Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It was a normal afternoon rush at Tanière de Lapins. Gilbert was supposed to go on his lunch break hours ago, but he was still carrying orders back and forth from the kitchen. Not to mention Antonio had at least five orders still waiting behind the one he was still working on, and there sat Francis, leaning on the glass of baked goods he made just hours ago, he stared at the blond man sat just a few feet away from him.

He had shaggy blond hair and those emerald eyes Francis felt like he could swim in. “Francis~” he imagined the man calling his name, “Francis~” his thoughts echoed as he thought of all the fun they could have, “FRANCIS!” is all he heard when he looked away from the dining area to his now extremely annoyed co-worker. “What the heck is wrong with you? I called your name like a million times?!” Gilbert whisper yelled, as to avoid disturbing the ambiance in the restaurant. “I-I’m sorry I got distracted with something. Who’s that at table four?” he said nodding his head in the direction of the previously mentioned blond man across the room. “Oh that dude? Some english guy I think.” just then fireworks went off in Francis’s brain, it was almost as if the universe was telling him to get with the man! Francis could already see his whole life with this guy, regardless of his personality.

“Francis dear God, I’m still talking to you!” Gilbert said snapping Francis back to reality again when the gears finally turned “Ah, I see what this is…you’ve found your skank of the month.” he said mocking the head-over-heels expression of the baker. Francis didn’t even bother to correct the mockery, he was so enthralled in his new lover.

“Gilbert!” he said lighting up and grabbing the other man by his shoulders “I NEED him in my life. I mean look at him! We were made for eachother!” Gilbert had probably the most unenthusiastic look on his face as his friend went on about his new found love. “Look Francis, I would but what would I even say? ‘Hey man, you see the pervy French baker over there? Yeah he said he wants you to screw him blind.’ because I’m 100 percent sure that will get me a black eye.” he said as he released himself from the Frenchman’s grips and walked back in the kitchen.

“Well obviously you don’t say that,” he said as he followed in to the kitchen “Oh I know just what to do!”he said as he lit up “I go make his some nice blueberry scones and tea and you send them to his table for me…?” he said in a meek voice almost like a child talking to his father. Gilbert sighed,heavily,and rubbed the bridge of his nose and muttered under his breath “Herr, wirf Hirn vom Himmel….” before he continued in English and turned to Antonio, whom was slaving over a boiling stove. “Antonio,PLEASE, tell this HARLOT that I’m not going to go get him sex for the next month at table four.” he said crossing his arms looking at the young chef who had his eyes glued to a pot of soup. “I don’t understand the issue Gilbert?” he said as he looked up to the two men “Francis makes some good scones, you take them to the table for him, say the baker made them for him specifically, and rest will sort itself out!” Gilbert was now staring at the Spaniard slackjawed while Francis looked like he just won a war “See?? Antonio agrees with it, and he’s like horrible with girls!” Francis said looking down and spitting on Gilbert from his high horse. “Yeah I agree and I’m- wait a minute…are you saying I have no play?” the three proceeded to argue in the kitchen for five minutes until,

“You three NEVER stop arguing do you?” questioned a hostess who looked just about ready to kill all three young men. They turned to see a brown haired young woman furrowing her brow to them with a look of pure rage “AH, PERFECT ELIZABETA, TELL ME, IF YOUR FRIEND SAID “Hey girl can you go up to that guy and tell him I want to have sex with him!” WOULD YOU DO IT?”. She stared at all three a little dumbfounded,more specifically Gilbert (because who opens up a conversation like that?), before answering “Well… I mean if they’re asking me for help I would do it…” both Antonio and Francis erupted “EXACTLY OUR POINT” they both yelped before turning back to the now flustered and embarrassed albino man between them. “Anyways,” she started “I just came to tell you that you need to get back to your tables Gilbert.” she said before walking back to the dining area. Gilbert sighed basically admitting his defeat “Go make his food and tea then I’ll take it over.” he huffed looking at Francis whom was now beaming. “Oh mon Dieu, Gilbert, je ne peux pas te remercier assez!” said the Frenchman who now had Gilbert in a tight hug “Yeah, yeah, you owe me for this though!”

