Chapter Text
Awake once again, it’s the same every morning, every noon, and evening. Nothing seems to change for you. You crawl out of bed begrudgingly. It was time to go to work, it was about 11:00am, and you had a feeling it was going to be a rough day. You threw on your work clothes and sledged your way into the kitchen, picking up a granola bar before heading out the front door.
It was a clear day, the sky a blank canvas of blue, except for the clouds sprinkled and splattered here and there. To many it was a beautiful day, but to you? A clear sky only brings the heat here in Arizona. You took the time to wait at a bus stop not far away, since work was quite a ways away from your house. The bus arrived and you hopped on, dropping change in the deposit box near the driver, to which he tipped his hat to you, not beckoning much of a response out of you. You walked towards the back, the only other area that held empty seats. You hoped that no one would bother you there, your state of mind not willing to take stress this early.
A few minutes went by until the bus let out an unpleasant hiss, stopping in its tracks at your job, “Gensumooru”, a supposed “grocery store” that sells about everything. You only worked there for the food coupons. As far as buying things, you didn’t have too much cash. You stepped off of the bus, rushing your way into work to not be late. The sliding doors granted you your entrance, the cool air hitting your face and granting you the slightest bit of ease before you were met with a disgruntled voice.
Your manager.
Oh, you were in deep trouble this time. But for what? You couldn’t do much else but ponder that. “I need to talk to you for a moment…” His face is stuck in a rictus, trying to throw you off from his actual intentions. He guided you to staff doors beside the entrance, forcing you forward in a very urgent tone.
Some customers and your fellow employees saw a glance at the situation, though they didn’t pay much attention to it except for an absent-minded, curious stare. What proceeded was a long stretch of hallways, which were all a glistening white. The tile floors were sheened with the clean, potent stench of bleach, which your nose scrunched in acknowledgment. You and your manager reached the door of his blinded office; his windows allowed no passerby to see within.
His hand gripped the bronze-tinted doorknob, turning it and pushing the door open with a very dramatic creak. The light from the hallway spilled and draped over the contents of the room, only leaving the dark shadow of the two bending and projecting against the adjacent wall. He passed by you, leaving a cold wind that nestled within your hair. A screech announced that he pulled a chair out for you. It was the only one that resided in front of his very organized desk. Pens and papers were neatly laid out on a protective mat, some of the papers had names on them that you didn’t recognize. Red and black ink marks were sketched upon a few pages, but your manager didn’t give you time to process the sight.
You let out a soft sigh as you sat down in the surprisingly comfortable seat, though you tried to not let yourself get too relaxed here, which he most obviously wanted. You gingerly spoke, “Why did you bring me here, Boss?” Fidgeting with your hands, you waited for an answer to your query.
“Please, call me Jim,” He placed his hands on the desk, leaning back into his rolling office chair, “I wanted to have this private meeting with you, about your performance at work.”
Your heart stopped for just a moment. You clutched your shirt, gripping it as tight as you could. A million thoughts rushed into your head, but trying to keep the peace and not burst a seam, you broke through your haze and asked “Jim” another question, “A-am…am I in trouble, Jim?”
“Oh, no no no! Not as far as I know. I’ve only received- well, complaints. And I wanted to take it up with the guy accused. Though, you might not know what I’m talking about,” Jim said, quite literally bewildering you. Who would send complaints about you? You were nothing but nice to each customer you came in contact with, you had to! It was your job! You had to get to the bottom of it.
You cleared your throat, trying to sound the littlest bit professional in your speech, “Can you tell me who left these complaints? I don’t wanna find out that it’s those three kids coming to play a prank on me, or even just an input of the wrong employee!”
Jim adjusted his body, shuffling his chair even closer to you, and began tapping his fingers on his desk, “That’s disclosed information by the customer, Y/N. I can’t do that without their permission, and I honestly doubt they would give it to you. Can you tell me, do you have any issues with your coworkers?”
