#my supervisor already said it was okay if i was outright rude if they were pushy

[lightspren]

i’m telling the doctors today that i’m going on “medical leave” so everyone pray for me that I don’t get fired for telling a nosy doctor to mind their own damn business if they get too pushy

[cherripeach]

Chapter 9

Little Match Maker

Summary: Your life motto is “I have the power of god and anime on my side, don’t mess with me,” and you stand by that with your life. No human, magician, or random creature could ever stop your firm belief in it.

However, getting transported to this world that seemed to turn your already bad luck worse was not what you wanted to be in your life story, but you made the most of it. Making friends, enemies, and disasters, you were in your prime in this world, and so you decided to help as many people as you could flourish, at least what you believed to be.

Chapter 1:1-4: Road work ahead? Uh yeah I sure hope it does. 

Warnings: Curse words, jokes about committing crimes

Words: 4.3k

Relationships: developing but future twstxreader

Waking up to a banging at your door only encouraged you to commit a crime. You had finally gotten an hour of sleep once someone began to bang at your door, and you had to go check it or else you would never be able to know who to put blame onto. Grim was also kicking you once you woke up, taking up the middle of the bed, mumbling something about the ghosts. You left the cat to nap upstairs if it meant he wouldn’t have to annoy you.

And going downstairs and walking to the door to hear the oh-so-arrogant Ace pleading to let him in made your day,  “ It’s me, Ace… Can you let me in for a bit?”

You opened the door to find Ace standing there with a large collar around his neck which was something you’d never thought you would see, but here you are. And you can’t thank all of the fanfiction that led you to this moment because it did not prepare you for this.

“Ace,” You yawned at him, “It’s like three in the morning. What the fuck are you doing here?”

The male had more spunk than you and declared, “I’m never returning to Heartslabyul. I’m gonna be a member of this dorm from here on!”

You sighed and pointed to the couch, “Okay, the couch is yours.”

Ace paused for a second, “You're not gonna ask why. Aren’t you concerned?”

“As I have said before, it is three in the morning, and you just interrupted the only hour of sleep I have gotten in the last 36 hours about. Either you shut up and sleep on the couch, and I’ll deal with it in the morning or you leave and sleep outside.” All of this drama was giving you a headache so you rubbed your head to get it to go away while motioning to Ace to sleep on the sofa.

Ace got situated on the sofa and thanked you, “I owe you one, supervisor.”  Within the minute he passed out.

You headed back upstairs to see Grim still in the middle of the bed, and you just fell into the chair trying to go back to sleep.

You never did.

Once the sun came up at maybe seven o’clock, you got out of the chair to go downstairs. Grim woke up once he saw you move and made grabby hands for you to pick him up while he yawned. You ran to the bathroom once you had Grim in your arms and placed Grim down on the countertop of the bathroom so that you could put back on your cloak and brush your teeth (there was a toothbrush in the bag of food that the Headmaster gave you). You spit out the toothpaste and gazed in the mirror to find your hair a little less of a mess than before but your face worse; the dark circles and maybe even acne could maybe be considered trendy and so you just went with it.

You grabbed Grim and trudged downstairs to find Ace still asleep on the sofa with a towel thrown over him.

You turned on all the lights and sweetly ripped the towel off him to persuade him to wake up which did not work, so you pulled his hair. That did the trick in five seconds with him moaning and groaning about how you should be kind to your oh-so fragile friend.

You slumped into the chair with Grim laying on your legs across from Ace staring at him as Ace rubbed his eyes and yawned while sitting up.

“So why did you get kicked out?” You asked.

Ace pulled on the collar, “I ate a tart.”

“Okay… what kind?” You probed.

“Strawberry.” His gaze shifted down before it flew back up, “Wait, why is that important?”

“I don’t know. Was just curious.” You shrugged your shoulders.

