Katrina mournfully poked at her salad and released yet another sigh.
"Okie dokie what's the problem artichokie?" a guy asked as he sat down in the booth across from her. Katrina started looking up from her salad in surprise.
"What?" she managed to get out before the guy gave a loud sigh placing a fry in the corner of their mouth.
"Ya keep sighing like the weight of the world is on ya." they commented airily biting the fry and pointing at her with the remaining part. "So spill cause I know you ain't Atlas"
Katrina stared at the curly haired stranger the same way one would stare at something incredibly odd. "I'm sorry but who're you?"
"Charlie, anyways what's up buttercup?" Charlie asked munching on a couple of fries like this was something that occurred occasionally for him.
"No way am I telling you my life troubles" Katrina replied with a small laugh of disbelief and the guy stopped eating to give her the same look she gave the trouble making kids at the daycare. He gave her the oh honey what am I going to do with you? look.
"Is it 'cause we don't know each other that deeply?" he inquired picking up his burger and biting into it. Katrina stared at him some more and he swallowed not even bothering to finish chewing. "It's chill I'll give ya my life story first if ya want"
"No I honestly don't care about your story" Katrina managed to get out because this guy was fucking insane for deciding this all on his own.
"My mother died when I was young and my father was a no show, so my grandfather raised me in Mexico" Charlie began ignoring her words because he was fucking insane. "My grandfather had four children all who are now dead as fuck but the thing was that he was a drug lord and he didn't have any heirs, in the family and by blood"
"I don't want to hear about this" Katrina interrupted looking around for any eavesdroppers and turned back to the fucking nutcase who released the straw from his mouth with a little pop! "That was my lemonade"
"Yeah thanks I was getting thirsty" Charlie thanked her for drinking her lemonade without permission and at that moment Katrina knew if she ever snapped and killed a man, that man would be Charlie. "Anyways, grandfather raised me as his heir until I was fourteen which is when my no show father reappeared into my life from motherfucking Japan of all places"
"What did I do to deserve this?" Katrina groaned covering her face with her hands no longer caring if she was being rude by interrupting because she really, really did not give two fucks about this guy's messed up life.
"So my shitty ass father wanted me to go live with him in Japan 'cause apparently he started a fucking yakuza and wanted to train me to take over someday but grandfather was like 'no way fuck you vato' and no good father was like 'old man this is my child'" Charlie took a deep breath and Katrina looked at him like he was stupid. Which he was. Honestly who the hell talked so much without pausing?
"Look this is nice but I don't care" Katrina dead panned. "I really don't give a shit."
"That's okay no one really does" Charlie replied cheerfully and she just stared. "No good father managed to convince grandfather to let me visit during the summer so I live in Mexico, or rather I did but I came to study here 'cause Mexico isn't really safe for students and I go to Japan during the summer to get acquainted with my soon to be underlings"
"Why do you keep talking without pauses?" Katrina asked tiredly watching as he once more took her lemonade and drank the rest of it.
"'Cause I wanna hear why you're all down and shit" he replied sincerely and Katrina made the mistake of looking into his dark eyes.
"... I work part time at a daycare" Katrina began picking up her fork and poking at her now sad salad again. "Rather I worked at a day care"
"You worked with children?" Charlie interrupted curiously and Katrina nodded with a small smile. "Sorry, please continue"
"It's fine. So, uh I made the mistake of looking away for a few minutes to change the baby's diaper and one of the kids started bullying the others until one of them hit the other with a wooden puzzle piece. The brat got a broken nose and a bruised eye" Katrina stabbed her salad with more force than necessary releasing a sigh. "Naturally my boss and the injured kid's mom came in at the same moment and I got fired right away 'cause apparently the brat's mom is the owner of the place"
Charlie made a sympathetic noise handing her his napkin and pushing his plate of fries over to her. "I can help ya get your job back if you want" he offered and Katrina shook her head giving a wet laugh.
"It's just- I had worked at the same place most of my high school life and to suddenly be fired over one fucking mistake" she replied rubbing at her eyes and looking at Charlie. "I appreciate the offer but I'll just go job searching again"
"I want to help you" he proclaimed suddenly before making a small ah ha! "I can get you a job taking care of children if you want"
"Really?" Katrina asked skeptically because this guy has literally told her he was the heir to two criminals, well criminals in her books.
