!WARNING!
This story contains foul language (owed to Guo Jia) and shounen-ai content. You have been warned~!
It's been this way for a very long time now.
A loud bang followed by cursing echoed throughout the storage room, its occupant angrily kicking away the heavy box of detergents which had fallen on his foot. Jia Xu winced, immediately regretting the action since his toes were now very sore.
Working myself dead into the early hours of the morning.
He sighed, bending down to pick it up with some effort. He hobbled further into the room, sliding it on the nearest shelf and wiping his hands on the rag he often kept in the back of his utility belt.
The day was finally over and he could go home for the weekend but it still didn't sort out the mess that was his life. It didn't pay his bills, didn't fix his bike and most certainly couldn't afford him a full fridge.
Living on what little change I could get from a job I can't even begin to describe.
"Qualifications they said" He muttered to himself as he locked the door, returning the keys to the office on his way out.
It was a cold December night, he noted rather solemnly, as he pulled his jacket on and threw his worn out scarf of a horrid green colour around his shoulders before stepping out onto the snow covered streets through the back entrance of the school. At this time of the night, it was eerily quiet as the snow fell steadily from a grey-pink sky. Jia Xu took all of this in as he silently started his journey back home, dreading the silence, dreading the cold and most certainly dreading the idea of spending yet another Friday night alone.
I'm not poor- I always told myself that- but dropping out of university because I couldn't pay some stupid loan...?
It's ridiculous really.
Ridiculously lonely... and terribly boring
He shivered, fiddling with the zip of his bomber jacket to try and empty his thoughts as he crossed the road, dwelling over the fact that this snow would soon turn to ice and then fade for another six or seven months as though it had never existed.
The city lights were brighter here. Long queues of cars lining the roads, all horning at one another but he did not pause to look down like he usually did as he crossed the bridge above the motorway. The lights were no longer as attractive as they had been when he was younger.
Everything loses its rose colour once you get old.
Was the only thought running through his head as he stuffed his cold numbed hands into his pockets and hurried his pace to get out of the crowd crossing yet another set of traffic lights. People talked quietly to one another and yet their voices all added up to create one enormous wall of indistinguishable sound.
I'm not an introvert but I hate being around people... happy people to be more precise.
It feels like someone is asking me...
'Do you feel happy now?' or 'Do you feel like you belong?'
Jia Xu stopped walking once he reached the outskirts of the town's square. The snow was falling much faster now. Feeling around in his pocket and pulling out some rolled up notes and change. He had enough for tonight. Just tonight.
There was the familiar sound of the bell ringing as he opened the door, closing it behind him quickly to shut out the cold. It was much warmer in here and there was the nasty smell of overly used cologne and the horribly chosen jazz player sitting to one corner of the pub, but somehow it felt comforting. The men who came here all minded their own business, drinking alone or playing a silent game of pool and just like him, pondering over how cruel and unfair life was.
Jia Xu's dark eyes filtered through the terribly lit room and his ears blocked out the annoying whirring sound of the blizzard rattling the cheap, soaped over windows, focusing his attention on the blond man standing behind the counter as he seated himself on the farthest stool from the annoying jazz player, who by now had grown tired and resorted to drinking himself silly.
"Good evening" The bartender smiled as he set down a cup, dropping a block of fresh ice in.
"Evening" Jia Xu had purposely dropped 'good' out of his greeting.
"Whiskey or beer?" He asked and Jia Xu couldn't help but think that he was asking whether he wanted to 'forget or have fun' in a very indirect manner.
After a moment's hesitation, he finally formed a reply. "Throw me something crazy together" He shrugged.
Guo Jia looked amused by this and proceeded to create a wonderful looking mix of cocktails, placing the cup before him with a light tinkle of the ice. Jia Xu muttered his thanks and slowly began to take savouring sips of the peculiar tasting drink. It had a bubbly texture that seemed to melt in his mouth soothingly, but he paused his little exploration once he noticed the other man leaning over the counter to stare at him with a most suspicious looking smile.