“Whatever,“ Ace shook his head, “But that’s all that I did!  Only that! I got hungry, so I went to the dorm’s kitchen. The tart was just sittin’ right there inside the fridge. And like, three whole ones! That’s why…”

~~~~ A good old flashback montage was set up with Ace in a kitchen with no lights on:

Ace was mumbling to himself, “ It’s only the first day and I’m so tired~ I missed dinner, so I’m very hungry. Wonder if there’s anythin’ in the fridge... Oh, found a tart! Looks delish~!There’s a lot, so I’m not sure if I can finish it all Thanks for the food~ Whoa, what the heck?! It’s so good!”

He ended up eating the entire thing.

“Of course, it would be delicious. After all, anything that Trey makes is bound to be exquisite.” A new voice emerged belonging to a short, young man.

“Nah, man, this is something else! It’s better than the ones at the shops…” Ace nodded his head before his eyes widened while he spun around, “Wha– Prefect?!”

The short male pulled out a pen from his pocket, “Quite the boldness you have there for touching something that belongs to me. Queen of Hearts Rule #89: ‘You shall not eat tarts prepared for the Queen ahead of her.’ Larceny of the Queen’s tarts is a capital crime!” He pointed it at Ace and yelled, “OFF WITH YOUR HEAD!”

“AHHHHHHHH!” Ace now had a collar around his neck making his head weigh more than it normally would which is still too much for a normal head. ~~~

“And that’s what happened…” Ace turns to you with a look of defeat.

You pause thinking of the correct words to say when Grim jumps on the table.

“You’ve only got yourself to blame,” He wagged his finger at Ace.

You rolled your eyes, “Honestly-”

“But ain’t it overreacting to seal my magic just ’cause I ate his tart?!” Ace interrupted you, “It’s practically the same as tying my hands and my feet! Plus, there were three whole ones! He can’t possibly finish all of those! There’s a limit to how heartless he can be!”

You put your hand up flat in Ace’s view, “Dude, for one thing, rude. Don’t interrupt me. Next, both of you are at fault. He can’t be an asshole and take away your magic for this, but you also shouldn’t have taken his food. I would have smacked ya if you had taken mine.”

“But..” Ace turned to Grim.

Grim placed his hand on his chin if that’s what you would call it, “Ah! Wait a second... If there were three whole tarts, they might’ve been prepared for the party, yanno? Like for someone’s birthday? Man, I’m such a great detective, huh!“

“Birthday?” Ace tilted his head.

You responded, “Maybe not even a birthday, but a welcome party. Something that would open up the school year. Eating an entire cake for that is kinda bad, dude.”

Ace pouted, “uh... I came here thinking that you’d agree with me about the Prefect being a little tyrant…”

“I mean, he is. But you aren’t exactly a rule follower either. Neither of you are fully at fault and neither of you are out of blame.” You motioned to him.

Grim agreed, “You are at fault for eatin’ his food.”

You shrugged, “We can try and apologize, but the best action would be to get him another tart. He is the dorm leader, so you should probably try and suck up to him.”

“Grudges over food are scary. Ah! Speaking of which, I still haven’t received my canned tuna from the Headmaster!” Grim turned to you and began tugging on your cloak repeatedly.

Ace scowled at Grim and you, “I get it. I just have to apologize, right? You suggested it, so you better come with me, Prefect…”

You rolled your eyes and nodded at him.

Grim started another opinion, “Were you here-”

Until a knock on the door interrupted him.

Ace jumped up and ran to the door while dodging dust that was falling from the ceiling shaking, “What the, who the hell’s pounding on the door so early in the morning? Ugh...! This dorm’s seriously raining dust! Got it, got it! I’ll open the door, so don’t break it!”  

A laugh burst from your lips, “Imagine having to live in it.”

Ace made it to the door right before another knock caused the house to shake and more dust to fall.

“Shut up!” Ace yanked the door open, “Deuce! What are you doing here?!”

Hearing Ace’s reaction to who was at the door you stood up and dragged yourself over to him, “Deuce can’t possibly be here at this hour-” And standing right in front of Ace was a perfect uniform Deuce with no problems besides slightly red cheeks and heavy breathing.

Deuce straightened himself up when he met your eyes but then, turned to look at the kid next to you, “I knew I would find you here.”

“Deuce??” Both you and Ace were clearly lost.

“I heard about the situation from our roommates. You ate the Prefect’s tart, so now you’ve got that collar on, haven’t you? You’re an outright idiot.” Deuce’s lecture was not helping at all by the looks of Ace curling both his hands into fists trying not to punch him.

Ace snapped, "Shut it! I don’t wanna hear that from you!” He shrunk back soon enough, “ So... Is the Prefect still mad at me..?”

Deuce shook his head, “Not completely. He’s in an irritated mood and about three people who didn’t follow the waking up routine suffered the same fate as you.”

“‘Not completely,’ my ass! He’s totally mad!” Ace whirled to you, “Prefect, can’t you please come and help me. He can’t get mad at you.” He stuck his bottom lip out and fluttered his eyelashes.

You grinned at him, “You aren’t getting out of this you big baby I won’t help you at all, but I’ll be there for moral support.”

Ace sighed, and that began the journey for you three to go to the dorm with Hearts in its name because you really don’t know the name.

You three were on the same street where Grim almost blew up a statue by the time a new conversation started.

