Ah, lunch time at the Grossberg & Co Law Offices. It was the brightest spot of the young Kristoph Gavin's workday. It was a magical ten to twenty minutes when he could seal himself in his undersized office, forget about all his problems and just enjoy his normal ham and cheese sandwich. The same kind of sandwich he had been eating since College.
As he leaned down to grab his briefcase, he smiled at the fact it seemed cleaner. He figured he had Neil to thank for that. As he opened and fished through the bulging case to find the tin foil, he felt something.
"Huh? What?" Krissi said as he pulled the object out. It was tin foil; it was just 4 times the size of his normal sandwich. It appeared to be wrapped carefully. Examining it further, the blonde found a small note. He eagerly pulled it off and read it.
"Cowpoke, Thought you might like something a little better. Enjoy! -Neil."
After carefully folding the note and placing it in is pocket, Kristoph carefully unwrapped the package to discover a large delicacy. Sitting between two toasted buns was lovingly re-warmed brisket from the two's dinner the previous night. He sat and smiled. This was indeed a pleasant surprise. He picked the sandwich up carefully and was about to bite in when something just had to ruin the moment.
"What do you think you're doing?" The somewhat nasal voice inquired.
Krissi sighed and looked up to see the morbidly obese ambulance chaser known as Marvin Grossberg. He gently sat the sandwich down.
"I'm having my lunch. It will just take a few…" Kristoph explained before being cut off.
"Who said you could?" Grossberg demanded, enjoying his role as a bully.
Kristoph cringed as the man's multiple chins jiggled. Even the refuge of his tiny office had been violated by his boss. He just couldn't catch a break. Grossberg continued his whining.
"I'm going to lunch and my paperwork isn't done! Would you care to explain yourself?" Grossberg hissed.
"Um, I was just going to take my ten minutes for lunch…." Kristoph said, glumly. He got ten minutes for lunch. The rest got an hour. He decided not to make a point of it. "If I could just please have lunch before I left for home."
Grossberg scoffed. "I don't pay you to eat. Do your job, Gavin."
Job? Kristoph asked in his mind. I'm a Defense Attorney, not a secretary. It's not even my paperwork. This is just goddamn stupid. He mumbled his thoughts under his breath. The overweight man quickly noticed.
"What did you say?" He demanded, chins fluttering.
Had this happened a few months earlier, Kristoph would have simply nodded and done as he was told. But, again, that Cowboy known as Neil Marshall had done a lot for him.
"That's not my job." He said, his voice shaky but resolute. Wow, Krissi thought to himself, that felt good.
Grossberg flinched. "What..did…you say?" He almost yelled, catching the attention of several bystanders, who approached the miniscule office. He was clearly close to rage over the impudence of the 20 year old.
Kristoph cleared his throat. "That is not my job. I am a Defense Attorney." He said, his voice growing firm. "I graduated 1st in my Law School class from UCLA. I won the National mock Court tournament twice. I am not a secretary." He said, sitting tall in his worn-out chair.
Grossberg flew into a rage. "Your job is to do what I tell you!" He bellowed, loud enough for the entire floor to hear. "You'll never be as good as the rest of us." He spat.
"No." Kristoph began, rising, his voice harsh. "I'm going to be better."
Grossberg took a step back as the angry Gavin moved towards him. The young man was nowhere near done.
"It's not my fault you're too stupid to fill out your own work." Kristoph said in an icy tone, following Grossberg to a more open area of the floor. He knew there was no turning back now. "Nor is it my fault you're too lazy to do your job."
Grossberg fired back. "Listen here! Back in the days of my youth-
"Shut up you bloated bastard!!" Kristoph roared. "You were never any good! That's probably because no one would ever want an attorney who can't touch his toes!"
By now, the offices had emptied. Like a fight at a hockey game, everyone just had to watch. Emerging from his office, Diego Armando seemed quite amused.
"Ha! I see you finally lost it, blondie." He said, smirking.
Kristoph shifted his attention to the smug, semi-gifted Defense Attorney.
"Oh, please." Krissi said, shaking his head. "You couldn't wipe your own ass without that little bitch of yours telling you how." Kristoph said, grinning wickedly. With a relaxed sigh, he moved to his office, rewrapped his sandwich then placing it gently in his briefcase. Returning to the shocked lobby, he smiled.
"Well, not to say that I didn't enjoy my time here. But as far as I'm concerned, you can all burn in Hell." He said simply, moving to the elevator. He smiled as the doors closed.
The blonde smiled as he sat on the park bench that faced the Prosecutor's office. He happily chewed on the sandwich, occasionally stealing a glance at his watch. Hmm, shouldn't be long now, he reasoned.
"Wow." He said to himself. "Did I really call him a 'bloated bastard'?" Kristoph asked, laughing. "Hah, the look on his face was pricele- Neil!" Krissi said, rocketing to his feet and almost jumping on his Cowboy.
Neil chuckled as he gently dropped his briefcase and threw his arms around his boyfriend. "Krissi! How are ya?" He asked. "Wait, shouldn't you be at work?" He looked down with a small, curious grin.
Kristoph blushed as he led Neil back to the bench. "First, thanks for the sandwich. It was great!" Krissi chirped.
"Anytime, Krissi." Neil said with a nod. "Glad you liked it. Now, why aren't you at work?" Neil asked with a smile.
Blushing, Kristoph pulled out a small business card from his suit jacket. He handed it to Neil with a smile. Neil grinned.
"Kristoph Gavin, Esq. Defense Attorney." Neil read aloud. Wait? Where was the Grossberg logo? Maybe it's….. wait. "Krissi.. did you?"
Kristoph nodded. His smile said it all. "Surprise." He said simply.
Throwing an arm around Kristoph's shoulders, Neil smiled. "Sure is, partner. Sure is."