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“Matt...” Shiro pinched the bridge of his nose. “I’m not interested in women...”
“Oohh...” Matt bit his lip and nodded. “I see... You like dudes,”
Shiro nodded and took a sip of his whiskey. He leaned back in his seat. “That’s why I suggested that gay bar downtown,”
“Want me to hook you up with a guy?” Matt winked. “I can get the ball rolling for you,”
The light-haired man’s cheeks flushed. “I.. Em, no thanks,”
“Oh, come on! Loosen up, talk to somebody! You haven’t gone out in a long time, it’d be good for your health if you messed around a bit,”
“Matt, remember the last time you were my wingman?”
“That was before I knew you were gay!”
Shiro groaned. “Uh-huh,”
A guy across the room caught Matt’s eye. “Hey, he’s pretty hot. What about him?”
Shiro leaned forward and peered at the man, who was dancing with a woman. “Not my type. Besides, he’s with a girl. I don’t wanna intrude,”
Matt hummed in response. “Alright, alright. Him!” He extended an index finger at a man with long, dark hair. “He’s good looking,”
Shiro instantly turned red. “Matt, don’t point!”
“Ho, ho, ho! You like him?” Matt jabbed his friend with his elbow. “Want me to talk to him?”
“No, thanks. I’m good,”
“Nonsense,” Matt stood from the bar and began to walk away. “Don’t worry. I’ll make you sound like the coolest and sexiest guy at the bar,”
Keith jumped out of his skin as the dirty blonde slid into the seat next to him. He nearly spat his drink onto the ugly tufa tiles.
“You come here often?” Matt tossed a wolfish grin at the man.
“Um...” Keith tilted his head. “No?”
Matt smirked, pointing at a flustered Shiro on the other side of the bar. “You see that guy? He digs you,”
Keith blinked. “Uh... Okay? What do you want me to do?”
Matt rested his weight on his elbows. “What do you make of him?” Keith turned to glance at Shiro before facing Matt again. “I don’t know him,”
“He’s like George Clooney from Ocean’s 11. Smoking hot, enough to turn your innocent grandmother into a raging wombat,”
Keith stood from the bar and set his half-empty glass on the counter. “Okay, okay, I get it. He’s super hot, and I wanna somehow conceive his children,”
“My job here is done,” Matt gestured for Shiro to join the conversation, only to find the man was no longer there. “Hell. Did you see him go?”
“No, you were convincing me why I should want to conceive his children,”
“You came to that conclusion yourself,”
“Fair enough,” Keith sat back on the barstool.
Matt groaned, turning to rush out the door. “Goddamnit, if he left me...”
Shiro sat in the passenger side of his car, cradling his head in his hands. “I got nervous... I’ve never done this before, Matt,” The white-haired man sighed. He nipped his bottom lip between his teeth anxiously.
Matt slid into the driver’s seat and shrugged. “I’ve never tried to get with a man either... But I’m not into that, so there’s no reason to try,”
“Take me home, Matt,”
“Shiro...”
“Take me home,” Shiro hissed.
“Fine,” Matt exhaled, taking his keys out of his pocket and twisting them in ignition.
Shiro stumbled through the red, carpeted hallway and into an elevator. Once he arrived to the second floor, he walked down the lit corridor to his one-bedroom apartment and pulled out his keycard to open the door. He paused and looked to his left. The man from the bar, still pretty enough to bring heat to Shiro’s cheeks, sat in front the neighboring door. Keith’s eyes caught his and Shiro did a double take.
“I left my key in the apartment. My friend Pidge is supposed to bring me the spare I gave them,” Keith explained. “But they live an hour away, and they have to take the subway,”
Shiro bit back a gasp. “Wait. Pidge?”
“Yeah,” He smiled softly. An awkward silence filled the air as Shiro considered the risky decision he was about to make. After a moment of silence, he concluded and turned to the other man.
“Would you like to come inside, have a cup of coffee? Help you sober up?”
Keith’s face turned a light shade of pink. “Sure...” He got to his feet. “I mean, as long as you don’t murder me,”
Shiro chuckled, swiping the keycard through the slot above the handle. “You can never be too careful... Serial killers look like normal people,”
“I think the chance to talk to the man who’s hot as George Clooney in Ocean’s 11 would be worth it,” Keith brushed against Shiro, winking cleverly.
Shiro snorted. “Did Matt say that?”
“If Matt is the very persuasive man at the bar, then yes,”
Shiro nudged the door and held it open for Keith.
“Why, you’re a gentleman,” Keith ducked under Shiro’s arm.
“Come to the kitchen, I’ll start a coffee pot. Decaf or caffeine?” Shiro led him into the kitchen and Keith took a seat at the table. Shiro pulled two mugs from the cabinet.
“Caffeine,”
“Staying up late tonight?” Shiro winked.
“I’m planning on waiting three hours before Pidge gets back with my key,”
Shiro nodded, turning to the coffeemaker as it made a gurgling sound. He lifted a mug from the tray and slid it to Keith. “It’s weird how dentists talk to you while they’re working in your mouth,”
“What?” Keith looked up from his coffee.
Shiro shrugged. “I dunno, I’m just trying to break the ice,”
Keith nodded, taking a careful sip of hot coffee. “I agree with you, it is somewhat inconvenient,”
“Like when they ask you ‘how’s work doing’ and you try to speak as clearly as you can with your mouth open,”
“It’s funny how they can understand you. As if they take a whole course in college that teaches them to understand mumbling,” Keith chuckled.
“It’d be awkward if they said nothing at all,”
“Yes, it would,” Keith nodded his head, leaning back in his chair. “What do you do for work?”
“I work at the Applebee’s a few streets down,” Shiro downed the rest of his coffee, shyly avoiding Keith’s gaze.
“Oh, I’ve been there! When are your shifts?” Keith smiled.
“I work from Monday to Friday. Clock in at ten, clock out at six,” Shiro poured himself another cup of coffee. He gestured to fill Keith’s mug, but Keith shook his head. “What do you do?”
“Sell jewelry at Kay’s,” Keith blinks. “Mostly engagement rings,”
“You like that job?”
“Meh, it pays alright. There’re other things I’d like to be doing with my life,”
Shiro nodded. “Like what?”
“Forensics,”
A few hours pass as Keith and Shiro talk. They’re in the middle of a conversation about lamps when Keith’s phone rings.
“One minute, I have to take this,” Keith answered the phone and listened for a second. He looked to Shiro. “Pidge just got back with my key. I think I should head out now,”
“Oh, of course,” Shiro got up and led Keith to the door.
“I had a good time,” Keith said to Shiro, whose face shone a bright shade of pink. “I’d like to hang out again sometime. Maybe we could continue our lamp discussion,”
Shiro chuckled. “I’d love to. Could I get your number?”
Keith rummaged through his back pocket before pulling out a pen. “Do you have something for me to write it on?”
“Just write it on my hand,” Shiro held out the palm of his left hand to Keith. Keith scribbled the string of digits along his hand.
“Done,” Keith smiled, slipping the pen back into his jeans. He leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss to Shiro’s cheek. “Goodnight...”
Keith rushed down the hallway as a red-faced Shiro whispered breathlessly.
“Goodnight,”