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whatsa-bi-as · 4 months

Text

3 months

GN!reader x Kim Seungmin

plot; Seungmin falls for a local barista not knowing that they fell first

genre; fluff

warnings; reader is described as wearing a dress and having tattoos. Heavily implies that the reader has seasonal depression

word count; 2.6k

networks; @kflixnet and @k-labels

proofread; by me

masterlist is here

There was no worse pain than the sharp winter wind. It cut across your thighs like knives and left every part of exposed skin feeling frostbitten. That’s without mentioning the rain that fell constantly; not a day would go by without drops of ice water melting into your skin and leaving your hands red.

In between the rain and the cold, it was also dark. The sun already set as you were on your way to work, forcing the streets to be lit only by fluorescent streetlights. It was an ugly scene. The cold, dark streets held no laughter despite being filled with smiling people only three months before.

Three months can be a long time but when you’re in the monotonous routine of, class, work, home, repeat, the days begin to bleed together meaning that the high of summer feels like yesterday and the darkness of winter seems never ending.

When you were living at home three months felt like forever. It was 90 days of family dinners, laughter, and chaos. Now you’re on your own? It was 90 days of dark and quiet. 90 days of no sleep, of stressing about deadlines, of dealing with things you never thought you’d have to. It’s odd how 90 days could mean so much, feel like so much time, but now it’s just gone in what feels more like 90 seconds.

Work was not much better; being a barista was exhausting. Always having to smile, having to deal with people who barely see you as a person, it was enough to drive anyone insane, but you had to pay the bills, so here you were clocking in for your 7th shift in 8 days. You had been put on the close shift, so hopefully it would go quickly, and you’d be able to put some music on and focus on getting the tasks done.

The tables were cleaned, chairs were stacked, and it looked like you’d be able to lock the doors as soon as the clock hit seven. That was until four boys came through the door. They looked like nice people but that wasn’t enough to stop the annoyance from rising as they had come in at 6:52 pm. Eight minutes, that was all, a tiny blip in the 129,600 minutes that had melted together over the past few months.

One of the boys looks around and his face just drops.

“Are you closed? We are so sorry if you are!”

You look around, tempted to say yes, to get them to go so you’ll be able to leave early, but all of them look so awful about the possibility of being an inconvenience.

“You got here just in time. We close at 7.”

It was definite that the customer service smile didn’t hide your annoyance, but it was a good enough attempt.

“Thank you! We’ll make it quick.” The taller one replied.

And they did make it quick. Ordering four drinks, paying with one card to save time, leaving as soon as they got their drinks. They were the perfect late-night customers; you couldn’t complain about the interaction at all. Did it take you a little longer to close? Well, yes, but that was mainly the coffee machine so you could just go on your phone.

After that night, those four boys became regulars, sometimes they would bring other people but there would always be at least one of them there to say hello. You didn’t really give it much thought but after a couple weeks you realised that the feeling of impending dread had lessened. The wind was still as bitter, and the cold was still cutting but the feeling you got when you saw them was like the one that the sun brought in the spring.

You had realised what they had come to mean to you, as much as almost strangers can mean to someone, because you had learnt their names. It was never really a priority for you to learn customer names, you could recognise regulars from their faces, and you would only remember other people if they were rude. This was only a job, you didn’t see any point in putting in that much extra effort, but these boys felt different.

There was Hyunjin, he’s the tall one, very nice but can be incredibly chaotic. Dances everywhere he goes to the point you think he might try and get you to do a Tik Tok with him next time they come in late.

Then there's Felix. He has these adorable freckles and the brightest damn smile you’ve ever seen. He only laughed when you tried to do an Australian accent after you heard his so he might be too nice for his own good.

Next is Han. His name is actually Jisung, but you have never heard any of the main four call him that. You only know what his name is because he came in with some other people, who were equally as nice. He is just as chaotic as Hyunjin, but Jisung is just worse at hiding it while in public.

The final one of the four was harder to pin down. He was cute, nice, and the perfect customer but he never really joined in when the other three were messing around. You knew that they were all the same age but that was about it. He was the cutest by far and you’re not afraid to admit that you had a bit of a crush on the mystery man.

From what you’ve learnt his name is Seungmin and he’s a singer. That's about it. The other boys have called him ‘puppy’ but that's just confusing, so you let that one go. Ironically it's the one that you want to know the most that you know the least about.

The boy continued to be a mystery as winter turned to spring. Flowers bloomed and the sun shone bright, but you knew next to nothing about Seungmin.

Your mom would say the change in seasons brought change in the times, it sounded like superstition or star signs, but it gave you hope that as the days grew longer your relationship with him would grow stronger.

That said the warmer weather did bring a warmer attitude, you were happier and that could be seen through the way you treated others with kindness no matter how they first approached the conversation. You complimented little girls in summer dresses, made small talk with other tired students, and even chose to take the high road against a few particularly difficult customers. It was a complete 180 from how you had been for the past few months, but it was a welcome change.

This made someone look at you in a different way. The boy had never really thought of you in more than a friendly way but seeing you smile, and watching as you took the everyday into your stride, well he started to reconsider your place in his life.

Seungmin was happy on his own. He never really bothered with relationships, instead he watched the ones around him. He saw how Hyunjin was able to get any girl he wanted but chose not to take things too far, how Jisung could make anyone laugh just by being himself, and how Felix could make someone's heart flutter by smiling. It made him slightly sick watching girls fawn over his best friends, but it was just part of life.

That's not to say Seungmin couldn’t get girls, if he tried to he definitely could, he just didn't want to. There was no reason for him to go on dates and try to find ‘the one’ when he had so much life left to live.

But there was something about the way your eyes sparkled when your coworkers made you laugh, how you excitedly showed how your dress has pockets every time someone gives you a compliment; there was something comforting in how happiness just seemed to pour from every part of you.

He remembered when you had first met, that late night where the boys had spent far too long practising for a competition, desperately needing coffee. You had looked so done, ready to curl up into a ball and sleep for eternity, but you still let them order even though you closed in eight minutes. It was that night Seungmin knew that you were a good person, but he was not prepared for the way you would make him feel just a few months later.

Smiling when he saw that you were, laughing at the jokes you made, wishing he could talk to you more, he knew what this all meant. In spite of him being fine alone, Seungmin wanted to be with you. He wanted to hear you sing from the kitchen on a Saturday morning, he wanted to see you in his clothes, he just wanted to be yours and for you to be his.

It had been three months since the sun began to shine again. There were still days where the wind cut into your soul, but it was healed by the bright blue of the sky. The rain fell but it was a welcome coolness against the heat that beat down; the days had gotten brighter and longer, and you could feel the darkness leaving. You were living in light, and it made you shine even brighter than the sun.

You had grown closer to the boys you would now class as friends. You found out that they were all dancers, that Felix was bilingual and was teaching the others, and that Seungmin was single. That last piece of information was the most interesting and your reaction brought out some teasing from Jisung and Hyunjin.

“Someone’s gone shy. Does someone have a thing for little Seungmin?”

Of course it was Jisung who had to bring it up first.

Trying to keep your cool and not make a complete idiot out of yourself at work you keep your hands busy making their drinks before you reply.

“And what if I do? Would it really be that bad?”

The boys were slightly stunned, not really expecting you to admit to having feelings for their friend. For two very chatty people they were left speechless; do they try to set you two up? Or is that just meddling? Do they push him to make a move? Or would that just drive him away? There was so much that they could do but they weren’t sure that any of it would be a good move to actually get you guys together.

“No. I think you guys would be a good couple. You’d balance out his grumpy pretty nicely.”

“Seungmin’s not grumpy he’s just an introvert Jisung, not everyone can be friendly all the time.”

By this point you had finished their drinks and knew that this conversation was coming to a close.

“I think I know you guys pretty well by now and that if you’ve decided to meddle then there's not much I can do about that. Just, don’t make me look like an idiot, whatever you guys decide to do.”

The boys took their drinks and shared a look,

“Don’t worry no matter what we do we’ll look like idiots. Well, Jisung will at least.”

“I would be offended but that’s just true. I can’t really disagree with that.”

After that day Seungmin seemed to always be with them and even introduced you to the other members of his dance team. Chan, Minho and Changbin were so sweet you didn’t know how they dealt with the younger four that you had met before. When you met Jeongin you began to see why. It’s as if the younger five took all of the chaotic energy that eight boys would create. It was a weird dynamic but seeing the difference in the way they acted made you laugh every time more than one of them came in.

They were all so nice, and cute, but it was Seungmin who had your full attention every time he came to the shop. When you heard the door open and saw his face you knew that your shift was going to be a good one because he was there, even if it was just for fifteen minutes.

It was when summer reached its peak that you began to get closer. You would talk about whatever came to your mind; he asked you about your tattoos and you’d ask about why he chose that hair colour. It was a nice routine that you had made.

That was until one hot June day he went quiet and very shyly asked.

“So… are you dating anyone?”

You guys had never really talked about relationships, it was just not something that had come up over your friendship.

“Oh um, no. I’ve had a thing for someone for a while, but I don’t really know what to do about it.”

“Does this person know that you like them?”

It was odd to hear that from the boy you liked but you weren’t sure if you should give anything away, so you tried to stay calm

“Well, some of his friends know but I don’t think they’ve told him anything. At least I hope they haven’t.”

He stayed quiet for a while; it looked like he was taking a moment to think things over. It was a nerve wracking 30 seconds.

“Why don’t you tell him? What's the worst that could happen?”

“You really think I should tell him I like him?”

He smiled at you, and you felt your heart skip a beat. His smile was the most beautiful thing you’ve ever seen.

“I think you never know what could happen. Take a chance and see what comes.”

Looking in his eyes you could tell he wasn’t lying. He just wanted you to take a chance, to see what would happen if you threw caution to the wind.

“Alright then. I like you. Like a lot. I have pretty much since you came in that night.”

All he did was smile. He stayed quiet but there was no pity or sympathy in his eyes, he looked happy. After a minute he got up, still smiling, and asked for your number.

“Why?”

“So that we can organise a time to go out. On a date.”

“Oh, okay then yeah!”

After that day you and Seungmin’s relationship flourished.

You officially began dating in September, just as the leaves turned orange and the wind began to chill. So as autumn turned to winter you didn’t feel the cold the same way you did the first time you met your now boyfriend.

The wind was still sharp, the rain still cold, but when you went home you knew that Seungmin would be waiting for you. The boy could make the coldest weather warmer, his hands warmed yours and his hoodies kept you comfortable wherever you went. The boy you had met in the darkest three months you had ever experienced was able to change your life.

The next time it felt like there was no hope he was there to remind you that there is. He made your flat feel like home, and the days that were once silent were loud with laughter and music. He warmed your soul in the coldest time of the year.

You never thought that a barista job would mean you’d meet your soulmate but it’s odd how life can change in just a short amount of time. Three months can feel like forever, but with Seungmin by your side three months disappears in a blink of an eye.

#kflixnet #k labels #seungmin fluff #seungmin fanfic #seungmin x reader #seungmin x you #seungmin x y/n #kim seungmin fanfic #kim seungmin x reader #kim seungmin x you #kim seungmin x y/n #seungmin stray kids #seungmin skz #stray kids #stray kids fanfiction #stray kids fluff #stray kids fanfic

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strangesmallbard · 5 months

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bg3 characters if they worked at publix/safeway/your grocery store of choice:

karlach: in charge of anything that involves moving heavy objects between locations, but also works produce. LOVES helping old ladies take their groceries to the car; will accidentally abandon the vegetables at least once per shift. (she does apologize to the vegetables.) also is a pallet stacking master in the most haphazard configurations that, somehow, miraculously never fall over. frequently posts her monstrosities on r/publix, alongside a selfie of her giving a cheeky thumbs up.

wyll: store manager, in his second year of a master’s degree in public policy. optimistic like a sword is optimistic. WILL make sure you take your mandated break and will hand out store giftcards for a job well done. does not suffer customers who behave badly. is roommates and longtime best friends with karlach; the energy they exude while together either makes your shift bearable or unbearable, depending.

shadowheart: works the in-store coffee counter. probably should not because she always looks vaguely disgusted, annoyed, or bored. the dark circles under her eyes are always there no matter how many espresso shots she sips. has anonymously complained to corporate about the store’s music choices. every new employee thinks they have a shot with her until she hits them with the 👁️�� did you need something? 👁️😐 and they slink away, feeling chastised for reasons unknown.

minthara: works the meat and/or fish counter. smokes seventeen packs per mandated break. always smells a little bit like red meat. has the most insane combat stories but it’s completely unclear whether she’s a veteran or just someone who gets into situations on purpose. every 20-something employee is at least mildly obsessed with her whole thing, but she’ll only humor karlach. no one knows where she lives.

lae’zel: 22-year-old grocery team lead. typically works the 5pm-11pm shift, but still obviously runs that shit like a navy seal base. has encyclopedic knowledge of grocery store codes and also lore. during mandated breaks she can be found doing one-armed pushups, argueflirting with shadowheart, or scribbling poetry in a notebook. she’s also the pitcher on her college’s varsity baseball team; everyone shows up to her big games and she fails at not looking overwhelmed by joy every time.

jaheira: beloved customer service manager, knows literally everything and everyone. taught wyll everything he knows about not suffering customers who behave badly. often goes mountain climbing with her scary 39-year-old girlfriend astele who owns the smoke shop next door. sells the best weed you’ll ever smoke in your life.

gale: day shift manager counterpart to lae’zel, postdoc who needs the job to make rent obviously. constantly gives aisle directions for the store location he worked during undergrad and shelves the soup cans all wrong. WILL show you photos of his cat. constantly recognized by his booktube fans (he also streams sims 4 builds of classic sci fi/fantasy book locations). he does wear his own merch underneath the uniform.

halsin: that customer who’s very polite but frequently and inexplicably barefoot. he also teaches woodworking and pottery at the youth center down the road. sometimes brings his regular kids to the store for a field trip and those little bags of cheetos. grows the weed that jaheira sells.

astarion: does not work at the grocery store. he worked at the grocery store for two weeks, during which he showed up late every day, insulted customers, and generally behaved like a cat ripped away from his ball of yarn. he only lasted those two weeks because gale (roommate/situationship) begged wyll to give him another chance in a different department. he still lives with gale while finishing up a law degree and can be found loitering in the grocery store, bitching about The Circumstances with shadowheart.

#baldur's gate 3 #bg3 #karlach #wyll ravengard #shadowheart #minthara baenre #lae'zel #jaheira #gale dekarios #halsin #astarion #yell.txt

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circus4apsycho8 · 7 days

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Hi, I hope you are doing well!! I was wondering if you could write a ninjago Cole x reader where the reader is the teams medic. Cole, being the muscle of the team, usually gets hurt a lot and the medic has to patch him a lot on and off the field. They grow closer and close and eventually become an established relationship. Angst, smut, fluff, whatever, full creative freedom! Love your writing!!

Hey, thank you very much! Love this request! I will be making this a 2-3 part series. One of the next chapters will feature a second related request, I believe. Originally I was going to publish it all at once, but then I decided to break it up a little bit. Also, not sure how accurate the wounds and whatnot are, but I tried :v Hope you enjoy!

Warnings: stab wounds, cussing, mild gore descriptions

Word Count: 11.9k

knife to meet you. | cole x reader | chapter i

The clock is going to drive you insane.

Tick after tick, the hands click on, your sanity diminishing with each passing second. For the millionth time tonight, you rip your gaze from the dragging hands of the clock. Not even three minutes had passed since you’d last checked the time. A frustrated sigh tumbles from your lips, eyes venturing down to stare at the tea supplies scattered about the table before you.

“Stop looking at it,” you grumble to yourself, returning your hands to your task - bagging tea leaves and ingredients to assemble Mystake’s latest recipe. Her new tea is set to launch tomorrow, and she could be a stickler for keeping fully stocked shelves. The thought makes you sigh, knowing you’ll certainly be busy in the morning. Perhaps the promotion would make the day go by faster.

The repetitive motions of your hands eventually allow your mind to shift into autopilot mode, hands running on muscle memory as you wonder how much longer you would be here for - you’d come a long way since training as her apprentice, and by helping her with the shop, she allowed you to live with her rent free.

And while you’re forever grateful for Mystake’s kindness, you know this isn’t what destiny has planned for you. Running a tea shop was her dream, not yours. Deep within your heart, you feel yourself growing antsy. You wouldn’t thrive here, and a part of you wonders if you’ll end up stuck here.

The bell above the door chimes, snapping your body out of autopilot and into customer service mode. The smile plastered on your face masks the annoyance at having to serve someone so late. Who even thinks to buy tea this late at night?

You hop off of the stool. “Good evening! How can I-”

The sight before you jerks your body out of autopilot, a horrified expression overcoming you as your eyes process the scene in front of you:

Three men dressed in gis stand before you, two of them supporting a man in a black gi - his head is drooped, and he’s limp. His arms are strung around the necks and shoulders of two men on either side - one dressed in red and the other blue.

“Please,” grunts the one in blue. “We need help!”

