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There was a restaurant tucked away in the darker streets of the city. It was empty more often than not. Sometimes the food was a step down from mediocre, sometimes there was chaos in the streets or police patrols searching about. There were plenty of reasons Alex should find someplace else to frequent, but he was drawn in time and time again.
Because of the dumplings, he told Klaus on more than one occasion. Klaus would reply with something about how dumplings weren't worth the risk and Alex would tune him out.
If he was going to die young, he might as well make sure it was on a full stomach.
Alex opened the door and stepped inside, giving the old man at the counter his older in a voice louder than usual. The air was filled with the smell of spices. If the owner didn't insist on keeping the front door shut, it would have been enough to keep the few seats they offered full.
He'd mentioned it to him before in passing, but the old man only gave him more dumplings to shut him up.
Alex slipped into his usual booth in the corner near the back door, closing his eyes and listening to the voice that crooned gently through the speakers. The words were forgein to his ears and it made Alex calmer. He'd have to ask the owner who was singing.
This was nice. This was normal.
"Dad mentioned you've been looking skinnier," a new voice said some time later. "Couldn't talk to him over the phone without hearing about it at least once, you know."
A smile was already playing at Alex's lips when he opened his eyes to the sight of a boy seated across from him. Alex's usual order of a bowl of dumpling sat on the table between them. "Haven't seen you in a while."
The boy was a year shy of Alex's twenty-five. Long dark hair skimmed over his eyebrows. The last vestiges of childhood clung to cheeks, but seemed to get thinner with every visit. "You're losing weight."
Alex wondered if he would still care if he knew what he was. He plucked a dumpling out of the bowl with his chopsticks and crammed it into his mouth whole. If he occupied himself with food, maybe he would stop thinking. Alex studied the boy as he chewed and after he swallowed, said, "So are you, Ian. Your cheeks are smaller."
Ian shrugged and slumped back against the red vinyl with a tired sigh. "Maybe I won't get carded at bars now. It was a pain."
The image brought another smile to Alex's face. The soft edges of his face did make him look younger than he was. "It's cute!"
Ian scrunched his nose. "You sound like my old lady."
Alex resisted the urge to say something about how his mother was right. "Eat with me."
Ian hummed, pretending to consider. "Maybe I'm busy."
"Yeah," Alex agreed, waving his chopsticks toward the vacant seats. "Quite the dinner rush."
Ian rolled his eyes and took off the dark apron the employees always wore. "What've you been up to?"
"This and that," Alex said, like he always did.
Ian didn't press. He never did. Instead he regaled Alex with tales of customers past, both of them chortling between bites.
The dumplings were good today. The company was better.
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