5 Minute Flirtations

Hank looked at the neon sign outside the Dublin Pub and let out a long-suffering sigh. He did not want to be there but the text he'd just received from Raven said she was already inside, waiting for him. Smoothing his jacket, Hank forced his feet forward.

It was Speed Dating night at the bar and it was the last place he wanted to be. All Hank wanted to do was go home and curl up on the couch with a book or maybe get some grading out of the way. But Raven had made him promise to join her. Entering the bar, Hank didn't immediately see his friend. Instead, he saw a couple redheads chatting happily with each other and some men standing awkwardly against the wall. Wearing glasses, dressed in khakis and a sweater and jacket, Hank blended in with the other men in that they all looked uncomfortable to be there. Suddenly someone bumped Hank from behind. Hank turned to see a guy who looked to be a few years younger than he wearing a white wife beater, jeans and black high tops. "Sorry man," the guy said as he hurried past and headed to the bar. Hank watched him go before feeling arms wrap around his waist. "Raven," he said as he turned to hug his friend.

"I'm glad you showed up. I thought you might ditch me."

"You know I wouldn't do that to you." Hank chuckled, knowing that if he had stood her up she would have murdered him and made it look like an accident. Raven was gorgeous in her tight black pants and burgundy top. He couldn't understand why she was resorting to speed dating to meet guys. But deep down he knew she was really there for him. Since they had started working together three years prior, Raven was constantly trying to set him up on blind dates or introduce him to friends she knew outside of the school where they taught. After the first couple disasters Hank had absolutely refused to go on another set-up. So she'd started begging him to join her while she attempted to find a boyfriend. Sometimes he couldn't figure out which was worse. Although, he did save money on beer by joining Raven when she went out. She'd buy a couple rounds for her 'wingman' and two beers usually ended up being enough for Hank.

Raven lead Hank to the nearest two-top. "So how long did you stand outside before you came in?" She asked.

Hank chuckled again; she could always read him so easily. "About ten minutes."

"Mmm hmm," Raven nodded, a smirk on her lips. "Well I guess that's not too bad." Hank just shrugged. "I'm really excited for this. You know my friend Moira. Well, she met her ex-boyfriend at one of these things."

"And that's good?" Hank questioned, focusing on the 'ex' part..

"Well, yeah." Raven replied like it was the most obvious answer. Hank waited for her to roll her eyes like the child she sometimes acted like. "They dated for like eight months so there's gotta be something to it. And he seemed like a really nice guy too. It's too bad he ended up being a jerk and cheating on her."

"Oh yeah, you're really building up my excitement for this experience."

This time Raven did roll her eyes. "It'll be fun." She made a cross over her heart. "I promise." Then Raven shifted in her chair to get a full 360 of the room. She grinned brightly as she did so. "So anyone here catch your eye?"

"Aren't we supposed to sit down and talk to people?" Hank asked confused. Wasn't that the point of speed dating, to 'connect' to people in five minutes?

"Yes, we're going to sit down with people shortly, but come on. You've got two working eyes and some of the people here are hot. So? Anyone strike your fancy?"

Hank let his eyes do another sweep of the room. More people had arrived since Raven had found him and he had to admit he was getting more intimidated by the whole situation as time increased. His eyes settled back on the young man behind the bar. He watched the kid as he moved and grabbed random bottles of liquor to serve patrons already in line. Turning back to Raven, Hank shook his head. "No. Not really."

She looked almost disappointed in his answer. "Oh well. Once you talk to some people, I'm sure you'll change your mind." Hank only nodded in response. Then Raven pulled some money out of her purse and shoved it into Hank's hands. "Please go get me a gin and tonic."

Hank started to stand when Raven touched his arm.

"And don't forget the-"

"Splash of cranberry juice and the lime, yes dear." Raven laughed softly and Hank rolled his eyes. He knew her order and did not understand why she always felt the need to remind him of it. Making his way over to the bar, Hank was relieved to see the bartender had been quick with the others and there was no line in front of him.

"What can I get you?" The young man asked when Hank leaned against the bar. Hank was careful where he placed his arms, as it seemed someone was already careless with their drink and had spilled some of it on the counter. Noticing Hank's annoyance, the man pulled out a towel and mopped up the mess. "Sorry about that. One of the guys over there," the guy jerked his head to the side. Hank followed the movement so that he was looking at a short balding man in a green jacket. "He's apparently really nervous and his hands were shaking when I handed him his drink."

Hank shrugged at the small talk. "It happens. Can I please get a gin and tonic with a splash of cranberry juice and a lime?" The bartenders eyebrows rose up into his hairline and Hank felt the need to defend himself. "It's for my friend."

"Sure it is," the other man teased as he grabbed a clean glass and placed it on the counter.

"It is," Hank found himself saying as he turned to point to Raven. Luckily she wasn't facing him; instead she was making eyes at a man across the room.

"Sure," The man said again and then he actually looked to where Hank had pointed and made a whistling sound. "Damn, she's-" He cut off when Hank glared at him. "I mean, she's… nicely dressed."

"Uh-huh." Hank started to say more when a portly woman made her way over to the bar.

"Summers! Where's your nametag? And don't think I didn't notice you come in late. But," the woman said with a large smile, "You can make it up to me by staying for inventory."

"Ah, come on Smith, Tabitha that's Jono's job."

"Yes, and Jonothon called in to say he won't be coming in tomorrow 'cause he's sick. Now if you were calling in sick, I wouldn't believe you."

"That hurts." Summers said with a grin.

"But Jonothon never calls out so I believe him. Which means you," Tabitha smiled again, this one sweeter than the last, "Get to do inventory. Don't forget your name tag." She called over her shoulder as she headed away from the bar. Groaning, Summers dug his hands into the pocket of his jeans and pulled out a pin. Pinning it to his tank, Hank could see his name was Alex.

"So here you go… for your friend." Alex said with a smirk.

"How much?"

"For your nicely dressed friend this one is on the house."

Hank rolled his eyes again and wondered how many times he would do that tonight. "Thanks Alex," he said coolly and walked back to Raven.

"What took you so long?" Raven asked when he handed her the drink.

"The bartender…"

Raven turned to look at Alex. "Oh, he's yummy. I should have gotten this myself."

"Well then, you're on your own for the next one."

"Oh honey," Raven gently patted Hank on the leg. "I don't plan on getting any of my drinks myself. And I don't plan on paying for them either." She winked at him with a laugh.

"That reminds me," Hank pulled her money out of his pocket. "That one was on the house."

Raven laughed some more before grinning like the Cheshire cat. "I knew this night was going to be a good night."

Then, asking for everyone to quiet down, Tabitha walked to the center of the room. "Welcome. Welcome ladies and gentlemen. Tonight I wish you luck in connecting with that special someone. Now ladies, you are going to each take a table and gentlemen, you are going to rotate to each table at the sound of the buzzer." Tabitha pressed a gadget in her hand and a loud noise filled the air. "Now you will sit at each table for five minutes before rotating. After three rounds you will be given a short amount of time to refresh your drinks." Smiling, she gestured to the bar where Alex gave a short wave. "You will each be given a pen and paper that way you can exchange numbers if interested. And then by the end of the night maybe you will have found Mr. or Mrs. Right. We are going to being shortly, so ladies, if you would like to get comfortable and gentlemen, if you would find your starting point, we can get ready to begin." There was some awkward applause as Tabitha headed back to the bar.

"Well, this is going to be fun," Hank muttered with a fake grin on his face.

Raven hit him on the shoulder. "Just relax. It _is_going to be fun. And because I'm so nice, I'll let you do the first round with me, ok?" She sipped her drink.

"Yeah, thanks." Hank nodded, relieved. He sat back down at the table and leaned back in the seat. He tried to do as Raven ordered and relax.

"Alright, everyone," Tabitha called out from the bar. "At the sound of the buzzer we'll begin. At the signal to change tables, gentlemen please go clockwise. Have fun and good luck to everyone." She pressed the buzzer again and Hank groaned.  
"I can't believe you're making me do this."

"Seriously, stop it. We haven't been here that long and you keep complaining. Don't be such a Debbie downer." Raven frowned. Hank opened his mouth to say something but she held up a hand to interrupt him. Then Raven reached over and laid her hand on his. Rubbing his hand with her thumb she continued, "Do you want to be alone forever? Really, do you? I'm not saying this is going to work but it's at least worth a shot. Regardless, if you don't even try to smile and have some fun, no girl is going to look twice at you. Not here, not on the street, not anywhere. So please, you're already here. We've started, so you can't just leave. For me… try." Raven sighed and looked at Hank, her eyes pleading.

Echoing Raven's sigh, Hank nodded. "Yeah. I can try." With his free hand he crossed his heart, causing Raven to chuckle.  
"You better, because-"

Tabitha pressed the buzzer, signaling that it was time to change tables. The screeching sound of wood scraping against tile filled the room. Following suit, Hank let go of Raven's hand. He then pushed his chair back and stood up.

"Have fun," Raven winked as Hank passed by, heading to the next table. Hank rolled his eyes but then forced a smile onto his face as he sat down with one of the redheads he had seen when he first entered the bar.

"Hi there, I'm Hank."

