A/N – Hello and welcome to my first Perwaine story, Lake Avalon Coffee Shop! I have never written a Perwaine pairing, and since I love the two characters, I decided it was time. This is a modern AU set in the fictional city of Lake Avalon. Percival is a graduate student in physical therapy, and Gwaine is a first-year medical student. They meet on a blind date set up by their good friend Merlin.

Chapter One – Try Something New

"Large café latte?" the barista at Lake Avalon Coffee Shop called out in a cheerful voice.

Percival tripped over his huge feet on the way to retrieve his drink, but stopped his fall by bracing his hands against the counter. "That's mine. Thanks."

The barista narrowed her eyes in concern. "Are you all right, sir? Did you hurt yourself?"

Why did she have to be so loud? "No, I'm great." Percival flashed a shaky grin. "Just great. No injuries here."

He dropped a dollar into the tip jar and scrambled back to his seat, a table for two tucked away in the corner but with a clear view of the front door. He took a sip of his latte and scowled. The flavor wasn't the problem – the coffee here was the best in Lake Avalon – it was his damn nerves. And why had he ordered a drink with so much caffeine? A water would have been a safer choice, preferably one laced with a strong anti-anxiety drug. But no, he sipped a drink that would infuse his bloodstream with a stimulant he didn't need, and he'd probably have a heart attack. He pictured the headline of his obituary: Percival King, Dead of a Heart Attack at Age Twenty-Two. He Should Have Stuck with Decaf.

Fine, he wasn't having an actual medical emergency, but the way his heart hammered away in his chest and the fact his undershirt was drenched with sweat made it difficult to tell the difference. And why had he worn this stupid itchy navy blue sweater? It was too tight, too hot, and he wanted to tear the thing off like the Incredible Hulk and run out of the place in a frenzy. But doing so would draw lots of attention from the other dozen or so patrons of the cozy, cinnamon-scented coffee shop, so he remained in his seat. And perspired.

In through the nose, out through the mouth, he repeated in his mind as he tried to control his breathing. Percival glanced down at the book he carried with him, The Once and Future King. Maybe he'd read his favorite quote from the well-worn book and that would calm him down. He flipped to page 673: The bravest people are the ones who don't mind looking like cowards.

He hoped that was true.

This was his first date with a man and he was terrified. Percival had come out to his friends and family a few months ago, and they'd all been supportive, much to his relief. But whenever anyone mentioned setting him up on a date, he babbled, stammered, and made excuses about how he wasn't ready. Clearly, he still wasn't ready, but what was he going to do, hide away in his apartment, the gym, or at the university library forever? He'd muddle through this date, then run home and study for his exam on Monday. Good idea. He'd act like this morning never happened and he'd go on with his comfortable little life.

The only reason Percival had agreed to this date was because his friend Merlin set him up, and Merlin was a loyal, trustworthy friend.

"I know this really great guy," Merlin had said. "He's a first year med student, so you'll have a lot to talk about, since you just started your Ph.D. and all. I think you'll like him a lot."

That's all Merlin was willing to say about the man. And it just so happened this Mystery Man also loved The Once and Future King, and that's how Percival was supposed to pick him out when he entered the coffee shop – the guy would be carrying his own copy of the book. It all seemed silly, but Percival had never dated a man, so maybe this sort of thing happened all the time.

Percival closed his beat-up novel and glanced up at the door. Holy shit, there he was, Mystery Man! He held a ridiculously tattered copy of The Once and Future King, one so worn the front cover had been duct-taped on. And this guy was gorgeous, with a nice, muscular build obvious beneath his leather jacket and fitted black t-shirt. He had shaggy dark hair, a neatly-trimmed beard, and a warm, genuine smile on his face. The man was shorter than Percival, but everyone was – that happened when you were closing in on six-and-a-half feet tall.

The man turned and his gaze zeroed in on Percival's book. Mystery Man approached Percival's table, and Percival went to stand up, but his sweater got snagged on the back of his chair and he half-tripped on his way to his feet. Again.

