The Wounded
By Blue Spyral
Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon. It's kind of obvious I don't. I'd be rich I tell you RICH!!
~~**~~
A blonde head shot up as surprisingly loud bells sounded across the arcade. It was only 10 o'clock in the morning and business didn't really pick until about 3'clock in the afternoon. He looked towards the door and saw a tired looking man enter with big dark bags under his eyes. He was wearing dark jeans, a black leather jacket and his dark messed up hair made him look like he just came out of the movie Twister.
"Hey, you look like you need a nice big cup of Joe. You look like hell!" The blonde man said smiling. The dark man looked up and frowned, he was not amused.
"I'll take the coffee," Said the dark man.
"My name's Andrew, may I ask yours?" Andrew stretched out his hand. The darker man looked at Andrew's hand for a second, contemplating weather or not he should tell this oddly cheerful man his name. Finally making up his mind he grabbed his hand.
"Name's Darien, nice to meet you." He said shaking Andrew's hand. Andrew just stared at Darien for a while, making Darien extremely uncomfortable. "Um can you just get the coffee, please? It's been a long last few days," Darien said with a smirk.
"Sure man, do you want anything else?" said Andrew while filling up a mug and handing it to Darien.
"No, I'm fine." Darien looked and around with a confused face. "Why is it so....so-"
"Empty?" Andrew chuckled, "Well It's a school day and most of the customers we get are just a bunch of kids. Hey can you imagine an old couple playing DDR or something, Oh man I would die!" Andrew pulled up his pants, started crouching and jumped on to the DDR machine and just started to bounce up and down slowly, like an old man would. "Come 'ere sonny I'll show you who the real Dancing Queen is...er King, I meant king. Back in my day we didn't have these big unholy contraptions lying around. We had to dance on the street weather it was hot or cold! You had to have a passion!" Andrew put his fist in front of his chest trying to sound dramatic, then he busted out a VERY slow jacked up version of the 'running man'. "I'm about to get my freak on, can you hold my dentures for me?"
"Dear Lord turn your freak off turn your freak off!" By now Darien was practically on the floor laughing so hard his sides started to hurt and tears where coming out of his eyes. Andrew finally stopped dancing and pulled his pants back down. He walked to the counter and started to wipe even though it was as shiny and clean as it can be. Darien finally collected himself and picked himself off the floor and back onto the stool he was sitting on earlier. "Thanks man I really needed that."
"Aw no biggy I'm just a big 'ol goof ball if I do say so myself" Andrew took the empty mug away from Darien. "What brings you here anyway, you don't look like you're from around here."
"Is it that obvious?"
"Yea you looked kinda confused when you first walked in"
"Yea I just got here. I saw the sign outside that said you guys needed more employees"
"Yea it gets pretty crowded in here now. And I can't really handle it all by myself anymore. My dad owns this place and he left it for me to run. It's just me and two other girls."
"How crowded does it get?"
"Eh, just your usual crowdiness." Darien gave Andrew a confused look.
"That doesn't make any sense....as a matter of fact crowdiness isn't even a real word....how the hell does this place run with a guy like you in-"
"Dude is that the way you talk to your boss? I swear there's just no more respect for the working man these days." Andrew looked down at Darien and shook his head. "Where is this world coming to?" Darien stood up in surprise.
"I got the job?!"
"Well now that you said that last thing I'm not sure I should give it to you anymore." Darien looked down.
"Sorry about that."
"Dude I'm just yanking your chain." Andrew chuckled at the disappointed look on Darien's face.
"Oh right! Hey you didn't even ask me any questions."
"Oh okay I guess your not the type to just take what's being offered are you?"
"Guess not."
"Fine I'll ask you the questions." Andrew got out a clipboard and pen from under the counter. "Question number one. Have you ever had experience working in an arcade before?" Darien scratched his head and answered slowly.
"No"
"Have you ever worked in food service?"
"No"
"Are you good with children?"
"I guess so. I talked to this one kid before. I ended up getting kicked in the shin. I swear I didn't know that it was his dog that I kicked! Plus it was getting all close to me and drooling, I thought the dog was a stray an-" Darien quickly shut his mouth once he saw Andrew writing things on the clipboard.
"Dude I don't need to hear it. What will you contribute to the Crown Arcade and Diner community?"
"Um....."
"Describe yourself in one word."
"Um...."
"Would this be your first job?"
"Yes."
"What are some of your hobbies?"
"The three 'r's; reading, writing, and arithmetic" Darien said smiling, finally one question down.
"Hey why do they call it the three r's when only one of them actually starts with an 'r'?"
