Atem couldn't help but feel awkward as he buttoned the flashy red shirt with the sandwich logo over his black top. However, the matching visor felt like a step too far.
"Do I have to wear this?" he asked Jou.
"Regulations, man. Somethin' about not gettin' hair in the food, blah blah blah…"
"Fine." He squeezed the hat over his hair, trying not to let it get too flat.
"I think the manager thought you were b.s.'ing him when you said it was natural. He almost didn't hire you over it."
"Over my hair? Is it really that big of an issue?"
"Nah, don't worry about it. He's super picky about his team. But I vouched for you, so he went with it. You look great, man."
"I feel absurd."
"Hey, what's that s'posed to say about me?" he chided as the two men exited the break room together.
Atem sighed and tried to grin. "You know I didn't mean it like that. Just… after the string of jobs you've had, I would think you'd be used to the outfits."
"Well, you're not wrong," Jou agreed and nudged his friend with an elbow.
The afternoon flew by quickly while Atem learned what he needed to say and do. He didn't have to handle customers yet, but he learned almost enough to try it himself just by watching Jounouchi. After they took a break together for dinner, which consisted of sandwiches from the restaurant, the night seemed to drag.
"Not too many customers come in after the dinner rush," Jou explained. "This is usually the busy time for deliveries, folks too busy to make dinner or come out and pick it up."
"That makes sense."
"Hey, would you be up for learning deliveries? You gotta know your way around the city, but it can be a lot more fun than standing here. Especially if you like music in your car."
"I don't really listen to music."
"Really? Huh. I guess I shoulda known that about you. I got some stuff I could play for you if you like guitars."
Atem chuckled. He had never spent time thinking about guitars before, or music in general. He had always been too pre-occupied before. But when he thought of music, electrically amplified stringed instruments were not what his mind conjured first. He recalled, instead, the day he had first learned that Seto could play piano.
He considered asking Seto to play again the next time he came over. He usually had some excuse not to. The piano wasn't tuned, he had misplaced his sheet music—a lame excuse when Atem had seen him play from memory—or usually that he had something better in mind to do with their time together. Probably all valid excuses, he figured, especially the latter. But still, he wanted someday to hear him play again.
The music seemed to create a space around them where nothing else existed. He forgot, sometimes, how much he needed that.
"Hey. You listenin'?" Jou was watching him closely.
"Oh, yes. What was that last one called? Metal-Ka?" he asked, barely registering what he had heard.
"Metallica. Seriously, you gotta hear 'em sometime. I'll have to train you for deliveries eventually."
"Sure, Jou," he agreed absently.
When the night had worn on until the end of Atem's shift, he and Jou were the only employees left. Business hours were over but the men were in the kitchen finishing the dishes. Atem had taken off his visor promptly after the last customer for the night had left.
"All I've got left is to close up the register and lock up. You're free of this place if you wanna punch out and go."
"You don't want me to stay until you're done?"
"Not really much left for you to do. Not that I don't like your company, but there's no reason for you to have to hang around," he shrugged.
The front bell rang.
"Aw, crap. I forgot to lock the front door," Jou said. "Hey, do me a solid and don't tell the manager? I'll get rid of this guy."
"I won't tell," Atem agreed, smiling just a hint.
He peeked around the corner and opened his mouth, but shut it again.
"Never mind," he said. "Hey, Atem, I think your ride's here."
"What? I can walk home from here."
"I think this guy's got other plans," Jou said as Seto came around the corner.
"Oh, Seto."
Seto nodded at Atem, but turned to Jounouchi.
"I think you're supposed to lock the door, since your posted hours say you closed forty minutes ago."
"Yeah, yeah. Shut it."
"Your friend is correct," Seto said, now gazing at Atem. "I'm here to offer you a ride, if you want one."
"To my place? Three blocks from here?"
Seto lifted a shoulder in a half shrug. "If you want me to take you straight home, I suppose."
Atem grinned. "Is this an impromptu date?"
"It might be."
"Go on," Jou said, brushing at Atem with the broom in his hand. "Get out of here."
