What started off as the crappiest day... turned into something pleasant, and it was all thanks to her. And he discovered that working in an ice cream parlor maybe wasn't such a bad thing after all...
Written for the ItaHina LJ Community Valentine's Day/White Day Challenge and dedicated to somebody who refuses to take her chemistry retake exam. Better hit those books, Ladii!
Standard disclaimer: Characters depicted in this fic belong to the one and only Masashi Kishimoto.
AU One-shot Ita/Hina OOC goodness. And if you've read some of my previous works, you'd understand that when I say characters are going to be OOC, I really mean they're going to be OOC. Seriously, my Itachi is going to be nothing like the Itachi y'all are used to, and uh... I sowwy (gives chibi eyes and pouts).
Another note: If you're waiting for an update for "Good Karma, Bad Karma"... wait longer! Aack! (Dodges the rotten produce thrown at the authoress' head.) I'm sorry! I got sidetracked!
Better Than Ice Cream
"Number 38... Welcome to Gold Stone's. What can I get for you today, sir?" a 16-year old Uchiha Itachi grumbled unenthusiastically, looking at the corpulent man who had just waddled up to the counter. Truth be told, Itachi didn't think this person should be allowed within 10 feet of any type of food item, but he kept those mean thoughts and others like it to himself.
"Yes, uh... hmmm... I, um... would like... um... Wait, I know what I want... Just give me a second here..." the customer blubbered as he stared at the vast array of flavors ranging from oddly named concoctions such as Rapturous Raspberry Sorbetto, Chocolate Caramel Sutra or the widely popular Icha Icha Peacha.
Itachi grabbed the handle of the ice cream scooper, willing it to snap into two places. He ABHORRED customers who couldn't make up their minds, and unfortunately for him, these kinds of people were a dime a dozen. Damn this job! He was even more annoyed because he had been coerced into working a double-shift today simply because his lazy-ass co-workers called out sick. 'When I get my hands on Shikamaru and Kankurou, I'm going to KILL them...' he seethed, clenching his jaw.
"Excuse me, sir? Your order?" 'Damn! How hard is it to choose a fuckin' flavor? You just pick one and eat it!'
"Oh, okay... sorry. Um, I think I'll have... the... um..."
He made a quick assessment of the damage the indecisive man was unaware he was creating. The line was getting ridiculously long and he had to handle both the server and cashier duties until his boss found someone to take either Shikamaru or Kankurou's place. And suffice it to say, his boss Jiraiya was just as flaky.
Finally, the man made his choice. "I'll have the Unsatisfied Lover," said the obese man noncommittally, choosing a non-fat (and very bland) vanilla frozen yogurt as he eyed the more fattening (in other words, more tasty) flavors covetously.
Relieved that the man had finally made his choice, Itachi immediately regretted saying the following words that were a part of his spiel:
"Sir, all of our servings at Gold Stone's come with a free mix-in. Would you like-"
'Awww, fuck,' he groused inwardly as he saw a ray of hope flashing in the man's eyes.
The man was excited. Too excited. "FREE MIX-IN? NOW THAT'S THE TICKET!" he bellowed joyfully, slapping his sweaty palms onto the counter. Tubby here would've simply jumped for joy but gravity wouldn't have allowed it. Nor could the polished black and white tiled floors of the parlor withstand the excess stress it was receiving at the present time.
"Let's see..."
The now drooling customer began to drum the greasy chubby pads of his fingers against the formerly streak-free glass display window, irking Itachi to no end. He repressed the urge to shudder in disgust. The line to the popular Boardwalk ice creamery was still growing, no thanks to the new Cineplex that had its grand opening two months ago, and there were audible grumbles coming from the line urging the man to hurry with his order.
"Sir?" 'Your order, you two-ton, lard-butted half-wit?' he wanted to scream.
The man pouted and shrunk noticeably under the gaze of the customers and flinched at the murderous glare he had received from the teen with the ice cream scoop.
Succumbing to peer pressure, he took one final look at the ice cream display, pouted regretfully, and sagged his shoulders in defeat.
"Um, I don't want any ice cream. Thanks," he sighed, as he walked out of the door.
Itachi was livid! 'What the fuckin' hell did he get in line for if he wasn't going to have any stupid ice cream?' Itachi nearly punched the countertop in disbelief.