"Je ne sais pas"
"Do you speak French?"
"Nope, I just wanted it to seem like I'm actually good for something."
"We don't get that many French speakers."
"That's good; did I mention I don't speak French?"
"I don't remember."
"Again I ask, how is this place still up and running?"
"With people like us my good man."
"Are we done with the questions?"
"Are you out of lame answers?"
"Yessum"
"Good so am I"
"Do I get the job?"
"Sure."
Darien was confused again for the umpteenth time today. "Why?" Andrew looked up from the clipboard and smiled at Darien.
"You seem like a real cool dude. Besides you look like you need it." Andrew was silent for a moment. "How old are you man?"
"I just turned 18."
"Ah," Andrew brought a hand up to his face and started to stroke his chin. "I'm only a few years older then you. Are you attending any colleges around here? You seem like a smart guy."
"No." Darien suddenly seemed very interested with taking off invisible lint from his jacket.
"Got family around?"
"No"
"Where you staying tonight?"
"Hotel, I guess."
"You know what? You don't have to stay in any smelly hotel room. My family owns the apartment building right across the street, and there's a few rooms up for lease. I'll let you stay in one of them as long as you go to college and work here" Andrew didn't know why he was being so nice to this young man. It was just something about Darien that made him want to help him. Just looking into the blue eyes of his made it seem like he was a little boy lost in a strange world. But if you looked at the rest of him, you'd see a tall muscular man with his back straight and his chin held up as far as it could go.
Darien hesitated a bit before looking back up at Andrew. He wasn't sure about his offer. For crying out loud he only just met the guy an hour ago. He could be some kind of freak waiting to get him alone so he could butcher him up or something. All of a sudden Darien felt the need to stand and size Andrew up. Darien pushed those silly ideas out of his mind. Andrew was a good guy and he was probably the only person he almost had a real conversation with since....since his mother. Darien shook his head not wanting to think about that right now.
"Sure, I guess I could do that."
___________________________________
Authors note: Thanks to Nadia, Lara1786, Spotted Trout, Goddess-of-Purity, Astrid, Rina, and Unspoiled Rini. You guys all rock!! Sorry this chapter isn't as dramatic as the last one and sorry if it's a little boring hahaha. But next chapter *gasp* Darien and Serena meet! Thank you guys again for reviewing and I hope you guys stick for a while longer.
By Blue Spyral
Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon. It's kind of obvious I don't. I'd be rich I tell you RICH!!
~~**~~
A blonde head shot up as surprisingly loud bells sounded across the arcade. It was only 10 o'clock in the morning and business didn't really pick until about 3'clock in the afternoon. He looked towards the door and saw a tired looking man enter with big dark bags under his eyes. He was wearing dark jeans, a black leather jacket and his dark messed up hair made him look like he just came out of the movie Twister.
"Hey, you look like you need a nice big cup of Joe. You look like hell!" The blonde man said smiling. The dark man looked up and frowned, he was not amused.
"I'll take the coffee," Said the dark man.
"My name's Andrew, may I ask yours?" Andrew stretched out his hand. The darker man looked at Andrew's hand for a second, contemplating weather or not he should tell this oddly cheerful man his name. Finally making up his mind he grabbed his hand.
"Name's Darien, nice to meet you." He said shaking Andrew's hand. Andrew just stared at Darien for a while, making Darien extremely uncomfortable. "Um can you just get the coffee, please? It's been a long last few days," Darien said with a smirk.
"Sure man, do you want anything else?" said Andrew while filling up a mug and handing it to Darien.
"No, I'm fine." Darien looked and around with a confused face. "Why is it so....so-"
"Empty?" Andrew chuckled, "Well It's a school day and most of the customers we get are just a bunch of kids. Hey can you imagine an old couple playing DDR or something, Oh man I would die!" Andrew pulled up his pants, started crouching and jumped on to the DDR machine and just started to bounce up and down slowly, like an old man would. "Come 'ere sonny I'll show you who the real Dancing Queen is...er King, I meant king. Back in my day we didn't have these big unholy contraptions lying around. We had to dance on the street weather it was hot or cold! You had to have a passion!" Andrew put his fist in front of his chest trying to sound dramatic, then he busted out a VERY slow jacked up version of the 'running man'. "I'm about to get my freak on, can you hold my dentures for me?"
"Dear Lord turn your freak off turn your freak off!" By now Darien was practically on the floor laughing so hard his sides started to hurt and tears where coming out of his eyes. Andrew finally stopped dancing and pulled his pants back down. He walked to the counter and started to wipe even though it was as shiny and clean as it can be. Darien finally collected himself and picked himself off the floor and back onto the stool he was sitting on earlier. "Thanks man I really needed that."
