Summary: Rio picks up his takeout at his favorite restaurant, which also happens to be Annie’s place of work.
Warnings: Crackship fluff, Annie having her shit together, Rio being hot, Deep eye gazing
Author’s note: This is my first fic eek! Not the unhinged fic I wanted to be, I went fluffy and slightly steamy with this one! Just lot of talking, nothing happens just a lot of tensionnnn. I know this isn’t a popular ship but hopefully you’ll still try to see the potential in it. Reblogs and comments are much appreciated! Gifs photos by @ariesrain Dividers by me!
Not beta-d. All mistakes are my own.
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Lucky’s was closed early, Rio was Annie’s last order for the day. Everyone's favorite family-style restaurant within fifteen miles. It was the end of summer and business was starting to slow down. Annie decided to close, courtesy of taking one for the team. She had been working there as a sous chef for the past three years. She worked long hours, but it gave her a sense of variety she had always wanted. Even on her worst days, Annie loved it. Plus, Ben is at that age where he isn’t dying to be around his mom every second.
Everyone was grateful to go home early but that wasn’t the real reason she decided to stay back. Her favorite customer put in an order at the beginning of the day to be picked up at seven. Two Hours after they closed, meaning she had something to look forward to all day.
Even as a smaller establishment they did have a bit of a cult following. She knew everyone who worked on the street; Kim from the dry cleaners, Bill from the post office, and Sarah and Alicia who run the best boba shop for miles. Although Rio wasn’t a neighbor he had become one of Annie’s regulars after the second year of her working there.
In the beginning, they weren't close by any means, he never ate there or on the patio, always takeout and always around right before they closed. He was polite and nothing more. He didn't start coming during the day until he started bringing his son with him, Marcus. Even then he wasn’t too keen on sticking around too long.
Annie likes to think she was growing on him. With every witty joke, endearing mess up, and extra leftovers, she gave him whenever he seemed the slightest bit upset. It would be hard to know if you didn't know him well, but she did. Slowly but surely, even if he didn't exactly make it easy, Rio being ‘Rio’ and all. She knew his favorites by heart, he had his own ‘usual’ depending on the weather or how good or bad his day was. He was always respectful even on his ‘off’ days and she’s always respected him for that. People thought it was okay to treat her like human garbage or a decent human based on their mood, so whenever Rio showed up it always felt like a little pick-me-up.
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Lucky’s was closed early, Rio was Annie’s last order for the day. Everyone’s favorite family-style restaurant within fifteen miles. It was the end of summer and business was starting to slow down. Annie decided to close, courtesy of taking one for the team. She had been working there as a sous chef for the past three years. She worked long hours, but it gave her a sense of variety she had always wanted. Even on her worst days, Annie loved it. Plus, Ben is at that age where he isn’t dying to be around his mom every second. Everyone was grateful to go home early but that wasn’t the real reason she decided to stay back. Her favorite customer put in an order at the beginning of the day to be picked up at seven. An hour after they closed, meaning she had something to look forward to all day.
Even as a smaller establishment they did have a bit of a cult following. She knew everyone who worked on the street; Kim from the dry cleaners, Bill from the post office, and Sarah and Alicia who ran the best boba shop for miles. Although Rio wasn’t a neighbor, he had become one of Annie’s regulars after the second year of her working there.
In the beginning, they weren’t close by any means, he never ate there or on the patio, always takeout and always around right before they closed. He was polite and nothing more. He didn’t start coming during the day until he started bringing his son with him, Marcus. Even then he wasn’t too keen on sticking around too long.
Annie likes to think she was growing on him. With every witty joke, endearing mess up, and extra leftovers, she gave him whenever he seemed the slightest bit upset. It would be hard to know if you didn’t know him well, but she did. Slowly but surely, even if he didn’t exactly make it easy, Rio being ‘Rio’ and all. She knew his favorites by heart, he had his own ‘usual’ depending on the weather or how good or bad his day was. He was always respectful even on his ‘off’ days and she’s always respected him for that. People thought it was okay to treat her like human garbage or a decent human based on their mood, so whenever Rio showed up it always felt like a little pick-me-up.
-
Rio remembers the day everything changed, she had messed up his order ignoring the specific requests he’d asked for. His kid, Marcus, had a strong affinity against certain ingredients ‘touching’. This time it happened to be the beef & broccoli combo, and much to her regret she had forgotten to put the broccoli on the side.
Marcus refused to eat it, he was going through what Rio hoped was a picky eating phase and he was dragging his both of his parents along for the ride. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner were a hassle, and Rio couldn’t catch a break on the days he had him. Marcus was the best thing to ever happen to him, but some days he wasn’t sure his patience could handle being stretched so thin at times.
