Tina wiped the counter with a wet rag in a slow circular motion, focusing on the same spot she'd been scrubbing for the past five minutes. She had been left in charge of cleaning the restaurant before closing time, but she had stopped caring about work some time ago as her mind wandered elsewhere.
Releasing a gentle sigh every other second, the bespectacled brunette stared out the window in the direction of the Italian restaurant across the street, where a certain ginger was busing tables. From her spot at the counter, Tina had a clear view of Jimmy Jr collecting dirty plates and cutlery and taking them into the kitchen once his tray was either full or close to being too heavy to carry. She could only imagine how tired he was, his body drenched in sweat, his muscles tight and radiating heat…
Despite her privileged point of view, Tina wanted more. She wanted to be there with him, or for him to come to her. She knew the latter was far from happening; her crush very seldom noticed her, let alone wanted to spend time with her. And it wasn't like she could just walk into Jimmy Pesto's pizzeria and declare her undying love for him in front of all those customers. All she had left were her fantasies and the mighty, almost primal urge to just march up to him and sink her slender fingers onto his round, firm —
"Hey, Ponderella!"
Nearly falling out of her seat, Tina's head perked up to meet her younger sister's clearly unimpressed gaze. She had completely forgotten that Louise had been sitting there next to her all that time, restocking the napkin dispensers.
"You realize none of us are getting out of here until we're all done with our chores, right?" Louise deadpanned as she stuffed another handful of napkins into the metal dispenser.
"Sorry." Tina excused herself, shifting uncomfortably in her seat. "I was—"
"Distracted? Yeah, I noticed." Louise rolled her eyes. "You've been gawking at Pesto's kid like a hungry coyote ever since he started his shift."
"You looked like you were about to call ACME and order a trap." Gene added from one of the tables, where he was wiping the menus.
"Sorry, but I can't help it. He's just so…" Tina trailed off, her gaze drifting back out the window when she noticed Jimmy Jr had just dropped a knife and bent down to pick it up, the unobstructed sight of his perfect rear causing her smile to widen. "…irresistible."
"Well, we lost her. Time to start looking for a new sister." Gene declared. "Jocelyn seems nice, and I'd love to be smarter than someone in this family."
"Don't worry, Gene. Tina's more of a 'look but don't touch' kind of person." Said Louise.
"What're you talking about?" Tina inquired, turning her attention back to her siblings.
"I'm talking about how you keep pining over 'Billy Elliot, the second' over there but never have the guts to actually do something about it!" Louise exclaimed, gesturing towards the Italian restaurant.
"I do too have the guts! I just haven't found the right opportunity."
"You see the guy at school every day, T! You have some of the same classes as him! You've had nothing but opportunities!"
"It's true. Even I could've asked him out, already." Gene added.
"I asked him out once!" Tina retorted. "And we went on a date! Remember, Louise? You were there with us at Pie in the Sky."
"Yeah, because for some messed up reason he mistook my insults for some kind of flirting." Louise groaned in disgust. "And need I remind you that that one time you asked him out was during a caffeine rush?"
"So? That still counts."
"No." Gene and Louise said in unison.
"Performance enhancing drugs are out of the question, sister." Gene remarked.
"Face it, Tina. You're just too chicken." Louise teased her.
Those last four words hit Tina like a sledgehammer, but the worst part was that it was true. She had had so many chances to make a move on her crush, yet she wasted them all. Louise was right; she was too chicken.
Turning back around to face the window, she watched Jimmy Jr continue to bus table after table, contemplating the reasons why she had never tried anything with him. They went to the same school, had some classes together, they even sat together at lunch from time to time. So why did he seem so unattainable to her? Sure, the idea of being shot down was terrifying, but what if he actually said yes?
What if… she made him say yes?
Feeling a mix of determination and anger bubble up inside her, Tina jumped off the stool and violently tossed the rag she had been using onto the counter, making her way towards the door under her siblings' now perplexed gazes.
"Where are you going?" Louise asked, cocking a brow at her older sister's abrupt actions.
"To prove I'm not chicken!" Tina declared just before walking out and letting the door slam behind her.
"Jimmy, clear table seven!"
Jimmy Jr grumbled those same words under his breath as he carried his half-full tray to the table across the room, mentally swearing at his father. He had better things to do than to be slaving away at the restaurant; he had just invented a brand-new free style dance routine and he needed to perfect it, but his father had deemed that as a waste of time and ordered him to help him out. Why were Andy and Ollie allowed to get out of working just because they had homework while he was forced to haul dirty dishes all afternoon?
Swallowing his anger, the ginger ignored the growing pain in his back as he placed two plates covered in tomato sauce into the tray, adding them to the steadily increasing stack of dishware. He was halfway across the restaurant and almost to the kitchen when the sound of the front door slamming open behind him stopped him in his tracks. His eyes widened as soon as he turned his head and saw Tina Belcher, his classmate and eldest daughter of his father's archnemesis, holding the door and glaring at him in a way he'd never seen before; in a way he didn't even think was possible.
