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"I just feel lonely lately." Seb explained before finishing his drink off, but quickly corrected himself after seeing Mark's expression. "As in, romantically. Obviously I'm not lonely in a friend sense... though I could do with an upgrade."
Mark raised an eyebrow. "Remind me who brought the wine today?"
Seb eyed the almost empty bottle on the table next to him and sighed. "Maybe I need some more-"
"No!" Came the instant reply, and before Seb could do anything about it, Mark took his glass away. "You do not need anymore."
As much as he wanted to fight for it, Seb just rolled his eyes and slumped down into the sofa. "Where's Cupid when you need him?"
"I'm not sure even he could save this situation." Mark replied under his breath.
Of course, Seb heard him anyway. "Excuse me?"
Mark just laughed. "He can't, but I can."
"Oh, god." Seb held his head in his hands. "This isn't going to be another visual example with Fernando, is it? I'm still traumatised from the last one."
Thankfully for Seb, Mark shook his head. "Unfortunately not. But we've both come up with... a plan."
"That is never what you want to hear." Seb joked.
Mark flipped him off before continuing. "I think you'll actually like this, though."
Seb smiled nervously. "Why?"
"Well, Nando is out with one of his friends right now, who also happens to be single." Mark explained. "So we thought we'd set you both up on a date."
The unease that Seb was feeling was quickly replaced with excitement. "Wait... is this like a blind date?"
"Exactly that."
Seb grinned. "Oh, you know me too well. Okay so tell me when and where? And be honest, because I know you wouldn't lie to me about this, is he actually good looking?"
"You think I'd set you up with someone who wasn't your type?" Mark questioned and didn't wait for an answer. "Tomorrow, at seven."
For a brief moment, Seb thought that tomorrow was too soon, but then he smiled again. "Tomorrow sounds perfect."
"I'll admit, I've only ever met the guy once." Mark told him.
Seb nodded. "What's he like?"
"Bright blonde, pretty tall, buff as hell, and for some reason he always wears sunnies." Mark replied. "Even when it isn't sunny."
"I need this man already." Seb spoke without missing a beat.
Mark chuckled at him. "He's also pretty quiet. Nando used the phrase reserved at first."
"A shy man is my kind of man." Seb shrugged. "I talk enough for two people anyway."
"Trust me, we know." Mark joked, glancing at Seb and laughing when he shoved him in response. "So, you're up for it?"
Seb gave his friend a knowing look. "Of course."
The topic of discussion changed after everything was agreed on, but it stayed in the back of Seb's mind for the rest of the evening.
He'd never been on a blind date before, and it was hard to contain his excitement; he knew nothing about the man he was going to meet tomorrow, and somehow that was what Seb was most looking forward too.
~
"First of all..." Fernando began, trying to keep his voice calm so he didn't make Kimi suspicious. "...don't get angry."
There was a pause.
"I'm already angry."
Fernando laughed nervously. "Okay, it's nothing bad, don't worry. But I wanted to let you know now so you have time to prepare for it."
"What is it?" Kimi asked, his expression unchanged.
It was hard to predict how Kimi would react to news that he didn't like, and Fernando had no idea what to expect. Well, the only thing that he was sure about was the reaction likely wouldn't be positive.
He let out a long breath, ever so slightly regretting this idea now. Then again, he was the one who came up with it, and Mark was explaining it to Seb at this very moment.
"Mark and I had this idea." Fernando began, ignoring how Kimi rolled his eyes. "You've been single for a while now, and for a guy like you, that's pretty surprising."
Kimi frowned. "What are you saying?"
"That you're good looking? Take the compliment." Fernando sighed.
"Okay." Kimi replied tiredly. "Thanks."
Fernando couldn't help but smile. "Well coincidentally, Mark knows someone who has also been single for a long time..."
It was then that Kimi's eyebrows raised ever so slightly, almost as if he knew what Fernando was about to say, and was bracing himself to hear it.
"So... we set you up on a blind date."
At first, there was no reaction or response, just a stone cold stare through Kimi's sunglasses. Fernando glanced at him as he anxiously waited for his friend to say something, and after a long minute, he did.
"You what?"
Fernando chuckled nervously. "Just hear me out-"
"I'm not going." Kimi cut in, glancing down at his hand instead of maintaining eye contact.