It had been that way for weeks until one fateful day, Rio and Marcus argued the entire ride home over what to eat until he finally settled on ‘Lucky’s’ leftovers despite Marcus’s pout from the backseat. Rio hated not being able to make his son happy all the time, but he just hoped this would build Marcus some character.
By the time the food was plated and placed in front of him, Marcus’s whole demeanor changed. Marcus picked around the plate curiously, ”Hmmm..it smells good.” Rio had to be careful, he was starting to feel trickles of hope.
“Then it should taste even better, right?” He began eating first as a way to hopefully spur Marcus into action.
“I guess..” Marcus dug into his plate to take his first bite.
Suffice to say, Marcus had eaten his weight in Lucky’s before the end of the week. He even begged his father to take him the next day to his new favorite place to eat.
~
“I come bearing gifts! I would hate to lose a valuable customer over a beef and broccoli territory war.” She’s as playful as usual, but for some reason, Rio enjoys it more this time around. She places down a hot new plate and pack of crayons and coloring pages. She even gave Marcus his own choice of dessert, on the house.
Marcus giggled and gave her a bright thank you, “Thank you, ma’am!”
“Ma’am? You’re making me feel old, kid. Call me Annie.” Annie joked lightly holding her hand out for Marcus to shake. Rio sat back with a faint smile watching the whole thing go down.
“Thank you, Miss Annie.” Ever the little gentleman, he shook her hand with a firm shake as if he’d done a million it times before. She hummed in peaked surprise, compared to all the other nightmare kids who come through there, Marcus was a poster child for politeness. She could probably credit that to his not-too-hard-on-the-eyes father sitting across from the table.
He looked over at her gratefully,“Thank you,” his eyes speaking a thousand words. It’s the most emotion she’s gotten out of him since she saw him stroll into her restaurant on a dark quiet night for the first time. She would do it all over again just to see the tension fall from his shoulders once more.
“Don’t worry about it.” She smiled before turning back to walk around the counter and disappear into the kitchen.
As much as he tried he would never forget how her hair that illuminated as the the restaurant was bathed with a sunset glow.
-
Lucky’s was Rio’s last stop for the day.
He opens the door to the unusually barren restaurant. He walks to the front counter looking for any sign of life until he peeps a light green post-it.
The sign reads “In the back, ring the bell.”
He could tell it was Annie’s handwriting from countless take-out boxes she’d made for him. That’s how he learned why some days the food tastes slightly better. He could now decipher between Annie’s cooking and some other random cook in the back. It was good no matter what, still he showed up on the off chance.
Rio doesn’t need to, but he rings the bell anyways. There is a sudden clattering noise coming from the kitchen in the back. He follows the sound of bustling to see Annie flitting about the kitchen throwing ingredients onto a cutting board. With her characteristic blond highlights and red lipstick, Rio stays quiet a bit longer to admire her.
“How’s my favorite chef?” Rio leans against the doorway with a distinct smirk.
“Oh-oh my god! Rio! Jesus Christ, you have got to stop doing that!” A very startled Annie jumps in shock, clutching a hand into her well worn apron. Rio is nothing short of amused, “Business must be really slow if they only have you working tonight.” He glides forward to stand across from her at the counter. “Business is booming, thank you very much,” She reports with a smug smile resuming her task at hand - prepping.
“Just not in the last couple of days, probably because of that new Pad Thai shop that opened up a week ago.” She continues, slicing through a variety of cheeses and meats.
She complains, slicing through a variety of cheeses and meats.
“Hmmm, a little bit of competition.” Rio leans over the counter with his hands clasped in interest, watching her work.
She huffs, “Just a little? At this rate, we’ll be packing our aprons and interviewing back at grocery stores by the time the autumn leaves fall and pumpkin spice lattes are back on the menu.”
He chuckles at her exaggeration, “Every business has its ups and down. Trust me.”
“Yeah, yeah, save your already successful motivation speech, and wash your hands. I’m not going to be the only person working around here. You’re going to help me prep for tomorrow.” She nods her head in the direction of the sink, now whisking up a small clear bowl of brown liquid.
“Yes, ma’am.” Rio retorts with a playful smile. He takes off his jacket and hat resting them on the side to wash his hands.
“You must‘ve really missed me to order twice in one week.” She glances up from stirring a colorful vegetable mix with a pleased look.
“What can I say, Marcus loves it here.” Done drying his hands, he comes to stand by her side.