"Nice to meet you, Hank," the redhead held out her hand and Hank didn't hesitate to shake it. "I'm Bridget. Is this your first time doing one of these things?" She questioned. But before Hank could answer, she continued, "It's mine and I'm a little nervous. But the last guy I met was nice and you look like you're a nice guy too. And if I keep meeting nice guys, well then I suppose there won't be any reason for me to be nervous." While she talked, Bridget, Hank noticed, couldn't keep her hands still. She picked at her nails, thrummed them on the table, and constantly pushed her bangs back behind her ears. Following each movement with his eyes, Hank attempted to relax in his chair, his hands against his thighs. The last time he could remember someone acting so jittery was when Raven had forced him to see their school's production of _Fiddler on the Roof_. The girl who had played Chava had passed out from her nerves. Idly Hank thought that maybe if he fainted he could get out of the rest of the evening.

"It's just, you know," Bridget didn't stop and Hank forced himself to pay better attention. "Dating these days is so hard. Everyone is so busy with his or her job and everything that really connecting with someone is almost impossible. And don't get me started on Internet dating. This seems so much better. You never know what you're getting into on the Internet. Real freaks make these seemingly nice, innocent profiles and then, bam." Bridget hit the table with her palm. "They end up being a serial killer or still living with their parents. So I figured meeting someone like this would be so much better. You get a better chance to connect with someone. Do you know what I mean?" Again Hank went to answer but Bridget didn't give him a chance. "Well, I suppose you must agree at least somewhat, since you're here." Then she paused awkwardly. "Oh I'm sorry, my friend told me not to be a chatterbox tonight. But oh, it's like I can't stop myself. So what do you do?" She put her hands over her mouth to keep herself from talking more.

Hank leaned back in his chair, a little taken back by the woman before him. He liked to tease Raven by calling her a chatterbox but somehow he knew that she didn't hold a candle to Bridget. "Well, I teach math and science at the middle school level."

"Oh really, two subjects? Neither of those subjects are what I would call my forte. I'm more of an art kind of girl. I barely passed math and science when I was in school. In fact, I even had to go to summer school the summer before junior year to make up my math class. It was absolutely dreadful! The school was hot as hell and oh… I'm doing it again. So um, how did you come to teach both classes?" Bridget put her hands back in front of her mouth.

"Well I got my teaching certificate in Ohio and many of the schools there want you to be proficient in two subjects. So when I moved here and the principle saw my certifications, well, I'm pretty sure that's why I was hired."

"So you must be really smart. But you know, I bet you were hired because you're pretty cute too."

Hank felt himself flush at the compliment and attempted to downplay it. "Well, I'm pretty sure Mr. Worthington, who is straight and married, didn't take my looks into consideration."

"Oh and you're funny too! I bet that makes you a real hit with –"

Tabitha's buzzer sounded, signaling it was the time to move on.

"It was nice to meet you," Hank said as he pushed away from the table. He didn't hesitate to stand, eager to get away from the table.

"Oh you too," Bridget said with a hopeful grin. "Maybe we'll talk more during the break."

Hank nodded noncommittally and moved on.

"So admit it," Raven gently elbowed Hank in his side, "It wasn't as bad as you thought it would be."

"I don't know about that. It may have actually been worse." Hank took his glasses off and wiped the frames on his sleeve. Putting them back on, he frowned at Raven.

"Oh please! I know for a fact that three different women gave you their number, so how could that possibly be bad?"

"Well let's see," Hank counted on his fingers, "During the first break, Bridget, the first girl I spoke to, gave me her number. She talks a mile a minute, but I guess that's not too bad. I might actually call her. Then there was Julia, who kept telling me about her nine million animals. Yes, I think going out with her would be great for my allergies. And there was Vanessa; she also seemed nice enough. But did you see her? She was in a green dress." Raven nodded that she had and Hank continued, "Well did you see the giant mole on her chin? I'm sorry if that makes me just another shallow guy, but that thing was a complete turn-off."

"But you just said she was nice. Maybe you'd get used to it?"

"Would you get used to it, Raven?"

Pausing, Raven frowned. "Yeah, probably not. But still, you could try." Hank opened his mouth but Raven stopped him. "Okay, never mind. You're right. I probably wouldn't try." She held up her hands defensively. "But this isn't about me, it's about you."

Hank sighed. Sure, Raven was right. The night hadn't been as terrible as he'd expected it to be, but it wasn't a picnic either. So many of the people had seemed so desperate to meet someone that Hank hadn't known how to respond to simple questions. One woman had started their conversation with how many children he wanted to have. Completely freaked out, Hank had almost fled the table. Instead he'd managed to croak an, "I don't know," that was obviously not the answer the woman was looking for.

"Oh hey, I met your friend."

"My friend?" Hank asked as he pulled his jacket closed. Fall had just started, but already the heat of summer was a distant memory. The chilly air, in direct contrast to the warmth of the bar, bit at him. Even with a sweater and jacket, goosebumps broke out on Hank's arms.

"Yeah, the bartender." Raven wiggled her eyebrows at him. "Mmm, he looked good when I was sitting down. But up close and personal," She scrunched up her face in an expression Hank couldn't quite describe. He thought she was trying for seductive, but she came off rather constipated instead. "He was delectable. Positively yummy, really. If he wasn't gay, I would totally go after him."

"One, gay has never stopped you before. And two, how could you possibly know that?" They had reached Raven's car and Hank propped himself against it even though it only made him colder.

"Please, I always know." Raven leaned over to kiss Hank on the cheek. Some of her lipstick must have smeared because she reached up and rubbed his cheek. Then with a smirk she said, "Anyway, call Bridget, or the one with lots of pets. Or call mole girl…" She trailed off. "Eh, just call all three. It can't hurt you to try. It'll just lighten your wallet a little."

"I don't know, on my teacher's salary, that could hurt me a lot."

"Ha ha, you are _so_funny. Call them," Raven demanded before pulling out her car keys. Hank moved away from the car to stand on the sidewalk as Raven got into her driver's seat. "See you at work." She blew a few kisses to him before shutting her door. The engine thrummed to life and Hank waved as the VW Bug drove away. Heading further down the block to his own car, Hank mulled over Raven's order. It wouldn't kill him to take her advice and put himself out there.

A light in the corner of his eye drew his attention. Hank turned to see Alex standing in the alley behind the bar, lighting up a cigarette. Awkwardly Hank halted mid-step and smiled at the bar tender.

Alex flicked his cigarette and said, "Let me just say that your friend is one fine-looking lady."

"Yeah, she just said the same about you. I mean, uh-" Hank stuttered, wanting to kick himself. "She said you were hot. Delectable, actually, is the word I think she used." Alex licked his lips and Hank felt his own mouth go dry. "Anyhow…" Hank dug his hands into his jacket pockets. "I thought you'd be doing inventory now, since everyone headed out."

"Yeah, I started. But Tabitha doesn't like when I," Alex waved his cig, "Smoke inside. You know, since it's illegal in the state and all that. Eh," His shoulders sagged. "I shouldn't be doing this anyway. Promised my little brother I'd quit. But I think he'd forgive me tonight. That guy I pointed out earlier, the nervous one," Hank nodded remembering the bald man who'd poured his drink all over the bar. "Well he spilled three more drinks. Two on the floor and one on the lovely Jubilee."

"You remember everyone's name?"

"No," Alex laughed at the question. The laugh lines on Alex's face crinkled and Hank stared at the small indents. "I just know our repeat offenders. Jubilee has been coming on and off, more often on, for the last couple years. She's a sweetheart. One of these days she's gonna meet a guy who deserves her. What about you? How was your search for love? I'm guessing a guy like you managed to get some interest from the ladies." Alex laughed again.

"Well… I got a few numbers. So I guess we'll see what happens." Hank shrugged, not sure what Alex meant by 'a guy like him'.

"Gotcha, good luck," Alex winked. Then he took one more long drag from his cig. "Well, I gotta head back inside. Inventory isn't going to do itself." He dropped the butt onto the alley pavement. Nudging a brick out of the way, he headed back into the bar through the alley door.

"Hope you get your forgiveness." Hank called out before the door slammed shut. Immediately he bit his tongue over the stupid comment. Why would he say something stupid like that, he berated himself? He grimaced when he saw a hand jet out to keep the door from slamming shut.

Poking his head out, Alex looked at Hank strangely for a moment. Sure he was going to get told off, Hank took a half step back, desperate to get to his car. "I'm sorry, that was totally rude of me." Hank apologized.

"Nah, it's cool," Alex smirked and shook his head. "Night-"

"Hank. My name's Hank."

"Okay," Alex smirked again. "Night, Hank." Then he disappeared back inside the Dublin Pub, leaving Hank alone in the cold. Scratching his head at the odd encounter, Hank continued his way to his car, eager to get inside and turn the heat on full blast.

* * *

"Huh. You're back sooner than I thought you'd be. Where's your friend?"

Startled, Hank paused halfway through the door. His eyes darted around the room until they settled on Alex, who was wiping down a table. Hank glanced down at his watch and realized he was earlier than he'd planned to be. "Raven has a cold. There's a bug going around the school and as much as she likes to claim that she's invincible, this time it caught up with her."

"Oh, you're a teacher, that's cool." Alex unfolded and refolded his towel before going back to his task. He moved to stand at the end of a booth and leaned over the table to clean the whole thing. Alex's t-shirt rode up as he stretched, revealing strong muscles in his back. Hank turned his eyes away.

"Uh, yeah." Hank glanced at his watch again. "I'm going to go out to my car and come back in a bit…"

Alex stopped cleaning mid-swipe. "You don't have to, it's not a big deal. I can get you a drink or something. There's always someone who gets here a little early." He shrugged and headed towards the bar. "What can I get you, Hank?"