“He’s been stabbed, and we didn’t know where else to go,” adds the red one, both looking at you with desperate faces. “You can treat wounds, right?”

For a moment, you freeze. Mystake isn’t here, and she always takes care of these things. You’ve only ever observed or helped with guidance. She certainly wouldn’t make it back in time to help.

What would she say right now?

...She’d tell me not to freeze. Just work and do what you were trained to do. Make a decision.

You snap out of your stupor, realizing that you’re on your own. This man needs help now, and you know you’ll never become a healer if you don’t start doing things on your own.

So, you force yourself to swallow your fear. “Okay. Take him in the back; take a right, then enter the second doorway on the left. I’ll be right there.”

The two oblige without question, immediately making their way to the back of the store. After making your way to the front, you lock the door and flip the sign to ‘closed’. Next, you jog behind the counter, swiping the emergency medical kit you always had stocked. On your way to the room, you swipe a certain tea you know you’ll need later.

With almost everything you need in hand, you hurry through the maze of tea shelves and doors until you arrive in the medical room.

The two men have lowered their friend on top of the bed, with the red one pressing down on his abdomen. Blood cakes the lower parts of his arms, eyes wide with fear as he holds the pressure.

“The blood…it’s not stopping,” the brunet drawls, tensing as he stares at the wound.

“Here, let me,” you state, immediately coming to take over. He relents, stepping off to the side. “I need you guys to grab me a few towels. They’re in the cabinet to the right.”

They nod, rushing to gather what you need. You’re quick to start applying pressure to the wound, face twisting in determination as you hold the fabric in place. The stabbed man grunts, hissing as he tosses his head back in pain. Normally a reaction like this would scare you, but you’re too hopped up on adrenaline to care at the moment.

“I’m sorry. I know this hurts like hell, but I have to get the bleeding to stop,” you sympathize, eyes still trained on his wound. Out of the corner of your eye, you can see the blue one frozen at the side. Looks like he could use something else to focus on. “Hey, blue guy. Can you start steeping that tea bag over there? I know it’s an odd request at such a time, but just trust me.”

“Tea bag? Y-Yeah, I’m on it.” Thankfully, this snaps him out his stupor and gets his hands busy.

You note that the red one looks antsy too. A glance at the injured man’s tattered top gives you an idea for another task.

“And could you get his top off, please? I need to make sure he wasn’t hit anywhere else this badly.”

“Yeah. Yeah…okay. I can do that,” he replies, eyes lingering over the blood momentarily before he snaps himself out of his stupor. His hands fumble to his belt, where he slips out a small, silver shuriken.

You shuffle out of his way as best you can without hindering your progress on the wound, watching as the shuriken slices through the fabric. Mr. Red Guy gently pulls the sides off and out of your way, allowing it to drape over the sides of the table.

After thanking him, you quickly scan the rest of the stabbed man’s torso. There are a few bruises and cuts, but the stab wound seems to be the brunt of the damage.

From there, the room falls quiet save for his pained grunts.

“Fuck,” he curses, voice taut. “How...how’s it looking?”

“You’re gonna pull through, man,” replies the red one, his voice coming out stronger than he looks. “She’s got the blood loss slowing down.”

The blue one, on the other hand, doesn’t sound as put together. His voice is shaky and his eyes are glassy, but you can tell he’s trying to sound optimistic. “Yeah, Cole, you’re going to be just fine.”

“How’s the tea looking?” you inquire, trying to distract him from whatever’s making him upset. You need everyone to remain calm until the bleeding has stopped.

“I think it’s ready. Do you need it?”

“Yes, please,” you reply. “Have him drink as much as he can, even if it’s only a few sips. It should ease the pain a little bit and help prevent infection.”

The redhead nods, going to prop his friend’s head up while the other holds the teacup for him. You listen as they speak softly to him, words too quiet for you to hear.

It takes you a minute, but thankfully you’re able to get the bleeding to stop. Soon enough, the wound is sterilized and bandaged properly with the man now unconscious on the table.

You find yourself absentmindedly cleaning the last bits of blood off of his torso, realizing that the three of you are all quietly processing the night together.

“Are you two okay?” you speak suddenly, shifting your gaze to them. “You’re not wounded, are you?”

“No, we’re okay. Just a little cut up and bruised, but nothing we can’t handle,” the spiky-haired brunet assures. “Thank you. I don’t know what we would have done if you hadn’t helped us.”

“It’s what we do. I’m glad I was able to help him,” you dismiss, smiling softly as you return your gaze to the task at hand. “Oh, and by the way…” You take a moment to introduce yourself. “I’m Mystake’s apprentice.”

“Only an apprentice?” the redhead wonders.

“I thought you were a master medic, what with the way you handled that. But yeah, I’m Kai, that’s Jay, and he’s Cole.”

You nod in acknowledgement, attempting to commit their names to memory. “Thank you. Well, I wish it was under better circumstances, but nonetheless it’s nice to meet you all.”

“Likewise,” Kai replies.

You debate your next question momentarily, but decide to just ask anyway. “And do you mind if I ask what happened? Stabbings are rare around here.”

“Well, I’d say you’ve more than earned an explanation for us barging in here with a dying man in the middle of the night, then handling it like a pro,” Jay interjects. “We were on a mission to investigate an incident of serial burglaries that had been occurring around a town close to this one.”

“Long story short, we find the guys, confront them, then things start to get heated,” Kai continues, staring off into the distance. “So, we start fighting, trying to apprehend and whatnot. Cole doesn’t draw his weapon yet because he’s pretty well-versed with hand-to-hand combat.”

“It was my fault,” Jay interrupts, eyes turning glassy again as he averts his gaze. “One of them tripped me up, and I caught sight of the knife they had. And I…I just froze. I don’t know why. But he pushed me out of the way just in time, and he took the hit in my place.”

“It’s not your fault, Jay,” Kai assures. “This was a rough job for us all. And it doesn’t help that Zane wasn’t here to help.”

“The important thing is that you’re all alive and healing,” you say, dumping another bloodied towel into a nearby bin. “And he’s going to be just fine.”

“I still can’t help but feel bad,” mumbles the redhead, your heart dropping slightly at the sight of his guilt-laced stare. “He shouldn’t have to look out for us when he already takes the brunt of the damage.”

Their words pique your interest, causing you to glance up with a puzzled expression. “So you guys do this a lot, then? Are you vigilantes or something?”

“We’re ninja,” Kai responds, gesturing to the symbols on both of their gis. “We recently finished our training with our master, and have been fighting to make Ninjago a safer place ever since.”

“Oh, I see!” you reply. That certainly explains the strange outfits and weapons. The conversation reminds you of a rumor you had heard from a few customers one day a few weeks ago. “You know, now that we’re talking about it, I had heard rumors about ninjas surfacing somewhere and taking out bad guys. I just didn’t think much of it considering nothing major has happened in our town since.”

Kai grins slightly at this, eyeing Jay with a small smirk. “Hey, sounds like we’re starting to make waves.”

“Waves? I think you’re giving us too much credit,” Jay notes, stifling a yawn.

“But it’s a start,” Kai adds, also yawning. The action makes you realize how late it is, knowing the two must be exhausted from the night’s events.

“Alright. It’s late, and he’s about as cleaned up as I can get him right now,” you comment. “If you two will just help me move him onto a stretcher, I can get him hooked up to an IV and then he’ll be set for the night. Mystake will want him to stay so we can monitor his vitals and ensure that the wound doesn’t become infected. You both are welcome to stay here while he’s recovering; we’ve got a spare room and extra clothes for times like these. Please, follow me.”

…

With Kai and Jay now settled in for the night, you find yourself preparing the IV for Cole in the recovery ward of the shop.

As your fingers work, you find your gaze drifting to the man before you. Now that he’s stable and your adrenaline rush has passed, you have time to observe him.

His gi had been black - that much you remember. Your eyes drift across his bare torso, noting that he has a few scars across his chest. His stature is muscular - seemingly more so than the other two.

You tear your gaze from him, double checking that everything is ready before taking his arm in your hands, flipping it over to find the right vein. Once you do, you insert the IV.

The action makes him stir, eyes opening slightly. Immediately, he tries to sit up, but your muscle memory kicks in just in time to push him back down.

“Hey, hey, take it easy,” you say, holding him down gently. “You’re okay, but you need to rest.”

Thankfully, he settles, eyes relaxing slightly at your touch. Jaded green eyes study your figure as you gaze at him, watching to see if he’s going to try and get up again.

“Where am I?” he wonders, voice hoarse. “I barely remember what happened. Everything’s patchy for me...I remember that room, Kai and Jay were there...then I couldn’t stay awake anymore.”

“You’re at Mystake’s tea shop. This is our recovery ward. You were stabbed in a fight, and your friends brought you here. You’re all patched up now, but you need to rest so you can heal properly. Your friends are just in the other room.”

“Stabbed? Oh…it’s coming back to me now.” He groans, shutting his eyes and letting his head drop onto the pillow again. “Are they okay?”

“They’re fine, just sleeping now,” you assure.

It’s then you realize that you still have a hand on his chest. Your cheeks heat up as you snatch your hand away. “Oh stars, I’m sorry! It’s just been, well…a long night. I guess I’m just a bit distracted now that the action has passed.”

Cole chuckles, averting his gaze. He winces a bit, making his smile fade slightly. “You’re okay. I hadn’t even noticed.”

“Your name is Cole, right?”

“Yeah,” he mumbles.

You tell him your name, words stumbling out in a mix of your default introductory statement and the mush that is your mind at the moment. “I’m Mystake’s apprentice. It’s knife to meet you.”

Upon processing the phrase you’d added through your post-adrenaline exhaustion, your eyes widen. “Oh my god. I’m sorry, I-I did not mean to say that out loud! That was so inappropriate of me-”

“Wow,” Cole responds, shaking his head at you with a small grin. “You can’t just cut down the stab victim like that, doc.”

“I’m sorry!” you squeak before realizing that he, too, made a pun concerning his injury. “Wait...you’re not upset?”

“Of course not. You saved my life,” he replies, glancing back down at his wound. “And I appreciate your humor. I know the guys have been pretty down about the whole ordeal, so it’s nice to know that you can at least make light of it.”

“Oh,” you reply, not expecting that response at all. “Well...I’m glad that you’re okay with it. I see so much gore these days that I...” you trail off, realizing you shouldn’t be spilling your innermost thoughts to a patient.

You shake your head, nervously chuckling as you take a step back. “I’m rambling, sorry. Are you hurting right now? I can get you a bit more of our pain-killing tea. It might help you sleep, too.”

“That sounds great,” he replies. “Thank you.”

You nod, standing up. “I’ll be right back, then.”

With that, you make your way towards the kitchen. You get another cup of tea steeping, taking the down time to drink a bit of water and get a snack.

A few seconds after you finish, you hear the door to the tea shop opening. You peek your head out from the back, relief coursing through you when you see Mystake behind the counter.

“Thank the stars, you’re back!” you say, sighing as she turns to you.

“I am. You closed the shop early?” she inquires, hanging her hat up on its usual spot.

“Yes. Two people brought in a man who had been stabbed, and I had to treat it and I-” you trail off, the stress of the situation finally catching up to you as tears pool in your eyes.

Mystake sets her hands on your shoulders, guiding you to sit down. “A stabbing? Oh dearie…I know it’s scary, but you did the right thing. He’s stabilized now, yes?”

You nod as she takes your hands in hers, sniffling a bit. “Yeah. I was going to give him some of that pain-killing tea so he could sleep.”

“Very good, very good. Here, finish what you’re doing while I have a look.”

Your stomach twists, hands coming to fidget as you nod in response. “Okay, yeah. Thank you.”

With that, you’re left alone once more. Anxiety meshes with your post-adrenaline rush, leaving you lightheaded and nauseous. You can’t help but zone out for a bit, only jerked away from your thoughts when the water starts squealing.

The tea doesn’t take you long to prepare, and soon enough, you find yourself approaching the recovery ward once more.

The lights have been dimmed, causing you to wonder if he’s suffering a headache. You can still see well enough to notice that he’s still awake, though. Mystake is nowhere to be seen, meaning she must have finished her exam.

“Here, this should help,” you say, setting the tray on the table next to the bed. “It should be cooled enough to drink. Try to drink as much as you can.”

You hand him the cup, keeping an eye on his hands to make sure he doesn’t spill it.

“Thanks,” he mumbles, hands seemingly steady enough for the time being. He takes a sip, face melting at the relief it must be bringing. “God, this stuff is magic. How does it kick in so fast?”

You shrug, smiling softly as he takes another sip. “I’m not sure. Mystake’s teas are incredible. She’s a master at her craft, that’s for sure.”

“Makes me wonder what else she can do with her teas,” he mumbles.

“You’d be surprised. She’s like a tea witch,” you reply with a chuckle. “Do you need anything else? Extra blankets, another pillow, snacks, water...?”

“I think I’m good for now,” he mumbles, sighing in relief. “This is already working wonders.”

“Okay. If you need anything at all, just push the button on the side of the nightstand. We’ll try to check on you shortly after sunrise. Try to get some sleep for now.”

“Being unconscious sounds great about now,” he mumbles. “Thank you.”

You nod in response, smiling softly as you take the tray back into your hands, leaving the mug for him.

Just before you exit the recovery ward, though, his voice sounds once more:

"For the record, it was knife to meet you too.”

...

Mystake lets you sleep through the new tea launch, much to your relief. You don’t think you would have had nearly enough energy to deal with the rush today – not after all of last night’s excitement.

Once you rise, you stumble through your morning routine. Yawns rake your body as you attempt to wake up, brain foggy as you emerge from your room.

You can already hear customers chattering in the front, causing you to redirect to the kitchen. Through streams of unfamiliar voices, you can faintly hear Mystake’s voice vividly describing her newest creation. Looks like she’s doing just fine by herself so far. Which is great, considering you need a hot drink before you can even think about the public.

Upon arriving to your destination, muscle memory kicks in and you start working on your drink without thinking much about what you’re doing. Your hands work in quiet tandem, voice humming a tune while you listen to the distant voices of consumers and employees alike.

Once you’ve finished, you lean against the counter and take a sip.

Soft footsteps catch your attention, eyes drifting towards the entrance. Moments later, two groggy and disheveled ninja catch your attention.

“Morning,” greets Kai, hair frizzy and wild. Jay is in no better shape, eyes lined with circles as he offers a tired nod.

“Morning, guys,” you reply, setting your drink to the side. “Doing okay?”

“Yeah,” Kai responds. You gesture for the two to have a seat, and they do. “Thanks. Is it okay if our Sensei drops by with our other teammate today?”

“Of course,” you assure. “What time will they be here?”

“Probably about an hour or so,” Kai answers.

Jay raises a notched eyebrow at this. “An hour? That’s...unusually quick for him, don’t you think?”

The brunet nods in agreement. “Now that you mention it, you’re right. Although he did say something about a smoke vision and needing to see something for himself.” Kai shrugs, running his fingers through his hair. “You know how he is. Cryptic and old.”

“A smoke vision?” Jay wonders. “Every time he has one of those, something big happens. What could it be this time?”

“I don’t know. He didn’t say much about it, just that he needed to come see something in person. Who knows?”

“I just don’t get why a near-death experience would be something that triggers a vision,” Jay mumbles. “Oh well. His wisdom works in mysterious ways, I guess. It hasn’t failed us yet.”

Kai shrugs, not seeming too concerned about the ordeal. “Whatever it is, it’ll work out. Anyways, I’m starving. How about we make a breakfast run, huh? Let’s make it a race so we can get some blood pumping on our way there!”

You raise an eyebrow, chuckling nervously as the two start thrumming with an energy that wasn’t present last night. Maybe resting and seeing their patched-up teammate has brought it back? Then again, you don’t really know what’s normal for these guys either.

“You’re on!” Jay stands, a playful determination glinting in his eyes as he turns towards you. “Hey, what’s good around here?”

“There’s a small diner around the block that’s always good,” you note. “But you guys don’t have to-”

Jay makes an ‘ah-ah’ noise, shaking his head. “Nope. You saved our brother’s life, and for that you’re at least getting free breakfast.”

“And more upon request,” Kai adds with a flirty smirk and wink combo. You roll your eyes as he dodges a hit from Jay.

“Kai, you can’t just flirt with the doctor!” Jay admonishes, the two already zipping out of the kitchen. You try to follow them, but they’re flying out the door while yelling at each other.

All while going the wrong direction.

You sigh, chuckling to yourself as you shake your head. Oh well; they’ll figure it out. It certainly seems like they’ve got more than enough energy to spare today.

“What in the world are they so riled up about this morning?” Mystake wonders, staring at the entrance. It seems as if the initial customer rush is over for the morning, but there are still a few milling about and browsing.

“Breakfast, apparently,” you mumble, shaking your head. “I don’t know. I’m going to go check on Cole. I’ll be right back out to help.”

“Actually, I’ll need you for something else today. Pack your bags, dearie – I’ve got a job for you that requires traveling.”

“Traveling?” you wonder, turning towards your mentor. She merely flashes you an innocent smile – even though you’re sure it’s anything but.

