Headphone in one ear, Jane waited in line for her turn at the little cafe's front register. The music tuned out most of the conversation and noise of the establishment, allowing her to space off for a moment. Her eyes scanned the menu on the back wall above the counter, aimlessly reading the choices as if she didn't already know what they said. She'd been here a million times, could practically recite her usual order backwards in her sleep at this point, but it was always nice to consider other options. Not that she ever actually chose anything different from her usual.
The line moved up by one person, and she stepped forward. Her eyes flicked down to the phone in her hand, hoping that she'd have time to eat after all. The cafe was unusually busy today. An hour long break tended to fly by, and she didn't want to be late coming back to the convenience store. Chidori got off not long after her break ended, and she didn't want to be the reason she had to stay past her designated shift.
The person in front of her moved and Jane looked up, realizing it was her turn at the counter. She greeted the employee and specified what she wanted.
Payment done, Jane stood and waited further back for her food to be ready. A few people walked past her to leave or find themselves seats somewhere. The brunette looked outside, pondering whether she wanted to sit in the outdoor patio section, or inside with the air conditioning. It was a pleasant day, and maybe some sun would do her some good.
"Jane?" One of the workers finally called, and she stepped forward to retrieve the tray they'd set on the end of the pick-up counter. "Enjoy your meal."
"Thanks, you too." She replied, turning to walk away but still catching the confused look on the worker's face. The realization of what her response was didn't hit until after she'd already gotten a few feet away.
You're a dumbass. You can never come here again.
Taking her tray, she walked towards the door to the outside patio seating. She dodged beside a few people standing near the corner of the building, trying to keep her drink from spilling. Then, she looked off to her left, thinking that she heard someone calling her name. When no one was vying for her attention, she turned back forward and-
A body being suddenly in front of her caught her off guard, but they were both moving too fast to prevent the collision from happening. She had a split second of recognition before the tray she was holding was upended by the hero's chest nearly plowing into hers. Jane let out a shocked gasp, her sandwich, cup of fruit, and the entirety of her glass of water splashed all over the front of her work uniform. The plastic plates they'd rested on fell to the ground in a noisy clatter.
"Fuck..." She muttered, intentionally avoiding looking around to see how many eyes were currently staring at the clumsy idiot who'd just managed to dump her lunch all over herself. She could feel her cheeks growing hot. Being the center of spectacles wasn't her preference.
"Jane! I didn't see you there...Damn, I'm so sorry." The casually-dressed Present Mic said with a worried expression, realizing the problem he'd helped create. Still somehow managing to retain the tray, Jane shivered as the water began trailing down the inside of her shirt."I'll help you clean that up."
He disappeared for a moment. Where, she didn't quite care or question at the moment. With trepidation, Jane realized there was a distinct lull in conversation since she'd crashed tray-first into the blonde. The pressure of dozens of stares fell on her. Wonderful...
She stooped to grab the remains of her sandwich, which was now scattered in pieces on the floor, and set them back on the tray. Despite her embarrassment, she didn't want the staff to have a huge mess to clean. Either way, there was now a puddle of water and fruit on the floor. No need to leave it like that.
The hero returned, this time with towels in one hand and a small trash can in the other. With a sigh, she dumped her ruined lunch into the can and walked over to a plate return to set down her now-empty tray. When she turned back, Mic was using the towels to mop up the water that had spilled on the floor. Behind the counter, Jane could see a few employees watching, their expressions torn. Had he insisted he clean it himself?
He looked up at her, mouth opening to say something, before his gaze dropped down to her chest. With a pointed look away and a cleared throat, he shrugged off his expensive-looking jacket and extended it out to her. "Uh, you probably wanna put this on."
Jane frowned, then glanced down at her soaked shirt. Thanks to the white material of her work uniform, her blue bra was clearly visible to see. The burn on her cheeks growing stronger, she hastily accepted the garment and threw it around her shoulders, zipping the front up to shield herself and remain decent.
Jane recognized that even if he'd pretty much been the cause of this whole mess, he was at least doing what he could to help fix it. Her less-than-pleasant first impression of him was still prevalent in her mind, but this had entirely been an accident. The fact that it had, of course, happened with the one man she'd rather not have bumped into was just an extra 'fuck you' from the universe.
A hesitant glance around confirmed that while there were a few people still watching, most patrons had gone back to eating their lunches. Jane had no illusions, though. They were probably the talk of the room, right now.
"Thanks..." She muttered.
"You're welcome. And I asked them to remake your food. On me, since I sort of ran straight into you." He said with a timid smile. Clearly he felt bad about what happened.
Jane looked at her phone and grimaced. "Well...I don't have much time on my break left. I'll probably have to take it to go."
