Work Text:
song of the day: Like Real People Do - Hozier
A mask strung over his ears, covering his nose and mouth blocked out the strong scent of alcohol. He hated the way beer smelled. He slid a drink to a man with slicked-back gray hair. A stray hair from his bun fell into his eyes. It was a relatively slow night on a Saturday. He sat down with a sigh, leaning his head against his hand, and contemplated why he took this job.
He stood up when someone came to the counter. A tall blond man with green eyes. He looked wary and seemed to be breathing hard. Should he really be serving this man drinks? He rolled his sleeves up in case he got anything on them. "Hello, welcome to Star Club. How may I serve you today?" He leaned against the counter with his arms. He was quite pretty if Shota was honest but he had a job and he stuck to it. He turned towards the glasses "I- um, angel shot." He blinked rapidly, turning back around, and looked him in the eye, eyebrows scrunching together.
"Would you like that with lime, sir?" He asked, trying to keep his voice regular. That threw him. On a night as slow as this, he hadn't expected anyone to ask for an angel shot. "No thank you, with ice, please." Shota nodded. He gazed at the crowd past the man, subconsciously searching for the suspect.
"What's the situation?" He asked quietly. "A guy's being weird. I thought we were going to play a game of pool but he started making uncomfortable comments after I told him to cut it out." Shota nodded again. "Feel free to wait back here." He opened the small gate behind the counter and held his arm against the door to the staff room for the man to enter. He wasn't quite sure if he was allowed to do that but he didn't want to leave him with whoever was making him uncomfortable until his ride arrived.
He picked up the receiver and dialed the number. "This is Cascade taxis, you're speaking to Hoshi. How may I help you?" "Hey, Hoshi." He heard a gasp on the other line. "Shota?!" "Mhm..." He requested a cab and hung up. After, he walked into the staff room. "Hey, your ride's on its way. It might be a while, their company is set on the edge of Hosu. Is there anything I can get you while you're waiting? We have water or I can get you something from the vending machine." He shrugged, taking a swig of his own drink. The man looked him up and down and his gaze caught on his throat, watching Shota swallow his drink.
He noticed the blond's cheeks were flushed. He must've had a drink. "Have you had anything to drink?" He nodded. "Here," He tossed a water bottle to him. "Sober up." The man took a sip. "So, if someone's bothering you, I'm supposed to find out who so he doesn't harass anyone else or hurt anyone. Can you tell me who?" He crossed his arms. "Uh, he's wearing a red shirt and khakis. He has a side part." Shota breathed deeply and nodded. "Ugh, horrible style," He muttered under his breath and he saw a small smile spread across the man's face. "I know who you're talking about. I'll go talk to him." He sighed again as he walked to the door. "Help yourself to anything you want in here except whatever's in the fridge. Those are off-limits." He pointed at the fridge and opened the door. "I'm Yamada Hizashi. B-by the way."
He turned his head and nodded. "Cool. I'm Aizawa Shota." He left the room and searched. He saw him leaning over a pool table with a cheeky grin. "Sir, can I talk to you, please?" He looked up. "I'm busy." He turned back to the table. "It's urgent. I just need a word with you." The man cracked his knuckles and stood up, slowly walking to him. "Listen, pal, I don't know if you're blind or something, but I'm doing something right now. Quite poking around my business or I'll call staff." Shota quelled the urge to slap the man. "I work here." He cleared his throat and pointed at his vest over his button-up.
He finally agreed to speak with him and then walked to the counter. "I've been informed of you harassing customers and making others uncomfortable. This isn't the first time, Miyozaki. I'm going to have to ask you to leave. If you clean your act up, you can come back next week." He assured. Miyozaki shifted on his feet and looked around. Signs of aggression. "Are you serious? It's not even that big of a deal." He waved his arms around. "If you cooperate, you can come back. I'm not trying to pick on you, just following company policy." He put his hands up defensively. "I don't know who you think you are, bucko, but you can't push me around." He tried to push Shota in the chest but he backed up. "Leave, Miyozaki. This is your final warning before I'll have to ban you." He informed threateningly.
He shut his eyes and sighed before leaving in defeat. Shota stood behind the counter, wiping off glasses before a car pulled up. Gazing out the window, sure enough, it was Hoshi's Civic. He put the glass on the rack and hung the cloth around his waistband as he walked into the staff room. "Hey, your ride's here. Do you want me to walk you to the car?" He nodded, grunting as he stood up. Cold air blew through his tied-up hair, knocking a few strands loose as they walked through the front door. "Hey, Hoshi." He greeted his friend with a nod and a short wave. The young man waved back ecstatically, a cheesy grin on his face.
Shota opened the door for Yamada. "Thanks a lot, by the way." The blond said as he ducked into the car. Shota allowed a small smile to escape him as he nodded. He heard Hoshi gasp. "Shota!" He tried to get his attention but he ignored him and walked back into the bar, covering his face with his hand, lest anyone notice his pink cheeks. He'll just say it was cold out.