“Yes. You’ve proven to me that you’re ready to start taking jobs on your own. So, we’re going to start trying them out if you’re okay with it.”

“Do you…do you really think I’m ready?” you wonder. “I know I was able to handle last night, but…”

“I do not think it is the disease, nor the injuries that scare you. It is the threat of change. You’ve been cooped up in my store too long, and now it’s time for you to work on your own more often.”

Her words strike you speechless momentarily. A change was what you’d wanted, right? More independence? More time to work on your own? But…this isn’t just any old job. It’s healing, and people’s lives are on the line. People’s lives are in your hands. Is that a responsibility you’re truly ready to take on?

A part of you wants to say no – to stay within the comfort of your routine, despite its repetitiveness. That way, you would always have help when you needed it. That way, you wouldn’t have to confront the daunting question of:

What comes next for me?

Mystake places her hand over yours, sensing your debate. “The leap into the unknown is always the hardest part, but it is one we all must conquer at some point. I know you’re scared – of making mistakes and determining what your next steps are. But that’s life. Mistakes are how we learn, my dear. Heck, that’s why I’m called Mystake!”

“But mistakes can get people killed,” you reply.

“They can. But you’re not trusting in yourself or your training enough. What happened yesterday is rare – in my lifetime, I’ve only treated a handful of stabbings. And most of the time, they weren’t as life-threatening as Cole’s was. You’re not giving yourself enough credit – you took action, followed your training, and saved a man’s life as a result. Look at it that way.”

You nod, watching as her steely eyes twinkle in a knowing fashion. “And truthfully…I don’t know what more I have to teach you. I truly think you’re at the point where experience will be your greatest teacher. Everything will work out for you; you just have to let it all fall into place. Before you know it, you’ll settle into your new normal without batting an eyelash over it. Because by then, it will feel right. And you’ll have been forever grateful that you took the leap.”

“Okay,” you reply, letting her words steep. “Okay, I understand.”

She smiles, setting a hand on your shoulder. “How about you take the day off from the store to think about it? Just tend to your patient and make sure his bandages stay clean. We can talk more about it later.”

“Alright,” you say, nodding in response. “Thank you, Mystake.”

With her words in mind, you set off to check on Cole.

…

Upon arriving, you note that Cole is already awake. Mystake must have dropped by this morning, because he’s reading a book you recognize from her prized collection. You take a moment to observe the way the strands of his dark hair fall around his face as he concentrates, eyes scouring the pages. It doesn’t help that he’s still shirtless, too – you’d been too exhausted last night to notice, but he’s nicely toned. To think you’d had your hand on his sternum, too…

You shake your head, reassuming your professional demeanor. No checking out the hot ninja patient!

“Good morning,” you greet, offering a demure smile as you gently shut the door. “How are you feeling, Cole?”

“Good morning. Definitely better today,” he answers, gingerly shutting the book and setting it to the side.

“I’m glad to hear it!” you chirp, noting that he’s also got a fresh mug of tea. “I’m going to have to check your wound quickly to make sure it’s not getting infected. I’ll get you some fresh bandages too. Our hope is that you’ll be back on your feet within the next two days or so.”

“Sounds great,” Cole replies. As you make your way towards the supply chest to the left of the room, he calls: “Going to make fun of me again?”

“If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you want me to make fun of you,” you retort, grinning as you pull out a set of clean gauze as well as a special type of antiseptic cleanser.

“It’s better than being tiptoed around, that’s for sure,” he says as you pull a rolling stool up next to him. You set your supplies on the nightstand next to him, pulling on a pair of gloves. The bands snap against your skin as you wiggle your fingers until they fit snugly inside.

“Your friends were just worried about you. Really worried,” you reply. “But they seem better today. Way more energetic, that’s for sure.”

Cole simpers, shaking his head lightly. “That’s good to hear. Speaking of which…where’d they run off to?”

“They’re grabbing breakfast,” you answer. It’s then notice that his wound is covered by the blankets, so you push them aside. Cole ends up bunching up the sheets, letting them rest over his middle. With the fabric now out of your way, you start peeling the gauze away.

“Alright, let’s see here…” you trail off, inspecting the wound. Everything looks okay so far – no signs of infection or reopening. Good. “Not infected. Seems to be on its way to healing. That’s good. We’re just going to clean it with an antiseptic and magic-infused solution. Its purpose is twofold: to prevent infection and speed up the healing process. It should help the cut fully close within a day or so.”

“Great,” Cole acknowledges, watching as you pour a bit onto a clean rag. The solution fizzes, emitting a faint, white light.

“Fair warning, it’s going to sting,” you advise, waiting for the glow to simmer down a bit.

“Then I may not be able to handle this.”

You roll your eyes, unable to help but smile as you look up at him. Grassy green eyes glimmer back at you playfully as you respond: “Now you’re just being a baby.”

“Do you call all of your patients babies?” he questions, grin faltering to a grimace as you start cleaning the wound. The liquid sizzles angrily against the wound, working its magic.

After letting it soak for a few seconds, you start wiping the excess off. “Well, considering you’re the first and only patient that I’ve fully tended to, yes.”

“I’m your first patient? That can’t be true,” he remarks, studying your hands as they rebandage his abdomen with fresh gauze.

“From start to end, you are. Mystake has let me practice on others before, but only on certain phases of their injury or illness. You’re the first person that I’ve both patched up and tended to during recovery. And all by myself, too.”

“Huh. I never would have guessed that from watching you work. You’re a natural.”

His words leave you speechless for a moment, cheeks warming as you finish rebandaging him. “Thank you; that’s sweet of you to say. I’ve still got a lot to learn, though.”

“But I’d be dead if it weren’t for you. Give yourself some credit.”

Unsure of what to say, you smile at him in response. Cole returns your grin, pulling the blanket back over his torso. Somehow, the quiet between you two feels…fine. You know he doesn’t mind your lack of response. It’s comfortable; not forced.

You like that.

A moment later, you avert your gaze, fingers slipping underneath the bands of your gloves before pulling them off. “Well…I guess I’ll be back with something for you to eat soon. I imagine they won’t be much longer.”

“Sounds good. Thanks, doc.”

The nickname makes your heart stumble, but you’re able to play it off. “Absolutely.”

…

The ninja return soon enough – not only with breakfast, but with two unfamiliar people in tow. One appears to be around their age, dressed in a white gi while the other is an elderly man donning a bamboo staff and straw hat.

“Sorry we’re late!” Jay says as they file into the store. “We ran into our master and teammate on the way back and had to catch up.”

“That’s okay,” you assure, noticing that the two newcomers linger at the front. Kai and Jay, on the other hand, rush to the back. Knowing Mystake will greet them, you elect to follow Kai and Jay to the dining table.

“We realized halfway through ordering that we didn’t ask you what you wanted,” Kai admits, sheepishly grinning. “So…we just got a bunch of different stuff. Whatever you don’t want, Cole will eat. I assure you.”

“No worries,” you reply, watching as they unload the to-go bags. A mouthwatering scent floods the air, comprised of all kinds of breakfast foods. You note that they bought many more containers than you would have initially guessed, but factoring in the realization that ninjas probably eat more solves that puzzle. Just how much do these guys eat? “Have you two checked on him yet, by the way?”

“Yeah, we talked to him this shortly after we woke up,” Jay answers, spreading out a mound of wrapped, plastic to-go cutlery sets. Hungry hands are quick to snatch them up.

“Good. I just changed his bandages; I think he should be up and walking within the next day or so. We’ve just got to make sure the wound stays clean for now.”

“Do you think he could come sit with us if we help him?” Kai wonders. “Kinda sucks that he’s stuck by himself.”

You don’t answer immediately, taking a moment to ponder the decision. “Yes, he can. But we’ll need to use a wheelchair so we don’t risk reopening the wound. I’ll help too.”

Sure enough, a few minutes later, Cole is successfully relocated to the dining room. Kai makes you pick a container of food before shuffling the rest to Cole. Everyone settles in – including the two newcomers. Mystake remains in the front for the time being.

Kai starts off the conversation by introducing you, then the other two: “...this is Sensei Wu, and that’s Zane.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you both,” you greet, flashing the two a smile.

“Likewise,” returns the snowy-haired ninja. He seems far calmer than his teammates, and sports a more sophisticated personality. “We are most grateful for your aid.”

“Why? All she did was stick a band aid on me and call me a baby,” Cole replies as everyone starts passing around food.

Kai and Jay snicker, both accepting their to-go containers of food with ravenous eyes. Zane’s eyes scrunch in confusion while their Sensei chuckles.

“Only a band aid?” the icy-eyed ninja wonders. “Perhaps I heard the details of your injury incorrectly-“

“It’s a joke, Zane,” Jay explains as he unwraps his to-go plasticware. “The injury was really bad, but she got it under control.”

“Did you actually call him a baby, though?” Kai wonders, eyeing you expectantly.

You find your cheeks warming again, with expectant eyes on you. “Uh…I did, yeah. But only because he said he wouldn’t be able to handle the sting of the antiseptic when he’d just survived a stabbing-“

At your explanation, Kai and Jay break down in a fit of laughter. Cole shakes his head with a grin, but the mood remains light. It’s such a stark contrast to last night’s atmosphere that you can’t help but giggle too.

You can see it in Kai and Jay’s eyes, too - Jay’s striking blue eyes are twinkling with mischief, making the bags under his eyes seem less prominent. Kai’s warm brown ones are tired too, but seeing his teammate recovered enough to make light of the situation seems to have alleviated the worry he’d been experiencing throughout the night.

And, when you look at him, you can see it in Cole’s, too – the way his vibrant, green eyes have almost brightened since you studied them last night. They had been faded and dull yesterday, but thankfully that’s no longer the case.

You avert your gaze before he can catch you staring, though, electing to focus on your food instead.

“Regardless of whether or not my pupil was acting like a baby, I’d still like to thank you,” interrupts the elderly man. You note how the ninja quiet down upon hearing him speak, glancing at each to see that they’ve given him their attention. “You saved my student’s life, and for that, we’re all eternally grateful.”

A chorus of agreements emanate from the ninja as the reality of the situation settles over the group. “Of course. We’re healers; it’s what we do. I’m glad I was able to help.”

For a moment, it’s silent until Kai speaks up: “Oh, did you guys catch the last suspect? I know I managed to get two before the third slipped away.”

“Yes, we located him before we came here,” Zane answers. “He’s in custody now.”

Cole nods, apparently satisfied with the answer. “Good. I’m glad.”

The conversation turns towards the ninja’s training. While you don’t understand much of what they’re talking about, you’re able to chime in on occasion. They still manage to include you in the chat – namely when Jay suggests you could become a “ninja doctor”.

Which somehow turns into a debate about the conflicting nature of such a title – a ninja who could heal and hurt. It stuns you how the ninja are able to get so philosophical about something so silly.

“No, no, Kai, you’re missing the point. It’s like what Master Splinter said in the twenty-twelve version of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,” Jay argues before quoting: “’Do no harm, unless you need to do harm. Then do lots of harm!’”

Kai narrows his eyes, pondering Jay’s claim momentarily. “So, by that logic, are we all healers, then? Because we don’t do harm unless we need to?”

“Kai’s right,” Cole agrees, starting on what must be his third box of food. “That’s too general to go by. But it is a fantastic quote, though. Sounds like something Master Wu would say.”

“It does, doesn’t it?” Jay frowns, trailing off. “But she could be like Donatello, though. He fights but also kind of serves as the team medic.”

“No, no, Donnie’s way smarter than I am,” you counter. “I can’t invent or do anything as scientific as he can.”

Jay shrugs. “But you don’t have to. You’d just heal one of us and then go smack someone up with a bo staff.”

This makes you all chuckle, and leads you to another thought: “Hey, do you guys realize how similar you are to the ninja turtles?”

A collective epiphany dawns on Kai, Jay, and Cole as they stare at each other, eyes widening.

“Woah,” Jay mumbles. “Wait, wait, guys she’s onto something!”

The redhead points at Sensei Wu, then trails his finger across the table. “Sensei…you’re basically Master Splinter. Cole’s our leader, so he’s Leo. Kai’s the hothead, which makes him Raph. I’m the funny and cute one, so naturally I’m Mikey. And Zane’s the brainiac, so he’s Donnie. And Nya’s kind of like April!”

A sound of awe emanates from three of the ninja, nodding their heads at Jay’s analysis. Poor Zane just seems lost.

“Are you comparing me to a giant, mutated rat man?” Sensei Wu questions, amusement laced in his gaze.

“So, you do watch modern TV!” Kai cries, pointing an accusatory finger at Wu. “See! I told you he was lying to us!”

From there, they start to laugh about Wu before comparing the villains they’ve fought to the ones that appear in the show. That’s when you’re not able to keep up as well.

Regardless, you roll with the flow of the discussion, surprised at how much you’re enjoying it. A few times, you catch Cole’s stare.

He never averts his gaze, or makes you feel embarrassed. Instead, he smiles.

You’re not sure that your heart is supposed to be beating so hard every time it happens, but you can’t help it. Even so, you ignore it.

…

Shortly after breakfast, the ninja wheel Cole back into the recovery ward. Zane remains momentarily to help you clean up before joining them.

“I hope they haven’t been too rowdy,” comes the voice of Sensei Wu.

You shake your head. “No, they’ve been great. They’re…fun, actually. I’ve enjoyed having them around.”

“That’s good to hear. I’ve been training them for a good while, but even now they can be a handful.”

The old man quiets momentarily, free hand stroking his beard thoughtfully. “Mystake tells me you’re considering new opportunities to practice your craft. Is this true?”

“Oh, um…yeah, it is. I’m still not sure what I’m going to do, but…yeah, definitely thinking about it.”

Sensei Wu nods in acknowledgement, eyes contemplative as he selects his next words: “I see. Well, I heard about how you handled Cole’s injury from Kai and Jay. If you’re interested, I’d like to offer you a position as our team’s medic.”

Your eyes widen as your jaw goes slack, the unexpectedness of the proposition making your mind whirl. He wants you to become their official medic?

“What? Really?” you wonder. “But I don’t have any field experience yet! Cole is the first patient I’ve tended to from start to finish.”

“That’s all right. We’ve all got to start somewhere. The ninja themselves have only just finished their training and are now fighting together on their own. You’re similar to them in that regard. For all of you, experience will be your greatest teacher from now on.”

That sentence reminds you of what Mystake said earlier – about experience. It dawns on you that they’re absolutely right – you’re never going to get better by letting your fear win. You have to break the confines of comfortability and get out there.

Then, a question occurs to you: did Mystake know about this? Is this the job that she was talking about earlier – the one you were supposed to pack for? You’d have to ask her later.

“And if you like, we could even try out, say…a trial. You could come work with us for a few weeks and see how you like it. If it’s not what you’re looking for, then you won’t have to commit.”

“I…like the sound of that, actually,” you admit. “So…how would that work?”

“You’d stay at my monastery. Depending on the circumstances, you might travel with the ninja for missions that are riskier or farther away. Of course, you won’t ever get close enough to be in danger. If you like, we could even have you trained to help design our missions. Kai’s sister handles a decent portion of the mission planning, but a fresh set of eyes always helps.”

You like the sound of that. Traveling? Learning new skills? Working alongside the ninja? Just imagining the variety presented by the job gets you excited!

“Sounds dynamic and fun – which is exactly what I’m looking for. Let’s try it out,” you reply, offering your hand.

The old man grins, shaking your hand. “We’re looking forward to working with you.”

…

A few hours pass, with the ninja and Wu slinking back to the recovery ward. You take an hour or so for yourself, hanging out in your room while thinking about what you’d take for your trial run with the ninja. After much debate, you manage to get what you need packed while leaving out enough items for the day or so it’d take Cole to get back on his feet. Mystake’s healing antiseptic works wonders, so you know it’s simply a matter of time.

You wind up feeling too antsy to settle down, so you insist on taking over for Mystake while she takes a lunch break.

Thankfully, the main rush is over for the day. Once the last few customers pour out of the store, you decide to start restocking. A soft hum sounds from your lips as you climb a stepstool, a box of tea tucked underneath your arm as you make sure to maintain your balance.

While you work, a soft whistling tune drifts from the hallway, accompanied by heavy footsteps. When they approach the entrance to the shop, you turn your head.

Kai stands there, checking the shelves with scrutinizing eyes. You huff a silent laugh, wondering what’s he looking for.

“Need something?” you wonder, stepping down from the ladder.

“Oh, hey. Didn’t see you,” Kai notes, pivoting around to face you. “Yeah, Mystake was asking for me to grab some kind of tea. Reme-tea, I think she said?”

You nod, gesturing for him to follow you towards the back. “I know what you’re talking about. Follow me.”

“Are all of her teas named with puns?” he inquires.

“A lot of them are. She thinks she’s funny,” you mumble, rolling your eyes affectionately. “But she names others a little more artistically.”

“That explains a lot of what Master Wu drinks. He must shop here a lot.”

“I can’t remember if I’ve seen him here before,” you admit, stopping when you reach the correct shelf. You rummage through the tea, frowning upon realizing the shelf needs to be reorganized. “I’ve served so many customers that their faces might as well be a blur to me – especially since a lot of them come during the early hours.”

