Ryan McCormick (mediumwell) wrote in remains_rpg, @ 2016-08-21 17:29:00 |
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Luc flipped down the visor of the driver’s side of his truck, peering at his reflection in the mirror. Despite shaving this morning, there was already a slight salt and pepper shadow along his jawline and cheekbones. He rubbed his hand over the stubble and then combed his fingers through his hair before snapping the visor back up with a smile. Luc had all but given up hope that Ryan was going to take him up on his thinly veiled excuse to see him again when the tall drink of water had actually called. He wasn’t sure what had spurred Ryan to reach out but Luc wasn’t about to question it. There was something about the restaurateur’s sweet, unassuming manner that stuck with him long after their brief encounter and Luc was excited to see him again. Leaving his keys in the ignition, Luc blasted the air conditioning, patted Noodle on his wrinkly forehead, and pointed a warning finger at his dog. “I’ll be right back. Be good. I need you to be my wingman here, pal. No drooling on the passenger side either, that’s Ryan’s seat.” The French bulldog yawned, snorted, and then slowly lumbered to the small backseat where he curled into a fat, hairy ball. Knowing he was only going to be a minute, Luc felt comfortable leaving Noodle to his own devices. Luc jogged up to the house and rapped on the doorframe, interested to see where this little jaunt around Austin would lead them and more than a little eager to see Ryan again. Luckily for Luc, it didn't take long for the door to open. "Hi," Ryan said with a smile, pausing briefly to close and lock the front door before he moved closer towards Luc. He'd had arranged this just right, ensuring that Violet would be away from their home so he could spare them both from her prying questions. He couldn't blame her for it, of course, all things considered, but he was happy for a tiny bit of privacy while he sought to learn more about his new home from an Austin native. This was only the second time they would be speaking, so Ryan's hands remained in his pockets though he did wonder if they ought to shake hands. "Where will we be going on your tour?" “Oh, you know, all the significant cultural highlights of Austin,” Luc said, sweeping his hands out expansively. “The big dirt pile on Cesar Chavez Street, the smallest military tank I’ve ever seen on Lamar Boulevard, the crater where the French Legation Museum used to be...” A beat passed and Luc chuckled. “I’m kidding. It won’t be as depressing as all that, although there’s a few highlights from growing up here I want to point out...places I have total faith will be up and running given some time. Austin isn’t the shithole everyone makes it out to be, it just had a rough few years. I’m going to show you how great it can be.” "All right. I trust you." And really, even though the state of their restaurant had been a shock Ryan and Violet hadn't bargained for -- he was still of half a mind to sue the realtor who'd misrepresented the building -- Austin hadn't been all that bad. Well. There'd been some bad parts, but they were working through it. Luc gave Ryan his best and brightest smile, one the younger man tried to return in full, before remembering the one small proviso currently curled up in his backseat. “Oh, there’s just one, little thing. I may have had to bring a third wheel on this outing.” As if sensing Luc was talking about him, Noodle leapt up and and started licking the window. Luc ran an embarrassed hand through his dark curls and shrugged helplessly. “My roomie just got out of the hospital so I didn’t want to leave Noodle at home for Nick to deal with. I hope that’s okay?” Noodle likely would have been fine on his own but with the past few days Nick had, Luc didn’t want to add any more than necessary onto his plate. Besides, Olivia’s birthday dinner was tonight and not knowing how long, or how well, he and Ryan’s rendezvous would go, Luc felt better bringing the dog along. Besides, what better personality barometer was there than a dog? "Yeah, that's okay." It was a nice surprise, actually, even if his words didn't really convey that. Ryan even grinned as he opened the door to get into the front seat, turning to look at the dog who'd be accompanying them on their tour. "More than okay, actually. I hope your roommate's okay, though." He was awfully curious, but not curious enough to pry. It was a relief to be in the air conditioned cab and out of the Texas afternoon heat. Luc turned and patted Noodle on his scruffy little head before turning his attention back to Ryan. Even sitting down, he was half a