The man had wasted 8 minutes of his time ALL FOR NOTHING!
Itachi could've died right then and there. The next customer, a prissy grandmother, huffed at him as if the whole incident with Customer no. 38 had been his fault.
"Welcome to Gold Sto-"
"Young man, that wait was absolutely insufferable! Just what kind of establishment IS this?"
Seriously. That's what he wanted to ask Jiraiya as well. THIS JOB SUCKED ASS!
"I'm terribly sorry about the wait." 'Fuck you, ya damn bitch! Can't you see I'm working alone here?' "What can I get for you today, ma'am?" he said in a clipped tone, wishing that the day would end sooner.
'I'm going to quit this job. Gonna quit this job. Gonna quit this job. Gotta quit this job.'
Those words had become Itachi's mantra for the past 4 hours. Jiraiya still hadn't delivered on his promise to find another person to relieve him of some of his duties, and now he was getting hungry. He had worked almost non-stop, and was now expending energy he didn't have wiping down the display cases and the countertops.
Having absolutely no customers at this time was a rare occurrence, but he wasn't going to complain. Not when the little breather was greatly appreciated.
Itachi could've sworn that his employer was breaking several labor laws here. Wasn't he entitled to a 30-minute lunch break and two 15-minute breaks? This was worse than slave labor! He had his rights! 'Damn you, Jiraiya, you asshole!'
He started to hallucinate just a little, seeing the image of his manager's face laughing at him from the clear pane he was cleaning and began to rub at the surface furiously. Undoubtedly, if the display cases were scrubbed any harder, the glass would shatter.
The Uchiha stepped outside the store for a moment, mouth watering at the smell of hot dogs and French fries wafting through the air. God, how he LOVED French fries. He had them nearly every day he started to work here. Damn. It was past three in the afternoon and his stomach was making gurgling noises. He couldn't leave the store unattended since that jerk of a manager of his didn't entrust him with a set of store keys.
Eating the merchandise wasn't even an option. Itachi hated ice cream. It was ironic how he even got this job in the first place considering he yelled at Jiraiya for his poor organizational skills and questioned his abilities as a boss/manager during the entire interview.
Really. What kind of person asked semi-hopeful job applicants questions about their favorite kind of pornography or the latest trends in hentai comic books? When he finished his tirade on the indifferent white-haired pervert and stormed out of the store (after thoroughly damning the store and it's owner to hell), he marched into a random boutique two blocks away (seeing a 'help wanted' sign on display) and demanded an interview for an open sales position.
He sat in the break room of Konoha's most trendy clothing store with the storekeeper's annoying daughter, some pink-haired twit who didn't know how to keep her mouth shut and tried her best to touch his arms and chest during the entire interview. What the hell was going on? Since when did Konoha turn into a town full of perverts?
Needless to say, when he barked at the girl about sexual harassment (after she had somehow managed to squeeze his rear with her eager fingers), called her an octopus, and made her cry, he decided this job wasn't worth it, especially since he realized that he'd have to work with her. He was already 0 for 2 for that day, and after another 3 days, he was 0 for 8. He couldn't understand why it was so hard to find work, since he was so naturally gifted at everything. All hope for finding a summer job was fading fast.
So he had been somewhat surprised when Jiraiya had given him a call back later that week with the news of his employment at Gold Stone's. If he still wanted it, of course. And sadly, he did, despite what he would be dealing with. A lazy bum, a lazy freak obsessed with body art, and a lazy, shameless pervert.
Since he was saving up to go to the college of his dreams in the fall of the following year, he was going to need all the hours he could get. He had already been working here for a little over a month and had already saved up about a whopping four thousand dollars, most of his earnings coming from tips.
Yes, tips.
Surprisingly, he never expected he could earn that much having a job that barely paid minimum wage, but thank goodness for tips- at the end of each of his shifts, he'd glance over at the two large former pickle jars and they would almost always be filled to the brim with cold, hard cash.
Oh, but earning those tips was absolutely the most ABYSMAL thing he had ever done in his entire life! Especially since he had to sing some cheesy song every time he received a tip.
In the last few hours working alone he had probably earned an easy two hundred...