Grim had decided to not latch onto you like a leech and instead walk by himself in front of you announcing that, “Hey! Make way, make way! I, a full-fledged Night Raven College student, is passing through!” and pulling at his collar, “Look at my collar! My collar is totally awesome compared to yours!” and then, turning to Ace to boast, “And you can’t use your magic now, can you? Guess I can have you cleaning the schools as part of your chores or something? Nyaha, this feels so good.”

“I love being surrounded by assholes.” Your eyes did not reflect the smile on your face instead they seemed to be empty and hollow.

Ace puffed out his chest, “You better remember this when I get my magic back.”

Deuce shook his head, “The Headmaster just scolded you for a ruckus you caused yesterday, remember? In any case, you won’t be able to attend classes since your magic has been sealed. How about you go and apologize to Prefect Roseheart so he can take that off?”

You nodded, grabbing Ace’s collar, “That's exactly what we were doing. Isn’t that right, dumbass number two?”

“You have me numbered?!” Ace shook to get out of your grip but you just smiled and tightened it while many other students who were passing by observed your group.

Grim voiced his thoughts, “I mean. We still have time before the next class. Plus, I’m interested in the other dorms. Let’s go observe while we watch Ace apologize.”

Ace pulled on your hands while using his legs to try and kick Grim who just chuckled and backed away, “I’m not some kinda exhibit, damn it!”

The three of you continued with Ace being dragged behind you to the ‘Mirror Chamber’ or something as Deuce said.

It was the wack place with seven large mirror gateways or something. Deuce headed to one that was slightly in the middle with a plaque shaped like a heart with a crown on top. Deuce motioned to that gate with his eyes on you as if he wanted some praise. You used your hand to ruffle his hair and then pat his head while he tilted his head further down and fidgeted with his hands.

He faced the gate and began to walk through. You followed him with Grim and Ace behind you.

Grim leaped in front of you to gape in awe of the dorm, “Whoa~! This is super fancy! It’s completely different from our dorm!”

You nodded, “It looks like it does not violate any health codes.”

A voice gulped from the maze of roses, “Oh, no. I gotta hurry and paint these roses red.”

“Oh, someone’s over there.” Grim pointed to the exact place you heard the voice.

The three of you walked until you found a male with a bucket of paint at his feet and a ladder to the left of him….. or right- directions were never your forte. The male was around average build and height with neck-length light orange hair, some pulled back. He also had earrings on, giving you somewhat e-boy vibes but not all the way. There was also a little diamond on his left cheek. There is definitely a word to describe his aesthetic, but you cannot put your tongue on it. (He gives you the vibe that he would get a tongue piercing for fun (or that he already has one))

He didn’t notice you until Grim tripped over a bucket of paint, causing you three to scramble to clean up his mess.

The male spun around to stare at the four of you trying to clean up the paint off the grass, “Hm? Did you guys need something?” Certainly seeing two teenagers one with a cloak and a rat’s nest and another who looked very similar to a mix of a delinquent and a perfect student scooping up paint would put anyone through a state of shock.

You had let go of Ace when you fell to the ground to clean up the paint, letting him sit criss cross style right behind you and Deuce so that he could be the calm one to ask, “What’re you doin’?”

The male motions at the bush, “This?” He then places one hand on his hip and the other grabs the magic pen from his blazer pocket, “As you can see, I’m painting the roses red.” He winked in the direction of your group.

You paused picking up the goopy paint to gaze incredulously at the male, “wHO the fuck paints roses? Isn’t that like not good for plants?” However, a memory was pulled from your mind from the movie Alice in Wonderland where the cards were singing a song about painting the roses red, and you could only compare the movie to this and find that there is a connection between both. You even thought back to the moments when Ace was describing the ‘Great Seven’ or whatever and mentioned the Queen of Hearts.

Deuce knocked you out of your gorgeous analytical skills, “Yeah! Why do such a thing?”

“Hm~ Your reactions are so fresh it’s kinda cute~!” The male observed all four of you and continued, “Now that I look at you closely, you guys are the freshies who totally wrecked the 10mil chandelier and caused a ruckus yesterday.”

Ace pouted behind you, “I feel like they won’t let the chandelier thing go until we graduate.”

You nodded at him, “Def.”

The male snapped his finger then pointed at Ace, “Ah, and you’re the super sinful kid who stole the Prefect’s tart! I’m so lucky to meet the rumored freshies so early in the morning~♪”

You chuckled at Ace, “It seems that what you did might be more of a concern.”

The male pulled the three of you up and fished a phone out from somewhere in his blazer, “Hey, hey~! Let’s take a pic together!” He situated the three of you in a line where he then grabbed Grim and placed him in your arms. He put the phone on camera and flipped it so it was aiming toward you five. Even though nobody was ready besides him he still snapped several pictures before letting you four go, “Yay~! Hey, can I upload this? I wanna put hashtags so tell me your names.” The male did not even give you time to consent to this picture, but he also did not seem like the type to take ‘no’.

Deuce spoke out first, “I’m Deuce Spade.”