“Right..” She says unconvinced. She moves her ingredients to the side to give him some room.
“Oh, hush.” Rio jests light-heartedly. Rolling up his sleeves, he takes in the view of her moving about the kitchen in her element.
“Full disclosure your food is still cooking though, but don’t worry I’ll have you all set in 10. I’m just working on a new recipe.” She walks over to the fridge, grazing over the ingredients in deep thought.
Rio nodded, “Don’t worry about it.” If Rio was being honest, he had nowhere else to be for the rest of the night. Even if he did, he would’ve preferred being right alongside her. Being in the kitchen reminded him of learning to cook with his grandmother, a life simple before it was yet to be complicated.
“In the meantime,” She snaps him out of his passing thoughts before they have a chance to descend. Swiveling from her place at the fridge retrieving a Tupperware container.
“Take these, and dice them.” She hands him the clear glass filled with onion scraps.
“How’s Marcus anyway?” She asks curiously, moving back to her original task.
“He’s good.” She peeks up with an arched brow, “Oh, Rio, you always had so much to say! Just so talkative and eloquent..” She teases with a sarcastic air. “The man of few words, people!”
“I get it, I get it,” Scrapping a finished pile out of the way he dumps the rest of the onions on the board to cut.
“Oh? Do you? I couldn’t tell with how often you were trying stick to your less than 5 word limit.” All Rio could do was roll his eyes.
“ He likes his new school, he’s making friends left and right..” Rio chuckles, he starts dicing the onions fairly fast. She thinks she’s going to have to start making up random stuff for him to do.
“That’s awesome! I’m so happy for him.” She exclaims, “Before Ben switched to private he loved it there too. Hell, I loved it there!” Annie laughs digging her hands in to mix the contents of the bowl. The slight furrow of his brow from being so concentrated makes Annie heart warm.
“Y’know despite being a young mom, a lot of people supported me there. That’s an experience doesn’t come from a monthly tuition check .”
“That’s when you were with Greg?” Finished with the onions, he leans back against the counter with his arms crossed. He’s only heard about him in passing but he wondered what kind of man he was besides all the vague things she says about him now. She admits not being the most mature person back then so she toes the line and slips up sometimes but stays as positive as she can be. He finds it comforting, her humble positive outlook on life.
Annie squinted up at him with a smirk, “We were…figuring out a lot crap back then. We were new parents, we had no idea what we were doing, especially me.” There’s a hint of regret brewing behind her words. Drying her hands on a nearby towel, she’s facing him now. Rio silently appreciates the full attention.
“I was a kid, raised by a kid, trying to raise a kid of my own, who was practically raising me as an adult!” She exclaimed. Rio’s eyebrows raised at her omission but didn’t interrupt her.
“Wow, okay that was a mouthful. I think I just trauma-dumped you. Y'know what that actually sounded better in my head.”
“Jesus, Christ.” Rio moves around her to the fridge, grabbing a water bottle he signaled for her to continue.
“Look, all I’m trying to say is that I made a lot of mistakes, which is not an excuse, but I am making up for it and Greg supports that.“ Annie immediately regrets responding like that to a seemingly simple question.
She tries to lift the tension she unwittingly added to the conversation, “But, you wouldn’t know anything about that would you, Mr. Put Together.” Rio huffs a light laugh despite Annie’s embarrassment.
“Nobody’s perfect, no matter how put together they might seem.” Annie is taken back at his show of vulnerability. It’s a loaded answer but she doesn’t try to pry any further. She’s grateful enough for the bits he does share.
“Tell me about it, the hardest thing to do as a parent is hope you did the best you could.” They share a knowing glance before the oven chimes, breaking their intimate moment. She squeezes his arm, with a sweet smile before turning to check on the oven.
“You are going to love this. Totally worth the wait!” She squealed. Truthfully, She had all day to make sure his food was ready on time, but she saw an opportunity and took it. She knew it was wrong but for once she didn’t want to see him rush off.
“I did something a little different. Nothing too crazy, I know it’s your favorite.” Grabbing her mittens, she pulls out a sheet tray filled with piping hot veggies and golden sauced chicken thighs.
“Rio, meet your new favorite. Hoisin Sriracha Chicken.” Annie grinned, placing down the tray.
“Jesus, Christ, “ He muttered, “this smells good as hell.”
“Okay, okay, no need to drool, you haven’t tasted it yet. It’s a bit of a twist from your usual meat and veggie combo.” She hummed quickly, swiping the sauce with a spoon. She pursed her lips in contentment as if to say ‘good enough’.
