My Roommate is Strong:
"This is insane," An'na huffed, leaning on the rails of the shopping basket.
Ludwig paid her no heed while weighing the melons in his hand. At the moment, he was trying to decide which one was the best choice all around. An'na's way of solving this was if it looked ripe, get it. Ludwig took a more analytical approach.
He sniffed the one in his right hand. It definitely smelled delicious but was slightly smaller than the melon in his other hand, for the same price. However, the melon in his left hand didn't look or smell as ripe but was bigger and could survive not being eaten in the next few days.
"This is riper," he mused aloud, raising his right hand a bit, "But this is bigger…"
An'na threw her hands up in defeat; "I'm going to get the milk while you decide."
Without taking his eyes from the fruit, Ludwig called out to her, "Make sure you check the date before grabbing one. And the price."
After a considerable amount of time in deep thought, Ludwig chose the bigger melon. In that same amount of time, An'na had gotten the remainder of the things on the grocery list and took the basket to the checkout line.
As he approached, new melon in hand, the first thing that caught Ludwig's attention was An'na's face. Whatever the man at the checkout was telling her, she was not happy about it. Curious and a bit on guard, Ludwig squeezed his way through the line, the conversation becoming increasingly clear.
"The date is on the coupon," An'na stressed, pointing to the small slip of paper in her hands, "I know it hasn't expired yet."
Ludwig furrowed his brow. He'd picked the coupon so he knew nothing was wrong with it.
"We can't take that," the cashier said again, withholding whatever issue he had with her. Ludwig, for the life of him couldn't figure out what he missed while weighing melons.
Finally at the front of the line, he looked between An'na and the cashier, "What is going on?"
The man's entire demeanor changed. He smiled, "I'm sorry for the holdup, sir. People like her always seem to cause trouble. If you'd like, the next lane over is open to take you."
People like her? Ludwig looked down at An'na. She had her lips pursed together, fingers gripping the flimsy piece of paper far tighter than was necessary. He noticed the flush that was creeping on her cheeks and the tips of her ears. She was blinking rapidly but he still caught the slight glisten in her eyes.
Ludwig had never seen her cry before, but could tell she was on the verge of tears. The best word he could use to describe her demeanor at the moment was distressed, and that made him want to snap the cashier in two.
Sitting the melon on the black conveyer belt, he ignored the murmurs from the other customers in line and the strange look the cashier was directing his way. "Give me the coupon, An'na."
It wasn't a question; it was a demand. Ludwig had little patience for ignorance and even less patience for stupidity. He would not tolerate injustice, especially to someone who didn't deserve it.
An'na was hesitant to hand it over; Ludwig assumed it was to compose herself.
"An'na," he called, a little harsher than he meant to. But he hoped that she realized his anger was not directed towards her. She slid him the paper, not meeting his gaze or saying a word.
When he took it, he turned towards the cashier, ready to rain down fire and brimstone. Ludwig may not be the best at some things, this he was well aware of. He was, however, an expert at scaring the shit out of others.
"Sir…?" the cashier started with a questionable gaze but Ludwig cut in before he could finish.
"This coupon is up to date," he told him and leaned forward a bit, "I know this because I chose it before coming here."
"Sir I…"
"Shut your mouth, or I will personally castrate you. Then I will use that pathetic excuse you claim is your manhood and shut it for you." The man was silent. "Take it."
The cashier was reluctant but did as Ludwig commanded, and incorporated the discount into the original price. As he did so, Ludwig grabbed An'na's hand, much to the man's displeasure. Ludwig, however, found great pleasure in watching him squirm, but that was just an extra perk. He held her hand because An'na was angry, angrier than she was at him when they argued. She was upset and embarrassed and probably scared. And he knew that she would never tell him these things, and she would never ask him to stand up for her.
Daniel's words made more sense to him now than they did when he was trying to convince Ludwig to stay. An'na never voiced her troubles or why she was shy or what made her apprehensive around others.
He gave her hand a little squeeze for good measure. Much to his surprise, she squeezed back. Maybe he didn't always know the right thing to say or do to comfort people. But that didn't mean he couldn't try.
When they made it home, An'na offered to put away the groceries alone. Ludwig was reluctant but agreed. After everything was put away, she cleaned the kitchen, rearranged the contents of the cupboards and organized the refrigerator. Then she asked him if he wanted to watch a movie. And while they watched it, An'na laughed throughout the entire thing as if the events of the day never happened.
A/N: Truthfully, I was a bit hesitant about this chapter. I knew it was a 'needed' one but 'race' (and I use that term loosely because I firmly believe it is a social construction that doesn't actually exist scientifically) has once again become a huge issue here in the U.S. So to all of my fellow Americans, please don't read too much into this. I actually had this written about a month ago.