Work Text:
Okay, but like, the tall blond dude was totally hot.
“Did you see him?” Willie nudged Julie with his elbow. They were standing off to the side of the cereal aisle in their local Ralph’s grocery store. It was their weekly trip to stock up the tiny two-bedroom apartment they’d shared ever since moving out after university. Some days Willie wasn’t sure why they left their dad’s house in Los Feliz. Groceries were expensive.
“Yes, I saw him.” Julie nudged him back, hard enough that Willie made an oof sound and rubbed his side. “You should talk to him, if you think he’s cute.”
Willie watched the blond guy debate between two types of bran cereal. Hot and health conscious. Definitely a catch. “It’s not that easy.”
Julie rolled her eyes in a really unsympathetic way. “Sure it is. Just… ask him what type of cereal he’d recommend.”
Willie huffed out a breath. Julie was the best sister a guy could ask for, but she’d been dating her boyfriend Luke since they were in diapers. She had no idea how hard it was to strike up a conversation with a cute stranger. “What if he’s not into guys?”
Julie eyed him. “Willie, you’re fucking hot. Even if he doesn’t like guys, he’ll like you.”
Willie preened and flipped his hair over his shoulder. Julie really was the best. “Okay. I’ll talk to him! What do I say?”
“Ask for his help with something. People love doing stuff for other people.”
“Yeah?” Willie stood on his tiptoes to see the guy a little better. He’d chosen his cereal and was pushing his cart with deliberation towards the end of the aisle. “Oh shit! He’s leaving!”
“Quick! Go ask him for some help!” Julie gave Willie a small push.
Willie stumbled forward, then turned the movement into a loping run. He reached the guy just as he was turning the corner. “Hey!”
The guy whirled, a startled look passing over his handsome features. Their gazes locked, and Willie was knocked out by the incredible blue of the guy’s eyes. He took out one of his AirPods. “Um?”
“Hey,” Willie said again. He flashed his trademark grin to buy himself some time. What had his sister said? Ask him for help? “Could you reach that down for me?” He pointed to a random box of cereal on the top aisle.
“Oh, yeah, sure.” The guy said. He reached up to grab the box, giving Willie a quick view of his delicious abs as his pink T-shirt rose up above his waist. He passed the box to Willie.
Willie took it. “Thanks!”
“Welcome.” The guy said.
They stared at each other for a moment. “My name’s Willie,” Willie said, just as the guy said “did you need anything else?”
“Oh, uh, no.” Willie said. Shit. Things were getting awkward. He stopped himself from looking at Julie for help.
“Yeah. Um. My name’s Alex?” The guy rubbed the back of his neck. His face as pink as his shirt. It was adorable, and hot and Willie wanted to see just how far down that blush went.
“Hi, Alex,” Willie said. Damn, he liked that name. All soft vowels and then that hard Kzh sound at the end. He smacked the side of the box into his palm. “Um.”
Julie pulled up along side him with the cart, obviously sensing the awkward from where she’d been standing. “Oh, you got… Grape Nuts?” She started to wrinkle her nose, then recovered quickly “Mmm!”
“Alex here got them for me,” Willie said. “He’s pretty tall.”
“Not really?” Alex’s face was still really pink. “I’m just five-ten.”
Silence fell over them, also awkward. Willie was just about to cut his losses and run when Julie piped up. “Hey!” she said way too brightly. “Would you want to keep shopping with us? You know. Just in case we need more stuff from the top shelf?”
Willie stared at her, shocked by her audacity. She just gave a small shrug. “I’m trying to help you,” she said in Spanish.
“Is that Spanish?” Alex asked before Willie could say anything back.
Julie nodded. “I was just telling Willie how nice it is for you to help us.” She fake-laughed.
Alex’s eyes hit Willie’s. “You really need help shopping?”
Willie blinked. Alex was actually going to help them? What kind of angel boy was he? “Stores aren’t really made for shorter people?” He bit his lip.
Alex’s eyes immediately focused on Willie’s mouth. He swallowed. “Okay. Yeah. I’ll help.”
Willie and Julie shared a look of amazement that Alex had actually said yes. “That’s so kind!” Julie said.
Alex gave her a fleeting smile. “But I kind of have this route I like to take—”
“It’s fine! That’s fine!” Willie grinned. He couldn’t believe how well Julie’s plan was working. “So, where are we going next?”
“The next aisle?” Alex pointed with his finger. “You know, for pasta and stuff?”
“We love pasta!” Julie said. “But I need to… do something… not in the grocery store?” She winced.
Willie just managed not to roll his eyes at his sister. “Don’t you need to meet Luke at the diner?”
