Status: One-shot.
Scavenger Hunt
one of one
If there’s one thing that Kellin loves about his job at the local bookstore, it’s the running joke that he has with his coworker.
A couple of weeks ago, Vic, who works the shift right after Kellin, brought in a miniature plastic horse and started up a private scavenger hunt between the two of them. The idea is quite simple: at some point during the shift, the person working is supposed to check the single Yiddish dictionary in the reference section (it’s been there for God only knows how long) for a note that the other person has left with a hint as to where in the store the horse is hidden. The person is then supposed to go find it and hide it somewhere else within the store, writing their own note with a hint and putting it in the dictionary for the other person to find on their shift. It’s by far Kellin’s favorite part of the job, even though it isn’t even part of his job. It’s actually led to him and Vic becoming better friends, oddly enough; he’s not sure what could have prompted this idea in the first place, but he’s not complaining.
Really long-winded series. Everyone always pronounces it wrong. I think the main character does a funny run or something.
-Vic
P.S. That shirt looks great on you.
This is what Kellin is greeted with when he checks the dictionary, and he bites his lip, thinking for a long moment (and trying to ignore Vic’s casual flirtatiousness). Some clues are more obvious than others, and since this one is about a particular series, it might take some thinking. If everyone pronounces it wrong, then chances are, it’s probably a name.
“It’s on,” Kellin mutters to himself, before realizing that there’s an old lady standing near him who is now giving him an odd look. Whoops.
Kellin eventually realizes that it’s the manga series Naruto, and sure enough, he finds the horse wedged in between the first and second volumes in the manga section. While he’s thinking of where to hide it (and trying to look like he’s doing something productive), he’s hit with a particularly evil stroke of genius. He’s only one or two inches taller than Vic, but that isn’t going to stop him.
Hey, you know those really tall shelves near the back of the store? Yeah. Have fun, Mr. Five-Foot-Six.
-your favorite person ever
P.S. Thank you. I’d bet it’d look even better on the floor of your bedroom, though.
—
Hey, Kellin, are you the internet? Because I’m gonna be on you all night long ;)
-Vic
P.S. Fuck you for just barely being taller than me. You’ve got hell to pay. I take back what I said about your shirt.
Because of course Vic would flirt with him and insult him in the same note.
This time, Kellin finds the horse inside some book about computers (seriously, computers) and proceeds to hide it in between a bunch of John Green books (he’s surprised neither of them had thought of that one yet).
Something about hurricanes. You have to have seen it on Tumblr.
-Kellin
P.S. Aw, come on. You know I love you.
After the last bit, Kellin draws a little doodle of a smiley face with its tongue sticking out, because why the hell not? He’s joking. They’re both totally joking.
—
If you give a Vic a Kellin, he’s going to ask Kellin out on a date. Wait. Shit. That’s not how the words go. But it’s something like that.
-Vic
P.S. You’re right. We should get coffee sometime.
Kellin isn’t sure whether or not Vic is kidding (he says things like this a lot), but nonetheless, he goes over to the children’s section to search for If You Give a Mouse a Cookie. The weird thing, though, is that the horse doesn’t seem to be there, and he can’t help but wonder if Vic might be fucking with him.
“Hey, Justin,” he calls to his coworker, trying not to be too loud. “You didn’t happen to see a tiny plastic horse around here, did you?”
Justin raises an eyebrow from where he’s stacking shelves in the Young Adult section. “Yeah, actually, just a few minutes ago. Some little kid was playing with it.”
“Shit,” Kellin mutters, his gaze sweeping over the entire store. Of course the horse would be hidden in a shelf low enough that a child could grab it. After a quick assessment, he finds a young boy with a lady whom Kellin assumes is his mother, heading towards the checkout. The kid has the horse gripped in his tiny hands.
As Kellin is walking over, wondering how he’s going to explain this one, the mother leans down and carefully removes the horse from the kid’s hands. “Andrew, what is this? Where did you find this?”
“Uh, that’s mine,” Kellin says awkwardly, holding his hand out. “Sorry. Long story.”
