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Keith liked his job. Mostly.
There were days when he wished he wouldn’t have to deal with people speaking slowly to him because they think he can’t understand English well enough. Sometimes he liked to fuck with them and roll with it until he’d thank them later in clear English when they’d finished eating.
Other times he hated dealing with larger groups, all of them taking forever to order even when they’d been given 15 minutes already.
He especially hated it when families would come in and the parents didn’t even bother to clean up after their kids even a little bit, as if Keith had suddenly become their babysitter and the parents had a right to complain about the mess.
And the tips never got any better either.
So Keith sort of, kind of tolerated his job.
On one particularly rainy day Keith found himself folding up napkins to pass the time. The restaurant was mostly empty, aside from a table of regulars that came in to discuss their businesses amongst each other.
Keith wondered if he could leave early, hand over the waiting duties to his co-worker, but then he heard the familiar chime of the door swinging open to indicate a customer coming in.
Keith let out a deep sigh, gathering up his pen and pad and walking out from behind the front counter to greet whoever came in.
And then he was met with a man who - Keith could readily admit - was ridiculously beautiful. The rain had caused his short hair to cling to his forehead, splatters of freckles dancing across his cheeks and his eyes were the brightest blue Keith had ever seen.
Keith lost his voice for a moment.
Luckily the man spoke first, giving Keith a few seconds to compose himself right. “Hi, just a table for one, please.”
God, even his voice was beautiful, like silky honey.
“Sure, no problem, follow me,” Keith managed to get out, guiding the man over to a table near the window. “Will this be alright?”
The man nodded, a gorgeous smile appearing. “Yes, thank you. I love watching the rain fall, actually.”
Keith relaxed a bit, telling him he would be back with some warm tea for the table. He couldn’t help but glance at the man several times as he prepared the drink, watching him as he looked out the window fondly. Keith caught himself staring too long, and he kicked himself into gear again and walked back over to him.
“Here you are,” Keith said, placing the cup and pot on the table. “Do you know what you’d like to order?”
The man gave him another blinding smile, the rain outside casting a gorgeous pattern of shadows to dance over his face. “I was wondering if you’d recommend anything for me,” he said.
Keith blinked. He wasn’t usually asked for his opinion, so he tried to remember anything from the menu that stood out to him. “Well, the Wonton Soup is always a favourite, or you could go with Yuk Gae Jang if you want it more spicy,” Keith listed off, “Bulgogi is great, or you could switch the beef for chicken, if you’d prefer. We also have several Miso soups available.”
The man thought it over for a bit, his fingers fiddling as he did. “I suppose I’ll start easy, perhaps, and get the Wonton,” he laughed softly.
Keith felt himself smile for the first time that day, wanting to hear the man’s laugh again. He scribbled it down quickly, saying it won’t be long before heading back to the kitchen to give the chef the order.
The entire time the meal was being prepared Keith continued to watch the man near the window. He hoped it didn’t look too creepy of him, but something about the man drew him in, made Keith want to know his story (as cliché as that sounded).
A small ‘ding’ rang out and he went to grab the dish before strolling back over to him, placing it down gently. “Did you need anything else?”
The man shook his head, “No, that’s all, thank you,” he said sincerely, his eyes soft as he looked up at Keith.
Keith felt a shiver crawl up his spine, so he nodded once before turning back around to go and hide behind the counter again. Over the next half an hour Keith’s mind was occupied by the man near the window, and he briefly wondered why someone like him was here alone. Not that Keith thought eating alone was a bad thing - he thought the opposite in fact - but this man had an energy about him, like he should be adored, sought after.
The man’s gaze locked on Keith’s and he made a gesture to ask for the receipt. Keith ran it through the register, placing the bill and a complementary sweet on a tray before heading back over.
“Thank you,” the guy smiled, “And for the meal, it was very good.”
“I’ll let the chef know,” Keith promised, watching the man reach for his wallet (God, even his hands were pretty). He cleared the table, giving the man some space to count up his payment, and by the time Keith returned from the kitchen the man was by the door, sending Keith one last smile before walking back out into the grey streets of the afternoon.
Keith almost hated to see him go.
He went back over to the table to collect the guy’s payment, and was surprised to find a very generous tip inside, almost too generous. Keith hoped the man would come back, so he could thank him properly.
