older men were attractive. Riiiight. "Kris... Hi to you too." Smooth, Buzz. Real smooth.
Kristoff took one step back, giving the both of them a little bit of space. The flow of traffic with everyone walking about didn't even seem to be disturbed by their standstill. "Hi..." he repeated, cringing at the realization that he already said that. "And... We already went through that..." Dammit. Kristoff ran a hand through his hair, nervously. What the hell was he supposed to say? This was more awkward than that time he and Elsa attempted to date for like a week. Kristoff crossed his arms over his chest, letting out a breath. "How- how have you been?" Really? That's the best you can think of?
There was a silent pause that hung over them, making the situation worse. Finally, Kris grabbed Buzz's wrist and pulled him aside, out of the traffic and to an area of the sidewalk that was otherwise empty. "Look, I'm sorry. I feel like I owe you an apology. It's pretty stupid that we haven't talked about it for this long..." Kristoff hated the way they broke things off, and truly did feel bad. "And I'm just really sorry about how things ended up.”
He allowed himself to be dragged out of the way, and the many other people milling about just kept on their merry way. He pocketed his phone and earbuds as Kris talked, then looked at him straight on. Awkward the situation may be, but he wasn't one to shuffle his feet and look at the ground in an awkward situation like this. Pre-dating, probably, but not after a break up. This was so different than that.
Chewing on the inside of his lip, Buzz thought over what to say. He had a lot of options here: I'd like to try again; maybe we could get some coffee; I think I have more feelings for you than I let on and we should never have broken up in the first pla- No, definitely not that one. "I'm sorry too," he said, taking a deep breath. "I mean... I don't really know if there's like break up protocol or anything but... Pretty sure we can work out being friends." He shrugged, looking at his ex hopefully. "Right? Even after the... Mess we left behind."
Kristoff couldn't even fathom that they were standing here now, almost as strangers, but the fact was that they would never be strangers. Misty had told him that talking would make it better, but it sure didn't feel any better. Kris felt like he was almost going to be sick. He let out a small sigh, looking off to the side before bringing his eyes back to Buzz's. "I mean- When I said what I said, I didn't mean that we had to pretend that each other didn't exist, or whatever," which is what it felt like he has been doing, in honesty. "So I don't want to just not speak, ever again." But being friends? It was so much easier said than done. Though, it seemed like the only good and reasonable option. "I think we could try. I was stupid, and this whole thing was stupid," he shook his head, laughing in sarcasm at it. "But... Maybe it was what was best." He wasn't saying that at the time, nothing was genuine, because it was. At least for Kristoff. But he stood by what he said, that their relationship was during an awkward period, and it wasn't the best time. Maybe down the road, if the timing was ever right, they could try again. But now, he felt that it was better this way.
It was tough, trying to move past that awkward bump on the road that they had put there themselves, but he knew that if they tried, they could at least be friends. It would always be obvious that they'd dated before, but the fact that they did care about each other was still as apparent as before. The problem was that fight they'd had. Kris was right, it had been lousy timing before. And honestly, it was still a bit lousy now; with their having been broken up for such a short time, it was still fresh in their minds. It would take longer than these few weeks to get over it. And honestly, they'd moved so fast before, maybe this was best moving forward.
"Maybe not stupid," Buzz said, an awkward chuckle in his voice. "Just... Emotional. It wasn't the best of situations. But, well..." He smiled, shyly. "At least now we don't have the stupid election in our face. Starting from scratch might be a good thing." Not from scratch, not really, be being friends before moving into dating territory was definitely a good plan for the future.
Kristoff hated the word emotional. He always had. Which is why he tended to avoid it, especially associating it with himself. He cringed at the mention of the election. That was really the icing on the cake of their argument. All of that, and Buzz hadn't even won. Kris gave him a nod. "Yeah, that's true." Starting from scratch. The idea sounded nice, but was it possible? It was sure going to be awkward, no doubt. But he was willing to try to make it work.
"Maybe that'd be best," Kris laughed nervously. He wasn't the best in situations like this. "Anyway, I um- I have a couple of things to do today, so I should probably get going, but-" Kris checked his phone, stuffing it back into his pocket and looking back up at Buzz. "Maybe we could go get coffee or something sometime. Also, sorry this took a while, to talk about. I kind of tend to avoid things like this..." Kristoff ran a hand through his blond hair, a sheepish smile playing on his lips.