Ace went next, “Ace.”

Grim who was still in your arms because of the male announced his name, “I’m Grim and that’s my follower,” He didn’t even state your name.

You just sighed and told the orange haired male your name, and then apologized for all of the problems your little group has caused.

The male was just fidgeting with his phone not even paying any attention to you, but once a noise came from his phone he looked up at all of you, “Alright, upload done~♪ Oh, I’m Cater Diamond, a 3rd year. That makes me your senior~ Call me Cater-kun, okay? Cate’s fine, too~♡ Heya, heya”

You just wanted to get this whole experience over with, “Sure, senior-dude.”  

Cat turned to you and tried to start a decent conversation, “Oh, you’re the new prefect for Ramshackle Dorm! I’m surprised you can live in a place like that~! It’s so dark, and I feel like something’s gonna pop out~ I feel for ya”

“I don’t need your pity but thanks.” You smiled at the male holding back your urge to leave the conversation.

Grim crossed his arms, “This guy’s being pretty rude.”

“Oh, I shouldn’t be standing here and talking! The party’s the day after tomorrow. It’s off with my head if I’m late.” Cat walked in the direction of the flowers he was working on before everyone entered, “Hey, hey, freshies~ Can you help me with painting the flowers?”

Ace shook his head, “Why’re you doing somethin’ so strange?”

“And why do we have to help anyway.”  You were getting a headache from this conversation alone.

“I mean, won’t it be more photogenic if the roses were red for the party~?” The orange head leaned back with his hands behind his neck while whistling, “I’m really busy because I’m also in charge of coloring the flamingos for the croquet match~”

Grim barked, “Dying the flamingos?! That’s a pretty weird job.”

“So, the tarts that Ace ate were to be used for the Prefect’s birthday party? I see now.” Deuced muttered out to himself in realization, “So that’s why he was so mad…”

“What?” Cat made an ‘X’ sign with his two arms, “That’s not it.”

Ace interrogated the senior, “It ain’t?! Then whose birthday is it?”

Cat shook his head, “It’s no one’s birthday. The day after tomorrow is our Dorm’s legendary Unbirthday Party. It’s a tea party that the Prefect felt like doing, so he chose a day that doesn’t fall on anyone’s birthday.” The male grabbed his pen and began to mumble something before a light came out of the pen which he then flicked onto the roses.

Ace did not want to finish the conversation, “The hell’s that?”

“In any case the reason can wait.” He waved his hand back and forth motioning to your group to join him, “You just have to help me paint the roses!” He turned his vision away from what he was doing to look at your group, “Deuce-chan and Grim-chan can use magic, right? Ace-chan and Prefect can’t use magic, so here’s a paintbrush~” He pulled two paintbrushes out of nowhere and gave them to you and Ace

Deuce and Grim started panicking and asking Cat all sorts of questions about magic and changing the color of a rose, but you just gazed at the paintbrush in absolute confusion.

“Wait, where is my consent in this?” It seemed no one would ever listen to you.

A song filled the air once the three with magic got to work, causing you to twist your head in every direction to find where it was coming from. It did not affect any of the others as they were still working on painting the roses. The four even had at least two different conversations about the roses to the beat of the music where the music would quiet and slow down for them. This further confused you until Cat yelled at you to “Get to work because I am not getting younger here.” So you lept to work and ended up only painting one still in pure shock from the fact that only you can hear the music.

Once the music stopped and Grim tugged your arm to get you to move to a certain section of the mush where he announced his accomplishments, “Behold! I made them all red this time!”

You clapped and snorted out, “Congrats, oh, Great Grim.” However, it didn’t really seem to offend him even with your blandness as he just skipped over to join Ace and Deuce to get back to work.

The music returned after that.

The three troublemakers of your group were in a conversation with the senior talking about “tradition” or something like that. You just tried to get another rose painted before school started.

You finished the rose and joined the part of the conversation when Ace asked Cat, “Oh, that’s right. I don’t have the time to be standing here. I got something to discuss with the Dorm Head. Is he still inside?”

You slapped your forehead and muttered, “Of course, we forgot that.”

“Hm? I think he should still be there…” Cat put his chin in the middle of his thumb and pointer finger, and then he made a finger gun motion to Ace, “By the way, Acey who stole the Prefect’s tart~ Have you brought some tarts to make up for what you took~?”

“Eh? I came straight here, so I got nothing…” Ace even pulled his pockets inside out to emphasize that he has nothing.

“Oh, man~ Izzat so? Then, since Rule #53 of the Queen of Hearts states that “You have to replace things that you stole.” I can’t let you back in the dorm.” Suddenly, a glare was on Cat’s face as he grabbed his magic pen.

A bolt of lightning struck the ground next to Ace’s feet. “Huh?! What the heck?!” Ace jumped back to join your group who were all slowly walking away from this situation.

Cater twirled his pen in his hand, “You have to follow the rules if you’re staying in this dorm. If I let it slide, then it’s off with my head, too. Sorry, but I’ll have you leave before Riddle-kun notices.” The pen was now pointing at your group.

Ace stepped behind you, “Wha—He looks totally serious…! You guys, do something!”