head taller than Luc so he had to look up to meet his eyes. “That’s mighty sweet of you,” Luc replied with a brief touch to Ryan’s hand. “For being cool with this buttinsky tagging along,” Luc gesticulated with a thrust of his chin to Noodle. “And for asking about my housemate. Nick got caught in the explosion at the LBJ health center yesterday, not to mention getting roughed up by some of the rogue Hellhounds that have been knocking over the resource depots. He’s going to be okay...he’s got a very attentive doctor looking after him, but it still sucks no matter how you slice it.” He gave Ryan a reassuring smile. “But that was yesterday and today is today, which means you, me, and Austin. No one is going to ruin our fun and I can guarantee that all the information I relay about my hometown is at least…” Luc trailed off and waggled his hand. “...40% accurate.” It was closer to 100% but Luc just wanted to see Ryan smile again. "I can work with 40%." And it did get a smile out of Ryan, even if he was still ruminating over what had happened to both of their roommates. Luc was right, though: dwelling on that was only going to put them both in a bad mood. Ryan thought he wouldn't have said that his friend would be okay -- let alone leave him, either -- if it wasn't true. "So yeah," he added, turning his head to look over at his tour guide for the evening. "I'm ready when you are!" -- Considering the size of Austin these days, Ryan shouldn't have expected the tour to take so little time, relatively speaking, but before he knew it they'd already completed all of Luc's personal landmarks: Castle Sfanthor, the HOPE Outdoor gallery, and the Cathedral of Junk, among other strange and interesting points of interest. Getting to see the city from the eyes of a native had been really fun, though, and he was happy to see that the conversation between them flowed well. He hadn't been imagining that they'd gotten along when they'd first met, at least. That was a good sign. In fact, it was encouraging enough for him to make an impromptu decision. "If you don't mind spending a little more time out in the city, I think I have one more place we could go to." Ryan stretched his legs out in front of him, trying not to smile as he looked over at Luc. "Our restaurant's almost ready to open. Would you be interested in checking it out? There won't be any food, but. It'd be cool to get an opinion on it before we share it with everyone." Luc’s eyes lit up. He’d exhausted his list of kitschy, prominent places of Austin “culture” that were still standing but wasn’t quite ready to drop Ryan off. There was something about the easy conversation and natural chemistry between them that made Luc want to tarry along the backroads and byways a bit to enjoy each other’s company for a little while longer. Even if he hadn’t specifically called their outing a date, Luc felt that stirrings of those heady, exciting feelings when you’re first getting to know someone. The satisfaction of finding things in common, the lingering appreciative looks, the jolt of electricity when your hands accidentally brush. When it came down to it, Luc would take whatever bone the younger man would throw him to extend his evening with Ryan just a little while longer. “I’d love that,” Luc replied with feeling. “I might be the teensiest bit biased but I can’t imagine I’d be anything less than impressed at your new restaurant. You’ve already charmed the pants off the whole city, myself included.” A beat. “Getting to see the new location before anybody else...you sure do know how to make a boy feel special,” Luc said with a wink. "I guess I figure it's the least I can do," Ryan said, a smile spreading crookedly on his face at the clear show of interest from Luc. Even if it was just general fascination regarding his restaurant, and Ryan really did want some feedback on their space, it had been a while since someone had taken an interest in him like this. "To repay you for the tour, I mean," he added, before he rattled off the address, pausing to make sure Luc knew the location near the Greenbelt center. He needn't have worried, though; Luc, being the native son that he was, knew exactly where to go. They pulled up to the building and if it had been worse for wear at some point, Ryan and Violet had done a bang up job giving it a fresh spit and polish. Luc scooped up Noodle from the backseat. “Do you have a coat check or break room that we can leave this bruiser while you show me around a bit? He won’t get into trouble or nothing, pinky swear. I just wouldn’t be able to forgive myself if the health inspector poked his head in and cited you for French bulldog drool on the kitchen