Click-click
"Allow me,"
Click
He held the ignited lighter out, and I leaned forward to let the flame caress the edge of my cancer stick. I inhaled lightly to help the tip of it catch, and held the smoke in my mouth until the orange glow began to consume the first layer of tobacco. I leaned back away from the flame, and inhaled the smoke dwelling in my mouth. I exhaled it; the satisfaction of the first successful drag calming me as I leaned back against the barren wall.
He looked down at my bare breasts with no shame or signs of mental restraint. I looked away from his loathsome direction before taking another drag.
"Cough it up." I ordered before exhaling.
I rose my left palm up in front of me; making it perfectly clear that it was time for him to go. He was one of my regular clients and learned the rules the hard way long ago. He knew that I wasn't here to dawdle and play games after his allotted time slot—I could have others waiting and he would never be an exception to missing out on some cold hard cash.
He scoffed and stood up; the bed creaking from weight removal. He walked leisurely to the bathroom; the sound of his heavy, uncoordinated footsteps leaving me completely disgusted with him as they always did. He belched as he scratched the skin around his genitalia, and the sound of his pubic hair flickering between his nails as he scratched made me clench my teeth in an effort to eradicate the shudder I desperately wanted to give. He pushed the door open with his forearm, and without any tact or elegance, pissed with the door open. He didn't even put the damn seat up—such a filthy pig this guy was.
Trying to ignore the relentless sound of streaming piss hitting the water in the hollowed toilet bowl, I rose from my leaned, seated position against the wall to look for where that fucker threw my bra. I found it on the ground on the opposite wall of the room behind the small wooden table stationed there. I moved the wooden chair tucked underneath the table, and crouched down to retrieve it. Once I retrieved it, I held the cigarette between my lips and used both hands to sling the bra around me and fasten the adjustment latch properly. I took a drag as I retrieved the cigarette from my lips, and began to gather my other articles of clothing on the stained carpet beneath me.
The nude sack of hairy flesh that reminded me of my own disgust with myself exited the bathroom and staggered back over toward the bed. He grabbed his pants off the floor in a letdown fashion, and took his wallet out of the back pocket.
"What's the damage?" He asked as he opened it.
"40,000 this time." I replied as I pulled my pants up.
He scoffed again—clearly not fully accepting tonight's performance to meet the standard for the rate. It didn't matter what he thought; the price was the price, and that's all there was to it.
Once I had my loose-fitting shirt on properly, I put on my black pea-coat over it and walked back over to the bed to put my boots back on. He muttered something under his breath as he sorted through the money in his wallet, frustratingly shuffling the bills from his left hand to his right as he counted. I finished zipping up my boots and walked over to him to outstretch my palm again. He grudgingly slapped the bills into my hand, and I immediately began to count the bills for clarification. Once I verified the correct amount, I put the money in my pocket and bowed my head.
"Thank you for your patronage,"
The departure was always the same; the count before the bow, the robotic and overly-rehearsed phrase. While it was good to sometimes flatter the clientele, too much flattery could cause them to think otherwise about the services. To prevent any type of 'real emotion,' it made sense to stick to the original protocol of formal closure.
"Yeah, I bet," he huffed, walking toward the door.
I walked with him, and he ushered me out the door as soon as he'd opened it. He closed and locked it behind him, and I could hear the infernal creak of defeat the mattress sounded as he laid back down on it. I finally let out the shudder I'd held back in his presence, and began my trek back the rendezvous point.
The air had dropped a few degrees in temperature, and the reminder of the current winter season made itself known by the frigid breeze that grazed my neck as it swept through my ebony hair. I'd forgotten my scarf this evening due to the abrupt retrieval from earlier. I was in such a rush that I literally had no time to even change into warmer clothing. All I could do at this point was to try covering the bare skin with my hair and hope for a miracle—so far it wasn't working out.
I reached the rendezvous point, and sat down on the dirty plastic folding chair against the wall. I pushed the call button on the black tracker bracelet affixed on my left wrist, before reaching into my purse for my cigarette pack. The blinking green light on the bracelet became the solid yellow it always did, signaling that my message was received and he was on his way. I lit my cigarette and looked up to the sky; taking in the quarter moon that peeked through the grey clouds.
