Breakfast at Milliways

[go-between.livejournal.com]

Richard steps behind the bar and ties on his apron.

"What'll it be?"

Comments

[ezekiel-36-27.livejournal.com]

Zeke shrugs.

He sips at his coffee...before realizing it's all gone and looking at Richard with puppy eyes.

[go-between.livejournal.com]

Richard smiles and refills his coffee.

"When do you have to go back to work?"

[ezekiel-36-27.livejournal.com]

"Whenever I walk out that door, really. Time stops at home. I'm just not, uh, excited about reappearing in a vat of blood, really. Thus, I'm here."

[go-between.livejournal.com]

He pulls a face.
"Yeuch! Can't say I blame you there."

[ezekiel-36-27.livejournal.com]

He smiles.

"Sides, I, uh...there are things here that aren't at home, if you get me."

The smile fades a little into confusion.

"Some of em are more confusing than just good, but...yeah."

[go-between.livejournal.com]

He laughs and tops off Zeke's coffee.

"Aye, Milliways is a strange and wondrous place."

[ezekiel-36-27.livejournal.com]

Zeke sips at his coffee.

"Ever been kissed by a guy?"

Well, there it is.

[go-between.livejournal.com]

He laughs.

"Yes. I think my fiance would object if I didn't kiss him."

[ezekiel-36-27.livejournal.com]

Zeke blinks.

"Ah. Sorry. Ever been kissed by a girl?"

[go-between.livejournal.com]

He grins and nods.

"Yes, I only dated girls up until recently. Dating blokes was pretty much Not Done in the circles I lived in previously."

[ezekiel-36-27.livejournal.com]

Zeke blinks.

"Yeah, well, uh...yeah. Guy kissed me. I'm straight. Married too...kinda...ish...widow behind, anyway."

He stops trying to explain.

"Uh...words of wisdom?"

[go-between.livejournal.com]

"Um......"

Richard blinks a few times. He's pretty confused. Not that it takes much.

"If you liked it, keep kissing him, if not find a girl."

[ezekiel-36-27.livejournal.com]

"Not so much that I liked it. More like...I realized after that it didn't bother me. Little confusing."

He sips down more of the coffee. A lot.

[go-between.livejournal.com]

He shrugs.

"I wouldn't worry about it too much. Is this bloke the person you've been grinning about all morning?"

[ezekiel-36-27.livejournal.com]

Zeke snorts...and then laughs nervously.

"Nooooooo...no no, uh...lemme add 'no' to that cause...no."

[go-between.livejournal.com]

"Well, that answers that question. Sounds like you've got nothing to worry about, mate."

He tops off the coffee again and thumps his shoulder.

[ezekiel-36-27.livejournal.com]

Zeke munches on his breakfast a little, sips his coffee, chucks back a lot of his coffee, eats a little more breakfast, and then looks at Richard.

"But...what's that mean?"

[go-between.livejournal.com]

"What's what mean? I really think you're making this more complicated than it is."

[ezekiel-36-27.livejournal.com]

Zeke looks at Richard for a minute before blinking and looking down at his food. He eats it halfheartedly before chucking back more of the coffee.

"Guess."

[go-between.livejournal.com]

"Just relax. Don't brood too much over it. Is the bloke all right?"

[ezekiel-36-27.livejournal.com]

Zeke nods.

"Pretty sure, yeah. I, uh, kinda blew up at him about it. Thought he was messing with me."

He sighs and looks more tired than usual even.

"I really gotta stop being paranoid, but it's really hard."

[go-between.livejournal.com]

"I understand that, but still. We can't have with the blowing up. Especially at the kids."

He gives Zeke a pointed look.

[ezekiel-36-27.livejournal.com]

Zeke looks suitably wounded.

"I patched things up with Tobias, all right? And I didn't mean to...it's just...I told you. The woman slept with my wife to try to get to me."

He runs hands through his hair and lets his head thump on a non-plate covered bit of bar.

"It's not even that I'm jumping at shadows, Rich. I'm used to those. I'm jumping at the lack of shadows. I'm freaking because I turn around and there's no evil grin popping over my shoulder telling me to get to work. He's the Devil, Rich. This long without trouble I'm starting to think he's got something elaborate planned and the last time he did that, my wife almost got buckshot to the brain."

[go-between.livejournal.com]

He nods.

"Good. Tobias is a good kid."

He shudders.

"I'm sorry about all of that. I wish I could tell you that you're safe here, but I know full well that the Devil has access to Milliways."

[ezekiel-36-27.livejournal.com]

Zeke stops cold.

"You've seen him? Older guy, shorter than me, grinning a lot and probably smoking a cigar or something. Hair down to his shoulders? That him?"

He's praying it's not.