This was the bar one with Shawn x Grant warning; mentions of murder and depression
Depression will do a lot to you. You feel like your life is over. It's sad. But it happens to a lot of people. Grant Cohen, a bartender, was one of those people. He just hated everything.
He couldn't see the light in the world anymore, he didn't know what it felt like to smile since he was a very young child.
He spent his days serving beer and alcohol to other depressed people. The group of depressed people were regularly there.
Everyone who had ever came into the bar, yelled at him to hurry up with the drinks, or completely ignored him. It was as if he didn't exist, or like he had no feelings.
Grant sighed, another drunk customer angrily yelling at him, because he had nothing better to do. When he did shut up, another guy came up to him. "Hey, would you hurry the fuck up with my drink?" The man snapped.
Grant sighed. "Yes sir, my apologies." He responded. Grant gave him his drink and was cleaning a glass, when he glanced up at the sound of the door bursting open.
He hoped it wasn't that angry woman from yesterday, she was so god dammed annoying. No, it wasn't.
It was a happy looking man, average height, and the most lovely green eyes. It was late so there was only the group of depressed people, Grant, and a couple other people mostly keeping well to themselves. One of them was passed out.
Grant knew all the people in this little town he lived in, but this man, he was most certainly new. He did a little jump into a barstool and spun around in it once before grabbing the counter to stop it from spinning again.
"Hallo!" He said cheerfully. Grant had never seen someone look so happy. "I'm going to guess you're not from here." He said.
The man shook his head. "I moved here from Ireland, I like little towns, so I decided to move to one." The man grinned.
"I'm Shawn by the way, what's your name?" He asked. Grant had never been asked what his name was.
"Hmph, the only question I've ever been asked before was 'will you hurry the fuck up with my drink.' Sometimes they'll even add an extra name at the end." Grant growled.
Shawn's smile faltered a bit. "I'm sorry to hear that." He said. "Heh, that's the funniest thing I've heard in a while." Grant responded.
Shawn felt bad for the bartender. He looked over and spotted the depressed group. He needed to cheer these people up!
He bounded over like a happy puppy and sat beside them. "Why are ya all so sad?" Shawn asked. Most of them ignored him.
"Does it look like we've got much left in life for us?" One of them glared. Shawn smiled kindly at them. "Of course ya do! Ya may not realize it, but it would affect a lot of people if somethin happened to one of ya." Shawn said.
"Like who? Our non-existent families?" Another asked. "Now listen here! See you group of lads here? You're all together. You all act depressed together. Why you do this, and don't he depressed elsewhere is because you're all together.
You lot mean more to each other than ya might notice, but think about it." Shawn said. "The people you care about are right here. And that's a helluva lot more than some other people have." Shawn gave them a sad smile.
Grant raised an eyebrow. He could sense a sad person a mile away. And Shawn, well. There was far more behind those sparking green eyes than he let on.
So, now that the 'depressed' people realized what Shawn said was true, they left. They were happy, they didn't need drinks to make them forget. They had always had each other.
Shawn smiled after them. There was just him and Grant in the bar now. Now his goal was to make Grant happy.
Shawn sat back down at his cushy stool. "Y'know, for someone telling people things like that, I can see you're not happy yourself, are you?" Grant questioned.
Shawn stared at him for a second. He was smiling and laughing, how did Grant notice? "I have no clue what you're talking about!" Shawn denied.
"Oh please, strained smile, sad eyes, the actions of occasionally glancing behind you, like someone was following you, moving to this isolated place from somewhere as amazing as Ireland?! I'd say someone close to you was murdered, and your afraid of staying at home because of the reminder, because of maybe they'll get you next." Grant said.
Shawn sat flabbergasted for a few minutes. "Are you okay-?!" He gasped at Grant. "Y'know, I know a lot about this, especially since that happened to me. My whole family was murdered, and I moved here. Been here years.
And if you think you can keep smiling on, stay happy forever after something like that happened? I'm sorry, but that's just the first stage of spiralling into the void of depression so strong, you know you'll never get out again." Grant hugged himself, staring off into the distance.