Sometimes, Fernando forgot how stubborn his friend was. "Listen-"
"No."
"Kimi, just let me-"
"Nope."
"Kimi-!"
"No."
Fernando crossed his arms tiredly. "You have to go, Kimi."
"Why?" Kimi questioned. "I don't want to."
"Are you really going to leave the other guy standing?" He fired back, watching the expression on Kimi's face shift.
The Finn just shrugged. "What if he says no also?"
Fernando grinned - he didn't know Mark's friend all that well, but if they were anything like his boyfriend, they would agree instantly - as he pulled out his phone and shot Mark a text asking if everything was sorted.
Immediately, three dots appeared below his message.
Lmao, of course he agreed
I don't even think we needed the wine to convice him
The message made Fernando chuckle to himself before he turned his phone towards Kimi. His friend read the message slowly before sighing heavily.
"I hate you." Kimi muttered, still refusing to look at Fernando properly.
Fernando, on the other hand, celebrated internally. "I'm glad you're secretly an empath, Kimi. Now, it's tomorrow at seven, so-"
"Tomorrow?" Kimi glared at him. "No way."
"Now now, Kimi." Fernando held a hand up and ignored him. "You've got all evening to think about it, and then all afternoon tomorrow to get ready. Come on, it will be fine."
If looks could kill, Fernando would no longer be alive, but after a moment of silence, Kimi shrugged in defeat.
"Fine." He replied eventually. "But you owe me."
Fernando nodded eagerly, already typing out a message to Mark. "Of course, I'll buy you all the drinks you want on a night out next week."
Kimi smiled for the first time since this conversation began. "You should have started with that."
"Where's the fun in that?" Fernando asked. "You know, I think I'm more excited than you, Kimi."
"I think so too."
~♡~
Seb wouldn't consider himself an overthinker, but for some strage reason, today was not the same. He was currently staring at himself in the mirror, analyzing every small detail on his face while fixing his hair for the hundredth time.
A blind date.
He'd never dome something like this before, and the excitement he was feeling yesterday now came with paranoia; he had to make a good first impression. Mark had told him the guy wasn't a talker, so Seb knew he needed to do most of it.
What if he scared the guy off? What if he was too much? Too overwhelming? Too talkative? All things Seb had heard before came rushing back at every glance in the mirror. This time, however, it felt different.
Seb didn't know this person at all, and they didn't know him at all. It was completely new, and potentially the start of something - at least he hoped so.
After one final check of his reflection, he shot himself a cheeky wink before rushing to grab his things and getting ready to leave. Sure, he still had an hour until the set time and it was only a 10 minute drive to the restaurant, but Seb was taking this date and first impression very seriously.
Kimi was late, and as much as he tried pretending it didn't bother him, it really did.
He hated this. He didn't want to do it, and as soon as it was over he was heading to Fernando's place and murdering him, but there was still a person currently waiting at the restaurant he was supposed to be at 5 minutes ago, likely worrying they had been stood up.
The entirety of Kimi's day leading up to this was spent dreading this moment, wishing the worst upon Fernando and his partner, and bracing himself for the inevitability of all this being for nothing.
He'd heard it all before: he's too emotionless, he doesn't put enough effort in, he doesn't care. It was the same every time, but in reality he was none of those things. No one had ever understood that, and Kimi believed no one ever would.
Why did Fernando think this would work out? Not even regular dates ended well for Kimi, he dreaded to think what someone who'd never met him would assume...
Nevertheless, he shook off any concerns as he stepped through the restaurant doors. It was far warmer inside than it was out, which was slightly more comforting, Kimi supposed.
There was already somebody by the door, and they greeted him politely. "Good evening, sir. Do you have a reservation?"
"Yeah, should be under Alonso." Kimi replied, remembering his friend was the one to book this - yeah, he was never forgiving Fernando.
The waiter inspected the list in front of him before nodding. "Yep, I see you. Looks like someone has already booked in under that name, around thirty-five minutes ago. Are you with them?"
Did he just say 35? Kimi quickly glanced at his watch; sure he was a bit late, but he was certain he wasn't that late. He hummed to himself, wondering why they'd arrived so early.
"I am."
"Perfect." The waiter smiled at him again. "You're at table fifty-seven, which is that one there, where that gentleman is sitting."