"Oh, right, yeah, you've got things to do, and, well... I'm mid run, so..." Buzz trailed off shyly in response to Kristoff saying he had things to do. "Ah, well, I'd like that. Tea, in my case, but yeah, I think that would be a good..." Buzz took a deep breath, letting it out in a slow, relieved-that-they-weren't-toooo-awkward sigh. "A good first step." Oh god, had he always been this un-smooth? Dear lord, it was a wonder he ever had been able to date in the first place. "Hey, it wasn't all on you... I was obviously avoiding things too, you know." He never had been a fiddler, one to play with things in his hands out of nervousness, but the earbuds he held were suddenly very distracting. "So... I'll call you? Or text or... Something." He smiled nervously, hoping that he totally hadn't blown it. He was in crappy work out clothes, kind of sweaty, and was acting like a fifteen year old who had just asked out his first girl. How Kristoff hadn't run away in the first place was beyond him. But right now wasn't about them as a couple; the focus was on moving forward as a platonic friendship. There were doubts, always doubts, but Buzz surprisingly had high hopes. "Or... You text me, whatever." He wanted to slam his palm into his face, but he refrained.
"Right," Kris laughed, this time a bit of the awkward tension fading away. It was kind of funny that they were back to this awkward shyness around each other, for a different reason, granted, but it still felt a bit familiar in that sense. The blond gave a smile, placing his hands in his pockets. "Either or, though since you have a busier schedule than me, I guess it would be better maybe if you did the calling or texting." He suddenly for whatever reason thought for a minute about Elsa and what she would think about this, but quickly brushed the thought away. "So just... Let me know, okay?" Misty was right; Kristoff didn't know what he was worried about. The initial approach was the hard part, talking was slightly easier, and after that, it was pretty chill. "I should probably get going before I'm late, but I'll see you then." It would be a lie to say that he wasn't both nervous yet looking forward to it, because he had missed Buzz, but he knew that it was important for them to maintain more of a friendship before they tried anything else.
"Yeah, I've actually got to start heading back home myself," Buzz said, agreeing that they should probably end this brief exchange. It was awkward as hell, this random chance meeting, but still, he was happy they'd finally talked a little. And the fact that Kristoff didn't absolutely hate him was nice. "I've got night shift, so I've gotta be in in a couple hours." He smiled shyly. "So, yeah, I'll contact you then." He nodded, then took a step toward the direction he had been heading before they'd bumped into each other. "After the fall fair? Don't know how busy I'll be during that, best to plan it for after... I'll just text you." His face was pink, but he grinned as he finally turned away to continue his walk. Maybe things could work out as friends, he didn't know, but he was definitely looking forward to finding out.
After the campaign dinner, as Buzz had promised, the two of them went out and got some actual food. That fancy shit they had at the dinner wasn't bad, per say, but it wasn't all that appealing. After that, since it was late, they had decided it was best for Kris to just stay over with Buzz. Despite the tension they had endured at the campaign dinner and a bit after that, they were still planning on going out the next day. Kristoff was just glad that they had a chance to calm down before going to sleep last night, since it was never a good idea to go to bed upset; especially if when in a relationship. "It's not that I didn't want to be there, it was all the stupid cameras, and the looks, and even Elsa and Woody were giving us those damn looks. I mean, how am I supposed to feel after that?" Kris groaned, pushing his hands through his hair. "I wanted to be there, I did; but that was worse than what I expected it to be like. It had nothing to do with you, Buzz. I'm just not great in social scenarios." Now, it was a new day, and Kris was just waking up. As the blond rolled over to the side, he noticed an empty spot in the bed, and sat up with a confused expression. It faded within seconds as his eyes found Buzz. "Good morning," he smiled, his voice soft from having just woken up.