Julie immediately beamed at the mention of her boyfriend. “I definitely need to go to the diner. Text me when you’re done! Nice meeting you, blond guy. Thanks for the help!” Julie waggled her fingers and dipped.
Alex chuffed out a laugh. “Please tell me Luke is her boyfriend.”
“Luke’s her boyfriend,” Willie said, “why?”
“Because I’m, like, really gay, and I was worried she was hitting on me.” Alex smiled into Willie’s eyes.
“Oh,” Willie said calmly. Inside his heart was beating like a drumline. “I’m gay, too.”
Alex started pushing his cart towards the next aisle. Willie snagged his cart by the front, pulling it along behind him so he and Alex could keep talking.
“Oh yeah, I figured,” Alex said with a small shrug. “Straight guys would never ask another guy to reach something for them.”
Willie thought about that for a moment. “You’re right.”
Alex grinned at him. “So. Pasta?”
Willie took a glance at the shelves. Julie had left with their list and he couldn’t remember if they had pasta or not. He tilted his head back to look at the top shelf. “Maybe… that one?”
Alex grabbed a box of lasagna noodles and Willie admired the long line of his back. “You make lasagna?”
“Never,” Willie said honestly. “Can you put it back?”
Alex gave him a quizzical look, but put the box back on the shelf. Willie picked a box of whole wheat spaghetti which was just at chest height. Alex eyed him, but didn’t say anything. He chose his pasta and two jars of sauce and put them into his cart. The silence had gotten awkward again. Willie wracked his brains for something to say. Normally he was really good at talking to people, but Alex was so cute. it was like it was making his brain malfunction. “Come here often?” he asked, then winced.
Alex frowned. “I try not to come more than once a week?”
Oh shit. Alex totally thought he was judging him! “I don’t think coming to the store more than once a week is a problem,” Willie said quickly. “I was just curious.”
“Oh.” Alex pushed his cart into the next aisle. It was crackers and other dry, boxed stuff. Willie was certain they didn’t have crackers on their list. “I try to do the shopping for me and Reggie, my roommate.”
“Yeah?” Willie said inanely. He desperately wanted to keep the conversation going, but it was hard, chatting up a stranger while buying groceries.
“Yeah.” Alex nodded. “Reggie likes sugary stuff. And he gets distracted easily.”
“That could be dangerous in a supermarket,” Willie agreed. “You’d end up with twelve boxes of Lucky Charms, and not much else.”
Alex chuckled. “Sounds like you’ve seen him in action.”
“I have a little brother, and he sounds really similar,” Willie said. “He once convinced dad to buy three boxes of the same cereal just so he could get a prize. We had cereal for breakfast and lunch for a week!”
Alex laughed, an infectious sound Willie instantly loved. He smiled. “So, what can I help you get?”
There was a family-sized bag of Goldfish on the top shelf. “Can you please get me that?”
Alex’s eyes narrowed slightly. “You’re… going to eat that many Goldfish crackers?”
Willie chuckled. “Probably not.”
Alex snorted, he glanced around. “Hey. Can you grab that one down there?” He pointed at a box on the bottom shelf.
Willie looked at him, but Alex seemed serious. He bent down and grabbed it. “Here.”
Alex took it out of his hands. Their fingers touched. “Thank you,” Alex murmured, his face heating.
They went to the next aisle. “Can you please get that bottle of cooking spray?” Willie asked. They did actually need the cooking spray, and it was kind of hard to reach on the top shelf. Alex got it for him and this time Willie took it out of his hands. Their fingers touched again. “Thanks,” Willie said. He grinned. “Can you get me another one?”
Alex smirked. “No. But can you get that for me?” He pointed at a large jug of oil on the bottom shelf.
Willie picked it up for him. “You’re going to use this much oil?”
“Nope,” Alex said cheerfully.
Willie laughed and put it back. He saw a bottle of vinegar near to the cooking spray. “Can you get that for me?”
“I think you can reach it,” Alex said.
“I can’t,” Willie said. He probably could, if he stood on his tiptoes, but that wasn’t the point. “Get it for me, please?” He batted his eyelashes.
Alex rolled his eyes, but he took down the vinegar and gave it to Willie. Willie made sure their hands touched when he accepted it. “Oh no!” he said with mock regret. “This isn’t the white vinegar we need. Can you put it back?”
“Seriously?” Alex frowned but his eyes were dancing. He put it back, standing on his toes just enough to tighten his calf muscles, easily visible thanks to the shorts he was wearing. He caught Willie looking. “Are you checking me out?”
“Every chance I get,” Willie beamed.
