Double (Trouble) Dating {4/6}afterandalasiaAugust 7 2013, 22:46:28 UTC
Mike looked at him with a frown for a moment, then threw up his arms. "Fine. One chance. And you're picking up the bill for this evening."
"Are you okay, sweetie?"
Randall glanced around at first, to see if one of the others had come back, before actually believing that Celia was addressing him. Her tone was concerned, but sweet, as she spoke to most people, and he relaxed just enough to stop his tail from slowly fading to invisibility. "Do you mean me?"
"Yes, silly." She swatted his arm, so lightly that he didn't even have the reflex to change colour. "You're sitting there not saying anything and peering at that menu like it's written in another language."
"Well, this evening didn't exactly strike me as the best of ideas," he said drily.
"I'm sure Mikey will calm down. If Sulley trusts you, that's good enough for me."
Randall allowed himself a touch of a smile at the clear admiration for Sulley in her voice, the fronds on his head perking up slightly. It had taken a long discussion for Sulley to persuade him that this was anything like a good idea, or that at least meeting Mike again in a public place was less likely to turn into a scene. "Thanks," he said after a moment, feeling it appropriate.
Celia murmured something, and Randall went back to trying to read the menu. He wished now that he'd paid more attention when Sulley was talking about what was available here, so that he could have just ordered one of those.
"What do you think of the soups?" said Celia, the tentativeness in her voice making it quite clear she just wasn't sure what else to say to him. Well, soup was a fairly safe bet, at least. Most places had a soup of the day which he could be ordered.
"It... looks good," he went for. The fuzzy black shapes on the paper were laughing at him, he was sure of it. He flicked his tail in irritation, and flipped the menu over to feign looking at the back. Glancing carefully to the side, he realised that Celia was still looking at him, a faint frown on her face. "What is it?" he snapped.
She didn't flinch. "Can you... see the menu?"
Randall had been many things over the years, but he'd never really managed to get all that good at lying. He shuffled in his chair and muttered something that probably wasn't even words, then jumped when Celia reached over and put her hand on his arm.
"Randall, honestly? Can you see it?"
"No," he said curtly. It came out clipped, and he had to force himself to not start flushing with embarrassment. "But I'm fine. I don't want to talk about it."
He pulled his arm away from under her hand, and heard her sigh, but could not bring himself to look up to her face. It wasn't a case of glasses giving him away when he camouflaged, not any more. He just couldn't bring himself to wear them in front of other people, or often when he was by himself.
When Celia began to muse aloud about what she might have, he had a strong suspicion that it was largely for his benefit. Despite himself, he felt grateful for her for doing it.
It was Sulley who returned to the booth first, jaw tight, but relaxing into a smile as he tucked himself back onto the bench and picked up the menu again. "Nothing to worry about. We're good." Beneath the table, Randall put a hand on his leg again, and he wished that he had a spare arm to discreetly do the same. Later, he told himself; later, as well, he would thank Randall for his bravery in facing up to Mike again and letting their relationship be known, both in the same act.
"Any thoughts on ordering?" he said brightly.
"I'm leaning toward the urnd cheese tarte and the salad," said Celia with a smile. Bless her. Perhaps Mike had been right to invite her along, though for all the wrong reasons. "Though Randy and I had been discussing the soup range."
"Randy," said Sulley. He tried not to crack a smile at that one as Randall squirmed slightly in his chair and grabbed at his drink to cradle it in two hands. "Been a while since I've heard that name."
"I think it's sweet," Celia said decisively, and put her menu down. She folded her tentacles over it in a way that broached no argument, and Sulley almost laughed. He did, however, add teasing Randall about old nicknames to his list of things to do later.
"Are you okay, sweetie?"
Randall glanced around at first, to see if one of the others had come back, before actually believing that Celia was addressing him. Her tone was concerned, but sweet, as she spoke to most people, and he relaxed just enough to stop his tail from slowly fading to invisibility. "Do you mean me?"
"Yes, silly." She swatted his arm, so lightly that he didn't even have the reflex to change colour. "You're sitting there not saying anything and peering at that menu like it's written in another language."
"Well, this evening didn't exactly strike me as the best of ideas," he said drily.
"I'm sure Mikey will calm down. If Sulley trusts you, that's good enough for me."
Randall allowed himself a touch of a smile at the clear admiration for Sulley in her voice, the fronds on his head perking up slightly. It had taken a long discussion for Sulley to persuade him that this was anything like a good idea, or that at least meeting Mike again in a public place was less likely to turn into a scene. "Thanks," he said after a moment, feeling it appropriate.
Celia murmured something, and Randall went back to trying to read the menu. He wished now that he'd paid more attention when Sulley was talking about what was available here, so that he could have just ordered one of those.
"What do you think of the soups?" said Celia, the tentativeness in her voice making it quite clear she just wasn't sure what else to say to him. Well, soup was a fairly safe bet, at least. Most places had a soup of the day which he could be ordered.
"It... looks good," he went for. The fuzzy black shapes on the paper were laughing at him, he was sure of it. He flicked his tail in irritation, and flipped the menu over to feign looking at the back. Glancing carefully to the side, he realised that Celia was still looking at him, a faint frown on her face. "What is it?" he snapped.
She didn't flinch. "Can you... see the menu?"
Randall had been many things over the years, but he'd never really managed to get all that good at lying. He shuffled in his chair and muttered something that probably wasn't even words, then jumped when Celia reached over and put her hand on his arm.
"Randall, honestly? Can you see it?"
"No," he said curtly. It came out clipped, and he had to force himself to not start flushing with embarrassment. "But I'm fine. I don't want to talk about it."
He pulled his arm away from under her hand, and heard her sigh, but could not bring himself to look up to her face. It wasn't a case of glasses giving him away when he camouflaged, not any more. He just couldn't bring himself to wear them in front of other people, or often when he was by himself.
When Celia began to muse aloud about what she might have, he had a strong suspicion that it was largely for his benefit. Despite himself, he felt grateful for her for doing it.
It was Sulley who returned to the booth first, jaw tight, but relaxing into a smile as he tucked himself back onto the bench and picked up the menu again. "Nothing to worry about. We're good." Beneath the table, Randall put a hand on his leg again, and he wished that he had a spare arm to discreetly do the same. Later, he told himself; later, as well, he would thank Randall for his bravery in facing up to Mike again and letting their relationship be known, both in the same act.
"Any thoughts on ordering?" he said brightly.
"I'm leaning toward the urnd cheese tarte and the salad," said Celia with a smile. Bless her. Perhaps Mike had been right to invite her along, though for all the wrong reasons. "Though Randy and I had been discussing the soup range."
"Randy," said Sulley. He tried not to crack a smile at that one as Randall squirmed slightly in his chair and grabbed at his drink to cradle it in two hands. "Been a while since I've heard that name."
"I think it's sweet," Celia said decisively, and put her menu down. She folded her tentacles over it in a way that broached no argument, and Sulley almost laughed. He did, however, add teasing Randall about old nicknames to his list of things to do later.
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