The campaign dinner went great - as far as paparazzi and the rich political families and such that attended were concerned. As for Buzz and Kristoff, the event could have gone better. In fact, Buzz was almost wishing that he hadn't invited Kristoff to go; he'd looked miserable the entire time, and having their relationship being photographed by the newspapers was not ideal for either of them. Tension had definitely flared between the two of them, and it still weighed heavily in Buzz's mind. "I know, I know, it wasn't a great time for me either," Buzz had said, looking just as exasperated at his boyfriend. "Maybe I shouldn't have even asked you to go. No, that's not what I meant!" Thankfully, they'd reached somewhat of an understanding and fell to a peaceful sleep in Buzz's bed, and in the morning, he had to admit that he felt a little better having gotten some of that off his chest. He woke before Kristoff did, and pried himself gently out of his arms to not wake the sleeping blond, then went to relieve himself and then brush his teeth. It was while he had the brush still hanging out of his mouth that he heard Kris say good morning, and he smiled through the foam before spitting it into the sink. "Well, good morning to you," he said once his mouth was rinsed, and he walked back into his room, bending down to give Kristoff a quick kiss on the cheek.
Kristoff sat up in the bed, letting out a long yawn. Rubbing his eyes, he laughed slightly, smiling as Buzz came over. "I'd kiss you back but I don't think you'd like that too much right now," he chuckled. Running a hand through his hair, Kris pushed the blankets back, swinging his legs to the side and sitting up further. He stood fairly quickly, walking over and grabbing his toothbrush. "I'm sorry about last night," he sighed, apologizing. "I just couldn't deal with all the eyes... You know the saying 'do you ever feel like you're being watched'? Well yeah, that's what that was like, except it wasn't just a feeling." Kris quickly brushed his teeth, getting rid of any trace of morning breath. Rinsing, he spit out the residue and rinsed off the brush. "Okay, now I will," he said with a smile, walking back over to Buzz and kissing him quickly on the lips. "So I finally figured out what I want to do today." Last night, Buzz had promised that after the went to vote, they could do whatever Kris wanted. And sleeping on it, had chosen. "But, it's a surprise, so you're going to have to trust me."
While Kristoff had brushed, Buzz had gone into his closet, trying to find comfortable clothes for the day. He got dressed, then came out and was pleasantly surprised by the kiss. "No, I'm sorry for last night too. It... It was too much, and it wasn't a good night." He shook his head, then ran a comb through his hair. "Okay... I'll trust you. After last time, I kind of find your surprises very pleasing." He grinned, then nodded at the shower. "If you need that, I can make breakfast. You like waffles?" He was being overlay cautious today; after last night, he felt the need to walk on eggshells so nothing went wrong today.
Kristoff smirked at the comment about his planning surprises. "Thank you," he laughed. "Yeah, I probably should take a shower," he decided. Looking back at Buzz, he smiled, which was much more favorable to last night's abundance of false smiles. "Waffles sound great. I won't be that long." As Buzz left to go make breakfast, Kris took a quick shower. The hot water felt nice, as if it was relieving most of the tension from the night before. He almost didn't want to leave, but he got out anyways. Getting dressed, Kris didn't bother putting socks on yet. He combed his hair quickly before meeting Buzz back in the kitchen. "How are those waffles coming?" he teased, standing behind Buzz, his hands resting on the counter.
The waffle batter was finished and the first batch was cooking in the iron when Kristoff joined Buzz in the kitchen, and he was glad to see that the smile on his face was genuine instead of all the false ones they'd both been wearing last night. "They're almost done, at least this one is," Buzz replied, and almost if on cue, the indication light on the outside turned green. He popped the cooker open and slid the waffle out onto a plate, then set it on the counter for Kristoff to take. All the condiments needed for waffles were there on the counter, butter, syrup, strawberries, powdered sugar, even chocolate syrup. "I'm a waffle guy, as you can tell," Buzz laughed, getting a fork from a drawer for him, then scooping more batter into the iron. "So... Do you want to go get this over with right after we eat so we can go do your surprise outing then?" 'This' being voting. "Because we can always hang out for a little bit beforehand if you want..." He shrugged, just wanting to do whatever his boyfriend wanted to for the day, and he gave him a smile.
Kristoff watched curiously as Buzz continued the waffles. The one that was ready looked delicious. He was also impressed by everything that Buzz had set out to put on the waffles. "I'll say," he laughed, taking the waffle and moving to the side to prepare it. Kris put everything except the regular syrup on the waffle, having a preference for chocolate. "Thank you," he smiled. "Hmm... Maybe we should go right away. Then it's out of the way, and we can forget about it." The longer they put off the voting, the more stressed Kristoff would end up feeling. He figured it was better to do it now and let it be, than wait. Plus, any more politic talk was going to drive him insane eventually. "Let's do this; eat these waffles, give it maybe thirty minutes or so, and then go. Sound good?" Kris asked, smiling slightly before taking a first bite of his waffle.
