collin graf who works at some way-too-popular but still really shitty bowling alley from like, 4pm-11pm close. he's exhausted, huge eyebags, zero energy. the only thing he cares about is getting people in and out. one time he handed a guy the wrong shoe size because he was so out of it and just proceeded to blink lazily while this guy yelled at him for a solid 15 minutes. he hates that job, but it makes him enough money to get by and he needs it for university, where he's studying some shit like zoology or classics, something where you'd look at him and go oh wow, that's the last thing i was expecting. (plus, he has to afford to take care of his two cats, his daughters, his pride and joy). so he's always serving cold, soggy hotdogs and stale chips to teenagers on dates and families of what feels like nine thousand, while wondering when he'll finally be out of this hellhole.
and then comes weky, who goes with his friends one night and is immediately head over heels for this half-dead looking freak behind the counter.
collin is reading through one of his textbooks when weky comes in, hardly even able to keep his eyes open cause he's so tired. it's 10pm, he hasn't had coffee in twelve hours, and he has a test tomorrow. he just wants to go to bed and die. but here's this beautiful blond who has more energy at this time of day than anyone in their right mind should, who's bounding up to the counter and smiling and laughing while collin just stares at him. collin begrudgingly hands him shoes (he makes sure it's the correct size, though he doesn't even really know why he cares so much, it's just another customer, just one more person to help before he gets to go home) and weky prances back to his group, but keeps sneaking glances behind the desk every chance he can. he's playing this stupid game of bowling so much more competitively than he usually would, just in case the cute guy™ is watching. collin is, decidedly, not, but weky wins anyways, hoping that maybe he'd glanced up at least once.
and then it becomes routine, where collin is working his same 4-11 shift and weky comes in to play a round of bowling with whoever he can drag along behind him this time (mack, zetts, victor, misa, wenny...). he's always hoping that collin is watching, though it doesn't seem like he ever is.
weky finally strikes up a real conversation with him when he goes up to buy a shitty slice of day-old pizza and a coke. he says something dashingly stupid, gets a small smile and amused huff out of collin, which is enough to tide him over for at least a night. but then he's back, asking collin questions upon questions about what he's taking at uni, where he's from, what does he like to do. he just wants to know everything about him.
and collin cant help but find himself endeared over time as well. this guy's cute. he's got these angelic blond curls, these cute dimples, eyes collin thinks he could get lost in if he tried hard enough. strong hands, strong thighs, a strong chest, probably. but now he's getting ahead of himself.
weky finally asks him out, lamely and probably a little stupidly, but collin decides sure, why not. it's worth a shot, but this guy will see how boring he really is and leave him after a while, just like his ex girlfriend did, and the girlfriend before that, and the few guys he's hooked up with during university who cum inside of him and then tell him to get out right afterwards.
but weky doesnt leave. he takes him out to a nice restaurant collin doesn't even want to imagine the cost of. in fact, he blocks off the prices on the menu with his hand while he searches for the kind of steak/pasta/lobster he wants to eat (he decides on lobster, but is nervous to touch it lest he make a mess and make himself look like a fool).
and when they leave collin realizes he forgot something at the bowling alley so weky drives him back there, and when they arrive collin hesitates going in, worried that the car won't be there when he comes back out. noticing his nervous silence, weky offers to go back inside with him, and well. collin can't just say no. they go in together, and the alley is empty. no loud music, no flashing lights, no screaming and cheering.
so weky kisses him behind the counter and holds his hand the entire ride back to collin's house, where he invites himself in (not like collin cares) and gets all gooey over flame and hat trick, and oh yeah, collin is absolutely fucked.
he still works at the bowling alley, but now weky hangs out with him more often than collin has to be alone, so it's not as bad.