floor. Pretty sure that’s the usual downfall for most new restaurants.” They approached the building carefully, Ryan remembering just how many zombies had been here when he and Violet had first arrived at it, but luckily the only souls nearby were the soldiers quietly patrolling the nearby streets. "Yeah, no problem." Ryan unlocked the front door to reveal the foyer, then bent down to tie Noodle's leash to a locked doorknob. Once he stood up, he switched the lights on and gestured with one arm. "So this is the front," he said unnecessarily, putting his hands back into his pockets. He felt nervous suddenly, even though he'd wanted Luc to see the place. This first impression really meant a lot to him. "And then we have the traditional dining area here…" He switched another light on to reveal tables and booths arranged in neat little rows and bright decor behind them. "Through those doors are the communal tables, too. It looks kinda like this. But we were thinking people here are so close knit -- at least within the districts, from what we can tell -- that it would be fun to try out something a little unusual." He shrugged, still feeling a bit bashful. "It's kind of the place I always wanted to eat at, you know?" Luc turned in place, taking in all the small details, though his gaze continually drawn back to Ryan to watch the emotions play across his face. He was clearly proud of the place and, in Luc’s estimation, he should be. While he didn’t know the specific state of this particular building before the restaurateurs had gotten to it, he and Violet had built something from nothing and the end result was well worth the effort. “You thought of everything,” Luc replied, nodding his approval. “Something for big parties and extroverts, while taking into consideration people that want a little privacy. It looks like you’re going to have something for everyone. You’re going to have customers winding around the block. It’s great, Ryan. Really, really great.” Luc drove the point home by reaching out, taking Ryan’s hand, and giving it a reassuring squeeze. He had really nice hands with long, tapered fingers and soft skin. Instead of letting it go, Luc held on to it, gauging Ryan’s reaction. “So, does this mean I get to check out the kitchen, too?” He gestured to the swinging doors set into the back wall. “If I’m getting the insider tour, I want to see where the magic happens.” "We can peek in." They were still putting the finishing touches on the kitchen, and it wasn't something meant for non-staff anyway -- Ryan was nothing if not a stickler for rules, even if the restaurant wasn't actually open yet and he did like holding Luc's hand. It'd been so long since the last time he'd done this; it was easy to feel like this was easy, meeting new people and getting to know them. Especially when they were as nice as Luc, who'd clearly picked up on how important the restaurant was to both himself and to Violet. He led them over to the kitchen doors and pushed them open, gesturing with one arm. The surfaces were spotless, though there was a bit of clutter and boxes still to be tamed. It wasn't the first kitchen Ryan had ever worked in, but it was certainly the first one that had really and truly been his. "Ta da. As great as you'd expected or even better?" “Even better,” Luc confirmed after poking his head in and looking around. It was certainly a lot more polished than the panadería had ever been and lacked the coating of sugar and flour over every surface Luc had come to expect in a commercial kitchen. “And I’m not just saying that to get on your good side, I swear. Although, from this angle, all your sides are pretty excellent.” "I, uh. Thank you." Ryan could tell he was blushing now, and he was grateful for the fact that he was standing in front of Luc, his face partially out of sight. Of course, he'd have to turn around eventually, a moment he was dreading just a bit. He smiled to himself as he added, "I'm glad you like what you see." Luc wondered how much of the restaurant's atmosphere was Ryan’s doing and how much was his partner’s. He actually hadn’t met Violet in person yet; they’d only had that one amusing, if slightly strange, interaction on the freenet that one time. Luc wasn’t sure if Ryan was aware of the breach in privacy she’d exacted in her need to protect him but it wasn’t Luc’s place to point it out. “How does your partner feel about the grand opening?” Luc asked, broaching the subject of Violet as Ryan shut the door to the kitchen and turned back around, gesturing to one of the tables for them to sit. Perhaps bringing her up would give him an indication of Ryan knew she’d been poking through his things to get