[PRP] one day - - one ( c a k e ) !! - - complete!

[Doctor Rocket]

Squeaking in surprise, Milo tried hard not to fight back as the younger man pushed him flat on the bed. The more he fought, the more aggressive it would make Lan. Instead, he just turned red and averted his eyes. He wouldn't struggle, but that didn't mean he'd like it. Milo shifted his head so his bangs were shadowing his embarrassed teal eyes. This kind of contact hadn't happened in years; especially since he had given up his old lifestyle. And never with another male. Homoerotic situations like this weren't even thought about in his gang, not in the remotest part of their minds. He struggled to listen through his rapid heartbeat as Lan spoke. "Another to use"? he thought, turning a darker shade of red. What exactly was the cook inferring through that comment? And the sleeping arrangements... Even though Milo had grown up as a delinquent, he had been taught manners. The thought of a guest taking the main bed registered as ridiculous to him. Because he was the one imposing, he should be the one to sleep uncomfortably. Milo opened his mouth to protest, but closed it again in a silent fishlike motion as Lan seemed to read his mind. Scared that the younger man would actually sneak in during the night, Milo decided reluctantly not to argue. It probably wouldn't get him anywhere anyway, from what he had seen this boy was stubborn beyond belief.

When Lan acrobatically rolled off him, there was a sudden absence of heat, and for a moment Milo caught himself wishing the cook hadn't moved. The thought vanished as quickly as it had come, and he shifted into a propped up position on his elbows. Miles regarded the question with a stoic look in his eyes. If he hadn't known the cook wasn't serious about offering to talk, he would have been surprised at his stupidity. "Not that I don't want to talk to you," he lied politely, "I'm just... tired from today... It was more trying than usual." The last part, at least, was the truth. Being regretful about not talking to Lan was almost a complete lie. Of course he wanted the boy to finally leave him alone, but there was a bit of an underlying curiosity there. Milo glanced at the bed and tried not to think about it. "I wont touch anything," he assured him honestly. Lan was extremely brave for letting a stranger stay in his house, and Milo would make sure that kindness wasn't betrayed. "I'll leave in the morning. Thank you for your hospitality." Milo kept his eyes on one of the gold-trimmed pillows, wondering if he'd be able to get any sleep here. This would be the first time in at least two years he hadn't slept in his own bed.  

[xx - SHARKattack]

Lan smiled, almost knowing that this was coming. No disappointment fell over him - because there was always tomorrow, and the next day after that. There was still curiosity lingering, but Lan felt a pull on his own conscious and knew that distracting this man more then he needed to be tonight would be a waste of effort. After all, if he became too overbearing, he couldn't well expect the other to even want to relate to him anymore could he? And there was certainly something lingering in his curiosity that speared him on with determination even more so then usual. What was this....? And why was it making him want to keep the other in this room for the rest of his days until he'd learned everything about him - and not just everything about his body. Smiling a bit when the other seemed to have little - what a lie - to no qualms about the sleeping arrangements, Lan slid off the bed and onto his feet a bit, glancing the other over for a moment and smiling a little. But it was different. This smile wasn't the flirtatious smile known to most, not the one filled with lust or the desire for smuggling his own way into ones pants. The sort of smile now tugging on his lips was one of genuine happiness - for some unknown reason even to Lan himself - and a bit of contentment at the other agreeing to at least stay the night. "I wasn't worried that you would." he chortled back to the other with a slight grin when he promised not to touch anything. Honestly, it wasn't like he had anything of extreme value in his room. Wait, that was a lie.

Lans ever thoughtful eyes ventured around, quickly locating small boxes and outlandish masks that lay on the drawer situated near the wall. They were all small trinkets of his past, from the multicolored juggler bean bags that had been used by their ring leader, to the collar of a tiger that Lan had befriended and watched pass away. There was even a few old photographs of the entire troupe together, all over the country and they dazzled a small bulletin board above the drawer, along with letters and notes, small tokens through the years. The newest letter was hanging in front of all the rest, hand written by his closest friends back home. At the end, they had tagged a photograph onto the tattered page and sent it off. As Lan glanced it over, he smiled a bit, but broke from his thoughts to turn for the door. "Well, have a good night, Milo." he said lightly, smiling back at the other with a wave. "And dont worry, it was all to further my own ends." The wisp of his words trilled through the room softly before he exited back out and closed the door behind him, hearing the familiar click.

Sighing a bit, he flickered his eyes over the expanse of the living room to the plush couch that could practically double as a bed the way Lan had set it up. The adult was such a sucker for making everything look like it was taken from a fantasy novel set in the far reaches of the dessert, in the palaces so familiar to those of the folk who lived there. Silently, he let the lights go out, until all that was left was the dark and himself. Carefully, he ambled up the stairs, and towards the balcony, not set on sleeping just yet. Stretching his arms above his head as he stepped foot onto the deck extending out to look up at the starry skies, the young adult hummed a bit, tilting his head back. How long had it been since he'd felt a curiosity for another person lingering like this? Lan couldn't tell, and simply brushed it aside, sitting down on the deck chair for a moment and kicking his legs up, listening to the low thrum of voices below. There were probably couples coming back from a fine dinner, a single father from down below trying to put his anxious son to bed. Two party animals out on their own deck with a late night barbeque set out. Lan closed his eyes and inhaled, his mind roaming to think of the city at night. While extremely dangerous, it also held a fascination for all. Lan opened his eyes a bit. Perhaps they should hold a Lantern Festival. He thought in the back of his mind with a laugh. To illuminate the night and to chase away all of these silly nightmares. I'm sure Krinn would enjoy that.... He paused, touching his lips a bit. Something extremely embarrassing had flittered into his mind and the young adult bit his lip, sitting up. "Ah, I really need to stop reading those stupid romance novels Younka lets me borrow." he said to himself, rubbing his cheeks. It was strange, how easily Lan could hold someone under him and talk of nasty things, and do them just as easily, but when romance - true, pure, cheesy romance was thrown his way, he blushed like a little girl. "I'm so messed up." He mumbled to himself, thinking for the thousandth time he would never understand love.

Glancing up when the glass slider opened again, he breathed out and blinked. "I thought I told you to go to bed." He said, crossing his arms at his small charge. Krinn just sat down beside him and leaned against him with an irritated huff. For a few moments, they just sat there like that, unaware of the guest below them, wondering light heartedly if he was asleep or not. "What are you doing?" Lan finally asked, nudging the other a little. "Mm, comforting you." Krinn replied lazily, humming a little as he usually did when he was thinking. "Who said I needed comforting?" Lan snorted, watching the stars poke their heads out. He got a 'pfft' from the younger and simply stayed like that for a bit, wondering why Krinn was up this late. Usually the Dust child went to bed when Lan told him to - or at least he pretended to until the other was out of range. "Sooo, whats wrong?" Lan asked, nudging the kid again. Krinn blushed and glanced down, playing with his hands. "You never told me what a kiss was." He said defiantly, staring at the other with a frown. Lan blinked for a moment. Once, twice, three times. Then burst out laughing and messed with Krinns hair. "Bed." He commanded for the second time that night. "I'll tell you about that later, when I dont actually feel like doing it to our guest."

"W-What?"

Lan rolled his eyes. "You heard me, bed." He said, pulling the other for the sliding glass door. Ignoring the heated protests, he pushed the other through and into his own room, which was already draped and unique with Krinns own trinkets and possessions, as well as strewn clothing even though it was relatively clean. "Night Krinn." he called happily to the other, making a beeline for the stairs. He could hear the aggravated groan from the other, but decided not to pay much attention to it and just went about setting up the couch in the living room, finally falling into the nest he'd made out of his blankets and pillows, yawning as he stretched out much like a cat and closed his eyes, thoughts of romance and lust, Milo in his room, and the eventful day they had just taken on leaving his mind as soon as sleep overwhelmed him.

Too bad five hours later the heavy sleeper fell off the side of the couch and into a curled, tangled form on the floor.
 

[Doctor Rocket]

It had taken Milo three hours to get to sleep. He didn't tuck himself under the covers, rather just laid atop them; because of the heat and because he'd promised not to mess with anything. Surprisingly, his old ability to sleep anywhere had kicked in, and he had been as comfortable as he would have been in his own bed... for the most part. The room smelled unsettlingly like Lan, and it had taken him quite a while to be able to ignore the inviting sugary-sweet scent. Milo had shifted positions for hours and tried to take his mind off the day's events to no avail. Finally, when the painkillers started wearing off, he forced himself to keep his eyes closed and eventually drifted off. When he was finally unconscious, it didn't last long, for he kept waking up through the night in fits of sleeplessness. What was particularly alarming was the sound of a hollow thunk during the night, which Milo dared not explore. It had taken an hour from that point on to get back to sleep through his raging headache, but the brunette finally managed it and drifted back into a deep dream. There weren't any more noises that night- at least, none loud enough to wake Milo. A band could have been playing two feet away from him, but in the state of unconsciousness he had fallen into, he wouldn't have woken up.

The sun was barely peeking above the horizon when Milo finally emerged from his deep, unbothered slumber. Rousing himself slowly, the brunette glanced around the room, taking a moment to remember where he was and what had happened. The scent of sugary fruit and something uniquely inviting returned the memories of the previous day to his mind. When the wave of nostalgia returned, Milo winced and held his head. The pain was less severe today, but still strong nonetheless. After a series of long, intense moments of trying to keep his mind clear, Milo summoned the will to prop himself up. Something in his arm cracked as he did so. Grunting, Miles slowly looked around the warm-colored room. He was alone- thank god. It wasn't that he had expected Lan to sneak in during the night, he had just recognized that the possibility existed. Milo sat on the bed for another series of minutes, waiting for his mind to wake up fully. He'd never really been a morning person. In fact, it was near impossible to wake him up once he'd fallen into a deep sleep. You could draw with paint all over his face, yet he still wouldn't wake until he was good and ready. With another grunt Milo slowly rolled out of the bed. His feet found the floor, and he stood up awkwardly, eventually gaining his balance.