-
Keith didn’t see the man with the blue-blue eyes again until 12 days later on another rainy day.
He could admit to having thought about the mystery man a few times since they last talked. Keith remembered having a dream one night, consisting of flashes of blue and a laugh like church bells, and he’d woken up with a smile of his own the next morning.
The restaurant was mostly empty again (Keith always made jokes with his boss mostly consisting of ‘How are we even still open?’ to which he would then be put on toilet duty) and he was about to head to the back for more clean cups when the door chimed again, and he looked up to see blue eyes lock on his from across the room. Keith nearly tripped over, hating himself for how flustered he suddenly felt, and he made his way over to the mystery man for the second time in two weeks.
“Hey again,” the guy grinned, not dripping wet this visit since he had an umbrella clutched in his hand.
“Hey,” Keith breathed out, “Uh, same table?” he jerked his head towards the window, and the guy nodded in response. Keith willed his voice to come out steady, taking in a deep breath. “What can I get you this time?”
“I’m feeling sort of adventurous today,” the guy shrugged, “Surprise me?”
Well, that was a new one. “You’re trusting me to pick you something?”
The guy gave him a wink and Keith tried his best to suppress his flush, “What’s life without taking a few risks, right?”
Keith let out a disbelieving laugh, and the man’s eyes lit up in delight. “Okay then, one ‘surprise’ coming up.”
A while later he brought out a Dwen Jang soup and he briefly hoped the man wasn’t allergic to shellfish. He placed it in front of him, wiping his clammy hands on his apron out of nervousness. God, he hoped he liked it.
“Smells good,” the guy acknowledged in appreciation.
“Hey, I-” Keith swallowed, “I wanted to thank you, for before - you didn’t have to leave such a big tip, it’s not necessary, really,” God, he hoped he wasn’t sounding like an ungrateful dick or something.
Luckily the guy wasn’t fazed, and he went to rest his head in one of his palms. “No biggie, I really enjoyed the meal,” all the while flashing Keith a charming smile.
Keith allowed himself a quick moment of hoping the guy was implying something more than what he actually said, and so he replied with, “Well I hope you like this one, too,” before blushing slightly and then turning around.
Keith swore he felt the man’s eyes follow him as he scurried away.
Up until then time had been moving pretty slowly, but while mystery man was here time seemed to speed up much faster to Keith’s disappointment, and pretty soon Keith already found himself walking back over to him to ask how his meal was.
“Great,” the guy rubbed his stomach for effect, “Another success.”
“I’m glad,” Keith commented, feeling butterflies in his own stomach, “Here’s your total.”
The guy accepted the bill, and before Keith was about to clean up a hand reached out to brush over his wrist briefly. “Can I ask your name?”
Keith felt the touch run up his arm, and he would never admit to the mental blank he suffered for a good 4 seconds. “Keith, I’m Keith,” he cursed inwardly when his voice pitched up slightly.
“Nice to put a name to the face,” the guy extended a hand, smiling, “My name’s Lance.”
Keith stared at his hand for a moment too long, his brain finally snapping into gear to return the gesture. The man’s hand was soft, unlike Keith’s, and Keith screamed gleefully in his mind when the touch lasted longer than strictly necessary.
Keith watched the man, Lance, leave once again, popping his umbrella to life as he stepped outside into the pouring rain. Keith saw him run across the street, his presence standing out like sunshine in a storm, and Keith tried to recall the last time he had felt quite this excited.
-
The next time Lance came in it was exactly a week later, again on a rainy day, and Keith felt himself smiling before the man had even walked through the door.
He showed him to his usual table, and once again Lance asked if Keith could pick a dish for him.
The only thing that happened that was different this time was Lance asking Keith to sit down with him once his meal had come out.
“You want me to sit with you?” Keith tried to conceal his excitement.
“Yeah, if it’s okay with your boss,” Lance sneaked a glance in the direction of the back of the restaurant.
Keith nodded, figuring it could be his break for the day. He couldn’t think of a better way to spend it than by sitting with Lance, anyway. God, this could almost be like a date.
Lance took off his coat, revealing a bright and tight shirt he wore underneath. It had ‘Here Comes Dat Boi’ written on it so Keith figured it must be an inside joke, and instead chose to focus on how nicely it showed off Lance’s arms. He was suddenly acutely aware of how messy he must look right now, his wild hair pulled back in a short ponytail and oil spills on his shirt from helping out in the kitchen before.