He shook violently. He HATED singing those damn songs. They made him feel so cheap, despite the amounts of extra money he took home every night. His least favorite? (And this is actually a song sung by the employees at Cold Stone Creameries nationwide...)
A scooping we will go
A mixing we will go
Hi-ho, the dairy-o,
We thank you for your dough!
And he couldn't stand how the female patrons (most of them fangirls from his high school, Konoha High, or rival high schools with their own Uchiha Itachi fanclub) would squeal happily and place more money in the jar to hear him sing more crappy tunes, or guys with little self-esteem would put mere pennies inside the container just to see him make a monkey of himself.
Damn. Why did he have to be blessed with these rakish good looks? He felt like a whore... an ice cream whore!
He groaned in frustration as he went behind the counter again to make more waffle cones, forcing himself to gnaw on a broken-off piece to alleviate some of his hunger pangs.
At that moment, Jiraiya walked in, looking disheveled and reeking of cheap liquor.
"Where the hell have you been? I've been DYING here working all by myself!" Itachi shouted at his incompetent supervisor, threatening him with his balled up fist.
He stared at Itachi, and then at the crushed bits of cookie that were stuck to his lips. "That waffle cone you just ate is coming out of your paycheck," he deadpanned, as he walked into his office and closed the door, muffling out the sounds of the colorful outbursts that spouted from the aggravated teen's lips.
Finally, once he had quieted down a bit, Itachi could hear some inappropriate noises coming through the ventilation trap connected to Jiraiya's office.
He slapped himself. The old geezer was watching smutty pornos at work, AGAIN?
'What the fuck?' Was this torment really worth it? 'I'm gonna quit this job, I'm gonna quit this job, I'm gonna quit this job...' he ranted, restocking all of the napkin dispensers as his eye began to twitch.
Wait just one second- he was still as hungry as heck!
"Hey, old man! When can I take my lunch break?"
Jiraiya opened the door just a crack, allowing Itachi to hear the sounds of creaking bedsprings and a woman moaning in the background. "You just ate. I saw you."
Itachi's jaw fell disbelievingly to the floor. The lecher grinned. It was so much fun bothering the kid! "Fine, you have a half hour. Go," he said, as if he were being generous.
Grinning, Itachi ripped the Velcro strap off his apron, hastily threw it behind the counter and ran past the glass doors, momentarily forgetting that his Gold Stone's cap was still on his head.
After Itachi left, his manager walked up to the entrance, fished out a set of keys, and locked the doors. He found a piece of paper, hastily wrote 'Will be back at 4', and taped the sign up where it could be seen.
Then he raced back to his office to continue his raunchy tape where it had left off before his employee had so rudely interrupted him.
'It's good to be the boss,' he thought to himself as he lusted over "Victoria's" secrets.
"French fries, French fries, French fries," murmured Itachi, running towards his favorite fry establishment. Why it had to be situated way over on the other side of the boardwalk was a mystery to him. Sure, there were other places that sold the salty treats, but his taste buds favored that one brand only.
His feet carried him to the Hot Dog on a Twig stand and a sight that he wasn't unfamiliar with- a long line. He stood at the end edgily, his senses tempted by the delicious aroma of the crisp golden delicacies.
The line was finally moving at a pace he could withstand. He glanced at his watch- he had about 10 minutes left in his lunch break. If he got his order in the next 4 and ran back to the shop, he would have at least 2 minutes to scarf down his lunch.
'Patience, Itachi,' he told himself. God! This was sheer torture! He looked towards the front of the line. There were only 7 people ahead of him now. He was finally standing underneath the sunny yellow canopy of the fry establishment and was able to make out some of the familiar faces of the workers there.
'Lucky bastards,' he mused. 'To actually be employed in a place where people do what they're SUPPOSED to do, all the while basking in the glory of fried potato-y goodness... Now why didn't I apply to work here?'
And there, standing behind the outlandishly large vats of lime, regular, and cherry lemonades, he saw the cutest girl donned in the uniform all female employees of Hot Dog on a Twig were required to wear: a cute seventies-style red, blue and yellow dress and the most unflattering matching paper soufflé hat, pressing lemons as if it were the most fun activity in the universe. Her opalescent eyes shimmered like stars as she giggled at her new co-workers' antics. Itachi looked to the side to see that the girl with the twin buns on her head was throwing potato wedges at the odd genki fish-eyed person who was frying up a storm as if his very life depended on it.