Before long, they had both eaten with some talking, more getting to know one another and having a nice comfortable feeling, then they went and voted. Thank god that was out of the way, and thank god their voting location was free of annoying cameras. They got in and out with no obstacles. "Okay, Mr. Mysterious, where are we off to then, hm?" Buzz asked as they buckled into his car.
Kristoff climbed into Buzz's car after the two of them had voted, which was a lot less stressful now that it was over and done with. As he buckled into the seat, he looked over at Buzz with a smirk. "Well, as much as I like being Mr. Mysterious," he started. "I guess I have to reveal my plans to you, since you're the designated driver." Giving Buzz a quick kiss on the cheek, Kris sat back, pulling out his phone. "Bowling. That's where we're off too. Take a left out of here," the blond pointed. As the car took off, Kris looked out the window, watching buildings, cars, and people pass by. So long, Kris thought to himself in reference to all of those snobby rich people who were still voting.
"Bowling is good, I like bowling," Buzz smiled as they pulled out of the parking lot. It was a lot lighter in the air since they'd gotten in the car before; having the vote over and done with seemed to be a weight off both their shoulders. He hoped that with that out of the way it might make some of the other doubts that had plagued his mind lay off. There was nothing wrong with a little doubt in a relationship, of course, but for now, there was no time for that kind of thinking. Today was to just be happy with his boyfriend. His much younger boyfriend. No, no, that was not going to happen, not today. He forced himself away from such thoughts, and he drove to the bowling alley as they talked and listened to the radio, changing it whenever the local radio jockeys decided to mention the election. Before long, they were in the bowling alley, slipping off their shoes and getting into those ugly rental ones. "Remember how I said I like bowling? Well," Buzz started, lacing his shoe and standing, testing out a ball from a shelf nearby. "What I meant was that I like to play but I'm actually very horrible at it so be advised that I will more than likely make a complete fool of myself."
Arriving at the bowling alley, Kristoff felt at ease. He hadn't been bowling in a while, but it was something he did frequently in high school, and in college. He was pretty good at it; not a professional, but good. As he slipped into the rental shoes, he laughed at Buzz's comment. "Don't worry, it's not competitive bowling. I'm probably a little rusty, myself," the blond smiled, standing and walking over to the shelf where Buzz was. He took his time in picking a ball, testing a few of them before deciding. "I'll go first," Kris said, walking up to the lane. Taking a minute to align himself up with the pins, Kristoff held the ball up to his chest, swinging it back as he stepped forward, releasing the ball. Strike. Kris raised a brow, turning back to Buzz. "Guess I'm a little less rusty than I thought." Shrugging, Kris pecked Buzz on the cheek as they swapped places, now being his turn.
Letting out a low, impressed whistle, Buzz looked on in awe, because, let's face it, he sucked at this game. "Look at you, schooling me in ice skating and bowling," he said, smiling as he received the kiss on his cheek. "No wait, hang on, the master is now at work." He rolled his eyes and laughed as he stepped forward, the heavy ball raised in his left hand. He tried lining up the pins and ball as he usually did with a gun and target; letting it fly, the ball veered far to the right and ended up only knocking down three pins. "Ah, well..." He shrugged, waiting for his ball by the return machine. "How am I so good at shooting things, but this is horrible?" He grinned, grabbing his ball as it popped out again. He lined up again, then as he released it down the lane, his phone began to ring. He answered it just as the ball struck two more pins. "Hello, Mom," he said, turning and looking back at Kristoff with a bemused smile. Of course, at that moment the bowling alley decided to have a strange quiet moment, because his mother's loud Asian voice was suddenly heard loud and clear, at least to him and his boyfriend, "WHY WE NO MEET BOY?" His face probably couldn't have gotten any redder than that following moment.
