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tramitem_log2020-06-01 09:42 am
neverjedi) wrote in tramitem_log2020-06-01 09:42 am
Entry tags:
(no subject)
Who: Ben and Bail
What: Is this a date?
When: Tuesday, 6-2
Where: A hot-dog cart
Rating/Warnings: Likely swearing. Will edit if there’s more.
His invitation to Bail had been impulsive - response to a lovely grin and an obvious, unexpected, opportunity. In spite of being far more impulsive than he would normally be, and realizing after the fact that he’d probably asked a straight man out on a date, he didn’t have any regrets. In fact he’d been looking forward to meeting up with Bail again--
And, admittedly, a good hot dog.
He was not late, but he was definitely only just on time, and true to his warning he showed up in skate pants - meaning too when he was in sneakers, zippered at the ankles, and ‘four-way stretch’. He had, fortunately, only been wearing them for practice, which meant the top half of his outfit was a more reasonable purple t-shirt with ‘Kicking Ice’ on it.
...In retrospect that may not be fortunate, but at least it wasn’t satin or sequence.
He spotted Bail pretty quickly and made his way over. “I really hope you’ve only been waiting long enough to decide what you want.” Not quite apologetic, but prepared to be if he needed to be.
**
Bail had been left wondering if this was a date or not, though neither option, should they prove to be the answer, distressed him. This response of his was in and of itself interesting and something he’d analyze later. For now, he was going to focus on the hot dog.
Or that’s what he intended until Ben showed up.
And he’d said, when they were setting up the meeting (best to call it that for now), that he wouldn’t judge Ben for his outfit. Bail was still in a suit coat and tie straight from work, so who was he to judge. But Bail really had failed to consider just what skate pants meant.
What they revealed.
And so now Bail was judging Ben’s legs: he had amazing legs. And amazing thighs. And hips. And between those hips…
Bail quickly jumped his eyes up to Ben’s face and kept them respectfully there by choice.
“I was-” he focused on the question Ben so graciously asked. “I was trying to decide between the peach salsa or the yogurt sauce with cabbage. Or… I could just try the jalapeno pineapple salsa that you suggested before. How was work?”
**
Ben was pretty aware that Bail’s eyes were not initially on his face, but he wasn’t about to make assumptions about why when he was wearing pants that were both revealing and, by most standards, pretty strange.
“Glad I gave you time to peruse the menu. Today was… I’ve had two showers and this is my second pair pants. Because a three year old peed on me while I was wearing the first pair. Just another day at the office.” He flashed a smile at that. “How about you?” He nodded Bail ahead of him in the line so he could quickly add his order to Bail’s and be positioned to pay when they got there.
**
Bail stepped forward, it was a very convenient excuse to let his eyes focus on the menu when Ben directly brought up his pants.
“That sounds like an exciting day. I can’t say mine was anywhere near as exciting as yours.” Not that he could say much about his job given it was a medical field. But today had been a particularly uneventful day.
“This is the highlight of my day- though,” he turned a smile to Ben. “It would have been had anything else happened to me today.”
**
He stepped in behind Bail, and noticed (for the first time really) that the guy was really tall. He forgot about it quickly because that smile was there and he couldn’t not return it. “Mine too - and not just because I’m looking forward to dessert.”
...He didn’t mean that to be innuendo.
He got his wallet out, and held it ready, since there really wasn’t much of a line - two people and then them. “You must miss your daughter like crazy when she’s not with you.”
**
“Yes,” Bail said. “And no. As a parent, yes, I always miss her when she’s away. But as a person, it’s nice having time to myself. If I might brag, she is a good kid, does well in school, gets her homework done, loves to still do activities with me and I know I only have a few more years of that- three if I’m lucky, one or two if the drive for excessive independence hits her before she’s officially a teen. My ex and I are good go coparents, our arrangement is the best I could hope for.”