The new hire looked so happy to be working here. There was this contagious joy that came from her smile and it brought a small flush to his cheeks. He wouldn't mind working here at all, surrounded by his favorite food and the adorable beverage girl...
He didn't even realize he was daydreaming...
...until something cold and oily slapped him right in the temple, forcibly bringing him back into reality.
What the hell? He looked down. It was a stale fry!
"Oi, you! Hey! Stop checking the new girl out and tell me what you want," snapped the irritated blond standing behind the register.
A large vein appeared on Itachi's forehead. It was that annoying brat again! Shouldn't he have been fired by now? Last time the punk had over-salted his fries on purpose while he was getting ketchup!
Hinata looked at Itachi, horror written all over her face by the actions of her brash co-worker. She stopped what she was doing, removed her ridiculous hat and bowed deeply in gesture several times as if on autopilot, the motions causing some strands of her shoulder-length blue hair to fall out of her ponytail holder.
"Oh gosh, I am so terribly sorry! Naruto-kun!" snapped Hinata, blushing in protest and crinkling her hat in her hands in a nervous gesture. "That's the fifth time I've caught you throwing things at the customers! Kurenai-san is going to be furious with you! Apologize right this minute!"
Before the idiot could say no, he took one look into the translucent orbs of his angelic co-worker who looked like she was going to cry at any moment and gruffly mumbled, "Okay, I'm sorry."
"Uh, it's cool," replied Itachi, slightly annoyed for not paying attention earlier, and even more bothered by the fact that he had been the reason for the girl's tears.
"Not, you, ya dumbass!" Naruto exclaimed sullenly. "I'm saying sorry to Hinata-chan!"
Disregarding the fact that Hinata had only known Naruto since this morning, she took Naruto's ear between her fingers and pulled down on it none-too-gently. "NA-RU-TO-KUN!"
Naruto blanched. He didn't know it was possible for someone so meek looking to be so scary!
"What? You didn't say who I should be apologizing to! Okay! Fine, FINE! SHEESH!" He glared back at Itachi, as if the whole incident were his fault while rubbing his sore ear. "I'm SORRY. Damn! You got me in trouble with Hinata-chan! 'Ya happy now? MAN! What do you want?"
Itachi cleared his throat, trying to get his bearings. God, this kid had embarrassed him in front of the cute girl and all the customers standing in line! This kid was ALWAYS giving him a hard time!
"I'll have the..."
And wouldn't you know, at that moment, his clock timer decided to go off, indicating that his 30-minutes were up. "Crap! I can't believe this! Because of you," he sneered at the blond troublemaker, "and the stupid stunt you pulled, my lunch break is over!"
The very hungry and miserable Itachi stormed out of the line and raced back to the shop as quickly as he could before Jiraiya docked even more money out of his paycheck.
"Have a wonderful day! He-he," laughed Naruto, which earned him a slap in the arm from an upset Hinata and collective disciplinary "Ooohs" from fellow employees Tenten and Lee who were starting to like the new girl very much.
Itachi came back to Gold Stone's and wasn't at all fazed by the long line of ice cream-loving patrons banging on the locked glass doors eager to get a taste of a cold and sweet treat. Judging by the way sweat was pouring off of some of their faces, it looked as if they had been standing out there for a long while.
Damn. It wouldn't have hurt Jiraiya to stop his so-called "managerial duties" and actually do some real WORK for a change by serving some of these customers...
Itachi ran into the alleyway, propped up some boxes, and rapped his knuckles against the small 1'x 2' window hoping to get Jiraiya's attention. Moments later, the window slid open, revealing the aggravated face of his red-faced 50-something year old supervisor.
"You old toad," Itachi started. "You locked the doors and there's a whole mess of people waiting outside!"
Jiraiya grumbled something inaudible, reached into his pocket, and tossed the keys out the window. Itachi looked at the hurled object for a moment and nearly vomited.
The keys were partially covered in something akin to melted vanilla ice cream. Only, knowing Jiraiya and the seedy things he did in his office, it probably wasn't ice cream.