"Yo,"
I looked over to the male in all black garb; his fedora hat perfectly in place as it always was, and the heavy black boots audibly sounding with each step. He had no care in the world if anyone heard his approach or looked at him in fear—it was what he wanted in fact. The testosterone he exuded made me sick; that cocky confidence that he was such a badass was completely unflattering to me, and made me truly find him despicable.
I stood up and took the wad of cash out of my pocket. He took it from my hand and began counting.
"How many tonight?" He asked.
"Three." I responded.
"Any of use?"
"None; just two weaklings and one of my regulars. No one that could be an asset."
"How much?"
"200,000."
He finished counting the bills, and then separated out a couple in one hand.
"Here's your weekly cut; make it last." He said as he handed me the money.
I counted it quickly; 10,000 Yen as usual. At least my other shitty job would be able to help me get by for the rest of the week.
He reached for my left wrist and scanned his magnetic keychain against it. The solid yellow turned back to the blinking green it portrayed normally, and I took back my cold hand and shoved it in my pocket.
"Am I done for the evening?" I asked.
He smirked.
"Until further notice." He responded.
I bowed my head, and promptly walked out of the dump of an alley we were in. I hated being there; the smell of urine and animal feces always made my head hurt. With all the money they bring in, you would think that they would've picked a more luxurious place for the rendezvous rather than the back of a warehouse. That bastard likes to keep shit the same way as he used to in the old days; probably for the nostalgia of when he first started the business—either way it was still sickening.
I walked down the sidewalk toward the 24-hour district; the usual place I lingered about since one of my jobs primarily took place at night and nothing was open. The Hollow feeling in my stomach took over my original desire of going home to wash the remnant saliva off my skin. It'd been about eight hours since I last ate, and a beer sounded like it would serve me well. I looked around to see what looked like a good option, and finally settled on the usual Mameha's at the end of the strip.
I pushed through the glass double doors and nodded to the bartender as I walked toward my usual table. I knew mostly everyone that worked here; there were a couple of newbies that would lay on the usual polite and over-attentive gestures, but they soon learned that their charade didn't work with me when I just callously stared at them in silence.
I got to the usual corner booth table I deemed my own whenever I was physically present in the establishment. Fumbling around in my pockets, I slide into the booth and to the all too familiar cracked window that needed replacement. I shifted one knee onto the padded seat of the booth for support before mindlessly opening the window as per my usual routine. I wedged myself comfortably in the corner of the booth, and took out my pack and put It on the table. I searched around for my lighter that I remembered leaving in my pocket, but couldn't find it in the immediate vicinity. I felt around more, loose strings grazing my fingertips from inside the pocket. A hole in the damn pocket—great. I huffed in defeat, and leaned back into the corner padding. It was only then when I faced forward that I noticed.
Aquamarine eyes stared into mine from across the same booth.
The orbs belonged to an above average sized, white haired male wearing a dark grey trench coat and business-casual blue undershirt. He was leaned back into the seat with his left hand on the table and his right arm resting on the top of back cushion.
The booths in this restaurant were so spacious, and this booth in particular was normally empty, so I didn't think or even see that anyone occupied the seat.
"Fucking Kami," I let out with a light jolt from the surprise.
The white-haired male didn't flinch at my jerked reaction, but just stared back at me waiting to see my next move. The general aura he gave pissed me off; I knew I was in the wrong for not looking, but he could've said something rather than just sitting there eating his damn meal and watching for entertainment.
"You want the window shut?" I asked with a scowl dominating my features.
"It's fine." He replied.
I grabbed my pack of cigarettes and shoved them in my pocket before scooting my way out of the booth.
"Sorry for the intrusion; enjoy your meal."
I promptly walked away from him without another passing glance, or a moment for him to reply.
With all the other booths by the window either being too centered or occupied, I settled for the bar top as a last resort. I was pissed that I couldn't get away with smoking at the bar, but I was too hungry to let such a small inconvenience get to me.
"What'll it be today?" Sano asked as I sat down.
