Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

     The McClain household is a full and happy one. You can hear music playing from inside daily, smell the well-seasoned meat on the grill on the weekends, and see the family laughing whenever they are playing outside. 

     Although Lance has been prioritizing his studies this semester, he still makes plenty of time to entertain his niblings, Miguel and Magdalena. The young twins are a constant reminder of the phrase double trouble. Just as he and his twin sister, their mother, were in their youth. 

     What is their newest con, you may wonder? It’s getting Lance to help convince their mother that they are responsible enough to own a cat. 

     They’ve tried it all. Bargaining, begging, and crying. They’ve even sworn on their young lives that they will feed, love, and clean after the little creature. Rachel has remained stern, not even budging when her own mother vouches for them. How Rachel could ignore the pleading and sad brown eyes, Lance will never know. Their defeated frowns and small sobs tug at his heartstrings. He needs to do something. 

     Lance has one last ace up his sleeve, a secret weapon he always tries to use only for good. He wraps his arm around his sister’s shoulders, lets out a soft, almost melancholic sigh, and says, “Do you remember when we wanted a dog and mi Apa said no?” Not much else has to be said. 

     That same weekend, the McClain household has a new fur baby: Blue. She’s a mixed cat, the adoption place couldn’t tell them much more than that. She’s healthy, gets along with the kids, and is adorable as can be. She’s been the latest star on Lance’s social media posts, earning him comments and coos from his extended family and friends. 

     Yes, Blue may technically be Miguel and Magda’s but since Lance is who feeds her, she has become very attached to him. She follows him everywhere in the house and even sleeps in his room at night. The kids don’t mind it until they want to play with her, and she makes it very clear that she would much rather stay curled up in Lance’s lap. 

     Not being able to have your cake and eat it too is a good lesson to learn this young.

     The text in Lance’s Biology book is killing his eyesight, which means it’s time for a well-deserved break. He carries his empty snack plate out on his way to the kitchen and notices that the front door is cracked open. It isn’t too surprising. It is a bad habit his M&Ms have when taking out the trash. He needs to have a serious talk with them about it, now that Blue is living here. This behavior is irresponsible and could be dangerous for their new cat. He closes it for now but makes a mental note to bring it up when he’s not as upset about it. 

     He flops onto the living room couch for now, a fresh, cold drink in hand. Lance tilts his head back to rest it against a cushion and lets out a tired sigh. Just as his strained shoulders and lower back begin to relax, the front door bursts open, and Magda and Miguel are sobbing uncontrollably. So much for any kind of break. 

     It takes a few moments to calm them down enough for them to be able to express themselves clearly. Of course, Lance’s priority is their safety; anything else falls second. So, once both children have confirmed that they are alright, he asks them what’s got them so shaken up. 

     “ La Blue —” hiccups Miguel and Lance’s heart sinks. 

     “ Se subio a un tree!” Magda finishes. Oh, good, there’s hope. She’s just stuck in a tree.

     “ ¡ Se pasan! ” Lance groans, covering his face with one hand and pressing his other to his chest. “With how you two were acting, I thought she got hit by a car!” 

     That is the incorrect thing to say at a moment like this because now both children are inconsolable. 

     Lance clears his throat and puts on a mastered, sincere smile. “Hey, it’s alright. Su Tio Lance has this, okay?” He promises.

     The children sniffle but nod their heads before leading Lance outside towards the small neighborhood park just a few blocks from their house. It’s amazing to think that his M&Ms chased their adventurous cat all the way out here. It’s easy to confirm the mission area once under the massive evergreen because Blue can be heard on top from ground level. 

     Lance nods his head after scaling the base of the tree. “Alright, stay here, and be very careful of any branches that might snap,” He warns them and waits for the children to take a few steps back before he starts to really make his way up. 

     It has been literal years since he last climbed a good tree, but his M&Ms need a hero. So here he is: flakes of tree bark biting into his palms and arms, dry branches slapping his cheeks, and his new tennis shoes being scraped by all textures of the tree. It’s all worth it to him, though. It means his M&Ms will be happy, and Blue will be safe once more. 

     “Just don’t look down,” He reminds himself as he makes his way up to the more wobbly half of the tree. He must be quite high up if it’s starting to bend like this. Blue is terrified, but she practically jumps into Lance’s arms when he finally reaches her. 

     “ ¡ Vente, mami! I got you!” He holds the cat close to his chest, and the children cheer loudly from the safety of the ground.  

