original: "A Truly Blind Date" (slash)
I started this last week and got stuck. So I decided to take it in an entirely different direction. I think it turned out better this way! Hope you all enjoy it :)
Summary: Ros is lonely on the Station, and his block-mate decides to set him up. Honestly, he just wanted Ros to quit whining about it. Really.
Ros was beginning to regret agreeing to this. He didn’t get out much, sure, what with his job and his hobbies, but he didn’t complain about it. Well. Maybe a little. So his stubborn, controlling, matter-of-fact block-mate, Taish, had threatened that if Ros didn’t shut up and go find a boyfriend, he’d find one for him.
One week later, here he sat at the Station’s sole cafe, awaiting his blind date.
He’d only been waiting about five minutes, and technically the other guy wasn’t late, yet (Ros had been paranoid about missing the trams and had left early), but he was already fidgeting nervously and glancing at his watch every thirty seconds. He nearly jumped out of his skin when a soft voice behind him said his name.
“Rosinante?”
Ros cringed. No one used his full name if he could convince them not to (he’d been working on his mother since he was twelve). He was going to kill Taish when he got home.
He glanced up at the newcomer, offering him a polite smile. He was decently good-looking, definitely Ros’s general type (tall, broad shouldered, tan). He gestured to the open seat. “Please, call me Ros.” He tried not to sound like he was begging.
“I’m Lees,” his blind date replied, seating himself casually and offering his hand across the table. Ros shook it. He had a nice handshake, too. “Pleased to meet you, Ros. I hope you haven’t been waiting long.”
Ros assured the other man that he hadn’t, and they had a cordial and pleasant back-and-forth for a while. Lees fetched their coffee from the counter like a gentleman, and they sat chatting for about an hour.
At some point, they managed to get on the subject of Taish.
“We trained together, Earthside,” Lees explained. “We were block-mates for six months before we realized living together made us crazy. When we finally transferred to the Station, they wanted to room us together but we both specifically requested not to be.” He laughed softly. “We’re much better friends now that he doesn’t have to deal with my dirty dishes in the sink.”
Ros frowned. “He doesn’t like dirty dishes?”
The larger man quirked an eyebrow. “I assumed you kept control of your dishes, man. How long have you been block-mates?”
“Since I got here, so... almost a year, I guess? And I do my dishes. I mean. Sometimes they get stacked up for a day or two, but I don’t let it get out of hand.”
Lees gaped at him over his latte. “Are you serious? We are talking about the same Taish, right? Super anal, change his sheets twice a week, must live in a spotless home Taish?”
Ros just blinked. “He is pretty tidy, I guess,” he muttered.
The other man burst out laughing. Ros glared half-heartedly, wracking his brain for any signs of distress he may have unintentionally caused to his block-mate with his untidiness.
“Ros,” Lees said finally, having recovered from his outburst. “I like you. I’ve had a good time talking with you. We should hang out again.” Ros could have sworn the other man’s eyes actually glinted. “Maybe you should spend some more time with Taish, too.”
Ros was silent for a moment, but quickly recovered. They made polite good-byes, and nice-to-meet-yous, and took separate trams to their blocks. Ros’s mind whirred frantically the whole ride home.
The front door slid open to reveal Taish at the kitchen sink, rinsing dishes and stacking them neatly in the wash rack.
Ros watched his block-mate’s back thoughtfully. Taish wasn’t exactly his type. He was tall, but somewhat scrawnier than he generally preferred. He was pale-skinned, dark-haired, and wore sleek, rimless glasses. He turned to Ros as the door slid softly closed behind him.
“Hey,” he said casually. “How did it go?”
Suddenly, Ros felt his chest contract. His face heated up and he glanced away from the kitchen to catch his breath. “It was nice,” he answered in a tight voice. He looked back up at his block-mate.
It was possible he’d imagined the flicker of something like regret on the other man’s features.
“I may have actually found a boyfriend, I think.”
He couldn’t have imagined it that time. Taish turned back to the dishes. “Good,” he said.
Ros didn’t realize what he was doing until his hand rested on his block-mate’s shoulder. Taish jumped lightly and turned to face him, wide-eyed.
“Would you like to go get dinner, maybe?” He nodded to the sink. “I’ll finish these for you.”
Taish blinked slowly, and a ghost of a smile quirked the corners of his mouth. “Sure. Yeah. Thanks.”