**
He only had time to say, “Having a good arrangement with her other parent has to make everything easier,” before it was their turn to order. Ben stepped in as soon as Bail had finished placing his order, got his own order (and he absolutely ordered two), and went to hand over his debit card for both.
**
Bail hadn’t been paying attention to Ben getting his card out – focused as he was on his own order (he’d decided to go with the peach salsa).
But when he noticed that Ben had deftly slipped his card in first Bail almost objected. But his second thought – to let Ben pay, stopped him from objecting. It was another factor in the column that said this was a date. Though he still wasn’t one hundred percent sure.
“Thank you,” he said, graciously accepting Ben’s offer with a smile that may reveal he was certainly calculating all the evidence.
“Do you have a specific spot you like to go to eat these?” he lifted his hot dog to drive home the point.
**
He wasn’t entirely sure what Bail was thinking, but that Bail was happy about him paying was certainly good for Ben. ...Bail smiling was certainly good for Ben.
“You’re welcome,” he said, easily, then paused to take a bite of hotdog one. Which was not just pineapple and jalapeno but he’d had cream cheese and bacon added too. He inclined his head while chewing and started to walk toward a building with a wide, fairly long, set of stairs. “That building’s offices. The steps are a decent place to sit and eat - and talk.”
**
Bail’s eyebrows rose when he took in the two hot dogs Ben was carrying. Those were not a combination he would try but to each their own. He had a strong stomach so he could eat his hot dog just fine even while Ben ate those two.
Outdoor steps would not have been Bail’s first pick for seating, but he was willing to humor Ben- the night was fun so far, so why not?
He picked a spot and then sat down.
“Are you usually this adventurous with food?”
**
It was an unconventional date - if it was a date? It had started with a street vendor, after all. Ben was enjoying it, even if it was a little out of his usual routine in many ways, too. Maybe because it was.
He laughed at the question, softly and even gently. “It’s basically a jalapeno popper with pineapple at this point.” Which did not, he knew, make it less strange, “but no, not typically quite this adventuresome. I missed lunch to the emergency shower. I am starving and adding cream cheese and bacon were the most calorie and fat dense options.” Even his little kid classes were physical. He burned a lot of calories.
**
“Do accidents like this happen often?” If it did, it sounds a bit like raising a toddler.
Bail took a bite of his hot dog finally and was rewarded with the knowledge that he’d picked some great toppings. He may have mumbled something about how delicious it was – or it may have just been a groan of appreciation. He wasn’t going to label it.
After he swallowed, he said, “You are right. That is the best hot dog cart in the whole city.”
**
“Only the three year olds, and even then it’s… relatively rare? They try, but it’s hard for them to remember when they’re excited and distracted.”
Ben’s eyebrows went up a little at the sound Bail made, but that expression was one of mild appreciation rather than anything judgemental and it faded into a less… loaded smile pretty quickly.
“When I first started using New York as home base I was busy with skating and school but any down time I had I was… really lonely. Finding good street vendors and discovering a park to play chess in made a big difference. It helped me fall in love with the City and made it feel like home.”
**
“My grandfather used to play in the park. Where do you play?’
**
“Bryant Park. One of the guys I met there has actually become a good friend - that I have some shared memories with.” Which was it’s own kind of strange. “Do you play?” He’d meant to ask earlier, but hadn’t.
**
Bail was just processing what Ben said when he asked another question.
“I do know how to play, whether or not I’m very good-” he finished that with a shrug.
But he was more interested in that first thing Ben said.
“By memories… you mean the ones with the Bureau?” he asked tentatively.
**
He finished his first hotdog, took a second to clean his fingers with a paper napkin and adjusted his position so he could stretch one leg out a bit more in front of him. “Yeah, exactly those. In fact the first memory I got was of meeting Anakin - in the… not my life, I guess.”
**
Bail was amazed Ben was able to eat that first hot dog so deftly one handed without, well, getting toppings everywhere. Here he was trying his best not to make a mess with just one.
“Did you know him before the memories started or meet him afterwards?”