The tick in his eye came back, much stronger in force this time. Health and labor codes be damned, Jiraiya was just too much!
He looked for something he could rinse the keys off with. Finding nothing, he ran towards a pop machine, put in some change, and pressed the button for lemon-lime soda. Coming back into the alleyway, he shook the can vigorously, popped the tab, and let the force of the spray wash off the mess Jiraiya left. Somewhat satisfied with the impromptu cleaning job, he picked up the keys, ran to the front of the store and unlocked the doors.
He put on his disheveled apron, thoroughly washed his hands with soap and hot tap water, and picked up the dreaded ice cream scoop. It was back to square one again, and, much to his dismay, the line went out the door.
He sighed as he glanced at the clock. It was 4:30. He had to endure this for another 5 hours, especially since Jiraiya wasn't even trying to find someone else to close the store, that bastard. Damn. He just wanted to go home and forget about today.
"Number 173... Welcome to Gold Stone's... What can I get for you today..."
'Gonna quit this job. Gonna quit this job. Gonna quit this job. Gonna quit this job.'
He had been blindly serving customers left and right for the past 3 hours and he was ready to pass out. Looking out the window, he noticed that the sun had gone down. This job was insane, his manager was an ass, and he was hungry. He leaned his arms against the counter, thankful that another small break was miraculously thrown his way.
The bells tied to the door jingled, alerting him to the presence of a customer, but he was too tired to care or look up. Like a programmed robot, he began his little speech again.
"Welcome to Gold Stone's. What can I get for you today," he inquired lethargically.
"Oh, God... You look terrible!" cooed a familiar concerned voice. Itachi nearly scratched his head in confusion. The smell of French fries had drifted into the room. Was he imagining things again?
He looked up. His eyes widened a fraction in recognition. The girl from the fry place!
"Hi," said Hinata, cutely. She raised her arm revealing a brown paper bag and set it on the counter. "Um... I thought you might like something to eat..."
"You look different without your clothes on. I mean," Itachi blurted. Hinata blushed. The hell? That was not what he wanted to say! "I mean, you look different without your uniform on. Uh, never mind. What's this?" inquired Itachi, changing the subject, though it took him a lot of self-control NOT to drool all over the place. Of COURSE he knew what was in the bag!
Hinata crinkled her eyes in mirth. This guy was cute when he was frustrated! "It's spaghetti," she said sarcastically.
Itachi snorted. So this girl was pretty, hard-working and funny. Not to mention the fact that she smelled like his favorite food. He liked. Very much.
"I'm Hinata."
"Itachi. You came all this way just to deliver this? You really didn't have to, but thanks!"
"Ah, you're welcome, Itachi-san. It was nothing."
The two teens smiled at one another.
"Hey, how'd you know I worked here?"
She pointed to his head. "You had your hat on when you came."
"Oh." He smiled at her again, causing her knees to knock slightly.
She began to poke her fingers together again and quickly cast her eyes to the side, blushing. "Uh, sorry about what happened earlier... Naruto-kun gets a little carried away sometimes..."
He dug into the bag and fished out a fry. He nearly purred in contentment. It was still piping hot! "It's okay. You could say... that I'm accustomed to getting that kind of treatment from him by now," he said, putting a long awaited morsel into his mouth and relishing in the potato's mealy texture. "Damn, these are good fries..." he said in-between bites, as he blew some of the steam out of his mouth.
Hinata giggled. "Well, I should get going now- I don't want to interrupt your dinner..."
"You're not interrupting anything!" he rushed. How could he get her to stay just a bit longer? "Hey, can I at least buy you some ice cream?" 'And maybe get your number,' he mentally added. "Please?" he said, gesturing towards the myriad of flavors.
The girl from the hot dog stand walked over and peered into the colorful bins thoughtfully. "How about vanilla?" she asked innocently.
Itachi gave Hinata another quick smile and then remembered the incident in the alley. "NO!" he screamed, startling the poor girl. After tonight he never wanted to serve another vanilla cone again. "What I mean to say is, uh, our vanilla isn't that great. It's gross, even."
"Oh... ok. Strawberry, then, please?" she queried hopefully, tucking some of her hair behind her ear in a gesture that drove Itachi wild.
Damn, she was cute!
"One strawberry ice cream, coming right up!"