Ros left his hand on the other man’s shoulder a bit longer than was maybe necessary. He made a silent promise never to leave his dishes in the sink again.
Summary: Ros is lonely on the Station, and his block-mate decides to set him up. Honestly, he just wanted Ros to quit whining about it. Really.
Ros was beginning to regret agreeing to this. He didn’t get out much, sure, what with his job and his hobbies, but he didn’t complain about it. Well. Maybe a little. So his stubborn, controlling, matter-of-fact block-mate, Taish, had threatened that if Ros didn’t shut up and go find a boyfriend, he’d find one for him.
One week later, here he sat at the Station’s sole cafe, awaiting his blind date.
He’d only been waiting about five minutes, and technically the other guy wasn’t late, yet (Ros had been paranoid about missing the trams and had left early), but he was already fidgeting nervously and glancing at his watch every thirty seconds. He nearly jumped out of his skin when a soft voice behind him said his name.
“Rosinante?”
Ros cringed. No one used his full name if he could convince them not to (he’d been working on his mother since he was twelve). He was going to kill Taish when he got home.
He glanced up at the newcomer, offering him a polite smile. He was decently good-looking, definitely Ros’s general type (tall, broad shouldered, tan). He gestured to the open seat. “Please, call me Ros.” He tried not to sound like he was begging.
“I’m Lees,” his blind date replied, seating himself casually and offering his hand across the table. Ros shook it. He had a nice handshake, too. “Pleased to meet you, Ros. I hope you haven’t been waiting long.”
Ros assured the other man that he hadn’t, and they had a cordial and pleasant back-and-forth for a while. Lees fetched their coffee from the counter like a gentleman, and they sat chatting for about an hour.
At some point, they managed to get on the subject of Taish.
“We trained together, Earthside,” Lees explained. “We were block-mates for six months before we realized living together made us crazy. When we finally transferred to the Station, they wanted to room us together but we both specifically requested not to be.” He laughed softly. “We’re much better friends now that he doesn’t have to deal with my dirty dishes in the sink.”
Ros frowned. “He doesn’t like dirty dishes?”
The larger man quirked an eyebrow. “I assumed you kept control of your dishes, man. How long have you been block-mates?”
“Since I got here, so... almost a year, I guess? And I do my dishes. I mean. Sometimes they get stacked up for a day or two, but I don’t let it get out of hand.”
Lees gaped at him over his latte. “Are you serious? We are talking about the same Taish, right? Super anal, change his sheets twice a week, must live in a spotless home Taish?”
Ros just blinked. “He is pretty tidy, I guess,” he muttered.
The other man burst out laughing. Ros glared half-heartedly, wracking his brain for any signs of distress he may have unintentionally caused to his block-mate with his untidiness.
“Ros,” Lees said finally, having recovered from his outburst. “I like you. I’ve had a good time talking with you. We should hang out again.” Ros could have sworn the other man’s eyes actually glinted. “Maybe you should spend some more time with Taish, too.”
Ros was silent for a moment, but quickly recovered. They made polite good-byes, and nice-to-meet-yous, and took separate trams to their blocks. Ros’s mind whirred frantically the whole ride home.
The front door slid open to reveal Taish at the kitchen sink, rinsing dishes and stacking them neatly in the wash rack.
Ros watched his block-mate’s back thoughtfully. Taish wasn’t exactly his type. He was tall, but somewhat scrawnier than he generally preferred. He was pale-skinned, dark-haired, and wore sleek, rimless glasses. He turned to Ros as the door slid softly closed behind him.
“Hey,” he said casually. “How did it go?”
Suddenly, Ros felt his chest contract. His face heated up and he glanced away from the kitchen to catch his breath. “It was nice,” he answered in a tight voice. He looked back up at his block-mate.
It was possible he’d imagined the flicker of something like regret on the other man’s features.
“I may have actually found a boyfriend, I think.”
He couldn’t have imagined it that time. Taish turned back to the dishes. “Good,” he said.
Ros didn’t realize what he was doing until his hand rested on his block-mate’s shoulder. Taish jumped lightly and turned to face him, wide-eyed.
“Would you like to go get dinner, maybe?” He nodded to the sink. “I’ll finish these for you.”
Taish blinked slowly, and a ghost of a smile quirked the corners of his mouth. “Sure. Yeah. Thanks.”
Ros left his hand on the other man’s shoulder a bit longer than was maybe necessary. He made a silent promise never to leave his dishes in the sink again.