Stare Enough and Something Might Happen
Work. Not the fun kind, either. Just a shitty convenience store job. Junichi leaned against the counter. At least he wasn’t the only one here; Shou, his coworker who’d be covering the next shift, had come early.
“Ah, man, I’ve been having trouble beating Mission 12 on Nightmare! The fact you have to face three of them at once is such a drag!” Shou complained, taking a bite of the onigiri in his hands.
Junichi rolled his eyes. “Just take out the quick one first, then go after the sniper. Then you just need to deal with the enemy ace mech. It’s easy. Mission 7 was way harder, took me like three tries.”
“Wha- three?! What the hell man, I’ve been stuck on Mission 12 for like, two weeks!” Shou exclaimed, leaning forward incredulously.
Junichi levelled a flat stare at him. “Get good.”
“You’re a bastard.” Shou bit back at him with a resigned sigh.
Junichi shrugged mercilessly. Even though he only beat Mission 7 so quickly because Inigo gave him some advice, he wouldn’t tell Shou that. He checked the clock wistfully. Forty minutes and he could leave-
He spotted movement out of the window, causing his gaze to focus outside for a moment. When he did, he felt a shock of existential dread, lancing all the way through him. He straightened up, his fight or flight reflex activating.
“Hey, Shou-kun, buddy, can you clock in early? I gotta go.” He asked, his eyes glued out the window.
“Huh, sure, but… why?” Shou asked, confused, glancing out the window, but finding nothing of note.
Junichi slowly walked backwards towards the door to the back room. “Well… those chicks out there have been… I dunno, stalking me or something. They keep coming in all the time, never buy anything, just talk to me. Creeps me the hell out.”
Shou frowned in confusion, looked out the window again, then raised his eyebrows incredulously as he looked back. “Those girls? The smoking hot ones that are coming in now? You’re joking. They come in just to flir-”
“Yeah whatever they’recomingsorrythanksmanbye” Junichi hurriedly bolted through the door, paying no attention to his coworker’s dirty stare, nor even what he was saying.
“... Lucky bastard.” Shou cursed at Junichi’s fleeing form.
Junichi quietly made his way through the back of the store, grabbing his bag on the way. He could sneak out through the back, cut through some alleyways, and keep his hood up, and he should be-
He abruptly stepped back as he opened the door, finding himself face-to-face with the store owner.
‘Crap.’ he thought, standing stock-still like a deer in the headlights.
“Ah, Junichi-kun! Just the man I was looking for!” he exclaims, clasping his hands together while smiling. Junichi immediately felt the tension drain out from him, replaced by apprehension and annoyance.
“H-hey, Fujita-san… what did you need me for?” his nervous voice and polite language served to mask his feelings well enough, as evidenced by the owner laughing and waving at him.
“No need for that much formality, Junichi-kun, you’ve been a good employee here for some time! One of the workers at our other store has suddenly called in and cancelled their shift, and given your excellence in handling it the other times, I was wondering if you could cover for me again?”
Junichi felt his eye twitch. The other store. The rich one. “Another night shift, Fujita-san? I think I can cover.” he responded. What else could he say? Go fuck yourself, you old bastard? If-fucking-only.
“No, no! Just the day shift this time! Not nearly so stressful!” the owner explained, talking cheerily. Junichi slowly nodded, carefully forcing his face to smile instead of grimace.
“Sure thing, Fujita-san!” He responded, shuffling slightly to the left. The owner inclined himself ever so slightly in a bow as a gesture of thanks. “You’re really putting in good work, Junichi-kun! Not many young kids these days do!” he says as he moves past, headed to check on one thing or another.
Junichi paused, watching him go, then slid through the closing door like a cat then bolted, pulling on his jacket and yanking up the hood.
The next day… sucked. Awake at 4am, cold shower - he couldn’t exactly barge into Inigo’s apartment, waking him up, just for a warm shower after all - and travelling across the breadth of the city. It was all he could do to stop from swearing loudly at everyone else on the train.
He clocked in, early morning, as the day shift started. Surly, tired, with dark bags under his eyes, Junichi was more out of place here than a rock flying in the sky. He leaned forward, hunched over on the counter for support.
‘I’m so gonna get fired. I don’t think I even mind at this point. I could just- yeah I could just crash with Inigo…’ he thought to himself sullenly, ‘If I puppy-dog eyes at Gigan, he’d bully Inigo to let me stay, right? His quirk works like that, right? Fuck, what am I even thinking…’
Every time a customer would come in, he’d force himself to perk up, and smile. It probably looked worse than a scowl, but he did it. It was the job, after all.
All he had to do was make it through the day, he told himself.
But something happened that he never would’ve expected. He’d worked here a few times, but it had been long enough since a certain encounter, that he’d almost forgotten about it.
Almost.