"I'm sure your boss would understand!" He said, finishing up mopping up the most of the mess on the floor. One of the workers finally approached and took the dirtied rags from him, along with the trashcan he'd sequestered from behind their counter.
"He's not the problem. My coworker's shift ends right after my break. I have to get back before she leaves."
"The blonde one I met last week?" He guessed, and Jane nodded. He flashed her a wicked grin. "Tell her I'll give her an autograph if she stays another half hour."
Her brow raised, not surprised that he was throwing his fame around. "Really?"
"What?" He shrugged, not seeing the big deal. "She said she's my biggest fan. I bet it would work."
The brunette flip-flopped between staying responsible and actually getting to enjoy her lunch. It had been a long day so far and her double shift wouldn't be over for several hours after she returned to work. Jane was tired. Jane deserved a half hour of down time. And even if she'd have to spend it with this so-far annoying man, then it was a small price to pay. Her inner monologue repeated the phrase 'treat yo'self' over and over again until she gave a reluctant sigh.
"Fine, but I'm only agreeing because I'm starving and seriously need to sit down. I don't like being late."
Mic gave a chuckle, and Jane began walking to the door to the outside patio as originally intended, the man following close behind her. She pulled out her phone and shot Chidori a quick text explaining that she'd be late getting back by half an hour, but that there was an autograph in it for her if she stayed late. Knowing her coworker, she'd offer to stay the rest of the day if that's what it took. Any and all other obligations be damned.
She pushed outside and sat at the nearest unoccupied table. A gentle wind blew, but the afternoon sun was out in full exposure and kept the air warm, making the perfect weather to be outside. Her wet uniform stuck to her skin underneath her jacket, but she preferred that over flashing her bra to everyone in the vicinity. Mic took up the seat across from her, smiling in amusement.
Jane caught on to his expression and cocked her head. "What?" She asked with a frown.
His head shook, smile widening. "Nothing, you're just cute when you're flustered."
The brunette gave him a deadpan expression, but he shook his head good-naturedly.
"Aside from that...you're super interesting to me."
"Me? How?" Jane honestly didn't see what was so different about her to the rest of the people. Maybe because she was American? Her looks did make her stand out from the Asian populace...
"Well, your taste in music for one-"
Ah. She should have figured. The brunette scowled. "Come on, I already think you're sort of an asshole for that one. Quit ragging on what songs I like."
"I'm not! Swear it, on my job as a radio host." He replied, making a little cross over where his heart would be. "I should have phrased it a little better when we first met, but honest. I don't mind it. It's just...objectively, they're bad songs!
"You can like or dislike whatever songs you want, but the fact that you are so unashamed of what other people think of them is particularly cool." He continued, and Jane stared back with an incredulous expression. "I've never met anyone who isn't afraid to say they like the music you do."
"Taste is subjective. Just an opinion. No one's right or wrong about what they enjoy." She answered, seeing one of the employees bring another tray of her food out to her. She set it on the table between them and scurried back into the cafe. Good, it would give her something to do with her hands while she talked with the radio host. She wasn't sure what to really think of him yet.
"Of course, and everyone's got their guilty pleasure songs, but...Rebecca Black? Justin Bieber?" He used as example, spreading his hands in a questioning fashion as she began to eat. "You google 'worst songs of all time' and they'll both be on that list somewhere. I can't recall a single time you asked for something I'd call good."
"You say I have bad taste, but what gave you such a narrow-minded view of music?" She shot back, eyebrow arched. Mic looked shocked, and she took a quick bite of her sandwich. Perhaps no one had questioned him on what they'd assume he was an expert in. Jane didn't buy it. "What even makes a song great? How can you measure something like music in black and white?"
"Well...sound design, lyrics, a structure that makes sense, a compatible tone..." Mic listed off. "A ton of things. There's an art to it. Plus, having heard a song or two on the radio myself, I think I'd know what sounds good or not, what works and what doesn't."
"Hmph." She mumbled her doubt through another bite of her food.
"And then there's you." He went on curiously. "You call in and ask for what are arguably the worst songs out there, because you enjoy them. You simply asking me what I think makes a song good means that you see something in them that I don't. And I'm dying to know what it is."
Jane shrugged, sipping on her water to clear her throat. "I'm sure you are. Unfortunately, I'm not feeling inclined to share with you."
Mic pouted, disappointed that she wouldn't satisfy his curiosity and answer his question. She tried telling herself that she didn't find his expression a little cute. But damn it, there was no denying in.
"That's just cruel."