“I get that. I used to work at my parent’s blacksmith shop with my sister. Can’t say I miss the work; it got way too repetitive and bland for our taste. I can’t smith to save my life. It was a miracle that we made enough to scrape by.”

“Blacksmithing, huh? Sounds hard,” you sympathize, glad that someone else understands the pains of customer service. Even so, you wonder why his parents wouldn’t help them out. Knowing that might be a sensitive topic, you elect not to pry.

“Yeah, suffice to say it…wasn’t for us. I’m glad Sensei Wu found us when he did.” He pauses momentarily as you move your search to a different shelf, wondering where in the hell Mystake moved the Reme-tea. “But that reminds me…Sensei said you’d be staying with us to test out a work opportunity.”

You nod. “Yeah. I’ve been dying to get out of here, honestly. I’m just kind of scared to get out in the field, but…you know. I won’t find out until I do it.”

The brunet nods, turning to glance over the other shelves in an effort to help your search. “I know the feeling.”

“You were nervous to become a ninja?” you respond.

“Yeah, I was scared, but…I didn’t really have a choice. My sister was kidnapped by a group of Garmadon’s goons who’d come to our village. If Sensei hadn’t saved me, I would have been a goner…but they still got away with her. I had to change because she needed my help. So…I swallowed my fear and just worked. I didn’t give myself a chance to think about it. I went with Wu and didn’t look back.”

You gasp at the story, frowning. “I’m so sorry…that must have been horrific. I can’t imagine…”

Kai shrugs, smiling softly. You finally find the tea you’re looking for, reaching to grab it.

“It was scary at the time. But Nya’s tough, and she ended up being just fine. We saved her, introduced her to the team, and…well, we’ve all stuck together since. I dunno, I guess things just kind of…fell into place for us.”

You nod, curious at the mention of his sister. “I’m glad to hear that’s she okay. How do you guys like being ninja?”

“Honestly…” Kai trails off, seemingly searching for words as the two of you linger in the back. “At first, I was only doing it so I could rescue her. But…after we got her back, the thought of returning to the shop just…filled me with dread. I knew I couldn’t go back to the way I was living. Being a ninja is way more fulfilling for me. We get to travel, meet new people from all over Ninjago, fly on our dragons, fight for the greater good…and that’s all I need.”

“Wow. That sounds…perfect,” you mumble, mulling over his words.

He nods in agreement. “It really is. I think you’ll like working with us. My sister’s going to love you; as well as we all get along, I think she gets sick of us sometimes. But you’ll know for sure after a week or so. Though, you never know – you might get sick of us.”

You snicker at this, shaking your head. “I won’t get sick of you. Honestly…it’s been nice having you guys around, even for such a short time. I’ve never felt so…”

“Engaged? Not in a haze of repetition?” he finishes with a knowing smirk.

“Yeah,” you say.

“That’s how I felt too, working with the guys for the first time. It’s safe to say that’s a good sign.”

You nod, the two of you walking back towards the hallway. Once you’re there, you hand him the tea box. “I think so too.”

Kai smirks, thanking you before starting back towards the recovery ward. On his way back, he calls:

“Besides…how else are you going to keep making fun of Cole?”

…

The day passes with you dining alongside the ninja again – this time with Mystake. You notice that she’s uncharacteristically quiet through the event, causing you to make a mental note to ask her about it later.

Cole’s injury is healing faster than you’d thought it would. Mystake’s antiseptic solution combined with a new tea made for a speedy recovery. At this rate, he’d be up and walking come tomorrow.

As such, the team is preparing to leave. Watching them restlessly discuss what they’d do when they return made you realize your time in the tea shop is drawing to a close.

And it simultaneously excites and terrifies you.

While you lay in bed that night, you wonder if this is how Kai felt when he left to become a ninja. He had said he’d been scared. Somehow, that comforts you. Even someone as confident as him got scared too.

Late into the night, though, your mind gets tired of worrying. Instead, you decide to get excited about trying something new.

That thought makes you smile as you drift off into a dreamless sleep.

…

It seems like you’d only been asleep for minutes when you jolt awake to the vibration of…something. It rocks the building, making your eyes widen. Was that an earthquake?!

Another one shakes the shop, this time accompanied by…a roar? Your heart races at the noise, wondering what it could be. Especially at this hour – a glance outside tells you that it’s either very late or extremely early.

Chills erupt across your skin as you exit your room, eyes searching for potential source as you make your way towards the front. It must have come from outside.

Even before you open the door, you can hear voices outside. They don’t sound panicked at all, which makes you feel somewhat better as you push the door open.

Immediately, you’re met with the crisp, morning breeze. It makes you shiver, wishing you’d thought to bring a jacket out beforehand. The sky is still dark and riddled with stars, leaving you to wonder what time it is. Regardless, you press on, looking up to see Kai, who is facing the alley and speaking lowly to something. A strange, red glow illuminates his figure.

Cole, Jay, and Zane are towards the left side of the shop, all speaking quietly amongst themselves. Cole is back on his feet and seems to be doing okay. Even though it’s early, a sense of restlessness courses about the four. They must be ready to get back into action.

Deciding that you’ve stared enough, you make your presence known. “Guys? Is everything okay?”

The brunet is the only one to hear you, holding one of his arms out towards the alleyway. “Hey, morning. Sorry, did we wake you?”

You shake your head, stepping a bit closer. “No, I just...heard something.”

“Yeah...about that,” Kai lowers the hand that he’d held to the alleyway. “Those noises were our dragons. Sorry, we probably should have warned you guys beforehand. It just didn’t cross our mind.”

“Dragons?” you repeat, glancing into the alley. “You guys have-”

A pair of vibrant, neon orange eyes stare at you from the darkness, making you freeze. Out from the alley creeps a dragon.

A growl rolls from its throat as it studies you, its red head flecked with streaks of orange. Unfurling from its sides are a pair of brilliant red wings that exude a warm, red light. Its underbelly is protected by many rows of thick, orange bands that contrast against the darkened red scales of its body. Beneath the bands, you can see red patches swirling with energy.

You take a step back, seeing Kai’s arm swing out in front of you when the dragon steps towards you. It snarls again, giving you a mean glare.

“Stop being an asshole,” Kai scolds, stepping up to the beast while glaring at it. It lowers its snout, allowing Kai to pet it. “It’s okay, boy. She’s a friend.”

“You...have a dragon?” you question incredulously, heart racing as you study the creature. Its – his? - eyes flutter shut at Kai’s touch, wings furling in so that he doesn’t appear as massive.

“Yep. We all do,” Kai replies, gesturing behind you. You spin tentatively, breath hitching as you see three more accompanying each of the ninja.

“Holy shit,” you breathe, anxiety snowballing into excitement as you take your time studying each of them. “They’re...they’re beautiful. I never thought that I’d get to see one in person...”

“Wanna pet him?” Kai offers, hand lingering on his dragon’s neck. “Though, fair warning, everyone else except me says that he’s hot to the touch. Not hot enough to burn yourself, but hotter than you’d expect.”

You nod in acknowledgement, cautiously lifting your hand. The dragon doesn’t flinch, trusting in his master as you gently place your hand flat against his snout. A grumble rumbles throughout his body, seemingly okay with your touch. Through your legs, you can feel the vibrations of the growl. This has to be what woke you up.

“Wow...” you say, noting that Kai was right – the scales are burning up. It’s almost like they’re containing a full-on wildfire underneath. “Why’s he so hot?”

“He’s a fire dragon. He was guarding the Sword of Fire when we found him,” Kai explains, smiling softly as he strokes the side of the dragon’s snout. “Same story with the others and their weapons. We realized we needed to fight alongside them, not against them.”

“Did you guys name them?” you wonder, glancing back at Kai.

“Yeah. Flame.”

“Hi, Flame,” you mumble, smiling at the dragon. He huffs softly in response, small columns of smoke puffing from his nostrils. You feel like you’re standing in front of a bonfire; you don’t have to be terribly close to experience the warmth emanating from his body. “It’s nice to meet you.”

Kai chuckles, taking his hand off of Flame. “He likes you.”

“I...I’m at a loss for words. This is the coolest thing ever...” you trail off, slowly taking your hand off of Flame as well. The fire dragon shifts so that he’s laying down, snout dropping to rest on the grass. You're reminded of a sleepy puppy.

Jay’s is the next dragon you greet.

“Meet Wisp!” Jay introduces, telling your name to the dragon even though he can’t talk. Wisp tilts his head, curiosity flashing in his electric eyes. This dragon is a gorgeous shade of blue, built similarly to Flame with one exception. If you had to guess, you’d say that Wisp is sleeker – made for speed. Wisp also appears to be friendlier than Flame.

“Wisp. That’s an adorable name,” you compliment, smiling as you approach the dragon. “Hello, Wisp!”

You tentatively reach your hand out, giggling when Wisp bumps his forehead against the palm of your hand, eager to be pet. Jay grins at the interaction.

Unlike Flame, you swear Wisp’s scales are tingling with underlying magic. Electricity tickles your skin, making you pull away from the dragon with a giggle.

“He’s tickly, isn’t he? Poor guy can’t help it; he’s always emitting a low amount of electricity,” Jay explains, gently scratching Wisp in a specific spot under his chin. Wisp hums in content, leaning into Jay’s touch.

“That’s amazing,” you reply, smiling at Wisp before turning to the next dragon.

This one is Rocky – Cole's dragon. This guy is certainly the bulkiest of the four, with scales that feel like rock underneath your fingertips. He seems to be made to take and deliver hits.

“Hi,” you say softly, carefully scratching the area above his nose. Rocky nuzzles his snout against your palm, eager to receive more pets.

“Oh, you’re a sweetheart, aren’t you?” you coo, watching as the dragon closes his eyes.

Cole pushes himself off against the wall he’d been leaning on, adorning a disbelieving expression. “Are you kidding me?”

“What?” you wonder.

“He’s usually a jerk,” Cole grumbles, glaring at Rocky. You’re not fluent in dragon expressions, but you have a feeling that Rocky is taunting Cole somehow. “He’s always pushing us around, not...cuddling us! What’s your deal, man?!”

“I think it’s because you’re mean to him,” you retort, laughing when Rocky bumps his snout against your arm. You realize he wants more pets, so you oblige without complaint.

“Or because he’s a baby!” Jay calls, earning a laugh from Kai.

Cole rolls his eyes, stepping beside you to pet the dragon as well. You take note of how Cole’s eyes soften upon seeing his dragon. The sight makes you wonder what kind of bond they have, and how it came to be.

“And now they’re never going to let me live that down. See what you’ve done?” Cole says, turning to you with a smirk.

“I don’t feel too bad,” you retaliate before moving to the last dragon.

“Who’s this?” you ask, directing your question to Zane. He’d been sitting quietly alongside the icy blue and white dragon, which is laying down behind him.

“His name is Shard,” Zane answers, tone soft as he glances up at you. “And I must apologize...he does not like being touched by people he doesn’t know very well. I imagine he will come around in a few weeks.”

“Oh, that’s okay. I understand.” You smile, studying the dragon a bit longer. You decide to leave him alone for the time being, instead swiveling around to face the other ninja.

The other two dragons have settled for the morning too, all laying down. Kai and Jay are near the front of the shop now, the two speaking quietly. Zane joins them a few moments later.

Cole steps beside you, watching the three before answering your unasked question: “I think they’re going to try to get a quick sparring session in before we go. They need to loosen up and let some energy out.”

“You’re sitting out, right?” you inquire, eyes narrowing in concern.

“Yeah. I know the cut finally closed all the way, but it still hurts,” he comments.

“Good. I know that stuff healed your wound pretty well, but Mystake is still putting the finishing touches on that particular formula. So just...take it easy for a few more days, then you can go back to crimefighting and whatnot.”

“Are you saying you used me as a test subject?” Cole replies, crossing his arms as Jay gestures towards a small clearing across the shop. It’s grassy and spacious – perfect for a spar. You and Cole follow the three there, standing towards the side as Kai and Zane get into position.

“We try our new teas and potions on ourselves before anyone else,” you say. Just from observing their stances, you can already see how differently these guys fight from each other – Kai's stance is loose, and he’s staying mobile while remaining focused on Zane. The white ninja, on the other hand, adopts a more formal version of Kai’s. He’s not as jittery as Kai, but he’s studying Kai. Watching, and waiting.

“And then you just...perfect them as time goes on?” Cole wonders, the two of you watching as Kai launches an attack.

“Pretty much. Once you understand the base recipes, and how different ingredients affect the base, it’s easy to come up with what you need. So, there’s not much risk in involved.”

“I see,” Cole trails off, cringing when Zane exploits an opening Kai failed to notice. The white ninja lands a kick on Kai’s torso, eliciting a curse from the red ninja.

“Ouch,” you hiss, your ribs hurting just from watching them. “How do you guys do this? And enjoy it?”

“It pays off in its own way,” Cole replies with a shrug. “The risk is part of the thrill for us.”

“I think you guys are just crazy,” you mumble, eyeing the fight.

Your statement makes Cole laugh, the ninja unfolding his arms as he turns towards you. “You know, most people just call us noble. Or brave. Heroic, even.”

“I’m sure; I’m just not much of an ass-kisser.”

“And that’s exactly why she needs to be our medic,” Kai calls, he and Jay laughing at the exchange.

“I am not familiar with the act of ass-kissing,” Zane says, he and Kai stopping their match. “Is it in a literal or figurative sense? And why is imperative that our medic does not kiss ass?”

The white ninja’s remark cracks Kai and Jay up. Zane’s expression leaves you feeling a little bad for him, though.

You lean over to Cole again, making sure they aren’t listening as you ask your next question. “Is he always that dense?”

“Yep. Don’t get me wrong...he’s really smart, but stuff like this always flies over his head,” he answers before walking towards the others and answering Zane’s query.

“Figuratively, Zane. An ass-kisser or kiss-ass is someone who sucks up to someone else. It’s usually to win approval or favors; it depends on the context. And it’s not a required quality of a medic, but personally, I think it’s more fun that way.”

“She’ll be able to see right through our bullshit,” Kai adds. “She’ll do her job, but won’t baby us.”

Jay pulls himself up from his previous sitting position, stepping over to the group and adding: “Although, she’s not opposed to calling people babies.”

"Ah. I see now,” Zane says. “Thank you for the explanation.”

A silence sweeps over the five of you, partnered with a sudden chilly breeze. You turn around to have another glance at the dragons, watching as they all nap peacefully. A few onlookers have gathered towards the end of the street, ogling the dragons with hushed murmurs.

“We should probably get going soon,” Kai notes upon seeing the crowd. “Wouldn’t want to affect Mystake’s customer flow with our dragons.”

“Yeah,” Cole agrees. “We can strap your stuff to Rocky. He’s probably the best suited to carry extra weight.”

You nod in response, realizing that this is the last morning you’ll spend here for at least two weeks – more if the job goes as well as you think it will. A pit funnels into your stomach, hands twiddling with the hem of your shirt.

“Okay,” you finally say, turning back towards the ninja. “I’m gonna go talk to Mystake, then.”

Cole nods, bits of understanding flickering in his eyes. “Take your time.”

You smile appreciatively, leaving the group and passing by the snoozing dragons. The bell chimes as you enter the shop, seeing Mystake at the register.

A glance at the clock tells you that the shop has roughly forty-five minutes until opening, giving you a bit of time to say your goodbyes.

The elderly woman looks up at you once you approach, smiling as you greet her.

“Good morning,” you say.

“Good morning, dearie,” Mystake says, expression softening as she glances out the window to look at the ninja. “I suppose today’s the day, isn’t it?”

You nod. “Yeah...it is.”

She steps around the counter, hand coming to clasp around yours. “Come with me. I need to give you something.”

Your mentor guides you towards your room, where your packed belongings lay. On top of your bed is a canvas bag. You note that’s it is your favorite color, complete with a crossbody strap, several pockets, and metal clasps. It looks to be built for durability and function – the straps are thicker than you’d expect to find on a regular bag.

“I’ve prepared this for you,” she starts, sitting on the edge of your bed. You do the same, settling in across from her. “I’m glad you’ll be working with Wu. I always give him a hard time, but he’s a good man. And, since I’ve known him for so long, I had an idea of what you should bring.”

With that, Mystake tugs the bag into her lap, snapping the clasps open. “This bag contains everything you’ll need to get started.”

The first object she pulls out is a wooden box – it's handcrafted and painted your favorite color, decorated with floral engravings along the sides. “This box is filled with your basic teas and potions. There should be enough for two weeks. Should you decide to stay with them, I’ve made something else for you.”

Mystake sets the box aside, hands delving back into the bag to reveal a handcrafted leather journal. The cover is black, painted with pink and purple symbols that seem familiar somehow. The pages are thick and gray, like a stormy sky.

“This is a copy of my recipe book. Every potion and tea you’ve ever crafted under my guidance can be found here – with the exception of my secret ones, of course. There are also a few blank pages in the back so you can create your own, too.”