“Why me?” Deuce looked flabbergasted at the male.

Ace connected his hands and fluttered his eyelashes in Deuce’s direction, “I’m begging you! I can’t use magic right now–!”

“Fine, fine, fine. You just owe me one.” You threw your hands up in the air in defeat just wanting to get this over with.

“Ah, here he comes!” Ace bellowed out.

The battle commenced between Deuce, Cater, and Grim, but your idiots seemed to be losing. While their attacks were hitting Cater, he popped back up almost as quickly as he fell. The three were slowly pushed back and back into the hedge behind all of you, shoving you up against it while Ace was right in front of you.

You solved him off, “Get off! We aren’t gonna win, so let’s get out!”

The three heard you, nodded, and followed swiftly behind you.

Ace grumbled, “What’s with that guy?” He shook his head while all three of you walked out of the rose maze.

Deuce tilted his head, “He came standing back up no matter how much we hit him. Is it illusory magic, I wonder…?” He raised one of his eyebrows because shaking his head.

“Maybe he’s just trying to be an ass,” You just giggled from where you were walking behind the two idiots while Grim was on your shoulder. Both of them were lowkey panicking from what you could tell.

Ace stomped his feet and threw his hands up in exasperation, “I can’t get back in without a tart, right? I’ve been empty-handed since forever, man. He kicked us out after he made us help with the flowers, too!”

“I’m disappointed.” Grim crossed his arms while he was on your shoulder.

You narrowed your eyes, “In who, Grim?”

“Then, we’ll have to prepare some tarts to make up for it. After school would be” Deuce clenched his fist, but then looked at his watch and screamed, “—Ah!!!! This is bad!!!!”

“Huh?” You and Grim were puzzled by the boy’s sharp and erratic movements.

He grabbed your hand and started to jog while staring at his watch, “This is bad, it’s way past call time! We’re going to be late!”

“It's not the end of the world” You brushed your hand through your hair.

Grim jumped off your shoulder and started to run in front of you, “Uwah! The first day of my shining school life will be tarnished! Let’s hurry to the classroom! Come on!” He pulled on your cloak to get you moving.

“Oh, no late on the first day.” You placed both of your hands around your mouth as if you were making a surprised or scared face, “At least I showed up to class.” You rolled your eyes.

“Speaking of, what’s your class?” Ace faced you questioning, “You’re a 1st year, right?”

Grim nodded his head, “The Headmaster said we’re in Class 1-A!” He smirked at you.

“Wait, when did he say that?” Your eyes widened and you halted your step. “Did he ever say that?”

“Right after he gave you the ghost camera thing,” Grim shook his head.

Deuce hit his open palm with his fist, “Oh, then we’re in the same class.” He took out his schedule, “First period is all about Magical Alchemy.”

Grim pumped up his fists, “Yahoo! That sounds fun!”

“I can't use magic, remember? Am I gonna be okay…?” Ace whined while biting his thumb’s nail.

“Definitely. It’s probably just syllabus week anyway.” You shrugged your shoulders, “Also what’s magical alchemy?” You hope it's something that makes explosions.

And the three of you were off to your homeroom of the day, starting your high school career at Twisted Wonderland with these idiots.

[charlie-jennings]

Charlie and Ally at the Diner

Charlie and Ally meet up again at the diner the day after Charlie’s punishment from Margaux. 

Para below the cut ---->

Charlie

Charlie eased down into his booth at the diner, feeling a little more beaten down than usual. He’d gone through another long shift at the warehouse following his punishment at the hands of Margaux. There was no option for him to take a sick day despite how miserable he felt - feelings of switches never mattered. The only bright spot he could hope for was Ally and seeing her pretty face. He offered her a weak smile when she came over to the table. “Long night for you too?” He asked, nodding to the other tables in the loud diner.

Ally

Ally had still been a bit surprised to see Charlie that second night, thinking maybe he was just being polite when he said he'd stop by again. But then it happened again a third night, the man taking the same booth over and over and although she barely even knew him, it was nice to see him there- to know that at least one of her customers wasn't going to be rude to her on a nightly basis. She'd just finished with yet another rude table- a young Dom trying to flaunt their 'power', when she saw him walking in and Ally couldn't help but smile to herself, her mood lifting quite a bit as she headed over to him. "You could say that." She had a bandage along the junction between her thumb and pointer finger, a mishap with a broken glass that was just the cherry on top of her day. She noticed though that he looked more than just tired and a little bit of concern flickered over her face but she just hummed a bit as she handed him a menu, telling herself to not be nosy. "I'll get you some coffee, you look like you need a break so there's no rush in ordering."

Charlie

Charlie managed a smirk when she agreed it'd been a long night. He didn't miss the new bandaid on her hand and couldn't help but wonder how she'd gotten it. His thoughts were broken up as she offered him another coffee. He shook his head. "I appreciate it, but you ain't got to. I don't need the extra cost and I don't want you to get in trouble for giving it to me for free." Ally was right though - he did need a break. From his job, from New Eden, from his life. At least he'd found one place he felt comfortable, if only for a little while. "I already know what I want if it makes it easier for you. I ain't in a rush to get outta here, but I know you got a lot of other tables to worry about."