the skinny on Luc. “I know the Greenbelt can be a bit of a rough and tumble place but you guys are doing your part to spiff it up nicely.” "She's excited. We both are. This has been something we've wanted for a long while, and if we stayed in Chicago it would've taken forever to get to this point." Chicago still had its established industry, whereas Ryan and Violet had gotten into Austin at a point where they could really dictate the direction of the city's dining. It was pretty cool, if a bit daunting at times. Even though there wasn't any competition, he didn't want to screw up and have people go to the restaurant just because it was the only one. He took a seat at the table he'd indicated, wondering how best to answer the rest of what Luc had said, before finally deciding to go with the truth. "We haven't had the easiest time," he admitted, resting his hands on the table. "The MC defectors, she ran into some of them last month. Around the Fourth of July." Ryan shook his head, his jaw tightening as he remembered the way she'd looked after that. "That was why we didn't go to the party at The Bar." Luc’s entire demeanor shifted; gone was his flirty, carefree attitude. Instead of sitting across from Ryan, he sat in the chair next to him. Their knees touched as Luc reached for one of Ryan’s hands on the table and clasped them in his own, his whole body radiating concern and frustration in himself that he hadn’t known that Ryan and Violet had been through such an ordeal. “I’m sorry, Ryan” Luc replied, and he was. “Is she okay? Are you okay? I didn’t know, I mean, I had no idea. You have to know I wouldn’t have asked you to come out into the city with those maniacs still on the loose if I had known that ya’ll had a run in with them.” He rubbed his thumb over Ryan’s knuckles, not sure if he was comforting Ryan with the gesture or if he was simply comforting himself. "It's okay. I'm okay. She's okay, too. We're all… It's all okay." Ryan wasn't lying, either; they'd both been shaken by it, Violet more so than him for obvious reasons, but the worst was behind them. They'd seen firsthand that their neighbors had been quick to denounce the men who'd hurt her and had been able to go through with their plans to stick it out in Austin and open their restaurant. It helped that they didn't have any other options, of course, but Ryan didn't regret the decision to stay. He just hoped Violet didn't either. He turned his hand up to take one of Luc's hands in his own and squeeze it, grateful for the small comfort. "I wouldn't have agreed if I hadn't thought it would be unsafe," he reminded Luc gently, though he appreciated the apology and the clarification more than he let on aloud. "I don't know how you guys made it through three years of that, though, when things were worse than they are now." Luc gave Ryan a slight smile and a nod. He wanted to say it had been nothing but that wasn’t true; it had taken damn near everything to survive under Olinger’s reign. So while Ryan’s admiration was nice and Luc liked the way Ryan’s hands felt in his when he gave it, Austin hadn’t really had a choice but to persevere or perish. The instinct to fight, hide, or die wasn’t so much praiseworthy as it had been a necessity but Luc appreciated Ryan’s sentiment in the spirit it was given. “Somedays I’m not sure how we made it through either,” he replied, looking down with a rueful shake of his dark curls. When he looked up, his gaze slid from Ryan’s kind eyes to the generous curve of his mouth. Luc bit his lip, trying to read the other man’s expression. “Pretty sure I would have fought through a whole herd of zombies to finally get a chance to take you out but I’m glad it didn’t have to come to that.” "Oh," Ryan said, sort of dumbly, shocked and pleased by the open expression of interest. It had never been a secret that Luc was interested in him, of course, considering the flirting between them when they'd first met back in June, but the forwardness still flattered him. It was so different from the way that Ryan himself operated; he flushed again, but he didn't look away from Luc. "Well, I'm glad you wanted to take me out," Ryan said, offering Luc another shy, crooked smile. He really was handsome. "I liked hearing about Austin and getting to know you more. And, you know. If you wanted to go out again, I'd be interested." Even though they had only really shared a few hours together, Luc could tell that Ryan was a reserved and self-effacing sort of guy. There was something about his date’s modest nature that drew Luc in (not to mention the attractive flush that blossomed on his cheeks anytime the older man flirted with him) and for Ryan to be