"How is it?" Guo Jia asked with a smile that to most would have charmed the ladies but to Jia Xu it looked like the man was on ecstasy since he was always so calm and overly pleasant in his demeanour.
"Good" Jia Xu dead-panned.
"Just good?" Guo Jia questioned, resting his chin against his hand.
"You're getting paid, aren't you? Why do you care?" Jia Xu responded resentfully and the bartender clutched at his heart in mock hurt.
"Oh, whatever are those cold words for? I fear that I may turn to stone if you speak to me in such a way all the time" The blond replied, self-pityingly.
Jia Xu looked at him as though he had grown a second head, but Guo Jia merely continued to smile and watch him with a certain glitter in his caramel eyes. "Do you act like an idiot all the time or are you actually an idiot?"
He figured that if he insulted him, he might get off his back for a change and go pester some other poor fellow. Jia Xu didn't care who it was, as long as it wasn't him. He had long ago stopped caring about other people, so long as his fortune remained alright.
"Just because I'm blond? I'll have you know I have a PhD in Business and Management" But someone somewhere up in the Heavens was obviously making a joke out of him and probably rolling on the clouds laughing about it.
"Seriously?" The janitor was surprised by this. "What're ya doing in a place like this?"
Guo Jia shrugged. "This old place was a mess when I first bought it. But now it's up and running and I can do the thing I love best around the things I love best"
Somehow, his response pissed Jia Xu off. People like Guo Jia, in his mind, didn't deserve PhDs or jobs or money for that matter. People like Guo Jia were ungrateful bastards who rarely looked past their shoes at less fortunate people who couldn't even afford to get into a decent university or get good enough qualifications to earn a respectable job.
This just increased Jia Xu's desire to punch the man in the face, but the alcohol was keeping him pleasantly numb and he downed the rest of his glass in one go. The beverage brought a pleasant flush to his face, although it also gave him an explosive rush of blood to his head and he had to take a moment to steady himself on his stool.
"Yeah? Well it still looks like shit to me" He slurred, placing the now empty glass on the beer stained counter which, despite the amount of times had been wiped down, didn't seem to be clean at all.
"That's not very nice, I'm getting someone to put new windows in after Christmas" Guo Jia responded, moving away for a minute to attend to another customer and refill the sad looking glass currently sat before him.
"Oi... I didn't ask for another one" Jia Xu complained grumpily, but found himself drink another and another till he had reached his fourth glass.
He didn't know for how long he sat there, letting the terrible jazz music block out anything else as he zoned out, forgetting to even think about how unfair life was to him.
Some time later, he had completely passed out on the counter, glass half full, although he could have sworn it was half empty until he found some blissful sleep.
"Mr. Janitor... Mr. Janitor~" Someone was calling him and a gentle hand shook his shoulder.
Jia Xu muttered something that sounded an awful lot less polite than 'get lost', shifting around to get more comfortable but his elbow missed the edge of the counter and almost sent him stumbling. The horrible feeling that jolted his stomach woke him, and he looked around dazed for a moment before remembering where he was.
Everything was silent with the exception of the vintage jukebox that he hadn't noticed before. It was playing a slow classical piece. "Bach?" He muttered.
"You're quite well versed in music" His companion commented with a smile in his voice and Jia Xu looked up to find the irritating bartender hovering around him with a glass of water.
"What do you want?" His little nap had cleared him up slightly, but his mind was still a little fuzzy from the alcohol in his system.
"It's past three in the morning, I thought you wouldn't want to stay here" Guo Jia told him, handing him the cup and Jia Xu took it slowly.
"Past three?" He looked at his watch, tapping the casing to get the broken seconds hand out of the way. Indeed it was nearing four now. "Crap, I have work in two hours"
"Maybe you can call in sick?" Guo Jia suggested worriedly, but he was shouldered aside as Jia Xu stood up to get to the door.