“I’m so sorry for the wait sir, we had to sort a misunderstanding out in the kitchen. Your earl gray tea and blueberry scones.” he said placing down a small platter of scones and a cup of tea. The young man looked at the platter and cup,and back at Gilbert “Oh, I didn’t order yet, I believe you have the wrong person.” Gilbert looked at the man and said “You’re right sir you did not order these, the baker sent them to you complimentary.” He said with his best customer service voice. “Oh,” said the Englishman now looking down at his tea and scones fondly “Who exactly is this baker?” he asked a gleam of curiosity in his eyes. Gilbert turned away and pointed to the bakery where Francis was staring very intently at Gilbert and said Englishman’s conversation “Do you see the tall-ish guy with blond hair falling out of his stupid bun and the bakers uniform? Yeah thats your secret admirer. His names Francis Bonnefoy, he just turned 28, and hes a hot eligible bachelor.”. The young man turned to see a positively anxious Francis who was chewing on a handkerchief to avoid going insane. “Well my names Arthur Kirkland, and you can tell him he shouldn’t be scared, I don’t bite.” he said laughing at the quite handsome young man across the room.

Chapter Text

Francis was now biting his handkerchief in pure anxiety as he watched Gilbert and the man speak. “Francis, calm down, I’m sure Gilbert won’t mess this up,” Antonio said, not even sure if what he was saying was true.

“Non, what if he does, and now I look like a total fool?!” he said, now grabbing Antonio by his shoulders and shaking him. “Mierda, I think you’re going insane now..” he said as he was being shaken when they both saw Gilbert walking back to them. “Gilbert!” Francis exclaimed, “What happened? What did he say? Did he like the scones? Did you tell him they were free from me? J'ai besoin de réponses MAINTENANT.”

Francis questioned the waiter like a madman. “Mein Gott, Francis, chill out!” Francis backed away and smoothed out his gold blond curls, as they were now all over the place rather than the neatly laid bun from before. “You’re right, sorry,” he sighed. “Ok, what did he say?” he repeated in a now calmer manner. “Well, he said his name is Arthur Kirkland, if I remember right, and he said ‘He shouldn’t be scared, I don’t bite.’ So I think he wants you to go to the table?” Gilbert watched Francis go pale at the thought of talking to him. “H-he wants me to go over there and…talk to him..?” Francis muttered. “Oh, je dois rêver, what do I do now?!” he exclaimed, his hair falling out of its once neatly laid low bun.

“Well, for starters, you could go up to the man and introduce yourself,” Antonio said, placing his hand on the nervous man’s shoulder, “but y’know, don’t take it literally because I’m horrible with dates.”. Poor Francis looked at the man, insane. “Not the time! This is serious!” he exclaimed as he started to pace around an enclosed part of the bakery where Arthur couldn’t see. “What if he thinks I’m a pussy or something?”.

Gilbert and Antonio looked at each other,

And then back at Francis, who was now staring at both of them.

“Francis, I think we’re a little beyond that now…” said Antonio, trying to sympathize with Francis. “Ja, plus he was flirting with you, through me, so obviously he thinks you’re cute.” Gilbert said as he wrapped his hand around the stressed man, “All you have to do is go over there, sit down, and say some stuff like ‘Hey, cutie…are you going anywhere after this?’”

Francis looked at both men, who were now gassing each other up with “yeah” and “that's awesome bro!” thinking they were probably the two smartest men to ever roam the Earth.

Eventually, Francis slipped away from the juvenile antics of his friends and walked back out of the bakery to try and get a peek at Arthur. “Merde, comment je vais faire ça...” he muttered as he stared at Arthur with longing eyes.

It was almost as if Arthur could feel eyes peering at the back of his head. It’s not like he exactly minded, though; it was the first time in ages he’d seen someone get this excited over him. He turned around to look at the baker and invite him over, but all he saw was a pair of blue eyes staring at him like sapphires. Before he could even say anything, though, the man was already walking to his table.