"Hey, I'm Gwaine! It's great to meet you. Merlin really sang your praises."

Percival moved to shake Gwaine's hand, but Gwaine pulled Percival into a friendly, firm hug. Unlike most men Percival knew, Gwaine smelled like fresh soap and not of too-strong cologne.

"Yeah, Merlin had lots of nice things to say about you, too," Percival said, stepping back from the embrace and offering Gwaine a seat.

"I thought this was a little weird with the secrecy and 'Look for the man carrying a copy of The Once and Future King,' but I decided why not?" Gwaine sat down. "Might as well try something different, because my efforts at dating have, well, sucked."

"Mine, too," Percival said. "Actually, that's not true. This is my first date with a guy. And I'm twenty-two." His face grew warm with that confession. "Pretty ridiculous, right?"

"Nope, because I'm a year older than you and this is only my second. My first date was awful. I'm still a little traumatized from it."

Percival leaned forward. "What happened?"

"All right, about three months ago, I met this guy for lunch at an Italian place. I show up, he eyes me up and down, and says: 'You're too short. But we're here anyway, so we might as well eat.' I didn't know if I should punch the guy or break down into tears."

"What did you do?"

Gwaine dropped his gaze. "I stayed, like an idiot, then I went home and wallowed in misery for about a week. Might have shed a tear or two."

If that had happened to Percival, he probably wouldn't have risked another date, ever, and would have died old and single, surrounded by a dozen dogs. Dogs were easy with their unconditional love. People? Not so much. Percival found himself wanting to reach out and squeeze Gwaine's hand in support, but he wondered if that was appropriate. He desperately needed a guidebook to dating men.

"Do you have a problem with my height?" Gwaine asked, his expression wary and concerned.

"No," Percival answered quickly. "Not at all. You look good…" He winced a little. You look good? How inarticulate. "What about my height? Do you have a problem with it? I realize it can be overwhelming."

"Nah. Tall, short, it doesn't matter to me. I worry more about things a man can control, like the way he treats other people. That's important…treating others with kindness and respect."

Percival found Gwaine's openness and honesty refreshing, and a warm rush of affection shot through him. That was ridiculous, wasn't it? Percival had known this man for a few minutes; it was too soon to feel this way.

Right then, Percival realized Gwaine didn't have his own drink. "Oh my God, I've been so rude!" Percival said. "I didn't order you a drink."

Gwaine laughed. "That's all right. I was too wrapped up in our conversation to think about it. And your coffee must be stone cold by now. Let's both get something."

They studied the chalkboard menu hovering above the cappuccino machines.

"I have an idea," Gwaine said. "Why don't we order something we've never had before? That'll be hard for me because I'm such a caffeine addict and I've probably drunk it all…" He squinted his eyes at the board. "Wait! Have you ever tried their Ethiopian coffee? I haven't. It comes in a pot with these tiny cups like shot glasses. Stronger than hell, I hear."

Percival, realizing his heartbeat was well under control now, grinned. "I'm game."

They sat and sipped their dark, strong coffee. After the first pot, they ordered a second, and while they drank, they talked. And talked. For hours on end. They had so much in common, from their love of rugby to their similar stances on social issues. Percival noticed when Gwaine got excited, he spoke faster and louder and waved his hands around for emphasis. The guy was charming, witty, and fun, and Percival found himself enjoying every moment with his date.

After their long discussion regarding the need for colleges to focus on creating a more diverse campus community, Gwaine sat back and withdrew his phone from his jacket pocket.

"Damn, you'll never believe what time it is," Gwaine said. "Don't look! What time do you think it is?"

"We met at what, ten, so I'd guess it's maybe twelve o'clock now?"

"Nope. Three o'clock."

"We've been here for five hours?" Percival barked.

"It seems so. And I don't know about you, but it's way past my lunch time and I'm starving. If I'm not fed at regular intervals I get cranky." Gwaine winked at Percival. This was flirting, for sure. Percival tried to figure out how to flirt back without coming across as too forward and without looking like an idiot. Ah, forget it, he'd just be himself.