"A beer and a menu please." I promptly responded.
Sano's facial expression said it all. That smug yet subtle smirk as he grabbed a glass to pour the alcohol—clearly he saw the whole thing. He set the glass in front of me and placed the menu in front of me as well before wiping the counter in front of us.
"How lovely it is that you decided to come visit me at the bar for once." He commented.
"Yeah, aren't you special," I spat back dryly as I took a gulp of the bubbly yellow fluid.
"You gotta agree that was hilarious," he egged me.
"Oh yeah, definitely one for the books," I replied with thick sarcasm in my tone. "You know what, get me the usual dish."
"You got it Aki-Aki,"
"I can throw this glass at your face if you'd like." I threatened.
"Make my day,"
I scoffed. "Just go put in the order for my damn food."
He chuckled and walked away as I took another swig of my beer. The bastard knew I hated that atrocious nick-name he himself gave me, yet he continuously utilized it just to see me cringe. This was why I never sat at the bar, and why my corner booth was so damn important—social interaction on my personal time wasn't something I was particularly fond of. Aside from that, the corner booth gave me a good vantage point to make observations while enjoying quiet time.
Thinking about the white-haired asshole that took away one of the few things I enjoyed made me huff unconditionally. He didn't know what he did and was at literally zero fault, but I had to blame my anger out on something.
The fucking lard that rammed his dick in me no less than an hour ago was literally my most hated regular; he always put me in the foulest of moods afterward—hence the beer. Throughout the entire ordeal, the only thing that kept me going tonight was that afterward I'd definitely treat myself to a beer as consolation. And to add to that, when I decided on Mameha's, the thought of a quiet meal to recollect myself after the nauseating 27 minutes I had to endure really made the small consolation into an even bigger prize.
But no. Not for me. Of course not. That teal-eyed dick-wad took that away. Now I'm at the bar with the lowest form of consolation, within an arms reach of another patron, within range of Sano's condescending body language, and all without a cigarette. All too pleasant really. I had half a mind to just spend my weekly monetary allotment on getting wasted beyond coherence, but I had to feed myself for the rest of the damn week.
I took a deep breath in an effort to calm myself, but to no avail. I snuck a peek over my shoulder to look at tonight's second form of annoyance.
The man in my booth sat there, casually leaning back against the cushion as he clicked around on his cellphone. His plate was cleared, yet he just sat there quietly not utilizing the table for what it was meant for any longer. He snapped his flip phone from the damn 90's shut, and looked out the window.
Kami, couldn't he just leave already? If he could just disappear so I could go back to my booth, I'd really fucking appreciate it.
The ceramic bowl placed in front of me at that moment broke me out of my glare. I turned forward to see that Sano had walked off to help another customer, and the action pleased me—I didn't want him anywhere near me. If I could at least enjoy my food without any more hindrances, I'd settle for the night.
The meat was cooked perfectly this evening; the more I chewed the perfectly salted slice, the more my foul demeanor eased.
About halfway through my meal—just as my mood began to change from the level of dopamine the food helped me produce—the bar stool next to me screeched back, and almost made me choke from the noise.
"Akinoyo,"
Great. Just perfect. And here I was starting to feel a little better.
A drunken Shinji sat down on the stool next to me; leaning as seductively as drunkenly possible against the bar top as he smirked at me.
"What?" I responded; trying to mask my annoyance as much as I possibly could.
He wobbled forward to closer some of the distance between us; the scent of the alcohol on him immediately becoming apparent as he did.
"Why aren't you in your outfit?" he asked.
Whenever this regular contracted me, he demanded me in a middle school outfit the local girls wore to satisfy his sick pedophilic desire.
"I'm not working," I replied with zero hesitation. "I'm off the clock."
"What? That's bullshit; since when are you off the clock?" He retorted.
"Since I'm a human being and can't constantly have a dick in between my legs." I shot back in irritation.
"Well when are you 'on the clock?'" he countered.
"When I'm contracted by a client—which isn't right now. I'm off for the night unless you contact the handler."
I scooted back in a miniscule increment—enough that it pissed him off.