"I'm not the one who barged into you and covered you in lunch." Jane said, a slanted smirk in place. "On top of that, you insulted my favorite songs, so why should I tell you? You might insult my reason for liking them, too."
She expected some sort of sarcastic remark, but he reacted in what she thought was genuine hurt.
"Huh? What sort of asshole do you make me out to be?" Mic frowned, propping his head up on his hand. "I wouldn't do that."
"Well, maybe not...But you don't get to know just because you ask. I don't make it a habit of telling strangers my life story. You have to earn the answer if you really want it that badly." Jane summarized, smiling a little when he sighed. For as much as she hadn't wanted to ever see him again before that afternoon, he surprisingly didn't make for terrible company. In fact, she was actually enjoying herself, despite the wet uniform.
"I intend to. Clearly our relationship got off on the wrong foot."
"Relationship?" She asked skeptically, wondering which definition of the word he was referring to here. Surely, he meant something along the lines of friendship? She wasn't getting a definite read on this guy. Well, he was being rather flirty...
"You're a celebrity with three jobs and I'm a convenience store cashier. We're nothing alike. The only reason we're talking now is by some weird glitch in the matrix and a few coincidental encounters."
"Is that right?"
"Mhmm." She expected him to get offended by her words. Her vision of a celebrity had him scowling or storming away because of her constant non-recognition of his fame. But...that's not what happened.
"Well, since we're nothing alike, Jane, there's something you probably aren't aware of about me." He smiled then, pinning her with a predatory look. "I don't give up easily. You're different, whether you think so or not. Not just in your music choices, but your personality, too. You're this little mystery box that I really want to peek inside of. I want to discover everything that makes you 'Jane.' So, sorry to break it to you, but you and I aren't done with each other. That much I can promise."
His words were cocky, arrogant, expression even more so, but she could see the invitation for her to step up to the task of providing him with that challenge he was seeking. A request, not a demand. Despite his provoking words, she could tell that he was still giving her an out if it truly wasn't something she was comfortable with. The jarring juxtaposition between his outward demeanor and the message behind his eyes was startling and surprising.
Maybe it was just her looking into things too deeply, but his words seemed to carry a flirtatious undertone that promised something with a little more weight than his previous compliments. Present Mic came off as a flirt, that much she knew, but this felt different. Was she reaching too far?
Did Jane even want to play this game? Did she want to give him a chance of finding out more about her? She wasn't sure, but from the little she saw of Present Mic, she was confident that the moment she changed her mind, he'd back off no questions asked. He was a hero, after all. He had a good reputation with the public to protect. Surely he wouldn't risk the bad publicity by having ill intentions here.
He's not that bad, I guess... She thought to herself, giving a shake of her head. And hey, this could be fun. What do I have to lose?
"Alright, Present Mic. If you think you can change my mind about you, then bring it on." She said, crossing her arms and leaning back in her chair. "But, I'll say one thing. If you're persistent, then I'm notoriously stubborn. Don't think you can just flaunt your fame around and expect me to be impressed."
"I didn't plan on it. Besides, I won't need to." He grinned.
"We'll see about that." Jane retorted, wiping her hands in her napkin and standing from her chair. She'd finished eating in record time, not wanting to be incredibly late back, even with Mic's half hour loan. "Now, if I recall, you promised an autograph to Chidori. Let's go, before even that won't be enough to cool her anger."
Asuka was, predictably, sat in front of their apartment's tv watching her anime tv shows. Jane tiredly pushed her way through, closing the door behind her with her foot and letting out a relieved sigh. It felt so good to be home. And, the best part, she wasn't scheduled for work the following day. Her boss refused to schedule her for too many days in a row, recognizing that she would probably work herself to death if he allowed her to.
"Yo." Her black-haired roommate called from the couch, flashing a peace sign as greeting behind her. "How was work?"
"Ugh."
"Yeah, I figured." Her friend chuckled, turning to watch as Jane set her bag on their kitchen table. She took in her friend's appearance, then whistled as her brows shot up in surprise. "Woah...snazzy new jacket?"
Jane paused, then glanced down at the jacket she'd forgotten was there. The black number had kept her from being indecently exposed during the rest of her shift, and Mic hadn't even said anything about it once they're parted ways. Whoops.
"Oh, uh...yeah. I found it in a thrift store at lunch." She lied, stalking off towards her room to change.
"Nice! Must be worth a lot. Wonder which rich schmuck decided they didn't want it any more." Asuka went on, her voice growing more quiet as Jane got further away.
"Yeah...I wonder." Was her half-assed reply, stuffing the jacket into her laundry basket to clean. It had probably gotten dirty while she'd worn it. The least she could do was clean it before she gave it back to the guy.
ns 15.158.61.23da2