Wobbling a little, Milo padded to the door and opened it quietly. It was a bit brighter outside the room, so he stood there for a moment, letting his eyes adjust fully. There was a spacious living room, stairs, and a couple doors. As the brunette stepped into the room, he noticed the shape on the floor. Tilting his head, Milo tried to clearly make out the form of something that appeared to be breathing, slowly and steadily. A dog, maybe? He hadn't pegged Lan for that type. Milo kneeled and narrowed his eyes to get a better look. The shape revealed itself to be Lan himself- sleeping on the floor peacefully. Blinking, Milo glanced between the boy and the sofa. By the cover trailing off the cushions to wrap around the boy on the floor, it appeared the cook had rolled off sometime during the night. Milo shook his head and stood. He looked around for a bathroom, and two doors later he had found one. As he'd suspected, his ruined shirt and jacket lay on the counter. Milo kneed the door shut behind him and slipped off the tanktop. As he folded it and set it on the counter, he glanced at his reflection, making a face when he saw that his hair was sticking up rebelliously. Milo slid an arm into the green button-up shirt he had been wearing yesterday, but left the jacket off, seeing as it was too stained to wear. He spend the next couple of minutes unsuccessfully trying to keep his hair down, before exiting the bathroom.

Milo did another door-opening experiment before he found the exit. The brunette started to step out, but then hesitated and glanced back at the cook, who was still sleeping on the floor. Sighing, he shut the door again and looked around for a piece of paper and something to write with. He eventually found a fruit-themed notepad and a ballpoint pen. Milo scribbled a note, ripped the piece from the pad, and returned the items to where he found them. The brunette then returned to Lan's side, kneeling down for a moment to watch the steady, slow breathing. He didn't really know why he was doing this. Trying not to think to hard about it- for his head still hurt whenever he tried to- Milo gently snaked his arms under the boy and picked him up, careful not to disturb the cook's sleep. He set him very softly on the sofa, then snatched the blanket from the floor and arranged it over Lan's sleeping body. Milo glanced at the boy, making sure he hadn't disturbed him. The breathing pattern hadn't changed. That was kind of relieving; if the younger man woke up now, he didn't want to start an awkward conversation. Milo kneeled by the side of the sofa and observed the cook for a moment. Lan looked so peaceful when he was asleep; a far cry from the usual lusty expression that Miles had encountered. Before he could catch himself, Milo gently brushed a few strands of the boy's black and gold hair back, away from his face. The brunette withdrew his hand quickly and looked away, feeling oddly embarrassed. Milo looked down at the note in his hand. It just said one simple word: "Thanks." Smiling slightly, he took the boy's hand and gently placed the paper in Lan's sleepy grip. With a final look to make sure the blanket was covering most of the cook, Milo stood and picked up his suit jacket once more. This time when he headed out the door, he didn't look back. Gently, he clicked it shut behind him and started down the stairs.

So this is an apartment, or a condo, he thought, padding lightly down the staircase. The walls surrounding him were moderately nondescript, save for the occasional door. Numbers were painted on them, and Milo tried to remember what Lan's was. When he found himself committing it to memory, Milo shook his head to rid himself of the thoughts. It wasn't like he'd need it again. Finally, Milo found the exit door and emerged into the dim light of morning. There were only a few people on the street this early- rightly so, it had to be hours before most people, including Milo, usually woke up for work. Teal eyes searched around for a street sign. When he found it, his mood brightened considerably. In terms of general direction he knew where he was. The route home was still a problem that needed solving, but Milo now knew the direction he needed to head in. Slipping his hands into his pockets, Milo started down the street at a leisurely pace. If he got lost, he knew he could ask directions, but being stubborn and generally anti-social, Milo wanted to see if he could find his way home himself.

An hour later, Milo found himself standing outside of his apartment building. It was a relatively high-end building, with the aura of a fancy inn or something similar. Milo's place was the top floor penthouse. It was an unnecessary waste of space, and the quality was completely lost on him, but Milo needed something to spend his money on. 'Living better' had been a part of the new life he had promised himself, back when Milo had first given up his gang life. Stepping through the glass doors, he greeted the receptionist with a nod. The woman looked startled to see him; she had probably thought- like his co-workers- that he was dead, because he had never broken routine. He just smiled and waved slightly as he started up the stairs. The building wasn't particularly tall, with only four floors between his and the reception floor, so the climb didn't bother him. Milo dug the key out of his pocket and clicked it into the doorknob, pushing open the door with no enthusiasm whatsoever. Cinnamon and smoke were the smells that greeted him. Even though he didn't smoke indoors very often, the smell still lingered around the rooms. Milo headed straight for the shower, shedding his clothes in a half-hazard trail as he walked to the bathroom. He stepped in and turned on the faucet without waiting for the water to heat. Wincing at the sudden cold, Milo watched the ceiling vacantly as the heater kicked in and the water got warmer. I'll have to apologize to my boss, he thought distantly. They had already started planning his funeral, no doubt. Milo rested his forehead against the wall of the shower, letting the water run down his back. His head hurt considerably less now, so thoughts began returning. Milo contemplated how trivial his life was; that he was ruled by a schedule so strict that when broken, just for a day, people would think he'd died. He thought about Lan, and how one cake had shaken the carefully planned life Milo had built. By the time he turned the water off it had already run ice cold.

After dressing, Milo had wandered out into his living room and collapsed on the sofa, a towel draped over his hair. There was still an hour left before he had to leave. Absently, Milo wondered if Lan had woken up yet. His thoughts wandered again, replaying the scene in the cafe, straying to wonder about Krinn and the events that had brought the unlikely duo together. Milo shifted on the couch, lying flat with his face pressed into the cushions. "You probably wouldn't believe me", he said... Milo mulled it over in his head. There was probably some weird story there, but the brunette would never hear it. Lan had left his life as quickly as he had entered it. There wouldn't be any more sleepovers, or cakes, or unlikely events. Things would fall back into the normal schedule, and this would be remembered as "that one day things went wrong". Milo glanced at the clock some time later. He had burned enough time thinking that it was almost time to leave for work. With a sigh, Milo rolled off the couch and onto his feet. The towel fell to the floor as he padded into the bathroom, adding to the trail of clothing he had left earlier. In the bathroom, Milo took a long look at himself in the mirror. The suit was kind of wrinkled from the way he had been strewn across the couch, but it was nothing that wouldn't straighten out on the way to work. Milo fought his hair until it stayed down and civilized looking, then glanced over his appearance one last time. Black suit, black tie, and a sky blue shirt that he'd picked because it reminded him of Lan's eyes, though he wouldn't admit it to himself.

Padding back into the living room, Milo scooped up his cake-stained pants and looted the pockets for his usual things. He hesitated a moment when he pulled out the blue-tinted glasses. They were bent, and the lenses scratched, to the point where they were unwearable. Milo tucked them into his pocket and made a mental note to get them fixed. Sighing, Miles dropped the pants and toed into his shoes. When he had locked the door behind him, the brunette jogged down the staircase and waved as he passed the receptionist. She waved back and wished him a good day as he disappeared through the glass entry. Milo wove his way to work, and arrived to many shocked and questioning faces. To everyone he just apologized, and wrote his absence off as 'an accident'. When asked details, Milo just changed the subject or promised to tell them later. The CEO- Milo's boss- didn't seem to mind, but rather raised an eyebrow and looked him over curiously. Milo reddened and tried to pay attention to his work. His boss had probably been worried and called his apartment complex. They would have dutifully reported that Milo didn't return there, so the CEO was probably under the impression that Milo had spent a scandalous night away. Which, in a way, he had. He'd spent the night in a stranger's house. And even though they hadn't done anything devious, it didn't sound any better to say that out loud. There had also been questions about his glasses, but Milo wrote them off as a causality of the accident, and said they'd be back soon. It wasn't a complete lie, yet Miles felt odd about not telling the truth. The brunette blinked out of his thoughts as a co-worker tapped him on the shoulder. "Almost lunch break," she said, "Why don't you hang around, and tell us what happened yesterday?"

The moment Milo had been dreading had finally arrived. He glanced aside, trying to stop the dismay from building inside of him. This was where he had to choose if he wanted to return to the cafe or not. Lan would be there, and all the waiters had seen what had happened. Besides it being embarrassing, it felt awkward thinking about going back. Milo hesitated, and his co-worker tilted her head expectantly. "I can't," he said finally, "I usually go to a cafe." Defeated, his co-worker nodded in a downcast way and left. Milo stared at his work, wondering why he hadn't excepted the invitation. The food at the cafe was good, but not good enough to hazard the embarrassment. Why am I going back? he thought, standing as the clock deemed it time for break. Milo dodged as many co-workers as possible on his way out to his 'smoking spot'. They all seemed to want to ask him questions, and Milo wasn't in the mood to answer any of them. When he was finally away from the building, Milo fished out his pack of cigarettes. The one he drew out was slightly bent: it had been the unlit cigarette from Lan's room the night before. Milo sighed and struck a match. For some reason, the black and gold haired cook just wouldn't leave his thoughts.

Fifteen minutes later, Milo snubbed the cigarette and headed toward the cafe. A nagging feeling at the back of his mind told him he shouldn't be going. He ignored it awkwardly, not entirely sure himself why he was returning. But the brunette found himself standing outside, and since he had wasted the time coming, there was no sense in not going in. Milo pushed the door open, hearing the familiar sound of the bell attached to the door, and the chatter of the customers. Ironically, the table that was clearly open was the one he had sat at the previous day. Milo kept his eyes to himself, as usual, and slipped into a chair. Lan was usually a cook, so he didn't have to worry about seeing him, much less getting decked with another cake. Trying to zone everyone out, Milo tapped his fingers on the table in a slow thrumming pattern.  

