how the mighty fall to the bottom

michael zane. 38. owner of brigitte bistro. former professor.

[michaelxzane]

hey-judah‌:

“Oh my god, I am so embarrassed right now,” Judah said, rubbing the back of his head before covering his face for a moment. Why did he feel so FLUSTERED around this man?! Michael came around to help him, and Judah was grateful, even if he rubbed his bright pink face right now. “I’m okay, it– I’m just– little clumsy right now for no reason,” he said, bringing his hand down and laughing. He smoothed his apron and took a deep breath, then cleared his throat a little. “It’s alright though. My associate comes in soon and then I get to go home and think about the impression I just left you for like… the rest of the night,” he joked, wrinkling his nose and laughing softly again. “Maybe I should just blame you for distracting me.” Was Judah trying to flirt his embarrassment away? Maybe!

“it’s okay, really,” he said with a soft chuckle. he bit back a smile when judah mentioned being clumsy for no reason. could it be there might be one? “the rest of the night, that works out perfectly, because you’ll get to really let it marinate, let the feeling fully sink in,” he laughed softly. he couldn’t help but tease him, but, really, michael didn’t feel there was anything to be embarrassed of. “hey, i wasn’t doing anything,” he said, putting his hands up defensively. “but anyway, when does your associate come in?” michael asked, looking at his watch. “cause i’ve got time to distract you a bit more. over a drink, maybe? dinner?”

[michaelxzane]

thedylantorres‌:

dylan smiled when the other mentioned the restaurant he worked at, deep down he always got more excited when people recognized him from there and not his youtube channel because he didn’t want to sound shallow or anything like it. when he mentioned his channel, he nodded smiling yet surprised by his statement. “oh really? that’s a first,i never knew i was this boring.” he teased despite the man telling him otherwise. “have you tried to do anything i’ve taught?” he asked curiously before raising an eyebrow. “oh you’re the first telling me that, should i really do an asmr cooking video?” he said in a whisper to emphasize his statement.

michael chuckled. “oh, yeah, mind numbingly so,” he teased in a sarcastic tone. “yeah, i have. i had a date, made this nice dish i found on your channel. she was allergic to something in it, and we spent the night in the er, so thank you for that one,” he laughed. “i’ve tried a lot of your recipes, actually. never been disappointed—everything is five stars,” he assured the younger male, offering him a smile. “i would watch it. you’ve got a really nice voice. i can’t speak for others but i know i’d have that shit on repeat.” he wasn’t much for weird asmr videos, but dylan had a tone and rhythm of voice that was really soothing to the man. “my name’s michael, by the way,” he stretched out his hand to him. “and if you ever want someone to cook for you instead of having to do the cooking, you’re more than welcome to come to my bistro. brigitte bistro down on madison street.”

[michaelxzane]

noelkellergan‌:

“That really narrows things down for me,” Noel laughed, “a singer named Ryan… I know literally like 12 people with that description.” He had at least 15 different Ryan’s on his phone and more than half had tattoos. “It’s more of a horny-bite,” Noel grinned, “love-bite is too small for that thing,” he said, pointing at the hickey. “At least you had fun I hope?” He asked as he went to the bathroom, “Salem has a lot of makeup here, I’m sure we can find something for that. I’ve seen her apply foundation so I bet I can help,” he told Michael as he opened a cabinet that was half-full of makeup.

“i don’t know what to tell you, man, i didn’t get a last time. barely got a first name. but now you can play a fun little game whenever you bump into someone in your list of ryans. you can wonder if they’re the ones with the fucking nosferatu neck fixation,” he chuckled. “if you do end up finding him, i’ll buy you a drink,” he chuckled. “yeah. kinda went at it like he’d been in solitary confinement for the past twelve years. sorry. tmi. then again, this thing kinda tells the fuckin’ story for me,” he chuckled. “you’re better stocked than a fuckin’ sephora. she won’t mind if you use some?”