Then, Mystake tilts the bag towards you. You peer inside, seeing various basic medical supplies – bandages, gauze, simple over-the-counter medicines. It looks like enough for two weeks as well. “And, lastly, traditional medical supplies. Enough for the duration of your stay."

With that, Mystake repacks the bag and sets it aside.

Your eyes are watering slightly as you stare at the bag, watching as she snaps the clasps shut. “Mystake...I don’t know what to say. I...”

She chuckles, taking your hands in hers. Wrinkled, steely gray eyes peer at you from underneath her straw hat, just as glassy as yours.

“It’s okay, because I already understand how you feel. I know what you want to say. I was in your position once, after all. I was standing before my family in my homeland, about to travel into this world so I could fulfill my duty. But I never could have imagined what awaited me in a Ninjago – a land where I could live a mundane life, set up a silly old tea shop. A land where I had the blessing to train one of the brightest pupils that I’ve ever mentored.” She pauses, squeezing your hands. “I’m so proud of you.”

That does it. You sniffle, letting yourself cry. “You are?”

“Of course I am,” she mumbles. “You’ve come such a long way since the day I found you. And now you’re preparing to work on your own…”

“Mystake…” You’re unable to finish your sentence as you envelope her in a hug – the woman who’d taken you in, mentored you. “You…you have no idea how much that means to me. Thank you.”

Her arms coil tighter still around your figure, and against your arms you can feel the scratchy wool of her handknitted sweater. An herbal scent floods your senses as you soak it in, knowing this will be the last time you smell it in a while.

It would forever remind you of her.

“I’m honored I got the chance to mentor you, and get to know you as a young lady. You’re going to do incredible things. The world is yours, dearie; grab it by the neck and throttle it!”

You giggle, already knowing that you’re going to miss her eccentric self. “I won’t ever be able to repay you for everything that you’ve done for me. All I can say is: thank you, Mystake. I’m going to do all I can to make you proud. I’m forever grateful for your hospitality and mentorship.”

“You’ve already made me proud. I know you’re going to be amazing. You’ll be the best damned medic in Ninjago, you hear me? Now get out there and make it happen. They’re waiting for you.”

With those parting words, Mystake stands, pulling the bag she’d prepared into her arms. “Ready?”

You make sure you have your bags before nodding, glancing around your room one last time. Without your belongings scattered about the room, it seems far too empty. Your eyes soften as you study the area, heart aching when you realize you won’t be coming back to sleep here again for a while.

Despite your reluctance, you smile, mumbling a soft “thank you” to the room that had sheltered you for all of those years.

A sigh escapes you as you turn, following Mystake out of the shop.

The sun is higher in the sky now, and the dragons seem to be reenergized. Jay and Wisp are play fighting where Kai and Zane had been sparring earlier; Cole is fussing over Rocky while Kai is adjusting a saddle on Flame. Zane and Shard are still sitting together, watching the others struggle.

“You rapscallions better treat my pupil well,” Mystake grumbles, eyeing the crowd still ogling the dragons. “We can hurt just as well as we can heal-”

“Mystake,” you interrupt, chuckling as Jay’s eyes widen. “It’s going to be just fine.”

“Here, let me take those for you,” Cole replies, reaching for your bags. You oblige, grinning softly at him as you hand them to him.

“Thank you,” you reply, watching as he sets them on Rocky’s back. Kai approaches once he’s done, holding a mix of ropes and bungee cords.

The two set about strapping your luggage to the dragon, making sure that they’re secure before asking Rocky to move around a little. After a few adjustments have been made, Cole nods in approval.

“Alright, I think we’re about set,” Cole notes, glancing around at the others. “Who’s gonna take Wu back?”

“I can,” Kai answers, the four grouping together as Sensei Wu emerges from the store.

“Alright. Then I guess we’re headed back to the monastery, then,” Cole replies. The others nod in agreement, preparing to board their dragons. The black ninja takes a moment to double check the bags before turning to you.

His green eyes sparkle in the morning light, lips quirking into a soft smile. “Anything else you need to do before we take off?”

You don’t answer immediately, instead turning towards Mystake again. Wordlessly, you loop your arms around her neck.

She returns your embrace, voice soft in your ear as she says: “I’m going to miss you, but I’m glad you’re pursuing your dream. Remember what I said. Take care, dear. I’m always here if you need me.”

“Thank you. I’m going to miss you too.”

She pulls away from you, lips pressed together tightly as she releases you. “Now go.”

For a moment, your throat tightens with the things you want to say to her. Despite this, you hesitate, realizing that she already knows what you want to say.

With that, you turn back towards the ninja before you, glancing up at him through glassy eyes.

“Okay,” you murmur, nodding briskly. “I’m ready.”

Always happy to read fresh requests. Read my guidelines before submitting, please!

#ninjago x reader #reader insert #cole x reader #cole brookestone x reader #cole brookstone & reader #cole brookstone x reader #ninjago knife to meet you series

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weixuldo · 1 year

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Pancakes and Pastries

Linecook/Roommate! Anakin x GN!Reader

a/n: this is based on this lovely asks from @ddejavvu (link here). Just a preface, I didn't assign a gender becasue I wasn't sure what the ask implied (if u want me to change it I gladly will :) anyways, other notes will be at the end to clear up more abt the story.

You’re a terrible cook and only sell the baked goods at a small cafe downtown. Thankfully, your roommate, Anakin is an experienced linecook and is ready to make anything for you. Too bad he's a natural flirt, otherwise you might just find yourself falling for him.

Warnings: gn!reader, cursing, banter, no use of y/n

________________________

6:30 a.m

The tiny brass bell above the cafe door dinged continuously as the working crowd came to grab a small bite before heading off to work.

The cafe was filled with the warm aroma of coffee beans and fresh pastries. The display windows held rows of all types of treats; macrons, muffins, strudels, bagels, cookies, toast, and many more. A plethora of coffee makers and different flavorings to cater to each customer’s specific desires, lined the back counter.

Mornings were always pretty busy, you were in the heart of the city after all.

You had gotten up ungodly early to prepare for the day, so once you got everything ready and opened the shop you were pretty tired. But regardless of the exhaustion creeping in, you still had a full shift ahead of you so you needed to put on your best customer service face and seize the day.

Latte, snickerdoodle cookie, iced chai tea with two pumps of vanilla, farmhouse roast with cold foam, 5 assorted macaroons, a slice of key lime pie, a frosted eclair, strawberry crepes. The orders came in waves and you prepared them all.

You weren’t even scheduled today, but your boss called you at the last minute because the new guy got fired for stealing inventory (really what was he stealing? There was nothing but ingredients in the back), so you hauled ass down here.

Sadly today the staff joining you today were rookies, so you had to take orders and keep an eye on them too.

It was bad enough that the bakers in the back were being lazy today, but to deal with new workers who didn’t know the system was even more frustrating.

It was going to be a a long day.

3:50 p.m.

The cafe closed early on Sundays, so you flipped the “we’re open” sign over and got ready to close everything down when you heard a knock on the door.

Whoever that was would just have to stay disappointed because you were too tired to deal with another needy customer right now.

They knocked again and you had to collect a calming breath to make sure you wouldn’t go off on them when you turned around. Much to your surprise behind the glass door was your roommate….your handsome roommate.

Anakin Skywalker was an interesting guy. Deviously handsome looks, insane confidence, witty humor, and radiating charisma.

A few months ago you were apartment hunting but the rates in the city were way too high for you to pay alone, so you put out an ad for a roommate. A lot of the requests you got were from older people and you didn’t exactly feel the most comfortable as a young adult, just starting out, living with someone two or even three times your age.

After a few days you stumbled upon Anakin’s application. Maybe his picture captured your attention… maybe you stalked his instagram to see if he was a serial killer (and to look at more of his pics).... Either way, the two of you obviously ended up living together.

When he first moved in you were worried he would be bringing chicks back every night based on his stunning looks and flirtatious personality, but thankfully you were mistaken.

He was just a normal guy; go to work, come home, shower, eat, sleep, repeat. You didn’t mind that at all, because your routine was basically identical.

A small blush rose to your cheeks as you headed for the door. His hair was held back by a folded black bandana and he had his own apron in hand.

“The door was open, ya know” you said, motioning him into the establishment.

“Oh, the sign was flipped, so I assumed…” he said, motioning to the door.

“Mhmm”

“We are almost closed, but i’ll allow you one purchase, just cause i'm so nice” you teased.

He walked up to the counter and surveyed the sweets, “oh, are you now? If you’re such a kind person, how about giving me a coffee cake on the house, sweetheart?”.

“Woah, woah, woah… you’re asking a bit too much there pretty boy”

He leaned over the counter slightly with a smirk, “aww, you think i’m pretty”.

In response you playfully rolled your eyes, “yuck! It’s just an expression, Skywalker, don’t get an ego about it” .

He grabbed her beaten up wallet out of his back pocket and laughed, “You already know i’ve got an ego”.

“That I do” you quipped back as you grabbed a coffee cake slice

“You love it though” he smiled as he handed you a ten.

Your eyes lingered on his forearm as he offered you the cash, he was a fit guy and the veins on his arms bulged just right; plus he was a line cook, so you knew that he had good dexterity in those pretty fingers too.

“Whatever you say”

You weren’t going to tell him, but you added your 50% off employee discount (since you were on the clock) just ‘cause.

The cash drawer popped open with a ding and you went to hand him back his change.

“You heading back to the apartment?” he asked as he gathered his cake.

“Yea, I’m gonna take a nap, I’m tired as shit. I’m guessing you’re about to go into work?”

He drew his lips into a thin line, “yep, I’m livin’ the dream. Are you gonna get lunch?”

“Probably”

“You should, food is important…Have a good afternoon though”.

You returned the gesture and went back to wiping down the coffee bar when you heard a few clinks and the door closed shortly after.

Your brows furrowed at the speed at which he left, but to be fair his shift was literally starting in two minutes. You walked up to the register to lock it when you saw he had tossed the rest of his ten in the tip jar; a small smile spread across your tired face.

11:02 p.m.

Your sleep schedule was so fucked up from all of these awkward shifts so you were just waking up from your nap (if you can even call it that).

Before you could register what to do next, your stomach let out a hungry growl and you groaned. You forgot to eat lunch and missed dinner so you were starving; sadly, it was grocery shopping weekend for you and you were out of instant meals.

A sandwich then.

You put on a small tank top and some gray shorts and headed to the kitchen. You hated cooking and you weren’t good at it either, so usually you had a salad kit, turkey dinner meal, or a premade acai bowl in the fridge. But since you were out of your usual options, you had to stick with a good ol’ PB&J.

You heard the click of keys in the door and you knew Anakin was back from his shift. Some of you wanted to dash back to your room and just wait until he went to shower to make it; you were lowkey intimidated by him. Before you could leave he noticed you and greeted you.

“Oh, Hey Anakin, how was work?”

“It was fine, the Sunday night rush is insane though, I’m so glad I go in later tomorrow” he groaned, sitting down at one of the barstools in front of the counter.

“You makin’ a little snack?” he asked, leaning over to see the ingredients in front of you.

“It’s more like dinner and lunch-”

His eyes widened, “lunch?! I thought you were getting something on the way back?”.

You shrugged, “I guess I forgot”.

“So you’re going to use a PB&J to supplement two missed meals?” he asked, bewildered.

“Uh huh” you nodded.

“No, no, no…” he muttered as he hopped off the stool and came around the counter beside you.

He took the knife from your hand and began to put the spreads away.

“Hey!” you exclaimed with a frown.

“Listen, If you’re going to break a two meal fast, I’ll be damned if I let you break it with a peanut butter and jelly sandwich” he huffed out a laugh.

“Alright wise guy, what do you suggest instead? We both know I’m a horrible cook”.

He bent down and grabbed a pan from the cabinet and some ground beef.

“What are you doing?” you asked curiously.

“I’m making you some food. Go ahead and sit down, I’ve got this” he said softly as he started up the stove.

“No, it’s really alright Anakin, you just got off of work. You really don’t have-”

“I want to,” he responded.

You stopped talking and took a seat as he maneuvered around the kitchen like he had been here his whole life.

He chopped the beef and while it cooked he mixed spices to season the meat with. You watched him intensely; when he cooked his brows furrowed in concentration and the right one arched ever so slightly.

He lightly bit his bottom lip when he shook the pan to flip the tiny pieces of beef, and the tendons in his pretty hands flexed with every movement.

You really shouldn't be thinking about your roommate this way, but sometimes it was almost impossible not to. Inside, you cursed yourself for even thinking you had a shot with him; he was just a generally flirty guy and acted the same way he did with you when you brought friends over (though he was honestly just being nice). Plus there was no way that you would be his first choice out of all of the people who wanted him.

Anakin stood over the pan and shook out the seasoning he had just made to flavor the meat. Sure, he was tired from a seven hour shift, but this was for you; when it came to you, he would do almost anything.

He wasn’t exactly sure when his little “crush” started, he just knew that it was definitely there. Maybe it was when he realized you worked in the cafe beside his restaurant, so he would pop in as often as he could to grab little sweets; ones he could easily make himself, but he chose to buy them just as an excuse to see you (much to the detriment of his wallet).

Or maybe it was when he realized you discounted all of his purchases.

Or was it those late nights where the two of you would put on movies and share funny commentary whilst sharing a bowl of popcorn.

Or was it simply because of the way you maneuvered through life? Your sunny disposition, wonderful personality, and genuine kindness… plus you were drop dead gorgeous.

Whatever it was, he was locked in… of course he still kinda flirted around, but he was a natural flirt. At this point he couldn’t imagine wanting someone as much as he wanted you, he was entrapped by the possibility of having you in the future.

But of course, being the oblivious guy he is, he had no idea his feelings were reciprocated at all. So he chose not to act on his feelings out of fear of losing his spot in the apartment (if it went bad, you could kick him out and look for a different roommate to replace him).

“It’s done,” he said, turning the oven off and putting the pan on a cool burner.

“What is it?” you asked, walking around to his side.

“It’s meat for a taco,” he said, grabbing some cheese, guac, and lettuce.

“Oh, wow! That’s awesome, you made that so quick!” you exclaimed, looking at the pan.

“Here, let me grab a spoon to get the meat out” he said passing behind you.

Your eyes widened when you felt his strong hands on your waist as he moved past; did you feel that right? Did his hand linger? And why were you feeling hot?

“Here” he handed you the spoon.

“Thanks Anakin, this is really sweet” you said, getting your taco ready.

“No problem roomie” he said in a sing-songy voice.

“And with this you’ll have left overs so you can have lunch tomorrow. Don't forget again” he fake scolded.

“Alright dad” you quipped back.

He laughed and shook his head as he headed back to his room to take a shower. You observed his broad back as his shirt defined his shoulder blades and muscles while he walked.

Fuck. You were getting way too attracted to him.

___________________________

You woke up to a sweet aroma of pancake batter and fresh fruit. It wasn’t often that you and Anakin ever got up around the same time but apparently today was your lucky day.

He truly loved the culinary arts because he never faltered with his ambition to prepare a quality meal. He cooked breakfast a lot, but most times you were already at work and just saw the dishes in the sink or only got to have a quick bite. Though, every so often, on a rare day like this, both of you were able to share a delicious breakfast together (he always made sure to make breakfast for you when he knew you were off).

You walked out of your room with a yawn and rubbed the sleep from your eyes. Once you took a seat he handed you a freshly made plate and tossed some strawberries on top.

“Look who finally decided to get up” he joked with a smirk.

You yawned once more, “Listen master chef, if my boss didn’t call me in for every little inconvenience- maybe my sleep schedule might not be as fucked”.

“Fair, fair” he nodded.

“Thanks for breakfast, it looks yummy”

“Of course” he smiled back

You looked at the plate with hungry eyes, it looked amazing, the only other thing you would add was-

“You want some of this, don't you?” Anakin smiled, flaunting a new bottle of whipped cream in front of you.

“Ugh” you rolled your eyes.

“I know how you take your pancakes,” he laughed, “you’re very predictable”.

“Am I?” you said before trying to quickly grab the can from his hand.

He laughed again and raised his arm higher, “that’s not gonna work and you know it.”.

“What can I do to get some whipped cream around here?” you cried comically.

“Well this stuff isn't cheap and we’re going through the largest national whipped cream shortage in history” he said, trying to sound serious.

“Oh, wow that’s tough” you returned with an unamused tone.

“Isn’t it though?” he added.

“I guess if you want some, you’ll just have to pay me” he looked away.

“With what Mr.whipped cream enthusiast? We both make shit money” you exxagerated.

“I may consider non monetary payment… possibly a kiss on the cheek?” he said.

“You want me to kiss you on the cheek?” you asked.

It probably came out more rude than you intended, it was only becasue you were flustered and your tones always got jumbled when you were nervous.

“Well you know what they say, “kiss the chef”. But if you don’t want any whipped cream…” he stated; he was a little nervous that he put himself too out there (he was never the best at subtlety).

“No, no! I want my whipped cream, so I will comply” you said proudly.

“Alright” he smirked.

…

… …

“Are you going to come collect your compensation or just stand there with the bottle in your hand?” you asked playfully.

