fandomtownies | Luke's, Thursday Afternoon

Hardison was drawn downstairs by the delicious scents emanating from the kitchen. He was probably going to make his boyfriend mad by gorging himself on whatever they were cooking and not having enough room for whatever Eliot was whipping up for Christmas Eve dinner, but whatever. This smelled too good for him to pass up.

Heading downstairs, however, his plans were thwarted by the staff who were all working with terrifying efficiency in the kitchen. "You can have one plate!" Cook told him while the busboy and dishwasher ignored him in favor of packing a shocking amount of food into large bins.

"Uhhh, if I'm only allowed one plate then why'd y'all make so much?" Hardison asked, reaching out to filch some stuffing.

Without even looking, Cook whapped his fingers with a ladled. The dishwasher snickered openly. At least the busboy answered. "This is for tomorrow," he explained. "We're closed, but we want to make sure people have a good dinner available if they want one. So we're making a bunch of dinner baskets for people on the island and shipping the rest off to some shelters on the mainland, along with the rest of the stuff we got from the food drive."

"Well...hell," Hardison said, impressed in spite of himself. "Here, lemme finish up my plate an' then I'll help pack, a'ight?"

"Fine," Cook replied. "But we catch you stealing food and Dishy here gets to decide your punishment." The dishwasher finally acknowledged Hardison by giving him a distinctly unsettling grin.

"This whole diner is staffed by creepers," Hardison muttered before settling down with a plate.

Today's Specials!
Preview Christmas Dinner!
Roast Goose
Hazelnut, Pancetta, and Orange Stuffing
Marscapone Mashed Potatoes
Brown Sugar Glazed Brussels Sprouts and Baby Carrots
Peart Tarte Tatin With Red Wine Caramel

[OCD-free! And feel free to mod that a holiday dinner basket was delivered to you tomorrow if you'd like!]