𝕝𝕠𝕤𝕥 𝕒𝕟𝕘𝕖𝕝

匚卄丹ㄗ匕モ尺 匕山口

"i still don't understand why we have to work when you already do a bunch of different jobs!" ryuu complains loudly, pouting at his spot on the couch as koto goes about making breakfast for them all. the dark haired teen stops in his movement, turning a dark, tired glare on the redhead, which has him shrieking and hiding on the floor so koto couldn't see him.

damien snorts as he walks into the room and sees the taller subclass hiding from the human boy, but doesn't comment and patiently waits for koto to give them food.

hoshi, who had witnessed the whole thing, moves over and slaps the other redhead on the back of the head, eliciting a whine from the boy.

"we all have to pitch in one way or another! you're lucky koto even allows you to stay after all the trouble you two constantly give him! now, stop complaining and go to work once we've finished eating!" she exclaims, crossing her arms. moments after her little outburst, koto places plates down for the four of them, and she was beaming as she hopped over to one of the chairs to eat.

"don't be so loud, it's too early for that," he grumbles, hair still in a mess from his night of rough sleep. well, even when he didn't have a rough night, his hair was still a mess.

koto has eternal bedhead, it's something he's never been able to escape from.

damien used to make fun of him for it, but after a while of koto torturing him for being a piece of shit, he gave it a rest. when the human teen was mad, he definitely got mad.

"so, it's a thursday. where're you working today?" the russian subclass questions, taking a bite of his rice as he looks across from him. koto lets out a sigh, trying to work through his muddled brain and give an answer.

"the coffee shop, and then the book store. rush hour is such a bitch, they call in almost all of us during it."

his grumblings cause hoshi to giggle, but the small conversation comes to a close as they decide to finish eating before heading out.

after koto finished his morning routine and ryuu had done the dishes per his punishment, the group of four made to leave the building. on their way out, the landlord gave them a wave and small smile, but turned back to his work before ryuu could loudly greet him back.

damien laughs at the now-pouting boy, only to earn a punch to the arm that has him scowling and making to lunge. fortunately, though, koto gets in between the two of them and glares darkly, making them calm down and move to different sides of the sidewalk.

hoshi, once coming to the conclusion that nobody was around to see her, changed into a red owl with a puff of smoke, landing on koto's shoulder and then moving to rest in his bag. the teenager glances around once more to check if anyone was around to witness her do so, but relaxes slightly once not seeing anyone.

they eventually reach the place ryuu had gotten a part-time job at, it being a skateboarding shop. the redheaded subclass skated as a hobby sometimes, and he was quite good at it, so he was glad to have gotten a job there. they dropped him off, his mood having become more chipper once they reached the shop, and damien tauntingly sticks his tongue out at the other subclass as they trio walk off.

damien was soon dropped off at the ice skating rink he worked at. he had only started working there the month beforehand, having taken a new interest in the sport, so he'd searched for places that related to his current interests. apparently, before he became a subclass, his mother had been an ice skater back in russia.

the duo arrived at the coffee shop around ten minutes later, koto having complained slightly about the long walk; but then again, he always tended to do that.

the boy was too cheap to try and get train passes.

setting his bag down in the break room, the teenage boy lets out a sigh as he turns to the owl in his bag.

"you know the drill, hoshi. no getting into trouble, got it?"

the red owl salutes comically, giggling at his deadpan stare before the boy walks off to go get started with work. his boss quickly told him that he'd be on cleaning duty for the day, and though he wasn't particularly pleased about it, he didn't care to try and protest. his boss knew he worked instead of went to school, so they didn't expect him to put up any fight when it came to working however he was told to do.

hoshi, meanwhile, decided to take a nap for the first hour of koto working. he only worked the first couple of hours of the later morning before he had an hours break in between the coffee shop and the book store.

some days were busier for the seventeen-year-old, and some weren't, but he tried to earn as much money as he could. working all these jobs helped him save up for his siblings so they could live good lives when they were older. they helped pay for medical bills his grandparents couldn't afford, or just bills in general. koto may not seem like he cares much for his family, but he tries to make up for his guilt over not seeing them by paying for whatever they need however he can.

his grandparents know that he feels incredibly guilty for not spending time with his family. but they also know that being around them brings back too many painful memories for the broken teenager.

"saito! i need you at the front for a few!"

the call of his name brings the boy out of his cleaning haze, head lazily snapping up to see the older man poking his head into the back room. nodding in acknowledgement, koto puts the broom he'd been currently using back in its designated spot before following the manager out.

koto had worked in the front on multiple occasions, so he knew what to do at this point. he set himself up where the other part-timer had just left, already on their break for the time being, and waited for someone to come up and order.

the teen didn't have to wait that long, though, because not that long after he took up his spot, someone approached him.

"hello, how can i help you?" he questions, looking right past their head to make it seem like he was making eye contact when he really wasn't.

"i would like some coffee and warm milk, please," the man replies, koto noticing that he was smiling politely. he doesn't bother returning the expression, nodding and putting the order in before calling it into the back.

"that'll be xxx yen, sir," he states monotonously, taking the receipt and handing it to the man.

"of course." the man fumbles around in his pockets for a few moments before producing a card, and koto watches him pay with it before the man smiles at him once again.

"have a nice day," the teen says, practically on autopilot from having worked at multiple places like this, but the man doesn't seem to realize that he was just going through the motions and smiles brightly at him.

"you, too, young man! i hope your day is filled with nothing but sweet happiness!"

koto raises an eyebrow, actually making eye contact with the man now before deciding to look him over. the man had almost shoulder-length blond hair and startlingly prominent red eyes, which made koto tense up. he had only ever met three people in his life with eyes that color, and it immediately made him wary of the guy in front of him who was just ordering some coffee.

"uh, thanks..." koto mumbles, and the man smiles at him once more before walking off. this leaves the teen sighing in relief at him leaving, before he regains himself and decides to just not worry about the possible vampire.

'there's no point worrying about this. i've never seen the guy here before, so he's not a regular, and it's unlikely he'll ever come back. besides, maybe he has colored contacts in or his eyes are just weird. it's possible! i can't believe my own brain is judging me, my god...'

eventually, koto's shift ended at the coffee shop, and he and hoshi ended up at the book store on time for his shift there. it was a slow couple of hours, but the two were glad for it being uneventful after koto had informed the vampire about the other possible vampire that he'd encountered at the shop.

and the two of them were sincerely hoping — despite the fact that their prayers would most likely be unanswered and end with them getting smacked in the face by reality — that nothing would come of the situation involving vampires other than their own. 

it was too troublesome to worry about.