But now, that something happened. As he was gazing tiredly out the window, to check for when customers might be entering the store, he spotted a group of girls. Tiredly, he prepared to straighten himself up, but then his brain woke up and registered what exactly he was looking at. Or rather, who.
He bolted up, eyes snapping fully open for the first time in the day. He remembered that face. That was the bitch he’d argued with a few months ago, right here in this very store. That wasn’t too long after he’d got back from Tokyo, and he was way more wound up then, but while he’d calmed down a lot, especially due to Inigo’s influence - he angrily tamped that thought down as it occurred - somehow, he could feel his anger rising once more, as he remembered her attitude.
The perfect storm, exactly cooked up just to piss him off. Entitled, rich, thinking that she was perfect and owed absolutely everything.
He couldn’t let her see him, tired and vulnerable. Anything but his very best, and he could just feel the… what, condescension?
‘You’re nothing’
The words came back, like a ghost from the past haunting him. He quickly schooled himself, relaxing his posture, and leaning against the counter once more, in a much more relaxed manner, practically lounging. A casual, uncaring affectation.
The group of girls entered the store, chatting away with each other. He pretended not to notice them, at first. Rather, he tried to, but he couldn’t help himself. Just a few moments after they entered, he raised his gaze to stare in their direction. Straight at her.
She glanced at him, from the middle of her clique. Then turned away. Did she not remember, and just thought he was a creep? Or was she deliberately ignoring him? ‘Whatever. I don’t care either way. Hope they hurry up and fucking leave.’ Junichi thought angrily, as he continued to watch them, filtering out whatever they were chattering about.
The five of them moved around the store, seemingly at random, chattering all the way, but Junichi did notice that the one he was watching, in particular, had gone a bit quiet.
Eventually, they approached the counter. Seems like they were buying drinks.
They stopped a short distance away, still chatting. It was inane bullshit. They were talking about boys, or something. Making fun of one of them for having a boyfriend?
Junichi clicked his teeth in annoyance, then froze as they glanced at him. ‘Shit, that was louder than I meant.’
“Do you, like, have a problem?” one of them asked.
Junichi quickly retorted at her without even thinking “Yeah, you’re standing there and not buying anything. It’s a waste of my time.”
“Wow,” one of the other girls nudged a third with her elbow and whispered “how does this guy still have a job?”
The first girl looked taken aback, but Junichi could see her already entering what he liked to think of as ‘full bitch mode’, so he straightened up from his lean with a sigh, crossing his arms. His eyes darted to the back of the group, unwittingly glancing at the real target of his annoyance. As the girl started talking to him again, he refocused his gaze on her.
“We’re not doing anything wrong, and you think you can talk to us like that? Who the hell do you think you are? If you apologize right now, I won’t complain to your superiors.”
Junichi met her gaze for a few moments, weighing his options. Then, he decided that he absolutely wouldn’t apologize. Instead he dismissively glanced off to the side, playing it - what he thought was - cool.
“Excuse me? I was talking to you-”
“Let’s just pay and leave. He’s not worth making a fuss over. They don’t even have managers at this store.” the girl in the back, the girl from that night months ago, said.
“Not worth it, Max?!”
The only girl who hadn’t spoken up yet responded now, stepping forward “No, she’s right. He’s a creep, obviously gets off on being an asshole. Let’s just go.”
After a cold moment, one of them stepped forward and placed some money on the counter. Junichi glanced down, and almost pushed it back.
But, he was actually working, so he begrudgingly took it, and returned her change.
The five of them immediately left, the buzz of their indignation still all but visible in the air.
“God, what a creep. Did you notice him staring at you the whole time?”
“Yeah, what a loser!”
“How did you know they don’t have a manager…”
Junichi stared at them as they left, as if he could wish hard enough that they’d burst into flames and they would. Their chatter finally faded as the automatic door closed behind them, and he finally allowed himself to slump as his boiling emotions withered to simmering embers as his tiredness rushed back in. Letting his forehead hit the counter, he groaned, the sound muffled by his own face.
“They got me fired!”
“Huh?” Inigo leaned out of the bathroom door, Gigan perched on his shoulder, mid-way through brushing his teeth, “Who did?”
“Those fucking- Fuck! This fucking stuck up rich bitch and her friends. Came into the store yesterday, and- well I met her a few months ago at the same store, actually. The one across the other side of the city? Yeah, she came in a few months ago when I was on night shift.”
Inigo idly nodded, returning to the bathroom sink.
“So they come in yesterday, and after last time, I dunno, I was just pissed at seeing her, but then they just- they talk, and talk, and I was sitting there the whole time just waiting for them to buy their crap and leave! So I ask ‘em to hurry up-”
“In those words, huh?” Inigo cut in with a teasing grin on his face, exiting the bathroom with teeth freshly cleaned.