     Alrighty, initiating phase two of this rescue mission: Get down. 

     S imón . 

     Um… 

     He has no arms left to help lower himself. Much less any available space for a safe turn radius due to the thick branches around him. He’s not panicking yet, but he can tell Miguel and Magda are growing anxious and impatient. 

     The branch carrying most of his weight snaps, and he is quick to tightly hug what trunk of the tree he can. Blue protests, but it’s for their safety!

     He takes a few deep breaths to settle his nerves and continues to prohibit himself from looking down, or else he will start to panic. 

     “ ¡Amores!” He calls down, “Call your mom!”

     “No!” Cries an echo. 

     “M&Ms!” Lance scolds. 

     “ Tio, nooooo! ” 

     “You call su ama right now, or you call the firefighters!” He yells down. 

     The children whine, but one small peek down shows them taking out their shared cell phone. 

     “Just gotta be patient now, Blue. It should only take Rachel a few minutes to get home and get us the big ladder from the shed.” He nods to himself and kisses the top of Blue’s head. At least she seems a lot calmer now that he’s got her.

     Lance was expecting to see his sister pull up to the curb in her little silver Honda. Not a massive bright red fire truck. 

     “M&Ms!” Lance whines and hides his face against his sore arm.  

     He hears the four large men who hopped out of the truck laugh as Miguel and Magda retell how their idiot uncle got stuck in a tree with a cat in his arms and the fright of heights in his heart. It does nothing but murder his ego and fuel his embarrassment. 

     Diosito , if you can hear him, please, please , smite him. 

     He doesn’t dare look down until he hears the loud thunking from the truck and the buzzing of the aerial ladder as it is deployed.

     “Hey there.” Lance hears a gruff chuckle and greeting. 

     “Hey,” He whines back and rips his gaze from the flaking trunk. 

     “Heard there were two kittens stuck in a tree.” 

     Lance laughs nervously and takes a moment to take in this dork who will hopefully be his savior. 

     The man looks far too serious for the line he just dropped. Long, dark hair secured up in a bun, deep indigo eyes, an amused grin, and a light scar from his sharp jaw up to the bottom of his right eye. 

     Diosito, is he dreaming? 

     Did he fall and hit his head? 

     Has fate finally sent him an angel? A big, grizzled angel? 

     He can hear his heartbeat in his ears, feel his cheeks begin to burn, and he is suddenly very aware of the way his tongue is glued to his soft palate. 

     “Sir?”

     “Huh?”

     “Are you with me?” Asks the handsome angel, genuine concern in those beautiful dark eyes. 

     “Yes! Sorry, I-I’m really scared of heights,” is Lance’s sorry excuse for staring at the man. 

     “Ah, well, you completely fooled me. I thought we had a tree climbing hobbiest in our hands.” 

     “This wasn’t for fun! This was a failed rescue mission!” Lance cries, desperate for God to please just smite him already! 

     “No failure here; we just haven’t finished the mission.” Says Handsome as he reaches out his hand for Lance. 

     Lance shifts so he is closer to the edge of the creaking branch. 

     “I’ve got you if you’ve got the cat.” Smiles Handsome. 

     Lance secures Blue close to his chest and nods. 

     “Alright, one small leap of faith for me.” Handsome supports Lance by scooping him right under his arms and guiding his hop down onto the basket with him. 

     As soon as Lance lands he is clinging onto the man. His embarrassment can’t compare to the fright still biting at his nerves. The man gives his frame a reassuring squeeze and it is enough to help Lance feel safe again. 

     His shoulders are sore, and his fingertips have lost some of the sensation in them, but he can finally calm his breathing.

     Handsome makes sure Lance and Blue are secure before ordering the aerial ladder to be lowered. Lance doesn’t look away from the man’s chest until he is carefully guided out of the basket and both his feet are on firm land. 

     Miguel and Magda are quick to take Blue out of Lance’s arms and scold her for being bad. Only for Lance to scold them for letting her out in the first place. 

     “It’s not bad to be adventurous, but it’s important to be safe!” Lance counters. 

     Ah, yes, yet another embarrassment of his own turned into a lesson for the little ones. Better they learn from his mistakes than try out certain shenanigans for themselves. 

     “Now then,” Lance says, dusting trunk flakes off his clothes and plucking pine needles out of his hair, “Everyone, thank the nice firefighters.”

     “Thank you!” The children echo as they make Blue wave her paw at the men. 

     Handsome gently pets the top of Blue’s head with a finger, and the rest of his crew shuffle closer to give her some love and affection as well. 

