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Nov. 8th, 2003 02:21 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
nanowrenletThings started looking up almost immediately. Not in any -huge- way, but Justin was learning that little things could mean a hell of a lot. Monica complimented him on his shirt, Brandon actually handed the creamer to him instead of just sliding it across the table, and if Pete still seemed like he didn't like Justin much, well that was okay. He could deal with that. Justin didn't feel like he'd need to bolt out of the restaurant right after breakfast. Rube looked pleased with himself.
"Lunch shift again today, kiddo?"
Justin nodded, his mouth full of waffle. He'd never admit it to Rube, but the stupid things were growing on him.
"Well, you can pick this one up on your way." He handed the Post-It across the table, and Justin stuck it inside the flap of his bag. "That'll leave your evening free."
Justin choked on his next bite, coughing. Rube just looked at him mildly, watching while Brandon pounded Justin's shoulder blade and he gulped mouthfuls of apple juice. Fucker had to be -psychic-. Well, as long as Rube didn't object outright, Justin decided Project Secret Stalker would go head as planned. He wasn't sure when or why he'd started calling it that in his head. Possibly he'd read too many of Michael's comics when he was living in his old room.
The restaurant was easier to handle, too; Julio had gotten over whatever snit he'd been in, Justin was on his game again and Knox was so pleased Justin had agreed hang with them that night that he mentioned it every chance he got. "You'll love this place, it's lots of fun, the guys are all fun," until Justin laughed and threw napkins at him to make him shut up already. Justin couldn't make up his mind whether Knox was gay and hitting on him, or just naturally bouncy like that. It could be he was both.
Justin's gaydar had never been very reliable. He would have sworn on a stack of Bibles that he was the only gay student at St. James until Debbie had pointed out how silly an assumption that was, and then when people started filing into his one GSA meeting he had looked at a couple of them with fresh eyes and known he must have been wrong. Then he had spent a couple of months thinking -everyone- could be gay, including Daphne's boyfriend. Finally, he'd accepted that in some ways he really was as young and stupid as Michael was forever telling him, and hoped he'd get better at it with time. He still sort of hoped that.
At any rate, the waiters at the restaurant, especially the usual lunch staff, were an interesting group. College age or college-bound, all of them, and all attractive in that young, freshly-washed way. Even Eric, just out of high school and painfully shy, was kind of cute. Justin was certain he was a virgin, -that- he could still usually tell.
Graydon -- who told everyone to call him 'Gray' -- insisted he was 'heteroflexible,' whatever the hell that meant. Justin privately wondered if his one experience with Daph made him 'homoflexible' or just a really good friend. Gray was a clotheshorse in the making, dressing and primping as expensively as he could on a waiter's income and a bit on the pretentious side. He reminded Justin of Brian, in a way that made him wonder what Brian had been like at Gray's age, and whether once upon a time Brian's attitude had been all posing and bravado instead of sheer confidence, pretending to be what he wanted to be until he finally got there.
Curt was big and solid and straight as an arrow, and that might have intimidated Justin if the man hadn't been so damned -nice- all the time. He was nice to the customers, nice to the other waiters, even nice to Julio, the bitchy new cook. Justin remembered hearing he had moved to Pittsburgh from one of those middle-of-the-country states for college, and he spoke with a bit of a drawl. He had a steady girlfriend that he referred to as 'his sweetheart' and opened doors for women, and it all seemed more sincere than smarmy because Curt was just built like that. He also laughed good-naturedly when men would mistakenly come on to him, in an 'aw, shucks' way that made everyone around him laugh along with him.
And then there was Knox. Extroverted, charming... and cute, yeah. When Justin first started work he'd been so nervous about his double life, so worried that he might fuck up somehow that he'd been pretty standoffish. None of that had phased Knox a bit. He had treated Justin the same way he did all the other waiters, like they were the best of pals. He'd crack the stupidest jokes about everything from the cooks to difficult customers to their pretentiously-named specials, and if Justin didn't laugh it didn't seem to bother him. He just kept at it until Justin -did- start to laugh, finally, and now he had agreed to go out with them that night.
[853/853/14337]
"Lunch shift again today, kiddo?"
Justin nodded, his mouth full of waffle. He'd never admit it to Rube, but the stupid things were growing on him.