"I'm surprised you remember my name." Hank said, impressed. Sure, he remembered Alex Summers' name. But that was because he had agonized over his stupid comment for days. He'd even admitted his faux pas to Raven who had teased him without mercy for it.

Setting up a couple glasses, Alex paused and tapped his temple. "I happen to be a lot more than a bartender."

Immediately Hank raised his hands in defense. "I didn't mean that! Really. I'm sorry, I wasn't trying to insinuate-"

"Relax bozo. I was just kidding. Chill." Alex pulled a couple bottles out from behind the bar. Instead of making a drink like he had offered he grabbed a two shot glasses and lined them up next to each other. "Pick your poison, tequila or vodka." Then he poured tequila into one of the glasses. "Don't tell Tabitha," Alex whispered before downing the shot. "It's another thing she frowns on me doing."

"Drinking in general or drinking with customers?" Hank asked and pointed to the tequila bottle. Truthfully he'd much rather have a mixed drink, something to take the sharp sting of liquor out of his throat. But he wasn't going to be a pain and have Alex whip something up when it looked like he still had some things to take care of before more people arrived.

"Both actually. It's funny since she owns a bar but whatever."

Amber liquid filled his glass and Hank grimaced before reaching for it.

"Oh, do you want training wheels to go along with that?" Alex asked just before Hank could take back his shot.

Furrowing his eyebrows in confusion, Hank looked at Alex helplessly.

"Come on, you know, training wheels. What did you do in college?" Alex looked aghast while Hank's confusion increased. "You're seriously telling me you never poured tequila into someone's bellybutton." Not meeting Alex's gaze, Hank stared at his shot blankly. No, he had most certainly not done that in college. "You never licked some salt from between a girls breasts, kissed her while she had a lemon slice in her mouth? Really? Jeez, bozo, even I did that… although you do look like a nerd so," Hank felt his face grow warm, sure that Alex was giving him a once-over. "I shouldn't be surprised. So yeah, lemon and salt are 'training wheels.'" Nodding, with this new information in mind, Hank raised the glass back to his lips and poured the liquid into his mouth. Forcing himself to swallow he looked at Alex who had popped a lemon slice into his mouth. In one hand he held a saltshaker.

"Interested?" Alex asked around the fruit, his eyebrows wiggling playfully.

Immediately Hank started to cough. Flinging himself back from the bar, he doubled over, trying to catch his breath. Suddenly, Alex was next to him. He forced Hank to stand up straight and pushed Hank's arms into the air above his head. Then Alex pounded him on the back. When Hank was finally able to breath again and his eyes had stopped watering, he looked oddly up at his hands and then to Alex.

"What? It's what my grandma always did when I choked on something. It's not the Heimlich, but it works." Alex shrugged his shoulders.

Relaxing, Hank put his arms back down. "Thanks, I guess…"

"Yeah, sure. Sorry about that. I should have realized teasing you wasn't the best plan of action. Again, let's not tell Tabitha about this."

"Sure, sure," Hank agreed, not really wanting to embarrass himself further by informing the bar owner of his fit. Then he walked to the nearest table and sat down. Watching Alex clean up the bar, Hank tried to figure out why the younger man had teased him like that. Raven had said Alex was gay but Hank wasn't going to believe that until he heard it straight from Alex himself. And even if it was true, Alex couldn't possibly be flirting with him, could he? 'Nah,' Hank mentally shrugged off the idea. He knew he was an easy target, having been continuously made fun of all through his school years. At first it was because he was the smallest. But even when he was a senior in high school and had finally hit a growth spurt, he was gangly and lean instead of big and bulky like the jocks. His love of school hadn't helped him either. So Hank often found himself pushed into lockers or had his books knocked out of his hands by his tormentors. Alex may be teasing him in a friendlier manner but Hank wasn't receptive to it. "So, how's your brother?" Hank asked when Alex went back to cleaning tables.

"He's a pain in the ass. But as a little brother, I guess that's his job, right? His name is Scott, senior in high school. Thinks he's God's gift to the earth and all that. But he's a good kid. Doesn't really get into too much trouble. Heh," Alex laughed to himself. "I've only had to meet with one of this teachers this month so that's good. Anyway, you know you've got to tell me all about your dates. You said you got a few numbers last time you were here. So," Alex wiggled his eyebrows again, causing Hank to cough once and clear his throat. "What happened?" Alex asked as he finished cleaning and moved on to setting up chairs.

"Uh, you don't want to hear about them." Hank shied away from the topic. Hadn't he suffered enough when he'd gone through Raven's inquisition?

"Yeah I do. Come on, entertain me with 'love stories of the tall and geeky.'"

Hank rolled his eyes, but started anyway. "Okay, the first date was with this girl Bridget. It was really strange because as talkative as she was here, she seemed really shy and quiet when we went out."

_Hank didn't normally eat Mexican, as he didn't really enjoy spicy food. But when Bridget had insisted that it was her favorite kind of cuisine, he'd driven them to a restaurant that Raven had always raved about. Entering the 'cantina,' Hank was happy to see that it wasn't too crowded and he and Bridget wouldn't have to wait to get a table. The hostess, a young girl that he vaguely remembered as a previous student from his high school, led them to a table near the window. Wordlessly, before they had even sat down, the girl put the menus on the table and walked off. Amused by the girl's obvious love for her job, Hank chuckled before sitting down. _

_"What's so funny?" Bridget asked as she took her own seat._

_"Nothing, really…" Hank smiled awkwardly. Attempting to continue the meager conversation they'd had in the car he asked, "So what's your favorite Mexican food? What would you recommend for me to try?"_

_Bridget looked thoughtful for a moment, her lips pursed. "Well, I always get fajitas. That's when you get tortillas and put the food together how you would like it. So you might want to try that."_

_Expecting her to say more, Hank just nodded. When Bridget didn't continue Hank pulled at his tie and cleared his throat. "Yes, that sounds like a good idea." Bridget just smiled and didn't say anything else._

_Silently, Hank perused the menu. Sure that he was going to follow her suggestion, he still wanted to see the different options offered. Deciding he was going to get chicken fajitas he settled the menu back down on the table. Bridget hadn't opened hers and just sat there, staring at Hank. "So…" He started to say just as a waiter walked up to the table. _

_"Welcome to Don Pablo's. I'm Bobby." He dropped off a bowl of chips and salsa. "Can I interest you in a margarita or something?" Like the hostess, this man did not seem thrilled with his job as he held a pen and pad, ready to take their order. _

_Trying to be polite, Hank held out his hand and gestured for Bridget to order first. "Um, can I please have a margarita with a double shot of Patron? And instead of salt on the rim, can I please have sugar?" Listening to her order, Hank felt his eyebrows rise. A double shot seemed like a little much to him._

_"Sure," Bobby replied before looking to Hank._

_"I'll just have a Coke; thanks."_

_"Alright." Bobby penned the request. "Do you two know what you would like to eat?"_

_Again, Hank waited for Bridget to order first. When she was done, he ordered his own meal. Satisfied, Bobby took their menus and headed back to the kitchen._

_"So…" Hank tried again, opening the floor to whatever Bridget wanted to talk about. Instead she took a chip and popped it in her mouth. "This is a nice place." He said as she chewed. Nodding back, Bridget continued to eat more chips. Every so often she would wipe salt off some of the chips, and Hank quietly watched the granules accumulate on the table._

_'Well, this is boring,' Hank thought to himself. Bridget had seemed so bubbly when she couldn't shut up at speed dating. It had been endearing even if a little annoying. "The salsa's really good," Hank tried again. Still, Bridget just smiled and continued to eat._  
_Eventually their drinks and their food came. Hank couldn't remember a time he looked more forward to a meal, just to break the silence. Organizing his fajitas gave his hands something to do other than twiddle his thumbs. He remembered how Bridget had fidgeted at speed dating and didn't want to follow her example._

_When Bobby came back later with the check, Hank took the bill without comment. He'd been raised to always pay for the woman. Bridget didn't seem to mind and just smiled as Hank pulled out his wallet. _

_"You should finish your drink," Bridget said out of nowhere._

_"I'm sorry, what?"_

_"You should finish your drink. You asked the waiter to bring you a second Coke but you only took a few sips out of it. That's wasteful."_

_"Wasteful?" Hank asked confused. Bridget had been silent the majority of the meal and now she was choosing to criticize his drinking habits? Leaving the money for Bobby on the table, Hank stood up, ready to leave._

_"Yup." Bridget replied not moving from her chair. "It's wasteful to not consume at least half of what you take, food or drink. And it was a waste of the waiter's time to get you the drink."_

_"I don't really think he cares."_

_"You don't know that. When I was a waitress it made me furious to see how wasteful people are. Seriously, you should be more conscientious." She looked pointedly at the glass._

_Sighing, Hank sat back down. Looking from Bridget to his Coke he rolled his eyes. Grabbing the drink, he gulped down the cold, watered-down coke until there were only a few sips left. "Alright?" He asked a little miffed._

_"Right as rain." Bridget grinned back at him, seemingly unaware of Hank's annoyance. Then she pushed her chair back and stood up. She grabbed her sweater off the back of her chair and headed to the exit._