     Letting the men play with her for a few moments is the least the McClains feel they can do to thank them for coming all the way out here. Playtime doesn’t last long because the truck’s radio gets a call to action and Handsome and his crew are hopping back into their truck.

     Lance stands at the curb with his nibblings, waving goodbye at the large truck as it turns around the corner and takes off. 

Chapter Text

     Grease is sizzling loudly as Lance watches his bud work over the hot industrial grill. It’s an hour past midnight, and the lack of bodies in the diner makes the place feel like it's freezing if you’re not seated at the counter near the stoves. The large man may be preoccupied cooking, but he isn’t too busy to listen to Lance mope and whine as he plays with a now-cold carne asada fry still on his plate. 

     “And just like that, my angel was gone, Hunk.” Lance sighs deeply and rests his chin on the countertop to pout up at his best friend. 

     “It’s not a lost cause, Lance.” Hunk chuckles as he takes the neglected fry from Lance’s hand. 

     “How am I supposed to ever see him again? Do I have to set fire to my curtains?” 

     “I will fireproof your entire house, no!” Hunk rolls his eyes and shakes his head. “Look, the guy you described is a regular here,” he signals to the small dining area past the donut display counter.

     “Oh, now you’re just teasing me!” Lance cries as he steals his fry back. 

     “I’m not! I swear! He’s got thick, angry eyebrows and emo bangs when his hair is down.” Hunk picks up another fry from Lance’s plate and points it at him, “His crew is in here early mornings and late nights. And if you don’t find them then, they show up Thursday evenings and order three dozen donuts.” 

     “That’s specific.” Lance hums and nibbles on the edge of his fry. 

     “It helps to know the regular flow of the restaurant to have proper expectations of my workload,” Hunk assures him. 

     “And what am I supposed to do? Just wait here until I see him again?” 

     “I could text you when I see him again!” Hunk offers with an excited shine in his golden brown eyes.

     “Ah, yes, like a total creep.” 

     “It’s not creepy unless you make it that way.” Hunk protests. 

     “ Osea , I guess, but no.” Lance scoffs and shakes his head, “Like if it happens cool, but I’m not going to be busting in here like a one-man SWAT team for Cpt. Angry Brows.” He sighs and flicks the rest of his fry back onto his discarded plate. 

     “Alright, that’s fair.” Hunk hums as he takes Lance’s plate and disposes of it. 

     It’s not like Lance doesn’t like the idea of seeing the handsome angel again. Being told the man is a regular here does make it seem like there is a greater chance of bumping into him. Ugh, but it also just feels so surreal! 

     “So we’ll let fate decide?” Hunk asks as he fixes the strands on his apron. 

     “Fate will definitely say.” Lane pulls his jacket on with a smile. 

     Oh, how fate loves to take its sweet time. 

     It’s been a month since Lance saw his handsome angel. Final exams and the winter holidays are quickly approaching, and Lance has had very little time to swoon over the memory and thoughts of him. Which, honestly, is a good thing. 

     Whenever things would slow down in class, his mind would gravitate towards sweet daydreams of his eyes meeting those gorgeous indigo pair again. And his night thoughts were no better, as he would be making up nothing but meet-cute scenarios. 

     After Hunk told him that Handsome was a regular, it has been nothing but torture knowing he missed him when he came in for his family's order or his own snack. It has gotten to the point where he begged Hunk to just leave it be. His heart can’t handle hearing that “Cpt. Something With a K” left just three minutes before Lance waltzed in. 

     Diosito, please just let him move on. Fate clearly doesn't want this to happen.

     Lance is wrapping up his studying and is sending Hunk a quick order for his family. It's been extra chilly all day, and Lance wants to make hot chocolate for his M&M's. They both did amazingly in school this semester. On top of that, they have been working very hard in learning their lines for the school's winter play. They deserve a sweet treat. One mom does not have to know about.

     Lance is welcomed into the establishment by both waitresses, Hunk, and the small bell on the top of the front door. His food is already packed up but he wanted to pick out the pastries himself; since Miguel is picky with the color of his sprinkles and Magda doesn't want any filling. He hums to himself as he tries to locate a chocolate donut with the right amount of purple sprinkles when the bell and staff greet another person. 

     "You can go ahead," Lance waves at the person without taking his eyes off the tarts. He taps his chin as he tries to figure out if these maple bars are filled or simply have a wonky little dent on their edges. Hunk clears his throat to get Lance's attention.