All the tables had been wiped down and the chairs had been neatly stacked on top of them. The simple gas lamps had been mostly turned off, with the exception of the ones near the bar, drink bottles put away in the cooler for the night. Somehow, it seemed a lot more lonely than it had been when he first walked in.
"How much?" He suddenly asked and Guo Jia took a moment to understand.
"Three, seventy five" That was cheap, and Jia Xu glared at him accusingly. "It's Christmas" Guo Jia quickly excused himself, trying to not seem as though he was pitying him.
Jia Xu slapped a five dollar bill into his hand and told him to keep the change before drinking down the water and leaving in a hurry.
The blond watched him leave with a slight look of concern.
But he would come back, he was sure. No matter how much time passed, he always saw this man, but he had never asked his name. Next time, he told himself. Next time.
"Jia Xu, come down to the office when you're done" Someone had told him as he was walking out of the student bathroom, having just cleaned it of God knows what and other things.
Honestly, he was surprised by this request, for he rarely got called in to see his employer unless it was regarding extra hours due to some special event going on at the school where he was working. He was naturally willing to do those extra hours, even if it meant more hard work, but the pay was always better by the end of the day, yet seeing as it was approaching the Christmas break, he couldn't think of any particular event.
Putting the mop and bucket back in its store cupboard, he locked the door, washed his hands with disinfectant soap and brushed off his jumpsuit in an attempt to look reasonably presentable.
He was happy when he walked back out and the colour could be seen in his face as he zipped up his jacket and threw on his scarf.
"Finally, a pay raise" He chatted to himself, locking up the back entrance on his way out. The news had come as a surprise to him, but having had the patience of a saint (mostly because he found the bartender unable to ignore his ranting and therefore took advantage of that) he thought he deserved the boost in salary.
It hadn't gone up by much, but it would mean he could save up more and possibly get himself a proper apartment flat instead of living so far away, where he had only a small single room. Things were finally starting to look up.
Jia Xu walked into the old pub, only just realising the fact he had actually come in when he heard the bell chime.
Guo Jia looked up in surprise, quickly adopting his usual smile when he saw Jia Xu, although he couldn't help but notice the fact he looked a little different... somehow.
It was a habit, Jia Xu told himself.
He wasn't here to drink himself to sleep this time. He was here to quietly celebrate on his own.
"What would you like today?" Guo Jia chimed as the janitor set himself in his usual seat.
"It's a little empty today" Jia Xu noted, looking around for the jazz player, but there was only a couple of young adults dancing to the slow track playing on the jukebox.
"Well... I suppose everyone is out buying gifts. Season greetings and all that" The blond answered, despite it not really being a question. He was leaning across the counter, following Jia Xu's line of sight to the girl and the boy who seemed so entranced in each other that they didn't notice anything else around them.
"And you?"
Guo Jia was surprised he asked, unable to hold back the light chuckle that fell from his lips. Jia Xu looked at him in surprise and Guo Jia apologised hurriedly. "Sorry, it's just..." He didn't exactly know how to place it and he looked at him through kind eyes.
Jia Xu felt a little warm and unzipped his jacket, trying to get comfortable under such a warm gaze. "What?" He asked when the other took too long to answer.
Guo Jia chuckled again and the sound ran right up Jia Xu's spine. "It's a secret~" The blond moved away smiling to himself as he prepared him a drink.
The dark haired man felt a nerve throb in annoyance at the man's attitude and the urge to punch him suddenly returned. "You didn't even ask what I wanted" He pointed out.
"I want you to try something first" Came the reply.
Jia Xu sighed.
"It's alright if you don't, I'll make you something else" Guo Jia assured him, setting down an elegant champagne glass before him.
"It's blue" Jia Xu commented, staring at the drink suspiciously.
Ice floated coolly at the top, emphasising the luscious colour which reminded him of a Hawaiian seaside that he had only ever seen on vacation brochures. This beautiful colour was brought out even more by the skilfully sliced pineapple chunks placed on the lip of the glass as decoration, and a straw.