You shook your head, “No, of course not. I like everyone here! Even if I don’t interact with half of the people that work here. Except for Rick, though, he did get fired not long ago. Rick was a nice guy, to me at least.” You rambled, but Jim stopped you.
“Hey, you know what? Take the day off. I can’t have you getting more complaints…and honestly, you might be the problem…” Jim said, continuing but you refused to listen to his words. Jim swiveled his chair around until you couldn’t see him with an almost dismissive tone. How in hell could you even be the problem? You didn’t do anything wrong! You did it right! But, of course, that’s not how it ended up. You nodded, stood up, and left the room without a word as you held back tears. This was the only livable job you have. You couldn’t lose the job because of a couple of assholes making you seem like a terrible employee.
God. Your face went through so many emotions as you walked your way out of the staff-only hall, the fluorescent lights giving you a headache. You eventually made it to the front, exiting out of the automatic doors. Leaving that store behind, the only thing reminding you of it was that damned shirt and nametag.
Grumbling and gritting your teeth, you walked home, you didn’t care about taking the bus right now. You didn’t care about anything. After a while of walking, what seemed like hours, you didn’t know where you were. Oh god, did you get lost? Great. This is just what you need. You checked your phone, it was about 1pm at this point.
Thankfully it was daylight outside so you didn’t have to worry about being kidnapped or something.
After wandering around town and passing by a couple of buildings, you stumbled upon Boys & Grills, reopened at last.
Damn, some food sounded really good right now. Especially burgers. You checked your pocket to find a spare couple of dollars. Wow, that’s probably the best thing to happen today.
You pushed the main glass door open, a cool breeze greeting you with the aroma of seasoned meat, and a tall, large man calling your attention.
You recognized him from the handful of times you’ve seen him at the grocery store or park. He was a pretty well-known guy. Bob was his name, and most likely everyone in this town liked him. He had short black hair, stubble peppered on his cheeks down to his chin, and big hands that were built for working.
“Good afternoon, welcome to Boy’s & Grills!” Bob said with his warm southern accent, “How’s yer day goin’?” He smiled widely as he leaned slightly ajar on the diner counter, pushing the change box of the cash register forward with a “Ching!”.
You smiled at him, feeling happy at the kindness emanating from him, though you were sure it was his customer service skills being put to work.
You walked over to one of the diner counter chairs, plopping yourself down. You sighed in reply, “Ughh…not very well. I’m pretty sure I got laid off from my job- and man, stuff is gonna be hard trying to find a new one,” you took a moment to correct yourself, taking notice of your rambling, “Oh, uh- sorry. I didn’t mean to dump my bad day on you.”
You looked up at Bob, who gave a sympathetic face, he leaned closer over the counter and gave you a heartwarming smile, “Oh, well. I hope yer day gets betta, stuff like that is purty hard to bounce back from. But, if it’ll make ya feel betta, I can give ya a free burger. On the house.” Bob wiped his apron off with one hand sitting up and backing his way towards the kitchen before you stopped him.
“Really? No, no no! I can pay for it! I don’t want you making a pity burger for me, hehe.” You dismissed, though it was hard to pass up his offer with such an empty stomach.
Bob chuckled with you, his hand resting upon the door, “Y’know it’s alright, I own this place so it’s not that much of a deal, sir.” Before letting you get another word out, he went into the kitchen and started cooking. The smell of the meat and the sound of the sizzling that came from behind the kitchen doors made your mouth water. You haven’t eaten well in…god knows how long. You’ve fallen into a spiral of depression recently, and getting practically fired just added to the pile.
Not even a few minutes later, Bob walked out with a piping hot burger. Stacked with double cheese and maybe a couple of pieces of lettuce, with pickles on the side of the plate. You were ecstatic, he knew how to cook. As soon as he placed the white plate on the counter, you swiftly sat upward, grabbing the burger and taking a large bite out of it. Oh…my god. This, this was just heaven. To a passerby, you probably would’ve looked insane from how much you enjoyed this burger, but how could you not? Bob looked a little shocked, surprised by how fast you were eating, “Wo-oah there pal, slow down! Ya might choke on sumn’ if ya keep chowin’ down like that!” He leaned down on the counter again, giving you an almost concerned face.