[xx - SHARKattack]

There was warmth. For a split second, in the back of Lans head, he acknowledged that there was a small faint feeling of someone near him, someone close, in the small conscious of the chef's mind.

And then it was gone.

An hour later found Lan waking to an empty apartment. He was hazy, and could barely remember the last nights events for a moment as his light blue eyes adjusted to the sunshine draping his figure. Suddenly, a yawn collapsed on him, and with a screech, the young adult rolled off the couch once again and onto his back with an "umph!" of surprise. Then he blinked. He had woken during the night. He had noticed that he was on the ground and hadn't cared. He had gone back to sleep. And nowhere in that small time lapse had he crawled back onto the couch. So how...? Yawning again, the young adult sat up, brushing the blankets off of his shoulders and stretching a bit, only to hear the crunch of paper underneath his fingers. Lowering his hands, he stared down at the note in his hand and unfolded the paper with a blink of surprise. Thanks. Thanks, thanks, thanks. Milo. s**t. Lan thought, staring down at the note. "Well s**t." he repeated out loud to make sure he still had a voice. The nights actions slowly came over him once more, and he remembered the sandy haired man, his looks, his body. He had slept in Lans bed, and the boy had taken the couch. That could only have meant.... Aww. Lan thought for a moment with a smile. "You're sweet." He said with a laugh, placing the note on the glass table near him and standing up from the mess of blankets. "But sweet people usually stick around." He finished, looking a bit down for a moment before padding away.

"Oh well, nothing I can do about it." He stretched his arms behind his head, and swished his hips in the direction of his room. "Anyways, we'll meet again wont we..." Lan paused with a hum, glancing towards the door. "Right, Milo~?" Stepping through his door, Lan noted with slight interest that the bed was barely touched save for the pillows, and that when Lan collapsed on it and curled his arms around the fluffy thing, it smelled faintly of cinnamon and smoke. Nice... he thought to himself, closing his eyes and burying his head in it for a moment. Not as good as the real thing though. He thought, and couldn't understand why every time he thought about such a thing, it stabbed him again in the stomach, setting butterflies into a hazardous mess and his mind into a small state of melancholy over the lost person. With the way things had gone the night before, he highly doubted the other would ever return to the cafe. However, Lan could only hope now, couldn't he? With a slight sigh, Lan sat up again, cuddling the pillow to his chest for a moment. "I shouldn't get myself down over a stranger I dont even know." he said abruptly. "He only interested me because of his body." Lan declared to the pillow, and frowned down at it before sighing in defeat. "Nah, who am I kidding...." He mumbled, Throwing the pillow at the wall before standing up and stripping, padding lazily into his bathroom and shutting the door behind him.

Turning the nozzle, Lan stepped under the warm hiss of the shower, content with the droplets running across his body, deleting the scents of yesterday. He tilted his head back, exposing the lithe neck, the almost feminine shoulders to the showers warm strokes. A purr escaped from him, and he found himself falling into thoughts as his conscious mind woke himself up once more. He would be late for work that day, but it was alright, at least his boss wasn't the most strict person on the planet. He was already late, actually, but there was nothing he could do. The previous night had left him uncharacteristically tired for some reason - from mental or physical exhaustion the young adult didn't even know. Lathering shampoo in his hands, the young adult brushed through his hair and rinsed, making sure to get every inch with the subtly scented shampoo. Suddenly, Milo's face flashed in his mind and a sheer blush draped over his cheeks. "I cant think about him. He's not even here for one day - much less a day where he likes me!" Lan scolded himself lightly. "Anyways, I cant get hung up over someone I dont even know, thats just ridiculous." Lan paused, reaching for the peppermint scented soap. Unlike the casual sweet, sugar smell of yesterday, he would bathe himself in something that was more subtle, something that calmed the mind. His mind. After all, he needed it. "Isn't it...?" he said finally to the shower. "Its ridiculous. Infatuation. Thats all it is." With that, Lan reached for the nozzle again and shut off the water, stepping out and shaking his head like a wet dog.

Groping mindlessly for a towel from the racks above the sink, Lan dragged one down onto his muss of gold and black hair and started to dry his hair before going through the casual routine of brushing his teeth, drying his body, lathering his arms and legs with a small amount of lotion, brushing his hair, yanking it back into a small ponytail, and stumbling out in a towel to his room, digging around for clothing to wear that day. Examining some from his closet, the young adult huffed a sigh and yanked out an old pair of jeans, splattered with paint from when they had redone the entire caravans colors, touching them up and painting them in creative strokes. As usual, they were skin tight, and in an uncharacteristic swing of moods, Lan pulled out some cowboy boots from his closet and pulled them over the jean legs. "Alright, I'll be a cowboy today." He joked to himself, almost wishing he had a hat to go along with it. Instead the young adult settled for that and a simple black tank top that showed off the star tattoo on his neck. Instead of showing off his hair, he pulled a stylish bandanna over it and yanked on his familiar wrist accessories before opening the door to his room and tripping out.

"Krinn!" He called, but was relieved by the sight of the boy swinging on one of the stools at the counter connecting to the kitchen. When he looked up, Lan noted that he looked mighty embarrassed and instantly assumed the other saw or heard something, or was just thinking something that wasn't exactly a good thought in his mind at the time. "Need breakfast before I go?" Lan asked, trying to not pry. The boy looked up and mussed with his hair a bit. "Pancakes?" he asked with a sheepish smile. Lan couldn't help but grin. Same old, same old. For now he could forget his thoughts of Milo and tend to the kid. For now. Krinn watched as the man began the simple process, flipping the pancakes through the air once the batter was well mixed and laying out an array of fruits and whip cream to use along with breakfast. As soon as the kitchen was live with the scent of food, Lan snuck into a seat beside Krinn and began to pick at his food, popping a raspberry into his mouth and sucking on it a bit as Krinn began to eat as well. Finally, Lan heard the Dust mumble something. "....guys...cute....gether...." were the words Lan made out, and the young adult perked his ears up, looking over at the other. "Eh?" He asked, amused but also rather dumbfounded. "N-nothing!" Krinn said, jumping from the stool and bringing his plate over to the sink. "I'm going to go on ahead, I need to walk the dogs before I meet you at the cafe." As if suddenly embarrassed all over again, Krinn hopped for the door, while Lan swung on his stool to face him, reaching out a hand and looking amazed and confused. Sighing, the man slapped a hand to his face, his mind overriding with unwanted images. What had Krinn seen? What had Lan done?

"I said..." He heard, and looked up, seeing Krinn in the door way, peaking out from behind it for a moment. "That you and Milo looked cute together." And then the boy was gone, and Lan almost fell out of his seat in a big rush of embarrassment. What? What? WHAT? What had just gone on? What in gods name... Lan thought, staring at the door. He was so stupidly curious and he just couldn't figure it out. "I'm so confused." He said out loud for good measure, and then straightened up, messing with his head for a moment, realizing why he didn't where bandannas so much anymore. What could Milo have done to make Krinn think that? What could Lan have done? The other was overlooking the obvious and was still amazingly oblivious to the fact that he had to have been lifted onto the couch by someone last night. Decisively ignoring the temptation to run after Krinn, the young adult picked himself off the floor and quickly gathered his keys, and his other possessions, including his leather messenger bag - tattered and worn from usage, before quickly exiting the door and locking the apartment behind him, following the many staircases downwards and exiting to the light of day. Amies was so beautiful in the morning. Just like... I'm going to shut up now. Lan thought, and rolled his eyes, starting towards the cafe.

As soon as Lan walked through the doors, he realized that he was indeed needed for work. Blinking, he ducked under the astonished gaze of the owner - "You actually showed up?! You weren't dead? - and into the kitchen, dodging Noe along the way, who turned to him and winked, grinning as if she had heard the latest gossip and was now betting away her savings on his future relationships. Sliding into the kitchen, Lan set down his messenger bag near the back and tied on his apron, instantly settling back into routine. Shuuhei would shout orders, Lan would relay them, and the two head chefs would go at it like mad men while their assistants and new workers timidly tried to help out in the background. It began like this every day. It ended like this everyday. Shuuhei would always be the demanding one, Lan would always be the subtle strict one. And everyone who got in the way was considered dead meat, to be chopped and skewered and served on a high end platter to the officials. "So how did things go last night?" Shuuhei asked as they dodged around each other, Lan delivering a sweet dessert for Noe to transfer to the tables while Shuuhei started to sate mushrooms for a dish they were preparing. "Oh you know, I let him sleep in my bed. Came onto him. We had rough sex like no tomorrow and god, my a** hurts. I cant tell you how painful it is to walk right now. Complete strangers, yet we somehow managed to become deeply intimate through our shallow breaths and intense talk. I never thought I could feel so alive, or scream so loud. Milo really does turn into an animal in the - " Under Shuuhei's shocked concerned look of "do you really think you should be standing!?" face, Lan snorted. "I'm kidding." He deadpanned with a grin as one of the mushrooms set on fire and Shuuhei yelped.

"Dont ever..." He began, pointing his spatula at Lan. "Scare me like that again. If you had been seduced like that, I really would have taken that man and massacred him." To which Lan grinned shamelessly and batted his eye lashes, scuttling away from the spatula. It was funny, how he would never even get that close to something like that with Milo. Making it up had been funny though. Shuuhei's face had been even funnier. "Babe, what makes you think it would have been him seducing me? Another mushrooms on fire by the way." Satisfied with scaring his counterpart for the day, Lan turned and relayed orders to the assistants as he took another order and started on work. The chef exchanged more pleasantries with Shuuhei throughout their shifts, the black haired man saying that Lan looked like an odd cross between a pirate and a cowboy and having a good laugh over it. An hour later, Noe showed up in the kitchen with a mad giggle spreading from her lips. "You'll never guess." She said loudly, attracting Lans attention. Lan and Shuuhei, both having slowed their work due to the lack of customers during the work hours in between lunch and evening, scuttled over, curious to hear the girls gossip. "The man who Lanni kidnapped last night just showed up. I just had Elle go take his order." She winked at Lan. "Ready to kiss and make up yet, Lanni?"