The mother gives him a confused look as she hands the horse over. “Um, okay. Here you go, then.”
“Thank you,” Kellin says quickly, probably blushing. Then he goes over to their Fifty Shades of Grey display (which he hates with a passion) and hides it there.
The worst erotic novel(s) ever written. This shouldn’t be difficult. (Also, some kid stole the horse and I had to get it back with a weird look from the mom. Now it’s covered in drool. Great job.)
-Kellin
P.S. I don’t drink coffee, but I like the idea.
Okay, so maybe he’s not joking anymore.
—
The next time Kellin comes in for his shift, he can’t find the Yiddish dictionary. He checks the entire reference section, wondering if maybe it was just misplaced, but no; it definitely seems to be gone, which means that Vic’s message is gone, too. And now he doesn’t know where to find the horse.
“Justin, have you seen a Yiddish dictionary anywhere?” he asks. “There used to be one right there, but it’s gone.”
Justin raises an eyebrow at him. “Um, I’m assuming someone bought it.”
Kellin almost can’t believe it. He and Vic chose the Yiddish dictionary specifically because nobody ever bought it. It was the only one left, and it seemed as though it’d be there forever, but it looks like that’s not the case.
When his shift ends, Kellin stays a little bit longer than usual, hanging out near the reference section until he spots the familiar stride of Vic Fuentes. Kellin had forgotten how attractive the guy really is, and he has to remind himself not to stare too long or too hard. “Vic,” he calls, waving him over.
Vic raises an eyebrow at the sight of him as he walks over. “Kellin? I thought your shift was over.”
“It is,” Kellin replies, motioning to the spot where the dictionary used to be. “Someone bought our Yiddish dictionary.”
“Are you serious? Does that mean you didn’t find the horse, then?”
“Mm-hmm,” Kellin says slowly.
Vic heads off in another direction, returning a few moments later with the plastic horse in his hand. “It was in one of the little decorative plants. Does this mean I win?” He flashes a teasing grin.
“No!” Kellin says indignantly.
Vic waves his hand. “Yeah, yeah, whatever. That’s kind of embarrassing, though, since some of our notes are still in there.”
Kellin nods. “What did yours say? The one that I didn’t get?”
Vic bites his lip, playing with a few pieces of his hair. “Other than the clue? I said that Starbucks has some non-caffeinated drinks that you might like, and then I kind of…” He trails off, his cheeks turning faintly red.
“Kind of what?” Kellin says. He’ll admit that he already has an idea of what Vic’s about to say, and he hopes that he’s right.
“I kind of asked you if you’d want to go out with me later this evening after my shift,” Vic says all in a rush.
In a way, Kellin’s known it was coming for the past week or so, with the direction that their notes were taking. That doesn’t mean it doesn’t excite him, though. He and Vic have been sarcastically flirting through their notes since this little game started, and somewhere along the line, it seemed to turn into…well, not-so-sarcastic flirting.
Now he understands why Vic said it was embarrassing that the person who bought the Yiddish dictionary still has some of their notes.
“Oh, wow,” Kellin says breathlessly, taking a moment to just sort of stare openly at Vic. He can’t help it. “Yeah. Yeah, absolutely.”
“Really?” Vic says, sounding genuinely surprised. “I mean—yeah. Yeah, okay, that’s great. Meet me back here later, okay?”
“Of course,” Kellin says, a smile spreading across his face. “Now I should probably go so you don’t get in trouble for not doing anything. That shirt looks great on you, by the way.”
“It’d look better on your bedroom floor,” Vic says, repeating Kellin’s words back to him. Kellin flips Vic off, but he’s still smiling.
—
Kellin and Vic find a different book to use: the book about computers that Vic had hidden the horse in before. It’s been a couple of months now, and they’re still going.
Vampires. That’s all I’m going to say.
-Vic aka your actual fave
Kellin finds the horse near the Twilight book series, and then he hides it next to a book full of gay sex positions. He’s not even sure if he’s kidding or not.
Dirty shit. We should try some of it sometime. Wink wink nudge nudge.
