This story deserves an introduction because I wasn't planning on releasing it. Long story short (no pun intended), I was working on this before the Telltale debacle but struggled to finish it. I was releasing one-shots of Javier/Luke and wanted to a multi-chapter fic even though I knew I was still dealing with a lot on my end. I try to finish multi-chapter fics in advance now because I don't want to go on hiatus and leaving you all hanging. I know it happens to a lot of authors and is rarely, if ever, deliberate but I still didn't want to fall into that again. But the fall of Telltale mixed with my own personal life situations really put a halt to this story, even though I was knee deep in writing it. Even now, I will admit, it is incomplete (though I plan to wrap it up in a few more chapters). At this point, I do feel it deserves to be released, even if the fanbase is slowly dwindling and focussing their efforts elsewhere (which I completely understand). I plan to release a new chapter every second Sunday of the month and hope those that those who still like Javier/Luke will enjoy reading this story. I completed the final chapter of the Walking Dead recently (late, I know) so I will add some of the characters in that game into this story as it goes on. In the meantime, please enjoy this new Walking Dead tale of mine!

./././

They met the night Luke was out celebrating Nick's birthday. The fall semester at Telltale University had just started and after barely surviving his first year, Luke Vance knew all too well how busy his schedule would be in the coming weeks. That's why he'd been excited to do something for his good friend's birthday before the stressors of school kicked in.

He'd met Nick Cruise during his first year as both of them were in Telltale's English program. Luke was working towards applying for the upper year creative writing program and Nick was considering going into teacher's college after he completed his undergrad. They ended up in a lot of the same courses, however, and became close friends that spent time together even when they didn't have to study.

That night wasn't any different, especially since Nick's birthday served as the perfect excuse to hit the local arcade and spend their limited funds on racing games and pizza. They'd invited Mike Williams, a mutual friend in their program, along for the festivities as well.

"I'll try to go easy on you since it's your birthday," Mike teased as they arrived at the arcade.

"Oh, please," Nick said with a eye roll, "you'll be eating my dust when we play that drag race simulator."

"Do you wanna bet?" Mike asked with a raised eyebrow.

"C'mon, guys," Luke interjected, a smirk starting to form on his face, "we all know I'm gonna beat both of you so why not just hand me your money now?"

The arcade was pretty outdated, but it was one of the only forms of entertainment in the small town of Capricorn. What it lacked in current gaming, it made up for in classics that couldn't be found in most arcades. Nick was a huge fan of the racing games and while Luke knew a couple rounds of Mario Kart back at the dorms would have been just as fun, there was something historic about the arcade that always brought them back. It was as if it hadn't changed since it's inception and Luke always felt like he'd stepped into a time machine when he entered the dilapidated building. Hershel, the owner who manned the front desk on occasion, was really nice and always gave the boys extra tokens when they came to play. He always said it was because they were some of his best costumers and they repaid the gesture by always buying food when they stopped by. The arcade was big enough to have a small fast food shop in the back that served some of the best pizza Luke had ever eaten.

"You boys have fun, now," Hershel said, sending them off with a wave as they headed towards the game room.

"You know we will!" Luke replied, returning the gesture as he followed his friends into the dark room filled with dancing lights.

After a few hours of bets, racing games, and groans from Nick losing, the boys purchased some pizza and sat in the back of the arcade where several sets of chairs and tables sat.

"Happy Birthday, man!" Luke said with a smile as he bit into a slice of Hawaiian.

"Thanks, Luke," Nick replied, taking a swig from a bottle of Pepsi, "one year older, one year bolder, huh?"

"How bold is that?" Luke teased.

"Bold enough to raise your grades or...?" Mike added.

"H-hey, shut up!" Nick growled. Mike and Luke laughed at that.

"Just kidding, Nick! I'm sure you'll get by," Mike said. "You can't do any worse than last year."

"Gee, thanks," Nick replied, shaking his head, "last year was pretty bad though."

"It was like that for everyone," Luke said with a shrug.

Mike nodded in agreement. "First year had all of us down and out."

"It did," Nick agreed, "but I definitely need to step it up this year."

"You will," Luke reassured, "and we're always here if you need us."

"Thanks, guys," Nick said with a smile. Luke and Mike nodded in respond.

Nick took another swig from his bottle and sighed contently.

"Well, enough of this mushy stuff. We should probably start heading back," he continued.