"That's no fun at all, Akinoyo!" He began rather loudly.
He scooted forward toward me, and rose his hand up creep up to my shoulder.
"Why don't you work a little overtime for me?" He took a lock of my hair, and I immediately pulled back.
"Because I don't fucking feel like it, Shinji." I glared. "I'm eating right now; go find someone else to play Sensei with."
I turned back toward my meal, and reached for my beer. He seized the beer before I could, and uncoordinatedly pushed it away from me.
"Because I don't fucking feel like it, Akinoyo." He repeated.
Anger welled in my throat now; and I tried desperately to hold it back with my response.
"Not tonight, I said. Leave me alone." I gazed into him with a piercing warning.
"Is that any way to treat a loyal customer?" He growled before taking hold of my thigh and gripping it harshly.
I'd just about had it at that point.
I pushed him back, and he almost fell off the stool from the amount of force I put behind it.
"Fuck off, Shinji!"
I stood up, the bar stool I previously occupied scraping against the floor with a hollow metal screech. I glared at him now, accurately making my anger known along with demonstrating that I wasn't fucking around anymore. If he didn't leave me alone, I'd have him escorted out.
The entire dive bar paused with the outburst, and all eyes were on us.
Shinji caught himself, and chuckled deeply before belly laughing aloud. His reaction pissed me off even more; the anger that I swallowed regurgitated back and now seeped out from within me.
"You think this is fucking funny?" I sneered loudly.
Shinji caught his breath, and paused hunched over with his elbows on his knees. In a swift movement, he swatted my food and beer over the bar top, shattering the glass and porcelain against the back wall behind the bar.
"It's fucking hilarious, Akinoyo,"
He stood up now; his height and overall body mass towering over my own as his testosterone dominated the immediate atmosphere.
"It's hilarious that you think you can say no to me." He smirked as he stared into me.
I didn't let myself look away, or display any sort of succumb to his gaze; once fear was apparent, there was no escape. I shook my head, and grit my teeth.
"You better fucking pay for the food and plates you just wasted, Shinji. Go home after that, you drunken piece of shit."
I side-stepped out of his direct line of sight, and pushed my way past him. As I did, he grabbed my arm and swung me back around to smash me against the bar top.
"You think you can just—"
Before Shinji could even finish his statement, someone pulled him off me and flung him back onto the ground.
All eyes were on Shinji…except for mine.
The white-haired jerk from before stood in between Shinji and myself; his back facing me as he provided full and undivided attention to the pedophile struggling on the ground.
Immediately, Sano and some of the other workers seized Shinji's arms and pulled him up without letting him move freely.
"And who the fuck do you think you are? I was having a conversation!" Shinji sneered at the white-haired man.
"You call handling a woman in that fashion a 'conversation?'" He replied; with a controlled tone.
"It's time for you to go, Shinji, you've done enough damage for one night." Mameha himself stepping forward to intervene. "Those plates and food are going on your tab, and will be filed in on your police report. Take him to the back until the cops get here." He ordered.
The staff complied, and Shinji practically snarled at me.
"Don't think this is over, Akinoyo!" he shouted at me.
I didn't let up on the eye contact. If this bastard thought he could frazzle me with that threat, he was dead wrong.
As Sano and the others turned their backs on us, Mameha approached and inspected me.
"You okay?" He asked.
I couldn't help but chortle.
"Wonderful. Do I owe anything?" I asked.
Mameha paused, taking in my obscene discomfort and trying to make his own determination.
"No, don't worry about it."
"Great. Later." I quickly replied.
Without making any form of eye contact with anyone, I quickly shoved my hands in my pockets and stormed out of there. I was so angry that I couldn't keep myself civil for very much longer. The thought of that shameful waste of a human being thinking he could just dominate me like that literally made my skin crawl; the demon within me waiting to rip through it and unleash all Hell on the bastard.
The brisk, 01:45 wind smacked me in the face once I'd pulled the doors open. It was a good thing since my blood was already at a severe boiling point and needed to drop back down to a simmer. As I stomped down the sidewalk audibly, I shakily pulled out the paper carton of comfort from my pocket, and searched for my lighter.
