Chapter Nineteen

Rudy didn't take Kelly home straight away though. There was a chance whoever was following her was still out there. he might have been overreacting but by how shaken up Kelly was, he wasn't takign the chance.

He steered her into Rick's Diner where they were greeted by a pink uniform and feigned perkiness. Rudy almost laughed like he usually did when he saw her in work-mode.

"Hi! Welcome to Rick's D- Rudy!" Rosie beamed at him then frowned at Kelly slightly, while Kelly frowned up at Rudy. He ignored both of them. "Table for two?"

"Make it a booth."

Rosie took them to a booth, handing them menus, giving Rudy a scrutinizing look, as they slid into a seat across from one another." So... What brings you down here?"

"None of your business," Rudy replied quickly, scanning the menu even though he knew what he was ordering before he entered the place.

He got whacked on the head.

"I'm your sister. You're always my business."

"Oh your sister!" Kelly exclaimed, coming out from slightly observing the two."I see it now, except she's much prettier."

Rosie's eyes glittered as she smiled. "Oh I like you, where'd you pick up this one, Rude?"

"That's Kelly," he grumbled at her.

"Kelly! I've heard so much about you, it lovely to meet you. Especially those who like to make his life a living hell when I'm not around to do so myself."

"It's a pleasure."

Rudy tuned out the two as they gushed to one another of how they like to torture him mentally and pulled out his phone, not forgetting for a second that Miles was supposed to be meeting him later that night after his, shift.

To Miles: Come to Rick's Diner.

Miles had been coming over to Rudy's almost very other day now, playing with Legolas and watching films and discussing every fandom in extreme detail to Rudy until Rosie came home. If Rudy didn't know any better he'd think Miles was almost keeping him company.

From Miles: On my way, Sampson :) we really need to work on your "please" and "thank you"s btw.

"He's texting him right now, look at him. Besotted as hell."

"How do you know?"

"He doesn't exactly have any other friends."

"True. I don't even have his number."

"I'll give you mine and then I'll give you his."

"Awesome."

Rudy glared at both of them." Are you even allowed to be sitting down while you working?" Rosie was now comfortably sitting next to Kelly, their faces looking disturbingly like one another as they smiled at Rudy.

"Shut up, Rudy. My boss loves me."

Rudy furrows his eyes together, remembering the last boss that held more than the required employee-employer relationship.

Creep.

"No not like that Rudy, hell. You fixed that for me already."

Kelly groaned, as if in distress as she slunk onto the table a little, lookign at him."So you save a lot of girls in distress? Man, it sucks that you are gay."

"Why? What's happened?"

Kelly seemed all but happy to share to Rosie about the guy that had been following her on the way home that she had ran all the way back to the store, also her suspicions about her missing stuff.

"What I don't understand is why now, I mean. It's weird," Rosie leaned back, her face scrunched up in disgust.

Kelly blushed for the first time Rudy had known her."uh.. Well Mark usually gets me home."

"Oh. I see." Rudy commented, smirking.

"Shut up. You see nothing except when Miles is in your range of sight."

Rudy went back to grumbling while Rosie laughed loudly.

"Can we order or do we need to wait on another waitress?" Rudy snapped.

Alright, keep your perfectly quaffed hair on." Rosie raised her hands in surrender as she got up, fixing her uniform from bunching up at he chest before grabbing out a pen and pad, smiling like a cat as she said,"hot chocolate for you Rudes, right?"

"No way." Kelly giggled.

"Extra whip cream, extra marshmallows, extra everything."

"Oh my god," Kelly was almost choking on her own laugh now.

Rudy did nothing except glare at the table while Kelly ordered a latte and then Rosie was off.

"Thanks, by the way- I didn't say it before but thank you for keeping me company."

Rudy nodded in acknowledgement, hoping that anyone in the same situation would do the same.

Kelly obnoxiously stared tapping her talon nails on the table, making Rudy's eye twitch every little noise she made:

"This is where you say 'so you and Mark, huh?'"

Rudy went to open his mouth to say that no he wasn't going to. Kelly cut him of anyway.

"But I know that you won't so I'll do it for you. Mark is... A persistent bastard that likes to walk me home everyday when he can and kiss me goodnight in the rain or shine and thinks I'm beautiful even when I open my mouth."

Rudy honesty couldn't give a flying fuck, he stared at the girl gushing about a co-worker he'd thought wouldn't say half the things that were coming out of her mouth.

"-of course, he never says any of that out loud but I totally know that he's thinking it."

Rudy, for one, liked it better when she didn't speak at all.

His phone buzzed in the table, Miles telling him that he was here. Ignoring Kelly, he turned in the booth just as Miles made his way through the Diner door, his face flushed from the cold and his hair sticking to his head slightly. He looked around for a moment and beamed when he saw Rudy.

Rudy's heart stopped.

"Hi," he breezed in, looking at Rudy, eyes as bright as summer leaves, with drops of rain caught in his lashes. Rudy smiled and shifted a little in the booth to give Miles space to slide in, which he did with just a little hesitation, pulling off his bulky jacket that was too huge on him that did things to Rudy's heart and prized off his scarf and matching hat.

It was them he spotted Kelly,"oh. You're here." There was an edge if disappointment to his voice and Rudy leaned into his hand, hiding a smile.

Kelly narrowed her eyes at him." Wow. I can really feel the love. Thank you, Miles."

Miles stuck out his tongue at her just as Rosie came back with their drinks.