Ally

Ally was about to protest, just say it was on the house so he wouldn't have to worry about it, but he stopped her before she could even get the words out. She didn't really see why it was such a big deal- if she got in trouble it was her problem, not his. She figured people usually jumped at the chance to get something for free... With a little sigh though she nodded, figuring she'd just let him have it his way if he wanted and instead just nodded and took out her little notepad for orders. "Okay, go ahead. ...You sure you don't want that coffee though? Or even just tea or something? There's....I don't know. Just something off about you today.." she hadn't even really meant to say it out loud and she bit her lip, glancing away for a moment as pink colored her cheeks. She hoped it didn't sound weird, like she'd been watching him or something over the last couple days.

Charlie

"Yeah, I'm sure. Just water," Charlie replied. If only she knew. He was off; still bothered by his interaction with Margaux. His body was still sore and he hadn't been in the right frame of mind since. "I, uh, want the usual. Three pancakes, three eggs, side of bacon," he repeated, though his voice was lower and softer than usual. He looked up at Ally and gave her a small smile - wanting to convey that everything was alright. He didn't think he had it in him to lie to her outright.

Ally

Ally still had a flush to her face but she nodded, writing down the same thing he's eaten for the last three days here. She still couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong though, that his entire demeanor was off. He wasn't her friend- heck, she didn't even know his last name, but he was consistently kind and sweet to her, had given her little reprieves in her long days, and the thought that something was tainting that, tainting him, didn't sit well with her. She went to go put his food order in, asking one of the cooks to try and speed it out, before she quickly went back to Charlie's booth, sliding him the water. "If you um...if you have a headache or something, I have some advil in my bag?" she offered, trying to still work out what could be wrong.

Charlie

Charlie looked back up at her and smiled, graciously taking the water. He took a little sip of it, brows raising in surprise as Ally asked if he had a headache. He did, and his body ached, and his dick still ached - the memory of the humiliation caused his cheeks to burn. How could he possibly explain to her what had happened to him? "I appreciate it. I do. It's just - it's been a long couple nights," Charlie explained, except not really. "I'd, uh, rather not talk about it. If it's okay. Sooner I forget the better." He could still remember everything vividly, and multiple hot showers hadn't helped to make him feel clean again.

Ally

For a second Ally thought maybe that was it and she'd just been overreacting. But then she saw the flush move along his face, and his somewhat-disjoined reply and she frowned, her brows furrowing a bit. "I..--" she cut herself off though as he said he didn't want to talk about it and she just nodded, a jerky little movement of her head as she looked down, mentally berating herself already for crossing a line, for pushing for too much. "Right. Yeah. Sorry. I'm sorry, I-I um...I'm not the greatest at this whole...human interaction thing." And wasn't that an understatement. She could practically hear her mother's ashamed tone in her hear telling her what a mess she was making of everything. "I'll just..leave you alone now. I'm sorry."

Charlie

Charlie felt guilty - he hadn’t meant to push her away or make her feel bad about asking about him. It was nice, really, to have someone out there worried about him. “No, I’m sorry, I didn’t meant to be a dick...” Charlie trailed off. “It ain’t you. Just a interaction with a domme that didn’t go good.” To day the least. His face burned hotter. “Look, I’ll be glad to talk about anything - just maybe not that. I’ll be alright, I promise.”

Ally

Ally had just started taking a step away from his booth when he started speaking, apologizing, and she hesitated, biting her lip still. His words surprised her though—‘interactions’ with dominants usually weren’t pleasant ones- at least as far as she was concerned. She could only imagine what could’ve happened... “I’m sorry about..whatever happened then.” She offered softly, watching him for a moment. “If you need distraction or something else to talk about I’m more than happy too—“ She was about to say more when her name was pretty much screamed from across the diner, making her jump and wince as she turned to look towards the supervisor- an annoyed-looking older domme and she frowned as she nodded. “I’ll be back with your order.’ She promised Charlie, giving him one last look before rushing off.

Charlie

Charlie felt his skin prickle with anger as the dominant yelled at Ally in a scolding, scathing tone. As if she was a misbehaving child. But if he felt helpless before, he felt moreso now - Margaux handily reminded him where he stood in the hierarchy of the city. So he stayed where he was, staring down at the tabletop as Ally walked off. Charlie didn’t look up until she came back by. Knowing that they wouldn’t have a lot of time so long as they were here, he decided to take a chance. “You, uh, want to meet some time when we’re off? So you don’t get in trouble with her?” He asked, nodding toward the manager.

Ally