**
It was a gift - and a whole lot of determination not to make a mess, which he would enjoy absolutely no part of.
“I’d been playing chess with him for a while before the first memory came up, but we didn’t know each other well at all.”
**
“Part of me really wants to know more,” Bail said. “That’s fascinating and… strange. But...” Curiosity did sometimes kill the cat. And in this case, the cat would be the lighthearted mood they were sharing. Bail didn’t want to kill that.
“I’ll follow up some other time. What got you interested in chess?”
**
The pleasant mood is something he very much did not want to kill. He would have had the conversation if Bail wanted, but his shoulders dropped a bit in relief when Bail didn’t ask the questions now.
“I’ll be happy to tell you more when you do,” he assured Bail, but still … relief. “I’m honestly not sure that there was anything specific. A lot of time in locker rooms and long flights, I guess. There was always a deck of card and a chess set around. Even if there was a language barrier, we could play together..”
**
The mental image of Ben playing games between performances was a nice one.
“Do you speak any other languages? In all of that competition, did you pick any up?”
**
That question surprises him and it shows in the fact that he stops eating before he’s finished the second hot-dog. They should have, he thinks, gotten drinks somewhere. Ah well, a note for next time.
“A little bit of Russian and Japanese - not a lot, but enough to make it work if you add in hand gestures. Otherwise, a handful of words in a few others. Do you?” What, it’s New York. Lots of people speak more than one language.
**
“I do- I speak Spanish. My father was first generation Puerto Rican. I had grandparents who could barely speak English. And it helps me stumble my way through a few of the other Romance languages. But I would be lost in a conversation in Russian or Japanese.”
Bail was done with his one hot dog before Ben finished his second.
“What are your parameters for dessert? Are we looking for another street vendor?”
**
"I occasionally get lost in a conversation in English." He smiles and gathers up his trash so he can dispose of it properly at the first can they pass and shakes his head a little. "No big plan, just dessert and maybe something to drink to go with it. Do you have thoughts or do you want to see what we come across?" He's good with either. This is a laid back, casual, thing and he's enjoying it a lot for that.
What: Is this a date?
When: Tuesday, 6-2
Where: A hot-dog cart
Rating/Warnings: Likely swearing. Will edit if there’s more.
His invitation to Bail had been impulsive - response to a lovely grin and an obvious, unexpected, opportunity. In spite of being far more impulsive than he would normally be, and realizing after the fact that he’d probably asked a straight man out on a date, he didn’t have any regrets. In fact he’d been looking forward to meeting up with Bail again--
And, admittedly, a good hot dog.
He was not late, but he was definitely only just on time, and true to his warning he showed up in skate pants - meaning too when he was in sneakers, zippered at the ankles, and ‘four-way stretch’. He had, fortunately, only been wearing them for practice, which meant the top half of his outfit was a more reasonable purple t-shirt with ‘Kicking Ice’ on it.
...In retrospect that may not be fortunate, but at least it wasn’t satin or sequence.
He spotted Bail pretty quickly and made his way over. “I really hope you’ve only been waiting long enough to decide what you want.” Not quite apologetic, but prepared to be if he needed to be.
**
Bail had been left wondering if this was a date or not, though neither option, should they prove to be the answer, distressed him. This response of his was in and of itself interesting and something he’d analyze later. For now, he was going to focus on the hot dog.
Or that’s what he intended until Ben showed up.
And he’d said, when they were setting up the meeting (best to call it that for now), that he wouldn’t judge Ben for his outfit. Bail was still in a suit coat and tie straight from work, so who was he to judge. But Bail really had failed to consider just what skate pants meant.
What they revealed.
And so now Bail was judging Ben’s legs: he had amazing legs. And amazing thighs. And hips. And between those hips…
Bail quickly jumped his eyes up to Ben’s face and kept them respectfully there by choice.
“I was-” he focused on the question Ben so graciously asked. “I was trying to decide between the peach salsa or the yogurt sauce with cabbage. Or… I could just try the jalapeno pineapple salsa that you suggested before. How was work?”