-your boyfriend
A couple of weeks ago, Vic, who works the shift right after Kellin, brought in a miniature plastic horse and started up a private scavenger hunt between the two of them. The idea is quite simple: at some point during the shift, the person working is supposed to check the single Yiddish dictionary in the reference section (it’s been there for God only knows how long) for a note that the other person has left with a hint as to where in the store the horse is hidden. The person is then supposed to go find it and hide it somewhere else within the store, writing their own note with a hint and putting it in the dictionary for the other person to find on their shift. It’s by far Kellin’s favorite part of the job, even though it isn’t even part of his job. It’s actually led to him and Vic becoming better friends, oddly enough; he’s not sure what could have prompted this idea in the first place, but he’s not complaining.
Really long-winded series. Everyone always pronounces it wrong. I think the main character does a funny run or something.
-Vic
P.S. That shirt looks great on you.
This is what Kellin is greeted with when he checks the dictionary, and he bites his lip, thinking for a long moment (and trying to ignore Vic’s casual flirtatiousness). Some clues are more obvious than others, and since this one is about a particular series, it might take some thinking. If everyone pronounces it wrong, then chances are, it’s probably a name.
“It’s on,” Kellin mutters to himself, before realizing that there’s an old lady standing near him who is now giving him an odd look. Whoops.
Kellin eventually realizes that it’s the manga series Naruto, and sure enough, he finds the horse wedged in between the first and second volumes in the manga section. While he’s thinking of where to hide it (and trying to look like he’s doing something productive), he’s hit with a particularly evil stroke of genius. He’s only one or two inches taller than Vic, but that isn’t going to stop him.
Hey, you know those really tall shelves near the back of the store? Yeah. Have fun, Mr. Five-Foot-Six.
-your favorite person ever
P.S. Thank you. I’d bet it’d look even better on the floor of your bedroom, though.
—
Hey, Kellin, are you the internet? Because I’m gonna be on you all night long ;)
-Vic
P.S. Fuck you for just barely being taller than me. You’ve got hell to pay. I take back what I said about your shirt.
Because of course Vic would flirt with him and insult him in the same note.
This time, Kellin finds the horse inside some book about computers (seriously, computers) and proceeds to hide it in between a bunch of John Green books (he’s surprised neither of them had thought of that one yet).
Something about hurricanes. You have to have seen it on Tumblr.
-Kellin
P.S. Aw, come on. You know I love you.
After the last bit, Kellin draws a little doodle of a smiley face with its tongue sticking out, because why the hell not? He’s joking. They’re both totally joking.
—
If you give a Vic a Kellin, he’s going to ask Kellin out on a date. Wait. Shit. That’s not how the words go. But it’s something like that.
-Vic
P.S. You’re right. We should get coffee sometime.
Kellin isn’t sure whether or not Vic is kidding (he says things like this a lot), but nonetheless, he goes over to the children’s section to search for If You Give a Mouse a Cookie. The weird thing, though, is that the horse doesn’t seem to be there, and he can’t help but wonder if Vic might be fucking with him.
“Hey, Justin,” he calls to his coworker, trying not to be too loud. “You didn’t happen to see a tiny plastic horse around here, did you?”
Justin raises an eyebrow from where he’s stacking shelves in the Young Adult section. “Yeah, actually, just a few minutes ago. Some little kid was playing with it.”
“Shit,” Kellin mutters, his gaze sweeping over the entire store. Of course the horse would be hidden in a shelf low enough that a child could grab it. After a quick assessment, he finds a young boy with a lady whom Kellin assumes is his mother, heading towards the checkout. The kid has the horse gripped in his tiny hands.
As Kellin is walking over, wondering how he’s going to explain this one, the mother leans down and carefully removes the horse from the kid’s hands. “Andrew, what is this? Where did you find this?”
“Uh, that’s mine,” Kellin says awkwardly, holding his hand out. “Sorry. Long story.”
The mother gives him a confused look as she hands the horse over. “Um, okay. Here you go, then.”