"Oh, shoot," Mike said, his eyes widening in surprise as he checked his watch, "time sure flies when you're not studying or unpacking."

"You can say that again," Luke groaned woefully. "I still haven't sorted all of my clothes out. I'll have to do it this weekend if I have time."

"You better," Nick replied, "your room was a mess last year."

"I don't remember yours being any better," Luke retorted.

"Me neither," Nick agreed with a shrug. Luke glared at him.

"Weren't we supposed to be heading out?" Mike asked, chuckling at their banter.

./././

It was a warm night for early Fall and Luke was glad he'd left his leather jacket at the dorm. He had hoped the burnt orange sweatshirt and dark blue skinny jeans he'd donned would be enough for the early September weather. As he stepped out of the arcade, his gaze was drawn to a crowd of people surrounding a clutter of white tents up the street. Luke raised an eyebrow as he picked up the sound of jazz music playing and the smell of food wafting past him.

"What's going on over there?" Nick asked from behind him.

"That's the fall street market," Mike explained, "my roommate mentioned it. The local businesses bring some of their fall season wares for people to sample before they're officially available. There are companies from the city here too, so there's a lot of variety. It's also a way for them to welcome students during their first week."

"We should check it out," Nick said.

"Do we have time to?" Luke asked, turning to him.

"Do we ever?" Nick argued.

"He has a point," Mike said with a smile.

"Well, it's your birthday," Luke replied, shrugging as they began walking towards the market.

"Exactly," Nick said with a smirk, "my day, my rules,"

"Remind me not to do anything for his birthday next year," Luke said to Mike.

"Don't worry, I will," his friend said with a sigh.

"H-hey, c'mon guys!" Nick groaned.

./././

The market was busier than they'd expected but that didn't discourage Luke from walking around to view the various booths. He realized he must have missed the market last year in his haste to get ready for University, so he was eager to make up for it now.

There were a variety of restaurants and shops featured at the market. Luke had heard about a handful of them but had never bothered to go and experience what they had to offer. Being a student meant being on a limited income that stretched farther on instant noodles and crappy coffee.

Still, it was nice to see their wares and try the tasty samples they were giving out. A pumpkin tart from one of the local bakeries served as the perfect dessert to the dinner he'd just had and he thanked the baker responsible before heading off. Overall, he was enjoying himself.

He'd just finished speaking to the owner of a candy shop when he realized he'd lost sight of Nick and Mike. It was getting late and the wind was cooler than it had been when they'd arrived, so it seemed as good a time as any to start heading back.

He started typing a message to Nick and Mike, asking them to meet him by the arcade when they were ready to go. That would give him enough time to get back there before they headed over.

He was so focussed on typing, he didn't notice the person he was walking in the direction of until it was too late.

"Ah!" he gasped as he bumped into what appeared to be the shoulder of a taller man in front of him. He looked up to see the man trying to keep a plate full of pastries steady as he regained his balance.

His eyes widened as he watched the pastries slide dangerously close to the edge of the large dish the man was carrying. The man bit his lip as he teetered backwards, watching the pastries as hard as Luke was.

"It's o-okay," the man said, noticing the nervous look on Luke's face as he finally got a good grip on the plate.

"I'm so sorry!" Luke exclaimed. "I should have been paying attention, I-"

"Hey, it's okay," the man repeated, turning to him, "no harm, no fowl."

Luke gave him a sheepish smile, feeling his face heat up in embarrassment. The man returned it with a toothy grin that didn't help Luke's growing blush.

"S-still, my bad," Luke stammered, unsure as to why he was suddenly fumbling on his words. He tried to maintain eye contact with the man but it was becoming harder to do so.

The man was handsome, for starters, with a bright smile and warm brown eyes that seemed to hold Luke in place. His hair, a dark auburn in colour, was combed to the side, matching the growing beard that took up the lower half of his face but didn't hide how stunning he really was. He was taller than Luke too, by at least a few inches, and his frame seemed to be fit but lean.

A quick (and discreet) once over brought Luke to the conclusion that the man was part of some sort of bakery. It was pretty obvious when he considered the plate of desserts and the obsidian apron, wrapped around his torso and covered in various spices. The white undershirt he was wearing seemed to have avoided most of the baking ingredients his apron (a fabric shield, as far as he was concerned) had failed to, and Luke couldn't help but find it cute.