**
Ben was pretty aware that Bail’s eyes were not initially on his face, but he wasn’t about to make assumptions about why when he was wearing pants that were both revealing and, by most standards, pretty strange.
“Glad I gave you time to peruse the menu. Today was… I’ve had two showers and this is my second pair pants. Because a three year old peed on me while I was wearing the first pair. Just another day at the office.” He flashed a smile at that. “How about you?” He nodded Bail ahead of him in the line so he could quickly add his order to Bail’s and be positioned to pay when they got there.
**
Bail stepped forward, it was a very convenient excuse to let his eyes focus on the menu when Ben directly brought up his pants.
“That sounds like an exciting day. I can’t say mine was anywhere near as exciting as yours.” Not that he could say much about his job given it was a medical field. But today had been a particularly uneventful day.
“This is the highlight of my day- though,” he turned a smile to Ben. “It would have been had anything else happened to me today.”
**
He stepped in behind Bail, and noticed (for the first time really) that the guy was really tall. He forgot about it quickly because that smile was there and he couldn’t not return it. “Mine too - and not just because I’m looking forward to dessert.”
...He didn’t mean that to be innuendo.
He got his wallet out, and held it ready, since there really wasn’t much of a line - two people and then them. “You must miss your daughter like crazy when she’s not with you.”
**
“Yes,” Bail said. “And no. As a parent, yes, I always miss her when she’s away. But as a person, it’s nice having time to myself. If I might brag, she is a good kid, does well in school, gets her homework done, loves to still do activities with me and I know I only have a few more years of that- three if I’m lucky, one or two if the drive for excessive independence hits her before she’s officially a teen. My ex and I are good go coparents, our arrangement is the best I could hope for.”
**
He only had time to say, “Having a good arrangement with her other parent has to make everything easier,” before it was their turn to order. Ben stepped in as soon as Bail had finished placing his order, got his own order (and he absolutely ordered two), and went to hand over his debit card for both.
**
Bail hadn’t been paying attention to Ben getting his card out – focused as he was on his own order (he’d decided to go with the peach salsa).
But when he noticed that Ben had deftly slipped his card in first Bail almost objected. But his second thought – to let Ben pay, stopped him from objecting. It was another factor in the column that said this was a date. Though he still wasn’t one hundred percent sure.
“Thank you,” he said, graciously accepting Ben’s offer with a smile that may reveal he was certainly calculating all the evidence.
“Do you have a specific spot you like to go to eat these?” he lifted his hot dog to drive home the point.
**
He wasn’t entirely sure what Bail was thinking, but that Bail was happy about him paying was certainly good for Ben. ...Bail smiling was certainly good for Ben.
“You’re welcome,” he said, easily, then paused to take a bite of hotdog one. Which was not just pineapple and jalapeno but he’d had cream cheese and bacon added too. He inclined his head while chewing and started to walk toward a building with a wide, fairly long, set of stairs. “That building’s offices. The steps are a decent place to sit and eat - and talk.”
**
Bail’s eyebrows rose when he took in the two hot dogs Ben was carrying. Those were not a combination he would try but to each their own. He had a strong stomach so he could eat his hot dog just fine even while Ben ate those two.
Outdoor steps would not have been Bail’s first pick for seating, but he was willing to humor Ben- the night was fun so far, so why not?
He picked a spot and then sat down.
“Are you usually this adventurous with food?”
**
It was an unconventional date - if it was a date? It had started with a street vendor, after all. Ben was enjoying it, even if it was a little out of his usual routine in many ways, too. Maybe because it was.
He laughed at the question, softly and even gently. “It’s basically a jalapeno popper with pineapple at this point.” Which did not, he knew, make it less strange, “but no, not typically quite this adventuresome. I missed lunch to the emergency shower. I am starving and adding cream cheese and bacon were the most calorie and fat dense options.” Even his little kid classes were physical. He burned a lot of calories.