"Well, to be fair, anything that has to do with ice is pretty much my forte," Kristoff smirked. Kris watched, intrigued to see how this would play out. As Buzz let go of the ball and they both watched it take a harsh right, Kris cringed slightly. "It could have been worse," the blond stated. "That's pretty good for someone who's supposedly terrible at bowling." Kristoff had to admit that it was kind of amusing to watch Buzz as he bowled. Then as Buzz's phone rang, Kris rose a brow, stepped forward so that he was closer. His eyes widened a bit when he heard a very loud female voice come booming through the phone. Kristoff clamped his hand over his mouth, trying not to laugh. A couple people looked over, but there was no telling for sure whether they heard the woman coherently or not. "Should I let you keep talking?" Kris asked, pulling his hand away, failing at an attempt to hide his smirk.
He motioned to his boyfriend to take his turn as he stifled his own embarrassed laugh, and Buzz stood back to watch him as he listened to his mother. After a moment, the other bowlers stopped looking at him and returned to their game, which made him feel a little less like a spotlight was on him. "Yeah, we just started dating, Mom, honestly it's not a big - no, no he isn't in high school, oh my god." His face was red again, and he face palmed. "Okay, I'll talk to him about meeting you guys okay? Okay. Mom, no, no," he lowered his voice, hoping Kristoff wouldn't hear, "no we do not need protection okay please stop talking?" He pinched the bridge of his nose. "I love you, but please don't say anything like that ever again. I'll call you later, I'm not home right now." He said goodbye and hung up, feeling like he would very much like to fall through the floor. He took a step toward the ball return, picking up his ball. "So... That's my mom," he said, giving his boyfriend an embarrassed grin.
Kristoff stepped forward, taking his turn. Which, consisted of knocking eight pins down with two tries. He was a bit distracted, by the phone call, which he was still trying not to laugh about. He has walked back over to Buzz just as it appeared he was saying goodbye. The blond smiled at Buzz, standing right beside him. "She has excellent projection," Kris smirked, teasing him. His own mother could have her moments as well, pretty much embarrassing him on a daily. "My mom can be like that too; you should have seen her when she first met Elsa," Kristoff recalled. Nodding to the lane, Kristoff spoke again. "C'mon, we gotta finish the game, so I can teach you my excellent bowling techniques."
Their game finished, and went well. Kristoff was glad that the day so far hadnt gone wrong like he feared. Then again, that was so far. But he definitely wasn't feeling as paranoid. Back at Buzz's house, the two of them sat on the couch. Well, sort of. Kristoff was sat on the couch beside Buzz, but his legs were laying across Buzz's lap. Fiddling with his phone, Kris looked up at his boyfriend, giving him a smile. "Today was fun."
Buzz was flipping channels on the television, and he was completely comfortable lounging with his boyfriend on the couch. He switched it onto a repeat of New Girl, because apparently nothing was on, then decided it was just on for background noise anyway, so he turned it down a little. "Today was really fun. I'm glad we did this." He smiled tossing the remote to the end table, then he caught a glimpse of Kristoff's toes. "So... Love the nail polish?" he laughed, an eyebrow raised. "Ah, Elsa had a hand in that, didn't she." It was honestly a simple comment, but of course, nothing was simple anymore; now that they didn't really have anything to distract them, like the bowling had been today, those stupid doubts of his came creeping back to mind when he mentioned Elsa. He hoped his face didn't betray anything, but he knew he had a habit of wearing his heart on his sleeve. Hopefully, as he leaned over to give Kris a kiss, he didn't give anything away about those damn doubts now running laps in his head.
"Me too," Kris nodded. "We'll have to go again sometime, so I can school you again," he teased, smirking at Buzz. The blond rose a brow in confusion before he realized what Buzz had been referencing. "Oh. Yeah... Elsa and I went to the salon the day of the campaign dinner, and I let her convince me to do it." He had completely forgotten about the fact that for some reason he had allowed and trusted Elsa to have his toenails painted. Kris looked at his toes, then back up at Buzz as he kissed him. Pulling away, Kris gave him a look. "You're doing it again," he sighed. "Every time either one of us says her name, you have that look." Those pestering feelings were coming back, and Kristoff didn't appreciate them one bit. "What's wrong?"