"Dont call me - " Lan said for the millionth time and sighed, rubbing his forehead. Still, it was.... a shock that Milo was here. And even more of a shock that Noe was trying to get him out to meet him. Not that Lan didn't want to at all. It was just that he was pretty sure it was because she had some sort of bet going with the other workers at the cafe. Because around here, boy did rumors spread fast and if Milo didn't notice all of the female waitresses giggling and whispering, then he was denser then Lan expected him to be. Untying the apron from around his waist, Lan shoved it into Shuuhei's arms and turned to him with a sly grin. "Do you mind taking over for a bit, Shuu-darling? I promise I'll do a double shift for you next week so you can go to that strip club you wanted to." He asked with his most intimate nickname for the other. "This pirate has some booty to collect." Noe giggled and exited the room, slinking back to her normal perky waitress duties out on the patio while Shuuhei grasped onto the apron and groaned. "So long as you never make another joke about being a pirate." He said and dumped the apron on the counter, waving Lan off. "Go, tiger, go." He said lazily with a cat like grin. Laughing, Lan exited the kitchen, but not before snagging a strawberry that had decorated a cake slice he had made prior for his entertainment only. It was covered in soft cream, and as Lan bit into it, he wondered just why Milo was here.

And then he spotted him, and overwhelmed by a few unknown feelings, Lan eased himself into sneaking up on the other until he was directly behind him. He knew the cafe inside and out, so it was no challenge for him to dodge waiters and waitresses, putting his finger to his lips to cease the giggling with a grin. The chefs were actually well known - and mostly liked by the girls of the cafe. Most of them thought they were the stupidest and funniest thing to happen to the cafe, and most of them got along just fine. Purring in the back of his throat, he appeared behind the other and quickly covered the mans eyes, careful not to touch the glasses but making it so the other couldn't see. It was the familiar game where he leaned in just like so, getting his mouth close the others ear for a second and whispering "Guess who?" Before laughing and taking his hands away, sliding into the seat next to the other and kissing his cheek just as if they were old friends getting together for lunch. Crossing his legs one over the other, spurs and boots clicking as if he'd just walked out of a rodeo, Lan grinned, a flicker of entertainment in those light sky blue orbs. "So what are we having?" He joked for a moment before examining the other a bit. It was nice seeing him without cake all over while still inside the cafe. "Just kidding. Good afternoon stranger, what brings you to this..."

And even though nothing screamed humble about it, Lan finished his sentence like so. "Humble abode of ours...?"  

[Doctor Rocket]

I knew I shouldn't have come.

The thought played over and over in Milo's head like a mantra. He was painfully aware of the waitresses whispering, and they kept glancing at him and giggling like there were a pair of fluffy rabbit ears on his head. Regretful, Milo kept his eyes trained directly on the table. There was nothing more embarrassing than having people talking about you in plain sight. The brunette wondered if they were whispering about the cake incident, or something Lan had told them. Speaking of the gold and black haired cook, Milo hadn't caught sight of him since he'd arrived. Maybe Lan was avoiding him. The thought hit harder than Milo had expected, and his gaze sank lower. Why do I care so much? he thought sarcastically, shifting a bit in his chair. He just wanted to eat, leave, and never come back. There had to be another suitable restaurant somewhere in this vicinity. Milo would find it, and be done with this cafe forever. No more Lan, no more giggling waitresses, no more delicious strawberry parfaits. Milo blinked and chuckled at the last part of that list. It was true, he would definitely miss the food here. Now that he had met the cooks, it seemed oddly personal to eat the things they made. Regardless, Milo wanted his strawberry parfait. He hadn't gotten the chance to eat one the day before, and if this was going to be his last one, he would damn well enjoy it.

Lan chose to appear the one time since they'd met that Milo wasn't thinking about him. He blinked in surprise as his vision suddenly got dark, his eyelashes fluttering against the hands covering his sight. Then he could feel the warm breath on his ear, and smelled the sugary fruit and peppermint, and knew that Lan was there even before the boy spoke. Even though he knew he should feel dismay, Milo's spirits were inexplicably brightened by the younger man's appearance. He even accepted the brush of lips on his cheek without jerking away too badly. Milo raised his teal eyes a bit, not wanting to face Lan without the protection of his glasses, but happier now that the awkward moment was broken. A part of him realized that maybe he had come back to the cafe for that slight chance of seeing Lan again. Milo quickly dismissed it and put on his usual stoic expression. He glanced sideways, catching a glimpse of Lan's bright eyes. They were exceptionally beautiful; something Milo had recognized earlier but refused to think about. Lan himself was pretty enough to be a model. Not handsome, per say, but good-looking in a more feminine way. Milo subconsciously shifted away from the boy in his seat when the cook sat down. When asked what he was having, Milo blinked uncomfortably.

"A strawberry parfait," he answered robotically, before correcting his tone to something more civil. Milo forced a slight smile in Lan's direction. He was honestly- and inexplicably- happy to see him. The younger man looked fashionable in his mix of cowboy boots and rogue-ish clothing, and Milo let his eyes quickly take in the sight. There was a tattoo on Lan's neck... something Milo hadn't noticed before. Stars. I wonder if they mean anything, he thought without realizing he was staring. Eventually blinking out of his daze, Milo listened to the second question with a vacant look. He didn't really know why he had come back, but it didn't have anything to do with the food. "To eat," he lied through his teeth. Milo let his eyes linger a bit, then reverted his gaze to the table. "Um," he started awkwardly, "You look... nice... ish..." The sentence trailed off so badly that it became an inaudible whisper. Milo covered his face with his hand. He was definitely the master of compliments. Intent on not embarrassing himself further, Milo switched to an innocent subject. "Is Krinn not with you today?" he asked, glancing about the cafe. Milo hadn't seen the young boy since he arrived. He hadn't always seen Krinn at the cafe, but then again, he had never been looking for him before.  

[xx - SHARKattack]

Lans breath hitched a bit in his throat as he finally got a good look at the other for a moment. The teal eyes were astounding to him - a color even he hadn't even seen before. Not even in the traveling troupe. The chef had to force himself to breath correctly and cover up his ears turning a bit red and spreading to the edge of his cheeks by fiddling with his bandanna and yanking it down a bit to discreetly hide the soft redness. This is like a really bad romance novel gone wrong. He thought in the back of his mind, the tease catching a bit even though Lan ignored it to keep himself from stopping his normal banter with the older, more refined man. Lan didn't want to look at him again while he was up close - he was afraid of turning red or stopping his breath or accidentally forgetting that gravity wasn't his best friend. Still, he couldn't help his eyes from trailing over the clean crisp suit, the sky blue shirt, and the tie, the lack of glasses, and the sandy hair that looked as though Milo had raged through a war with it to get it to how it was now.

Cute.

When the other answered his joking question, Lan blinked and cocked his head to the side, humming in thought. He remembered the orders for Strawberry Parfaits, some of them coming in during this time in the past. Had that been Milo before? It was curious how the man could be matched by his orders. Lan smiled. "Ah, thats a good dessert." He said conversationally with a small grin as he put an elbow on the table and rested his chin the upturned palm of his hand, a light rumble flooding the back of his throat. "Something thats much better in your mouth then all over you, wouldn't you agree?" Lan laughed a bit, knowing that Shuuhei was probably getting murder by the overload of orders because of Lan's sudden need to leave and the mans stubborn refusal to agree that he might have needed help. The golden black haired man twirled some of his hair in his hands, one of the two locks hanging down near his ears tangled in his long fingers. As the other tried for conversation, Lan perked up, glancing over at the other for a moment.

"You look - ...?" He repeated, having heard the mess of words and blinked sightly in confusion. It probably had something to do with nice, but Lan grinned and blew it out of proportion. "I look what? Sexy? Dignified? Hot?" He listed off a bit more possibilities and then grinned, bumping the other lightly with his shoulder and leaning his head forward so he was staring directly at the other for a moment. "Just kidding. I'm sure it was something much more modest." His eyes danced playfully, but his smile was surprisingly less lustful then the day before. True, he still really wanted to knock this man to the floor and - ahem! - but if he couldn't do that then he'd might as well act civil while in the others presence. "You look great yourself, Milo." He said loftily, playing one hand with the others tie, pulling at it a bit. "Though I'm sure you'd look better with a lot of it off." Lan chuckled a bit and leaned back in his seat, having teased enough for one instance.

When the other awkwardly tried to change the subject to something more innocent, Lan clicked his tongue and tapped his boots against the floor for a moment, resting his hands over his crossed legs. "Krinn?" He asked, repeating the name of his young charge. Suddenly, that morning events played over in his head and he concealed yet another blush with something much like a cough - damn all of those romance novels! why couldn't he just have read about burning loins and vicars and smut? Smut did not make him blush like this! Krinn did not make him blush like this! Krinns words.... yes, Milo, yes? But smut? No! So why? How did that get so twisted!? People were supposed to blush and stutter and freak out around smut, not actual cheesy romance! Stopping his inner arguments before he ignored the other, Lan smiled a bit. "Nah, he's walking the dogs right now." Lan paused and then realized that the other would probably think that meant that Lan owned dogs which would be kind of confusing since there hadn't been any in his house last night. "Krinn helps out at a pet shop near the market place, so he usually shows up here in the early afternoon." Lan explained, glancing at the other with a smile, his eyes narrowing a bit into the predator like gaze they had been before. He was definitely trying to take his mind out of the gutter now. "He should be here soon, actually. He seems to have taken a liking to you, fancy that. Sometimes he can be rather reluctant to like others a whole lot." Lan grinned, telling it how it was. Krinn was ridiculously easy to get along with, but pushing his buttons to make him angered was an simple task no doubt. And from the comment that morning... he could only assume that the Dust really did think that Milo was okay if he was saying they looked cute together.