[michaelxzane]

rayricci‌:

rayanne had acquired a handful of favourite spots in the city since she had moved here & this bistro had become one of them. she was usually there at least once a week & she almost always ordered the same thing. sitting at her usual table, sipping the last of her raspberry lemonade, she smiled up at the familiar face as he approached her. “ hi ! everything’s great as usual. ” she chuckled softly, raising an eyebrow at him. “ my dream is perfectly full, but i would love another drink. ”

“hi. good, i’m glad,” he said with his crooked little smile. he was stumbling over his words and just embarrassing himself, and he wished the earth would just swallow him whole right now. “i’m a little tongue tied today, sorry,” he could feel his face heating up. “i’ll refill your glass right up,” he winked and went off with her glass, shaking his head at himself for being so damn awkward. he came back with her drink, making sure it was perfectly decorated and had just thee right amount of ice. because good service is important, or something. specially when your customer’s uber beautiful. “here you go.”

[michaelxzane]

“i’ve got a question for you,” michael said, leaning against the bar as he spoke to the person next to him. he was a little buzzed, but he could handle his liquor well, so he was just vibing. “if you found a briefcase full of money, and the amount of money was the same number as your phone number... how much money would you have?” he smiled.

@mochareblogs​

[michaelxzane]

anastasiaaporter‌:

anastasia looked over at the bundle of flowers the man had collected.  it didn’t look bad, but it definitely was a little mismatched.  she laughed at his comments,” don’t worry, the flowers cant feel pain from being arranged.  i promise we’ll make them feel better.”  she pulled the flowers out of the arrangement, and separated them by type.  “see the problem is that they’re mismatched and there are too many of one type.  why dont you go grab some more of these roses?”  anastasia instructed.  

he smiled softly when anastasia said he wasn’t hurting the flowers, and that they’d make them feel better. he watched as she reearranged the way they’d been separated and explained he hadn’t matched them correctly. he did as she said, fetching the roses she had asked for. “i just don’t really have an eye for the aesthetics.”

[michaelxzane]

matcalderon‌:

“that’s it. you feed me, i make you sweat afterwards as a way to thank you for your fabulous service.” he reached his hand out and nudged michael on the arm. “my masterplan is becoming a kinder, vegan version of gordon ramsay so i appreciate that,” matias chuckled, placing the soup farther away and focusing on the potatos. “i grew up in a house with a multitasking nanny, i guess you could say. her name was olga, she had taken care of my father, my aunts and uncles when they were kids and then did the same with me. as i was an only child, she had more time to do the things she liked, one of those was cooking. she was incredible, man. you would’ve loved her. and we had this game where i’d be doing my own thing while she cooked and then i had to guess the ingredients she used. the prize would be sweets, sometimes pocket change that i’d stuff in a piggy bank. then she passed away and i went on a fast food madness for a while so i sort of numbed my sense of taste, then treated it to chicken and broccoli for years and finally found my way out of that rabbit hole…” he trailed off, suddenly scrunching his nose. “i… i’m sorry, that was a lot.” he shook his head, slightly uncomfortable that he had dumped all of those memories on michael just like that. “back to these beauties… i can’t believe you managed to get potatos and noodles in one plate.”

“sounds like a plan. i do need a good sweat,” he said. “mm, well, gordon ramsey is quaking,” he said and laughed softly. he listened to mat talk, not sure where it all had come from, but appreciative of him sharing nonetheless. and he always liked hearing family stories, specially because he didn’t have many good ones of his own to share. “well, i’m glad you’ve pulled yourself out of that rut. it’s good to enjoy things, i’m sure she’d appreciate you finding joy in food if that was something she liked,” he said with a soft smile. “oh, you’re fine. don’t worry about it, i don’t mind,” michael assured him. “i love potatoes too much not to try to put them on everything.”

[michaelxzane]

lillixnwintxr‌:

Lillian turned around to face Michael, “I’m fine.” She stared down at her white shirt and saw that it was anything but fine, at least she had a change of clothes in the car so she wouldn’t be late for work. “Are you…okay?”