Ally didn’t come back out for a while, someone else bringing Charlie’s water for him as she got pulled to help with the dishes and cleaning. By the time she’d come back with his food she looked more disheveled, a flush to her cheeks from exertion. She was carrying his plates and she put them down carefully, a little smile on her lips “Sorry about the wait, I tried to get back out as quick as I could with it.” His question caught her off guard and she paused, looking to him for a moment. “I..” she looked back around to her manager, biting her lip. “I don’t get out til like close to two tonight, I don’t want to make you wait that long..”

Charlie

Charlie wasn't sure he could make it until two if he wanted. His physical and mental exhaustion were compounded by the punishment he'd received. "Well, maybe not tonight... but when's your next off day? We could meet then, maybe... actually  have a real conversation." One in which Ally wasn't constantly yelled at to return to the back. He flushed a little, realizing he was being a little forward. "I mean, if you want -" he continued, chewing lightly on his bottom lip. "It's just.. you're always nice and it ain't like we can actually talk here."

Ally

Ally admittedly wasn't really used to this. She didn't have people in her life to 'make plans' with. She didn't go out on days off, didn't have friends to spend free time with. She didn't have anyone who wanted to spend time with her. And yet he wanted to? They barely knew each other... But then, isn't this how people got to know each other? She realized she spaced off into her head and by the time she focused she saw he was blushing and stuttering out his reply, trying to backtrack and she shook her head, "No, I...I'd like that." She told him quickly. "I'm actually off tomorrow? And the day after I'm supposed to actually only be here til ten so..not too horrible for once. And days like today when I'm closing, I don't have to come in til the middle of the afternoon so I have mornings free. If....any of that works for you?" she glanced behind again, making sure she wasn't being watched or waited on. "I just realized I don't even know where you work.."

Charlie

Charlie couldn't help but laugh a little at her question. It was fair enough - he'd never told her, though he assumed the fact that he came in filthy and often covered in box dust gave her a bit of a hint. "Not too far from here, actually," he drawled, nodding in the direction of the warehouse. "Ain't nothin' special or exciting, honestly. I work in a warehouse filling, stacking, and loading boxes..." He shrugged, not really sure what else to say about it. "I got to turn around and pull a day shift tomorrow... but I get off at three." One of the rare shorter shifts he got. "We could meet up after, have some pizza at that place you were telling me about."(edited)

Ally

Ally followed his movement, looking out the dark window before back to him. "Hey, a job is a job." She replied softly. "And trust me, as someone who know what it feels like to not have one? To not have any money or any place to go? ..I'd never look down on someone who at least has something." She found herself smiling again when he said he could have time tomorrow and she nodded, "That could work. Later in the day though? That way you can sleep if you want. Maybe..make it a dinner thing?"

Charlie

Charlie knew the sentiment. It wasn't like there were any better prospects out there for him. This job was at least steady and paid enough that he could pay for rent, food, and his expensive physical therapy. "Well... thanks for that... makes me feel better about it anyway." He cast a smile her way, nodding. "Yeah... dinner sounds good -" But Charlie was cut off by the sound of someone hollering for Ally across the diner. He groaned. "Talk to you when the check comes?" he offered, knowing they'd at least be able to finalize their plans over a couple of sentences.

Ally

"No problem." Ally smiled, one that was just starting to grow as he agreed to getting dinner when she heard her name being yelled out again and she grimaced, looking behind herself. "Yeah, definitely. Um, enjoy your food." She tacked on before rushing off- this time to wipe down tables and take care of another few groups of people in another section. Another waiter had come by to clear off Charlie's plates, not even waiting for anything else to be ordered before giving him his receipt and telling him to pay upfront (probably doing of the manager on duty) and by the time Ally was coming back out from the kitchens she saw Charlie at the exit and her heart dropped. She didn't want him to think she was backing out or changed her mind. What if he just stopped coming? She didn't really know where he worked, didn't know where he lived. Hell, didn't even know his last name... She told one of the subs on duty that was actually friendly with that she was going on a smoke break before she rushed off after him and out the door. "Charlie!"

Charlie

Charlie was a bit dismayed when another waiter came by to clean up his plates. To add insult to injury, he was forced to immediately pay, no doubt under scrutiny by the same manager who tended to give Ally the most hell. He paid and there was a flicker of disappointment on the waiter's face when the card went through. He could feel the manager's eyes boring holes into him, clearly unhappy by his presence, either because he was constantly distracting Ally or because he was a switch or maybe a combination of both. Though he wanted to stick around to have that conversation, he wasn't really being left with a choice, and he didn't want to get the other switch in trouble too... Hell, he was a testament as to what happened when a switch angered a dominant. So he left. Charlie made it only a few steps outside of the diner when he heard his name called out and Ally running up behind him. "Hey - shit, you ain't gonna get in trouble, are you?" he asked, concerned. "Sorry for running out - I just.... seemed like the right thing to do."(edited)