When the waitress came around with Milo's order, she winked mischievously at Lan, having probably heard what was going on from everyone else. She then placed the delectable looking dessert down and swished her skirt. She flashed him her fingers a bit and Lan understood the message. It was true, Noe had set up a betting pool. Probably something to do with dating prospects. He'd have Shuuhei sneak up on her later - after all, the girl liked to keep the boys out of the loop when it came to things like this. At least, Shuuhei and Lan. "Adelaide..." Lan said with a purr, leaning over Milo intentionally so that he was practically draped half way across the others lap. He smiled up at the girl, and she blinked and broke out into a tiny fit of giggles. "Would you mind relaying a message for me to the girls?" Under the nod, the blond sat back and waited, listening to the chatter and giggles of the waiters and waitresses around them as they watched the proceedings like hawks swooping down on prey. Or some of them, to say the least. "Tell them its rude to stare." Winking, Lan leaned back and the girl blushed but couldn't hold back much of her giggling and scurried away to tell the others who relayed it like wildfire and disbanded to actually do their jobs. "Honestly, girls can never stay out of peoples personal lives." Lan complained with a huff, even though he was grinning a bit as he righted himself up a bit.

That was definitely true though, especially for a certain waitress who was betting on the outcome of the two strangers relationships at that very moment.
 

[Doctor Rocket]

Oh man, I knew I should have fixed my glasses, Milo thought, watching Lan's odd reaction to seeing his eyes up close. The first thing he'd do when he got off work would be to get them repaired. Were his eyes really that surprising, that Lan had to react like that? Not understanding the odd reaction, Milo decided not to look at the cook, and chained his gaze to the table. A moment later he could feel Lan's eyes, looking him over. Milo kept very still until he boy signaled he was done looking, and listened as the younger man spoke. Without looking at Lan, Miles nodded and shrugged a bit. His face turned a light red at the cook's joke. If nothing else, the younger man must have been very self-confident to keep making such taunts. That, or he was a masochist and simply not afraid should Milo punch him in the face. On the other hand, Lan could have been a great judge of character, and somehow known that Milo wouldn't punch him over almost any circumstance. The brunette snorted to himself, seriously doubting the last option. He didn't take Lan for that type of intellectual. Milo toed his shoes against the floor of the cafe, sitting politely with his hands folded in his lap, his head down and eyes on the table. When he was in anti-social mode, he was rather unassuming and blended well into the background. For some reason, though, Lan had taken an interest in him.

Milo switched his eyes to look in the opposite direction as Lan rattled off taunting possibilities. The brunette made a mental note to never compliment him again. At least the cook seemed to be behaving himself, for the time being. It was almost surprising to Milo that they could have a semi-normal conversation. Flinching, Milo struggled to keep his gaze averted as Lan tugged at his tie. The compliment had quirked up a polite smile on his face, but when the boy added the teasing remark to follow it up, the smile fell and was quickly replaced with a blush. Why does he always do that? Milo wondered, staring at the table. He didn't get the chance to come up with an answer, Lan had already moved on to reply about his young ward. Milo raised an eyebrow at "dogs". When the cook continued on about the pet shop, Milo nodded his understanding and glanced to the door before he could catch himself. Krinn seemed like a good kid. He volunteered, was polite, and extremely patient for his age; he put up with someone like Lan. Milo scratched a hand through his brown hair and felt something along the lines of pity for the boy. "He must be pretty responsible," Milo murmured, more to himself than anyone.

Blinking, the brunette glanced back to Lan at "taken a liking to you". He'd barely met Krinn, and talked to him only in small exchanges. What had he done to make the young boy "like" him? Milo raised an eyebrow in Lan's direction. "What makes you think that?" he asked quietly. Before he could get an answer, the parfait was delivered. Milo was intent on ignoring Lan while he ate, but as he reached for the glass full of strawberry heaven, the cook leaned right across him. The brunette almost growled at the block between him and his food. Leaning back in his chair, Milo begrudgingly waited until Lan was done. He made the mistake of not averting his eyes, and let his gaze wander over the cook's body. As per Milo's first impressions, he was lithe and feminine, with a certain flexibility that was reminiscent of a gymnast. The tanktop rode up a bit as the boy leaned over him, and after catching sight of a sliver of smooth skin at the boy's hip, he looked away. When the boy leaned back, Milo snatched his spoon and narrowed his eyes slightly in Lan's direction. The hard look softened as Miles realized what the cook had told her. He watched vacantly as the waitress returned to her giggling co-workers and the group disbanded. "Thanks," he said simply, glancing over at Lan as he poked his spoon into the parfait.  

[xx - SHARKattack]

Leaning back in his chair, Lan hummed a bit, watching the strawberry parfait get poked. He was usually in charge of desserts in the kitchen, but he had put some of those delicious treats in the refrigerator to keep cool before he had come out. After all, it was always nice to have a back up, and sometimes it was better to let parfaits chill a bit to make them more enjoyable. The idea was to either serve them right away, or chill them for at least six hours - as was the inner recipe books instructions from long ago now slathered all over Lans cooking brain. So from the look of it, it was one that had been delivered after being chilled, but the young chef didn't feel like mentioning that to the other. He wanted him to enjoy, not taunt him and earn some form of angry glare. Sliding back as the other responded to his talk about Krinn, Lan blinked. Responsible? "Well, more so then me at least." Lan laughed out in response right away, rocking dangerously back in his chair until it was balanced on one leg for a moment before he brought it back down, having liked the feel of gravity whispering to stab him in the back if he didn't control himself right. He stared down at his cowboy boots for a moment. "Which probably makes him insanely responsible, since I have no education in that department." It was true, actually. Before Krinn had come along, Lan had known little to nothing about responsibility. He had never before cared about many other people then himself, and his level of responsibility had gone from its zero mark to wavering a bit off the ground when he had first found the bottle. But now that Krinn was around, it was like a whole new world for him. Thankfully the dust child was pretty independent, else the chef would probably be screwed.

As Milo questioned him about why Krinn thought he liked the older adult, Lan glanced over at him for a second before laughing and shrugging his shoulders. "Hell if I know." He said teasingly, leaning in close to the other and licking his lips a bit, stealing a strawberry from the other and popping it into his mouth. Then he leaned in, brushing his lips against the others cheek as he talked into his ear. "He must have seen something one of us did - but I cant think of anything he could have witnessed. He ran out the door this morning like his face was going to steam over from the blush." Lan laughed a bit, tilting his head to the side as he leaned away a bit, licking his lips, propping himself up lightly, almost ghostly on the others right thigh. He leaned in close as usual, eyes flashing in the others face for a moment. "Tell me, dear stranger, did you do anything while I was out that might have made him think that we looked 'cute together'?" Lans eyes showed nothing but the truth, the actual curiosity, the obvious "I have no idea whats going on" flash in those deep sky blue eyes. "Because I cant think of anything I've done." He tapped his fingers along the others thigh teasingly. "Other then the usual at least." Slinking back into his seat, he smiled. Glancing up when the man said thanks, Lan blinked and then realized what he was talking about as he saw another waiter go by, his hair flashing deep auburn as he passed what looked to be an envelope to Noe, who giggled on her way to the kitchen.

"Oh, that?" Lan whistled and smiled over at the other. "No problem. You'd better watch out though, I cant always ward them off with my natural charm." He paused, licking his fingers of the strawberry taste that lingered in the sweet red on the edge of his skin. "Your love life is on the betting table right now with pretty steep odds. You'd better watch out, or those girls will get you. And boy will they get you good." Honestly, Lan wondered how the cafe had gotten this way. The girls were either timid and shy or flamboyant and outgoing, and the men were either like Shuuhei, or completely normal, just happening to get wrapped up in the things going on around the place. They were like a misplaced family, since the owner constantly wrangled them up for what he called "proper waiter etiquette training" on the weekends sometimes, and somehow Lan and Shuuhei got dragged into it because of their ties. Somehow, in all of those messes, they had kind of gotten into a tight knit dysfunctional family mode. If Noe didn't know everything that was happening in the cafe with everyone else, then all hell would break loose. Grinning as it wasn't all Lans fault that Milo was completely exposed to the wrath of the money whore waiters, the waiter rocked back in his chair and squeaked out when two girlish arms encircled him.

A big kiss was placed on his cheek from behind and Noe laughed, before setting a small dish in front of him. "I thought you might want something while discussing your rough night odds and ends with your stranger here." She said innocently, though as she tightened her grip around the ex-acrobat, her eyes examined Milo with a calculating way, lips flashing in an even more dangerous fashion then Lans ever had. "But I cooked it. That kind of defeats the generosity put in." Lan pointed out with a laugh even though Noe just shrugged at the sugary treat she had laid before him. Lan was a saint compared to this girl. But as she skipped away, Lan couldn't help but admire her for all her bold daring attitude. Turning back to his food, he popped the cherry from its cream nest and licked off the frosting before sinking his teeth into it, absently humming to himself for a moment. Turning to Milo, he blinked for a moment before slyly grinning and nibbling on the rest of the cherry for a moment. "Careful around her." He said simply, and turned back to his dessert.

"So, my dear Milo, what brought you all the way back to this place? I wouldn't think you'd come here after getting splattered in cake honestly..." Lan trailed off, hiding the rest of his words, the rest of his sheer relief that the other was still dropping by.  