"No, my cousin got murdered, and I actually moved here because I like it. But yes, I am very sad about that, but you can't just give up! Don't give up!" Shawn said.
"Heh, it's already far too late for that, I suggest you leave before my words get to you." Grant said. Shawn stayed put.
"No. I will not leave." Shawn said. Grant shrugged. "Hell if I care, not like I'm forced to talk to you." Grant snapped.
He went on the further side of the bar from Shawn and washed some of the glasses. "You didn't deserve that. But think about your family, you loved them and they loved you.
So do you think after they died, that they wanted you to be always thinking of the horrible things down to them? Do you think they wanted you to be stuck in a state of depression?
No, they would have wanted you to move on, to be happy, to take the light in life. They wouldn't have wanted you to be sad." Shawn said.
Grant slammed his hands on the counter. "I can't just be happy! That's not how it fucking works!" Grant yelled.
The glass he was holding shattered when he slammed his hands down. He had glass in his hands, blood flowing out of them.
Shawn flinched back. "You may have fixed those other guys problems, but I don't have anyone. No family, no friends, nobody!" Grant's voice quivered from holding back tears.
"So just get the hell out. Leave and never speak to me again." Grant said, his head flopping down to hide his face so Shawn couldn't see his watery eyes. He tried with all his willpower not to cry.
Shawn stood up and literally climbed over the counter. He cautiously walked over to Grant. He hesitated for a second, but then hugged him.
"W-what are you doing?" Grant demanded. "I know I don't know you very well, hell, I don't even know your name yet, but I care about you. And nothing you say will make me just leave you here by yourself." Shawn said gently.
Grant couldn't handle any more pressure and burst into tears. He slowly fell to his knees, Shawn still hugging him.
"Hey, it's okay, let me help you get the glass out of your hands okay?" Shawn said softly. "Do you keep a medic kit in here? I mean, it's a bar so I'm guessing you do." Shawn said. He spotted it on one of the bottom shelves.
He took out some tweezers and gently took one of Grants hands. After he fully analyzed and made sure there was absolutely no glass left, Shawn wrapped bandages around his hands.
By now Grant had stopped crying and was silently watching Shawn. "Grant." Grant said. "Huh?" Shawn looked up at him.
"My name is Grant." He said. Shawn smiled. "I like that name." He said. "Are you okay now Grant?" Shawn asked.
"Why would you care? I'm just some random guy who works in a bar." Grant said. Shawn gently held his hands and looked into his eyes.
"Because I just do. Depression makes you feel like everything is gone, like you're done for. But everyone is here for a reason.
Maybe my reason was to cheer you up, and I'm still working on that. But whatever your reason is, doesn't matter. All that matters right now is that your happy.
I will do anything to make you smile, no matter what you say against it. I love making people happy, it makes me happy. And no matter what, don't you ever give up." Shawn said.
Grant felt weird. A new feeling inside of him. No, not new, but old. Like a feeling that had been tossed away a long time ago had returned.
Was this happiness? What was happening to his face, why was it so warm, and why was he smiling? His heartbeat was faster.
Shawn could see the change in him. He also smiled. "Hey, that's a real smile! You can be happy, see! And you have such an adorable smile too!" Shawn giggled.
Grant's face flushed at the compliment. He was so confused. "What's wrong with my face?" He asked. He'd never blushed before, so this was new to him. It was weird.
Shawn laughed. "It's called blushing, when you're embarrassed or flattered." He explained. "Are you embarrassed?" Grant asked, pointing out Shawn's also blushing face.
"I-not the point." Shawn said. Grant giggled at him. Shawn blushed harder. This man was so adorable and didn't even know it.
Grant hugged him. "Thank you Shawn. You seriously brightened up my day." Grant said. Shawn hugged him back.
"Glad I could help." He said. The two fell asleep cuddling. Grants last thought before falling asleep was, 'guess I'm gay now.'
So for the Aus we've got numbers 4, 6, and 8 left.
