Quentin Coldwater (lostinbetween) wrote in valarlogs, @ 2019-06-15 19:21:00 |
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Eliot still wasn’t entirely convinced that he hadn’t imagined Quentin showing up on the Network but if he had hallucinated it? He’d had much worse hallucinations when drunk or high. And there weren’t many days lately that he wasn’t at least a little drunk. He stepped into the coffeeshop that was near his office, pulling out his phone to log into the webcam to make sure Gerald was still sleeping on his pillow in Eliot’s office and texted Mina to make sure he had her order right as he stepped into the line and accidentally hit the young man in front of him with his phone as went to put it into his pocket.
“Sorry.” He said, a friendly smile on his face.
***
Eliot hadn’t been hallucinating. Quentin Coldwater was in fact very much real, living in Orange County, and making use of the Network system that was in place because it didn’t hurt to form connections and make friends especially when you were so new to a place. He’d also learned from reading up on the Network where the best coffee was so he decided that today was the day when he’d try it out, pick up something for him and for Julia, and then throw himself back into job hunting.
Honestly it was soul destroying, it really was.
Though as he stood in line and waited for his turn to order he was unexpectedly hit in the arm by a phone of all things but the owner was quick to apologise so it was easy enough for Quentin to turn his head and offer up a fairly warm and on the whole disarming smile to the tall dark and handsome stranger.
“Don’t worry about it.”
***
Eliot felt something that felt distinctly like his stomach dropping when the man in front of him turned around. The Network, Margo telling him about running into Quentin and now the man himself standing in front of him. If there was a God Eliot must have done something to either really impress them or really piss them off at some point he just wasn’t sure which it was.
He kept his smile in place though as he tried to figure out a way to actually carry on an intelligent conversation with the man who’d haunted his dreams for the past few months. “That’s nice of you. But I really should have been paying more attention. Let me pay for your coffee at least to make up for it.” He knew it was a bad idea but most of his fondest memories came out of bad ideas.
***
“Well,” Quentin drawled with a further smile. “If you insist. I’m definitely not going to complain.” The striking difference between this Quentin and the one from Eliot’s dreams was the confidence, the prolonged eye contact and the way he stood in that he wasn’t hunched or stooped over. He still had issues (didn’t everyone?) but not to the same degree as the other Quentin.
Evident again in how he offered his hand.
“I’m Quentin by the way.”
***
Eliot couldn’t help but notice how much more confident this Quentin was from the one in his Dreams. And he liked it. Liked seeing him this way. “I’m definitely insisting.” He said, mentally running over his schedule to make sure he wouldn’t be missing any appointments with clients by what was looking to turn into a long coffee run. Mina would understand when he told her he’d run into someone from his Dreams.
He had to bite back the impulse to respond the way he had in his dreams, to avoid telling him no names because he didn’t want to get attached. “I’m Eliot.” He said, shaking Quentin’s hand and making himself let go before it could get awkward.
***
“Then who am I to deny you?” Quentin said with a further smile, a touch flirtatious. Yes, flirtatious, because he did that. “It’s nice to meet you, Eliot.” Little did he know but he would meet Eliot in his dreams but for right now he was a stranger, a stranger who was willing to buy him a coffee.
There were worst things that could happen while standing in a line.
“Question,” he asked, turning his head to look up at Eliot. “Do I get a muffin too?”
***
Eliot had a feeling Quentin was going to be trouble for him here just like there. Only a different kind of trouble. He gave him a flirtatious smile, reaching out to brush a piece of lint or something off the other man’s shoulder and letting his fingers linger a second before pulling back. “Remember you said that later.” He teased as they stepped forward.
“What’s coffee without a muffin?” He asked, pretending to be shocked by the idea.
***
Quentin’s lips tugged into a grin which just dimpled his cheeks as Eliot seemingly brushed away a piece of lint and he let out a small laugh. “Right?! So glad you agree, Eliot.”
He bit his lower lip and turned back to the barista, putting in his order for a coffee along with a lemon muffin. Could have gone chocolate but that was a little too sweet for Quentin’s tastes, he liked something different.
Now with his order put in he playfully nudged Eliot with his hip. “Your turn.”
***
Eliot loved that grin. He didn’t get to see it enough in the Dreams as far as he was concerned. Or hear that laugh. He smiled back at the other man. “Either a muffin or a scone or...anything sweet.” He said, looking over the selection of baked goods before placing his own order - coffee with a raspberry scone. Minako’s order he’d place right before he left to make sure that her coffee was still hot when he brought it to her.
“You’re going to be trouble aren’t you?” He asked teasingly, fingers reaching out to play with some of those strands of hair that hung around Quentin’s face.
****
His hair, that was like the hook for Quentin. You’d think because he fidgeted with it so much that he’d hate when others did but God’s honest truth he loved it when people played with his hair. Especially tall dark handsome strangers whose name he now knew as Eliot and who was buying him coffee and a muffin.
“Trouble?” He asked, feigning innocence as he caught his lower lip between his teeth while hitching a shoulder up towards his ear. “Me? Never, Eliot.” Of course the look written across his very open face suggested otherwise.
Quentin was trouble but never on purpose, it just sort of happened.
***
Eliot had to actually stop himself from tugging on the strands he was still playing with when he saw that look on the shorter man’s face. “Why don’t I believe that Quentin?” He asked, teasing obvious in his voice.
****
“I have no idea,” Quentin returned easily and with a playful smile that was the perfect counterfoil to the teasing tone in Eliot’s voice. He took his coffee as it was called out and went about adding a few things to it in order to make it just right.
Quentin glanced up at Eliot and gave him a quintessential Quentin smile.
****
Eliot felt like someone had just elbowed him when he saw that smile. It hit him the same way it did in his Dreams of the shorter man. He grabbed his coffee from the counter and their snacks and followed him over to dress his own and passed Quentin his muffin. “You almost forget your muffin. Trouble and a little absentminded? I’m learning all sorts of things about you already.” Well no. Those were things he’d learned about him from that other life they shared. But it was nice to see that he was that way here too.
Maybe he should call Minako when he left here and have her cancel his afternoon appointments and then go surprise Felix at his office.
***
“Apparently so,” Quentin answered with a chuckle as he took the muffin from Eliot. He tucked a stray strand of dark hair behind his ear as he finished up with fussing with his coffee. “And I feel like I’m at a disadvantage because I know very little about you.”
He shrugged his shoulders. “Convenient excuse to meet up again.”
Quentin glanced up at Eliot through long lashes that no man had any right to possess.
***
Eliot gave him a flirtatious smile when he saw the way Quentin looked up at him. Oh he was definitely going to need to go bother Felix at work and tell him about bumping into Quentin like this. And probably text Margo. And selfishly hope that Alice didn’t somehow show up because he really did think that she was wrong for the other man.
“All the best things about someone are discovered by accident Q.” The nickname slipped out before he could stop himself.
***
Quentin looked up, genuinely surprised and taken aback by the pre-emptive use of one of his long standing nicknames and his lips curled into a soft gentle smile as he nodded his head.
“Yeah, you’re right about that, Eliot.”
And he was looking forward to finding out all the things about Eliot.