You slowed down, realizing you were almost completely done with the burger. God, you WERE eating fast. Well if you haven’t eaten an actual meal in almost 10 days, you think anyone would react the same. Maybe. You swallowed the food that resided in your mouth, clearing your throat before speaking to Bob, “Heh…sorry, I haven’t, well, eaten very much recently. I needed this burger.”
You only slightly regretted saying that, why did you have to tell a guy you BARELY knew everything wrong with you?
You swept your hair behind your ear, before being able to say a word, Bob chimed in from the mostly deaf silence, “I havn’ caught yer name yet, I know I've seen ya around though," He said, pointing to the white and red name badge plastered on your red button-up.
“Oh, my name? Well. I’m Y/N.” You said, replying to Bob’s query, “My name is kinda strange, my last name anyways. I never really liked it…”
Bob looked puzzled, “Well, I howeva find it a very purty last name, though yer a guy…I think? You might not find ‘purty’ to be a very flattering compliment…” He mumbled his words near the end of his sentence, twiddling his fingers.
Was he nervous?
He was albeit a bit confused about your gender, which is to be expected for you. Your face was still a bit feminine in nature, but the slight stubble grown from your testosterone treatments helped clear SOME confusion.
You blushed a little, rubbing your chin. No one has ever really complimented your last name before. But coming from him? You almost became a blushing wreck, “O-oh! No! I find it a very, very flattering compliment!… My, you made me blush.”
Bob chuckled at your reaction, seemingly entertained by how flustered you became, “Heh, ya liked that didn’cha?” Bob said absentmindedly, not considering how flirty that sounded. From his comment you progressively reddened by the second, you dropped your burger onto the plate below you, sinking into your embarrassment.
You didn’t realize how sensitive you were when it came to complimenting, and Bob revealed that truth for sure. You let your head slink down onto the counter, your arms cradling your face as you attempted to cover any trace of emotion you had.
Bob tapped you lightly on the head, “Y/N, ya alright? Did I say sumthin wrong?”
You mumbled under your breath but spoke up for him to hear, “Nah…I’m, uh, fine. I didn’t expect such a response from you,” You composed your mind and sat up, thinking of what to say next to Bob. You couldn’t say something real out of the blue that embarrasses yourself even more, after all, you two were just acquaintances. But if you were to be truly honest with yourself. You probably had a crush on him. No…definitely.
Bob walked out from behind the counter and sat on the stool beside you, grabbing a flier from one of the diner standees and passing it in front of you, “Oh, y’know, since ya mentioned bein’ let go from a job earlier…I thought thatcha could get a job here, I don’t have many employees. And, I’hm more than pleased to hire ya.” You lit up at the sound of a job, especially since it was being offered to you. Usually, you had a hard time even scouting for one, but passing up an opportunity that’s just being handed to you on a silver platter? It would be the greatest mistake of your life.
You took the help wanted flier, looked back at Bob, and with great enthusiasm in your eyes you accepted the position. “I might have to call my previous boss, tell him I found a new job, and rub it in his face,” you giggled. Bob chuckled with you as he stood up and walked to the back room, shortly afterward returning with a pen and a piece of paper.
“I do have a more detailed way of employing somebody, but, you need it.” He remarked, handing you the document and awaiting your signature, his classic smile plastered on his face. A smile that just made your mind jumble with reddening thoughts. Only for a moment did you stall. Now picking up the pen, you etched your name onto the dotted signature line.
A feeling of joy, or a feeling just like it filled your entire being.
You couldn’t tell if it was just because you gained a job, or it was because you were working with Bob. Even if you never interacted much with him on the days you bumped into him, it was just as if he gave you a feeling of happiness each time you saw him. You wondered if he brought this feeling to others, did he just have the innate ability to cheer a person up even on their darkest days? Or was it just you crushing on him?
