Chapter Text
“Why don’t I buy you dinner, handsome?” Rooster slung his arm over Bob's shoulder, the two had been the last out of the bar, trying their very best to both stay sober, but they had got caught up in the heat of the night and were held back by the endlessly concerned Penny.
“You never fail to romanticize, do you?” Bob poked, getting a chuckle from Rooster in response. “Here, I know there's a pretty good taco truck down the street, would you like that?” Rooster immediately nodded with enthusiasm.
“So what are you getting?” Bob giggled, the two were in line, and Bob had been looking up and down the shadily lighted menu on the side of the truck.
“The san-diego-spice-bomb?” Rooster read, and looked over at Bob “If I ate that would it impress you?”
“Oh I would be so goddamn impressed.” Bob looked at Rooster as the two stepped up to the window.
“Welcome to los hermanos de carne, may I take your order?” an older, kind man asked.
“Hi” Bob waved “I’ll get the pork tacos, and he’ll get the…” he trailed off and pointed to Rooster behind him.
“The san-diego-spice-bomb.” Rooster stated quite matter-of-factly.
“The san-diego-spice-bomb.” Bob said, verbatim, patting his pockets to find his wallet, but Rooster stopped him by grabbing his hand then getting his own wallet and placing it on the counter, a red-orange card next to it.
“You sure kid?” The employee asked, “This is some of the spiciest shit in Cally.” Rooster nodded and the employee swiped his card, he put the card back on the counter and walked back to the kitchen.
The two men walked over to an empty picnic table and sat down, lively conversation was quick to follow.
“Order five!” A voice from the window called, Bob checked his receipt and there it was, he grabbed the bag and sat back down at the table.
“Ooh.” Rooster crooed after seeing the bag. “gimme.” He made grabby hands as Bob giggled at his insistence.
“You heard what he said, slow down.” Bob chuckled, handing the bag to Rooster.
“Yeah, yeah.” Rooster waved off. “I have a high tolerance, I can handle spice.”
“Whatever you say, rocket man.” Bob chuckled as Rooster picked up his taco.
“Rocket man?”
“Is it too late to change your callsign?”
Rooster took a bite and was immediately confused. “You know what this really isn’t that spi-“ Rooster stopped, the back of his throat was seemingly on fire.
Rooster had experienced bad spice before but this was simply hellish.
“Darling? Rooster?” Bob said, interrupted by the glassy looking Rooster. “Bradley?”
“He- that guy wasn’t joking.” Rooster coughed, he was somehow getting chills and sweating from the extreme spice.
“Oh my god.”
“Help.” Cried Rooster, it was less of a cry and more of a whimper, that of the likes of a wounded animal.
“Okay.” Bob tried to rationalize but Rooster was clearly growing panicked. “I can run to that 7/11!? Buy you some Ben and Jerry’s!?” Rooster nodded; Bob grabbed his wallet and phone from off the table, he rushed down the street, fast as lightning.
Bob is sure he had never ran into a convenience store, just to buy Ben and Jerry’s faster; well maybe once for someone’s period but other than that, this was the fastest he could recall.
“Do you have uh- Ben and Jerry’s anywhere?” Bob asked the tired cashier as he pointed to the freezer behind Bob. “Thanks.” Bob payed and ran
“Okay I got you cookie dough!” Bob threw down a bag and a plastic spoon, when he glanced down he saw only one half eaten taco remained “Did you eat more?!”
“They were yummy.” Rooster choked, but it was clouded with pain as he dug into the ice cream.
“Oh sweet relief.” Rooster said between bites of the ice cream, but a voice in the back of his head told him to finish them.
“Oh my lord,” Bob shook his head in between bites. “you’re finishing the tacos.”
“I can’t help it.” He said, trying to mask how much he was dealing with.
“Bradley.”
“Robert.”