Damn it. Buzz sat back and bit his lip, not wanting to open this can of worms again. "It's... It's nothing," he lied, then he sighed. "Okay, it is something, but... I just know Elsa is being completely judgmental about us, and I don't want that to be an issue, but..." He paused, running a hand through his hair. "She's both of our best friend. And if she doesn't approve, I don't know, it's just... I don't know." It was hard, because he was pretty sure he was beginning to have deep feelings for Kristoff, but with Elsa and Woody not supporting them, it was a bit crippling. And he also wondered, if Kristoff had been older, would those damn camera men from the paper have snapped so many pictures? Maybe their age difference was a whole subject of ridicule all over town now, who knew? And the election weighing over their heads still hadn't been alleviated, since they still hadn't looked up the results as they were being tallied. It was sure to still be underway, in any case. The winner wouldn't be announced for a couple more hours, Buzz suspected. And if he won? There would be that much more stress on their relationship. "I don't want there to be this... Dark cloud over us, alright? And lately... It just seems to me that it's getting more and more shit piled onto it. I don't like that, and I wish there was a way to make it stop.”
Kristoff gave him that I know you're lying look, crossing his arms over his chest while waiting for Buzz to explain. "So that's the problem then," he sighed. "Well what if I don't want her to approve? It's none of her business, quite frankly. She doesn't have a right granted that says I have to tell her everything that happens in my life, and neither for you and yours." That whole issue was another deal that he didn't want to get into at that moment. Kristoff stood up off the couch, walking away from the conversation for a moment. The blond paced back and forth, edging himself away from Buzz. "You know I don't know what the big deal is, honestly, but I'm starting to feel like you're regretting dating me, and I just..." He stopped himself there, moving into the next room. "Maybe this was a mistake, then." Of course he didn't mean that, but he had a tendency to say those things a lot. "I told you I mess everything up. And I'm probably just going to do the same thing if you win this election. I don't wanna mess anything else up for you," Kris told him.
Buzz felt his stomach sink as he heard those words. "A mistake?" He repeated. "No, Kris..." He stood up, following him, but standing back a few paces to give him space. "I don't think that this was a mistake, I don't regret dating you." Okay, maybe there was too much space, Buzz decided, stepping forward and taking Kris's hand. "And I don't care about this election. Winning, not winning, I don't care." He could tell that Kris still looked pained about all of this. "You have never messed anything up. But... Maybe our timing was just wrong." He furrowed his eyebrows and looked away, suddenly regretting he'd said that. It sounded so finite.
Kristoff pulled his hand away at the last comment, not wanting any type of physical contact at that moment. "Timing, disapproval, the age difference;" Kris blurted out. "There's always going to be a problem, isn't there?" He had known before they started dating that Buzz felt a little awkward about their age difference. But to Kris, it wasn't a big deal, until people started to make it one. Kristoff ran a hand through his hair and sighed. He would have never thought the next words would come out of his mouth. "If it's such bad timing, maybe we should just end it now. No one would have to approve of anything then." Kristoff grabbed his shoes, throwing them on without even bothering to put socks on. This was the last thing he wanted to happen today, or ever, but with all of the pre-election tension and the recent disapproval of a few people, maybe this was the best option.
"Kris, wait, that's not... That's not what I meant." Buzz said lamely as he watched the blond throwing his shoes on hastily. He seemed to be saying that a lot the last few days, he realized, and he felt a stab of guilt. "You know that's the furthest thing from what I want," he said, watching as the younger man grabbed his few belongings he had scattered around the apartment. But what Kristoff was saying... He was right. Somehow Buzz had let other people get in his head and influence him, and it had led to this mess. And as much as he hated what was happening, he almost thought it might be a good move. Only almost. "If... If you really want..." He stopped speaking; his mouth only seemed to get him into more trouble.
Once Kristoff had regained everything of his, he made his way back to the door. It was hard to even be there saying these things, let alone leave. Kris sighed, looking at Buzz one last time. His mind was racing and somehow couldn't give him a clear answer of what to do. So desperately he wanted to say No, that's not what I want, but Kris wasn't sure what he wanted anymore, aside from one thing. He wanted to feel like he belonged. Kristoff was never fully assured that he belonged with certain people and in a certain place, and the lack of comfort and peace in that was so stressful at times. The blond opened his mouth to speak, but all that came out was "I'm sorry," before leaving.