“Thank you,” Kellin says quickly, probably blushing. Then he goes over to their Fifty Shades of Grey display (which he hates with a passion) and hides it there.
The worst erotic novel(s) ever written. This shouldn’t be difficult. (Also, some kid stole the horse and I had to get it back with a weird look from the mom. Now it’s covered in drool. Great job.)
-Kellin
P.S. I don’t drink coffee, but I like the idea.
Okay, so maybe he’s not joking anymore.
—
The next time Kellin comes in for his shift, he can’t find the Yiddish dictionary. He checks the entire reference section, wondering if maybe it was just misplaced, but no; it definitely seems to be gone, which means that Vic’s message is gone, too. And now he doesn’t know where to find the horse.
“Justin, have you seen a Yiddish dictionary anywhere?” he asks. “There used to be one right there, but it’s gone.”
Justin raises an eyebrow at him. “Um, I’m assuming someone bought it.”
Kellin almost can’t believe it. He and Vic chose the Yiddish dictionary specifically because nobody ever bought it. It was the only one left, and it seemed as though it’d be there forever, but it looks like that’s not the case.
When his shift ends, Kellin stays a little bit longer than usual, hanging out near the reference section until he spots the familiar stride of Vic Fuentes. Kellin had forgotten how attractive the guy really is, and he has to remind himself not to stare too long or too hard. “Vic,” he calls, waving him over.
Vic raises an eyebrow at the sight of him as he walks over. “Kellin? I thought your shift was over.”
“It is,” Kellin replies, motioning to the spot where the dictionary used to be. “Someone bought our Yiddish dictionary.”
“Are you serious? Does that mean you didn’t find the horse, then?”
“Mm-hmm,” Kellin says slowly.
Vic heads off in another direction, returning a few moments later with the plastic horse in his hand. “It was in one of the little decorative plants. Does this mean I win?” He flashes a teasing grin.
“No!” Kellin says indignantly.
Vic waves his hand. “Yeah, yeah, whatever. That’s kind of embarrassing, though, since some of our notes are still in there.”
Kellin nods. “What did yours say? The one that I didn’t get?”
Vic bites his lip, playing with a few pieces of his hair. “Other than the clue? I said that Starbucks has some non-caffeinated drinks that you might like, and then I kind of…” He trails off, his cheeks turning faintly red.
“Kind of what?” Kellin says. He’ll admit that he already has an idea of what Vic’s about to say, and he hopes that he’s right.
“I kind of asked you if you’d want to go out with me later this evening after my shift,” Vic says all in a rush.
In a way, Kellin’s known it was coming for the past week or so, with the direction that their notes were taking. That doesn’t mean it doesn’t excite him, though. He and Vic have been sarcastically flirting through their notes since this little game started, and somewhere along the line, it seemed to turn into…well, not-so-sarcastic flirting.
Now he understands why Vic said it was embarrassing that the person who bought the Yiddish dictionary still has some of their notes.
“Oh, wow,” Kellin says breathlessly, taking a moment to just sort of stare openly at Vic. He can’t help it. “Yeah. Yeah, absolutely.”
“Really?” Vic says, sounding genuinely surprised. “I mean—yeah. Yeah, okay, that’s great. Meet me back here later, okay?”
“Of course,” Kellin says, a smile spreading across his face. “Now I should probably go so you don’t get in trouble for not doing anything. That shirt looks great on you, by the way.”
“It’d look better on your bedroom floor,” Vic says, repeating Kellin’s words back to him. Kellin flips Vic off, but he’s still smiling.
—
Kellin and Vic find a different book to use: the book about computers that Vic had hidden the horse in before. It’s been a couple of months now, and they’re still going.
Vampires. That’s all I’m going to say.
-Vic aka your actual fave
Kellin finds the horse near the Twilight book series, and then he hides it next to a book full of gay sex positions. He’s not even sure if he’s kidding or not.
Dirty shit. We should try some of it sometime. Wink wink nudge nudge.
-your boyfriend
♠ ♠ ♠
I was planning on writing something else today but this idea was just too good. based off of this Tumblr text post except I changed it to a bookstore.