Pietro Maximoff (seethiscoming) wrote in valarlogs, @ 2019-10-03 21:21:00 |
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Entry tags: | !complete, billy kaplan (wiccan), pietro maximoff (quicksilver) |
Who: Pietro Maximoff & Billy Kaplan
What: Busy coffee shop + awkward Billy = sure fire disaster conversation, mostly
When: 1st Oct
Where: Random coffee shop
Rating/Warnings: G | None
Status: Log | Complete
He'd been in LA for almost a year, now, and so far he hadn't run into anyone in coffee shops and had his own sort of meet-cute. Not that he was looking for a coffee shop hook up or anything, because that would have been very weird and definitely not what his... thing was. He definitely wasn't the hook up kind of guy.
But he did need to get coffee and something to eat and work on some of his course stuff for next year before taking more coffee home for himself and Grizz - who he'd left doing some of the DIY stuff around the apartment and had been told, in the kindest way possible, to get the fuck out, Kaplan because he was one hundred percent getting in the way of everything and dropping things in distraction whenever Grizz's shirt rode up, or he lifted his hips from where he was under the sink and-
Gah.
He snagged the last empty table, sitting down at it and putting his coffee down only then to realise there was a jacket on the back of the chair opposite him. Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu
Looking up to see the jacket's owner, a guy who looked weirdly familiar to him though he couldn't quite work out why - or how - Billy offered him a slightly nervous smile.
"You- uh, it's like, really busy. Do you mind if I sit here? I won't take up much room, I promise."
Pietro always made a point of sitting alone when and if he could help it. He was not as some would say a "social" person and he felt he got more than enough exposure to people in his day job. The only exception to this rule was pretty girls. Boys didn't count.
He arched an eyebrow as the dark haired young man sat down on the table across from him and proceeded to look as though he might sweat out of his clothes if the nerves were any indication.
"It's fine," he said slowly, heavily accented, and returned to the paper in front of him as he was trying to find a new place to live.
Mena the Magnificent20/09/2019
Billy smiled weakly and sat down, twisting his coffee cup in his hands and shifting uncomfortably. He didn't recognise the accent, but there was something familiar in the man's face that Billy had to remind himself not to stare.
"I'm Billy," he said, holding his hand out over the table. It was warm, and not clammy thankfully, heated by the coffee he'd been clutching. "Billy Kaplan."
Pietro lifted his gaze to regard this Billy Kaplan and was still for a few moments before he reached out to take a hold of the hand being offered.
"Pietro," he replied simply. No last name as he didn't have one or at least not one memory was able to conjure.
With hand shaken he returned to the paper, circling a few listings, but became aware that he was being watched. A glance up confirmed his suspicions. "What? Do I have something on my face?"
"No, sorry- I- sorry." Billy felt his ears burning. "You just- you look familiar, that's all. I know we haven't met or anything, but you just- you look familiar." Though he couldn't quite put his finger on what it was. It was just a tugging, something like a face he knew and had met before, or maybe just seen before.
"I drive Uber," Pietro supplied helpfully. "That might be where you recognise me from." It was the only thing that really made sense given that he had never set eyes on the young man sat across the table from him.
He crossed out another listing that was no good to him. Too expensive.
"Oh, maybe," Billy said with a little nod, though he didn't tend to take Ubers. They could be quite expensive and he was a poor college student (with wealthy-ish parents but he wasn't about to rely on them for everything). "It's nice to meet you, though. Thanks for, uh, letting me sit on your table."
He tipped his head, pathologically unable to let silence lie. "Are you looking for somewhere to live?"
"No, I am looking through the paper and circling advertisements for places to live because I do this as a hobby," Pietro deadpanned in response to Billy's question. His expression remained flat for a moment before he felt a tell tale tug at the back of his mind as if somebody was gently chastising him for being so mean.
Pietro pushed out a breath. "I am sorry, it has been a long week."
Billy winced, thoroughly chastised and looked down at the table. "No, sorry, I should mind my own business."
He leaned back into the booth and sipped at his coffee, "I'll move as soon as another table comes free, promise."
Ugh, the kid had a real kicked puppy look about him.
Pietro tapped his fingers lightly and restlessly against the table. "But, yes, I am looking for somewhere to live. My roommate was deported."
"That sucks," Billy mumbled, not looking up again, "Depending on your budget there are some really good places up near where I live that aren't too expensive and aren't filled with too many weirdos..."
"Really?" Pietro asked, pushing aside the paper as he was tired of flipping through pages and circling one advertisement after another. It was getting exhausting. And boring, really boring.
He could handle weirdos for the most part as that came part and parcel with his job so better a couple of those than homelessness.
"Yeah," Billy said with a nod, glancing up through his hair. "There's a lot of students in the area so the prices are actually really reasonable."
Pietro was looking right at Billy and tipped his head. "Whereabouts is it that you live? I think I will check it out, see if I can't find something more reasonable than what my bloodsucking landlord is charging me at the moment." He had not heard of the term 'bloodsucking' used in conjunction with another person but Hanna had introduced him to the phrase and he enjoyed it.
Billy hummed a little and took the paper and pen from Pietro, scribbling down the street he lived on at the bottom of the page that had circles and crosses through it.
"Here-- well, I mean, on this street." He wrote down an apartment name, "and this one's got a bunch of empty apartments they're looking to rent out."
Pietro tipped his head to watch Billy scribble down the information that he would have to look up later and find out if there were any available apartments.
"Thank you," he said after a moment. "I would not have thought of that area."
Billy smiled a little. “You’re welcome,” he said shyly, “hopefully you can find somewhere that’s affordable. Some people are looking for housemates too, so you might be lucky.”
Also, good to know. Pietro had to admit for as.... annoying as the other man was he had helped him out by taking a seat at the table and perhaps he had misjudged him.
"Maybe I will run into you soon," he muttered as he collected up his paper and began to stand. "In the neighbourhood that is."
Billy nodded, "Uh- yeah, maybe." He smiled and bit his lower lip, should he get up? No, no he should stay put. "But you- uh, yeah, have a good day, dude."
"You too," Pietro offered as he put his chair back under the table and walked towards the door and unbeknownst to him he moved so fast that perhaps he blurred a little.