_Standing and catching up to her, Hank asked, "So you were a waitress?"_

_"Yup, for two years." Bridget held the door open for Hank. Once he was out on the sidewalk, Hank shrugged on his jacket. "I worked at an Italian restaurant when I was in school. Had to pay off my school loans somehow. And like I said, it really bothered me when people would ask for another drink and then have a sip or two. Or when they would ask for more breadsticks and then eat only one. That means a bunch have to get thrown out. And why should I have to go out of my way to fill up your drink when you're not going to finish it? Huh?"_

_Hank didn't know what to say. To avoid arguing he said, "I can see how that would be frustrating."_

_Nodding, Bridget continued, "So after that I made a rule that you have to eat or drink half of what you take. And I try to hold to it no matter what."_

_"Alright then. I will keep that in mind in the future." Heading towards the parking lot, Hank zipped up his coat and pulled his car keys out of the pocket. The familiar 'beep beep' sounded as he unlocked the car. Apparently finished with her tirade about wastefulness, Bridget got into the car and buckled herself in. Sliding into his own seat, Hank wondered for a moment if he was supposed to go right back to her place. Or he could be brave and see if she wanted to back to his. Turning to look at Bridget, he took in her appearance. Sure, he thought she was attractive in her short black dress that showed off her legs. But after their meal, Hank didn't really feel up to spending more time with her. _

_Noticing his stare, Bridget turned and smiled. 'She does have a nice smile,' Hank thought to himself. But that wasn't enough to try and salvage the date. First it had been boring and then he'd been berated. That was enough for one night. Pulling out of the parking lot he headed back in the direction of Bridget's home._

_"You're going to have to remind me how to go back to your place."_

_"Oh, sure. Can do." Hank wasn't sure, but he thought he could hear a twinge of disappointment in her tone. Ignoring it, he waited for her to give directions and didn't say anything else._

_"Ok, you're going to want to turn here and then my place is on the left." Turning Hank was relieved to see an empty spot right in front of Bridget's apartment building. He was even more relieved to see it was large enough for him to not have to parallel park. Pulling up to the curb, Hank put the car in park but didn't shut it off._

_Unbuckling herself, Bridget shifted in her chair so she was facing Hank. "So," she reached over and touched his hand. He was tempted to pull back from the cool touch. Her hands were freezing. "Would you like to come up? We didn't get dessert at the restaurant and I'm sure I have something sweet upstairs." She moved her hand up to Hank's wrist, gripping his arm softly. _

_"Um, no thanks." Hank smiled softly. "I appreciate the offer but," Bridget frowned and pulled her hand away. "I have some grading to do tonight. Teaching," he sighed, "The work is never done. Maybe next time?" Hank asked, even though he was pretty sure there wasn't going to be a next time._

_"Yeah, next time." Bridget brightened and opened her door. "Well have a good night." Then unexpectedly she leaned over and kissed Hank on the cheek. Her lips were as cool as her hand and he was glad she didn't linger. "Don't work too hard." Swinging her feet out into the street, Bridget paused a moment, waiting for Hank to change his mind. When he didn't, she grabbed her purse off the floor and got out. Shutting the door, she turned back, waved, and then headed to her building. Having been told to always wait to make sure the person got inside, Hank waited for her to open the door to her building before putting his car back into drive. He waved to Bridget when she hesitated on the stairs and then drove off._

"So you just left her? Seriously? She was giving you an opening, dude." Alex had stopped moving chairs and was staring directly at Hank. "So dinner was boring, you still should have gone up to her apartment. Dessert, bozo! _Dessert_."

"Look, however you do dessert is fine. But I wasn't… uh… hungry anymore."

"Whatever, bozo. You don't pass up a prime opportunity like that, come on." Alex shrugged his shoulders and went back to moving chairs. After setting up the last table, he walked over to Hank's table and sat down. "So what about the others?" Alex leered. "Get any dessert on your other two dates?" Hank shook his head and Alex deflated in his chair. "Jeez, bozo what happened with them?"

"Well, Julia spent the whole meal telling me about her three last boyfriends. Yeah. I learned how one moved away and one cheated and one went back to marry his high school sweetheart. Then after helping her put her jacket on, I rubbed my eyes and they blew up, just like that."

"Wait, what?"

The door to the bar opened and two women walked in. "Is this speed dating?" One woman asked after being nudged by her friend.

Standing, Alex grinned brightly, welcoming the women inside. "Yes, ladies. Tonight is speed dating night. Please come on inside, warm up and I can fix you a drink while we wait for it to begin."

The women smiled back and Hank frowned at the intrusion. It had been nice when it was just he and Alex. He didn't feel like fighting for the bar tender's attention. He watched Alex as he helped the women out of their jackets. Considering why he was there, he knew the right thing to do would be to go over and talk to the women. But he didn't want to. After Alex had set them up with drinks, Hank walked to up the bar.

Not missing a beat, Alex asked, "So what happened to your eyes?"

"Julia has two dogs and four cats. They are the only other things she talks about aside from her exes. And I have terrible allergies."

"Oh…"

"Exactly. So there must have been some animal hair on her jacket and when I rubbed my face..."

"Gross."

"Oh yeah," Hank agreed. "It was a good thing I had picked her up because she had to drive me back to my place so I could take an antihistamine. Then from my place, she took a cab home."

"And you didn't get any dessert with her? Dude, she could have been the doctor or the naughty nurse. You could have been the patient."

"No," Hank shook his head. "The medicine knocked me out. Besides there would have been way too many people in that bed. Me," he counted off, "Julia and her three exes." The door to the bar opened again and more people piled in. A gust of cold air followed them and Hank rubbed his hands together to warm them. "And I never actually called Vanessa. I just couldn't bring myself to, not with her giant mole. I just couldn't."

"Oh yeah, I remember Mole Girl."

"Ha," Hank chuckled. "Raven called her the same thing."

"Well unless you want to try and get creative, I think Mole Girl is going to be a given." Hank nodded in agreement. "Maybe guacamole?" Alex asked with a grin and Hank gagged a little at that. Then a man walked up to the bar and ordered a beer. As Alex got it for him, he said to Hank, "Look, I'm gonna start getting busy. Why don't you go chat with some people? Ask those ladies who came in about their favorite desserts," Alex sniggered. "And I'll talk to you later." Hank nodded again and walked away from the bar. Instead of talking to the ladies like Alex suggested, Hank headed back to the two top he'd been sitting at.

Hank found himself staring at the door. He really wished Raven wasn't sick and wanted her to stroll through the door. He knew that wasn't going to happen but it didn't stop him from daydreaming that his friend was going to save him from the desperate women congregating at the other tables. A door from the far end of the room opened, revealing Tabitha. Hank wasn't surprised to see Alex's boss. But he was happy she hadn't come out sooner, to see his coughing fit. As Tabitha strolled into the main room, another woman placed her drink down on the table and sat with Hank. Startled, Hank found himself a little tongue-tied.

"Um, hi… I'm Hank."

"Nice to meet you. I'm Alison. Actually," She took a sip of her drink. "I think we've met before. My son Joshua Blaire, was in your science class last year. We met at the parent teacher conferences, right?"

Thinking back, Hank had a clear picture of Joshua in his class. Trying to remember the conference, he hedged a guess, "Your hair was longer wasn't it?"

"Yes!" Alison grinned. "Yes, it was about this long." She shifted in her chair and pointed to her mid-back. "Yup, I just cut it a few weeks ago. I'm still getting used to short hair." She reached up and tugged on her blond pixie cut.

"It looks really nice."

"Oh, thanks. That's sweet of you to say. You know, Josh always raved about your class. I could listen to him go on for hours about how much he loved you class and all the things he learned. I bet you think that's a little weird. I mean, obviously you enjoy science, but Josh, he's never liked school. So it was really nice as a parent to see him excited about something other than World of Warcraft."

"Oh yeah," Hank smiled at the compliment. "He was a good student. Quiet but always got his work done. This year I'm teaching math but Josh isn't in any of my sections."

"No, he has Mrs. Reyes this year."

"Well if he ever needs help, he can ask me. You know, for extra tutoring or something."

"You really are sweet." Alison grinned again, her white teeth perfect against the bright red of her lipstick. "So I've never done this before, have you?"

"Oh, just once before. It's not so bad."

"Yeah, my friend encouraged me to do it. She says it's time for me to get back on the horse."

"Right…" Hank wasn't sure what to say. He remembered hearing from some other teachers that Mr. Blaire had passed away early the year before. Hank figured it might have been one of the reasons Joshua was so quiet in class.

"Any tips?"

"Um, be careful of the bullshitters, the ones who come up with outrageous lies." Hank grinned. "There was a woman here last month going on and on about how she was an Olympic swimmer."

"How do you know she wasn't?" Alison asked as she settled back in her chair and crossed her arms and stared at him. Hank gulped awkwardly under the gaze. "Shouldn't we give her the benefit of the doubt?"

"Well let's just say she wasn't a small woman, let alone a swimmer at all." Alison's eyes lit up as she laughed at Hank's explanation.

"There was also a guy boasting how he was an author with 15 books out. He went on and on about how each of his books was on the best sellers list. But seriously, if he was a big-shot author, what would he be doing here?"

"You're right," Alison continued to laugh. "You're right; this is for us common folk."

"Exactly," Hank chuckled, surprised at how easy their conversation was progressing. A loud hmm hmm forced Hank to look past Alison towards the bar. Alex was waving in his direction. Trying to not to be too obvious so Alison wouldn't become curious, Hank watched Alex smirk and hold up eight fingers. Belatedly, he realized Alex was rating Alison. Hank forced himself not to roll his eyes at the childishness.