"One latte," Rosie set down a cup in front of Kelly."And one hot chocolate, extra everything and more." She winked as she placed a mountain of marshmallows, chocolate sauce, sprinkles and shavings all on top of a large white mug made for a giant.

Kelly whistled and laughed and expressed how impressed she was Rosie had managed to take it off the tray with one hand.

"Nice to see you Miles," Rosie smiled, holding her tray up against her chest, arms crossed over it," infiltrating on my brothers date I see."

Rudy choked on a marshmallow while Miles blinked and said,"Date?" Blinked again and turned from Rosie - who was biting her thumb, trying not to laugh - to Rudy - who was still wheezing on a mini marshmallow - with his mouth open," b-but you said to come and oh-" he whacked Rudy on the back harshly a couple of times so Rudy spat out the mini piece of mush over to Kelly who squealed in disgust after laughing along at the two idiots in front of her with Rosie who was now shaking so hard with tears in her eyes.

"Well I'll count this down as the worst date ever," Kelly remarked crossly while wiping away the mallow feebly with a napkin.

"It isn't a date," Rudy croaked pathetically and coughed at the state of his voice, he glared at the girls again. Kelly just shrugged and went back into her tale of the night to Miles and clearing up what they were really doing here while Rudy lay his head on the table and breathed, willing his face to cool down but it didn't help that Miles was keeping his hand on Rudy's back, rubbing circles.

Rudy was actually contemplating on keeping his head on the table forever and making sure no one saw how red his face felt at this moment; hot chocolate be damned.

Also the small circles being made on his back were nice. If he moved Miles would probably take his hand away, assuming that Miles didn't know he was doing it.

Rosie ended up whacking him over the head after a few minutes anyway, forcing him to whip his head up and glower at his sister who was giving Miles a coffee.

Miles hand was gone from his back. Predictable. He glared at Rosie harder as she swaggered through the doors into the kitchens.

Kelly was far beyond her story now and had moved onto another, one involving things Rudy wasn't interested in or particularly cared for in any fibre of his being whatsoever.

He sipped his hot chocolate instead, ignoring her as usual.

And then heat pressed against his thigh. Miles' thigh. Against his.

And he choked again.

"What is wrong with you!" Kelly screamed, flailing away from the spat up hot chocolate, pulling out napkin after napkin out of the small, silver dispenser at the end of the table.

Rudy heard loud cackles from the kitchen.

~*~

Rudy could never spend more than work hours and the occasional Friday drinking night with Kelly. The girl got on his last nerve and while he had been totally concerned for her earlier that day, there was nothing he wanted to do more than to ring her neck by the end of it.

They were forced to walk her home, him and Miles both, after a torturous time of both Kelly and Rosie badgering on at them. Rudy was ready to throw himself out in front of a oncoming bus or something in all honesty.

She kissed him on the cheek, thanking him again and he waved her in as she skipped to the door. He sighed in exhaustion when she closed the door behind her.

"I've never met anyone like her in my life," Miles commented, sounding a little out of it and haggard and he's only been with her an hour.

Rudy snorted."Thank god for that, if there was more than one..." Rudy didn't even know what he'd do.

"It was nice, what you did for Kelly. Helping her and all." Miles smiled a small smile and looked up at Rudy through his lashes.

Rudy gulped and cleared his throat."s'nothing. Anybody would have done the same."

"Would they though?" He bumped Rudy playfully who bumped right back.

They walked side by side, not saying anything after that, listening to the steps made on the slightly wet pavements, the way Rudy's shoes were slightly flapping as his heel was falling off and he couldn't afford new shoes at the moment, and the way Miles would yawn sometimes, as if he hadn't had enough sleep.

Rudy sympathised with that.

Then Miles bumped him again. Rudy turned and was struck with Miles smiling up at him," thanks, by the way. For asking me to come to the diner, that's the second time you've voluntarily asked me out by yourself."

Rudy blinked. Blinked again. "You're welcome." His voice wasn't his own, it was croaky and broken, it seemed to be doing that a lot around Miles.

Miles made a pleased sound and laughed a little, putting his hands behind his back and started walking a bit in front of Rudy.

They came to Miles apartment and Rudy stopped to watch Miles go in, but then Miles stopped too, not making a move.He turned on his heels, rubbing his hands and puffing out his cheeks and furrowed his brows together. Rudy stared at him, wondering if he should leave or say something.

"Oh!" he exclaimed suddenly and went for his pocket in his jacket, delving into his deep pocket and finally producing some red and orange knitted thing that turned into a hat as Miles unravelled it from its ball. "I saw that you had the boxset in your place and uh... noticed you didn't have a hat or... anything so yeah- uh. Here."

He came right into Rudy's space, breathing onto him and stretched up, arms on either side until he was able to pull the hat on Rudy's head. Rudy bent forward, gasping a little as it came over his head and Miles came close to his face. Miles made an appreciative noise as he looked all around. All he could see were the deep green of his eyes, even under the weak light of the apartment door.

He stopped breathing.

The hat was on his head now but Miles hadn't moved away, his hands were still clasped around the flaps on the hat, his face still so close. And then he looked at Rudy, looking at Miles, pupils dilated and wide.

And then the green flicked down to Rudy's lips and back, the taste of coffee stuttered onto Rudy's face as Miles opened his mouth slightly; red and inviting.

Rudy soared forward, capturing the taste on his lips.

A/n: i am sooo sorry for taking so long to put this up but hopefully you will forgive me ;)
If anyone is curious the hat is Jayne Cobb's from Firefly in the episode The Message

I think it's the sweetest hat ever