You finished signing the application and handed it back to Bob, smiling as you did so.
You gave Bob a genuine smile, “Thank you, I’m…I’m glad you gave this opportunity to me.”
Bob blushed as he rubbed his neck, “Ah, well. It’s just mah pleasure. Yer a kind soul, and I'd quite frankly like havin’ ya around, and working beside ya would just be wonderful." His southern charm worked wonders on you. His way with words, the way he even just spoke them.
God, you couldn’t help but crush on him. You turned red, you felt butterflies inside of your stomach, and Bob could see the way you felt. Blush grew upon Bob’s face, oh…he noticed.
“I-I…Uhm, I, “ You stuttered, just absolutely wrecked. Did he like being around you? You couldn’t even think anymore, “God- I’m sorry. I’m being weird.”
Bob then placed his large hand upon yours, and looked deeply into your eyes, “It’s okay…It’s just fine, darlin’,” Bob stood up and tapped the counter, and pointed to the employee’s only door, “I’d suggest we getcha a uniform size if ya don’t need to leave by now.”
You agreed with him, “Oh, yeah, thanks. I'm not in a rush."
Getting up from your stool, you followed Bob’s to said room. As you walked, you gazed at the photos hung on the walls: pictures of Bob and his family and friends gathered around a grill, pictures of Bob in the kitchen, and even a photo of the original building. Bob seemed to have come a long way with this restaurant, and all of his passion and love for this place resonated with him, you could tell it was his pride and joy.
In the end, you couldn’t wait to be a part of it. During your daydreaming, Bob finally got your attention, “Here we are! I’ve got quite a few sizes of tha uniform. I might have bought too many, seeing as I don’t employ many people…but on the bright side, you have enough to choose from,” He said, lightly scratching his neck as he opened the storage area, which revealed at least two boxes stacked with purple button-up shirts in them.
You smiled at him, he was such a goofball…and you liked that about him, “Imma…uh, go ahead and grab my size and try it on in the bathroom, I’ll be back.” You rustled through the clothes, trying to find the right one, and after a bit of searching, you finally found them. Squeezing past Bob’s large figure, you hurried to the restroom. With only a bit of finagling, you succeeded in trying the clothes on, which they were the perfect size! You knew they were from the start, but, you still wanted to feel the soft, new cloth against your skin, differing from your last uniform.
You walked out of the room, showing off your new uniform to Bob, clearly looking proud of yourself. “Wow! Ya look so…so, you look so good!” Bob stuttered, clearly flush at your new look. Looking back, the uniform did reveal some curves, especially in your pectoral area. You're glad you got top surgery instead of having your original bodice.
You blushed, “Oh, oh my,” you giggled sheepishly, embarrassed but loving the attention he was giving you. After a moment of awkwardness, you finally spoke, “I, erm, thank you! I suppose it is a bit tight around my chest.”
Bob looked awestruck, he was flustered by your look, “Nah, I...I think it looks purty fine on yurself! You look great!” Bob rubbed his neck, silently observing you at a standstill. Bob’s face seemed panicked, I mean he looked like the type to be as straight as a line.
This must’ve been quite an “awakening” experience for him.
It wasn’t even your first time on the job. It was your first time even being here and you’re actually thinking about Bob. It was strange to feel this way already. But, you took it like a high school crush for the most part, “It’ll pass,” you said to yourself. In reality, that was a lie. You’d probably go home just thinking about him, his face; his tall, chubby body; his lovely, unforgettable smile…god you were just seeing stars thinking that right now!
You smiled and looked at him, “Aww, well…thank you! I might, uh, need to get home now.” You stuttered, contradicting your previous statement. You didn’t have anywhere to be, and if you possibly could, you’d spend it with Bob. Although, you and Bob were, well, friends; and it was more or less applicable. But you didn’t wanna waste time standing silently, and being awkward no less.