"So what do you do?" Hank asked, turning his full attention back to Alison.

"Oh. I'm a lawyer. I work in family court."

"Ah I see. The 'shouldn't we give her the benefit of the doubt?' comment makes a lot more sense now."

"Yeah…" Alison agreed. She tipped her glass back and finished whatever it was she was drinking.

"Can I get you a refill?" Hank asked. He figured it would give him an opportunity to yell at Alex for his juvenile behavior.

"Oh no thanks. I might get another one later but for now I'm good. Besides, I think we're about to start."

Turning to look around, Hank realized Alison was right. Tabitha was in her familiar position at the center of the room. She waited for everyone to settle down before starting her speech about finding Mr. and Mrs. Right. When she was done Hank got up from the table. "Guess I'll see you around."

"I can't wait." Alison grinned brightly up at him. As he walked away, Hank found himself smiling as well.

* * *

The next time Hank arrived at the Dublin Pub it wasn't Speed Dating Night. Instead it was just a regular night with a couple of waitresses spinning around the room delivering drinks. Hank noticed a few tables even had food and wondered how he didn't know there was a there kitchen before. Strolling up to the bar, he was relieved to see Alex behind it. "Hey," Hank said before sitting down on one of the bar stools.

"Hey Hank." Alex responded cheerily but didn't immediately come over. There were a few other people sitting at the bar who were higher priority than Hank. While Alex prepared drinks Hank took a look around. In the last couple weeks, Tabitha must have found herself in the holiday spirit and decided to decorate. Black and orange streamers were hung haphazardly from one wall to another. Paper black cats and pumpkins were all over the place. Witches and ghosts hung from the ceiling. There was also a Frankenstein figure on the bar near Hank. When he pressed the button on its stand Frankenstein began to sing The Monster Mash and danced something akin to the hula. Hank heard Alex laugh and tore his eyes away from the toy. Blushing, he realized Alex had watched his curiosity get the best of him to press the button.

"You are not the first, nor will you be the last to wonder exactly what he does." Alex said as he continued to chuckle. Hank was sure Alex was right, but it didn't stop him from feeling a little embarrassed. "So what are you doing here tonight bozo?" Alex asked as he cleaned some glasses.

"Oh…um." Hank sighed. Alex seemed genuinely interested so Hank admitted, "I was stood up."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah. Well, not exactly. I was at the restaurant sitting in the booth when Alison texted me. She's apparently swamped at work and wasn't going to make it."

"That blows, dude." Then Alex got a thoughtful look on his face. "Alison, which one is Alison?"

"Well she's pretty, tall, short blond hair. She's the only one you gave an eight, if that helps." Even though at the break Hank had insisted for Alex to stop, the last time he was there, the younger man had continued to rate the women Hank chatted with. By the end of the evening, Hank didn't even fight it and found himself looking for Alex's opinion. He hadn't always gotten numbers. A few times he'd just gotten a thumbs up or down. And there was one time that Alex looked like he was strangling himself. Hank had found he agreed with Alex's assessment and had almost mimicked the movement to get away from Emma Frost.

Not remembering, Alex just shrugged and continued his job. At the other end of the bar, a man called for a beer. Rolling his eyes Alex forced a smile on his face before going to fill the request. When he came back, he leaned over the bar and gently knocked Hank on the shoulder. "So we'll go out tonight. Jono's coming in soon and we can get out of here. What do you say?"

"Um…" Even though they had chatted a few times, Hank had never imagined spending time outside the bar with the younger man. But really, he couldn't think of any reason to say no. "Yeah, sure. That sounds good."

"Cool, man." Alex slapped Hank on the shoulder again. "Just give me a little bit and we can figure out where to go. I'm guessing you didn't stay at the restaurant and have dinner."

"Nope," Hank shook his head. "I didn't like the pitying look the waitress kept giving me."

"Aww, poor baby." Alex snickered. "Okay, well I know a great Greek place. You eat Greek?"

"Uh, sure." Hank couldn't remember the last time he'd had it but remembered enjoying it. Alex's suggestions made Hank realize he needed to eat out a little more frequently.

"Awesome." Alex called over his shoulder as he walked to the other end of the bar. Hank watched Alex work, impressed at how the bartender could multitask. He watched Alex make small talk, mix drinks, and start/close tabs. Alex took care of the people at the bar and never made any of the waitresses wait long for their orders. It was easy to see that Alex had been doing this job for a long time and had developed an efficient ease to his movements. Hank found himself staring the majority of the time before Jono arrived.

"I've heard about you," Jonothon said with an easy smile after Alex had introduced him.

"Yeah?" Hank questioned uneasily. If Alex had said anything bad about him, Jonothon, who was the size of a linebacker, could easily break Hank in two.

"Yup. Alex keeps going on about this cute geek he met and now I can put a face to the name."

"Uh…" Hank blushed, now sure that he was being teased.

Jonothon just smiled in return. He looked like the Cheshire Cat, like he knew something Hank didn't.

"Uh…" Hank said again. Before the Jonothon could say anything else, Alex came back from helping one of the waitresses. Alex ushered the other man behind the bar to talk shop. Minutes later Jonothon was settled in, Alex had collected his tips and Hank found himself being lead to the exit.

"Come on, we can take my car." Alex said as he headed down the block. "Then I can drive you back here to get your car.

"Oh that's ok. I'll just follow you. I don't want to put you out."

"Eh, no worries; I told Jono I'd come back to help him with inventory. So I'll have to come back here either way." Hank shrugged and followed Alex to his black SUV. Climbing in, Hank felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. Once he was buckled in his seat he pulled it out to see who it was. The engine thrummed to life and muffled Hank's sigh. Still, Alex must have noticed Hank's attitude change and asked, "What's up bozo?"

"It's Bridget." Hank shut the text message and shoved his phone back in his pocket.

"Bridget, the boring one?"

"Yup that's the one. She texts me every so often, telling me her schedule so we can see each other again."

"But you're not interested."

"Not in the slightest." Hank sighed again. "After we went out she texted me a bunch the following week. My phone even went off when I was in class, which is really embarrassing when you are constantly reminding your students to shut their phones off or put them on silent. And the texts are awkward too: about how smart I must be and how cute she thinks I am." Hank frowned. "As many times as I tell her I am unavailable, she keeps contacting me."

"Yeah well, some girls are slow on the uptake." Alex turned and gave Hank a quick grin.

"So…" Hank felt his lips turn up at Alex's smile. Ready to move onto a different topic, Hank asked, "What do you do when you're not at the bar?"

"Well, I do some construction work during the days to keep busy. Plus, I need the income." Alex paused before continuing, "It's just me and my little brother. Our parents were killed my freshman year of college. Scott was 11. He was going to end up in the system. I couldn't, " Hank noticed Alex's grip on the steering wheel tightened. "I couldn't let that happen. So I dropped out of school and started working. We've had our ups and downs. Child services checked in on us a bunch in the beginning. You know, an 18 year old taking care of an 11 year old isn't ideal. But," Alex relaxed back in his seat slightly. "We made it work, make it work."

"I'm sorry for your loss." Hank said after a moment. Alex seemed so carefree at the bar that this new information didn't mesh well with the persona Hank had come up with. When he thought of Alex, which was more than he'd like to admit, he figured the younger man worked to make some extra pocket change. Apparently he'd been right. But before, Hank had assumed Alex was a student, going to school on his parents' dime. "Wait," Hank was suddenly puzzled. "You said Scott was 11. And he's a senior now. So he must 17 if you're still his guardian. How old are you?"

"Ah," Alex let out a laugh. "You've been taken in by the baby face. I'm 24, dude."

"Oh," Hank said. He turned in his seat to get a better look at Alex's face.

"I'm lucky. Even with all the time I spend out in the sun, I still have the face of a teenager. What about you, how old are you?"

"25."

"And yet you dress like an old man."

"Hey!" Hank sat straighter in his seat. "I do not."

"Yeah you do bozo. Yeah, you do. What 25-year-old wears sweater vests and ties? And the glasses, dude. Come on. We're in the 21st century. It's time for contacts. And you've got nice eyes. No point in hiding them behind some frames."

"Eh," Hank smiled at the compliment but then grimaced. "I hate sticking my fingers in my eyes. Besides, I like my glasses." Hank reached up and touched the frames. "And it's called being professional. I spend 40 hours in a high school. I can't wear jeans and a t-shirt to work."

"Whatever, bozo. It's Friday night and you were supposed to be on a date. And yet I still see a tie underneath that jacket."

"I'm still in my work clothes. I had a faculty meeting and never got a chance to change." Hank muttered and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Don't be a baby," Alex laughed as he pulled the car into a parking lot.

Hank looked out the window and realized they had arrived at the restaurant. The blue neon lights on The Greek Corner's sign called to him and he quickly exited the car. Hank hadn't even eaten any bread while he'd waited for Alison. He was hungry. Hank followed Alex into the restaurant. He murmured a quick, "Thanks," when Alex held the door for him.

"So I admit, I may have had an ulterior motive in bringing you here." Alex said as the hostess lead them to a table. Hank quirked an eyebrow and waited for Alex to continue. "See, the squirt works here and when I can, I like to come in and bug him." It didn't take Hank long to realized Alex was talking about his brother. Both men sat down. Hank took his jacket off and hung it on the back of his chair. "We might not even get to see him. He's a busboy and he might be busy in the kitchen."