     "Almost big guy, you can get their order first." 

     "Bud." Hunk whines. 

     "Are the maple bars filled, or are the–" 

     "Lance!" Hunk cries.

     "What?" He hisses softly as he finally looks up at his friend, who's leaning over the display counter. Hunk makes direct eye contact and then glances to his left. 

     What? Lance follows the gaze and almost chokes on his spit.

     There, in front of the cash register, is his handsome angel. Oh, he'd recognize that greña and broad shoulders anywhere. He covers the sides of his face and looks up at Hunk. Hunk shakes his head and signals for him to move closer.

     Handsome is too busy reading a large order off of his phone; it would be very rude of Lance to interrupt! So he's being tortured by each passing second as he very awkwardly stands behind and to the side of Handsome. He turns to Hunk again and shakes his head, almost whining. Hunk gives him a warning look and jerks his head toward Handsome. 

     It's now or never!

     Once Handsome is done giving his order and after the staff member has read it back to him, Lance can't seem to find his voice. 

     Nothing. Not even a fake cough. All air is gone. All that comes out of him is a soft chirp. Handsome seems to catch it regardless, and he looks over his shoulder at him. 

     At. Him. 

     At Lance .

     Oh, he must look like such a goober. Is it too late to run out with his food and donuts?

     "Hey," Lance's handsome angel grins and turns to face him properly, "How you been, Kitten?" 

     Diosito , it's him again. Is love at second sight a thing? Because his heart feels so full, he can't help himself from smiling up at the man. He found him. 

     Come on, McClain!

     "Oh, I've been doing much better now that I've accepted that I'm strictly a land mammal." He waves and finds himself staring at the tile floor. 

     "That's good to hear, I'd hate to find out you were stuck again."

     "Yeah," He squeaks. "What about you? Saved any other cats from trees lately?" Lance asks, peeking back up at Handsome. 

     "None as cute as you."

     God, if you don't end him right now, this man just might. He's dreaming, right? When has anyone taken the time to make Lance smile like this? He's usually the one giving out compliments and piropos like this.

     He smiles as he plays with his sleeve, and Handsome doesn't seem to mind that Lance's head is still processing all this. Lance opens his mouth to try and get his angel back with a line of his own when the cashier tells Handsome that his order is ready.

     "I'll cover that!" Lance tells the cashier and takes a step forward. 

     "What?" Handsome's jaw drops. 

     "Please? As a 'Thank you for saving my ass'." Lance says, digging for his wallet. 

     "Most certainly not," says Handsome, resting his hand on Lance's and lowering the wallet. "This is for my crew. I've got it covered." Handsome smiles and shakes his head. Oh, that smile.

     The refusal must have made Lance pout because when Handsome looks back at him, he gives him a reassuring grin as he offers Lance his wallet and hand back. 

     "If you really want to thank me like this, how about you pay for my dinner tonight?" 

     Oh.

     "Aw, but the rest of your crew helped too." Lance teases. 

     "Yeah, but I was the one in the basket with the cuties cradled in my arms." 

     "I was not being cradled." Lance scoffs and crosses his arms. But he's yet to stop smiling.

     “Ah, my mistake then.” Handsome teases right back.

     "So, dinner!" Lance offers as a lifeline for both of them drowning fools. 

     "Yeah! Uh – I can meet you here!" 

     "Yes!" 

     "Eight! Is uh – is eight too late? Is eight late dinner?" 

     "Eight is fine. I'm always hungry around eight." Lance makes a slight face at his desperate tone. Handsome chuckles and shakes his head, a blush lightly dusting his cheeks. He truly is living up to his namesake. 

     "So, eight." Lance nods. 

     "Eight is great." Handsome covers his smile. Lance nods and finally puts his wallet away and shuffles back to the pastries. Handsome grabs his bags and salutes Lance on his way out. 

     Cool. So eight.

Chapter Text

     All is fair in love and war. It is an important lesson to learn at nibbling's early age. 

     “Mamá!” Sylvio whines when Lance bonks the top of his head with a pool noodle again. 

     “Nope. You guys are the ones who begged your uncle to spar with you.” Lisa, Lance’s sister-in-law, waves a hand from where she sits next to her husband. 

     “At least don’t go easy on them, Lance.” Luis laughs when Nadia and Magda tackle Lance away from their brothers. 

     “Wait, not the face! I have a date!” Lance takes a dramatic fall and rolls away from the laughing children. 

