Kieran remained seated at the table, trying to corral his thoughts into organized groupings. He was inside a coffee shop—an entirely foreign environment—with his dance instructor, who was roughly the same age (?) as him, or at least appeared to be. He was about to sample both caffeine and something named 'boba', both foreign substances to his system.
As he waited for Luther to return, he scanned his surroundings, subconsciously mapping out routes to the nearest exits. His heightened sense of hearing and smell took everything in, picked dozens of conversations and aromas apart while his eyes swept over the interior of the building.
Luther returned briefly with the cups, handing Kieran his. It lacked the outline of black spheres, at the bottom of the cup like Luther's, and was a milky brown color. "There you are, one earl grey milk tea," he hummed, smiling as he sat down with his own cup. "These don't have much caffeine in them, so you can't get very jittery from it."
"Thank you," Kieran answered with a faint smile, wrapping his hands tentatively around the cup to warm them. After a moment or two, he brought it to his mouth, sipping tentatively at the milky liquid. His eyebrows lifted imperceptibly as he pulled away from the drink. Then, tongue sliding over his lower lip, he lifted the tea back to his lips with anticipation.
Luther watched Kieran curiously for his reaction, and when he watched Kieran's tongue slip out he felt himself freeze up for a moment. He quickly hid his face behind his cup, afraid that it might be evident that he was turning a little red
(boba/milk tea is cold lol)
(sorry XD, I've never had either so I'm sort of just winging it)
(never had coffee/caffeinated tea either so forgive any inaccuracies)
"This is good…" Kieran murmured a few sips later, enjoying the subtle buzz of the caffeine. "Thank you, Luther." He raised his eyes from the cup, but when they fell on Luther's pink cheeks, a jolt went through him.
(it's all good fam. and all tea secretly has caffeine in it unless you specifically get tea without)
Luther did his best to hide his face, and he looked down shyly while brushing a lock of hair from his face, trying to pretend that was all he was doing. "Would you like to try some with boba? These ones are coffee flavored," he murmured
(wow you learn something new every day XD, thanks for the fact)
Kieran gave an absentminded nod, too busy scrutinizing Luther's red cheeks and bashful expression to form a proper reply. Eventually, he realized what he had just agreed to and snapped out of his trance. "I mean—Yes please. If that's okay."
(np fam)
"Of course it's okay, I offered," Luther said with a soft smile, offering his tea to the other. "Now, the texture is a little weird at first, but the flavor makes it better," he said as he handed the other his cup
Kieran’s fingers tingled where they brushed Luther’s, but he ignored the odd sensation in favour of sampling the foreign drink. Tentatively, he took a small sip, and after a few seconds, he straightened. Kieran’s reaction was similar to that of the first drink—he licked his lips, grinning faintly as he handed the drink back.
"Good?" Luther asked, grinning a little dorkily as he watched how happy Kieran seemed to be over the drink. Most people thought boba tea was weird, so he was surprised that Kieran liked it as much as he did
“Yeah,” Kieran answered, still smiling a little as he dabbed at his mouth with a napkin. He was surprised to find a soft grin on Luther’s features——one he had never seen before.
“Would you like another sip? Or I could get you one with boba in it for you, if you like that better,” Luther offered with a soft smile
“Oh, no, it’s fine,” Kieran answered, pressing the drink back into Luther’s hands. “Thank you, though.”
“Are you sure?” Luther asked, holding the cup but not taking it or pushing it back. “I wouldn’t mind, really,” he tried to insist gently
Their fingers brushed, and Kieran’s heart jolted. “Really, Luther,” he insisted, uncharacteristically gentle. “I’m sure.”
Luther gave Kieran just the softest of pouts, but he relented as he set his cup back on his side of the table. "If you insist," he sighed softly, a little smile on his face nonetheless to show that he wasn't really that bothered by it
Kieran attempted a soft smile on return, biting the inside of his cheek. “So, Luther,” he murmured, trying to start up a conversation. “Tell me about yourself.”
"Well…What would you like me to tell? I'm not exactly special," Luther chuckled softly, taking a sip of his tea before resting his chin in the palm of one hand
Kieran have an awkward shrug. It was clear that he wasn’t used to social situations such as this—this was foreign territory. “Whatever you want, I guess.”
"Hm…I suppose basics would be good enough..?" Luther wondered aloud. "I lived in Iceland most my life before coming here. I've been an orphan since I was twelve, and I live in a comfortably small apartment next to the studio I rent for lessons," he said with a small shrug
Kieran found himself playing with the golden ring on his right hand, wincing a little when Luther mentioned the word ‘orphan’. “Iceland sounds cool, what’s it like? And I, uh, I’m sorry about.. your parents.”
"It's alright, I wasn't close to them. But yes, Iceland was rather lovely. It's very green despite the name, and I loved living there when I did," Luther said with a faint smile
"Do you remember it much?" Kieran asked, perhaps a bit too polite now that the sarcasm he normally used as a shield had fled from the unfamiliar situation.
"Yes…Well, I remember growing up more than I remember leaving. I left for about ten years before returning, then left for America shortly after," Luther answered
"Do you miss it?" Kieran asked tentatively, chewing on his lower lip.