While Hank glanced at the menu, Alex kept a vigilant eye out for his brother. When Scott finally did appear, Alex made a whooping sound that caused Hank to jump. Embarrassed, Hank looked around at the other restaurant patrons. No one had even glanced in their direction. Looking over, it was easy to see the two were brothers. Alex and Scott had similar facial features, though Scott's hair was a few shades darker. Scott was holding a bin that he started to fill with dirty plates. Instead of going over to the table, he jerked his head in greeting and continued to work.

"He's a good kid." Alex said suddenly. "Wants to go to college next year. So he's working now and applying to every scholarship he can get his hands on."

"That's a good plan." Hank smiled. "Does he know what he wants to do?"

"Nah. He'll go in undeclared and figure it out later. We Summerses aren't big planners. We're more 'fly by the seat of our pants' guys. You," Alex pointed in Hank's direction, "You're a planner."

"Yes, I am." Hank agreed. "I always knew that I wanted to teach. So I made a four-year plan and worked my butt off in school. That's why I didn't know what training wheels were."

Alex broke out in laughter. "You really missed out, dude. I had so much fun my one semester at school. I went to parties every weekend. Woke up on someone's lawn on homecoming weekend. Don't really remember much of the night before but, yup, I woke up on someone's lawn." Alex got a far away look as he remembered his party days.

A waitress came over to take their order. After she walked away, Hank said, "Okay, tell me what else I missed out on."

"Well, what about drunk one night stands?" Hank shook his head. "Really, never had one of those either? Jeez, I don't think I was even a month into school when I woke up in this Sorority House. One of the pledges was next to me," Alex put his hand out to his left. "And her boyfriend was on my other." He put his other hand out to his right. "If I remember correctly, the pledge and her boyfriend broke up pretty soon after. And," Alex started to laugh. "Somehow her panties ended up on the stuck to the ceiling. Oh her face was priceless. Still have no idea how they got up there. Even standing on the bed, the boyfriend and I couldn't reach the ceiling to get them down. For all I know, they're still there." Alex laughed harder; little tears welled up in his laugh lines.

"No," Hank paused when the waitress returned with their drinks and food. He couldn't believe how fast it came out. "I never did anything like that."

"Okay then, what did you do?" Alex asked around a mouthful of gyro.

After taking a bite of his own chicken gyro, Hank said, "Well, I joined clubs. With them and classes, I was busy. Let's see, I was in the science club all four years and junior and senior year I was club president. Through the science club, I was a tutor and I worked with underclassmen several times a week. I was also part of the chess club." Alex laughed at that, choking on his food a little bit. Ignoring the laughter and subsequent choking, Hank continued, "When I was a senior I became a member of Phi Kappa Phi which is an academic Fraternity. And each spring break I helped out with Habitat for Humanity. So I was busy."

"Did you ever drink?"

"Of course I did, just not to the point that I would black out and/or wake up someplace other than my own bed. I had fun in school, really," Hank insisted.

"We just have very different versions of fun."

"It would appear so."

"Well are you having fun now?" Alex questioned before popping a fry into his mouth.

"Yes," Hank nodded. "I am."

"Cause I'm awesome."

Hank snorted and rolled his eyes. But internally he agreed.

Eventually Scott made his way over to the table. He pulled a chair from another table next to the two top and sat down. Stealing some fries off his brother's plate, Scott smirked at Hank and said hello.

"So you're the nerd I keep hearing about."

"Guess so," Hank shot Alex an odd look. Was Alex really talking about him so much that Jonothon and Scott felt the need to say something? They had only seen each other a couple of times before.

Alex reached over and slapped his brother on the back of his head. "Dude, shut your pie hole." Scott rolled his eyes and returned fire, hitting Alex on the arm. "So what time do you get off tonight? I gotta go back to work to help Jono with inventory but you can come with, nap in one of the booths before we head home."

"I'm here till closing. So I won't be done till midnight. But I thought you and Jono were both tending tonight? Don't you guys get busy on the weekends?"

"No," Alex said slowly, his eyes narrowed at Scott. "I'm just helping with inventory." When Scott put his hands up in defense Alex asked, "You mind staying?" and glanced back at Hank.

Hank looked at his watch and then shrugged his shoulders. He was having fun hanging out and all he had waiting for him at home was homework. Hank's phone vibrated in his pants. Pulling it out, Hank frowned.

"Boring Bridget again?" Alex asked. Then he pulled his plate away from Scott to save the rest of his fries for himself. When Hank nodded he held out his hand. "Give it to me." Shrugging again, Hank handed it over. If Alex could get Bridget to stop, he'd be thrilled.

While Alex fiddled with the phone, Hank turned to Scott. "So I hear you're looking into colleges."

"Yeah," Scott nodded. "Looking around. We'll see what happens."

"Have you gone on any tours?"

"Naw, just did some searching online. Went to some school sites and looked around."

"Well, if you need some help," Hank paused when Alex handed him back his phone. "I'd be happy to help you. Every year some students come to me with questions or ask me to write them letters of recommendation. So I'd be happy to help you too."

"Thanks, man," Scott clapped Hank on the shoulder. "I appreciate it." Looking back at his brother, Scott grinned and said, "You've got pretty good taste, dude." For a quick second, Alex looked mortified. Alex reached over to hit his brother again but Scott jumped back from the table. "Gotta get back to work. See ya." He headed back towards the kitchen.

"Just ignore him," Alex smiled awkwardly. "Really don't listen to a word he says."

"Sure... no problem."

* * *

"So you're not gonna believe my weekend." Raven sat down next to Hank in the teacher's lounge. "That guy Janos, I told you about him yeah?" Hank nodded. "Ok well Friday night, he takes me to this salsa lounge. It was ah-may-zing." Raven emphasized each syllable. "He's a fantastic dancer. And let me tell you," Raven lowered her voice. Then she nudged Hank's side to make sure he was paying attention. "He was even better in bed."

"I really don't need to know that." Hank laughed, enjoying his peanut butter and jelly.

Raven didn't let that deter her. "We ended up spending the whole weekend together. He made me breakfast Saturday morning and we spent the whole day and night," she winked, "In bed. Then Sunday we had brunch and then we went bowling." Raven grinned brightly. "I can't remember the last time I went bowling. And it was so fun. He totally kicked my butt, but I did get a strike our first game."

"Sounds like you had a good time. When are you going to see him again?"

"Oh I dunno. We had a lot of fun but… We'll see. If he calls me, I'm not gonna say no. But I'm not gonna call him."

"I really don't understand you. You told me he a nice guy and you obviously-" Hank cut off when his phone signaled that he had a text. Looking over, Hank smiled, though he was a little confused.

"I'm guessing from that look, that's not from Bridget. But seriously, maybe you should change your number if she keeps messaging you."

"No," Hank shook his head. "It's from Alex. He must have put his number in my phone when we had dinner."

"Alex? The bartender from the speed dating place?" Hank nodded. "Hold up. You're telling me you had dinner with the bartender? When?"

"Friday night."

"I thought you were having dinner with Alison Friday night."

"I was supposed to but she canceled at the last minute. So I went back to the Dublin Pub, Alex was there and we hung out."

"Wow." Raven smirked, looking amused by this turn of events. "Where'd you go?"

"The Greek Corner. His little brother works there and Alex wanted to check in on him."

"You went out to dinner and you met his brother. Honey, don't you think you're moving a little fast?"

Hank frowned. "What do you mean? We're just friends, Raven."

"I dunno. He saved you from having another lonely Friday night."

"Yes, because my date canceled on me," Hank quickly pointed out.

"Eh," Raven shrugged her shoulders. "This _is_the same Alex you went on and on about after speed dating night."

"Only because I embarrassed myself with some stupid comments."

"Yeah, I'm well aware how much you agonized over those stupid comments. Obviously he didn't care if he wanted to take you out. Did he pay for dinner?"

"We went dutch."

"Oh," Raven deflated slightly. "Well what's he say?" She looked pointedly at the phone.

"Oh… um," Hank opened the message. He smiled at the message but then stopped himself. He didn't want Raven to read anything into it.

"Well?"

"He wants to know if I'm available for dinner. He probably wants me to help Scott with his college search."

Raven's eyebrows rose high up on her forehead. "You're helping his brother?"

"It's not like I've never helped a student look into college before."

"Yeah, one of _your students_. Alex's brother, Scott, you said, he doesn't even go to this school. Honey, if you're really just friends you better make that clear to the bartender."

"There's nothing to make clear. Seriously, Raven, I think you're reading this completely wrong. We hung out a couple times and I'm doing his brother a favor. It's not a big deal."

"Fine but don't come crying to me when you realize you've broken the poor guy's heart."

Hank rolled his eyes and went back to his sandwich. He didn't respond to Alex until he was back in his classroom, away from Raven's prying eyes.

* * *

"I hope you like spaghetti and meatballs," Scott said when he answered the door. After Hank had confirmed dinner, Alex had texted him his address and a time to arrive. "Alex can't cook for shit, but even pasta _he_can't screw up too badly."

"Watch your mouth," Alex called from the kitchen.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." Scott called back. "You can put your jacket there," he pointed to a chair next to the door. "We should eat pretty soon."