**
“Do accidents like this happen often?” If it did, it sounds a bit like raising a toddler.
Bail took a bite of his hot dog finally and was rewarded with the knowledge that he’d picked some great toppings. He may have mumbled something about how delicious it was – or it may have just been a groan of appreciation. He wasn’t going to label it.
After he swallowed, he said, “You are right. That is the best hot dog cart in the whole city.”
**
“Only the three year olds, and even then it’s… relatively rare? They try, but it’s hard for them to remember when they’re excited and distracted.”
Ben’s eyebrows went up a little at the sound Bail made, but that expression was one of mild appreciation rather than anything judgemental and it faded into a less… loaded smile pretty quickly.
“When I first started using New York as home base I was busy with skating and school but any down time I had I was… really lonely. Finding good street vendors and discovering a park to play chess in made a big difference. It helped me fall in love with the City and made it feel like home.”
**
“My grandfather used to play in the park. Where do you play?’
**
“Bryant Park. One of the guys I met there has actually become a good friend - that I have some shared memories with.” Which was it’s own kind of strange. “Do you play?” He’d meant to ask earlier, but hadn’t.
**
Bail was just processing what Ben said when he asked another question.
“I do know how to play, whether or not I’m very good-” he finished that with a shrug.
But he was more interested in that first thing Ben said.
“By memories… you mean the ones with the Bureau?” he asked tentatively.
**
He finished his first hotdog, took a second to clean his fingers with a paper napkin and adjusted his position so he could stretch one leg out a bit more in front of him. “Yeah, exactly those. In fact the first memory I got was of meeting Anakin - in the… not my life, I guess.”
**
Bail was amazed Ben was able to eat that first hot dog so deftly one handed without, well, getting toppings everywhere. Here he was trying his best not to make a mess with just one.
“Did you know him before the memories started or meet him afterwards?”
**
It was a gift - and a whole lot of determination not to make a mess, which he would enjoy absolutely no part of.
“I’d been playing chess with him for a while before the first memory came up, but we didn’t know each other well at all.”
**
“Part of me really wants to know more,” Bail said. “That’s fascinating and… strange. But...” Curiosity did sometimes kill the cat. And in this case, the cat would be the lighthearted mood they were sharing. Bail didn’t want to kill that.
“I’ll follow up some other time. What got you interested in chess?”
**
The pleasant mood is something he very much did not want to kill. He would have had the conversation if Bail wanted, but his shoulders dropped a bit in relief when Bail didn’t ask the questions now.
“I’ll be happy to tell you more when you do,” he assured Bail, but still … relief. “I’m honestly not sure that there was anything specific. A lot of time in locker rooms and long flights, I guess. There was always a deck of card and a chess set around. Even if there was a language barrier, we could play together..”
**
The mental image of Ben playing games between performances was a nice one.
“Do you speak any other languages? In all of that competition, did you pick any up?”
**
That question surprises him and it shows in the fact that he stops eating before he’s finished the second hot-dog. They should have, he thinks, gotten drinks somewhere. Ah well, a note for next time.
“A little bit of Russian and Japanese - not a lot, but enough to make it work if you add in hand gestures. Otherwise, a handful of words in a few others. Do you?” What, it’s New York. Lots of people speak more than one language.
**
“I do- I speak Spanish. My father was first generation Puerto Rican. I had grandparents who could barely speak English. And it helps me stumble my way through a few of the other Romance languages. But I would be lost in a conversation in Russian or Japanese.”
Bail was done with his one hot dog before Ben finished his second.
“What are your parameters for dessert? Are we looking for another street vendor?”
**
"I occasionally get lost in a conversation in English." He smiles and gathers up his trash so he can dispose of it properly at the first can they pass and shakes his head a little. "No big plan, just dessert and maybe something to drink to go with it. Do you have thoughts or do you want to see what we come across?" He's good with either. This is a laid back, casual, thing and he's enjoying it a lot for that.