[Doctor Rocket]

For some reason, Milo was unable to ignore Lan's voice. If it were any other person he could zone them out, focus on his own thoughts, and they would just become part of the buzz. But with the flirtatious cook, he just couldn't distance himself in the same way. Milo listened to Lan talk about responsibility, enjoying the sound of his voice instead of paying attention to the words. Idly, Milo spooned a whipped-cream covered strawberry into his mouth, wondering how many times he'd eaten a parfait made by Lan himself. They had been so close this whole time, in the same place, at the same time, with only a wall between them. Milo had spent so many days eating Lan's cooking without even knowing his name. They had touched the same things, talked to the same people, but they had never met by a hair's breadth. Except for yesterday, when one cake had finally joined their previously parallel lives. That sounds like something from a romance novel, Milo said, poking his spoon back into the parfait. Not that he would know- he didn't read many romance novels, and was far from a hopeless romantic. He let Lan brush his lips against his cheek, and didn't flinch this time, instead, just kept thinking. The thought of having been so close to Lan the whole time stirred an odd feeling of butterflies in his stomach.

The butterflies quickly twisted into a tense knot.

Choking on a strawberry, Milo's eyes widened at the words "did you do anything". The kid saw that? he thought, gulping the strawberry down. His mind tracked back to the morning, and the moment he was enraptured with Lan's innocent sleeping. Milo hadn't noticed the boy, if he had been there, he must have been out of sight. Actually, the brunette had all but forgotten about Krinn that morning. Forcing down the anxious look, Milo transitioned into a cool, effortless lie. "He probably just saw me writing the note," he lied with a shrug. "Maybe I was the first person you kidnapped that actually thanked you for it," Milo added, his eyes flashing tauntingly in Lan's direction. After the words were out, he blinked and quickly looked back to his parfait. That kind of joking conversation hadn't emerged since his gang days. The fact that he was getting comfortable around Lan was painfully obvious. Stabbing the parfait, Milo frowned and tried not to think about it. It was just a slip, it was bound to happen with Lan's easy attitude. It wasn't like he was actually taking a liking to the cook. He'd only known him for a day... that was ridiculous, and impossible. Still, Milo felt a bit nervous around the black and gold haired man.

Eager to change the subject, Milo watched the waiters and waitresses whisper, giggle, and occasionally glance in their direction. This certainly is a lively place, he thought, vaguely listening to Lan. "I'll be careful," he said somewhat sarcastically. How dangerous could a couple of waitresses get? They had seemed very sweet, from Milo's daily encounters with them. He watched as a curvaceous waitress planted a kiss on Lan's cheek, and felt something twist disapprovingly in his stomach. Was she so touchy-feely with everyone? It was nice of her to bring Lan food, yet... It's none of my business, Milo insisted to himself, spooning another bite of parfait into his mouth as they spoke. He averted his teal eyes, oddly uncomfortable with the waitress being so close to Lan. "Yeah," he said almost spitefully in return to Lan's warning. Milo quickly caught his tone and forced a small smile. It really wasn't his place to get upset- Lan was probably as devious with everyone else as he was with Milo. It really shouldn't have been that much of a surprise... after all, Lan had kidnapped Milo thinking he was a complete stranger.

The thoughts made Milo unsure of how to answer the next question. He kept his eyes trained on the table, looking serious and deep in thought. "I didn't really want to come back," he said honestly. The only things that had drawn him back here were habit, and the prospect of seeing Lan again. Blinking, Milo caught that the younger man might be uncomfortable with him being here. "I can leave, if you want," he offered quietly, keeping his gaze averted. The shadow of his bangs fell over his eyes, hiding the slightly hurt look. "I actually just came back today because I'm not familiar with another place in the area," he added, trying to sound insincere, "I'll find another place after work today, and be off your hands by tomorrow." Part of Milo wished that Lan would insist he stayed. The other part of him wanted Lan to say he shouldn't come back, just so that the ideas in his head would be silenced for good. "I'll miss the parfaits, though," he said, chuckling dryly as he poked at a strawberry.  

[xx - SHARKattack]

Puffing out his cheeks a bit, Lan noted the anxious look quickly disappear beneath the others face as he turned and actually taunted him in return for his remarks. A laugh escaped Lans throat, and he bit down on the tasteful sweet he had made earlier that day, licking up some of the food with his tongue as he thought about his responses. "Yeah, you probably were." He retorted, grinning at the other. "Shows just how insane you are." The tease was open and casual, and he wondered how he had become this friendly with this man in such a short amount of time. It had taken him weeks to get over his constant nags with Shuuhei, and he was still getting comfortable with Noe hanging all over him like a protective blood hound. For all he knew, the girl was taking photographs somewhere from the patio and having all of her resources check the older man out and make sure he wasn't a criminal of some sort. Crazy. Yeah, but then again, everyone was. Lan took a look at the other again, glancing up as he saw the flash of a large black mutt idling through the crowds. So Krinn was returning the dogs home to the pet shop was he? Took him long enough. Oh well, more time for him to have fun with the other. "So are you sure thats all you did...?" he finally purred out, taking a glance at the other with a grin. "Are you sure temptation didn't catch hold of you?" he joked and then let the subject be, returning to his cake for a moment to think.

He was still so intrigued by this man - this alluring thing. He had never seen someone who held himself with the posture Milo did, but somehow also managed to have scars all over his body - from what, Lan had no idea. There was a mystery still surrounding this man, this person, and Lan was ever so tempted to find out. I feel like this is a romance novel, and I'm the poor girl falling for the main. He thought dryly, resisting the urge to roll his eyes. It was true though. Lan hadn't thought there would be anyone interesting enough to hold his attention for long in the city, after all of the places he had been to. After all the people he had seen. But somehow, for some reason, he wanted to learn what made this man tick, what made him smile, what made him laugh. He wanted to know what he hated, and even more so then that, he wanted to be able to - no. Lan resisted the urge to shake his head. He could not - would not think like that. He couldn't, could he? That would be totally inappropriate! Still, as Lan glanced the other over, he couldn't help but guiltily wonder what those lips would feel like, and if the man tasted of smoke and cinnamon just as much as he smelled it. He wanted to explore, ravage, and play with the other man, get to know him almost. But that was impossible. Wasn't it? They didn't even know each other. These were feelings for people who were at least friends - and certainly not for Lan himself!

Still...

When the other spoke again, Lan looked up and couldn't even stop himself from the girl "Eh?" as the other talked quietly that he could leave. Something hit his head dead on. Mixed communication. Lost in translation. Stuff like that. Something seemed to sink in his stomach and he almost lost it all just to say "dont go!" but held his tongue. Again, that was something a good friend called out to another, not for a stranger to use in any sense. Sticking out his bottom lip a bit as he regained his normal posture, Lan huffed a bit, looking at the other with a deadpan expression before turning in his seat as he were about to ignore the other and get up and walk away with his back facing him before pushing the seat a bit closer without any effort and falling backwards, head and shoulders comfortably arriving on Milo's lap. The ex-acrobat kicked up his feet so they were dangling on the edge of his chair, which was now pressed to the other mans. In some odd way, he'd made a makeshift couch sort of thing, where he could lay down and have his head and shoulders resting on the others lap for a moment. He stared up at the other, examining him from below and feeling the familiar warmth through the leg he was lying so unceremoniously on. It felt nice and comfortable. He wouldn't mind falling asleep against - Wait, no! Stop, rewind! This was all a tease! A tease!

"Of course I dont want you to leave, Milo." Lan finally amended with a smile, crossing one leg in the air over another, much to the distant "ooohhhhh" and "awwwwhhhh" of passing waitresses. He could almost hear the odds flipping the other way around. "I dont want to impose on you, but I wouldn't mind continuing to serve the mysterious buyer who always comes in during lunch time with my strawberry parfaits." He grinned mischievously up at the other, shifting around a bit, his bandanna a bit mussed and wrinkled, gold and black hair dancing across his forehead. "Honestly, I'd miss you if you found another place. And after all, we're damn good at what we do. No cafe can match us." There was that casual pride in Lans tone, though he wasn't boasting or showing off. He was telling it how it was. They were after all, a rather popular cafe, and did what they did and did it damn well, or else there would be hard, hard, and very painful training to ensue. "And anyways, if you dont want to come back you can always just tag along to my house. I'll make you a parfait anytime you want." There it was, that teasing wink. But his tone was dead serious. Just with a bit of flirting thrown in.

Because after all, Lan was quite good at that, wasn't he?  

[Doctor Rocket]

It was getting harder and harder to take Lan seriously. Whenever he turned on that overly flirtatious attitude, Milo lost any interest he had in holding conversation. It felt as if Lan wasn't taking him seriously, just teasing him to watch for reactions. Milo didn't care to be made game of. "Temptation?" he deadpanned, giving the younger man a sideways look. The only thing that had been tempting about you sleeping was that your mouth was finally shut. He wouldn't admit it, but that was the biggest lie of the century. There had been something there. Yet even if he said it out loud, Lan would probably just brush it off with a joke. Milo glanced to the waitress that had hung over Lan. He wondered what their relationship was, and if the cook had done the same thing to her that he was doing to Milo. Lan was sort of shamelessly irresponsible, in that sense. He had a kid at home, but still flirted like there was no tomorrow. True, there was something distinctly alluring about the gold and black haired cook, but the qualities were lost under the knowledge that Milo wasn't the first one he'd done this to. Maybe it's just how he acts, Milo thought, spooning a mouthful of parfait as Lan watched him. It doesn't mean anything, it's just how he works. With that thought, something twisted a little inside of him. Milo glared at his parfait, wishing he'd sat somewhere else the previous day, and that he'd never met the flirtatious cook. It wasn't like he held any interest for Lan; just another opportunity to tease and fool around.