"Really. There's this one day care where they take all the kids from drug lords and people like that" Charlie informed her casually. "I mean there's hella security to protect the lil fuckers and I know the matron 'cause that's where grandfather put me too"
"I appreciate the offer but I don't know-"
"The pay is hella rad too it's like ten thousand per hour or some shit 'cause these kids come from hella cash" he continued interrupting her and Katrina paused because that was ten times the amount she had been making.
"What're the requirements?" she found herself asking because fuck her morals, she needed money to live.
"The usual being able to care for the shits, gotta be fit to keep up with them, and something like good attitude 'cause the security guards are four guys from every family who places their brats in the daycare." Charlie listed ticking the requirements off on his fingers and Katrina licked her lips nervously still holding her fork.
"How do I get in contact?" she questioned now ready to accept the offer of his help.
"Ay yo, I am the contact" he replied giving her a grin full of boyish charm that Katrina swore she saw fucking sparkles and flowers behind him.
"Oh okay" Katrina replied dimly still numb from the sparkling flowers and Charlie stood up, stretching in a way that his back cracked.
"Come on I'll take you right away" he stated and Katrina stood up to follow before she came to her senses.
"Wait how do I know you're not lying to me? What if you're just saying that to kidnap me?" Katrina interrogated him suspiciously and Charlie laughed obnoxiously loud.
"If I had wanted to kidnap ya I woulda done so even before I talked to ya" he replied casually and Katrina found herself believing him. "I pinky promise I'm not lying to you"
Katrina stared at his outstretched pinky for a moment before her own linked around his. "Cross your heart and hope to die?" she asked as they stood there with linked pinkies like little kids.
"And stick a needle in my eye" he promised solemnly as if it were a funeral procession rather than a childish promise ritual.
"Okay take me away" Katrina stated as thy unlinked pinkies and Charlie grabbed her hand already walking.
"I think you'll love the job. The guards rotate three shifts: morning, afternoon and night. Not only that but they're inside the daycare in case they need to evacuate the kids." Charlie informed her and Katrina managed to nod. "Not to worry they've all sworn oaths to not harm the kids if they're from enemy families or some shit. There's cameras too so if a kid goes fucking nuts they can use self defense to take the kid down"
"Is that normal? The part where the kids initiate attacks?" Katrina interrupted and Charlie made a small noise.
"Yeah sometimes the families train their kids how to kill so that when they go to the daycare the kids can take out the enemy family's children" he explained as they walked outside and into the cold air.
"Master Charles!"
Charlie and Katrina both looked up at the shout but only Katrina's eyes widened in surprise at the expensive looking car and the finely dressed butler.
"Sup Jeeves!" Charlie called out happily, his nose already going red from the cold. "Come on J-man will take us to the daycare"
"Right" she managed following him to the car.
"J-man can ya take us to Mamma's daycare please" Charlie requested and Jeeves nodded opening the door for them.
"Right away sir, madam" Jeeves replied as Charlie slid in followed by Katrina and then he shut the door going around to take the driver's seat.
"You weren't lying" Katrina stated and Charlie gave her a look that practically read really you thought that low of me?
"Of course I wasn't I literally gave you my life story!" he protested and Katrina grinned enjoying her teasing.
"I totally thought you were lying though" she replied with a careless shrug that sent Charlie slumping in the seat with a small almost unnoticeable pout. "Are you pouting?"
"No, I don't pout" Charlie denied immediately although he did in fact continue pouting.
"You are so pouting, ohmy Gods. That is so cute" Katrina stated giving a delighted laugh and Charlie's pout became more pronounced.
"'S not pouting 's called 'scowling'" he grumbled cutely, crossing his arms something that sent Katrina into a fit of giggles because holy shit that was so adorable! "You're such a bully"
"I am not a bully oh my Gods!" Katrina protested hotly before taking another look at his face and dissolving into more giggles.
"Jeeves she's bullying me!" Charlie complained to the older man who merely gave him an indulgent smile through the review mirror.
"The young miss is merely enjoying your presence Master Charles" Jeeves replied before glancing at Katrina and returning to his driving like a good driver should. Honestly, if the young master was finally acting his age then it was better to pretend to have never seen his actions because a good butler never lied, only twisted the truth marginally.