“Here, taste the sauce first. It might not be your ‘jam’.” She handed him a spoon to sample. He scooped up a healthy amount and used his other hand as a guard before bringing it to his mouth. She trails off expectantly, wringing her hands together hoping-no praying it tastes as good as it looks.
“It’s pretty good, but I think I need a better taste,” Rio said calmly.
“Oh, right. Here. I mixed the Sriracha sauce with cayenne to give it that extra kick. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to do chicken or switch it out for a type of pulled pork texture.” Picking a fork she stabs an even balance of chicken and veggie. Amused, Rio watches her ramble on, donning his signature smirk. Not exactly what he meant but he’ll make it work.
She raises the fork for him to take instead he wraps his hand around her wrist and leans down to wrap his lips around the fork. Stunned at the sight in front of her, Annie was barely prepared for the next thing he would do. Everything felt like it was in slow motion, Rio’s dark brown eyes flicked up to lock hers. His gaze was intense, her face felt like it was literally on fire. He pulled away to stand at his full height again.
“S-So, what do you think?” She whispers still in a daze. He finally decides to stop torturing her, shoving his hands into his pockets.
He straightens, “How about I tell you after dinner?” Annie cocks her head to the side in surprise before breaking into a grin.
-
Rio and Annie sit out in front of the restaurant on the patio. Food in to-go plates and wine in soda cups litter the table. Annie had changed out of her work clothes into a short blue dress freckled with white dots. Rio liked the view either way.
“That Pad Thai place doesn’t know what hit them.” Rio comments. Annie laughs, Rio was tearing his plate up. Annie can’t help but feel an immense pride at the praise. Although she didn’t need validation like she used to, it didn’t hurt to have someone recognize her hard work.
“I’m definitely going to vote to put this on the menu.” Rio hums in affirmation. They take a beat in silence, to enjoy each other’s company and good food.
Unbeknownst to each other, these are the moments they enjoy best. Moments from the everyday hustle and bustle of life. Just spending time with people you can wind down with. People you feel comfortable with. Albeit Rio took much more time, Annie was only intimidated in the beginning. Seeing him with his son really showed her how soft he could be when he wanted to be. From the times he protected her from belligerent customers or giving her a ride home when her car broke down, he was there for her. She could only hope one day he would let her in, be in his life the same way he was often in hers.
Annie’s barely finished swallowing before she starts, “You know this is actually the first time we’ve shared a meal together. Like a full-blown sit-down and talk type of thing.”
“Never too late to start, Darlin,” Rio smirks, and Annie matches it. He takes a swig of his beer. He’s got a playful twinkle in his eye, something she can afford to savor under the night sky. It’s quiet except for the seldom cars passing. They rest back in their chairs, relaxed with a slight buzz from the red wine and beer. Rio takes in her form, her hand is clasped in her lap resting over her crossed legs. His eyes linger slower across her exposed skin before meeting hers again.
“Do you ever have moments where you wonder how you ended up there?” Annie gazed at him softly but just as intensely as Rio did in the kitchen. He didn’t expect it, but of course, he doesn’t let it show.
“Sometimes. Most of the time I don’t.” Annie hums along at his sureness.
Rio tilts his head, “Why? Is there somewhere else you’d rather be?” Curiously, he leans forward placing his joined hands on the table.
“No. Nowhere else.” Annie answers after a beat, no funny quips or deflects, she searches his eyes for any hope that he might feel the same.
“Good.” He says it simply, but she could read in between the lines now. She had learned his language, one year is a long time to get to know someone. Sure, she might not know everything he got up to during the time he wasn’t visiting, but she felt like she knew enough. He valued his privacy, she respected that as much as she could. Even if she sometimes slips up and he has to force himself to pull away. It was days like those, she wondered if he might ever show up again. She stayed up thinking about all the ways they could be closer. Ways it would be easier to apologize if she just knew where he lived or worked or even had his number. At least then, she could make it up to him with a home-cooked meal, but for now, she couldn’t ask for anything better.
She mimics his posture, she reaches her hand over the table to hover over his. Rio watches her low lidded and entranced by the tension building underneath surface. She begins to caress the back of his hand. Rio’s heart is speeding up threatening to crash up against his chest, he worries she might be able to hear it. She begins to pull his hands apart, studying one of the palms before tracing over the lines that decorate them. She’s nervous but bold enough to finally interlace their fingers. They let out the a shared breath they’ve been unconsciously holding. Their thread pulled far too strong and wide to be pulled back without snapping, even if they weren’t somewhere ripping their clothes off, this meant just as much. The first step to many they could only hope.
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