"That's right. It's called a Blue Lagoon cocktail, I'm thinking about adding it to the menu, so I want you to try it" Guo Jia told him with the look of a child who was desperately looking for approval.
Jia Xu hesitated. "I'm not used to this kind of fancy thing. Can I just get a beer instead?" He requested.
The bartender looked at him with a pout. "You can have a beer after" He insisted.
Jia Xu sighed at his childishness but decided that he really had nothing to lose at this stage. Besides, if it was horrible, he had every reason to decline the next time.
"Just imagine," Guo Jia began quietly as Jia Xu took his first savouring sip. "A bright blue summer sky, the sound of the waves... Think about the hot sand under your feet and the feel of the cool water when the tide draws in"
Jia Xu was about to tell him that the narration was unnecessary, but somehow the taste that exploded on his tongue just matched. He thought he could taste vodka, although its bitterness was sweetened by pineapple juice and it made him pleasantly cooler on the inside as he slowly sipped at his drink.
"So? What do you think?" The question burst his little dream bubble of a seaside escape, and he blinked, only just realising the fact that Guo Jia's smooth voice was surprisingly soothing.
"The vodka's a little too strong for me, but it's... good" He admitted, leaving his half finished glass.
"Really? Maybe I should try a Tequila Sunrise next time- it's red!" He perked up, as though the colour really mattered, but he seemed satisfied with the feedback as opposed to the first time Jia Xu had uttered 'good'.
"Isn't tequila stronger than vodka? Why don't you try someone else?" Jia Xu asked in confusion and Guo Jia's sparkle seemed to deflate.
"Beer?" He asked, smiling although there was a different air to it that might have been annoyance, but he couldn't really tell.
"Sure" He shrugged and watched as the blond slammed a pitcher onto the counter vengefully, which he then proceeded to wipe down wrathfully. All the while smiling.
Jia Xu might have felt a small portion of guilt as he drank his choice beverage, feeling as though he might have made a mistake somewhere—but where? Sighing, he shifted his gaze back towards the dance floor which was really a cleared out space between the tables with some atmospheric floor lighting. The couple which had been dancing together had slunk off somewhere and it felt empty once again.
Just him, his beer and...
"I got a pay rise today" He spoke to no one in particular, but the murderous cleaning spree at the bar seemed to seize momentarily.
"Really?"
"Yeah"
"That's nice"
"Yeah" Jia Xu didn't know why he told him, but he blamed the alcohol. The vodka had been strong.
"Can you watch the bar for me?"
"Huh?" He turned back around, only to find a waist apron abandoned over the counter and the saloon doors leading to the back swinging. "Oi! Idiot! I'm not getting paid for this!" He called after him, but slunk back in his seat with a huff.
What could have been five minutes later, the blond reappeared carrying a moderately medium sized box which he set down on the counter. Jia Xu watched him curiously, wondering what could have been so important that he left his business in his care.
"Congratulations~!" It was a cake.
"What?" Jia Xu's brain fizzled in confusion.
"You said you got a pay rise?"
"Yeah"
"Congratulations" Guo Jia repeated, looking around for a knife and proceeding to cut the cake into reasonable slices.
"Where the hell did you get that?" Jia Xu was still uncomprehending and just stared at the blond as though it would explain why the hell he was trying so hard to cheer him on.
"I didn't steal it if that's what you're thinking" The blond pursued his lips childishly, but immediately forgot what he was talking about he finished cutting. "I don't have any plates or forks, help yourself"
"Wait a moment... what?"
Jia Xu stared at him and he stared back.
"What's wrong?" Guo Jia asked in confusion.
"I don't even know your name. Why the hell are you being so nice to me?" Jia Xu inquired.
"Hmmm... because I want to?" Guo Jia shrugged, grabbing a piece of cake.
"What kind of a reason-" Before he could finish his question, cream was smeared all over his beard as he was force fed.