Yet when Lan flopped down into his lap, his logic warped and his heartbeat quickened. Physically, the cook was attractive, although Milo would die before saying it out loud. Yet more than that, he was able to make the brunette's heart beat, with just the simplest amount of confidence and a few words. Milo stuck the spoon in his parfait glass and looked down at the boy on his lap. Lan looked up in return as he spoke, a mischievous grin on the cook's face. "You're pretty confident," the brunette said, though whether he meant Lan's flirting abilities or his pride in the cafe, Milo didn't specify. Shifting his legs to make Lan uncomfortable, Milo grabbed his spoon and dug it into the remains of the parfait. "Pass," he said stiffly, his mind tracking back to the scenes at Lan's condo. If was nice there, and he had been treated moderately well, but they weren't on the kind of terms that Milo would accept such an invitation. Besides, there was probably some sort of underlying motive. If it had been Milo back when he was in the gang, a 'yes' would have meant a green light to him. Not that he was really into that as a street rat. His main focuses had been on living day to day. "Not that I don't like your parfaits," he added, tinging his spoon against the parfait glass.

Milo looked to the side, trying to figure out what he should say. He didn't really want to come back and be subject to this, yet he also did want to come back, for some ungodly reason. Even Milo wasn't really sure what is was, but he guessed it wasn't just because of the parfaits. They were good, but not that good. I don't want to decide now, Milo thought begrudgingly, glancing at his watch. He still had about ten minutes before he had to get back to work. "We'll see," he finally murmured, leaving the prospect of returning out in the open. Milo glanced to his empty parfait glass. He reached for his wallet, lightly brushing Lan's shoulder as he fished it out of his pocket. The amount had long since been engraved in his memory, so he just set the money on the table and returned the wallet to its rightful place. Finally, he looked down at the black and gold haired waiter. "Did your shift change?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. "Or are you just slacking?" Milo caught himself, realizing that he had just offered another conversation starter, and the brunette rolled his eyes skyward. Of all the things he didn't want to do, provoking Lan was one of them. He still had no idea how shameless the cook could be.  

[xx - SHARKattack]

Confident? Lan hummed, pushing the word around in his mind for a moment. Confidence, confidence, confidence. No. He wasn't that confident. He was just a coward. At least to some extent. Lan flashed a careless grin to the other, a flickering bat of eyelashes accompanying the silly little act. "Not really." He thrummed to the other, shifting again as the man moved his leg. No way was he giving up some a comfortable leg to lay on! Lan didn't mind the stiff "pass" and would have been dumbfounded had the other actually said yes. After all, it wasn't as if either of them were on "trusting" terms yet, nor could they possibly ever be. Or maybe I should change that. Lan thought slyly to himself, stroking a hand over one of the long pieces that were framing his face. His star tattoo glittered curiously in the light, a reminder of the places he had come from, and the people he had been with. Without being mindful, he brushed a hand up to subconsciously trace around the beginning one, humming as he did so. At least the man here liked his parfaits, or else it would be rather depressing. "Well I'm glad to hear my small desserts seem to please you. Maybe some other things will too." He said in a curiously innocent way for once, grinning at the other, a tease in his eye for a moment. It was always there, just lurking about.

The "We'll see" was enough of an answer to somehow spark a bit of hope in Lans stomach. But then the other blinked, and wondered why he was getting so worked up over a stranger. Probably because of his pride in the cafe. No, that was a lie and he knew it. Squeezing his eyes shut for a moment to resist the urge to roll his eyes at his own antics, the golden and black haired young adult nodded, opening his sky blue eyes to look up at the other with a sly smile. "Well, thats a good enough answer... for now." He purred, not wanting to let the other off the hook just yet. When the other glanced down at him, Lan blinked, confused as to why the other was suddenly sparking up another conversation. However, it was not unwanted conversation, which made it even more enjoyable. The young adult flashed his dangerous eyes with a grin, tilting his head back a bit, brushing against the others torso for a moment. "My shift?" He repeated slyly for a moment then smiled and shook his head. "Nah, Shuu-darling just took over for me for a moment so I could..." Lan grinned. "Collect some booty, as it was so easily called back in the kitchen." A fine streak of laughter crossed his lips. "No, I'm just kidding." He said sincerely enough, closing his eyes a bit with a vibrating hum. "I suppose you could call it slacking - I prefer to call it a small amount of smuggled free time." He grinned and shrugged his shoulders. "Anyways, its a trade off. Shuu-darling takes over for me right now so I can talk to you, I take over for him later so he can do whatever he wants instead of dealing with his late shifts."

The young adult laughed and finally got off of the other, sitting up and turning to face him a bit. "Which means I get to close up shop. That'll be boring... and lonely. Perhaps I'll get some visitors though, in those late hours." He teased, grinning at the other even though he knew that Milo wouldn't dare to take that offered invitation. He wouldn't, would he? Of course not. Lan was convinced of it. Looking up when the bells to the shop jingled, he grinned, brushing his fingers through the air in a semi-wave to his kid, who looked out of breath in a short sleeved shirt striped with colors to match his eyes and shorts. His sandals were in one hand, and he was leaning over, fingers pressed to his knees as he caught his breath. Had he run all the way here? Lan watched with amusement when he was ruffled by Noe, before trotting over to Lan with a small wave. "Morning, sunshine." The adult chided to his kid, yanking him onto his lap and patting his head. "Hows it going? Dogs give you a rough time, or something else?" The something else was intentionally a tease, and Lan watched as a tinge of red appeared on Krinns face. "L-Lan, you - ugh, nevermind." He huffed, then turned his dual eyes to the other man and blinked three times in surprise, a maddening flush on his cheeks as if he were remembering something embarrassing.... And he was.

"G-good afternoon." He said timidly, pressing to Lan almost as if he were trying to hide his blush. The other didn't mind and simply snuggled into the other teasingly as if he were a doting parent. "Hows it going? I-its nice to see you again." Krinn nodded as if satisfied with his words, and Lan snickered, playing with the others hair a bit as Krinn batted irritably up at him, trying to get the hands to stop from mussing with the storm gray hair.

All of that effort was in vain, however. Too bad.
 

[Doctor Rocket]

Milo didn't know whether to scoff or be curious about Lan's denial of confidence. Unable to decide, he did both- making a sarcastic grunt and raising an eyebrow quizzically at the same time in an awkward mix of expressions. The cook was obviously confident in some aspects... flirting, at least. And if he wasn't self-assured with his looks and his personality, then Lan sure was putting on a good show. The brunette let the thoughts run their course as the man on his lap moved to accommodate Milo's purposely jostling movements. Who laid on a stranger's lap, anyway? That was the type of thing even some friends did. And friends don't do it with Lan's type of intentions, he thought, bemused. Although he didn't quite want to admit it, Lan was entertaining and... interesting. Milo didn't remove himself from his thoughts to listen to Lan's next flirtatious comment- he had been expecting some sort of sexual flippancy, so he just ignored it. But when the cook closed his eyes, Milo's gaze flickered down to him for just a moment. Without intending to think about it his mind trailed back to the previous night; a memory that was becoming a common resting place for his thoughts. Lan had looked so peaceful in his sleep that he had almost seemed like a different person. Maybe there is a different side to him, Milo wondered, glancing away quickly as Lan opened his eyes. He had seen the flirty, joking side of the cook, but there had to be a personality behind the small sentiments, like he had seen the night before, and sometimes slipped in Lan's words.

Thrown out of his thoughts, Milo turned visibly red at the word "booty". Not understanding the joke, the brunette opened his mouth to quickly reprimand the cook for the innuendo. He snapped it back shut when Lan started speaking again. The younger man moved from his lap, and Milo almost reacted in a very bad way; nearly catching Lan's arm to keep him close, but retracting it at the last minute. He averted his eyes to the table again, thinking about Lan's explanation. So the younger man was actually taking time off to... talk? The blush Milo had gotten from the booty joke had begun to fade, but he flushed even redder at the newfound thoughts. His mind was barely able to process Lan's next comment about closing shop, but Milo caught the insinuation and thought for a moment about actually coming to keep him company. In a way he owed it to him; Lan took time off work to talk, shouldn't he take time to return the favor? It was an excuse to see Lan again and Milo knew it, but he was content with his logical explanation. After all, it wasn't like he had anything else to do. Lan had shaken up his life already- how much worse could he make it with one late-evening visit. Milo, who had never stepped a foot out of line for two years, parted his lips to accept the offhanded invitation-

And Krinn walked in the door.

The courage slipped away, and Milo watched blankly as the young boy was pulled into Lan's lap. He had been that close to acting on impulse, and... "Good afternoon," Milo responded, his mouth curving up into a warm smile. Maybe it was a good thing that Krinn interrupted. Although Milo didn't really believe in "destiny", it seemed that fate was trying to tell him something. Almost allowing himself to be disappointed that the chance had passed, he glanced away, tilting his head so that his bangs shadowed his unhidden teal eyes. He didn't want to watch Lan and Krinn snuggling. It was kind of endearing, and that was a problem. If he and Lan were this close after just one day, he sure didn't need to add more affection into the mix. "Oh, it goes," Milo replied lightly, with a small shrug, "It's a pleasure to see you again, too." Teal eyes shifted from the door to Krinn. "Let me guess..." he hummed, smiling in a slightly coy way, "You're here every day to make sure Lan doesn't get in too much trouble?" Milo narrowed his eyes teasingly at the cook, then added, "Boy, I could have used your help yesterday."