“Oh, right. How dare I make a customer wait” he smiled, walking towards you.

“You’re so full of shit, Skywalker '' you teased as he bent down so you could kiss his cheek.

He felt butterflies when your soft, pillowy lips landed on his flushed cheek. How he had imagined that feeling.

“Alright, here you are mam” he shot out a dollop.

“That’s it?!” you exclaimed, unsatisfied.

“Each shot is one kiss” he shrugged, “national shortage…remember?”.

“Ugh” you rolled your eyes and continued to kiss his cheek until you were satisfied with the amount on your plate.

“Alright, alright. Thank you for the great customer service, I'll be sure to leave a good review on yelp” you joked as you pushed him away so you could eat in peace.

“Much appreciated, thank you mam” he smiled.

“Yeah, yeah. Whatever” you responded, with a light blush tinting your cheeks.

5:30 p.m.

Anakin groaned from his room before entering the living area with his scrunched up apron in hand. HE stopped in his doorway to stretch.

“Man, I really don’t feel like going in today”.

You hummed in acknowledgement, “It shouldn’t be too busy, since its only a monday ''.

“Yeah, I hope so” he said, putting his work shoes on that he kept by the door.

You glanced over your shoulder to look at his muscles rippling as he tied the laces; it was mesmerizing.

He stood and you whipped your head around quicker than you thought was possible.

“Alright, I’ll see you later. It’s my week for trash right?” he asked, grabbing his keys.

“Mhm”

“Ok, I’ll take it out when I get back tonight. Don’t worry, I won’t forget” he smiled before waving a small goodbye and shutting the door.

Something about him was just so homely, he was so sweet and thoughtful; you felt that living with him was just natural at this point.

________________

The restaurant was actually pretty busy when he first arrived, he saw a few party tables as he walked in. Great…

After clocking in, he got straight to work; manning the char grill, making sure all the orders were getting out in a timely manner, and goofing around with the other cooks.

In passing one of the cooks asked how his crush was doing.

“What do you mean?” Anakin innocently asked with a stupid smile on his face.

“Oh, just the one you live with. Ya know, no biggie” he laughed.

“Doing well, I made us breakfast this morning,” Anakin proudly stated.

___

All of the staff knew about Anakin’s not so little thing for you. He had been working at this restaurant for a while and was pretty acquainted with everyone. The cooks all knew abt you because everyone liked to talk in the kitchen, plus some of the other guys were curious about Anakin’s love life, seeing that he was so desirable (all of the waitstaff thought he was fine as hell).

He showed them your instagram when the two of you first started living together and everyone in the kitchen cheered him on.

The waitstaff on the other hand were not so thrilled that the handsome and mysterious line cook already had his sights set on someone else… someone who wasn’t them. Of course they were jealous, but when they got your insta from Anakin, they couldn’t even find anything bad to say about you;l you were stunning.

Doesn’t mean they liked you though…

___

A new order buzzed onto the screen above that had all sorts of modifications; Anakin was about to groan, until he recognized something familiar…

Usually no one asked for a salad without tomatoes and cheese but instead with rice, cucumbers, raspberries, strawberries, and chicken- or cinnamon on their mashed potatoes; there was only one person he knew who ever ordered such a peculiar combination.

You.

The waitress who rang in the order walked by and Anakin caught her attention.

“Hey, the person who ordered thi-”

“Yeah, I know. They’re such a pain. Like, at this point, just make it at home if you want so many modifications” she rambled

He then described your appearance to her and asked if the customer fit the description.

“Yea, sounds like ‘em” she said before carrying on with her work.

He smiled, you came into his place on your day off. Suddenly he felt a warm sensation in his chest.

The waitress came barreling back in and shouted Anakin’s name, “they apparently forgot to say they didn’t want-”

“Butter on the mash” he finished, already knowing what was coming next.

“Yea, how’d you know?” she asked, confused.

“That’s my roommate, I make this for us all the time back at home”.

She gave him a look before walking away to whisper something into another server’s ear. He knew they were then going to go out and judge you because they were jealous. Typical.

He continued to make your plate with care and since it wasn’t busy, even spent time drawing a little hearts with the cinnamon and salad dressing (not very subtle Anakin).

The other cooks notice and start making fun of him and he playfully starts winding up a rag to snap at them.

Once your food has been run he slipped out of the kitchen for a “bathroom” break; obviously everyone knows where he’s going.

He walks out into the front house and is immediately relieved by the cooler AC in there, next he scanned the tables and booths until he spotted your familiar face.

Soon enough he offers himself a seat in the booth opposite of you.

”Anakin!” you exclaim, “You scared me”.

“My apologies Sunshine, Just thought I’d come out and see my favorite customer” he said before winking.

“How’d you even know I was- “ you began before you looked down at your plate and realized.

“Yea, not many people are out here ordering such a peculiar combo” he teased.

“I should have known it was you who made the plate, well with the hearts and all. That must take a lot of time, they were really precise” you said, taking a sip of your water.

He laughed before answering, “I reserve those for very special guests'' (he only did those when you came in).

“Well, I wonder if you do this to persuade certain “people” to cut back on your rent for the month” you arched a playful brow.

He clenched his chest and looked offended, “Of course not! I would never do such a thing”.

You laughed at his stupidity.

He loved making you laugh, it was one of the sweetest sounds he had ever heard.

You saw a few other cooks poking their heads around the wall that divided the kitchen from the seating in curiosity.

“I think your co-workers want you to hurry up” you smiled, pointing towards the entrance to the kitchen.

He let out a sigh, “I guess so”.

As he stood you thanked him for stopping by; “My compliments to the chef” you teased.

“I am always at your service” he dramatically bowed before jogging to the back.

When he left you released a breath you didn’t know you were holding. Your heart was racing… you were in too deep (but so was he).

Anakin spent the rest of the night happily making orders; he no longer cared he was at work, because you had just made his day.

Everyone in the kitchen began to tease him because he had a certain glow to him and they all knew why.

“When are you finally gonna go on a date?” someone asked him.

“Yea, you seem pretty damn sure about this one” another butted in.

He smiled to himself, “Soon guys. soon…”

***

a/n: The reader likes some weird ass combos lmfaooo. Basically these two are both missing the point that the other likes them. Now to clear up some things, I know cafe's are usually open all day but I needed it to close early for the plot. Also, I worked at a steakhouse and modeled Anakin's work as such just cause its what i'm most familiar with (Ironically I don't eat meat lol).

#anakin star wars #anakin is a little shit #anakin skywalker #anakin x reader #anakin #anakin x you #star wars x reader #star wars #darth vader x reader #vader #anakin fic #anakin imagine #linecook #linecook anakin #line cook anakin #answered asks #drabble #sw x reader #sw fic

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sturniohoe · 4 months

Note

honestly i kinda agree with your matt post. like it’s his job to be happy for like an hour a week yet he can’t even do that? i’d love to see him work in customer service 😂😂

no literallyyyy that’s what i’m saying😭

people are going fucking insane just because i think someone who makes more money then they’re ever see in their life should have a little energy for a 30 MINUTE VIDEO. like he doesn’t have to do social media if he doesn’t want to yk. he obviously doesn’t care for his fans so just like leave?

#matt sturniolo #nick sturniolo #sturniolo triplets #chris sturniolo #christopher sturniolo #nicolas sturniolo #sturniolo #sturniolo smut #sturniolo fanfic #sturniolo x reader

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fieldsofbats · 1 year

Text

simon riley x waitstaff!reader

thank you to those who liked my first post <3 i am still v new to this and haven't quite figured out my preferred writing style so all feedback is welcome (be respectful tho).

part one

part two

right so at ur work it’s real common to have military folk there bc it is a military town, close to base, training facilities etc.

first visit was just to the bar section of the place. price thought it would be good for moral to go out and have some chill team time, watch a football match and just hang out.

soap ordered some food and you brought it over to them. simon did not notice you bc he was watching the game, but then he got a whiff of soaps food and decided to grab something.

cue you coming back over with your sweet smile and handing him his food and cutlery before wandering back to the resturant bc its a quiet night.

mans is hooked.

second time ghost comes in it’s at night again but the restaurant is slammed bc it’s family week, everyone is getting dinner the night before they gotta head home.

lbr, simon didnt think about you until soap wanted to go out again: "where are we goin'" "that place with the pretty server", knows exactly where they are going.

but still, your smile and warmth towards everyone is so kind and customer service is through the roof. yet he watches as you race around in and out of the kitchen with crazy ease and grace

like dude is impressed at you staying calm and steady despite how fuckin busy it is and people with their insane requests and demands for food (inpatient pricks)

he wants to stick around and watch u but it has become way to loud and busy for him so he bows out and goes back to his quiet room

simon strikes me as someone that likes to have as much regularity in his life as possible, why do you think 141 are literally the only people he has relationships with???

but mainly forms this routine bc he gets to see you, and he knows you will be there bc you’ve old him its your regular shift.

"you basically live here."

"haha no, i just make sure i get the shift with you."

the restaurant would make the booking for him in advance cause he never does but you know he is coming anyway so have it under ‘y/n's man’ (hasn’t told you his name) and ur coworkers think its super cute and funny

but he would make the effort to come in when it is quiet and has the chance to actually listen to you talk and see you interact with others on a more relaxed level BUT he wouldn’t be opposed to seeing you rushing around tables and weaving between guests who haven’t sat down

ngl he would find it hot watching you manage several orders and memorising different peoples requirements, all while keeping that sweet smile and polite manner

you can carry three plates?! this man is sweating under the mask

he doesn’t do a lot of the talking, only when you really prompt him or he is feeling a bit more extroverted that day. Doesn’t wanna talk about military shit with you but that’s all he does so he prefers to listen to you.

knows all the drama and gossip of the restaurant. glad to hear you are not dating the guy behind the bar and that you also don't like the receptionist because he perfume is to strong.

he will hang around and wait for it to die down to be able to talk to you. if it gets too loud for him he might just try and see you at the till as he leaves but has pushed through once or twice to talk to you.

something about you makes him feel more real, that he isn’t just some shell of a man, that he has a purpose. he likes that you treat him normally, the fresh slate you give him is like clean evening air.

ANYWAY it would take him ages to ask you out, like more than six/ seven months, and he would be so nervous (not to the point of stuttering or shaking bc this man is military he has been in worse situations, but his heart would be running a marathon and the self doubt would be just as loud)

but also protective ghost omgggg, he would be seething watching the old men be creepy and shit

knife and fork are down and he is up behind these men leering over them “excuse me, I just have a question about my meal.” just would say anything to get you out of that situation and back over to him. Or would just stand by the register staring down these men (this happens a lot more often than simon would like to admit)

always checks in when he is leaving to make sure he didn’t over step or make you uncomfortable by accident

#simon riley x reader #ghost x reader #simon ghost riley #cod mwii #cod mw2 #simon riley x you #simon ghost x reader #simon ghost riley x reader #simon riley #x reader #ahhh my first proper fic #thank yall so so much #pls be kind.

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beth--b · 1 year

Text

I should have stayed home

Six months post Vecna’s defeat things were going pretty well for Steve.

He and Robin had both managed to get jobs at a bakery that had opened in town, Robin was taking a gap year after all the insanity that had been their lives before heading to college.

Eddie and Max had both recovered well from their injuries, Max would need glasses and Eddie had some pretty gnarly scars (as did Steve) but they were both doing well.

Steve had discovered that thinking of other boys as ‘pretty’ was not something that everyone did, and after a few long conversations with Robin, he had come to the conclusion that he was into both girls and guys.

The fact that he found Eddie very attractive certainly helped move things along for him.

The party had stayed close having regular catch ups by way of dinners or movie nights. The Byers and El had moved back to Hawkins with Hopper, Hopper had wasted no time in popping the question to Joyce and they had tied the knot a few months ago. They both said they’d waited long enough and who knew what the future would bring so why wait.

This brought Steve to the present day.

Read it here on ao3

He had been planning on asking Eddie out for weeks now and was planning on meeting him at the bakery when his shift ended.

The problem was Steve had woken up with a headache that was quickly becoming a migraine.

To try and make things easier on himself he decided to forego his contacts (who knew that so much head trauma could cause permanent damage?) and wore his glasses instead.

Not the way he’d wanted to look when he officially asked Eddie out. They’d been dancing around each other for weeks, months really, flirting and getting far too close for friendship but neither of them had actually asked the other out.

Nothing he could do about it though, so with glasses in place he popped a few painkillers and left for work.

—---------------

The day was dragging.

Robin wasn’t working with him today, he had needed to deal with multiple rude customers and his headache was only getting worse.

The painkillers had hardly touched the sides of the headache when it had first begun and now that it was a full blown migraine, he was a hair's breadth from laying down on the floor and calling it a day.

He only had another hour before Eddie would be there and they could go somewhere and Steve could ask him out. Officially. He was not going to let a headache stop him. It had taken him so long to get to this point and now he didn’t want to wait anymore.

So that meant he would grin and bear it.

Turning on his best customer service smile, that may or may not have looked more like a grimace at this point, he greeted the next customer that came into the store.

He bent down to get the cake out of the cabinet that the lady had chosen only to be hit with a wave of dizziness as he straightened back up. He managed not to drop the cake, blindly placing it on the counter, only to stumble back himself. Next thing he knew he was looking at the ceiling.

The customer, a middle aged woman who Steve vaguely recognised as working at Hawkins Middle hurried around to him and checked him over.

“Are you alright dear?” she asked, supporting him as he slowly sat up. The world was still spinning and he closed his eyes as he helped guide his head between his knees. “Easy does it. Is there someone else here I can call?”

Steve just shook his head, taking a few deep breaths until he felt he could sit up.

“Sorry ma’am just stood up too fast and got a bit dizzy. I’m so sorry about that! Is your cake alright?”

The woman helped him up and shushed him, telling him everything was fine and to take care of himself. She paid for her cake and once she was sure he was steady on her feet she left the store, but only after Steve reassured her he was fine and someone would be there soon to take over for him.

Thankfully it was quiet the rest of his shift, only half an hour left.

He wanted nothing more than to see Eddie, but his head was killing him and now on top of the migraine he had an egg on the back of his head from where he had hit the floor.

He was determined not to give in though.

Moments later the metal head himself came through the door.

“Stevie! Fancy finding you here?”

Steve couldn’t help but wince at the volume of Eddie’s voice, ducking his head to try and hide it as he came around the counter to greet the older man.

“Hey Eds! Just waiting on my replacement and we can get out of here,” Steve said, giving Eddie a quick hug. If he leaned in a little longer that he meant to, well nobody else was there to see.

Steve went back behind the counter, bagging up a couple of pastries for Eddie and himself to have later and gave them to Eddie.

“Mind taking those out to your van?” Steve asked, passing the bags over.

“Of course! What’s the plan? Are we taking our own cars and meeting somewhere or what?”

Not feeling fit to drive, but not wanting to tell Eddie either, Steve just shrugged and tried to act like he was deciding on the spot. “Maybe we take your van and come back for my car later?”

Not seeming too worried Eddie just smiled and nodded, turning to walk back outside to wait for Steve. “Alright, I’ll be waiting.”

With Eddie out of sight Steve lay his head on the counter and tried to breathe through the pain.

He didn’t even hear his replacement come in until they tapped him on the shoulder.

“You good Steve? You look kinda pale,” the kid asked. Tom, or Tim…Steve couldn’t remember just then.

“Mm fine. Here you go,” Steve took his apron off and almost threw it at the kid before making his way back around the counter and outside.

He made it to Eddie’s van just as another wave of dizziness took hold. Grabbing the door handle to keep himself upright he leaned heavily into the van door as he almost tipped over.

Just as he was about to give in and slide down onto the pavement Eddie was there, holding him up and guiding him into the car.

“Holy fuck Steve what’s wrong? You gonna pass out?”

Shaking and feeling sick Steve just shook his head as much as he could without making the pain in his head worse.

“No-no don’t think so. Sorry. Migraine. This isn’t how things were meant to go today. Maybe I should have stayed home. Just wanted things to be perfect for you,” Steve muttered as Eddie rubbed his back.

“Why didn’t you? If you’re not feeling well you could have just told me.”

Steve was almost in tears at this point. Everything was going so wrong.

“Wanted it t’be spec’al. Wan’ed to ask you out. Fucked it up now,” Steve slurred, too far gone from the pain to filter what he was even saying.

Eddie just wrapped his arms around Steve as much as their position in the van allowed and gently massaged Steve’s neck and head. The younger boys closed his eyes and felt some of the tension he was carrying begin to release.

“Oh sweetheart, you didn’t fuck anything up. Life happens. We can have a do-over another day. For now how about I take you home and we can go lay down and get you feeling better?”

“Ok,” Steve whispered, pressing into Eddie’s side.

“Good, let’s get you home and then when you’re feeling up to it, we can go on a proper date, sound good?”

“So good Eds. So good.”

“That’s settled then, let’s get you home.” Eddie pulled away and buckled Steve’s seatbelt for him. Before he started the engine though he pressed a quick kiss to Steve’s forehead.

“Wha’ was tha’ for?” Steve asked, opening his eyes

“Kissing it better for you,” Eddie replied, face turning bright red as he did.