"Aw no biggy I'm just a big 'ol goof ball if I do say so myself" Andrew took the empty mug away from Darien. "What brings you here anyway, you don't look like you're from around here."
"Is it that obvious?"
"Yea you looked kinda confused when you first walked in"
"Yea I just got here. I saw the sign outside that said you guys needed more employees"
"Yea it gets pretty crowded in here now. And I can't really handle it all by myself anymore. My dad owns this place and he left it for me to run. It's just me and two other girls."
"How crowded does it get?"
"Eh, just your usual crowdiness." Darien gave Andrew a confused look.
"That doesn't make any sense....as a matter of fact crowdiness isn't even a real word....how the hell does this place run with a guy like you in-"
"Dude is that the way you talk to your boss? I swear there's just no more respect for the working man these days." Andrew looked down at Darien and shook his head. "Where is this world coming to?" Darien stood up in surprise.
"I got the job?!"
"Well now that you said that last thing I'm not sure I should give it to you anymore." Darien looked down.
"Sorry about that."
"Dude I'm just yanking your chain." Andrew chuckled at the disappointed look on Darien's face.
"Oh right! Hey you didn't even ask me any questions."
"Oh okay I guess your not the type to just take what's being offered are you?"
"Guess not."
"Fine I'll ask you the questions." Andrew got out a clipboard and pen from under the counter. "Question number one. Have you ever had experience working in an arcade before?" Darien scratched his head and answered slowly.
"No"
"Have you ever worked in food service?"
"No"
"Are you good with children?"
"I guess so. I talked to this one kid before. I ended up getting kicked in the shin. I swear I didn't know that it was his dog that I kicked! Plus it was getting all close to me and drooling, I thought the dog was a stray an-" Darien quickly shut his mouth once he saw Andrew writing things on the clipboard.
"Dude I don't need to hear it. What will you contribute to the Crown Arcade and Diner community?"
"Um....."
"Describe yourself in one word."
"Um...."
"Would this be your first job?"
"Yes."
"What are some of your hobbies?"
"The three 'r's; reading, writing, and arithmetic" Darien said smiling, finally one question down.
"Hey why do they call it the three r's when only one of them actually starts with an 'r'?"
"Je ne sais pas"
"Do you speak French?"
"Nope, I just wanted it to seem like I'm actually good for something."
"We don't get that many French speakers."
"That's good; did I mention I don't speak French?"
"I don't remember."
"Again I ask, how is this place still up and running?"
"With people like us my good man."
"Are we done with the questions?"
"Are you out of lame answers?"
"Yessum"
"Good so am I"
"Do I get the job?"
"Sure."
Darien was confused again for the umpteenth time today. "Why?" Andrew looked up from the clipboard and smiled at Darien.
"You seem like a real cool dude. Besides you look like you need it." Andrew was silent for a moment. "How old are you man?"
"I just turned 18."
"Ah," Andrew brought a hand up to his face and started to stroke his chin. "I'm only a few years older then you. Are you attending any colleges around here? You seem like a smart guy."
"No." Darien suddenly seemed very interested with taking off invisible lint from his jacket.
"Got family around?"
"No"
"Where you staying tonight?"
"Hotel, I guess."
"You know what? You don't have to stay in any smelly hotel room. My family owns the apartment building right across the street, and there's a few rooms up for lease. I'll let you stay in one of them as long as you go to college and work here" Andrew didn't know why he was being so nice to this young man. It was just something about Darien that made him want to help him. Just looking into the blue eyes of his made it seem like he was a little boy lost in a strange world. But if you looked at the rest of him, you'd see a tall muscular man with his back straight and his chin held up as far as it could go.
Darien hesitated a bit before looking back up at Andrew. He wasn't sure about his offer. For crying out loud he only just met the guy an hour ago. He could be some kind of freak waiting to get him alone so he could butcher him up or something. All of a sudden Darien felt the need to stand and size Andrew up. Darien pushed those silly ideas out of his mind. Andrew was a good guy and he was probably the only person he almost had a real conversation with since....since his mother. Darien shook his head not wanting to think about that right now.
"Sure, I guess I could do that."
___________________________________
Authors note: Thanks to Nadia, Lara1786, Spotted Trout, Goddess-of-Purity, Astrid, Rina, and Unspoiled Rini. You guys all rock!! Sorry this chapter isn't as dramatic as the last one and sorry if it's a little boring hahaha. But next chapter *gasp* Darien and Serena meet! Thank you guys again for reviewing and I hope you guys stick for a while longer.