Double (Trouble) Dating {2/6}afterandalasiaAugust 7 2013, 22:44:12 UTC
Sulley had to close his eyes against the ludicrousness of that mental image. "Mike," he said carefully, "I'm not seeing a girl."
"Girl, woman, whate- oh." Realisation must have dawned mid-word. Sulley opened his eyes in rapidly-deflating hope of seeing at least some of the game. "Well, that still doesn't rule out the double date."
This was going to go on all evening. And probably tomorrow, Sulley figured, and the days after that, because Mike's determination was pretty much legendary at the factory by now. He groaned. "If I agree to go on the double date, will you agree not to freak out while on it?"
"Why would I freak out?"
It was an honest question, as if Mike hadn't yet worked out that Sulley was putting that condition in because he thought it was a possibility. "Just agree to it."
"Fine, fine, whatever. Look, I'll see if I can get a table on Friday at Harryhausen's-"
"No!" It turned into a yelp again, and Mike looked round in surprise as Sulley jumped up in his chair. "I mean, no, that's... well, it's an old scarer hang-out, isn't it?"
"Do you have any suggestions, then?"
"What about that new vegetarian place down on Ominous Street?"
"If you tell me that you're going vegetarian as well, I'm going to call the cops and tell them that my flatmate's been replaced by a shapeshifter."
Sulley took that as a yes, grabbed the remote control back, and settled into his chair to watch at least the last quarter of the game. At least that was going to put off one half of the problem until Friday. The other half was just going to be persuading the subject of the argument to go on the date as well.
Maybe Mike had been the easier fight to pick.
They'd both nearly chickened out by the time that they actually got to the restaurant on the Friday evening, although in Sulley's case it had been over talking about the whole thing in the first place. It may have been bad etiquette to stand someone up on a date, and probably worse still to stand up two people on a double date, but he had seriously considered this all the same.
A hand brushed against his. Not holding, they weren't the sort to do that in public, but just a touch, looking for reassurance.
"We'll be fine," Sulley said as they entered. He really, really hoped he was right about that. As a waitress approached them, he managed a smile and said, "Table, name of Sullivan?"
"Right this way, sir," she said, giving him a smile full of dazzlingly white fangs and leading them towards the back of the restaurant. Well, at least they had been listening to that when he had made the booking over the phone. He wasn't sure whether the name Sullivan would be so recognisable here or not, but he had a sinking feeling that it would have been.
Over his shoulder, he added, "And disappearing counts as chickening out."
It was almost funny, but didn't quite manage it given the situation. Taking a deep breath -- and with a hand on his partner's back to stop them from escaping -- he followed the waitress round the corner to see Mike and Celia. They were tucked into one of the booths, saying something to each other and giggling sappily, and Sulley couldn't help but sigh. He'd never really understood the whole PDA thing.
Mike glanced over as they approached, then looked again and stared. He shot to his feet, almost pushing the table away. "Sulley, look out!" He started. "Randall-"
Sulley just stopped, waiting for it to sink in. He watched Mike freeze, eye going wide, then slowly sink back down into his chair again. Celia, looking shocked but managing to keep rather more composure, seemed to have caught on rather more quickly.
"Is with me," Sulley finished, motioning for Randall to slide into the booth first so that he could sit on the end. There was no way he was going to risk getting stuck and making even more of a commotion than Mike had already started doing. The two waitresses were staring, as were the two other monsters in line of sight of the booth, but luckily between the discrete corner and the quiet restaurant they had not managed to make too much of a scene. He smiled. "Nice to see you, Celia."
"And you, Sulley," she said, recovering her voice somewhat. He had to give her credit; she hardly missed a beat before adding, "And Randall, of course."
"Girl, woman, whate- oh." Realisation must have dawned mid-word. Sulley opened his eyes in rapidly-deflating hope of seeing at least some of the game. "Well, that still doesn't rule out the double date."
This was going to go on all evening. And probably tomorrow, Sulley figured, and the days after that, because Mike's determination was pretty much legendary at the factory by now. He groaned. "If I agree to go on the double date, will you agree not to freak out while on it?"
"Why would I freak out?"
It was an honest question, as if Mike hadn't yet worked out that Sulley was putting that condition in because he thought it was a possibility. "Just agree to it."
"Fine, fine, whatever. Look, I'll see if I can get a table on Friday at Harryhausen's-"
"No!" It turned into a yelp again, and Mike looked round in surprise as Sulley jumped up in his chair. "I mean, no, that's... well, it's an old scarer hang-out, isn't it?"
"Do you have any suggestions, then?"
"What about that new vegetarian place down on Ominous Street?"
"If you tell me that you're going vegetarian as well, I'm going to call the cops and tell them that my flatmate's been replaced by a shapeshifter."
Sulley took that as a yes, grabbed the remote control back, and settled into his chair to watch at least the last quarter of the game. At least that was going to put off one half of the problem until Friday. The other half was just going to be persuading the subject of the argument to go on the date as well.
Maybe Mike had been the easier fight to pick.
They'd both nearly chickened out by the time that they actually got to the restaurant on the Friday evening, although in Sulley's case it had been over talking about the whole thing in the first place. It may have been bad etiquette to stand someone up on a date, and probably worse still to stand up two people on a double date, but he had seriously considered this all the same.
A hand brushed against his. Not holding, they weren't the sort to do that in public, but just a touch, looking for reassurance.
"We'll be fine," Sulley said as they entered. He really, really hoped he was right about that. As a waitress approached them, he managed a smile and said, "Table, name of Sullivan?"
"Right this way, sir," she said, giving him a smile full of dazzlingly white fangs and leading them towards the back of the restaurant. Well, at least they had been listening to that when he had made the booking over the phone. He wasn't sure whether the name Sullivan would be so recognisable here or not, but he had a sinking feeling that it would have been.
Over his shoulder, he added, "And disappearing counts as chickening out."
It was almost funny, but didn't quite manage it given the situation. Taking a deep breath -- and with a hand on his partner's back to stop them from escaping -- he followed the waitress round the corner to see Mike and Celia. They were tucked into one of the booths, saying something to each other and giggling sappily, and Sulley couldn't help but sigh. He'd never really understood the whole PDA thing.
Mike glanced over as they approached, then looked again and stared. He shot to his feet, almost pushing the table away. "Sulley, look out!" He started. "Randall-"
Sulley just stopped, waiting for it to sink in. He watched Mike freeze, eye going wide, then slowly sink back down into his chair again. Celia, looking shocked but managing to keep rather more composure, seemed to have caught on rather more quickly.
"Is with me," Sulley finished, motioning for Randall to slide into the booth first so that he could sit on the end. There was no way he was going to risk getting stuck and making even more of a commotion than Mike had already started doing. The two waitresses were staring, as were the two other monsters in line of sight of the booth, but luckily between the discrete corner and the quiet restaurant they had not managed to make too much of a scene. He smiled. "Nice to see you, Celia."
"And you, Sulley," she said, recovering her voice somewhat. He had to give her credit; she hardly missed a beat before adding, "And Randall, of course."
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