Matt
I had been outside searching for a job for a couple hours, and Mihael was taking some rest, the physio session had exhausted him. I was checking shop windows for job opportunities downtown while I waited for the time I was supposed to meet the one I had called.

He showed up right on time.
"Hey, I thought I'd never hear of you again."
Jeremy sat on the bench, next to me, and I felt a little guilty because I hadn't been really considerate with him, not giving any news for a while, I had honestly forgotten about him, which wasn't fair considering the amount of help he had provided.
"I'm sorry, I know I owe you big time, and to be honest, I feel a bit bad because the reason I called you is to ask for help again. You have the right to call me an ass and walk away, I'd totally understand, because I have been far from a good friend to you these last months-"
"Hey stop!" Jeremy laughed, raising his hands, "You owe me no apologies, I know you've been through some deep shit and I would be an ass to hold a grudge for that."
That guy was really a nice one.
"So, what can I help you with? Oh, and how's Mihael?" he asked genuinely.
"Mihael is doing fine, it was hard but he made it." I smiled, relieved that he wasn't mad at me, "The reason I called you is because I absolutely need to find a job, and I don't have much qualifications, so I thought that maybe you knew of something, or had connections that could help."
"Oh..." he seemed to think for a moment, "I'm afraid I can't do much concerning my connections. But if you're not too picky I think I know where you could apply."

We took my car and drove to the place that was currently hiring.
I felt a pang in my chest as I remembered the last time I had been there, and had to remind myself that it was all over now and that Mihael was fine.
We entered the disco, and I went to the bar to ask for the manager, who came to us a few minutes later.

"I remember you." he gauged me for an instant before smiling with all his teeth. Who would forget the crying mess I was the night I met Jeremy and all these people that helped me? I had made quite the show with my drama, "You're the one who stole my best waiter's heart."
He was suddenly making a dead serious face, and I felt really uncomfortable.
"Before you ask, I have zero experience, but I really, really need that job-"
He exploded in a loud laughter: "Whoa, hold your horses young man, I'm kidding! You don't have to convince me, I'm short of a waiter for tomorrow and I'm ready to give you a chance, I've combed the whole town for a waiter to replace Mello but they keep on quitting because it's a little tough here, so if you're desperate, at least you're more likely to stay."
I glanced at Jeremy, who just smiled at me. I didn't know if the manager was kidding or not about the job being tough, but well, I couldn't be fussy, so the deal was sealed, at least for tomorrow night. I hoped I wouldn't fuck up.

I drove Jeremy back to his place before going back home to Mihael, my mind a little lighter.
He didn't hear me enter the apartment, sound asleep as he was. I stupidly stood in front of the bed, staring at him. He looked peaceful.
I longed for a cigarette, and realised it would be pretty hard to deal with the lack of nicotine. I boiled some water to prepare some cup noodles instead, even if that wasn't the best replacement.

Mihael stirred as I was pouring the water in the cup, so I prepared one for him too. I helped him to the kitchen table, and we sat face to face, chatting idly while we waited for the soup to be ready.
As he removed the lid from his cup, ready to eat, I raised mine and finally told him that I had found a job, cheering with him as he laughed: "And you couldn't tell me immediately, you dumbass!"
I started eating, acting innocent.
"Care to tell me the details or do I have to molest you?" he bended over the table slightly, a smirk on his face.
"Well, that's tempting." I teased him.
"Mail, come oooon!" he poked me with his chopsticks, laughing.
"Okay, okay, but promise you'll molest me anyway, if I tell you." I winked, "I took your job at the disco. I saw Jeremy today and he told me they were hiring."
"What?"

Suddenly, Mihael didn't look so happy anymore, his face closing. I thought he was about to oppose, although I didn't see a reason why, it was a chance for us that I had found something. But he ate in silence and eventually changed the subject a little later.
I went along, not wanting to make him angry, he had had a rough time at the physio, and even if he didn't say it when I picked him up at the hospital, I knew something was going on.

But as much as I tried to convince myself that it was only the physio session that bugged him, I knew that he didn't like the idea of me working at the disco. Or maybe it was just the idea of me working?

"Mail?" he raised his head from his laptop, "I found a few ads that you might want to check."
I peered over his shoulder, and indeed, there was a few ads on this website that I could apply to.
It had the merit to clear things: Mihael had nothing against me working.
After I noted all the addresses of the places that hired, promising him I'd go to each of them tomorrow before my shift at the disco, he seemed a little more cheerful, so I guess it was the disco itself that annoyed him.
"The manager told me that the job was tough, and I don't really know what he meant."
"Let's hope you don't have to discover that by yourself." he laughed, "Don't worry, it's just that you have to deal with jerks all the time, guys hitting on you, some will even follow you in the bathroom, you just have to get people to respect you right from the beginning and you'll be fine. And you have to have your eyes everywhere so no one spikes anyone's drink."

His answer left me confused. He genuinely told me what I wanted to know, he didn't even seem bothered at that moment, so I still had no idea what was going on.
Ah, I guess he had just been a little worried but had gotten over it, I was overthinking this. I decided to focus on another problem.

"How was the physio by the way? You didn't seem quite happy when I picked you up."
"Ah, the guy's a prick, nothing bad, I'm just not so sure the sessions are of any help."
"Really? What did he tell you?"
"Nothing. He didn't care, he just said I need to gain more muscles in my legs, nothing that we didn't already know..."
"I know the physio is paid by the health insurance, but if he's of no help, we can ask for another one."
"We can't afford another one, this is a public hospital, but another physio would be in the private sector."
"Right." I wasn't too happy with the idea that Mihael couldn't have the best physio in the city to begin with, but knowing that the one he had wasn't even decent...

