Chapter Text
"got my nametag, got my apron, got my notes and my pen", Nate whispered to himself as he prepared for his daily shift at Sid's Pizza.
He wanted everything to be perfect. Just as always. They did have a reputation to uphold of "best Pizza in Gryffindor" after all. Even the city's Ice-hockey team were regulars and even had personal connections with some of the cooks and staff there. And because ice-hockey was pretty much holy to all of Gryffindor - and so were their players - only the most experienced waiters were allowed to serve them, just in case.
Sid had told Nate earlier that he'd be alone today though, Ian who was supposed to be working today called in sick just two minutes before opening time and now Nate was all alone. It was unlikely that anyone could cover that fast. But the place wasn't busy so all should have been good.
It all should have been.
Nobody expected a lion to show up then. Luckily it wasn't the whole team, but it was still so important. And he was alone. He had to serve a lion. After two weeks of working at Sid's. He was being transferred to the most important task out of nowhere. With not even close to enough experience.
He would represent Sid's as best as he could, of course, but if the player told the rest of the team he didn't want to come to theirs anymore, Nate would be fired. Thrown out of all of Gryffindor to be honest.
He took a deep breath. No. He could do this. It's just a costumer as any other. Well, only that this costumer was a celebrity everybody loved and he could just as easily destroy his whole future. No. It would go well. He was sure.
He maybe should also not have the - shit - the captain of the lions, he realised now, waiting that long for a table.
Walking over as fast as he could, without looking stressed - which he was of course in no way - and started to mentally calm himself before trying to make his voice sound steady:
"Welcome to Sid's Pizza! Mr. Black, Mr. Lupin, right?" They were supposed to know the whole team including staff, but he was so nervous at that moment it suddenly made him unsure.
"Yeah.", the team medic answered a bit surprised as Captain Black began to smirk. Maybe Nate said something funny and didn't realise it, but he guessed being funny was good thing so he just went on.
"May we offer you a booth in the back? It would be a bit more private." He saw the medic looking at the floor slowly and fidgeting with his coat for a moment. The captains cheeks getting a bit rosy at his statement. He thought about it for a second, but then added " you know, because of all the paparazzi? "
Yup, he was fired. He was so polite in the beginning. It was going so well. "you know" ?! He wasn't best friends with Sirius, he was their waiter. He should have addressed them properly. How could he have been so stupid.
Sirius apparently noticing him debating with himself smiled and said: "Yeah, that would probably help a lot. Thanks, mate."
On autopilot he showed them their table. After they had sat down and he had brought them the menus though he walked to the kitchen quickly the heat in his face increasing with each thought and step.
Sirius Black just called him mate. Mate. This moment was by far the best in his life. He didn't mess up. Well, he did, Sirius just didn't seem to mind him messing up. But then again he was sitting on the kitchen floor talking to himself instead of severing the people the food they were waiting for outside.
So he jumped up and took a peperoni pizza two small margaritas and a Greek salad to table four and got the cute couple on table six icecream to share, as requested.
Going back to the more important task. The world famous ice hockey player and his- friend? team's medic? boyfriend? he didn't want to assume, but they would make a rather adorable couple. Now that he thought about it, there was something between them. The way the Captain had blushed when Nate suggested a more private booth.The way the medic was constantly fidgeting with his coat next to him.
There weren't any openly gay ice hockey players in the NHL now but they could still be dating. Or, well, maybe they weren't yet but they seemed to flirty to be friends?
Since he himself had struggled a lot with secret gay pining, though, he just decided to try to make them see the obvious mutual attraction. He wouldn't go full on matchmaker with them, still not wanting to get fired. But he could just change the restaurants music or bring them a dessert to share... a milkshake with two straws and once they'd drink they would stare longingly into each other eyes and- okay maybe he'd watched too many romantic movies lately, but he would at least try out a few things.