“i’m a jackass, i’m sorry,” he said, looking down at her shirt. the fact that it was white was just the cherry on top of the cake. “i’m fine, i’ve just left my wallet on the counter, and i’d barely stepped foot outside—wasn’t really expecting to bump into anyone.”

[michaelxzane]

lyricbennett‌:

Lyric’s eyes widen as he drops the bombshell on her, and a sigh escapes her lips. “Does it matter what flavor? I can do half vanilla and half chocolate?” She offers, rolling her eyes and shaking her head. She couldn’t believe him right now. Granted, she almost always has a hundred cupcakes on hand so it’s not that big of a deal, but she’d be giving up her entire chocolate and vanilla supply for the day. 

"really doesn’t matter as long as they’re edible,” he replied. at this point... he couldn’t exactly get picky. and either way, it was lyric, so it was bound to be good no matter the flavor. “i’m really sorry. it just completely escaped my mind until the very last second. what else is new. you’re really saving my life here, i totally owe you. i mean, i’ll pay for these, obviously, but i’ll still owe you.”

[michaelxzane]

thedylantorres‌:

dylan turned around when he felt someone talk to him and chuckled  softly when the man asked him for help around the store. “nah sorry mate, i really don’t work here.” he laughed and looked down at his hands since he was holding clothing anyways so it probably didn’t help. “mmhm possible. i’m a head chef at morrison’s.” he smiled, he seemed like he was the type of costumer that would go to such a fancy restaurant as the morrison’s. “but i also have a youtube channel.” he smiled.

“yes... i can see that now,” he chuckled. he put the shirt he was holding back on the rack. he’d given up on finding the right size on the one shirt he liked after browsing for what felt like hours. “oh, i love morrison’s!” he said with a smile. he figured that might not be where he knew him from, though, and he definitely confirmed that when he brought up the youtube channel. “yes!” he’d had that on the tip of his tongue. that was definitely why he looked familiar. “i have your videos on a playlist, i always watch that to fall asleep. i mean- not that you’re boring or anything, i just, watching people cook relaxes me.” something about not being the one fucking cooking for once, perhaps. “and you’ve got this very... asmr vibe to you.”

[michaelxzane]

hey-judah‌:

Judah smiled, looking around to see what Michael saw. He really did take pride in organizing all the flowers, and filling as much of the space around them with pretty blooms as possible. The entire shop was like a vase, and Judah was the gardener and florist that kept them all in order and grouped by complimentary colors. He chuckled softly and shook his head when Michael insisted that flowers just went home to die with him. There had to be something the man wasn’t doing right, but Judah wasn’t about to tell him that right then and there. He smiled when he asked about talking to plants. “Actually, studies suggest that sound vibrations do encourage plants to grow. So if you talk to them or play music at about a seventy decibel level–about regular talking level like right now, you’re helping them grow a little. So talk to them. Tell them about your day, and don’t forget to compliment them and tell them they look nice,” he mused. Judah felt his blush glowing a little harder and he bit his lower lip, finishing up the bouquet and bringing it up to the counter. He grabbed one of the blank stock cards, and smiled to himself, writing his name and number down, as well as drawing a little sunflower with a smiley face on it. On the back, he scribbled a hidden little message (”Tell us we’re pretty! ♥ the flowers~”). He tried tucking the flowers into the arrangement, but dropped the card, so he ducked down to get it, and when he came back up, he bumped his head against the counter with a loud THUD. “Ow! Oh, jeez… I’m okay! Sorry about that…” he groaned, rubbing his temple and this time actually tucking the card into the flowers. He was mortified! This guy was really fucking smooth, and Judah felt hella flustered.

michael leaned in closer to the flowers. “hi,” he said, and although his voice was kind of deep, he spoke softly. “you’re pretty.” he chuckled softly. hey, maybe he’d try it. not like he had anyone else to talk to at home, anyway, right? he’d play them some music too. michael was smiling from ear to ear when he saw him write down his phone number on the note. he’d find a cute surprise in there, too, when he got home and saw a message from the flowers as well. all seemed to be going smoothly up until the young man bumped his head. there was a moment of hesitation, but he decided to go over to the other side of the counter and check on him. “woah, woah, woah, you okay?” he asked. “you should sit down.” the space behind the counter was tiny and crowded now with the two of them, so there wasn’t much space between the two. “sorry. i’ll just go back over there.” he took a step back before returning to his original spot. “are you sure you’re alright?”

