04:29 PM.

"So... why are you here?"

As much as he wanted to spout curses to this one particular customer, Abel mustered all of his strength to resist the growing temptation. This guy better be grateful for Jeanne, his coworkers and the fact they were in the watchful eyes of the public... otherwise all hell would break loose.

Why, out of everyone, do I have to deal with this good-for-nothing bastard? It was only the second day at work... and he was already blasted with unwanted shit. Not so shockingly, that shit just happened to come from his own family.

"Holy crap, I didn't know you worked here!" gasped his stunning older brother, as if his narrow mind thought his sibling would be loafing around while living off his parents' money. Also, that crooked grin was desperately begging to be punched. "When did you start? Why didn't you tell us?"

Let me ask a better question, why so curious? Using a disguise to hide his true colors would never let him anywhere. As someone who was forced to live with this blabbering guy for more than a decade, Abel could read his antics like a script. You're never even interested in what I do.

"That's none of your business," the blue-haired server scoffed, chucking the menu straight to Jethro's scrambling hands. He hastily pulled out his notepad and flipped to a blank page; something he would rather fixate on. "Go order your food and get out of here while I'm still being nice."

"Gee, that's not how you talk to a fellow customer," Jethro whined, protruding his bottom lip forward like the little brat he was. His voice already made Abel's ears bleed. "In fact, I'm quite a frequent visitor here."

Oh, wow. Something to commit to memory.

Just relax, Abel. He's obviously trying to push your buttons. He reminded himself before flames could consume his insides. Inhaling a huge amount of air and letting it escape off his nostrils might help, but that didn't stop his brows from twitching and his heart to pound hard. Don't jeopardize your position here. Remember, your manager's around...

"Well, what can I get for you today, Your Majesty?" It cost him a lot of energy just to speak these ordinary words and put up a tiny but spasming smile. He took another deep breath, shutting his eyes as he repeatedly chanted the mantra: Jeanne... Jeanne...

"I'm ordering to-go. Do you have egg foo young?" Jethro chirped, keeping his stupendous grin like that nightmare fuel, Cheshire cat. So annoying.

"Use your eyes. If it's on the menu, then we have it, unless there's a sold-out sign next to it." Abel answered nonchalantly, sparing not even a glance. Even serving this idiot, he still had to keep it civil at best.

Again, this is not home.

"It's one of your specials though..." He faltered, but that was because he felt it was the best time to smirk. "Oh, don't tell me... you still didn't know much about the menu and specials?" He didn't even try hiding his laughter. "You're a server here, y'know. You should have familiarized yourself with them."

Abel was surprised his teeth were able to withstand the pressure he forced on them. With his breaths growing shallow by each second, he clenched his fingers tightly against his notepad, barely crushing it. Despite all of the smoke clouding his mind, the spell he had been reciting continued. Jeanne... Jeanne...

"I'm new here. Give me a break." He muttered as he jotted down his order. "Egg foo young... right?"

"Ah, well that makes sense." Instead of confirming the easiest question he had ever asked, Jethro decided it would be best to go off the rails. "That's okay though. No pressure." He dismissed. "It'll take some t—"

"Egg foo young, right?" Abel cut him off. Extinguishing the scorching fire inside of him was way too much work.

"Yeah yeah, but I don't think they have it right now." Jethro shrugged as he opened the menu. "Gee, now I forgot what I'm about to say... Well, on the bright side, it's a relief to see you working for real instead of wasting your time on cosplays. Mom and Dad are gonna be happy for once."

Yeah, who said he should be civil again? Repeating his spell was not even working anymore, but before he could utter something...

"We're actually offering egg foo young specials today. Do you want to have shrimp or pork on it?"

When an unrelated voice sounded out, Abel snapped out of the storm growling inside of him. A glimpse over his shoulder revealed his purple-eyed friend, who had snuck into the ordeal with a flip of her ponytail.

"Mairi...?" Abel murmured. I thought she's busy clearing tables with Michelle...?

"Egg foo young goes well with our orange chicken," she went on before Jethro could answer, and had the need to stand between both of them. "You can make a combo out of it, if you want to."

"Oh uh, yeah, that's the one! I'll get the usual." Obviously he was distracted after putting all of his enthusiasm in condescending his brother.

"The usual?"

"Er... yeah? The shrimp and the chicken combo?" Jethro tilted his head quizzically. "I ordered that like so many times."

Abel scrunched his nose. You think we're going to remember everything about you?