"Guo Jia" The bartender grinned.
Jia Xu finished chewing first, cringing as he fished out a tissue from his pocket to try and clean up the mess on his face. "Could you not just..." He sighed as he realised there was no point in arguing and just decided he might as well just eat. It tasted good anyway.
After another moment of chewing, he looked up to find Guo Jia staring at him expectantly.
"What? I'm eating"
"That's not it"
"Do I have cream on my face? Oh God" That was embarrassing, but Guo Jia laughed and shook his head.
"No, you haven't told me your name" He clarified, leaning over the counter to help him clean up.
"Jia- oi, you got cream on your clothes" Jia Xu pointed out, unable to stop himself from grinning at the startled expression on the man's face.
"Oh no, this is my last uniform" He whined, trying to clean away the cream, but it only left a white smear on his black waist coat. "The rest are all in dry cleaning"
Jia Xu quirked a brow questioningly. "You can't wash your own clothes?"
Guo Jia looked embarrassed. "I- I never learned" He admitted.
"I'll wash it for you" It was kind of his fault, he told himself.
"Really?" His hands flew through the buttons like a breeze and Jia Xu yelled out something incomprehensible to stop him.
"Y- you don't need to take it off now!" He pointed out.
"But I really need to" Guo Jia just smiled as he placed the garment aside, loosening his black and blue tie and the collar of his shirt more.
Jia Xu stared dumbly as the blond leaned across the counter once again, only this time he made sure to push the box of cake aside as he grasped Jia Xu by the front of his bomber jacket.
"Dance with me?" Guo Jia purred, climbing over the bar easily and, had Jia Xu not moved away in time, almost slid into his lap.
"I- I don't dance" He couldn't exactly comprehend the situation he was in, but somehow he just went with the flow.
The bass was light yet the ground vibrated beneath their feet due to the poorly fitted tiles, dimming lights and music carrying them through an unfamiliar flow but it was mesmerising and easy to get lost in. The end of the evening saw him swaying mindlessly, his partner's arms placed around his shoulders and head resting against the hollow of his neck.
"I feel worn out" Guo Jia whispered, lifting his head to look up at him through narrow fox-like eyes.
Jia Xu's throat felt very dry. What was he doing?
"Want to stay over at mine tonight?"
Seriously. What as he doing? There was no way he could accept that offer. But his eyes seemed to roam on their own, drifting along the exposed skin of his collar and neck before resting on smiling lips. He gulped.
"N- no. I got to go" He rasped, voice hoarse from dehydration.
"It's still early, you know?" Guo Jia pointed out and Jia Xu's eyes drifted towards the clock, it was nearing ten now, but no one had come in yet. "Hey... how about another drink?"
Jia Xu tensed when he suddenly felt spidery fingers slowly drift down from his shoulders to his back and then to his waist. "Where are you touching you idiot?!" He shoved him back, his face hot with embarrassment as he noticed just what was actually happening here.
He had allowed himself to get carried away and the stupid bartender took this as an invitation to get into his personal space. "Seriously! Are you stupid or something? I told you I don't want to dance" He grumbled, shouldering past him to retrieve his jacket that had been abandoned earlier.
"I'm really sorry, I just got carried away" Guo Jia apologised, following him around like a lost puppy.
"Yeah, well do you get carried away with all of your customers?" Jia Xu was honestly too embarrassed and anxious to realise what he was saying.
"It's not like that"
"Yeah, yeah, probably like my money too. I'll pay you extra as long as you don't go around doing weird stuff to people" The dark haired man muttered, reaching into his pocket and retrieving a roll of cash.
"Excuse me?" Guo Jia was confused.
"Here" A wad of notes was suddenly shoved into his hand and the blond frowned but he got no chance to protest before the door slammed shut and all he was left with was the sound of the bell resounding into the empty building.
Thanks for reading~!
Please R&R, let me know what you think and if I should continue.
X Shay