Bob looked up at you with a discerning face, “Ah, well, if ya need to getchur self home, and seeing as you walked here, do ya need a ride? ” Bob was very generous, almost too generous. It made your heart melt, it was just such a sweet thing for him to do and it felt nice to be cared for. You nodded, taking his offer, seeing as it did get hotter outside. Bob guided you to the backroom exit, showing you his surprisingly small truck for someone his size. He grabbed a key ring from his pocket, flipping to a red key. He walked to the driver’s side of the truck and unlocked it, “Ya wanna hop in or are ya just gonna stand there?” Bob chuckled, taking notice of your sudden staring.
You snapped out of your zone, how many times were you gonna do that today? You walked to the passenger side, nervously laughing, “Oh, yeah! Sorry, I’m a little out of it today,” you opened the door and hopped in, buckling your seatbelt as he sat in his seat. You both simultaneously closed your doors. Bob put the red key into the truck and started it. You couldn’t help but just stare at him, he was just so lovable. You tried your hardest not to! You didn’t want Bob to notice, but he probably already did at this point.
You felt the vehicle backing out, and a slight breeze from a gap in the door blew against your face. Before you knew it, you were off on your way. Bob turned his head towards you, “So where’s yur house, Y/N?” He asked, tapping his fingers on the steering wheel.
You both took your time getting there though, it was becoming later in the evening by the time you and Bob arrived. The sky beautiful, the clouds' orange hue dissolving with the dark purples and blues, creating a beautiful picture that felt hand-painted.
You opened Bob’s truck door and took a step outside, a thought bursting into your mind. Immediately, you walked around to Bob’s window and motioned for him to roll it down, once he did you gave him a strange-ish offer, “Hey! Thank you for, um…taking me home! Say, it’s getting a bit late and it’s gonna be real cold tonight…you think you’d like to stay at my place? I wouldn’t mind if you did…” You smiled sheepishly, tapping his window with your palms as you leaned forward. It felt a bit weird to ask your boss / crush to stay at your house on the first damn day, but from the look Bob gave you, it relieved any doubts you had.
Bob chuckled, giving his chin a pondering scratch before answering, “Well I sure wouldn’ like to impose…but, mah house is a bit far from well…here. So I appreciate the offer, Y/N.
You could feel your heart soar. He said yes! You had the urge to giddily giggle, but that would have to be saved for later. You backed away from his door and let him get out. You ran to the front door of your house and pulled out your house key, unlocking the front door. He turned his truck off, stepping out of his truck, following behind you.
Bob stepped inside the house, you flipped a light switch on and the living room was illuminated. A few pieces of trash were scattered across the floor, dammit. You forgot to clean. Though, you didn’t see a reason to until now. You panicked a bit and ran frantically around the room picking up plastic bottles and empty bags of snacks. Rushing to the kitchen trash can, you dumped it all in there.
Full of embarrassment, you returned to the living room where Bob had been standing, “Oh, gosh…I’m so sorry, I haven’t gotten the chance to clean up…”
Bob closed the door and smiled softly, his eyes glowing with kindness, “Darlin’, it’s okay. You should see mah house!” He heartily laughed, “And it’s quite understandable, yur goin’ through a lot.” Bob pat your back, his warm hands comforting you, your heart couldn’t help but melt. Bob was so considerate, kind, understanding…and best of all he was probably the most handsome guy you’ve met in a while. He was even in your house! Your life!
He might have been your new boss, but…there was some unspoken connection between you two. You could certainly feel it by the way Bob acted around you. Hopefully, it wasn’t creepy to think of someone like this.
Pulling away from him, you gave him a mini tour of your place, “Sooooo, this is my house! Get comfy! I luckily have a pullout bed on the couch, so you won’t be too uncomfortable for a guy your size.” Bob gave a nod of approval. You kicked off your shoes and hopped on the small living room couch. Bob did the same, and he sat beside you, picking up the remote on your coffee-stained coffee table. Ironic, huh? He changed the channels a few times without saying a word to you, it was pure awkward silence until you chimed in once more, “Sooo….what’s your favorite movie?” Small talk was all you could come up with as you nervously rubbed your pants.