"Hmm, we're having a lot of regulars lately." She shrugged. "So I can't quite remember."

"Aw, but I'm your loyal customer though!" complained Jethro. While she practically ignored him and scribbled on a piece of paper, the blue-head sneered and shoved his notepad back to his apron. Heh, I can see why you're very forgettable.

"I'll take over this one," insisted Mairi as she neared Abel. "Can you help her tend the dirty dishes to the kitchen?" She beckoned towards their stumbling coworker, Michelle, whose arms literally quivered with might underneath the piled dishes. "I don't trust her handling those things."

"Y-Yeah of course," he mumbled, beelining towards her without further contemplation, because there was no need.

No in way he was going to confront that asshole of a brother without exploding in the middle of work. Although Jethro's gaze remained affixed to Abel, he didn't deserve any more acknowledgement. I would have punched him on the spot.

"God, thank you so much!" Michelle cried out as he gingerly grasped the dishes she had been wrestling with all of her power to carry. "These bowls and plates are so damn heavy, but Mai suddenly left me like this, geez!" She huffed and briskly pulled her light brown sideburn behind her ear.

Suddenly?

"I'll handle the dishes. You can clean the tables and all of that," he said rather too quickly. He found himself staring at Mairi as she inputted the order before he walked into the kitchen. He didn't even know why he had to watch the bowls he had dumped slowly drowning into the murky waters of the sink.

Most importantly though, Mairi... just saved his ass from causing some altercation. For someone who had been eminently quiet from when he started his shift, she swooped in just right in time, diffusing a bomb with barely an inch of its fuse. On other hand, Jeanne seemed oblivious of what was happening; she was busy talking with other customers.

That was close.

Very close.

I guess Mairi... saved my first job. Abel tousled his hair and leaned against the wall. She could have turned a blind eye on him and let him suffer the consequences, but she chose to intervene. To be fair though, she could have just helped him with the specials; items not listed on the menu. Why should she care about the tension between the two?

That timing though... was too perfect.

Why...?

That one-word question clung unto him as he resumed helping out Michelle with the cleaning, avoiding further contact with Jethro. Thankfully he had stopped rattling him and played with his phone. Good. I'll be the bigger person, while you mind your fucking business and be a good boy to your parents.

And after what felt like hours, a huge sigh escaped his mouth when Mairi, at long last, lent the food to Jethro. This dude then had the nerve to wave his hand at him in such a friendly manner, but why even bother? Who the fuck are you trying to fool?

Abel stood beside Mairi, throwing daggers at his brother's back until he was no more. Now, with this chance, he loosened his muscles and limbs before turning towards her.

"M—"

"You look like you're about to beat him senseless." He barely said anything, let alone a word, but she was already armed with a response. "I've to jump in before you do something you'll regret."

So she did help weasel me out of that...

"T... Thanks..." He forced out his reply, hanging his head. "I needed it... so much."

"Don't sweat it. Just helping a fellow friend out," Mairi averred. "Come on, we got more training to do."

Without a single complaint, he hauled himself to trail after her. This was finally their first proper interaction of the day, not the "make sure not to miss any details about their food" and the "always clean the table after they left" kind of conversation. There was some... personal touch to it, just like their previous hangouts and all of that.

Not that he gave a damn about them... but at this point, his mind was too exhausted from the encounter with his douchey brother. He didn't need any more adrenaline to be steaming his blood and guts.

The cool air and Rocky were all he ever wanted right now.

"Hey Mairi," he breathed.

"Hmm?" She turned her head.

He licked his dry lips and momentarily looked away for a couple of seconds, before he focused back on her. "After we're done with our shifts, can we at least go somewhere?"

***

"Hmm, so that guy's your older brother..." Mairi nodded. "I knew you're both related because of how similar you are."

"Yeah, no." Abel shot back without backing off. "We're definitely far from being the same. I don't even want to be related to him."

As they left Jeanne to lock the restaurant, the bustling town surrounding them had fallen asleep, enervated from their midday affairs. All stores had flipped their signs to 'CLOSED', and the sidewalks were devoid of any activities. The dim streetlights and the intermittent headlights from passing cars were the only available light sources. Despite so, Abel's squirming body and his contorting, pale face were glaringly visible as they stopped at a crossing. 

When the traffic light flashed green, he whizzed past her, shoving his hands into his pockets as they crossed through the road.

Hate might be a strong word, but this wasn't just a straightforward hate; this was like coming off against the nastiest germ Abel could never get rid of. Well, witnessing him nearly raising his fist given some context of their encounter, Mairi could understand why.

