Y/N would've had to have been blind to not notice him the first time she walked into Beach City Grill. There, in the back, next to the grill, stood a tall man in a shirt as brightly colored as his hair. When he turned, she didn't immediately notice the piercings and tattoos (though those would feature in her fantasies), but rather the fact that he was unfairly gorgeous.

Had she not already been looking for a job at the time, that would've cemented her decision to apply.

That day had been several months back, towards the beginning of summer. Now the leaves were changing color and the wind getting cooler, and Beach City Grill hadn't changed a bit.

Of course, the person she immediately clicked with and practically became instant best friends with was Priestly.

They both had a similar sense of humor and Y/N could often be found begging Priestly to tell her where he got his shirts.

She had spent the entire summer by his side, letting Priestly teach her how not to burn every single sandwich that came her way and repaying him with shitty puns and subtle flirting.

However, now that summer was over, she had to return to school. Trucker had earned himself a great big hug when he told her that she could still stay with them part-time as she worked on her degree.

The obvious downside of going back to school, though, was that she spent less time with her friends. She made a few new ones at college, though, and sometimes even brought them down to the Grill for some delicious sandwiches from her favorite punk.

She knew that her choice in friends was probably little confusing. Most of the people she brought in from college dressed like models from an Abercrombie & Fitch catalogue, where Y/N was at home in a nerd shirt and jeans. Not to mention how they had reacted to seeing Priestly for the first time. Even with how often Y/N talked about him, they still weren't prepared.

She started only spending time with Priestly when she was working, usually too busy with study groups or nose deep in a book at the library to hang out with him as much as she used to. Even when she came in, she was usually with at least one friend from college, and it made her miss the days where it felt like just the two of them against the world.

Perhaps that's when Priestly realized how much he needed Y/N, and what he would do to get her to look at him.

Even the unthinkable.

"Morning!" she chirped, pushing the door open as she finished waving goodbye to her dorm mate.

Jen and Tish looked up from the computer screen, smiles on their faces. "Hey, stranger," Jen grinned. "How've ya been?"

"Ugh, so happy that finals are almost here. Means I can be done with school for a while. Hey, Tish!" she smiled at the beautiful girl as she came around to the back. "Apron?"

Tish tossed it to her underhand, and Y/N caught it with a practiced ease, tying it around her waist in the same motion. "You're on your own today, Y/N," Tish leaned back on her elbows against the counter.

"Priestly's not comin' in?" Y/N tried not to pout.

"He's gonna be late. Said he had something to do," Tish continued, a look of sympathy in her eyes. "Guess you'll just have to do with the rest of us."

"Oh, perish the thought," Y/N sighed dramatically. "He's the only reason I come in!"

They laughed at that, almost covering up the noise of the back door opening and closing, and the footsteps of Trucker and Piper as they came in from the back.

"What're we laughing about?" Trucker asked as Piper joined the other girls behind the counter.

"I'm lamenting the fact that my shirt collection isn't as amazing as Priestly's," Y/N smiled as she turned to Jen, looking over the computer for online orders.

Piper pulled out her art supplies, sitting at one of the tables across from Trucker. Y/N started working on orders, and the girls chit-chatted as they worked.

A few customers came in over the next hour or so, and she was enjoying herself, even if she did fiercely feel her friend's absence.

The bell over the door rang again, and Y/N had long since stopped looking up. She heard Jen talking to the new customer, but Y/N focused on her cooking.

Y/N was so wrapped up in her sandwich making that she didn't notice anyone come up next to her until she felt a push against her shoulder. She grinned, knowing that Priestly often greeted her like that. She looked up at her co-worker before her eyes widened.

Standing in his usual spot next to her on the grill was a Stepford clone of Priestly. He wearing a nice button up shirt and equally fine jeans under the apron he was tying around his waist. She almost didn't recognize him without all his piercings and with his hair in a natural shade and plastered against his skull.

The only thing that linked this Priestly to hers was the tattoo sticking out of the collar of his shirt.

He was smiling nervously, and she only barely noticed Tish and Jen moving away to give them space. "Hey Y/N."

"Wha…" Y/N couldn't form a coherent thought. "This…What're you wearing?"

He shrugged, trying to play off the blush beginning to stain his cheeks. "Thought I'd try a new style. You don't like it?"

"Wuh…" She took a step back. "This shirt isn't funny."

"'s not supposed to be."

Y/N huffed. "I miss the kilt."

"You gave me so much shit for the kilt!"

"I give you shit for everything, Priestly! Please tell me this is some curse and you'll be back to normal tomorrow."

"What's wrong with this? You dress like this!"

"Yeah, because I'm lame enough to dress like that! You're way too cool to conform to societal standards, dude!"

"What, standards are only for lame people?"

"But…but I love your old style. It was part of you," she sighed.

There was a moment before she spoke again. "Sorry, I shouldn't…fine, if you really wanna dress like a loser like me, then I'll support your terrible decision."

She felt an arm wrap around her shoulder and, without thinking, she leaned into his side. "You really miss the kilt?"

"The kilt was so sexy," she pouted.

"…Fine, I'll change back. To be honest, this feels like a straitjacket."

She grinned, leaning up on her tip toes to press a kiss to his cheek. "You're the best. What brought this on, anyway?"

His arm dropped then, and cleared his throat awkwardly. "Nothin'."

She turned to face him fully, her eyes narrowing. "Priestly…"

He sighed heavily, knowing that she wasn't going to let this go. "You and your friends dress like this."

"So?"

"So…I wanted to fit in with your friends."

She blinked. "Why?"

"Because I…I miss you, Y/N. I thought, maybe, if I dressed normally, you'd let me hang out with you more."

Without warning, Y/N grabbed Priestly's face and pulled it down to hers, kissing him soundly. The sounds of high fives and squealing could be heard in the background, but the two cooks ignored them. He didn't have a chance to really react before she fell back on the heels of her feet. She smiled up at him, her eyes practically sparkling. "If my friends don't like you, they can go fuck themselves. I like you, and that's all that matters."

"You, uh…" he stumbled for words. "You ju…um…"

"I'm also free Saturday night. Just sayin'." she grinned, letting him go and turning back to the grill. "You could pick me up at seven, if you wanted."

"S-Sounds great." He was grinning like a kid on Christmas morning.

She then spun towards him, holding up a finger like she was scolding him. She looked him dead in the eyes and said with all seriousness, "One more thing, though."

"What?"

"I'm not letting you in without the kilt."