“Ahem,” a throat cleared behind him.

“Ah,” Arthur said as he stood and looked at the man, who was only an inch taller than him. “So you must be the baker? My name’s Arthur.”

“H-hello… my name's Francis, but I mean you already knew that,” he said, combing his fingers through his hair and laughing nervously.

Then there was a silence, not an awkward one, but they were just silent, staring at each other. Arthur could feel his whole face turning red as he looked into Francis sapphire eyes. They were such a crystal color, not to mention how well they complemented his blond curls. Oh, Francis’s hair? It could only be described as cherub-like. The way it was tied looked so effortlessly handsome and yet so simple.

“Bloody!” Arthur exclaimed, snapping out of dreamland, “I forgot to get you a chair, I’ll go-“

“No, it’s alright!” Francis said, stopping Arthur in his tracks, “I have to get back to work after this, um, I was just wondering… would you like to get a drink or dinner after I get off of work?”. He said sheepishly, in all honesty, Francis thought Arthur was too cool for him. I mean, look at him! He had piercings up and down his ear and even a few on his face, and then there was Francis, who was raised in the countryside of France and looked as plain as they come.

“Maybe this was a bad idea.” Francis thought

And just like that, Francis’s mind was running with a million different types of ideas as to why Arthur would say no, but,

“I’d love to! I know some amazing pubs in the area. Here, meet me at this address,” Arthur said as he scribbled on a notepad. “It’s my flat address.”

“Ok great, I’ll be there at 9:00!” Francis said, putting the little note in the pocket of his apron.

Chapter Text

After playing eye tag on and off for about 20 minutes with Francis, Arthur finally decided to leave the restaurant and go back to his flat across the street.

As he picked up his things and started to leave he caught Francis’s stare from the bakery. He gave the man a wave and smile and then finally walked out of the restaurant.

As Arthur walked up the stairs to his flat on the third floor he finally had some time to think about this whole ordeal with Francis.

Should I buy him flowers?  Or maybe some wine?

He thought as he tried to wrap his mind around how he would even approach him. To be frank, Arthur felt a lot more confident when he had the safety net of Francis’s wingmen, but now that it was a one on one thing he felt quite nervous.

He let out a shaky sigh as he turned his key in the lock and opened the door to his flat, where he was welcomed by his brother, Duncan.

“Wow, you’re home early.”

Duncan said in a snarky voice, which to be honest, they all were as snarky as they come. “Ha ha,” Arthur laughed sarcastically “Is Dylan home yet?” he questioned.

“No, I think he’s running some errands right now,” he said as he got up from his spot on the couch and started to go to the kitchen “he’ll be back soon I bet.”

Arthur deflated a little, he was hoping to get better insight from Dylan as he was quite intuitive, but seeing as he wasn’t going to be home for who knows how long, Duncan would have to do.

“Duncan, I need your help with…something.” he said mumbling it out.

“Right… well what is it? I can’t read your mind.” Duncan said in his snarky voice.

“Uhm…”

He stood there pale as a ghost for a minute trying to think if it was even worth telling his brother.

“Well…I’ve got a date at 9:00 and I don’t know what to do at all! I’m stressing out, I mean do I get him flowers or anything at all? Bloody hell, what do I do?!”

“Wow, ok,”

Said the young man a lot more taken aback than before. This was the first time he had ever seen Arthur this stressed in a minute. “just calm down, and tell me how you met this guy.” he said as he walked back to the living room where Arthur was now pacing the perimeter of the coffee table.

“Right, well, I was walking, and I saw this quaint little café so i walked in and sat down, and then there was this Blond bloke staring at me, and then the waiter came over and brought me bloody tea and scones that I didn’t order and said that the Blond man ordered them for me and now I have a date with him at 9:00! Oh and I forgot to mention HE’S THE BLOODY BAKER AT THE CAFE. ”

“So you’re going on a semi blind date essentially?” questioned the young man as he tried to wrap his head around the situation. “Basically yes…” sighed Arthur as he continued pacing “He looks like a nice chap, he’s only a year older than me, and he said his name was Francis.”