He stood still in his spot and watched her enter the restaurant, almost stomping her feet as she walked up to him, her gaze never leaving his.
"Ti—" he muttered before being silenced by the brunette's index finger pressing against his lips.
"Shut your face." She ordered, giving him her best lust-filled gaze. "Where's your broom closet?"
He obeyed her command and remained silent as he pointed towards the black door at the other end of the room.
Tina didn't waste a second before grabbing him by his wrist and dragging him towards the broom closet, which caused him to drop the tray in the process. Jimmy flinched as the sound of plates and glasses smashing against the floor echoed through the restaurant and captured the attention of their customers, who were now watching him being pulled across the room by the fiery teenage girl. He glanced around in search for his father and was relieved to find he was nowhere in sight.
As soon as she opened the door, Tina pushed her crush into the dark enclosed space and closed the door after she too stepped inside. There was barely an inch between them, even after the ginger pressed his back against the shelves where they kept the cleaning supplies.
He wasn't sure why, but Jimmy Jr was frightened. What reason could Tina possibly have to shut herself with him inside the broom closet? Millions of scenarios crossed his mind at the same time, but were all immediately forgotten when the brunette clutched his blue vest and pulled him down towards her, violently crashing his lips against hers.
Jimmy Jr was petrified, his eyes now widened to the size of dinner plates. He was aware Tina had feelings for him; he would be lying if he said he never felt somewhat attracted to her, but he never knew how to approach her or deal with those awkward feelings. And he had kissed her before in many occasions, most of which having been by her initiative, but this time felt… different. It felt inappropriate, and risky, and… extremely exhilarating.
Feeling his cheeks burn up and arousal overpowering him, the ginger allowed his eyes to close and cupped Tina's cheeks as he kissed her back. The brunette, sensing his reciprocation, moved her hand down to clutch the one part of his body she desired the most: his perfectly toned glutes.
She felt him yelp against her lips when her fingers squeezed his bun; just the reaction she wanted to get out of him. With a wave of courage coursing through her, Tina released her crush's lips and moved her mouth down to his neck, where she began to kiss and suck at his pale skin.
Jimmy Jr couldn't stop himself from moaning at the new feeling, occasionally releasing small squeals when he felt her teeth sinking into his sensitive skin. Tina felt her heart swell which each sound that enacted from his mouth. She didn't even care if she left his neck covered in bruises and hickeys; she wanted to leave her mark. She wanted everyone to know that he belonged to her and only her.
When she deemed he had had enough and felt hungry for his lips again, Tina moved her head up and resumed kissing him, her free hand caressing his cheek. Jimmy Jr was glad to feel their mouths connected again, but this time he wanted more. Now it was his turn to be bold.
While his left hand held the back of her head, his right hand snaked down and grasped her thigh, pulling her leg up against him. Tina gasped, both from surprise and excitement, the feeling of his fingernails digging into her flesh kicking her emotions into overdrive. She kissed him harder and tightened her grip on him, releasing a satisfied sigh through her nose when she felt him do the same.
The teenagers both felt like they were walking on air. They were breathless, their heads were swimming and their bodies moved as one, pressed together so hard it was almost like they were fused. Never in their young lives had they experienced such overwhelming sensations, and neither of them wanted to stop. They wanted to feel that way forever, with their bodies intertwined in pure bliss.
At least that's what Tina thought, until she felt Jimmy Jr's body suddenly freeze and the cheek she was cupping heat up even more.
She looked up at him to see that his eyes were widened in shock and worried that she had done something wrong. She had been squeezing his butt awfully tight. Had she sprained his muscle? Was that even possible?
She had just loosened her grip on his butt cheek when she noticed that he wasn't even looking at her. Whatever had stunned him was right behind her.
And that's when she noticed a crucial detail she should've noticed sooner: the dark closet was now flooded with light.
Disconnecting her lips from her crush's, the brunette turned her head around and not only confirmed that the door had been opened, but also saw who had opened it: Jimmy Jr's father, who was holding the door open and staring at the canoodling teenagers with a clearly disappointed look on his face.
Tina's cheeks warmed up to match the temperature of Jimmy Jr's face, neither of daring to move. They were petrified in what their young minds deemed the most embarrassing position anyone could be caught in.
After what felt like an eternity in excruciating silence, during which two teenagers held their breaths in anticipation, the displeased restauranteur decided to speak up.
Jimmy Jr mentally prepared himself for what was coming. He expected a lecture, a stern scolding, shouting, even for his father to declare that he was grounded and never allowed to dance again. But what he got was something he never saw coming.
"That's it." Said Jimmy Pesto in a scarily-serious tone. "No more rom-coms for you."