But then... if she ever wanted to witness a fight, she could have just walked back home. Awaiting the fifth season of the unending war between Mama and Papa.

Mairi slapped all of those creeping thoughts and caught up with his speed. "I don't know what happened between you two, but if he ever comes again, just call me out and I'll deal with him," she suggested. "That way, you can focus on other tasks."

Abel firstly stared at her. "Nah, I'm fine, I'm fine." He waved the back of his hand and rubbed his chin. "I was just..." he faltered, as if pondering for the perfect word. "... distracted. I didn't expect him to show up so suddenly, although now... I should have."

"Well, he did say he's a regular." She straightened her black hoodie. "I don't really remember him, though."

He gave no comment and resumed walking, keeping his narrowed eyes locked onto the pavement below. His blue bangs might barely reach his brows, but they somehow obscured his darkening expression. There were also obvious outlines of his clenching fists inside his pockets. His pace then slowed down and it gradually drove him into a complete stop.

For someone so prideful like him, this action was undoubtedly out of character. The typically loud Abel who would at least scoff and retort at her... had neither budged nor produced a single sound; aside from his ragged breaths.

To be fair though, this was not the first time she saw he was like this. After the cosplay convention, he also stood there a few meters away, seemingly admiring the skies while his friends were already ahead of him. There's a lot of things I still don't know about him.

"Let's go Timmies." Finally, he broke off the silence. "I need some snacks."

"Oh yeah, sure," Mairi immediately agreed. Timmies was conveniently around the corner, and the only food place with illuminating lights.

After all of that dinner rush, countless talks and training Abel, the creamy vanilla chills was what she promptly ordered. A little sip from the drink had her body blasted with instant coolness. The sugary sweetness blew out all over her buds, washing all of the sourness.

A dessert after a hard work is so re—

Something then lightly bumped the back of her head. "Ow."

Obviously, her blue-haired friend was the culprit, specifically the box of Timbits he carried in his hand. It was dangling close to her sight, as if he was bestowing the sweet snacks to her.

"Here... got you some donuts." He offered, but for some reason, he could not even look straight at her. "I don't know what kind you like so I mixed them up."

Luckily for him, those didn't matter. Mairi would literally gobbled these snacks up had she been famished. Regardless of what varieties they have, they all have one thing in common: they were all rich in flavors and never failed to send her to the paradise of sweets. Another case of foodgasm.

But the real question is... why? She faced him. He doesn't sound like the guy who would hand things for free—

"I-It's for helping me get a job and for today..." he fumbled to form some reasoning, as if he gained some telepathic powers to read her. It would not be Abel if he was not massaging his neck. "Take it, Mairi."

The moment the box was in her possession, her stomach begged her to swallow one.

"You know, you've also been so awfully silent since what happened yesterday," he continued. "Look, I don't know what's up, but if you're gonna act like that the entire time..." he lowered his tone to a whisper. "...how are you gonna flaunt your cosplay?"

That statement... inevitably hooked up her attention.

"I know I'm saying nonsense shit at this point, but if someone has been bothering you about your cosplays, don't ever listen to them." Abel advised. "You should do whatever you want."

And just that explanation itself — even if his reasoning was far from Mairi's current problems — plus the box of Timbits he had given her, she could no longer withstand the impulse to break off everything and just... smile broadly. It had been too long since she felt any warmth filling up the hollow void in her heart... but here she was.

It might be so simple, but for her, nothing needed to be complicated to make her feel this way.

"Thank you, Abel. Really." Mairi beamed. "You're not only cute, but a nice guy."

Tomatoes might have the reddest color, but so was Abel's face as he gawked upon her.

"D-Don't get any wrong idea, you dumbass! I'm just saying that out of pity!" he cried out, his arms quickly swinging up to shield himself. "No matter what, I'll still be the one making a huge comeback at the con, and I really mean it!"

"I know. And like I said yesterday... pity means you cared."

He abruptly flipped his back on her and took a giant, loud sip of his drink. Not long after that, he flinched on his spot as he gripped hard on his temples.

Who's the dumbass now?

***

A/N: Just a note, Timmies is a slang term for Tim Hortons, a popular coffee chain in Canada. Timbits are one of its popular snacks, usually glazed, bite-sized donuts.

Thank you for reading and supporting this book! This is a longer chapter than usual, but I hope you enjoyed it till the end!

- Tara