"A-are you a baker?" Luke blurted out before he could stop himself. The man chuckled and smiled at him.

"Depends on who's asking, but I'd like to think I know my way around a kitchen."

"I see…" Luke replied with widened eyes. He tried to remember the last time he'd felt so out of place around someone. With his small circle of friends, it couldn't have been anytime recently.

"My bakery is showing off some goods here," the man explained.

"Oh, I must have missed that one," Luke admitted, turning to look around at the various booths again.

"They shoved us in the back," the man replied, sighing and shaking his head, "that's why I'm trying to hand out samples closer to the front."

Suddenly, the man perked up and gestured his plate towards Luke.

"Would you like to try one?" he asked, giving Luke a smile that made the student's heart flutter.

"S-sure."

He looked at the spread on the tray and picked up a pastry that was dipped in a jam of some sort.

Taking a bite of the deep fried dough, he couldn't help but moan as he chewed slowly. It had a caramel filling that complimented the bread's sugary shell and the jam on top (which Luke recognized as raspberry) only sweetened the deal.

"Wow, this is amazing," Luke said with a smile, continuing to bite into the tasty treat.

"You like it, huh?" the man asked, a husk in his voice that Luke hadn't picked up on before.

"I do, thank you so much," Luke replied, ignoring the way his heart was starting to race as he chewed.

"You should stop by our bakery sometime," the man invited, "it's designed like a café and we even have a study lounge for students."

"Really? That sounds great, I'll definitely stop by," Luke replied honestly.

"I'm Javier," the man said, brushing his hand on his apron before extending it to Luke.

"I'm Luke," Luke replied, shaking the man's hand. A vibration passed through him that he tried to brush off by clearing his throat.

"So what brings you here tonight? You're a student, right?" Javier asked, placing a hand on his hip.

"Well, actually…" Luke started, suddenly remembering where he was supposed to be.

"Oh, shoot," he exclaimed, slapping his forehead, "I'm supposed to be meeting up with my friends, we were heading home." He was speaking more to himself than his new acquaintance, but Javier nodded in understanding anyway.

"Well, you better get going then. It was nice meeting you, Luke," he replied. Luke nodded and began to speed walk past him.

"It was nice meeting you, too!" Luke echoed. "Thanks for the sample and sorry again for bumping into you!"

"All is forgiven," Javier said with a wave, "it's not every day a cute guy bumps into me."

A blush immediately spread across Luke's cheeks and he almost tripped on himself as he turned back to look at Javier.

"G-guess it's your lucky night," he replied before he could stop himself. He was so in shock over the man's compliment that his mind seemed to go on auto-pilot trying to compensate.

Javier didn't seem to notice as he laughed in response. "Well, it would really be my lucky night if I got your number."

Luke tried to stop his jaw from dropping as he came to a halt a little ways away from Javier. Of all things the baker could have said, he hadn't expected that.

He was about to respond when his phone started vibrating.

"I-I gotta go, but maybe next time?" he replied, offering the man a wave and a sheepish smile as he headed into the crowd. He saw Javier return the gesture before he turned to run towards the arcade.

He didn't know what to make of their conversation, even after he was far from the market. Had Javier indirectly asked him out? Or was he just looking to promote his business and gain some new customers? Luke didn't want to jump to conclusions and get his hopes up.

He tried to shake off his thoughts (and the feelings that came with them) as he returned to the arcade. Nick and Mike were sitting on the front steps waiting for him and he let out a breath he'd been holding as he reached them.

"Sorry about that, guys," he groaned.

"What happened?" Mike asked as he stood up, brushing his pants off as he did.

"N-nothing," Luke murmured, "I just lost track of time, that's all."

"Really?" Nick asked, his tone suggesting he didn't really believe him.

"Yes," Luke frowned, knowing he didn't sound as convincing as he wanted to.

"Can we continue this another time? I have an early class tomorrow," Mike asked, beginning to walk towards the dormitories.

"Me too, actually," Nick groaned, shaking his head as he finally got up from the arcade's front steps.

"As if you'll actually attend," Mike teased.

"Oh, whatever man!"

Luke smiled at his friends as he trailed behind them. He risked a glance back at the market and felt his heart skip another beat. Replaying the conversation he'd had with Javier in his head, he felt another blush spread across his cheeks and shook his head in the hopes that it would dissipate. When they didn't, he returned to following his friends, mulling over his thoughts of the handsome baker as he did.