Kimi followed where the man was pointing and his eyes landed on a table by a large window, currently occupied by a man who was leaning forwards nervously while fiddling with a salt shaker.
He looked anxious for someone who'd already been here for over half an hour. Then again, Kimi was running late. He thanked the waiter before heading over, inspecting the date in question as he approached.
His blonde curls were sticking up in various places, as if he'd been running his hand through it too much, and the blue shirt he was wearing looked good on him. Kimi could tell he was zoned out, as the salt shaker was spilling all over the table while he turned it in his hands.
"Um..." Kimi started, trying not to make the man jump. "Are you-"
"Fuck!" The man snapped out of his daydream the monent Kimi began speaking, and he dropped the salt shaker in a scare before staring up at Kimi. His wide eyes softened soon after they made eye contact. "Oh, I am so sorry-"
"No, I'm sorry." Kimi insisted, sitting down opposite of the man. "I didn't realise you were..."
A laugh came from the other man. "Yeah, I was just... thinking."
His bashful smile was actually pretty cute, Kimi thought to himself, and he found himself smiling too. For a brief moment, he thought maybe this time was going to be different.
"Sorry for keeping you." He added after a comfortable beat of silence.
The man just shook his head. "Not a problem, I've been here a while, so... you know. I'm Sebastian, by the way, but just call me Seb. I hope Fernando told you only good things about me." Seb raised an eyebrow suspiciously.
Kimi laughed shyly at that, and nodded. "He did. I'm Kimi."
"Kimi..." Seb repeated. "That's a cool name, where's it from?"
Quickly, Kimi began to relax into the environment. The restaurant wasn't too busy, and for some reason, talking to Seb already felt comfortable.
Of course, this didn't stop him from completely misunderstanding what Seb had asked. "My parents, probably."
Seb burst out laughing at that, hiding his face in his hands in a way that once again made Kimi smile. Normally, he didn't smile that much on dates, and he had to remind himself to actually show that he was engaging in conversation om his face, but with Seb it just felt natural already.
"Finnish." Seb replied once he'd composed himself. "Noted."
Kimi frowned. "How did you know?"
Seb shrugged smugly. "Don't underestimate my nationality-sensing powers, Kimi. Though in some cases it's more obvious than others."
The conversation flowed comfortably from that point as they both began talking about anything and everything: from random facts about themselves to dumb stories from the past. At one point, neither of them noticed the waiter standing by to take their order, and only then did they realise they hadn't even looked at the menu since Kimi arrived.
After they both ordered their meals, the conversation changed topics.
"I've been wondering..." Seb began, glancing at Kimi. "Why did Fernando and Mark set us up? I mean, Mark said it was because I've been single for too long, which... might be true, but what about you?"
For a moment, Kimi didn't answer. He could admit that he'd been single for an embarrassing amount of time beacuse he could never get past a first date, or he could avoid the question completely by saying he didn't know. Normally, Kimi would choose to lie, but there was something about Seb's curious eyes that made him think again.
He shrugged. "Same reason as you."
The surprised look on Seb's face didn't go unnoticed, despite him trying his best to cover it quickly. "Really?"
"Yeah." Kimi replied.
Seb hummed to himself. "That's surprising. Not to sound weird but... you're good looking."
Kimi couldn't help but smile as he looked down at the table, his face heating up slightly. "You sound like Fernando."
"Oh?" Seb laughed, the sound already familiar. "Well, Fernando is right."
The pair laughed at each other, both pretending not to notice how red their faces were getting. Just when Kimi thought silence was descending over them, Seb looked at him, suddenly serious.
"Hey, am I..." He hesitated, looking at Kimi nervously. "Can I ask you something?"
Kimi nodded. "Sure."
Seb had begun to fiddle with the fork that was previously untouched beside him, which Kimi could only assume was a nervous habit. Without thinking, his face softened and he sat forward slightly.
"Am I too much?"
Of all the things Kimi was expecting him to say, that definitely wasn't it. He frowned, unsure if Seb was being serious at first.
"Too much?" Kimi repeated, and Seb only nodded shyly. "No... why do you ask?"
Seb cleared his throat awkwardly, not expecting Kimi's response. "Usually people tell me I'm too much. You know, like, I say and do too much... but I don't even realise I'm being too much until I see it in their eyes. That look, the one that tells me they're not... I don't know. You're the first person who I haven't seen that look in."