“How long have you worked here?” Lance asked then, cutting off Keith's inner freak-out before taking a bite of his food.
“Uh, about a year,” Keith felt captivated when Lance licked his lips to get some sauce that dripped from the corner.
Lance nodded in response, saying around a mouthful of food (to which Keith should have found disgusting but found himself enamored by it instead), “I just moved to the city a month ago, so this was the first restaurant I ate in,” Lance smiled.
“Oh,” Keith raised an eyebrow in surprise, “Where did you move from?”
“Florida,” Lance answered, excusing himself to take a drink of his tea.
Keith could picture that easy enough, Lance relaxing on the beach, catching waves; he seemed like one of those guys that just screamed sunshine. Keith his forehead, splatters of frech preferring the cold evenings and empty streets; tourists were one of his bigger pet peeves and he knew Miami was full of them.
“So what made you want to move here?” Keith hoped he wasn’t asking anything too personal, but as he looked outside to the pouring rain he couldn’t help but wonder why Lance made such a big scenery change.
“Adventure, I guess,” Lance answered after a bit, that familiar grin appearing again.
“So you decided to move a few states up?” Keith blurted without really thinking.
Lance stared at him for a moment, and Keith was about to apologise before Lance let out a bark of laughter. “I like you, Keith,” he got out around a small chuckle, and Keith felt his stomach do a flip. “I suppose once I’ve saved up more I’ll be a bit more daring, but for now… I’m liking it here,” his gaze locked on Keith’s, and Keith felt Lance’s foot come to rest against his under the table.
(It became harder to concentrate after that.)
-
It was a regular thing now, apparently. Once a week on his lunch break Keith found himself sitting with Lance by the window as he ordered something off the menu by Keith’s recommendation, and as he started finding out more and more about him Keith would share his own stories in return.
Lance had a job as a sales assistant in a store a block over, and he was currently building up a portfolio of the pictures he took of the surrounding areas of their small city.
Keith told him about his studies in Physics and Astronomy, and he constantly found himself rambling on about space and condensed matter and thermodynamics, but Lance never seemed bothered by it, merely smiling fondly until Keith cut himself off with a bashful apology.
On one particularly cold day, almost to the point of snow, Lance made his usual appearance regardless of the weather, cheeks tinted pink and sporting a messily made bright green and yellow scarf when he stepped inside from the cold.
“My younger sister made it for me and sent it up in a care package,” Lance explained to a laughing Keith, his voice muffled behind said scarf.
(If Keith were to ever meet Lance’s sister one day he would have to thank her for the hilarious sight it provided for him.)
Lance coming into his work was slowly becoming Keith’s favourite part of his week. He had begun to greet Lance with sweet treats from bakery’s nearby that he thought Lance might like, or he’d tell him about great locations to go and take pictures of. He even told him about his favourite place in the city to go and gaze at the stars, saying Lance was welcome to go there anytime if he so desired.
And Lance would always reward him with one of his blinding smiles, and Keith was worried he might start to lose his sight any day now.
(Also that his heart might spontaneously combust.)
Keith was too nervous to ask Lance about his dating life and Lance never seemed to bring it up. Keith had no idea of Lance’s preferences, either, so instead of addressing these questions that plagued his mind at night he forcibly squashed his feelings down into a pulp.
He figured it was the easiest thing to do.
When 3 months had flown by Keith found himself fiddling with his pen impatiently as he waited for Lance to swing by on his regular day, glancing at the door more often than he’d like to admit.
The all too familiar chime rang out finally and Keith popped his head from around the kitchen door to see Lance had just walked, only this time he had a girl in tow.
Keith felt his heart plummet, trying to keep his smile in place as he walked over to greet them. Lance’s eyes met his and lit up, which really wasn’t fair for Keith’s poor state of mind right now.
“Hey,” Lance grinned sweetly, and Keith thought damn him, damn him to hell.
“Hey, table for two then?” Keith tried not to let his gaze linger on Lance’s supposed date.
“Yeah, sorry I have to cancel our weekly date today,” Lance teased, brushing some hair out of Keith’s eyes to which Keith pointedly did not suffer a minor heart attack from.
