What? Two chapters in one night? IS SHE CRAZY? Yes. Yes I am. And I figured I might as well get this started properly. And yes, this layout is very much in my head. Also, for those who don't know, journeymen are the only scaffolders who can certify that a scaffold is safe for use. You need 'em around.
Work Order 2: Collaborate
Fridays were always a little dull. Being in charge of the shop when it was only himself, Sanzo, Goku, Kougaiji, and Jiroshin – sometimes he swore Kanzeon only made him lead hand to get on the older man's nerves – was always easy and made days...longer than they should have been. More often than not, Hakkai found himself dealing with menial tasks simply to pass the time. As it stood now, he was cutting two-by-four planks into foot long pieces on his radial saw, aiming to cut each piece into wedges later on. With all of the trailers coming in for contractors, it never paid to have too many doorstops.
However, with the shop as quiet as it was – Sanzo and Goku had taken Kougaiji to help with one of the larger scaffolds and Jiroshin was in the paint shop working on signs – Hakkai found it easy to lose himself in his work. Which meant that it was fairly easy for people to sneak up on him; a feat that was usually impossible.
"You've got some pretty steady hands there."
The brunet almost jumped out of his skin, instead knocking one of his planks back and getting the saw blade caught in a knot. He frowned slightly and shook his head, turning the power off and settling on just leaving it for now. He had an intruder to deal with. Pulling his earmuffs off and hanging them around his neck, he turned to stare down the person who'd walked in. Which proved to be harder than he'd have liked, considering it was a certain contractor with some of the most captivating eyes he'd ever seen.
Nevertheless, he managed to collect himself. "If you're here about the chute, I've already had it delivered. Your supervisor should have told you that." There; that was a good, neutral, all-business answer.
The contractor laughed and smiled crookedly, the grin fitting the man's face far too well. "Nope, didn't come for that," he replied offhandedly, giving Hakkai a quick once over. "I came for some help."
Hakkai arched an eyebrow. "Help? Isn't that what we hired you for?"
"Yeah, well, that only works if everyone you hired is actually here." The redhead shrugged offhandedly, stepping past Hakkai to work the piece of two-by-four off of the saw. It was hard not to find oneself fascinated by just how well the man's long fingers seemed to manipulate everything.
Shaking his head a bit and forcibly tearing his thoughts away from what he thought those fingers could do, Hakkai looked at the other man's face – only slightly better, given the fact that hardhats made no one attractive – and kept his voice as neutral as possible; "And just what is that supposed to mean?"
"It means my scaffolding partner didn't come in today because he had a 'family emergency'. So I thought I'd stop by the carpentry shop to see if you had anyone you could spare."
Hakkai had a sinking feeling that life hated him; there was no one working that was available to help this man save himself. He was a certified journeyman scaffolder, though he'd gone into carpentry first. Maybe the fact that he was certified in both had to do with his position...Well, that wasn't important.
"I suppose I could offer you my own assistance." It was really the only honest answer he had. Though why he couldn't bring himself to lie to this man was beyond him.
The contractor grinned again and nodded shortly. "Awesome. My name's Sha Gojyo. I'm in charge of scaffolding on the fourth through eighth floors of the power house."
Hakkai stared at the hand he was offered as if it was going to bite him. This...probably didn't bode well. Still, manners dictated that he at least return the gesture, and he caught Gojyo's hand in a firm handshake. For once, he was grateful for the leather work gloves he had to wear. "Cho Hakkai. I'm the lead hand of the carpentry shop."
"Oh, lucky me~." Gojyo chuckled and nodded towards the door. "Shall we then, Mr. Lead Hand?"
The brunet couldn't help but smile, though he knew immediately that he'd hate himself for it later. The brief flash of something he saw in the other's eyes told him that much. And yet he still followed along, stepping through the heavy door of the carpentry shop and crossing the railroad tracks to the contractor station. He had his phone on him...If anything came up, he'd leave. It wasn't like Gojyo was his priority now. He just...had nothing better to do. Yes. That was it...