Kristoff had just gotten home from his little beach vacation with Elsa and Anna, which was much needed. He was definitely glad that he went, because the three of them hadn’t hung out together for a while, and as much as they liked to tease each other, they all really did care about each other, and had fun together. But, they were home now, back in Memoire, and Kris was about to go over Buzz’s, since one: he was supposed to stay over anyway, and two: Buzz was hungover. Feeling a little bit of deja vu, Kris tossed his things from the beach in his room at the foot of his bed and took a quick shower before getting ready to head over to Buzz’s.
Once he was finally ready, Kris texted Buzz that he was leaving, and put everything in his car, and drove over to Buzz’s apartment. Upon arriving, he knocked on the door, opening it when he heard Buzz say to come in. Kristoff entered the apartment, quickly spotting his boyfriend. “Hey,” he smiled, closing the door behind him. “So, because you’re hungover, I’m in a good mood, and obviously an amazing boyfriend,” he teased. “I brought some things for us to do. Oh, and I also ordered pizza, because that’s good comfort food. Don’t worry, I’m paying for it.” Kris walked over to Buzz, kissing him on the lips, and giving him a smile.
The dreams were getting out of control, and Kristoff wasn’t sure how much longer he could put up with them. They started out as flashbacks, but as time progressed, they got worse and worse. There were no longer flashbacks, but had turned into fully developed nightmares. He hadn’t been able to sleep at all for the past few days because of it, so he had attempted to start going to bed earlier, thinking it might help. He was completely wrong, though. Despite the fact that he fell asleep, this particular nightmare had been the worst yet. Kristoff awoke from his sleep in a panicked frenzy, his heart rate through the roof, and his breath shaky. He knew exactly why these dreams were occurring, and it was time that he got some help.
Grabbing his cellphone, Kristoff dialed Buzz’s number as fast as he could, hoping that he would answer. It was only around eleven at night, which was late, but not too to late. Kristoff was so relieved when Buzz picked up on the other line. “I need you to come over, now,” he managed to get out through short breaths of air. He had taken to pacing around his room in his sweatpants and t-shirt, waiting for Buzz to get there. Hearing a knock on the door, Kristoff fled to the living room. Opening the door, the pounding in his chest immediately began to lessen. “Thanks. Listen, I’m sorry I dragged you here last minute I jus— I just can’t be alone right now.” Buzz had told him that he could call him, no matter what, but Kristoff still felt a little bad calling him this late. He was more than glad that he came, though.
Kristoff wasn’t planning on seeing Buzz at the mall. That just so happened to be a coincidence. A sort of weird one at first, but it turned for the better. After realizing with Elsa that he did actually like Buzz, and that Buzz maybe did like him back, Kristoff figured, what the hell. Why not? He was both surprised and yet not that surprised that Buzz wasn’t entirely aware of all the other things in Memoire that Kristoff was. He had known for a while, finding that the sort of scene there was more enjoyable than what everyone else was seeing. After waiting for Buzz to be finished at that particular store, the two of them left the mall, and Kristoff led the way to the secret alley he had mentioned.
“It’s not too far away from here, actually,” he mentioned as they entered the parking lot of the mall. “Within walking distance.” Shortly thereafter, they had arrived in the seemingly dull alley, where just a few feet away, people were actually wandering through the different shops and buildings. “See, from the outside, it looks like nothing interesting, but when you take a second look,” the blond stepped forward, taking Buzz’s hand and gently pulling him forward a few steps as well. “You’d be surprised.” Kristoff gave him a small smile, looking back at the different places they could go. “Come this way, I’ll show you around.”
It was already past 7: 30 p.m. when Jessie arrived at the Bowling. Some tables were occupied by a couple of families, or simply by small groups of people, but ‘course she didn’t mind. The room was full of laughs and noise, which for some strange reason brought a small smile to her face. After scanning the room and realizing there were no signs of Buzz, Jessie went to occupy a table, took a pair of those special shoes and sat, waiting for him. Of course she didn’t care about waiting the slightest: it was Buzz, one of her best friends, and the time she spent with him was always worth it. Besides, it seemed it had been ages since the two saw each other. Jessie also ordered two sodas, and finished putting on the shoes while to then start playing with her fingers, much to her entertainment. Around fifteen minutes had passed when his voice called from behind, making Jessie turn around and smile widely.
“Over here!” She replied in the same tone, waving at Buzz.