Bob thought for a moment, “Well, I’d say my favorite is Scream. I’ve always been partial to the horror genre, but I’hm purty much okay with anythin’.” He said, not looking your way, only paying attention to the flipping of channels and struggling to find the best network. You noticed that, he probably wasn’t very used to your TV service. You took the remote from him with a soft grin, attempting to assist him.
“Lemme change it to a channel I’m sure you’ll like!” You switched it to a cooking show, something along the lines of judging the best cook based on how well they can replicate another contestant's cooking. It was pretty repetitive but an interesting show nonetheless. You gazed over at Bob a few times to see him chuckling a bit at some of the amateur chefs' failures, his wide grin still plastered on his face. You couldn't help but think his smile lines were cute. It was nice to see him so relaxed, though, in the back of your mind a small voice of reason reverberated within your consciousness, “He’s just your friend.”
Your palms were clammy, and your heart was beating a mile a minute. You watched Bob intently as he was enjoying himself, but soon enough, Bob must’ve caught you staring at him. He turned his head and blush covered his cheeks.
“U-uh, did ya wanna say sumn’ to me?” He asked, clearly flustered. Bob started to fiddle with his hands nervously, a slight crack in his smooth voice alerted you. Gee, he was shy. At that point, you two were noticeably closer to each other. It was probably just the small couch or the tension between you two. You couldn’t shake the butterflies out of your chest, not even utter a comprehensible sentence at the sight of Bob’s flush complexion. Only the TV could be heard. Not a word was said between you two. Until…until Bob leaned closer to you, his face still a blushing mess. He looked you in the eyes and smiled a little, "Do you have a thing for me?”
“Ah- huh? Me?” Your mouth gaped wide open, shocked by this sudden question from Bob. You blushed as you tried to formulate an answer, knowing Bob already gave away your secret. If it could even be called that anymore.
You turned your head away from Bob’s gaze, your dominant hand suddenly being held by Bob’s large and warm hands. Your head rebounded right back to him, fixating your eyes on his hands.
Bob’s happy toothy grin relaxed into a more sweet and comforting smile, “Dear, you’re not very good at keeping it secret,” Bob’s large figure loomed over you, almost like a blanket laying upon your smaller frame. He rubbed his left thumb on the surface of your hand, moving it in a clockwise motion. Your skin went a dark pink, being very physically startled by Bob’s touch.
The thumping of your heart rumbled and reverberated in your chest, echoing the pure emotion you felt. Your body felt weak, never have you reacted this way before. Was it your desire to be loved? Your mind aching for a cure to the thunderstorm you’ve been put through so many years of your life?
Shamefully, you hung your head, admitting your feelings, “I’m sorry if it’s weird or if I’m making you not like me because of this, quite frankly, I do like you, and I know we just fully met just today...but, I can't deny I like you-" Bob hushed you, placing a hand on your cheek and fully turning your way, tilting your head up.
“I love ya too,” Bob muttered, the words rolling off of his tongue sweetly, paired with his silky and warm accent, “I felt tha spark ever since I first laid eyes on ya, quite a while ago...actually. It sounds cheesy, I know. But Y/N, I love you.” Your heart felt full after hearing these words, Bob’s hand still cupping your cheek.
You raised a hand and placed it on Bob’s leg, scooting a bit closer. Bob shivered a little, probably a smidge excited from your touch, just as you were with him. He brought your body onto his with one fell swoop, your legs rested around his rotund waist, and your arms reflexively wrapped around his neck. Bob leaned his face closer to yours, the two now breathing each other's air. Your lips suddenly felt contact in a tender kiss, Bob’s soft skin pressed up against yours lovingly, the kiss felt as if it was a choreographed dance planned before this moment. You let go of the kiss after the few fleeting moments it was held, you were just speechless.
Bob grinned at your stunned expression and patted your thigh, “Was that good, Darlin’?” All you could do was nod, your cheeks burning and your heart pounding.
You felt content, but a part of you yearned for more.