"There you are, Allen! Have you been alright, sweetie? You seem a little stressed out!"
Allen looked over to see the worrying face of his manager, Jerry. Of course this man would notice. Don't get him wrong, he's been having a blast with his prank war with Lavi, but that's just about the only thing that's been cheering his day up or keeping his mind off things. Rather than thinking about how his and Neah's future conversations were going to be, he was planning on what to do next to Lavi; however, he couldn't escape those thoughts that were to come. It was inevitable.
"Ah, yeah I'm okay."
"Allen..." Jerry said slowly. Said teen rolled his eyes.
"I'm not going to tell you I'm completely okay, even if I did, you wouldn't believe me. I've just got quite a bit on my mind recently. My uncle arranged a date with me to meet him to talk about things, and I'm not sure how to approach him, you know?" No matter what time or day it was, or how either of them were feeling, Jerry was the one who would always listen to him, whether the news was good or bad.
He nodded his head, "I understand that. You'll be fine, I promise. He went through the same thing you did, didn't he? Just remember that you can always ask for a day off if need be. You know I have tons of workers trying to take your place as assistant." He winked. Allen gave him a small laugh.
"I know, Jerry. Isn't that a bit cruel, using people like that?" He teased back.
"What? Me? Cruel? I don't know what you're talking about. Besides, I'm not using them. If they want more hours, they get more hours. You've known this since high school," he paused, "speaking of, we've got quite a new little bugger that's been trying to sneak into the bartending section. So if you see a little twelve year old boy with blue hair that looks like he's up to no good, call for me, alright?" Allen blinked but nodded his head anyways. "Well, I'll see you around then, I had an order for a big cake come in a few minutes ago so I should get on that. If you have anymore problems, don't be afraid to come to me, alright?"
"A-alright." Allen nodded and walked off to his next table to see if his customers needed any refills or desserts of any sorts. After they declined, he decided to head back into the kitchen to prepare more coffee for the next round of customers that were bound to come. He honestly didn't like working mornings. For the past few days that he's been working, he's been getting up extra early. Earlier than Link even. He didn't really even see anyone off either; he didn't really mind that much, but he supposed it would've been a bit nice to be able to tell someone goodbye or hello whenever you saw them. What am I thinking? Allen thought, shaking his head. He didn't need such attention. He'd never had it before, after all.
"Well, hey, look who it is!" A familiar voice called out. He looked over and saw Lala at a table. She was sitting with...D-Daisya?! Allen paled. This definitely couldn't be good.
"Lala? What are you doing here?" He asked slowly.
"I dunno, this is a diner, cafe, and bar, what aren't I doing here?"
"...you've gotten a bit sassier since high school, you know..." Allen commented begrudgingly. "You used to be so small and innocent and cute...what happened?" He frowned. The blonde girl raised an eyebrow at him.
"You could say I've talked to a few classmates. You weren't such the good influence either."
"I guess. So, you seem to have a, uh...date?" He gave the brunet across from her an odd look.
"Hm? I wouldn't call it a date, per say," she hummed, "more like best friends."
"That...sure didn't take long." He mumbled.
"Well, you never talked to me, all of my other friends are preparing for Christmas, even though it hasn't even been Halloween yet, and he was my only other source of entertainment." Allen thought about her words and then her words from the last time he saw her.
"I'm not quite sure about that. Considering when I saw you last time...I'm sure you could preoccupy yourself with something." Daisya looked in between them curiously, watching them react to each other. Lala told him that they actually haven't talked (other than a few times) since high school, and despite how much they talk about each other have changed, they seemed to react naturally to each other. Like old friends that were never apart. It was quite intriguing. He blanched, realizing that he started to sound like an old friend of his.
"Right, well, I dunno about you, Lala, but I'm ready to order." He put down the menu he'd been glancing at for the past ten minutes.
"Huh? But I haven't even looked at the menu!" She gasped, burying her face in it.
"That's because you were too busy talking to me," Allen chuckled, then paused, "wait, I'm not your waiter..."
"Sure you are. I recommend you. You are now our waiter." Lala said.
"You know...you sound just like..." He trailed off after she gave him an questionable look. "Uh, never mind." Daisya also seemed a bit confused. Allen brushed off their looks by bringing out his notepad and asking for their beverages.
"Hm...for coffee, can I get non-dairy creamer?"
"Sure." Allen replied, writing that down. Daisya went ahead and ordered his breakfast, Lala following suit afterwards. "Well, I'll be back with your drinks then." He walked to the kitchen, tapping his coworker's shoulder to let them know that those customers forcefully chose him. Said coworker laughed and was about to walk off when he caught Allen staring at him. He raised an eyebrow.
"Something the matter? You know, I don't mind if you steal my spotlight. You are the assistant. Everybody loves you." He teased.
"Huh? Oh, no, that's not it...you just...look very familiar...um, do you have any siblings?"
"Not any biological ones."
"Oh..." Allen couldn't help but stare. In what way did this man seem familiar? His hair was light green, sort of choppy, his bangs being parted to the left while an upright ponytail strayed to the right. It was a sort of unique hairstyle, but Allen supposed it fit him. He had a beauty mark under his eye and two in the middle of his forehead. "Hm..." Allen walked off, spacing out. Something was definitely familiar about that guy.