Ally

Ally was angry, teeth a bit gritted together as she stormed out the doors about ready to chase him down. Thankfully he hadn't gotten too far though, but still. "I'm so sorry." she blurted out immediately, frowning. She hadn't even thought about herself really in the moment, just how he'd been treated. Not even because he was friendly to her- but because he had been a paying customer, dammit. That, at the absolutely least should've meant something... "What? I--no. No, I'll be fine. I told another girl I was coming out for a smoke break." She waved his concern off, frowning still as she moved to stand in front of him. She had to look up to meet his eyes, realizing just then that every time they spoke he was sitting. Now standing, she barely reached his shoulder. She swallowed, pushing all those thoughts away and instead just shaking her head, "I-I just....I didn't want you to think that was because of me. That like..I'd sent someone else to finish my job, or that I was second guessing meeting up tomorrow and ditching you.."

Charlie

"You ain't got nothing to be sorry for," Charlie replied, shaking his head. He gave her a little smile, hoping to assuage her fear. He was glad to hear she was alright for the moment and shouldn't get in trouble for running out after him. But shouldn't meant little when it came to switches. "I didn't think that, but I appreciate you running out to let me know all the same..." Charlie shifted a bit on his feet and slid his hands into his pockets. "They're assholes to you." Dominants and submissives, at least the traditional ones, tended to be that way to switches - but it didn't make it easier to stomach. "So.. what time for dinner then? Seven too late?" he asked, figuring they'd best make the most of the little time they had.

Ally

"Yes I do. You came here because of me." She blurted it out, not really thinking much of how it sounded and she flushed darkly, feeling the heat on her face as she looked away, "I mean...--not for me, but..well..you know. Dinner after work and all.." Ally waved her hand noncommittally, hoping the darkness didn't make the red on her face too apparent. She just hummed in response at the next bit, shrugging, "Nothing I'm not used to. I'm sure you get it too.." she wondered if maybe that's why he was the way he was tonight. Maybe someone at work hurt him? She had to bite her tongue against the question and instead just shook her head, "No, um..seven is good. Here." She dug into the little pocket of her apron, quickly scribbling before ripping the paper off and handing it to him, her number written on it. "I'm not allowed to have my phone on me during work hours so it's inside. But here."

Charlie

Charlie could feel his own cheeks heating up at her statement. Had he been that obvious? He supposed that wasn't necessarily true - he'd stopped at the diner many times in the past before he saw her. But he'd been going out of his way to see her and clearly she'd noticed. He reached up to run a hand through his hair, pushing it back out of his face. "I mean... yeah, maybe I woulda gone home if I knew you wasn't working..." he admitted out loud. He cleared his throat, almost sure he'd blown it - but then, Ally was reaching into her apron to scribble her number down on a stray piece of paper. Charlie smiled as he took it. "Alright... seven," he repeated. "I'll, uh - I'll text you? Y'know, not during work hours. And, uh, I'll see you for pizza."

Ally

Ally bit her lip but smiled a little bit. “Well, I pretty much work every day. I used to do openings mainly, but for the last few weeks I guess they decided subjecting me to mainly closing is..better.” She shrugged, looking around. “at least the city is quieter at night, albeit not always as safe feeling. but oh well.” She smiled again, a bit wider this time, happier. “Yeah, seven is perfect. Just...text me when you’re on the way? And I can meet you there.”

Charlie

"You gonna be alright getting home?" Charlie asked, concerned when she brought up the issue of safety. Ally was right - New Eden wasn't the best of places to be walking around at night, especially for a switch. "I'll, uh, text you so you got my number. And, yeah, I'll text you when I leave. It ain't too far from my place, so..." He nodded toward the bus stop, knowing he'd need to get there soon if he didn't want to wait another half hour for the next one. "It was, uh - it was good seein' you, Ally. Be careful gettin' home, alright?"

Ally

Ally couldn’t help but roll her eyes but she still had a little smile on her lips, “Yeah, of course. Don’t worry about me, I’m good at taking care of myself. Been doing it all my life.” She followed his line of sight to the bus stop, knowing he had to go--and likewise, she could only use the guise of a smoke break for so long. “Yeah, okay, text me. And you yeah, you should get going, the bus is coming soon.” She told him with a nod. “You too. Get home safe and get some rest. I’m still not sure what happened but..take care of yourself okay? And..I’ll see you tomorrow?”(edited)

Charlie

Charlie nodded, though he wasn't sure how to tell her he couldn't help but be worried about her. Even if he had no reason to be. Ally was just a sweet girl with a pretty face working in a diner - he didn't even know her last name. All he knew was her kindness. "Yeah... I will." With another scalding hot shower and the rest of his bottle of whiskey. "I'll see you tomorrow then." After giving her a final smile, he walked off toward the bus stop, turning his head for one final glance before he arrived.