as forthright to speak of going out with him again spoke volumes to Luc; he beamed. “Well, I’d be interested in that too,” Luc murmured; he could hear the smile and eagerness in his tone of voice. “So that works out pretty well.” He continued his exploration of Ryan’s hand, exploring the lines and contours of his palm and wrist with his fingertips. “I’m looking forward to it already but, what I really want to do? Right now? Is kiss you.” Normally, Luc would have just gone for it but he didn’t want to scare Ryan away. By voicing it aloud, it gave Ryan an out if he wanted it (to say nothing of the cute blush that followed quickly after Luc’s pronouncement). He searched Ryan’s face and saw nothing in his date’s eyes or body language that wanted Luc to stop so Luc removed his hand from Ryan’s and brushed his thumb along the younger man’s jaw line. Luc leaned forward, tipped Ryan’s chin and captured his mouth with his own. The kiss was soft and Ryan tasted so sweet; a contented sigh fell from Luc’s lips as he pulled back slightly. Their legs were still sandwiched together and Luc hovered a hairsbreadth away from Ryan’s pretty mouth and it was all Luc could do not to kiss him again. He hesitated, wanting Ryan to feel at ease and only do as much as he was comfortable doing but, at the same time, needing to know that Ryan wanted him, too. There was something sexy about feeling someone respond to his touch but Luc liked being pursued and desired just as much as anyone. Ryan lifted his gaze to meet Luc's as they pulled away, curious and wanting more but aware of his own hesitation. It would've been easy to close the distance between them again and press his lips against Luc's, but it was hard to ignore the fact that it'd been nearly three years since the last time he'd allowed himself to be pursued and kissed by a handsome man. But then again, Scott wouldn't have wanted him to spend the rest of his life alone, and Ryan knew too well what it was like to be lonely, missing someone you could never get back again. So he reached out before Luc could pull away entirely, his fingers tangling in the other man's curly hair, and brought him in for another kiss. His actions were still tentative, his mouth soft and exploring against Luc's, thinking all the while: I could get used to this. And then Noodle started to bark, tugging Ryan out of his heady daydreams about a potential next date for him and Luc. "I, uh." Ryan stood up a little too quickly, concerned for the dog they'd left out in the front, and turned to look in Noodle's direction. "Is he okay?" Luc looked up as Ryan’s pulled away and then also stood, his eyes still sort of sleepy and his hair mussed. Noodle probably got distracted by a tumbleweed floating by or got disgruntled that he’d been ignored for too long but Luc’s security instincts knew better than to assume anything. Besides, he found himself liking the slow and sweet pace he and Ryan had set; it differed from Luc’s normal dates in that it built in an unhurried, steady burn instead of a quick flicker of interest and eventual flame out. “He’s probably fine,” Luc supplied, raising his still husky voice to be heard over Noodle, who was letting out irregular, attention-seeking yips and grunts. “Probably just annoyed he didn’t get the insider tour like I did but I wouldn’t want his whining to attract any undue visitors so maybe we should skedaddle.” Even though Austin was quickly joining the realms of civilization, the undead still walked the earth, to say nothing about the rogue Hellhounds that still wandered free in the city. He meant what he said earlier: he’d never want to risk Ryan’s safety just to spend a little more time with his new acquaintance (even if Luc was itching to kiss him again). Luc and Ryan went out to the foyer where Noodle had been tied up. The French bulldog wagged his tiny, curly tail, looking inordinately pleased to have his friends back and not the least bit sorry to have interrupted what had been the start of a very nice smooch session. Luc peeked out to the front of the restaurant and upon finding the street void of any intruders, breathed a sigh of relief. Luc leaned down and scooped up the tiny canine before coming to stand next to Ryan, reaching out to touch the younger man’s arm lightly in apology. “Next date, it’ll just be the two of us. Promise.” Ryan turned at the contact, one last smile on his face as he looked down at the man and dog in front of him. It was easy to think that he could get used to seeing the both of them, and that alone -- the promise of potential in the future -- was exactly why he'd taken the leap of moving to Austin in the first place. "I'll hold you to it." |