[Kitsumi]

Before Ethan had the chance to respond, the waitress arrived with the food they had ordered. He barely noticed as the plate was set in front of him, however - he was too busy staring at Declan in amazement. The man had such an emotional strength and maturity about him. Already he had proved to have so many attractive traits. What could he possibly see in the doctor?

Nibbling on a potato chip - freshly made that morning, according to the diner's claims - Ethan continued to steal glances at his date. He was beginning to feel some doubts. Was it right for him to pursue Declan? The other man was still so full of youth and had his whole future ahead of him. Why would he want to waste time on an older man who had never had a true relationship?

[Kitsumi]

In between bites, Declan attempted to continue the conversation. "I'm assuming that you're a fairly skilled doctor if you're able to be privately employed." He leaned forward in his seat, eyes trained on his date. "What made you want to go into the medical field?"

Ethan finished chewing and swallowed before replying. "To be honest, I didn't have much of a choice," he answered. "You see, I was found in an orphanage by a doctor when I was about seven years old. He took me on as his apprentice, giving me a home and a future that I probably wouldn't have been able to have without him." His voice became soft as he recalled with fondness the man who had raised him. "Although he wasn't really like a father to me, he is a mentor and a friend. We still keep in touch, through letters mostly."

[Kitsumi]

"Wow," Declan had stopped eating, too absorbed in Ethan's story to remember the hamburger and fries that were in front of him. "But you still had to go through college and stuff like that, right? Where did you get your official medical training?"

Ethan bit his lip nervously. This was where it became more difficult to explain. "Well, I didn't have to go to college. I did take all of my licensing exams, and passed them with flying colors thanks to my guardian's tutoring." He could tell that Declan was confused, so he tried to explain further. "The family that employs me...they are quite influential. I was able to become licensed without taking the classes, provided I passed all of the exams." He rubbed his neck, feeling a bit awkward. "I doubt it would be easy for me to find employment elsewhere with my lack of schooling, although I do work at a non-profit clinic when I have the time."

[Kitsumi]

Declan wanted to ask more questions, but could see that the doctor was becoming nervous. So instead, he changed to a safer topic - their meals. "This burger is really good," he said, after having taken a bite. "How's your chicken sandwich?"

"It's good," Ethan replied. He was grateful that Declan hadn't pressed for more information, and quickly took to the new topic. "The chips are pretty amazing, too. They're made fresh here daily - would you like to try one?" He pushed the plate slightly closer to his date.

[Kitsumi]

Grinning, Declan reached out and took one of the chips. "Sure. Do you want one of my fries or something in return?" He gestured to his burger. "You can have a bite of that, too, if you want. It's got barbeque sauce, fried onions and bacon on it. It's so good!"

"Alright," Ethan agreed. Taking his fork and knife, he cut a small piece off his date's hamburger. Upon tasting it, he nodded. "You're right," he said. "It's really good!"

[Kitsumi]

In between bites, the two continued to talk. Conversation came easily, a fact that surprised Ethan. The age gap didn't seem to cause any difficulty. And although the doctor was typically a bit shy and awkward when it came to interactions outside of his work, somehow he felt like he was able to open up with Declan.

When the meal was finally finished, Ethan was quick to grab his wallet. "The meal is my treat," he said, when Declan began to reach for the bill.

"Oh no, you don't have to do that," Declan said. "Why don't you at least let me cover my own meal?"

But the older man refused. "As I said, it's my treat." He reached across the table for his date's hand. "Trust me, it brings me great pleasure to be able to buy you a meal. In fact, I'd much like to do it again...sometime soon, in fact."