Kimi didn't know what to say, but he suddenly felt terrible for Seb. Not once tonight had the thought even crossed his mind that he was too much, and the fact that he was expecting it from Kimi hurt even more.
"I'm doing it again, aren't I?" Seb chuckled to himself, but there was no humour in it. "I'm sorry, sometimes I just start talking and..."
He trailed off, and Kimi shook his head.
"I don't think you talk too much." He replied, forcing himself to look Seb in the eye. Kimi hated eye contact normally, but right now it didn't bother him at all.
Seb blinked at him. "Really?"
"Really." Kimi nodded. "I haven't even thought about it. Honestly, it's nice to talk to someone who doesn't seem bored of me."
The look on Seb's face shifted. "What... bored?"
There was genuine surprise in his voice, and Kimi couldn't do anything but keep looking at him.
"What makes you think I'd be bored?" Seb asked gently, resting his head on his palm as he waited to hear Kimi's explanation.
Kimi just shrugged. "People normally are. They say I don't try hard enough, but... I do."
Seb hummed again. "They just don't understand you, Kimi. Someone who doesn't even bother to truly get to know you doesn't deserve you anyway."
They sat there for a while, not saying anything as the words that had been said sunk in. Both of them came into this date with contrasting worries, and for the first time, the person sat on the other side of the table liked them for who they were.
Eventually, Seb let out a small chuckle. "We're ridiculous."
Kimi smiled. "We are."
Their food arrived not long later, which took a while to get through because they kept pausing to chat to each other, and by the time they'd both finished, their final bites of food were cold. The meals were filling enough, and they both decided against dessert when the waiter asked, but it seemed Seb had other ideas.
"Hey, are you... busy at all this evening?" He asked, shoving his hands into his pockets.
Kimi thought about how he'd wanted to find Fernando and kill him, but now he didn't feel as inclined to do so. Instead, he shook his head.
"No, I'm not."
Seb's smile grew. "I know this place not too far from here. It's the most beautiful place in the world, and they make the best ice cream."
That was more than enough for Kimi, whose lips curled up into a smirk. "You say ice cream?"
"The best." Seb repeated. "Do you want to go?"
Kimi nodded, his smile not faltering - which he now realised, it hadn't for most of this evening. "Yeah, I do."
A relieved sigh escaped Seb, who sat back in his chair happily; maybe this was the start of something truly special. About time.
After bickering over who would pay the pill, Seb begrudgingly let Kimi do it, promising to buy the largest size of ice cream their next destination had to offer.
"I really didn't expect tonight to go like this." Seb admitted. "I mean, no offence to you, of course, but... shit."
Kimi just laughed. "I know what you mean. I didn't either."
As they both stood up and prepared to leave the restaurant, Seb stopped them both, looking at Kimi with those same soft eyes from when they first met earlier.
"Thanks for doing this. I know Mark mentioned this wasn't really your thing, so..." He paused. "Yeah. Thanks for not leaving me standing."
The gratitude caught Kimi off guard, but he quickly gathered his thoughts. "I am glad I chose to do this instead of kill Fernando." He replied, making Seb laugh.
Seb beamed. "I'm very grateful they set this up... not that they need to know that."
"They get no credit." Kimi replied, sending Seb into another fit of giggles as they headed for the exit.
~
As Kimi and Seb left the restaurant smiling, two pairs of eyes watched them disappear down the street.
"Mission accomplished." Mark smirked as he glanced over at Fernando.
After finishing off his drink, Fernando nodded. "I knew it would work out. I mean, they looked more like a couple during that meal than we do right now."
Mark laughed. "They can thank us later."
At that moment, Mark's phone screen lit up on the table beside him, and he looked at it curiously. When he picked it up to check who it was from, his smirk was wiped off of his face.
I know you were there spying you idiots
Next time, maybe consider the fact that you are the loudest people on the planet?
He showed Fernando the message, who also stopped smiling. "I thought we were discreet?"
"I know, right?" Mark agreed, placing his phone back down. "We even got a table in the corner so they wouldn't see us."
"Sebastian has magic powers, that's the only way he could have spotted us." Fernando replied, making them both laugh.
"Another drink?"
"Yeah. We deserve it."