“No, not in those fucking words you asshole!”
“Ah, I can imagine it now-”
“Don’t imagine shit, idiot.”
“Junichi in all his coolness ‘Just get the fuck out already you parasites, you’re all that’s wrong in the world!’ with only a slightly raised voice.”
“Fuck you I don’t sound like that!”
“You kinda do.”
Junichi paused, and slumped a little. “Fine, I might sound like that sometimes. Yeah, I told them to hurry up, so they start mouthing off back at me. So, I just decide to ignore ‘em. That pisses them off more than anything, until that bitch says I’m not worth it. Who the fuck is she to decide that, huh?!”
“Ah, I feel you, man.” Inigo paused to wink, “I think you’re worth it.”
“... Thanks. So they pay up, and leave. Shit talking me on the way out, too! But that’s whatever. Anyways apparently this is one of several complaints and I’ve become a liability or something? It’s completely batshit!”
“That sucks man,” Inigo walked over, and pat Junichi on the shoulder. “And I’m done with the bathroom.”
It took a moment, but Junichi remembered the real reason he was here, and it wasn’t just to spend time with Inigo. He was here to mooch off the hot water.
“Right. You free today?” He asked casually, as he picked up his towel and clothes.
“Today? Well, I was gonna go see if I could catch Hoge later-”
“Cool you’re free. Let’s play Mecho Corez.”
“Not cool, bro. But sure.”
Junichi was quick in the shower, a meager attempt at being considerate. After drying himself off and getting dressed, he walked back out into the living room.
“You got anything to drink?” He asked idly.
“Yeah, check the fridge.” Inigo replied from the couch, having already booted up the game.
“Sweet, thanks.”
Junichi grabbed a drink for himself, and one for Inigo, and cracked his own open, then sat down and got into the game. It was always a tense match-up, between him and Inigo, though playing with the members of the Horrific Five who’d play was always a good refresher.
Suddenly, in the middle of the match, Inigo spoke up.
“So why do you hate this girl so much? It didn’t sound like your usual passion.”
“Why do you care?” Junichi bit back, leaning forward as the match’s pace picked up.
Inigo smirked, “Oh, you know me. I’m curious.”
Gigan crawled off Inigo’s shoulder, chirruping annoyedly with an almost admonishing glance in Junichi’s direction.
“Ugh. Fine, she came in this one time months ago and acted like a bitch for no reason. That’s all. All goody- hey, c’mon, that was cheap! All goody two-shoes, then dumping all of her privilege at the slightest inkling that I wouldn’t cow myself before her and worship at her feet. Like it offended her that I didn’t care about her Vietnamese Minister dad or whatever.”
The two boys were caught in the game for a few moments, the sounds of mecha clashing and weapons firing filling the room for a few moments as they both focused, while Gigan made itself comfortable on the arm of the couch next to Inigo.
“Wait, Vietnamese? How many friends did she have?” Inigo suddenly asked, a metaphorical lightbulb lighting up above his head.
“Four? That enough for your curiosity?”
“I think they might be in my class!”
Junichi growled lowly, “Yeah they are! She flaunted that too. ‘Didn’t even need to pass the exam’ or some stupid crap like that!”
He gripped at the controller hard and ground his teeth, as he thought about that first encounter. It still made him angry, especially in the wake of his sudden firing just earlier. It made him want to-
The sound of an explosion suddenly rang out from the speakers, as the game declared a winner! Inigo cheered, pumping his fist in the air in celebration.
“Yes!”
“You-” Junichi whipped his head up to look at the screen, dumbfounded. “You were fucking distracting me!”
“What? No, would I do that?” Inigo grinned from ear to ear.
“You bastard! You complete prick!”
“Aw, come on. Look, I’ll make it up to you.”
Junichi narrowed his eyes in suspicion. “How?”
“I’ll bring you to a party!”
“Oh, yeah, that’ll be fun. Mingling with the cream of the hero crop.” Junichi said sarcastically, rolling his eyes.
Inigo leaned back, his usual cheery smile plastered on his face. “Yeah, it will! I’ll hook you up with a nice cute girl, and you can stop being angry all the time.”
“Pass.”
“Bro, the Hivemind aren’t all that bad!”
“The ‘Hivemind’...?!”
“Yeah, you already met.”
“No.”
Inigo leaned towards Junichi, forcing eye contact as his smile grew wider. “It’ll give you a chance to clear the air! This is a classic route, man, you just can’t see it.”
“Absolutely fucking not.”
Inigo said nothing, but elbowed him in the ribs twice.
“I’ll leave. Are we gonna play or not?” Junichi indignantly asked, slapping away Inigo’s offending limb.
Inigo, for his part, burst out laughing, finally unable to contain himself.
“Yeah, yeah, I’ll play more!” He said while wiping tears off his face. “But seriously-”
“NO!”