Duncan sat there in his own silence and pondered as Arthur muttered to himself and paced the coffee table.

“Right, is the lad handsome atleast?”

He questioned aloud wondering if it would maybe calm him down.

“Handsome is an understatement! Oh Duncan, he has these crystal blue eyes that i could swim in, and his hair? Oh don’t get me started on it. He has these blond curls that look like a cherub blessed him with em’. Not to mention his-“

“Right I didn’t ask for an in depth analysis ya’ eejit.”

Duncan said snapping Arthur out of his trance

“I’m certain you’ll be fine you twat, there’s not much that can go wrong.” he said as he got up to put his hand on Arthur’s shoulder “You’re right Duncan, thank you.” he said as he attempted to give his brother a hug, but was swiftly stopped.

“You’ll get a hug at your wedding lad not now.”

he said laughing as he walked away from the living room and in to the kitchen.

Chapter Text

Arthur looked down at his quaint silver watch,

9:05 PM

is what it read. You’d think he was being timed for some sort of race for how often he was looking at his watch.

“Arthur?”

Said a meek French voice from a few feet away. Arthur turned to look at the man and exclaimed in nervousness, “Francis!” , he sheepishly stepped up to the man giving him a peck on the cheek “I know a spectacular pub nearby, do you want drinks or would you rather eat first?” he said to the frenchman “Erm, drinks sound nice.” said the tall young man completely flustered as they walked to the pub.

The bells on the door jingled as the two men walked in and sat the table. For a Friday evening the pub was quite empty with only a few people lingering around the barstools and tables. “Do you know what you want to drink?” questioned the englishman. “Do they have wine here?” asked the frenchman, “They might but it’s not entirely customary to drink wine at a pub love,” he said chuckling a little between words “how about a beer to start?” he said simply. “Oui that sounds nice.”

“Smooth,”

Francis thought to himself

“how could I ask a man to drinks and the barely choke out a sentence??”

“Stupid

Stupid

Stupi-“

“So what brought you to London? I’m certain it wasn’t for the food”

Arthur said jokingly to try and get the frenchman to actually speak. Francis laughed a little before saying “ Well I came here because I wanted to experience what life if like out side of France. As much as I love my country, sometimes it’s not always the best.” he said as his smile faded and he looked back into his lap. “What do you mean by “not always the best”?”

Francis was really hoping he wouldn’t have to talk about this, especially in front of his date.

“It’s a long story I don’t think you want to hear it “ he chuckled nervously 

Arthur leaned back in his chair “It’s fine I understand, we can talk about it later.”

….

“What does he mean by later…?” 

Francis thought.

”I’m sure it’s nothing harmful.”

Some time later, both young men are positively plastered. As the bar starts to fill up with people coming from clubs and all sorts of places they both come to and agreement to leave and wander the streets for a while. 

“Francis,”

“Oui mon amour~”,said the Frenchman who could barely walk at this point because of how much beer he had.

”Look up!”

Francis peered his head up at the sky and tilted in confusion 

“What am I looking for…?”

Arthur grabbed the man’s hand and lifted it up to point at the stars over head.

”Do you see those stars over there?”

”Oui, what about them?”

”Thats the constellation of Orion, me and my father used to look at constellations when I was young, Orion was his favorite.He always said that- ”

As Francis listened to the man talk, he looked in to Arthur’s emerald eyes he was overcome with a feeling of emended love for the man. 

“Orion was actually a hunter and the constellation is supposed to-“

Arthur felt Francis’s perfect lips against his, and for a moment, the world had stopped spinning around them as they held on to ther warm embrace,

for about two minutes at least.

”GET A ROOM *******!”

The two men turned to the man across the street, then back to each other.

”I suppose he's right mon amour~” Said the love stricken Frenchman as he led Arthur to his humble abode.