Alex blushed even as he laughed. He shook his head, then pushed his cart to the next aisle, Willie dragging his behind. This was baking goods, and Willie put a big bag of whole wheat flour into his cart from the lower shelf. The bag wasn’t that heavy, but Willie made a point of making sure he tightened his biceps as he lifted. The way Alex’s pupils dilated let Willie know he’d hit his mark. “I think I need one of those,” Alex said faintly.
Willie smirked. He bent over to pick up the flour. “Do a lot of baking, do you?”
“All the time,” Alex murmured, then he gave his head a small shake. “Actually, Reggie likes to bake.”
“The lover of sweet things.” Willie grinned. “My sister Julie, who you just met, does too. I’m getting it for her.”
“The one with the boyfriend at the diner. I remember.” He cleared his throat. “Um. Do you? Have a boyfriend at the diner?”
Willie grinned. “No. No boyfriend at a diner, or anywhere right now, actually.”
“Oh, good. Good to know,” Alex said. They moved to the next aisle. This was canned goods and Alex picked up three tins of tuna. “So, what do you do to afford your groceries?”
“I’m a graphic artist,” Willie said proudly. “And also a barista. And sometimes I win skateboard competitions. What about you?”
Alex made a face. “I work for a cleaning company. But I’m hoping to make it in music. I’m a drummer.”
“So cool!” Willie enthused. “Julie’s boyfriend plays guitar and he and Julie have a band together. But I know they’re looking to make a bigger sound. You guys should meet.”
“That’d be cool!” Alex said. “Reggie plays bass, but we don’t have a lead guitarist to make a band. Maybe Luke and Julie would be a good fit!”
The conversation flowed easily after that, segueing from music to art to what they’d studied in school and even to their families. Alex was so easy to talk to that Willie found him disclosing a lot in between the canned tomatoes and dried beans. “Julie and Carlos aren’t my biological siblings. My dad took me in as a foster child when I was ten. I’m adopted,” Willie told him.
“Wow,” Alex said. “I’m glad you landed in such a good spot.”
“Me too,” Willie said. “I’m very lucky.”
“And he’s cool with you being gay?”
“Totally,” Willie said easily. Something sad passed over Alex’s face and Willie’s heart clenched. “Are your folks not good with it?”
Alex shook his head. “Let’s just say I don’t see them much anymore.”
“I’m sorry,” Willie said. Then: “No. I’m angry. I don’t know your parents at all, but I know they’re total assholes and you deserved way better.”
Alex blinked at Willie’s vehemence. “That’s… that’s really nice.”
“I mean it,” Willie said. “And if you ever need a dad, let me know, because mine is great and I’m good with sharing.”
That made Alex laugh, and Willie’s chest felt lighter with the sound. Their eyes met again, and Willie’s pulse leaped. He really liked this boy.
Alex blushed. He pulled his eyes away from Willie’s to survey the top shelf. “Anything I can help you get?”
“Your number.” Willie grinned.
Alex’s eyes met his again, crinkling at the edges with his happiness. He took his phone out of the fanny pack he had strapped around his chest. “Give me yours first, and I’ll see what I can do.”
“And that’s the way Julie and the Phantoms came to be,” Luke said with a flourish.
Alex, Willie, Luke, Reggie, Julie and Flynn were all sitting together at a round table at Eats and Beats. Their band had just finished their first public performance together, and it’d gone really well. Willie knew they were all talented, but after tonight, he was pretty sure they were actually going to be famous.
“Wait.” Flynn put her glass down on the table, just missing the coaster. “You guys all met because Willie picked up Alex in a grocery store?”
“Yeah!” Reggie’s green eyes were shining with a combination of happiness and alcohol. “Alex is my roommate and when he started dating Willie, we met Willie’s sister, Julie and Julie’s boyfriend Luke!”
“And the rest, as they say, is history.” Luke toasted them with his beer glass, only spilling a little bit.
“But a grocery store?” Flynn seemed kind of stuck on the story. “How’d that work?”
“Alex is tall,” Willie said. “So I asked him to get me down a box of cereal.”
“Grape Nuts!” Julie chortled. “No one eats that!”
“I kind of thought something was up when you asked for those,” Alex said.
Willie grinned at him, enjoying the light in Alex’s beautiful eyes. “But you got them for me anyway.”
“Yeah, I did.” Alex bit his lip.
“Thank you for reaching them for me,” Willie’s eyes were fastened to Alex’s lips. The others were talking, but Willie’s entire focus was on Alex; the way it’d been since they’d first met.
Alex reached over and tangled his fingers with Willie’s. “Anything else I can get for you?” He murmured.
“A kiss?” Willie asked.
“I can do that,” Alex said, then kissed him.
END