“So you’re the infamous Keith, then,” the girl piped up from her place next to Lance.
Keith was about to respond but Lance beat him to it. “Oh yeah, Keith - this is my sister I was telling you about, Isabella. She made that scarf I wore last week.”
Keith tried not to let his relief show, and his smile felt much more natural now. “Oh, right, hi. Nice to meet you.”
“Keith knows all the best dishes, I’d let him choose something for you,” Lance wrapped an arm around Keith, his hand a pin point of warmth as it rested at the curve of Keith’s neck. Keith prayed Lance couldn’t feel his heartbeat pick up speed under his touch.
Keith brought out their meals a bit after, watching Lance from behind the counter as the man grew more animated, his sister shaking her head occasionally at him with a smile. Keith felt their gazes land on him a couple of times, so he quickly turned away to pretend he hadn’t been spying.
When it came time for the two to leave, Keith couldn’t help but feel disappointed that he couldn’t have his usual meal with Lance this week.
“Sorry again,” Lance insisted, “My mum flew her up, since she’s been missing me, but I promise by next week we’ll be back to our regularly scheduled program,” he flicked Keith’s ear affectionately.
“It’s really fine, Lance,” Keith chuckled as he collected up the dishes, hating how much he already loved to receive Lance’s touches.
“Alright, see you then,” Lance waved goodbye, his sister doing the same, and Keith saw Isabella say something to Lance that caused the older man to blush slightly. Lance dragged her out of the restaurant before she could say anymore, and Keith briefly wondered how his life had gotten to this point.
-
Just as Lance promised, he walked through the door of his work the next week, dimples on full display as he carried a small wrapped present over to where Keith stood behind the counter. He handed it over to Keith with no explanation and so Keith took it from him questioningly.
“What-”
“Shh,” Lance interrupted. “Just open it.”
Keith did as he was told, peeling the paper off to reveal a small red box. He lifted the lid up, and inside was a blue and orange scarf with the same pattern as the one Lance has.
“My sister made it for you before she left,” Lance was biting his lip to keep from grinning. “So now we can match!”
“When will we ever wear these together in public?” Keith gave him a look.
“How about tonight on a date with me?”
Keith was about to respond until the words sank in and his eyes went wide, completely frozen in place. Surely he had heard him wrong, right?
“I really like you, Keith,” Lance stammered slightly as he rubbed his neck, “I’ve been kicking myself for weeks to try and muster up the courage to ask you out, but every time I tried I lost my nerve and then when my sister came over last week she practically blackmailed me to do it now or else she’d send my mum up and God knows that woman will do crazy things, so you have her to thank for this, and Jesus I’m probably jumping the gun here, I have no idea if you even like me, or guys in general, but-”
“I would love to,” Keith choked out, barely a whisper.
“What?” Lance blushed, the colour beautiful against his dark skin. “Really?”
“No,” Keith joked, and when Lance’s face started to fall he scrambled to fix it. “I’m kidding, you dummy!”
“Oh,” Lance let out a breath, “Good, okay, that – that’s good, then."
‘God, he’s too cute; surely it’s illegal.’ Lance brought the scarf up to wrap around Keith’s neck, and Keith glanced up to watch Lance shyly. “How’s it look?”
“Hideous,” Lance laughed, playing with the tassels at the end of it. “But at least we can look hideous together.”
Keith smiled, tentatively bringing his own hand up to link his fingers through Lance’s.
Lance's hand was warm and his answering smile was even more so.
-
Lance said he would swing by when Keith finished his shift to get him, but Keith insisted he needed to go home and shower first, so they agreed to meet up in the town’s main square in front of the water fountain. And as promised, Keith wore his disgustingly bright scarf, but he didn’t really mind since Lance looked equally as stupid wearing his own.
Keith walked up to him, heart already beating fast, and he couldn’t stop his inner mantra of ‘Oh my God, I’m going on a date with Lance, it’s really happening - this is really happening!’
“Hey,” he said when he stopped a couple feet in front of him.
“Hey you,” Lance returned cheekily, reaching out to hold Keith’s hand. “Ready?”
Keith could only nod, letting Lance drag him away from the hustle and bustle of the city streets as he guided him to whatever he had planned for the night. They stopped in front of a parked car, and Lance unlocked it and told him to buckle up.