     “You said all was fair!” Miguel warns, holding a foam sword up to Lance’s nose. He drapes his arm over his eyes, sticks out his tongue, and dies. 

     Yup. He’s dead.

     No whining or begging or even nudging with any sort of toy can revive him. And the kids quickly grow bored of him and rush to the trampoline instead. 

     “Wow! They didn’t even mourn me.” Lance dusts himself off and rises to his feet. He looks back at the respectful parents, a hand over his chest. “You guys are raising monsters!” 

     “You spoil them.” Rachel says, petting Blue in her lap. 

     “It’s hard not to! I love them,” Lance whines. 

     “They love you too, Flaquillo.” Luis smiles and pats the seat next to him and Lisa. Lance hums and shuffles over to the seat. 

     “So a date, huh?” Lisa smiles. 

     “Oh, right.” Lance rubs the back of his neck and averts his eyes. 

     “Tell us more.” Luis hums as he leans over the lawn table. 

     “Yeah, I’ll tell you more. It’s at eight tonight. So I should start getting ready!” Lance hops to his feet and is quick to abscond before Luis jolts up as well and races him to the bathroom. 

     Lance is able to beat his brother there and slams the door in his face. It’s not to be rude, it just happens to be prison rules up in this house sometimes! 

     A glance at his lockscreen on his phone tells him that he’s got enough time to try to relax and plan his outfit. Should he straighten his hair like he commonly does or allow the natural curls to frame his face? He should definitely try to locate those dark jeans that make his ass look amazing. 

     Is eyeliner on the first date trying too hard? Nah, he always feels a lot more confident with a little bit of makeup on. Plus if handsome makes a rude comment about it then that’ll be reason enough not to entertain the idea of a second date. 

     He may have taken up too much time thinking about what to wear, that he's now straightening his bangs and throwing on a beanie to cover his dark curls. He has to hunt down the pair of pants he wanted to wear only to abandon that plan because they are in the dirty laundry pile. 

     Ugh! Now he has to replan his entire outfit around a new pair of jeans. It’s whatever, though! He’s got this. He pulls his jacket on and shoots Hunk a quick text to see if he’s got a shift tonight. 

HunkyPoo: You’re joking right?

HunkyPoo: I’m pulling a double just so I can make sure you’re safe. 

BlueBoo: aww 🥺

HunkyPoo: And just in case I have to help you pick up the bits of your broken heart if things go horribly wrong 😅

BlueBoo: aww 😑

     His mom blesses him before he can even touch the front door since he mentions he'd be staying out late tonight. With it though, he's free to finally slip out and hop in the old truck. The truck that he has to give a few minutes to let it warm up. He checks the time on his phone and tells himself to take it easy. It's only 7:23pm.

     He's busting through the front of the establishment at exactly 7:56pm. In Lance time, this is six minutes late. But he's glad that his angel isn't here yet. Hunk greets him with an amused laugh and a head shake.

     He's not nervous. Claro que no. Of course not. He always bounces his leg at hyper speeds like this. He's always been a fan of watching the time change on his phone's lock screen. 

     Yeah. Simón.

     8:15pm? Not a problem. 

     8:39pm. It happens. 

     8:45pm? Um… alright…

     "How late is too late?" He sighs softly and traces the coffee mug in front of him. 

     "Half an hour ago," Says Hunk from the open grill, always honest to a fault. Lance wets his lips and slowly nods his head.

     "Maybe he's out being a hero again." Lance laughs nervously. Hunk hums with a sad smile and nods back. 

     "If there's no fire alarm there's no rush?" He offers Lance.

     "Oh no. Hunk. Don't burn the diner down for my sake." 

     "Oh look, the emergency exit with it's automatic alarm is right next to the restrooms." Hunk gasps dramatically.

     "Jesus, Hunk." Lance laughs, the smallest bit of joy coming out of this bleak event. 

     "Aww, I'm sorry, bud." 

     "It's alright, big guy. Life happens." Lance shrugs and slips his phone into his pocket. Damn, what a shame.

     He's about to slip out of the booth when he hears a loud engine outside. Both him and Hunk peek through the large windows and Lance smiles brightly when he sees the fire truck. Five men hop out, the first one down being Handsome — he'd know that hair anywhere — with two more chasing right after him. Handsome isn't even all the way inside when he spots Lance and is already apologizing for being so late.

     "We had to answer a call, and these idiots took forever to roll up the hose, and - and -" 

     "It's alright! Honest! You don't owe me an explanation!" Lance smiles brightly up at Handsome and waves his hands.