The next day, I drove Mihael to his session, but this time I didn't only make sure he was in the room before I left, I entered with him, and I observed.
The guy tried to shoo me off but there was no way I left Mihael here knowing he didn't receive the care he required.
I was already seething by the time the guy told Mihael to go on the parallel bars, because I knew his arms were sore, I had to help him get dressed this morning, and he had bruises in his armpits from supporting his weight for too long.

"No, something else." I said, still standing next to Mihael. The physio had taken place on a chair with a magazine, and was already ignoring us. He looked at me questioningly before huffing.
"You are gonna teach me my job?"
Oh, hostilities right away? I could do that.
"No, only a proper training which you obviously didn't complete would, but I can teach you some respect."
The guy stared at me dumbly for a few seconds, and to be honest, I surprised myself that I was being so nasty. But I was so angry, words were better than what I wanted to do to him in my mind.
"Who do you-" he started, getting up from his chair. He was taller than me but fuck, he wouldn't win that.
"Stop right here. I know who I am, and that's exactly why I'm asking you, once again, to propose something actually useful to him. If you prefer that I file a complaint, that's up to you, but, you may or may not have heard about who we are, I don't care, just don't do something you'd regret. We got Zimmerman fired, so I'm not holding out too much hope for your position. And I suppose that as little concerned as you are of your patients, finding another job might not be an easy task for you."

Mihael looked at me and I could see he was trying not to laugh. I kept my poker face, hoping that my threat, that was more a very tweaked version of the reality than anything, would work.
"Oh." was the only reply I got.

The physio helped Mihael to the leg machine, and as much as I wanted to stay to make sure everything would be alright, I had promised Mihael I would apply to the ads he had found for me, so I exited the room, winking at him as I closed the door.
My phone beeped in my pocket. You're crazy but I love you.
I chuckled. You'll have to "thank" me for that tonight. Sent.

After seven ads, I was starting to feel like giving up, but since I had promised... I dragged my feet to one more store. They needed a cashier and had stated that no experience was required, so I guess it didn't hurt to try.
I wondered if Mihael had done that on purpose when I entered the chocolate store.
The manager was a very friendly woman, wide and imposing, with black hair held back in a colourful scarf and fuschia lipstick, that made her look like a Russian doll.
"Oh my, but you're a boy!" she exclaimed.
"Huh... yeah..." What the fuck?
"I was planning on hiring a lady, actually, you see, we're a very... pink place," she gestured around, and indeed, the store was extremely girly, hence the name, 'Fifty Shades of Pink', which was very bad taste to my opinion but heh, what could I say? I thought it was a sex shop at first sight.
"I'm obviously not one... sorry for wasting your time."

I was about to leave but she called out to me.
"Well... I guess I could benefit of a new type of customers here, things are busy since we opened but the more the merrier, right?"
I tried not to get offended that she went from being disappointed by my lack of ladybits to wanting to use me to bring a gay clientele to her store, along with that awful cliché that gays love all things pink, but Mihael would kill me if I passed on the occasion: it was closer from the apartment than the disco which was at the border of the city, so I'd save on gas, and it was a decent, and most of all regular pay. I had no idea if the waiter job would work so I didn't want to take a chance and lose everything.

"Would you eventually be able to start on Tuesday? We're open from 9am to 7pm, I'm usually here on mornings and my sister works the afternoon shift, and we need help during rush hours, that is to say between 10am and 6pm. There's a lunch break around 1pm, and you're free on Mondays because we're closed, and Sundays of course. Is that good for you?"
"Yeah... yes Madam." I corrected myself, trying to be polite. I was a little uneasy because I had never imagined working in... so much pink.
"Good, good! Now sit down, I'll bring hot chocolate and we can talk, I haven't taken my break yet anyway."

I took a seat at a table while she turned the panel on the 'closed' side on the door, and she came back a few minutes later with two steamy cups of what looked more like luxury cocoa than a simple hot chocolate, and a tray of small sandwiches.
"Eat! Don't be shy!" she laughed, "You could use some meat on these bones honey!"
For some reason, she reminded me of the ponytail nurse, and I smiled, picking up a sandwich.
She ate one in silence, then started to speak again.

"So, what brought you here cutiepie? You obviously didn't read the ad correctly, and you don't look like you belong here. What's the story?" Her smile was kind-hearted for sure, and I had no reason to lie anyway.
"I need a job. My boyfriend and me are struggling a bit and he can't find a job for himself for now so honestly, I'll do anything, as long as it pays."
She asked me a few questions, and I had to tell her about the accident, Mihael might not be happy with me using it as leverage to find a job but I would play all my cards if that meant we could afford what we needed. Especially maybe a better physio.

"Well well, I don't think you'll have to go that far sweetie, I'm ready to give you a chance, after all, as my sister always says, chocolate solves everything, right?" she laughed loudly, "I love pink, I love people, and you touched this girl's heart honey, so be right on time next Tuesday and we'll see if we can make it work."
"Thank you! Thank you so much!" It was stupid but I was more happy with the idea that I would have good news to tell Mihael later, and the fact that maybe he'd be less worried, than the job itself. Although working day shifts and have a regular salary was still more appealing than working nights 6 days a week and depend half on tips.

"What's the dress code by the way?" I asked before I left a little while later. I didn't own anything pink so I hoped she wouldn't ask me anything along those lines. I couldn't afford to buy clothes for a job, and I wasn't too keen on wearing pink anyway.
"I'll provide the clothes, don't worry!" The lady winked at me, and this made me really worried.