"Well, you can pick this one up on your way." He handed the Post-It across the table, and Justin stuck it inside the flap of his bag. "That'll leave your evening free."
Justin choked on his next bite, coughing. Rube just looked at him mildly, watching while Brandon pounded Justin's shoulder blade and he gulped mouthfuls of apple juice. Fucker had to be -psychic-. Well, as long as Rube didn't object outright, Justin decided Project Secret Stalker would go head as planned. He wasn't sure when or why he'd started calling it that in his head. Possibly he'd read too many of Michael's comics when he was living in his old room.
The restaurant was easier to handle, too; Julio had gotten over whatever snit he'd been in, Justin was on his game again and Knox was so pleased Justin had agreed hang with them that night that he mentioned it every chance he got. "You'll love this place, it's lots of fun, the guys are all fun," until Justin laughed and threw napkins at him to make him shut up already. Justin couldn't make up his mind whether Knox was gay and hitting on him, or just naturally bouncy like that. It could be he was both.
Justin's gaydar had never been very reliable. He would have sworn on a stack of Bibles that he was the only gay student at St. James until Debbie had pointed out how silly an assumption that was, and then when people started filing into his one GSA meeting he had looked at a couple of them with fresh eyes and known he must have been wrong. Then he had spent a couple of months thinking -everyone- could be gay, including Daphne's boyfriend. Finally, he'd accepted that in some ways he really was as young and stupid as Michael was forever telling him, and hoped he'd get better at it with time. He still sort of hoped that.
At any rate, the waiters at the restaurant, especially the usual lunch staff, were an interesting group. College age or college-bound, all of them, and all attractive in that young, freshly-washed way. Even Eric, just out of high school and painfully shy, was kind of cute. Justin was certain he was a virgin, -that- he could still usually tell.
Graydon -- who told everyone to call him 'Gray' -- insisted he was 'heteroflexible,' whatever the hell that meant. Justin privately wondered if his one experience with Daph made him 'homoflexible' or just a really good friend. Gray was a clotheshorse in the making, dressing and primping as expensively as he could on a waiter's income and a bit on the pretentious side. He reminded Justin of Brian, in a way that made him wonder what Brian had been like at Gray's age, and whether once upon a time Brian's attitude had been all posing and bravado instead of sheer confidence, pretending to be what he wanted to be until he finally got there.
Curt was big and solid and straight as an arrow, and that might have intimidated Justin if the man hadn't been so damned -nice- all the time. He was nice to the customers, nice to the other waiters, even nice to Julio, the bitchy new cook. Justin remembered hearing he had moved to Pittsburgh from one of those middle-of-the-country states for college, and he spoke with a bit of a drawl. He had a steady girlfriend that he referred to as 'his sweetheart' and opened doors for women, and it all seemed more sincere than smarmy because Curt was just built like that. He also laughed good-naturedly when men would mistakenly come on to him, in an 'aw, shucks' way that made everyone around him laugh along with him.
And then there was Knox. Extroverted, charming... and cute, yeah. When Justin first started work he'd been so nervous about his double life, so worried that he might fuck up somehow that he'd been pretty standoffish. None of that had phased Knox a bit. He had treated Justin the same way he did all the other waiters, like they were the best of pals. He'd crack the stupidest jokes about everything from the cooks to difficult customers to their pretentiously-named specials, and if Justin didn't laugh it didn't seem to bother him. He just kept at it until Justin -did- start to laugh, finally, and now he had agreed to go out with them that night.
[853/853/14337]
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no subject
Date: 2003-11-08 05:24 pm (UTC)Curt is Riley Finn!!! Hee - I love Riley.
And poor horny Justin - undead or not, he is still 18. Boy needs some action.
no subject
Date: 2003-11-08 06:29 pm (UTC)Aaaaand you're not wrong ;)
no subject
Date: 2003-11-14 07:04 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-12-03 09:39 pm (UTC)*waves* I'm reading this, by the way. Sisabet told me I could, even though I've only seen two eps of QaF and none of DLM. She was right. I'm not lost at all! Which is new for me.
*goes back to reading*
Operation barhop
Date: 2008-07-17 10:25 am (UTC)