"Okay. Just let me punch out, Seto. I'll be right back."
"I was going to wait outside," Seto said as Atem dashed off to the break room.
Jou fished around in the sink for the plug and drained the water.
"Don't matter to me. Just don't go stealin' nothin'."
"Right. Because lifting anything from a low-budget sandwich shop is high on my list of—"
"Hey. Don't talk about it like that around him," he gestured with a thumb over his shoulder.
"It was my idea for him to apply to this job. I wouldn't insult him for doing something good for himself. How the establishment is seen objectively from a business standpoint doesn't effect that."
"Whatever. Just don't insult his new job."
Seto leaned back and put his hands in his pockets. "How do you think he did for his first day?"
"He did great. He's way too smart for this kind of place. I think he'll be bored here."
"Without a doubt. But that could be what he needs right now. His last job was too stressful."
"I know. His manager was a dick."
Atem came out of the break room carrying his leather satchel, a corner of his bright red shirt sticking out of it.
"I'm ready to go, Seto," he announced. Then he glanced between the two men. "I hope you're getting along," he said with a hint of suspicion.
"Of course," Jou agreed.
"For your sake," Seto nodded with a smirk. "Shall we?"
"See you tomorrow?" Jounouchi asked after Atem.
"I will be here."
"I hope so."
"See you."
"So," Seto began, opening the front door for Atem. "How was your first day?"
Atem climbed into Seto's front seat and melted. "I never want to go back," he answered when Seto had taken the driver's seat.
Seto chuckled. "That bad?"
"Did you not see the shirt I had to wear? You didn't even see the rest of it."
"What?"
"I'm not telling you."
"Unless they had you in a skirt or dressed up in some sandwich costume, I doubt you have any reason to be so embarrassed." He smirked. "Even that might look cute on you."
"Well, it wasn't that. Thankfully. I don't think I could have taken the job if my uniform was that absurd."
Seto pulled out of the shop's parking lot and turned onto the road in the opposite direction from Atem's apartment complex.
"Then what's the problem?" he asked.
Atem reluctantly pulled the visor out of his satchel and crammed his hair under it. When he was sure he looked the way that he had during his shift, he clicked the overhead light on.
"What?" he asked, unimpressed. "That's it?"
"What do you mean? I could hardly stand to wear this thing!" he said, clicking the light off again and tossing the visor at his feet. "You know, I'm confident some of the customers recognized me. I could tell by the looks they gave me."
"You could have just imagined that. But you should talk to Mokuba if you want to hear about embarrassing costumes. He couldn't stand being KaibaCorps' unofficial mascot. I once made him dress up as an American cowboy for a television commercial. You can still find it online, and it's possible he may hate me for it. But that ad certainly boosted sales at KaibaLand for a season."
Atem laughed. "I'm sure he doesn't hate you. Resent you? Possibly. That makes me feel a little better."
"You're not really thinking of quitting already, are you?"
"I'm already thinking of quitting eventually. I can't stay in a place like that forever." He laid his head back on the seat. "But I'll hang onto it for a while, I suppose."
"Try to keep this job at least until you have something else lined up."
"I don't know what else I would do, so I'm not sure what to look for."
"We'll put our heads together and figure something out. Now, how about having something to eat? Are you hungry?"
"Starving, actually. It's been hours since my break. And I think I'm not used to being on my feet so much."
"What are you in the mood for?"
"Anything but sandwiches," Atem snarled.
Seto chuckled. "I thought you might say that. I have some groceries in the trunk. If we head back to your place, I'll cook us something for dinner."
"That sounds lovely, Seto," Atem said, taking Seto's hand from off the shifter and wrapping their fingers together.
A/N: So sorry for the lateness. I need a solid month of sleep but I'm trying. Divorce is finalized, though. Couldn't be happier. Time for cake, and a nap.
Also, iirc, according to the manga I do believe Mokuba was used in super embarrassing advertisements for Kaiba Corp. Someday I'll re-read them to be sure, but I entirely love that idea, canon or not.
Love you guys!
~omg