“Oh! Thank you,” Steve felt his own face heat up in response but smiled nonetheless.

Maybe things hadn’t gone quite as he had planned but somehow it seemed they had worked out anyway.

#stranger things #my fics #steve harrington #eddie munson #sicktember #prompt 28 #steddie #getting together #steve x eddie #fanfiction #fanfic #stranger things fanfiction #sicktember 2023

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milkybonya · 2 years

Text

8:03am _ lee know

order 059, @btsmosphere : honey milk tea with pudding and for skz Lee Know

!: y/n tells a (rude) customer to stfu, some angst/physical violence, enemies to lovers! but it's mostly Lino teasing y/n and y/n being the one who hates Lino, Lino is a snob here and y/n is kinda cold

#: rich ceo!Lino who is a regular at the café you work at, he drives you insane but ends up being the one to comfort you on a bad day

[💌: this ended up being on the longer side! i hope you enjoy it hehe i was so invested while writing this...]

you sigh as you hear the door to your café open at exactly 8:03am. the same person was coming for the same order that they get at the same time every single day... and of course you always have to work the morning shifts.

"strawberry latte?" you ask him, not even meeting his gaze.

"i have a name, you know," he responds. you can hear the smirk in his voice.

"don't care," you say, punching in the order. you don't usually act this cold with customers, but Lino deserves it.

"someone's having a bad day. don't worry sweetie, i'll tip you extra today," he says.

you finally look up to see him with his hair parted comma style, glasses with lenses that may or may not be fake sitting on the bridge of his nose. his black suit is neat, perfectly tailored to him.

"finally looking at me after i mentioned a tip?"

he's smirking again, the jerk. you roll your eyes and tell him how much he owes before walking away to make the drink. you can hear him sighing and complaining about the workers in this place being too moody.

"who wouldn't be in a mood making drinks for a snob like you," you groan to yourself, but your coworker overhears.

"hey now, Lino isn't a snob. he's just rich," he argues.

you talk to your coworker while still making the drink.

"come on, Han Jisung. rich = snob and vice versa. have you even seen the way he talks to me?" you complain.

Jisung sighs at you, calling you dramatic half jokingly before he walks to the back in search of some more medium-sized cups.

"your drink."

you slide it over to Lino who takes it, the corners of his mouth turned slightly upwards.

"thanks, angel. enjoy the tip. that one's all for you," he says before leaving, not even listening to you explaining that all tips have to be divided equally between staff.

you sigh, both frustrated with what happened and relieved that the local snob has finally left your café.

"i seriously don't understand your problem with Lino. he's total eye candy and always tips so much..." Jisung tells you while mopping the counter.

"you wouldn't know," you tell him.

Jisung wasn't working at the café when you were a newbie and Lino first started coming in. your small mistakes would always make Lino angry. he'd never yell but was always scoffing, rolling his eyes and snapping. it made you feel super crappy.

that's what you hated. people who thought they could treat customer service workers like dirt; people who thought it was your job to accept that kind of behaviour.

hell no.

even though Lino has started being weirdly flirty and jokes around with you a lot since you've gotten better at your job, you don't give him more than you have to. all you do is quietly take his order and make his drink.

you hate him. he's a rich ceo snob who thinks he can do and get everything he wants. you wish he'd just never come in anymore.

yet on this day, you're thankful to hear him walking in at 8:03am again while a customer yells at you.

"this is outrageous. what is this, a five-star restaurant? why're you walking this man's drink out to him? if you do it for him, you should be doing it for the rest of us," the customer shouts at you.

"no sir, this is a café. i am walking this man's drink to him because he respectfully asked me to do so for him," you calmly reply.

a man explained that he needed assistance bringing his drinks to his table. he was scared he would spill his hot drink on himself, so he had asked you to walk the drink to where he was sitting, instead. of course, you agreed, noticing that he was indeed having trouble with his hands full and his baby that wouldn't leave him alone.

"well, if i kindly ask, would you walk my drink over to me, too?" the customer scoffed.

"if you're just trying to abuse me and the work i do then i suggest you stop now, sir. if you genuinely needed me to walk the drink over to you, i would have done so, but clearly you're just saying this for the sake of arguing," you say before walking towards the customer who had first made this request to you.

"i'm so sorry you have to hear this," you tell him.

Lino, who had been quietly standing and assessing the situation this whole time, finally speaks up after the customer tries to harass you again.

"hey, what're you tryna say.. y/n?" the customer shoves you backwards, spitting out your name from likely reading your name tag.

"i'm abusing you? what're you gonna do, report me? i have the right to complain about this shitty café."

you sigh as he shoves you again, until Lino approaches you.

"you also have the right to leave before i fucking make you," Lino almost snarls.

you look up at him, his face seems calm but you can tell there's anger brewing deep within.

"excuse me?" the customer asks, pushing past so you he can be face to face with Lino.

"leave this store. you've made a mess so just leave before you fuck it up even more," Lino responds, gesturing to all the people in the café who wear fearful expressions.

the customer suddenly tries to punch Lino, who easily dodges and tightly holds the man's shoulders, guiding him out.

"that's enough from you," Lino says.

suddenly, two police officers storm in.

"we got a report about a violent customer," one of them says.

"i sent the report!" Jisung squeaks from behind the counter, "it's that man!"

the officers look at the man Lino is holding onto.

"what happened here?" the officer asks Lino.

"this man was harassing y/n and a customer," Lino explains.

"alright, we'll deal with it," they say.

as soon as Lino steps away from the conversation, he turns towards you.

"are you okay?" he asks.

for the first time, there's a distinct emotion on his face, and it's one of worry.

"i'm okay..." you say.

but you're shaking and your eyes are brimming with tears. that was a shocking experience and you're only processing your emotions now.

"let's go," Lino says, taking your hand and guiding you to the break room.

Jisung tells you he'll talk to the cops on your behalf.

inside the breakroom, you suddenly start to cry. Lino stays with you for a few seconds before he caves and wraps you in a hug that feels surprisingly warm, considering how cold he is.

"hey... you're okay. you're safe here, just breathe," he mumbles close to your ear.

you get goosebumps all over you but also somehow strangely relax into his arms. you can smell his perfume, feel his body shake with his every heartbeat and you can hear him taking quick breaths.

"are you okay?" you ask him, "i'm sorry the café was so unusual today.

he scoffs.

"you don't need to apologize for that, y/n, are you kidding? i'm glad i was here to step in when necessary," he says.

he pulls away, still holding your shoulders while scanning your face, trying to see how you feel. for the first time, your heart races around him as you take in his handsome features and the fact that he's holding you right now. if he wasn't, you may have passed out.

"do you think you can continue working? i'll tell Jisung to cover for you. no, he can't on his own, can he... should i just not go to work and cover you here instead? i'm a pretty good cook..." he rambles to himself, eyebrows furrowed and resembling a little bunny.

"hey, really, it's okay. i can go back to work. i've had worse than this," you reassure him.

it takes a while, but Lino is eventually convinced that he can leave you to work, but he still has you save his number to your phone in case you need help.

"oh dude, he's definitely flirting. that was all just an act so he could get your number," Jisung says once you're back to taking orders and telling him everything that happened.

"and so what if it was?" you ask.

"oh? have you finally taken a liking to Lino?"

you consider it and decide that maybe you have. the next day he comes in is when you know it for sure, though.

at 8:03am, Lino walks in again. this time, you notice the way he holds the door open for a mother and her children, even picking up a dropped toy for them. you notice the little smile on his face and how cute his teeth look. you watch him squint at the menu from afar, even though you know he'll still get a strawberry latte.

"morning, y/n. feeling better?" he asks.

when you nod and smile, he feels relieved.

"your drink's on me today," you say, stepping aside to make it for him.

"oh? what's the occasion?" he asks.

"just..." you trail off.

"they like you, you idiot," Jisung yells from where he's working on another order.

you glare at Jisung and look back at Lino, who's trying to hide his smile.

"if i like you too then do i accept the free drink?" he asks.

481 notes · View notes

helicidal · 8 months

Text

i finally found ice finn's official ref (its on the adventure time fandom wiki btw) and im crying he looks so fucking stupid. his dumbass pose. his FACE. HIS FUCKIJG FACE WHY DOES HE LOOK LIKE THAT. THE MOST VACANT EXPRESSION EVER. he unironically looks more insane in this ref than he does for the entire duration of "crossover".

he has the expression of someone working customer service who is secretly plotting a murder scheme in their head while a 40 year old screams at them for the milk being out of stock

#this must be why his teeth change like 45732894792 times in crossover too... cause the ref has his mouth closed LMAO #i wanna squeeze him like a stress ball #ice finn #farmworld finn #finn mertens #finn the human #adventure time

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storybookprincess · 5 months

Note

Liv. I have been wondering. As someone who works in the library scene, do you have any advice on how to get there? I'm really interested in that line of work ans college is coming up fast, I was just wondering if you have any personal thoughts!

i’m gonna take two different approaches to answering this question. first, the purely logistical answer:

lots of folks don’t know this, but to actually be a full fledged librarian, you need a masters degree. however, there are lots of folks in paraprofessional roles (like me!!!!) who only have an undergrad degree. so first things first, get an undergrad degree in a related field (mine is in english, but education might be an even better fit). my advice would be NOT to go straight through to your masters, but instead get some boots on the ground experience in a paraprofessional role first to be sure this is really your desired path before shelling out the money for your masters

this brings me to my second point, which is that based solely on my own experience (a small rural public library), most folks have absolutely no clue what they are getting into when they enter the library field. i don’t regularly talk about books with anyone. i never read on the clock. instead, let me run you through my workday so far:

- i field 3 separate phone calls from a patron who is actually banned from our physical locations following a violent incident, but still calls us regularly. i look up some tv scheduling info for him, all the while deescalating the shit out of the situation, because he’s not happy with the info i’m giving him & i want to keep our conversation positive

- i shred a ton of documents for a patron. we don’t normally shred things for the public, but this is our compromise, because otherwise this patron will flush them down the toilets & ruin our plumbing

- i send a fax for a patron that inexplicably takes an hour to go through

- i provide a ton of tech help, spending about a half hour with a patron fighting with our state’s department of revenue website to try to file the fuel taxes for her trucking business

- this is all between check ins, check outs, shelving, and loads of other small interactions too brief to be of note

- worth mentioning that we’re extremely short staffed today, so it was only a coworker & me for the first half of the shift

i’ve omitted a lot of personal details to protect patron privacy & avoid engaging in trauma porn, but believe me when i say that there’s a ton of additional context that makes a lot of these interactions all the more precarious & challenging

all of this is to say that if you want to be happy in a patron facing public library role, you need to love people, embrace chaos, and have extraordinary customer service skills

therefore, i recommend getting volunteer & work experience with the public while in college, ideally with vulnerable populations. make sure you love it. hone your people skills. and then enter the library world with confidence!!!! it’s insane but awesome

#village-for-rambles #asked and answered #library life

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wisteriainslumber · 2 years

Text

TWST working at McDonalds

my credentials are i have never worked at mcdonalds

this is crack don’t take it seriously

warnings: swearing and cr*wley

Riddle

absolutely judges you for even coming to order at mcdonalds. there is no nutrition!! all of it is grease and sugar!!

refuses to work drivethru. yelling does nothing for his rage, his violent nature will not be contained

relax, riddle doesn’t have scarlet fever, his face just does that. is it healthy? probably not.

is not the manager but when people ask for the manager they will call for riddle because he can do a better job

(if you hadn’t figured, the manager is cr*wley)

has the most monotone, dead customer service voice

if someone forgets to fill the coins or fails to lock up, you will be put on janitor duty to think about what you’ve done

understandably, it’s very effective

do not let him train the newbies. he thinks telling the instructions once/reading the employee handbook (THAT HE VOLUNTARILY MADE. insane man.) will prepare them.

the reigns of training deuce and ace were then very quickly passed off to someone else

riddle gives emotional support hugs to kalim and cusses out the people who are mean to him with the fury of a thousand suns

if he weren’t so competent, he would’ve been fired

(he wouldn’t have been fired. cr*wley doesn’t want to hire new people)

he’s learning recipes from lilia on their break. after his attempt at soup gave him the flu, he has not tried to learn recipes from lilia since

a bit concerned by the screaming children. he’s never been surrounded by children his age so he thinks the scream-laughter is like a call for help

Trey

when he burns the batches of cookies he feeds them to the workers and tells them its the double chocolate chip cookies

the staff believe him because he’s never really done anything wrong

except for that ungodly amount of spare dental products in their staff washroom

normal people have toilet paper in the cupboard but their staff washroom has toothbrushes, toothpaste, floss, all labeled with everyones names

no one knows who brought them, one day the cupboard was just full, but since trey keeps telling people to brush their teeth after eating the cookies it isnt hard to find out who did it

now because of him, if anyone runs out of toilet paper in the bathroom they need to text a co-worker to hand them another roll

trey finds the strongest types of coffee combinations for silver, but is getting increasingly concerned by the amount of espresso shots getting put into the cup

he will also coordinate group outfits for halloween or gift exchanges during the holidays

during the spooky season, you will find a free toothbrush in your bag or happy meal box

just... don’t ask

it was either that or licorice because trey clover is a black licorice enjoyer

Cater

makes promotional tiktok videos during his shift

specifically a “come with me to work ^^” videos where he films some things that can definitely get them in trouble. the words “health code violation” makes up 40% of the comments

hogs the stall bathrooms to break down and cry and send crying streaks to malleus

malleus hasnt learned how to use the app (yet) so cater has been treating their dms like his personal diary

he leaves sticky notes on the bathroom mirrors, lockers, and on the inside of the drivethru window saying some live laugh love kinda shit to mock trey’s white mom home decor

rook scribbles his own little stick figures of trey on them and adds speech bubbles

ace gives him the idea of summoning a demon at work and cater hopped on that without hesitation now there is a pentagram made of silly string on the wall of the bathroom

when taking orders he puts any additional notes in all caps. now deuce is staring at the order with the notes “NO DAIRY OR SHE WILL BLOW UP OUR TOILET” and “IF ACE FORGETS THE SAUCE AGAIN IM MAKING HIM CLEAN THE PLAYPLACE”

because of everyone’s incompetency, the receipt will contain these notes. sorry martha

when the manager had arrived to evaluate them, you will not find a single cater in sight

cay cay is slay slaying in hiding

Ace

hes the guy you should blame for never getting your dipping sauce or missing part of your order

he does trick shots in the back and if it lands in the bag, you get your stuff, if it doesn’t, rip

“i’m sorry you want how many chicken nuggies?? 200?? okay, word. wish i could spend that much on chicken nuggies”

will return bitch energy in the drivethru

he absolutely plays a game with deuce over if the person in the mic sounds hot or not

cater started that game, then he was kicked out for flirting with the customers

fortunately for the customers and staff alike, ace does not flirt with the customers

when someone asks for the manager he’ll walk away, then come back and speaks in a different voice and accent and cusses them out

kicked off from doing drivethru after he played cupcakke songs on there

he was raving over those minion happy meals and loved those banana cookies

it was a mistake to ask ace to do card tricks on their break because the items they gave up for the trick have disappeared

so sorry idia, your limited edition trading card will not be in safe hands

bribes the children with the happy meal toys for them to start calling riddle ronald mcdonald

riddle has no proof it’s ace’s doing but He Knows.