"Cool." Hank said as he pulled his coat off. He'd made a point of changing before heading over. He didn't want Alex to tease him for his clothes, so he wore jeans and a navy button-down. Scott flopped down on the couch, his attention fully focused on the television. Some movie that Hank didn't recognize was on so he shuffled into the kitchen. "Well hello, Miss Summers," Hank teased when he saw Alex standing next to the stove wearing a frilly yellow apron. It felt good to be able to tease Alex back for a change.

"Oh, shove it, bozo." Alex retorted, but his words had no bite. "Dinner will be ready in five."

"Oh, I brought something." Hank went back into the living room and grabbed a box from underneath his coat. "Neither of you have food allergies right?" He questioned when he went back into the kitchen. Alex shook his head and Hank continued. "Good. I brought chocolate cake."

"Ah, Scott's kryptonite. He'll probably make you an honorary Summers by the end of the night." Alex laughed, but an odd feeling bit at Hank's insides as he remembered his lunch with Raven.

'We're just friends,' Hank mentally chided himself. He wasn't going to let Raven's comments ruin his night.

"Thought that was your job," Scott said out of nowhere. Hank hadn't noticed the boy enter the kitchen. Hank moved out of the way as Scott grabbed plates and silverware to set up the kitchen table.

"Can I help?" Hank asked.

"No worries. I got it." Scott replied as he set the place settings up.

"Perfect timing. Scott, put a pot holder down on the table and we can dig in." After Scott did as he'd been asked, Alex put a pot of meatballs in tomato sauce on the table. After straining the pasta, he dished some out onto everyone's plate. "Take as much sauce and meatballs as you want," Alex said with a grin. Scott didn't hesitate and piled his plate high with food. He'd already started to demolish his food when Hank served himself.

"Dude, human bites. We've got company."

"Yeah, ok," Scott replied, his mouth full of food. But he did slow down.

Hank chuckled, watching the two brothers interact. When they simultaneously looked at him, he explained, "You kind of make me wish I had a sibling."

"No you don't, really," Alex countered but his grin gave him away.

"Well, my parents had me kind of late so a little brother or sister was out of the question. Besides, they both worked and didn't really have a lot of time for children in the first place. We actually get along a lot better now than when I was a child. They didn't really know how to relate to a kid."

"That sucks, man," Alex said after a moment.

"Yeah, he's right." Scott cut in. "Mom was awesome when I was little. She'd make chocolate chip cookies and I'd help. And then I'd get to lick the spoon. It was awesome." He took another large bite of pasta.

"And now we know where his chocolate addiction came from," Alex teased with a smile.

"Well, then you're going to love the cake I brought."

Scott's face lit up. "And now I get the honorary Summers comment. Dude, you are so in."

"I'm honored." Hank grinned.

When they were done eating, Scott claimed his job was done for the night since he had set the table. This left Alex to do the dishes. But since Alex had cooked, Hank insisted it was fair for him to do the cleanup. When Alex protested, saying Hank had brought cake, they agreed to split the job. Hank washed and Alex dried and put the dishes away.

Standing side by side in front of the sink, Hank felt the knot in his stomach growing again. It seemed somewhat intimate, standing in the other man's kitchen, washing dishes. When Alex reached in to grab a plate Hank was rinsing, he touched Hank's hand and paused.

"Scott likes you," Alex said quietly.

"He's a good kid, just like you said."

"Yeah he is. He's a good judge of character too. Though unintentionally bribing him with chocolate works in your favor."

Hank felt his mouth go dry. He numbly wiped at his face, unsure of what to say. Alex's laugh startled him.

"You got some soap suds…" Alex reached up and touched Hank's face. Hank looked down at the other man and gulped. Neither of them moved and then-

"Are you two done yet? It's cake time!" Scott bellowed from the living room. He'd turned the TV back on and yelled over dialogue of whatever he was watching.

Startled, Hank took a small step back from the sink. At the same time, Alex brought his hand down. The moment was broken.

Hank wasn't sure if he should be frustrated or relieved.

* * *

"Alison took me ice skating last night," Hank said with a smile. He shifted on the bar stool until he was comfortable. He had arrived just after last call and the majority of other patrons were shuffling out when he walked in. It was awkward for Hank to arrive so late, but he was up and hadn't wanted to stay in his apartment any longer. It was Saturday night and he didn't have any commitments the next day, so he figured he had no reason to stay in. He would have just called Raven to fill her in on his date if he had thought she would be home. She had mentioned receiving a call from Janos earlier in the week, so Hank was fairly certain she was spending the weekend with him. Offhandedly, Hank wondered if he was going to get to meet the man who had caught Raven's attention or if she was going to be done with him before Hank got the chance.

It didn't surprise Hank that he'd headed to the Dublin Pub. After his first date with Alison, he'd gone to visit Alex to tell him about it. He liked hanging out with the bartender and it was nice to have a guy's opinion on how things were going. "I was so nervous." He continued, "I can't even think of the last time I went ice skating. It was terrifying. I had to hold onto the wall almost the entire time and I was still slipping all over the place. And of course she's skating circles around me." Hank chuckled softly, remembering how Alison had tried to cajole him from the wall.

"You kiss her yet, bozo?" Alex asked, disregarding Hank's awkwardness when it came to ice skating. He was cleaning glasses in the small sink behind the bar. Alex hadn't even looked up when Hank had started talking. Before he had arrived, the music had been turned down low so Hank could easily hear the water sloshing in the sink. It reminded Hank of dinner at Alex's and he felt himself blush slightly. Even after a couple dates with Alison, Hank couldn't get that night out of his head.

"Uh-" Hank blushed even brighter. He was happy Alex was focused on his task and not looking at him. Alex had asked Hank the same question after his first date with Alison. He had the same answer. "No, not yet. I think she wanted me to last night but… I'm not sure what stopped me."

The confession got Alex to pause. He looked up at Hank with an odd expression on his face. "You really suck at this dating thing, don't you?"

"Hey," Hank said sullenly. "It was only our second date. Next time-"

"You know what," Alex interrupted suddenly. His expression morphed into something Hank couldn't quite place. "I don't want to hear how you're gonna kiss her next time. Forget I asked at all." He slammed a glass down on the bar counter. Then ignoring the surprised look of a man at the other end of the bar, Alex poured himself a shot. "I really don't want to know. I don't want to know how dinner went or how it felt when you held her hand," Alex sneered. He took the shot back and dumped the glass back into the sink. "I don't care about any of it."

Hank was momentarily stunned. He never expected Alex to react that way, especially since had patiently listed to Hanks misgivings about dating before.

"Ugh! Damnit. I need a smoke." Alex slammed his hand against the bar, causing Hank to flinch. Hank didn't know what was making his friend so upset. Alex turned to the cash register and printed out a check. Then he walked to the other end of the bar. "Time to close out your tab buddy," The man glared at Alex but pulled his wallet out anyway. After he paid, the man didn't linger. Once the man was out the door, Alex ducked underneath the bar's opening. He walked away from Hank and went to the back door. Instead of using a brick to keep the door open, Alex sagged against it, letting cold air sweep into the bar. From his pocket, Alex pulled out a cigarette and lighter.

Before he could light it, Hank spoke up. "Why do you even have those on you? I thought you were quitting."

"What do you care?" Alex bit back angrily. He stared at the cigarette in his hands.

"I do care," Hank insisted. "Scott told me you haven't smoked since the first night I came by for speed dating. He's really proud of you." Hank got off his bar stool and headed towards the back door. "Come on back in. It's a filthy habit and I don't understand-"

"You don't understand? Not of course you don't understand. All those brains in your head, but _this_you can't understand!" The door slammed shut with a loud bang when Alex stepped back into the bar. Moving into Hank's personal space, Alex put his hand up and curled his fingers around the back of Hank's neck. Alex's fingers played with the short hairs there. Part of Hank knew that he should move back. Part of him knew that he should walk away from Alex, leave the bar and not go back. But the bigger part had his feet planted firmly on the ground. Looking down, Hank could feel Alex's breath against his face. "You really are a bozo," Then before Hank could say anything or frown at the nickname, Alex leaned forward and kissed him.

The hand on Hank's neck tightened slightly as Alex moved even further into Hank's space. Alex's legs bumped Hank's as he pressed his chest against the taller man. Not surprisingly, Alex tasted like whatever liquor he'd just imbibed. But he also tasted like something else that Hank couldn't quite place. It was something spicy that he couldn't get enough of. Unsure of where to put his hands, Hank awkwardly placed them on Alex's hips. Surprisingly, he liked the feel of Alex's stubble against his face.

But when Alex shyly probed Hank's lips with his tongue, Hank pushed back from the other man. "I uh…. I-" Hank stuttered. "I can't do this. I have to go." Alex didn't try to stop Hank as he fled the bar.

* * *

"Well, I'm not going to say I told you so. But you know, I did tell you so." Raven smiled softly at Hank. She placed her hand on his shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze. "You two can't be friends, honey. He likes you. And if you'd just admit it to yourself, then you'd realize you like him too."

"Raven, unless he is the most flat-chested woman in the world, Alex is a guy. And I'm not gay. I'm not attracted to guys." Hank's eyes darted to the teacher's lounge door. School had just let out and he had forced Raven inside so that they could talk. He nervous someone might come in and didn't want someone to overhear their conversation.

"It doesn't matter if you're not attracted to guys, you're attracted to him. Hank, I've never heard you go on about anyone the way you go on about Alex. He and his brother are all you talk about. Sure, you mention Alison here and there, but you don't light up when you talk about her."