“Where are we going?”
“You’ll see,” was all he got in answer, so Keith concentrated on willing his heart to calm down. They talked as Lance drove through the city and then finally coming up to a highway. At some point Lance turned the radio on and had started singing at the top of his lungs along with a Katy Perry song, and Keith wondered how this man was even real.
After about 20 minutes Lance pulled off the highway, taking a road Keith didn’t recognize. Suddenly the road became narrow and bumpy, and it was another few minutes until they come to a stop at an opening near the end. Lance parked the car, saying simply, “We’re here.”
Keith got out to take a look around and realizes they’ve got a fantastic view of the city down below. It’s dark where they are, and Lance comes to stand next to him with a huge smile on his face.
“I found this place one day when I was taking photos,” he explains, linking his hand with Keith’s again. “So I came back one night to check it out, and it turned out you got an even better view of the stars from here then the place you told me about.”
Keith turned to look at him, eyes wide in disbelief. “This is amazing, Lance, thank you,” he turned his gaze up to the sky, admiring the clusters of stars he hadn’t been able to see before.
“You’re welcome,” he heard Lance murmur, and Keith felt like the luckiest guy in the world right then.
They stood there for a while, staring up at the sky together in peaceful silence, and when they both managed to see the same shooting star go by Lance insisted Keith make a wish.
Keith turned to look at him and he was met with Lance’s blinding smile.
“Make a wish, huh?” Keith repeated, his grip around Lance’s hand tightening before he closed his eyes in thought.
And then soft lips met his own.
He let out a small surprised squeak, and when Lance drew back out of concern Keith couldn’t help but think ‘no, no, no’ before he dove back in, chasing the other man's lips.
Now it was Lance’s turn to squeak in surprise, and his hand found a home in Keith’s hair, his thumb stroking Keith’s cheek adoringly. Lance’s lips were warm, and Keith pressed in impossibly closer, his arms snaking around Lance’s waist. They stayed like that for a while, kissing each other sensually, and when Lance added his tongue Keith couldn’t help it when an appreciative moan escaped his throat. And despite the cold night air that continued to waft over their faces Keith could only feel warmth all around him.
When they pulled back Keith could feel how flushed his face was and he tried to hide it behind his ugly scarf. “I really like you too, Lance,” he said.
“What?” Lance asked a bit dazedly, his gaze flicking between Keith’s eyes and lips.
“I just realized,” Keith elaborated, “I never said it back – that I like you too, I mean.”
Lance blinked. “Well,” he laughed then, “This would be a pretty awkward date if you didn’t.”
Keith punched his chest playfully before stepping in closer again. “So… what did you wish for?”
Lance smiled, moving in until his breath ghosted over Keith’s lips. “I was hoping you’d say yes to a second date, maybe?”
Keith pretended to think it over, giggling when Lance grew impatient. “Of course I will, stupid.”
“So much abuse already,” Lance complained despite the grin that was slowly growing on his face. “What did you wish for?” he prodded.
“To burn this scarf when we get home,” Keith shrugged, avoiding Lance’s playful swat. “Now look who’s being abusive?” he teased as he backed away.
Lance chased after him, wrapping his arms around Keith’s shoulders and leaning in for another kiss. Keith melted into it, already addicted to Lance’s lips and pressing back with intent. He separated for air, grinning widely when Lance rested his forehead against his.
“I wished for this night to never end,” Keith whispered into the darkness, like it was a secret just for them to hear.
“Then let’s get moving, shall we? Every second is precious, now,” Lance kissed his cheek, pulling away and walking back over to the car. He turned back around to wait for Keith, and Keith could practically see the moonlight dancing in his bright blue eyes.
He thought to himself, yes, every second was precious and he planned to spend every one of them with Lance if the man would have him. Lance held out a hand, a crooked grin appearing on his face and the promise of tomorrow clear as day.
Keith smiled so bright, and every thought he had ever had about hating his job suddenly disappeared into the night, wafting into the breeze as it flew by.
It was how me met Lance, after all.
Life was pretty amazing like that.
What a feeling in my soul,
Love burns brighter than sunshine.
Let the rain fall I don't care,
I'm yours and suddenly you're mine,
And it's brighter than sunshine.