#ray-lance

The subway train he was on slowed to a stop, sliding open its doors and playing a slew of pre-recorded announcements. Ethan sighed, walking out with the crowd into his home station- a quiet corner of Nimbasa City, littered with a few Kantonese restaurants and residential townhouses. Life was calmer now... which he appreciated, no doubt- but it was, truthfully, hard to adjust from being pulled everywhere at every moment to... being able to breathe for once. Sit down... and breathe. Breathe with the love of his life, of course. Now that he thought about it, he could go on and on about Lucas. Smart, kind, funny... coming home was the best part of his day because he got to come home to him. With him... he could just forget about everything and wind down for once... with someone who actually appreciated him. He smiled. It was getting closer to their one month anniversary... so he’d decided to splurge. Get some of those dumplings he really likes. He walked out of the station, dressed still in his League uniform- the same as his champions’ in Johto. He was busy today... two challengers, two people to give consolances and advice to when they lost. Of course, this meant that he could waste no time.

Ethan turned, facing the storefront of a small Kantonese restaurant, etched into a townhouse and littered with graffitti. It was... unremarkable, sure... but it was special to him... to them.

(Plus, it had some of the best food in the region, so he wasn’t complaining. Unbelievably cheap, too.)

The elite would walk in, faced with a blast of cold air, contrasting from the warm, stagnant air just outside the shop. The restaurant was busier than normal right now, the line of people wrapping from the counter to the left side of the restaurant. Fortunately, the staff were at their best (as always), and he was able to get both sets of food and a generous amount of condiments.

Taking the warm food in his hands, he gestured to the waiter, a « Thank you! » coming from Ethan’s lips. He turned around-

Wait. Huh?

Sitting at a table in his line of sight was... Lance. Nope, it was definetely Lance. Spiky hair, trademark outfit... yup. But how...? A million questions ran through his mind as his expression melded from surprised to confused to angry to happy.

He sighed. Only one way to find out.