"Kami-fucking-dammit!" I huffed in rage upon remembering my lighter situation.
I stopped, and shoved the carton in my other pocket as I reached in the other and through the small hole that ripped the seam. I ripped it further, and stuck my two forefingers into it in search of the black plastic igniter. After several excruciating seconds, I finally was able to feel it, and I seized it like gold in a forbidden temple. I took out a cancer stick quickly, and rested it between my lips as I cupped my hand around the igniter to shield it from the wind.
"Hey!"
I snapped my head in the direction of the call.
The white-haired man from before approached me steadily, easing his pace as he approached me.
I grimaced upon seeing him. Would tonight ever just let me win?
"Yeah?" I asked, continuing to focus on lighting my cigarette. Once it was lit and I took my much needed drag, I shoved the lighter back in my pocket and looked up at him. "What?"
He looked at me for a moment, seemingly judging me by my stance and body language. Any creature with average intellect could tell that I was still steaming—just what the Hell was he trying to take in?
"I wanted to make sure you weren't hurt in any way—is your back okay?" He asked.
Oh how charming. Checking in on me to make sure I was okay—the knight in shining armor this guy was.
"I'm fine." I responded dryly as I shifted my weight from one leg to the other. "Anything else?" I impatiently asked.
He paused again for another moment, probably confused that I hadn't fallen into his embrace and let him sweep me off my feet straight to the bedroom—the nerve of I.
"It's late, and I figured that with the scene that just took place you may want someone to escort you home; the hour doesn't help."
I looked up into his aquamarine orbs with such a deadpan face that I couldn't control. Was this guy kidding me? I couldn't help but let an amused grin crack on the corner of my lips.
"Aren't you a piece of work?" I chuckled as I turned away from him.
I started to walk away from him, and then stopped abruptly when a thought crossed my mind.
The way this guy threw Shinji seemed almost effortless on his part. He had an aura that I personally found annoying, but it was an aura that implied strength. Could this guy be an asset? Maybe if I played my cards right…
I turned around and looked up at him as I took a deep drag of my cigarette.
"You know what? Sure. Walk with me." I smirked.
He searched my eyes for a moment, and proceeded forward until he fell into step at my side. This guy was too observant for my liking, but I decided to let it slip. If this guy truly was an asset, I'd have to suck up my bitter personality and be nice. I was only ever nice to clientele during foreplay—this was gonna be a lot harder than I thought.
We walked in silence for about two blocks before I 'womaned' up enough to start conversing.
"So what are you doing out this late?" I asked.
He must've thought I wasn't going to say anything at all during our trek; my question seemed to have surprised him a small increment.
"Work." He responded. "And you?"
"Work." I replied the same one-worded answer.
"This is a pretty late time to work; it's unsafe around this area to be commuting by foot,"
"Are you implying I can't handle it?" I shot right back. Was he thinking that just because I'm a female I can't be strong enough to walk the streets alone at night? Sexist pig.
He caught the hint at my prompt defense of my gender. "No, I'm saying in general."
"Well if that's the case, then you wouldn't be out here yourself now would you?" I responded with a small smirk as I took another drag.
"Sometimes there isn't any way to avoid it." He responded.
His statement resonated with me. There really was no way to avoid it. I had to woman up and deal with being dragged out at unreasonable times for the job—there was no way around it.
"I concur." I replied.
Silence took over again until we stopped at a crosswalk and waited for the light.
"Go to Mameha's often?" I inquired.
"Tonight was my first time actually; it was suitable." He replied.
'Suitable?' What the Hell kind of way was that to describe something? He could've just said something along the lines of 'okay,' or 'sub-par'—what era was this guy from? I couldn't help but snicker.
"I'm glad that Mameha's suited your need for sustenance." My cracked smile grew.
I knew I was being a sarcastic bitch, but the subtle jabs I took at this guy was the only thing lightening my foul mood. I hadn't actually had the corners of my lips curl in a twisted smile for some time now—it felt kind of…okay?
The light turned and we began to walk across the crosswalk.