"Allen."
"Hm?" Allen looked up to see Jerry with his eyebrow raised.
"Did you steal customers from Tokusa?" He asked sternly. It was Allen's turn to raise an eyebrow.
"Tokus...oh. Him. The guy I just-" Allen pointed behind him before shaking his head, "no, they told me they recommended me. One of them is an old friend from high school. You can go try to convince her if-"
"I'm not worried about that sort of thing. I'm just going to tell you though, you might want to watch your step around him." Jerry glanced around. This was the first time Allen had ever seen Jerry worried about some sort of employee. He usually treasured all of them and never complained about a thing. "I hired them in recently. Tokusa isn't really the problem, it's Madarao you have to worry about. They're sort of...you know."
"Dating?" Allen asked, blinking a few times. Jerry shrugged.
"They act like it, anyways. Madarao's pretty protective of him and a few of the others I've hired in."
"You're hiring in more people?" Allen asked as he set two coffees, sugar, and creamer onto a tray for his friends.
"Yeah, well, this place has gotten surprisingly popular if I do say so myself. We're going to be super busy with Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. Especially since you get Christmas off."
"You don't have to-"
"You think too much." Jerry smiled. "It's fine, Allen. Like I said before, there's a lot of workers here that will work hard as you do if they put their mind to it." Allen looked down at the tray.
"Yeah...I suppose." He stuck a note on the chef's workstation and lifted his tray up, bidding his boss goodbye. After giving his friends their beverages, he headed over to his other customers and then watched as Tokusa escorted some more to a few seats.
"Excuse me, can we have our check?" A female customer asked, catching his attention. He looked over and smiled down at her.
"Of course. I'll be back. How did you want it split?" She huffed.
"One bill, please."
"Ah, okay." He smiled, looking over at her 'date.' He didn't exactly look like the type to take girls out on dates...in fact...he seemed a bit shady with his nose in his game. Allen honestly couldn't help but stare. He had the same color of hair as himself and a skin tone that reminded him vaguely of one of his roommates. Apparently, the guy noticed he was staring and glanced up.
"What?" He asked sourly.
"Hm? Oh, uh, nothing. Sorry..." Allen blinked, looking away. He began to walk off when he felt the guy grab his sleeve. His eyes were narrowed. "Is...something the matter...?" He asked.
"You wear gloves? I know this place is ritzy, but are they necessary?" Allen narrowed his eyes at the teen.
"For me, they are."
"They're annoying."
"I don't believe they are hurting yo-"
"They remind me of someone annoying." He growled. Allen raised his eyebrows.
"Well, I apologize if they bother you, but I'm not going to stop wearing them." He received a smirk in response.
"Is that so?"
Something about this boy's eyes really gave him the creeps. It was as if the guy was reading his mind, simply by looking into his eyes. Allen wanted to pull away and go get their check, but it was almost as if this guy was pulling him in. What's up with that? Suddenly, Allen felt himself being lurched forward and fell on top of the teen. At first, Allen thought the little bugger pulled some kind of stunt, but he seemed to be just as surprised. Allen's head swiveled to the right to see a man with blue hair. He wasn't small, so it definitely wasn't the little boy Jerry was talking about. Instead, he seemed a bit cold. What's his problem? Allen thought before looking down to notice that he was still hovering over the now, very confused teenager.
"OH. Sorry about that." Allen immediately got off of him, only to see that his 'date' was blushing madly.
He was unsure of how to feel about this.
"Are you and that guy enemies?" He grumbled.
"No, I've never even met the guy...why would he do that?" He asked softly.
"Maybe he's just jealous because of how popular you are." The other guessed. He looked up and at his name-tag. "Allen, hm? Three years? How old are you? Eighteen?"
"Uh...yeah, actually..."
"I'm older than you."
Why was he saying this?
"Right...a lot of people here are..." He sighed, "it can get problematic at times, honestly. They don't like letting me use th-" Allen paused, feeling a fist grip his shirt. At first, he honestly thought he was going to get punched. What he didn't expect was the guy pulling him in to kiss him. He could practically hear Lala spit out her drink from across the way. Allen pulled away and grabbed at his lips, staring at him incredulously. He glanced over at his 'date' and saw that...she was having a nosebleed. Feeling a bit dizzy, Allen decided that he was going to just get their check and maybe pour really cold water on his head.
Why did he do that?!
"U-uh...are you feeling okay?" Tokusa asked. Allen grumbled to himself and kept walking, telling the cashier to give him their bill before storming into the kitchen. He just felt so conflicted. The guy didn't seem the least bit interested in him. Maybe he knew what his date's reaction would be? Ugh, it's not like a I can ask him. After giving them their bill and getting his friends' orders (ignoring Lala's demands), he gave it to the chef and decided to go outside for fresh air.
He didn't expect to see that guy again.
Greeted with a smirk, the guy looked back towards the road. "I got dumped."
"Well, I can only imagine why..." Allen muttered.