"Raven, I'm a guy. I don't _light up_."

"Oh, sweetie," Raven smiled at Hank like he was a child. He didn't like it when she did that. "Yeah, you do. You so do." She held up her hand. Pointing to her first finger, she counted off, her voice lower, trying to imitate Hank's, "Alex is a great guy. He's so funny. He has the best taste in movies, and music. When we had dinner, Alex didn't mind that I push my cucumbers onto his plate. And he gave me his peppers in return. Oh, Alex is so cute and dreamy."

"I most definitely never said that last one."

"Okay, so I adlibbed a little." Raven shrugged. "But I don't doubt you thought it." She pursed her lips and stared at Hank, daring him to say otherwise.

"I'm not admitting anything…" Hank muttered under his breath.

Suddenly, Raven wrapped her arms around Hank in a tight hug. "Look, I only met him for a couple minutes but by the way you go on about him, he must be a great guy. And that's all I wanted for you, Hank. I wanted you to meet someone almost as awesome as I am." Hank chuckled at that and rested his chin on Raven's shoulder. "I just want you to be happy. And you've been way happier since you met him than I've seen since we started working together. I get that you're scared, that being attracted to a guy is all new to you. But you can't let this fear ruin something that could be wonderful." Raven stepped out of the hug and looked Hank squarely in the eye. "It's time to be brave."

* * *

Hank pulled at his lab coat and wished he'd worn something warmer. He was certain that it was the coldest Halloween ever. There was a decent line outside the Dublin Pub, causing Hank to frown. He really didn't want to wait to get inside, sure that he would turn into a popsicle if he did. He was also fairly certain that if he waited too long, he would chicken out before getting to talk to Alex.

Luckily, Raven wasn't one for waiting either. Pulling Hank's arm, she walked right up to the guy at the door. Hank didn't recognize him and figured he was only there since it was a holiday. Raven smiled sweetly up at the guy before touching his arm. "We're friends of Alex's. The bartender…" She purred. Then man frowned at Raven, but she just beamed back at him. Hank was sure he wasn't going to let them in. Then, surprisingly, the guy stepped to the side, allowing for just enough room for Raven and Hank to snake by. Hank gave the guy a quick, 'Thanks," as he followed Raven inside.

Hank had never seen the bar so packed. So many people were inside; Hank felt like a sardine with just a smidge more room. The music was loud and people were dancing in any pocket of space they could find. Raven pulled on Hank's arm to grab his attention. Then she turned and pointed at the bar. Hank looked to where she was pointing and saw Alex. He was wearing a blue and yellow uniform that had a disk in the center of his chest. Hank had no idea what he was supposed to be. Then before pushing him towards the bar, Raven stood on her tiptoes and kissed Hank on the cheek and wished him luck.

Stumbling through the crowd, Hank slowly made his way over to the bar. He saw Jono taking orders at the other end of the bar. The bulky man noticed Hank at about the same time and threw a towel at Alex to grab his attention. When Alex looked up and saw Hank, he frowned and turned away to help a woman dressed as Betty Boop. Hank continued making his way to the bar. Then he was forced to wedge himself between a zombie and a mermaid. He stood there for several minutes while Alex went to every other guest but him.

"Can we talk?" Hank asked when Alex finally stopped in front of him. "Please…" Hank tried not to sound as desperate as he felt.

"As you can see, I'm a little busy. I don't have time for you." Alex yelled back over the din of the crowd.

"Well then, make time," Hank demanded. "We need to talk."

"Are you kidding me? You come in here wanting to talk now, one of the busiest nights of the year?"

Alex turned away, but Hank reached out and grabbed his wrist to stop him. "Please, Alex…" he tried again. Sighing, Alex turned to Jono and held up his hand. Jono frowned but nodded before turning back to some monsters at the bar. A few people voiced their disapproval as Alex got out from behind the bar and headed towards the back door. Ignoring them, Hank followed. Ducking into the alley behind the bar, Hank shivered. It was freezing and Alex's icy demeanor wasn't helping.

"So?" Alex questioned and crossed his arms over his chest.

"I'm sorry." Hank paused awkwardly. "I didn't mean to hurt you."

"Dude, I'm not some chick. You didn't hurt me."

"Yes, I did." Alex opened his mouth but Hank didn't give him a chance to say anything. "Look… I only came here for speed dating with Raven to get her off my back. I figured I'd meet some people, maybe go on a couple dates, and that would be enough. Raven would leave me alone and I could go back to focusing on work and that's it. I never thought someone would manage to get under my skin… and I really never thought it would be you." Hank stopped and sighed. Biting his lip, he tried to organize his thoughts. "We haven't known each other that long, but the last couple weeks have been just awful." Hank ran a hand through his hair. "You cannot even begin to guess how many times I've picked up my phone hoping for a text or something from you. And I started so many messages that I never sent. I would dial your number… " Hank paused again. He groaned in frustration, wanting everything to come out right. "I don't know how to do this, Alex," He gestured to the space between them. "But I know I've never wanted someone so badly."

Alex shuffled his feet before uncrossing his arms. When he just stared, Hank continued, "I"ve… I've never looked at guys before. And it freaked me out. I didn't know how to react to this thing between us. And when you kissed me… I know running off was the wrong thing to do. And I'm sorry, I really am. But you know, since the first night when you bumped me coming in, I'd have to be blind not to see how cute you are."

"I'm hot, bozo. Not cute." Alex interjected.

"Yes, fine," Hank took in a deep breath. "You're hot – sex on a stick really. You're hot to the point that when you lick your lips my brain shuts off." Hank grimaced. He couldn't believe he'd just said that. But he continued anyway. "And you're cool, funny and a good brother. And I don't know, you're…"

"Well, you could tell me how smart I am. You could continue going on about how sexy I am and what that does to you. Or you could talk about how good a kisser I am."

Some of the tension Hank had been carrying released when Alex teased him. "Yeah, you're a great kisser. And I'm learning just a smidgen vain." More tension relaxed when Alex laughed at the quip. "You told me I'm a planner. Well, I didn't plan any of this. But please, please don't end this before it even started."

"So," Alex took a step towards Hank. "What I'm hearing is, you want me."

"Y-yes," Hank squeaked when Alex moved into his personal space. After clearing his throat he tried again, "Yes, I do."

"And cause I'm such a nice guy, I should give you a second chance, hmm?" Reaching up, Alex wrapped his arms around Hank's neck.

"Well, I'll shower you with compliments and not fight you when you call me bozo."

"Hey, I just call 'em like I see 'em bozo." Then Alex leaned up until he bumped noses with Hank. They stood there for several seconds, neither moving, just breathing the same air, before Hank tilted his head to kiss Alex. But Alex pulled back and smirked devilishly. "So we're just going to kiss and make up?"

"That was the plan."

"Okay, I like that plan." Alex whispered before kissing Hank. This time Hank didn't hesitate to put his hands on Alex and pull the shorter man against him. He tried to put everything into the kiss, afraid Alex would change his mind about forgiving him. Hank is so focused on kissing Alex that he didn't notice the whine of the back door opening. But he did hear the happy shriek that Raven let out when she sees them kissing.

"Oh, yay! Wait, wait, wait keep kissing. Let me," Hank turned his head slightly to see Raven fighting with her purse. "Get my phone and take a picture." Hank was embarrassed by his friend, but when Alex started to pull away, Hank didn't let him. He knew if she didn't get it right then, she'd find some way to get it later. And besides, he enjoyed kissing Alex, so he recaptured Alex's lips with his own. "That is so hot!" Raven said before a soft click signaled that she'd taken a picture.

When they finally couldn't kiss any longer Hank pulled back, panting. Alex chuckled and buried his face in Hank's neck. "You remember Raven, right?" Hank cannot help but laugh as well. By her giant smile, she is clearly thrilled by his and Alex's reconciliation.

"Yeah, I do." Alex steps out of Hank's embrace and holds his hand out to Raven. "Hi."

"Hi," Raven squeals before hugging Alex. When she finally lets go of Alex she pointed wildly at him. "I have a good feeling about this. Hank is crazy about you." Hank felt himself blush at Raven's words but there was nothing that would make him deny them. "Well, I'll let you two go back to what you were doing." Raven winked lewdly at Hank before heading back into the bar.

"You know that when I get off work, I'm taking you back to my place," Alex said when it was just the two of them alone in the alley again.

"As long as you don't forget the training wheels."

"You're in luck. I happen to have just bought a large supply of lemons and salt. And I'm pretty sure one bottle of tequila won't be missed." Alex gave Hank a soft kiss. Letting his lips linger, Alex said, disappointment evident in his voice, "But to get that tequila, I'm gonna have to go back inside. You know, work…"

"That reminds me," Hank leaned back so he could get a good look at Alex's costume. "What are you supposed to be?"

"Jeez, bozo, I'm a superhero." Alex struck a pose with one hand in the air and the other on his hip. "And what about you? A scientist? Really?"

"A sexy scientist," Hank responded with a laugh.

"Yeah, you are." Alex waggled his eyebrows. "And what's this, you're not wearing your glasses?"

"Yeah, well. I thought I'd try contacts like you suggested. Don't get used to them," Hank made a face.

"That's fine. We'll just break 'em out for special occasions." Then, Alex reached for Hank's hand and linked their fingers before he pulled Hank back into the bar.


End file.