Within the hour, another set of moviegoers had just been released from the theatres and had sauntered past the doors. Hinata had put on a Gold Stone's apron and cap much to Itachi's protests, but he realized that he was going to need all the help he could get.
She was a natural. She liked helping others so working behind the counter was a breeze. Customers were drawn to her because of her cheerful disposition and Itachi saw that she had easily filled another tip jar. She eventually learned that she had to sing for her tips, so she concocted silly song lyrics off the top of her head.
He gave her a baffled look every now and then, and she would wink in reply. They worked really well together, and because of the rush they'd often bump hands or hips, which brought blushes to both of their faces.
Finally, when Hinata informed him that it was time to close up the store, he was surprised. The time had passed by so quickly, all because he had enjoyed every moment they had spent together.
He didn't know he could have fun here, ever. And all it took was a really sweet girl to show him how.
And Jiraiya wasn't as bad as he thought he was, either. After coming out of his office and hearing his employee explain how Hinata came to help, he allowed Hinata to keep her tip money and gave her an additional $50 for doing an exceptional job, but not after he flirted shamelessly with her in a successful attempt to get a rise out of Itachi. He also extended his gratitude for Itachi's hard work by allowing him to leave early so he could walk Hinata home while he stayed behind to take care of the cleaning duties.
"Uh, boss?" Itachi asked, while gathering his things and escorting Hinata towards the entrance.
"Go on," Jiraiya smirked. "You don't have to thank me, kid."
"I wasn't planning on it. I'm just reminding you to wash your hands first before you touch anything else," he said seriously as he marched through the door.
'Damn kid,' Jiraiya swore under his breath, lathering up his soiled hands under the sink.
Though it was nighttime, the air was still slightly balmy and warm. The two teens conversed quietly and walked side by side up a well-lit path towards a gated beachfront community. When they got to Hinata's doorstep, Itachi paused.
"Okay. Well, thanks for helping me and everything, Hinata… Um, are you working tomorrow?"
"Mm-hmm. Hey, you dropped this a while ago," she said, handing him a folded up business card.
"Thanks." Itachi absentmindedly placed it into his back pocket. "So I guess I'll see you during lunch, then?"
"I'd like that. And I'll make sure Naruto-kun behaves this time!" she offered mirthfully.
"Okay, well, um, sleep well, Hinata …"
She laughed, opening her door and placing a foot through the doorway. "Good night, Itachi-kun!" She went inside, and just before she closed the door, she flushed pink from the look on his face.
Itachi was in a daze. 'She called me Itachi-kun.'
He walked down the street, a happy little skip in his step. Minutes later he was home. He removed his shoes, walked up the stairs towards the bathroom, and turned the faucet on to get the water ready for a nice, hot shower. In the meantime, he went to his room to hide his tip money away in a safe place before fetching a clean set of pajamas and boxers.
On the way back his mother handed him a towel in the hallway.
"Did you have a good day at work, son?" she asked smilingly, noticing the rare grin that was plastered on her normally stoic son's face ever since he got home.
He paused, thinking about how the day had started off terribly before Hinata came along, and beamed at his mother.
"Hai, Obaa-san, I did." He walked into the bathroom, removed his clothing and saw a yellow card tumble out from the back pocket. Bending over, he unfolded it and saw that it was the Gold Stone's business card.
He turned it over, and smirked.
The back of the card read,
'Call me any time, Fry Boy! 555-5555. -Hinata'
Maybe he'd keep his job after all.
owari
Damn. That was so freakin' cheesy. Yes, French fry-loving Itachi and lemonade-making Hinata are part of a well-balanced diet and an overactive imagination. Please take with 8 oz. of water and plenty of rest.
Warning: This story may not have been right for everyone. People who are into reading good pieces of fanfiction and accidentally came upon this one will be given an apology. However, people who didn't mind reading it at all I give you my thanks.
Side effects may have included short bursts of laughter, watery eyes, nausea, vomiting, erotic visions of a naked Itachi, hunger, headache, or a desire to kill the authoress.
If problems persist, please contact your local anesthesiologist or Hatori Sohma for a complete memory wipe. Otherwise, if you had no problems having any of the above symptoms, you may look towards the left bottom-hand corner of this page and submit a review.