"Hmm, I'm wondering if your subtle sarcasm is used solely on word-play, or is a primary reaction relied on to get you through the waking hours." He commented aloud.
Wow, so he picked up on it—I couldn't say I wasn't slightly impressed that his intelligence was above the average bo-zo.
"Both really," I replied. "Its interesting to me to see just who can detect the difference between sarcasm and politeness. Most generally assume it's the later, and when I've received that as the outcome, my judgement has already been passed." I took another quick drag of my cigarette before tossing it toward the gutter.
"You really shouldn't litter,"
"You really shouldn't care." I shot back.
He shook his head before facing forward.
"So accepting people that aren't in the same spectrum you've wedged yourself into isn't a typical occurrence?" He continued.
"Accepting people in general isn't a typical occurrence." I corrected.
The breeze whistled by us, and a distant car alarm sounded—the usual backdrop of this shit town along the outskirt of the big city. This horrid town could burn for all I cared; 85% of it was made up of crooks and scumbags anyway. Which really made me wonder why in the Hell this Prince Charming strutting next to me was even here. Nice people don't come here; it's rare that anyone here has the audacity to give two fucks about their fellow human beings. Shit, even at Mameha's they wouldn't have helped if I'd been someone they didn't know. Sure they'd call the police for the risk of getting sued, but it was highly unlikely they would interject during an argument like the one I was in.
"Yet here you are, allowing me in enough to walk you home."
My rambling thought process came to a complete halt as I turned my scrunched face to look at him. He had a point. However, he didn't know this was in an effort to insinuate a business recruitment. Still though, something about his words made me second-guess myself, and it left me feeling uncomfortable.
"Don't read too much into it there, wise guy." I cleared my throat.
"Says the one that lives off reading into it." He shot back.
"Oh-ho, look who's firing back suddenly. What ever shall I do?" I smirked.
He didn't reply, but shared in my small smirk with his own. Although he was now countering my actions with his own, something about it made me feel as if it had a light-hearted feel behind the words; as if being playful in a respective manner. It was weird; this guy really shouldn't be here with that personality of his. Then again, who was I to judge what he was really like only after meeting the guy an hour ago?
We were two blocks away from my apartment now, and I abruptly stopped at the edge of the block.
"This is my stop." I said.
Rule #1: Never let possible clientele know exactly where you live.
He stopped and turned to look at me before shoving his hands in his pockets. Great, here comes the part where he expects me to invite him inside.
"Okay then, try to be safe." He said coolly, giving a curt nod and turning back toward the direction we came from.
I literally paused. What the…
I couldn't help but laugh.
He stopped mid-step and turned his body to look back at me.
I couldn't help myself; he really shocked me that he just turned on his heel and walked away. I usually had to beat people away with a stick, yet here this guy was, letting me off easy.
"You okay?" he asked, confused by my reaction.
I simmered down to a chortle before catching my breath completely and forcing myself to stop. I hadn't actually laughed in such a long time that it was hard to withdraw the action.
"I'm just peachy, Prince Charming. You're literally something else." I grinned and approached him.
I reached down into my boot, and pulled out a card for the Diner I worked at.
"Here; if you're ever working during the daylight hours, stop on by. I'll treat you to a beer or something as consolation for your heroic actions earlier." I air-quoted before handing him the card.
He read it for a moment, and then stuck it in his coat pocket before looking back at my lavender eyes.
"I'll think about it, thanks." He said.
I held out my hand.
"Kiteyama Akinoyo."
He took mine gently yet firmly, and shook it.
"Hitsugaya Toushirou."
I took my hand back, and graced him with a small half smile.
"See ya around Romeo,"
I turned on my heel and continued forward without another glance back.
I approached my apartment, and inserted my key into the deadbolt.
"Tonight…wasn't all that bad…"
-x-
Note from Author:
Hello readers,
This will be a 'in-real-time' fic that will be posted as soon as a chapter is complete. Unfortunately updates may be scattered, but hopefully I can buckle down to at least once per week. I will be in Japan until April 24th, so updates until that date will be miniscule. If you see any errors in my work, please correct me on them so future chapters are more pleasant for you.
Hope you liked it!
-Vi