     "I at least owe you dinner next time." Handsome angel sighs as he slips into the booth right in front of Lance. This date hasn't even started and Lance already has a second one? New record!

     "I'm also sorry I dragged the entire crew along. I didn't want to waste more time dropping them off at the station." He looks over at the other four men who have taken up the booth one over from theirs.

     "We don't mind!" Smirks one of them as he rests his chin in his hand and winks at the pair. He's got a large frame but but his baby face makes it hard for Lance to guess his age.

     Which is the same case as the guy sitting next to him. The other two look older than Luis and Rachel though, yet younger than his parents. 

     "Antok." Lance's angel warns. 

     "I'm just saying it so no one feels any guilt!" Antok whines.

     "I don't mind either," Lance smiles up at Handsome, "I'm just happy you made it." He says playing with his sleeve.

     "Awwww." Coos one of the crew members.

     "No wonder you were in such a rush, he's a cutie." Comments another.  

     "Regris," hisses Handsome and Lance wants to hide his face in the collar of his jacket. 

     The men settle down once they get their food and Lance is happily telling Handsome how he is close friends with the cook. Angel mentions how him and his crew have been coming here since Thace brought lunch to the station from this place. They figured out Thursdays were the 'Awesome Cook's' late night shift so they frequently show up for his delicious work.

     "So how's the kitten?" Handsome asks as he sips on his drink. 

     "Blue or myself?" 

     "The shorter one." Handsome says and Lance rolls his eyes, chuckling. 

     "Well she has stayed inside since." 

     "A lesson was learned." Lance's angel nods. "And the children are your...?" He asks casually. 

     "My nibblings." Lance smirks, amused. 

     "How old?" 

     "Both are 10. They're my twin's twins."

     "You're a twin?" Handsome almost spits out his drink. 

     "Yeah, she's like fifteen minutes older." Lance laughs. 

     "Oh, alright so ya'll are fraternal." He hums.

     "What about you, Angel? Got any siblings?" 

     "Angel?" 

     Fuck! Uh! Be cool!

     "Is that what you've been calling me in your head all this time?" He asks.

     "You're one to talk Cpt. Kitty Cat!" Lance waves both hands in a cat paw motion. So much for being cool.

     "Well, what would you rather I call you?" Asks Handsome. 

     "Now I'm curious as to what else you've been referring to me by." Lance crosses his arms and tilts his head with a grin.

     "He once called you cutie with the booty!" Calls Regris from the other booth. The rest of his men laugh loudly and slam their fists against the table top. 

     "Guys!" Handsome all but growls at the hollering men. Lance laughs with them and covers his blushing face. He peeks at Handsome through his fingers and smiles when he catches him pouting at his crew, cheeks flushed.

     "Regris stop. You'll have him drop us off before his date next time." The man tries to stifle a laugh as he sips on his drink. 

     "Leave him alone, Ulaz. You know he only gets worse when reprimanded." Thace shakes his head.

     "But if we make the cutie laugh he might invite us along next time too!" Antok offers. 

     "You weren't even technically invited this time." Handsome sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose. "I'm so sorry." He mouths at Lance.

     He's standing at the front of the diner next to Handsome while his crew hops back onto the fire truck. His cold hands are shoved in his pockets and his nose is tucked in the collar of his jacket. 

     "This was nice. I had a lot of fun." He smiles at Handsome.

     "I promise I'm leaving them all back the station next time." Handsome sighs. 

     "Next time, huh?" 

     "If you would like that, that is!" Handsome looks away with a blush over cheeks. 

     "Same time and place next Thursday?"

     "Nah, I want to take you out properly." 

     "Ooh, as on a date or like a sniper? Wait. Don't tell me. I love surprises." Lance jokes. Handsome chuckles and hums softly.

     "Sooooo, can I have your name and number?" Lance kicks at a few bits of gravel on the ground. 

     "Aw, don't want to call me handsome anymore?" 

     "I can call you by both that and your name." He smiles.

     "Only if I get to keep calling you Kitten after learning yours too." 

     "Deal." Handsome trades phones with Lance as both save each other's names and numbers and trade back once done. 

     "Thank you again," Lance gets up on his toes and pecks Handsome's jaw. Handsome's crew whoop and holler from the engine.

     "Good night!" Lance smiles and waves as he rushes towards his own truck. 

     "Good night!" Calls the crew and Handsome is making his way towards them once Lance is safely inside his vehicle.