His eyes accidentally found the clock on the wall, and his routine came crashing back down. Milo knew he needed to return to work, but was also aware that he really didn't want to. It was... fun, talking to Lan and Krinn like this, in a nice cafe, with strawberry parfaits at his disposal. Huffing a sigh, Miles glanced from the clock back to his newly discovered acquaintances- or were they 'friends'? "I've got to get back to work," he murmured ruefully. Having already set out the money for his parfait, Milo stood and skirted around his chair. He looked to Lan, accidentally making eye contact, and was lost when his mind tried grasping for parting words. The decision of whether Milo would return to the cafe or not hung on how their goodbye went. For a moment Milo was silent, trying to think of what was best to say. "I'll see you tomorrow" was too certain, because he didn't know if he would be returning or not. And for some reason, "goodbye" was too final. Milo watched the floor. After a moment he spoke, his voice soft and unsure, "It was nice... to talk to you, again." With that, Milo turned on his heel and headed for the door, knowing that this was probably the last time he'd return to the cafe.  

[xx - SHARKattack]

Snuggling even more into his own personal rain cloud, Lan tilted his head to the side, his chin resting on the others shoulder. Krinn had given up struggling and now sat moodily in the others lap, arguing that he was too "old" for this kind of treatment. It was sort of an inside joke to Lan that Krinn didn't know about yet - after all, the boy wasn't that old. A snicker rose from his lips but was cut off rather quickly. Not the time. And anyways... Lan glanced up as Milo began to talk to Krinn, and felt a pang of something in his gut. Milo seemed... different somehow around Krinn. Like he wasn't caught on every single sentence out of his mouth. A flicker of something flashed in Lans sky blue eyes. It was probably the difference in personality, or something of the like. Or at least, thats what Lan wanted to perceive it as. Anyways, Krinn was.... easy to get along with. Right? Right.... Lan bit his lip. He wouldn't get upset over the fact that Krinn and Milo were able to talk like that, make jokes like that, and just be... like that. It didn't seem forced, or of some nature where everything had an ulterior thought or motive. Lan puffed his cheeks a bit. He had only known the man for two days. It couldn't mean that much. Right? Right. Definitely.

While Lan was busy with his own thoughts and jealousies, Krinn squirmed a bit as Milo responded, wanting to get out of the embarrassing position sooner or later. Most likely sooner, considering who was in front of him. Looking up as the other started to talk, Krinn couldn't help a raw laugh falling from his lips at the teasing comment. His cheeks flushed a bit red, but he was glad someone shared a sense of humor over Lans bad habits. "Your guess is correct." He said lightly, before blushing at the fact that he was talking so openly with the other and glancing away a bit. "A-ah, I mean... its nice when your guardian doesn't get into more trouble then you." Krinn glanced at the ground, squeaking a bit as Lan tightened his grip around the other, burying his face in the others back. "But thats hard, considering this is Lan we're talking 'bout..." Promptly sticking his elbow into the older mans side, Krinn regained some of his pride. "Lan, what're you doing?"

"'m snugg'ing you."

The muffled reply vibrated on the kids back and made Krinn scoff a bit and let the other do what he wanted. After all, Lan was old enough to be making his own decisions. Now Krinn really sounded like a parent as opposed to the chef. Looking up as Milo made a notion to get up, explaining he had to get back to work. Almost instantly, a pout was on Krinns face, but he bit back a comment and blinked at the other a bit, cherry red still on his cheeks. "Mm..." He mumbled and cocked his head to the side. "I-I'll - We'll get to talk to you again, right?" He smiled a bit sheepishly. "I promise to try and keep Lan from knocking you out." Glancing over as the other skirted for the door, Krinn raised a hand on farewell and yelped when the person he was situated on lifted him up and over onto a vacant chair. "Lan?" he asked dumbly, and looked around, spotting the other already walking after Milo. "Uh oh..."

When Milo had said he had to get back to work, Lans head had snapped up almost at the speed of light. It tempted him into saying "when will I see you again?" But that sounded like a distressed lover, and Lan was too prideful to sound like such a pathetic thing. Swerving a bit, he made sure not to kill Krinn, and instead put the younger on a chair and slid out of his own. First he waved his arms as if that would stop the other, making a few incoherent sounds as he wavered from foot to foot as if unsure what to do for a second. And then his confidence - if you could really call it that - returned and he quickly strode after the other, making it up as he went along. "Hold on a second, Milo." He said fluidly. The other may have been older and taller then him, but he was still fast enough to catch up. Slipping his hand over the others wrist, he gently pulled him to a stop for a moment in the doorway. Luckily, no one was coming in or out. "You dont really expect to say your farewells and leave before I say mine, right?" A careless laugh came off of his lips. "Honestly, hasn't anyone taught you proper flirting etiquette?" The tease was barely as funny as it could have been.

Shifting a bit, he strode in front of the other, hands on his hips as he studied the teal eyed man. A smile lit on his face. There was something more however, in those sky blue depths. "I dont want this to be the last time I see you." He said in a straight forward manner. His eyes were sparked with a serious notion, and he glanced at the other for a moment, studying the eyes that had enraptured him the first time. "We should get together again sometime." He said lightly, as if it were nothing. Then he shook his head. "That was the wrong way to phrase it. I'd like to ask you out." Lan grinned, letting one hand fall by his side. "But, I guess I need to let you go back to work yeah?" He leaned forward, his eyes sparkling with a hint of something that usually wasn't there. "I'll let you think it over, but let me know. You're.... You're interesting. I want to learn more about you." He smiled flirtatiously. "And not just your nightly antics." Waving a hand, he grinned. "Just kidding. I'll let you go now." Leaning forward as if he were going to kiss the other on the lips, Lan changed direction at the last moment and brushed his own against the mans cheek before leaning back and grinning.

"Until next time, Milo." He said, and sashayed around the other, and back towards the cafe - where Krinn had suddenly turned the shade of a ripe tomato. Lan was so in for it.  

[Doctor Rocket]

This hadn't exactly been on the list of things Milo had been preparing himself for.

As he walked to the door, Krinn's words still echoing freshly in his head, he thought about the past day or so. Sure, Lan was weird, eccentric, overly flirtatious, and had an unexplained kid living with him, but... there was just something about him. Something unusual and foreign in every way for Milo. Although hell would freeze over before he would admit it, there was nothing Milo wanted more than for Lan to stop him. Those brief moments where he saw past the flirtatious attitude were enough for the brunette to become fond of the cook, even over such a short period of time. Wondering how much he'd regret it, Milo put his hand on the door and pushed. There was no logical reason for Lan to stop him. Coming here again was a mistake in the first place, he thought without believing it. Despite the warning in his mind, he was willing Lan to stop him with all his heart. But the door gave and he was greeted with the afternoon breeze. There was really no point in hoping for such silly things- or so he told himself distantly as he moved to step outside. Away from the cafe, from Krinn, the odd waitress, Lan's friend "Shuu-darling", and the weird cook that Milo had inadvertently fallen for.

But a hand caught his wrist, pulling him to a stop in the doorway.

Milo felt his heart speed up like he had been injected with adrenaline. He turned his head a bit to glance backward at Lan and hoped the boy couldn't hear his heart banging against his ribcage, or feel his pulse going crazy. "Sorry," he murmured politely, trying to hide the question in his voice. He wanted to know exactly why Lan had stopped him. Well, he wanted the younger man to say what Milo wanted to hear. Teal eyes watched edgily as the cook paced around in front of him. Lan's starting sentence was like a ray of sunshine through the clouds, and Milo smiled almost sheepishly. As the younger man continued, he felt his face begin to turn a light shade of red. Where are you going with this? Milo thought, wishing he had the voice to ask it out loud. He watched as Lan shook his head, and braced himself for what appeared to be the point the cook was trying to make. Milo told himself that it didn't really matter what the gold and black-haired cook said, although it did; Milo was hanging on every breath, waiting to either be depressed or... he didn't know what to expect, really.

Then the words came, making Milo blink and flush red. Lan was... asking to see him again? He's asking me out? He watched the cook with a mix of shock and embarrassment, unable to fully comprehend the proposition for a matter of seconds. Something fluttered happily inside the brunette, and he glanced aside, trying to force down the blush while Lan explained. No way, was the thought that automatically came to Milo's mind, but it was silenced under the drum of his heartbeat. He wanted to say something now, but his voice was gone. Milo didn't flinch this time; he just allowed Lan to lean in, almost giving into the urge to wrap an arm around him. Teal eyes watched sky blue ones as the cook inclined his head to brush his lips against Milo's cheek. When Lan pulled back and grinned, Miles sort of wanted to smile, but he couldn't wrestle his expression into submission. Even if he found his voice he didn't know what he would say. "Yes" was a promise and "No" was an oath never to see Lan again. If he could have found the unused "yes" from moments earlier, when he was indirectly invited to see Lan at closing time, Milo would have used it for a different purpose- accepting this new proposition. But his voice was gone, and in the next second, so was Lan's touch.

When Lan grinned and said his parting words, Milo's attention was completely focused on only the cook. The rest of the world had been drowned out. He just watched, surprised and blushing, while the cook retreated back into the cafe. If his throat hadn't closed around his voice, Miles would have asked that Lan wait. He paused for a moment, regained his composure, then turned and broke free of the cafe, an unusual smile on his lips. Milo started down the street with his mind a million places at once. "Yes" and "no", Lan and Krinn, cafes and routines. Well, so much for my boring life, Milo thought as he stuck his hands in his pockets. He didn't know what he'd say to Lan, but a few things were certain for the time being. Milo would be returning to the cafe tomorrow, his routine was broken, he ("kind of sort of", or so he told himself) had a crush on a guy, and he was desperately in need of a smoke. He fished a cigarette and his match book from his pocket. Letting the unlit smoke stick dangle from his mouth, Milo struck a match against the side of a building as he walked. As he lit up the cigarette, he glanced to the sky, admiring just how blue it was, even through the scattered clouds. What a wacky couple of days, he thought warmly, maybe it's time to start believing in fate.