[michaelxzane]

axeldennings‌:

“well, vegas had its perks. if it weren’t for the tourists, there was some pretty killer places to go and hangout. going to the strip though, man, that was just chaotic. i went there maybe a few times in the year i lived there, and though i miss it i would definitely not go back.” he said and shrugged his shoulders some. “i think someone needs to get the guy to a damn medic. surely that’s not good for you, and to have it everyday? fuckin’ insane if you ask me.” he said and shook his head. “yeah? so what’s your poison then?”

“it’s been a minute since i’ve been to vegas. but i do remember having fun there—from what little of that trip i remember anyway,” he chuckled. he’d definitely been wasted practically the whole time, so it was all a little hazy. “chicago’s great, though. i feel like there’s everything you could possibly need out here, y’know?” he said. “oh, for sure. i’m pretty sure that’s the sugar intake of a few days worth, at least. can’t be healthy at all. and i guess i’m more of a tea guy. infusions. that sort of thing?”

[michaelxzane]

noelkellergan‌:

“Unless the baby had rabies or some shit, not really,” Noel shook his head as he packed a few books in a cardboard box. He had to pack everything for when he actually moved out, which had to be soon. It was nice of his friend to stop by and help. “Yeah, looks like it,” Noel smirked. “Do I know them? Or was it like a one-night-stand thing?” he asked. “Er…” Noel walked over to him, assessing the damage. “Scarf? Makeup?” he suggested.

michael snorted at noel’s reply. “he might’ve. you never know with babies these days,” he replied. michael was definitely the kind of person to get roped into things like helping friends move, picking them up from the airport, and all sorts of shit. he always figured he would like to get that same treatment should he ever need anything, right? “uh. i don’t know. you might? his name’s ryan. he’s a singer or has a band or something. he’s full of tattoos and apparently has a thing for leaving hickeys behind, if you could even call this abomination a hickey,” he said. “um. i guess i’ll try makeup. but i might end up making this mess ten times worse.”

[michaelxzane]

@lillixnwintxr​

michael was making a quick coffee run before getting his day started running errands. he was already a little late, stepping out of mocha with an iced coffee in hand. he then remembered leaving his wallet at the counter. “oh, shit,” he quickly turned back around, bumping pretty hard into someone who was leaving the establishment. “oh, fuck. shit, i’m so sorry, are you okay?”

[michaelxzane]

@ems-sempere​

“hey, excuse me,” michael said and approached the woman standing a few feet from him. “were you in that... play?” he asked. he couldn’t remember the name for the life of him. he’d seen it a while back, so it was fuzzy, but he remembered loving it. “just wanted to say you were really really good in that. and if that wasn’t you, well, you look like someone who’s very talented.” 

[michaelxzane]

@noelkellergan​

“would you believe me if i said... i got punched in the neck by a baby?” stef raised a brow. yeah, this hickey was... bad. no way he could walk around the bistro looking like he got into a fight with a vacuum cleaner and lost. “i mean, at least i had fun, right?” he wiggled his brows playfully, then shook his head. “seriously, though, how do i hide this? do not say turtleneck sweater.”

[michaelxzane]

@lyricbennett​

“okay, so i volunteered to bring cupcakes to this event, right? like, a hundred cupcakes. no big deal, i can bake,” michael shrugged. “except, um, i totally forgot about it until just now, and i need them,” he looked at his watch. “now, pretty much. “seriously, if you could help, it would mean a lot to me. if not, well, it’s alright. no hard feelings. you’ll just have to deal with the guilt, i guess,” he teased, a charming, crooked smile appearing across his lips.