"Hm? Ah, no, I feel like she was going to dump me anyways. The name's Wisely by the way."
"Right...uh-"
"Why did I kiss you?" He finished. That is so creepy, please stop. Allen thought darkly. "I suppose I was just curious about your reaction." He turned around. "If you think it meant anything other than that, you're wrong." But why- "You're probably wondering 'why me?' right?"
This guy is the creepiest.
He laughed, "I'm no mind reader, although that would be great. I'm studying to be a psychologist, so I like guessing what others are thinking. You were a little too readable." He shrugged and looked back towards the road. "Well, anyways, I've got no ride home, would you be willing to help me out?"
"Even after what you pulled?" Allen tested. Wisely just stared at him. "I don't even get off until ten."
"Yeah, but knowing you, you can get off right now, can't you?"
"Well...it's not that easy-"
"I'm sure it is." Wisely smirked, walking back inside. Allen felt very confused.
First this guy kisses him out of nowhere, then he reads his mind, and now he just walks off?
What's he planning?
Allen ended up taking the weird guy home.
He felt very conflicted. On one hand, he wanted to really hate this guy, on another hand, he was really curious about him. What was his deal? How was he able to read people that well? It was unnerving, yet it was unique. Don't get him wrong, he wasn't at all interested in that sort of way. He was just pretty curious. He didn't know such a person could even exist. And what was up with that other guy? Maybe Wisely should be studying him since he seems pretty mysterious. Allen thought darkly. What did I ever do to him? Did he think forcing me onto that guy was funny or something? Or maybe he was trying to make it look like I was coming onto a customer and tried to get me fired? Seriously, who was that guy?
Allen hadn't realized that he made a scene when he walked through the front door. He supposed that slamming the door that hard and mumbling to himself silently would probably do that. He didn't care though, who were they to judge anyways? Tyki just happened to walk in during his intense mumbling of, "what a weirdo...trying to read my mind...I'll kill him if he does it again..." and then pouring himself a drink.
"What are you grumbling about in here?" He asked amusingly.
"Some weirdo at work." He glowered, taking a sip.
"Care to explain?"
"Hm...well, I guess." He didn't see how complaining to Tyki would really make the man feel better, but he supposed it'd benefit him if they got to know each other better. "It was really strange...I was serving one of my customers, well, two of them actually, and I suppose they were on a date or something...but the guy did...something very weird and when I went to question about it, it was like he was practically reading my mind...it was quite annoying honestly. Then he got dumped and made me take him home." Allen fumed. He noticed that Tyki seemed a little too curious about this.
"Really?"
"Yeah...I could've sworn he was reading my mind. Said something about wanting to be a psychologist..."
"...his name wasn't Wisely, was it?"
Allen choked.
"You know him?" Tyki snorted at the younger's reaction.
"He's my nephew. Quite an annoying little bugger." He sighed. "And a liar...but to think that he was on a date...and you met him...small world, I guess. I didn't think he was in town."
"Do you not talk with your family often?" Allen asked.
"Not really. The only one who I talk to is my niece and she's a bit of a nutjob."
"He's creepy..." Allen mumbled, putting his glass in the sink.
"I keep telling him not to do that." Tyki sighed, also digging in the fridge for something to drink.
"Hopefully I won't have to see him again..." Allen muttered and made his way to his room, claiming that he was going to take a shower. A nice, hot, long shower. He pulled the curtain back just a little to turn on the water and began undressing. Right when he was about to hop in the shower, he was met with a glowering, wet Lavi.
A loud scream echoed from the bathroom.
"JESUS, blow my eardrums why don't you?!" Lavi shouted.
"WHY ARE YOU IN HERE?!" Allen screamed back.
"I WAS GONNA..." Lavi paused, blinking a few times as he stared. "Whoa." He knelt down a little too close for comfort and touched Allen's shoulder. "That's so..." Allen paled, realizing that Lavi was touching, and that Lavi had seen his arm.
"GET OUT, YOU PERVERT!"
Huehuehue the last part was really fun to write! A few of you had asked about everyone seeing Allen's arm so I decided to have a little fun. Haha, now I'm imagining a soaking wet, glaring Lavi. Like an angry kitten. So, you might be wondering "WHOA FAST UPDATE WAHT" yeah, actually, I'm officially on vacation from work! ^u^ if you were here during the time of when I wrote "First Impressions" you'll know that I used to update everyday xD I don't think I'm going to update tomorrow though since le gf and a friend are coming over tomorrow, so apologies for that. I should be sleeping. They're going to leave at like 10am or something...whatever! I want to thank XavierForest (uawh ;u; you understand), Usagi-Twins (HOW DID YOU FREAKING KNOW IT WAS GOING TO BE WISELY DAMN IT), DeathKitsune666, aquavenn (your review gives me life. I'm definitely mentioning BOTH of those things!), Ryuakilover, VeridianSoul (Merry Christmas ^^), Ente Isla (I WIll TRy. Cons can be super stressful), Lena-luvs-cats, and NoName-chan (OH GOD LITERALLY ME "GOOGLE IT" xD) for reviewing! Hopefully more of you will take interest into this story! I have a lot of fun writing it!