Deuce

he wanted to raise money to send back to his mama

how much money hes actually raising through this job though? is not a lot

brews riddle tea every morning just the way he likes it and he gets a premium riddle smile in return

takes so much time to count coins pls be patient with him

don’t tell azul, but if you’re nice, he will not charge you for any extra sauce or toppings

he “doesn’t know where the button is” wink wink

the only one who likes the easter egg mcflurries. when jack has free time, he will make one for himself and deuce and they chill on his break

(deuce doesn’t tell jack he’s still on the clock, and jack doesn’t tell deuce that he prefers oreo mcflurries more)

once got into a fight with ace over whether fish fillets were good or not and deuce threw a ketchup bottle hard enough to knock ace out cold

he apologized profusely but all ace cared about was how to throw like deuce. (he’s got some grudges and yes deuce received a ketchup bottle to his head)

in the back, you’ll find the rookies playing with that seasons happy meal toys joyfully

deuce defends the happy meal books with his life even though none of his friends agree

its okay deuce they’re just jealous they can’t read /j

Leona

cheka filled in the mcdonalds application for leona after seeing the happy meal toys

he thinks working at mcdonalds would cheer up his unca

it does not

leona would really prefer if you just ordered at the kiosks

works drivethru and terrorizes everyone there

“can i get a umm..” “im sorry we don’t sell ‘umms’ we also don’t sell to people who cant speak properly”

dreads when he sees a group of teenagers in line. they have the most balls and he can only be recognized as the “prince working at mcdonalds” so many times before he starts throwing hands

refuses to wear the uniform properly. comes in with the most patterned ass fucking shirts. im talking leopard print, stripes, polka dots, pineapples. he’s an uncle and he dresses like one. see exhibit a

if it wasn’t a safety hazard he would also wear those uncle slippers so he can slip them off and hit malleus with them. this is the 4th time the ice cream machine is broken and cheka wants a mcflurry.

the slippers are also for his dogs to scare off judgy karens RUFF RUFF ARF BARK WOOF

stopped passing his work off to other people after vil tried to shave him bald. he shudders from the memory of the buzzing razor

Ruggie

he steals a fry before putting it in your bag

obsessively counting his earnings and will notice if he is getting paid less

makes him a very efficient cashier. if you give him strictly coins he will curse you on the inside but he’s quick to organize them all and give you the change

he also does not make you feel awkward when you’re taking longer to pay. there’s nothing to apologize for, go take ur time. helping leona has built up a looooot of patience in this guy

goes outside for his breaks, picks dandelions and makes wishes to PLEASE GET A PAY RAISE.

he wants to gtfo of this job he lives too far away from his grandma

some kid wanted their birthday at mcdonalds and ruggie personally went out to get lots of decorations for their special day

the place was filled with balloons and streamers and ruggie got floyd to dress like a clown to entertain the kids

the staff fr thought ruggie was taking revenge on them bc everyone was BEGGING to be the clown in fear of floyd being placed with the kids

ruggie knows floyd is great with kids but pretended he was the worst option for the Drama™

also because floyd bribed him with a wendy’s combo to do so. they both went to wendy’s after

he IS the christian autumn girl you WILL find him wearing infinity scarves and cardigans and uggs on the first day of september brandishing a PSL he bought with the card he stole from leona

when the staff had gotten enough of cr*wleys antics, lilia takes his car for a joy ride and treats everyone to the fountain soda. sorry, we kinda on a budget here

(ruggie pats his pocket in pride, cr*wleys credit card snug in place)

Jack

very devoted worker

believes that even if he hates his job, he can still be good at it

panics when a karen asks him why the ice cream machine isnt working but what kind of logical explanation can you give someone who won’t listen?

asks riddle to take care of it

yes those are his real ears no you may not touch them

sick and tired of hearing the jacob from twilight comparisons

jack thinks hes accumulated at least 3 mental illnesses from working here and it’s only been a few months

he’s put in the back to prepare orders instead of interacting with people which he appreciates very much. he’s kinda awkward, and people ask questions that make him uncomfortable

gets the orders out in record time. he wants them done and gone with

when vil is having another one of his meltdowns, they send jack to calm him down

the staff think jack have this magical healing power but really he just pat pats vil on the back and gives him some lemon water.

they go out for walks if they have time and take pictures of nature and vil tells him about the plants

A+ therapy buddy, now vil needs a therapy buddy for his therapy buddy

Azul

after his plan on leaving the job failed he has a new goal: overthrow the company

even in minimal wage misery, azul will find a way to come out on top

he already is holding something over cr*wley in nrc, he will hold something over the bird man again to get a higher salary

he makes the bird raise all of their salaries actually, because he’s very generous

as thanks for his effort, he takes 2% of their earnings and no one puts up much of a fight because any salary increase in this job will do

azul may have started a revolution but he is not our comrade </3

he does not take breaks. its the sigma male grindset forever. until he’s forcibly dragged away from his coffee and his new menu additions

mans the cashier and refuses to give up his spot. customers either love him or hate him

he is constantly trying to get people to buy more food and he’s terribly good at convincing them

customers don’t know they pulled out their wallet until they already paid

he practices his charisma in the bathroom mirror. he has cue cards, and they all dictate his persona to the smallest detail.

riddle walks in just needing to pee and sees azul pulling out the shittest posh accent and language and is way too tired to care. but azul does get some tips and he walks out a little more confident

Jade

wouldve worked longer as the janitor if the washrooms werent so fucking disgusting

hey, you get to hear lots of stuff when you’re cleaning the place

most people do not acknowledge the janitor, so information gets tossed around without a care

helps kids fill their cups at the drink station, helps them put on the drink lids properly too

helps azul make bots to give this mcdonalds good reviews, specifically mentioning their names and how helpful they are <3 listen, a bitch is desperate

in case someone is getting really annoying, jade reminds everyone that the bleach is in the bottom of the supply closet

to threaten? to drink? to poison? no one knows and jade likes being cryptic

teams up with lilia to make new menu suggestions. they aim to make one recipe that finally gets the OK

hey, mushroom oatmeal is a good idea! don’t kick it till you try it!

floyd got fed up once jade snuck mushrooms in his burger as revenge so they started a fight over the tables

there was hair pulling, shouting, biting, and a chair was thrown

apparently this is one of the tamer fights?? the only children are horrified

they’re lucky it was late because they got into big trouble with manager riddle

“big trouble” lasted about 5 minutes because floyd kept repeating “why”. with riddle’s attention on floyd, jade snuck out

thank you for your sacrifice

Floyd

the only reason hes not doing food prep jobs is to hide the fact that hes playing in the playplace

when his coworkers try to look for him he slithers in and hides in the tubes

when asked to look for a floyd, the kids cant point him out because he never tells them his name

is absolutely the ronald mcdonald mascot. he shows up in costume when he feels like it and it’s like watching the strangest joker sequel ever

does shitty magic tricks and turns off all the lights to entertain the children. staff hate him.

once the radio stopped working so floyd brought it upon himself to bring a few hula hoops and starting hula hooping while walking and singing lady gaga

he brings in random shit to do trick shots and he moves around via hoverboard/skates at all times

he has an old lysol container he uses as his water bottle. to this day, floyd has managed to convince ace that drinking lysol will make you immortal

kicked off of the register because he will not shut his mouth. please stop hitting on customers and please stop calling people snowflakes, no matter how much they deserved it

he’s good at preparing drivethru orders even though he’s playing on his phone most of the time

(he’s texting kalim. all of them run like 3AM thoughts or shower thoughts)

Kalim

his union birthday card makes him look like a mcdonalds worker

don’t let him work in the drive thru he shouts

always hands you your food with “have a great day!”

if you are the most awful person and complain about kalim he responds with a hearty “aw shucks, sorry ‘bout that”. and while he bounces back quickly, how dare you.

he is the one that breaks the ice cream machine all the time

he Does Not Know how to operate it yet he is always the one there when someone needs ice cream

he brought sprinkles one time for the impromptu staff ice cream party he declared, but now customers think sprinkles are on the menu

he doesn’t have the heart to say they aren’t on the menu, so he personally buys sprinkles for this specific location

goes all out during parties. he will bring in a cotton candy maker and popcorn poppers and holiday treat bags

kalim drowning in riches, why is he here??

cater complained he was lonely, so kalim joined him.

they‘re always blasting the latest tunes in the back and treating tasks like a suggestion

but how can you get angry at the big, beaming smile on kalims face?

Jamil

the most efficient worker

hes so calm. hes used to stupid people.

uses his internal monologue to stay sane.

he looks aloof on the outside but he is actually screaming on the inside. everything is on fire. the floor is lava and there are no platforms.

highkey just complies to the crazy demands these bitches make because he has no energy nor mental capacity to try to reason with these people

however, he remembers every single face and name and it is going into his personalized death note

he’s on volume nine now

before jade and lilia propose their ideas to azul, they have to run it by jamil first. and jamil deems all their ideas as a one way ticket to a poison control centre

because none of them are reliable, jamil writes the numbers and names of emergency services on sticky notes and slaps them everywhere beside caters stickies

theres numbers for helplines, poison control, pest control, and electrical maintenance

leona used one of them to write down contact information for a hitman (it is rook’s number)

jamil uses that number to call for help. it is life threatening matter (it was a cockroach)

jamil nearly whacks azul with a broom for being in the storage supply

azul hid there because alas, it is a small world and his bullies in grade school are now his customers

jamil, being a decent human being, chooses not to spritz him with rubbing alcohol and gives him some awkward reassurance

unfortunately, it works, and now jamil is azul’s emotional support human and the staff send him to find azul every time

jamil is getting an aneurysm

Vil

where vil wouldve ended up had he actually murdered neige

if a customer asks whats in their food he will give you a whole essay on where it came from, how it got transported, how its prepped, made, seasoned, and the nutritional value

he’s never felt greasier in his life. he’s gone through all of his oil blotting papers on the first week. what the hell is in the air

his makeup looks immaculate every day, its to cover up the look of “i just got my life sucked out” as soon as he clocked in

the radio doesn’t actually break. vil just mutes it whenever neige is starring in a new movie because that is all the radios will talk about.

speaking of neige, if he and his little dwarves come in, vil will tell them he’s having a wonderful time and that this job is good for experience

if he had fewer morals he would be putting rat poison in cr*wleys morning coffee

he excuses himself to go in the storage closet and scream. epel joins him and it’s their biweekly bonding activity

very patient with the children and talks to them with an air of grace. he accepts suggestions for the types of movies they want to see him in

quarrels with leona daily. he gets called ugly, then vil’s heel will meet his toes. vil may be dignified but that doesn’t make him any less petty

sadly for leona, cheka loves vil and will tell his unca to be nicer to the pretty man

vils “yeah leona, be nice” earns him a very mature middle finger from leona

will refuse to even give this establishment clout. has their company account blocked.

after fans see vil on caters vlogs, vil changes the password to the company account so no one can post on it again.

his true villain arc

Rook

he used to work as the janitor because he was immaculate at cleaning but the staff put him on register instead

he’s very good at appeasing people

if a customer asks whats in the bigmac he will give you a whole thesaurus but will not actually tell you whats in it or where its from

he will compliment everyone that walks up to his register. in fact, even if he didn’t speak to you, he will yell across the room and say your skin looks radiant today

his compliments are not normal, they range from “your teeth are so straight” to “you smell different...oh, you must’ve went to the walmart down the street!”

after enough complaints, vil gives rook a stern talk

it works, but now theres a new problem arising

he’s been collecting leonas hair

it wasn’t “serious” enough of a problem to take action, but leona is preparing a restraining order

helps train the newbies the most. epel and ortho love him, which means the entire group has to

ortho follows him around asking him random questions every day because he thinks rooks answers are unconventional. he’s collecting data to help idia make friends!

Epel

all of his spare shipment of apples actually go to mcdonalds

since cr*wley doesn’t want to pay for apples he finds this the cheaper option and gives epel a slight payraise for it

epel sends the money to his mama

azul is Very Jealous.

do NOT let epel man the register he WILL throw hands.

even with his pronoun pin, bitches will still use the wrong pronouns and he Will Get Physical!

stop asking him for his number, he will cuss you out and insult your breath

also keeps tabs on these customers and writes them down on their clipboard. sebek is in on this and will very Loudly cuss out these people if they harrass epel again

he has been reported to the manager at least once a week but he can’t get fired bc cr*wley needs those applys

congrats epel, you got privilege

teams up with ace to prank the staff. they replace the coffee machine with coke cola and move everyones belongings in the wrong lockers

he brings scented candles into the washrooms, vil brings the lighter. they accidentally trigger the fire alarm but they sit there calmly staring at the candle wick

gets swarmed during the holidays because he has to help azul write down recipes (absolutely not the family recipes. those are secret) for the seasons.

because of this he spends lots of time with azul and learns a lot about him. now azul has 2 emotional support humans

makes emotional support apple cider for azul. favouritism acquired!

Idia

is banging the door to the bathroom cater is hogging and cater lets him in they lock the door and cry together

when a customer throws down a bunch of coins idia debates jumping off a building

why the hell does this customer want mcdonalds to do the catering to their party

he IS the one silently judging everyone but he thinks everyone is silently judging him too

kids love to point at his hair and ask to touch it

please do not touch his hair. few people ever get close enough to touch him. idia will break down

they want 100 hashbrowns? damn bitch who is you feeding? idia cant fathom someone having that many friends

he quits being the cashier and decides to work as a janitor instead. at least no one will look or talk to him

he enjoys being the janitor but he soon finds out that people are heckin nasty. the messes he cleans up are ones he never thought would come from grown ass adults

once a kid dropped her toy and idia (after cursing his life and gathering all his courage) picked it up for her, and the little girl loved his hair so much. now he has the nickname of “flame princess” from adventure time

pulling for his favourite characters on his break as lilia makes summoning rituals for them

they work, so now lilia is invited to every kind of gacha pull idia does. he boosts the SSR rates up 10%!

Ortho

declining cards of people who laugh at idia for stuttering

he finds their cars, their addresses, their jobs, everything about these people. they’re prepared just in case idia wants them :)

ortho encourages rook to fly a arrow through their car windows

they have a swear jar and ortho funds it the most

absolutely steals some of the happy meal toys for himself and idia to play with

bonding with street cats and people of all ages

people think ortho is a walking ad for mcdonalds bc he invites them to visit his workplace, but he’s conducting exposure therapy for idia. these are friends you havent met yet!

technically he is under apprenticeship training but poses as an employee to get money

he wants the new PS5 👉👈

whenever vils new movies comes out, ortho prepares an entire fan review to discuss with vil. he’s his biggest fan!

vil takes the feedback and gives ortho candy as thanks for his support

ortho is the staff favourite and he even gets extra tips because of his cute face

gets convinced to give azul a dollar for every board game he plays with idia

Malleus

lilia told him this was summer camp

lurks around, says hi to people. wants to befriend idia but idia thinks mal is messing with him

one of the few who get to hear riddle bitching about his job. he doesn’t really understand, but is a good listener

will ask cater how to work the social medias and cater makes mal swear to not open his magisnap

malleus doesn’t even know what that is and apologized to cater for opening up his magicam page </3

sebek fr breathing down his neck and the only place to hide from him is in the bathroom

he finds cater and idia there crying in the corner and he joins them to fit in

they are now an unofficial group of social outcasts and they occasionally meet up to play pokemon (mal watches)

he’s in charge of refilling the ice but he just??? disappears from his shift midway??? and now theres no ice bc they’re too busy cleaning up the fucking silly string in the bathroom

people avoid him so he just does work in the back

and by work in the back i mean he’s terrorizing leona while he’s terrorizing the customers

he’s stuck on tray washing duty bc it is too dangerous for him to do anything else

he is very unsafe near the hot oil, he practices no safety procedures near the hot steam and water.

maybe it’s best to put him on ice cream machine duty... it’s always broken anyways

Lilia

hes experienced so many things in his long long life but he hasnt experienced customer service before

prefers this over being in the military actually

kids love to point out the little bat ears on his head

decorated the place for halloween one year but then it was transferred to azul because the skeletons hanging from the ceiling were scaring the children and the (fake..??) blood in the back was scaring the staff

do not be frightened by watching him drink ketchup in the back, he just Does That

babies literally everyone and everyone (reluctantly) calls him dad as revenge

it was weird at first but now lilia is asserting his new dad status and performing the most bass boosted, earth shattering sneezes known to man

on one of his dad status days, lilia goes “relax my sons, i am only fucking one of your mothers.”

silver doesn’t even know his mother but he dies a little anyways

if given a burger, he picks out the tomatoes and pickles and eats them. jamil is kind of horrified

he keeps making new suggestions to the menu but after the third rejection of turkey-tomato-cookie sandwiches, he cooks all the employees lunch every month to show off his spectacular culinary skill

the next staff meeting, they tell lilia to stop limiting his cooking to just them, as it should be “shared to the world on the secret menu”

Silver

was also signed up for ‘summer camp’

naps on the clock but is an excellent worker for the night shift

yeah this might have been his seventh cup of coffee today and yeah maybe that’s concerning but dw it’s nothing a few bathroom breaks can’t fix

riddle is staring in horror

very chill, never sounds stressed, and gets everything out at a reasonable time

only thing to complain about is that he gives an ungodly amount of napkins for no reason

the environment is dying singlehandedly because of silver giving you six napkins for a single ice cream cone

sings to himself to keep himself awake and it soothes the staff so much

on the less busy hours of the night shift, silver tutors deuce on science

as thanks, deuce offers to take silver to a build-a-bear

they get matching bunnies they both respectfully name “max” & “ruby”

silver and ruggie have a wordless agreement to cover each others shifts when the other is busy

they don’t hang out outside of work but they are ride or die on the clock

lilia is a Proud Father

Sebek

when he answered the why do you want to work here question he truly meant every word of “because i care about the company and its values” with his whole chest

was transferred to work drivethru because he was angering the customers but now he’s blowing up the speakers

if you ever wonder why your burger is so flat it’s because sebek uses so much force when wrapping it you’d think he was personally insulted by the burger itself

too much energy. he will always forget your ketchup and sauce packets bc he is speedrunning all of your orders

straight up locks the doors in front of your face and glares at you for trying to come in at 8AM on a monday

loudly chatting with trey about the importance of brushing your teeth because trey is the only one that will talk to him /j

sebeks too loud so any kind of secret or gossip cant be shared with him

leona absolutely hates being in his presence but will spread rumours about rook stealing dna to make voodoo dolls to sebek so everyone’s eyes will be on rook

now leona has free bodyguards

he is the only person to order off of lilias “secret menu” to see him happy

sebeks life expectancy rate is declining by the day

Tagging the skrunklies!! Thank you for your excitement :D

@spadecentral @ruggiethethuggie @mellyteddy @theheavilyindulgentgoat

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