"I whine like a damn baby if I miss a meal," Percival said.

"What do you eat, organic chicken salads with a side of organic water? Because you're in the best shape I've ever seen."

Yep, Percival's cheeks burned red again. "Uh, thanks. And you're not so bad yourself."

Gwaine let out a chuckle. "You're cute when you're embarrassed."

Percival didn't know whether to laugh or cry. This is what he'd always wanted, for years now, to have a man pay him a little attention and say kind things, a man who might be interested in more than a casual friendship. Maybe coming out as a gay man had been worth all the stress and strain.

"Uh oh, I went too far," Gwaine said. "How about you let me redeem myself and treat you to lunch? There's a Turkish kebab place down the street. It's so good."

"I like the sound of it. And you didn't go too far. This is all new to me and… I've had a good time today."

Gwaine met Percival's eye. "Yeah, me, too."

XXXX

At the kebab house, Percival wasn't sure what to order, so he let Gwaine take the lead. When the food arrived at the table, Percival had to laugh, because it looked like enough to feed four. They started out with a thick hummus dip and cacik spread on warm lavash bread, then moved on to skewers of peppery chicken shish and spicy doner kebab. And somehow, with their mouths full, they managed to talk nonstop, just as they had at Lake Avalon Coffee Shop.

During lunch, Gwaine whipped out his phone and shared pictures of his one-year-old niece and nephew, twins.

"That's my sister Freya and her two little ones, Emelia and Nate. I love those kids." He slipped the phone back into his jacket pocket. "I definitely want some of my own one day. After med school and all that." Gwaine swallowed his mouthful of food. "Sorry, is that weird to talk about? Wanting kids? Does that make me sound creepy and stalker-ish?"

Percival laughed, almost choked on his chicken, and had to wash the bite down with a slug of water. "No, that's not weird or stalker-ish. I love kids. That's the best part of my grad school program in physical therapy, working with kids. It's what I want to do."

"No way!" Gwaine said. "I want to specialize in pediatrics."

They were done with lunch (a very late lunch) when Gwaine's phone vibrated in his pocket, but he ignored the buzz.

"Go ahead and get that," Percival said.

"All right. Thanks. I didn't want to be rude, but I already know what this is." He glanced at the screen and groaned. "It's my roommates, Arthur and Gwen. They're going out of town overnight and they asked me to puppy-sit. They got this new rescue puppy and the fluffball can't be left alone for long, and they want to know where the hell I am."

"I understand. You need to get going."

"Yeah, but I would really rather stay." Gwaine let out a moan of aggravation. "If there was any way I could get out of it, I would. Sorry."

"Not a problem. You didn't expect to be gone this long."

Gwaine frowned at his phone and tapped out a quick text. "Let me pay the bill and we'll walk back to our cars."

They left for the parking lot of the coffee shop; it was dark out now and chilly. The walk was all too brief, and Gwaine and Percival found themselves at their cars within a few minutes.

Gwaine leaned against the driver's side door of his beat-up green Ford. "I had a great time today, Percival. Can I see you again?"

"That'd be great."

"Later tonight? Sorry" – Gwaine shook his head – "being a freak again. How about tomorrow night? We can meet back here at the coffee shop and figure out what we want to do."

"Sure. Six o'clock tomorrow?"

Percival was dying for Gwaine to make a move and kiss him, but instead, Gwaine pulled Percival into a tight hug.

"Sounds like a plan," Gwaine said.

Neither one of them let go, but Percival felt too shy and inexperienced to make the first move, so they stood there under the yellowish glow of the flickering street lamp, embracing. Percival was the first one to pull back.

They waved goodbye to one another and stepped into their cars. Gwaine drove off the lot, but Percival sat there behind the wheel, taking deep breaths and allowing all the tension and excitement to drain from his body.

Shit. This might be one of those dreaded love-at-first-sight things.