Bad Habits - (Shouto x OC)

It Was A Good Joke. A Great One Even

A/N: top pic credit: CactusNabe

Lani POV:

My best friend's hyena laughter echoed through the quaint cafe, spooking the few guests inside.

I glared at her in annoyance as she continued to cackle up tears, resting my chin atop the countertops with a huff.

"Yeah, yeah, it's very funny. Are you done now-"

My question only caused Kai to laugh harder, repeatedly hitting her hand on the glass I just finished cleaning for the third time.

"Wait, wait, wait. Lemme get this straight—you showed your boss—bosses—the porn story you were writing?!" She wheezed obnoxiously, causing the old woman at table five to almost choke on her cheeseburger.

Let's just tell the whole world at this point.

I grabbed the glass cleaner and a rag, wiping Kai's fingerprints in between each one of her table slaps. "How many times are you gonna repeat it?"

Finally calming down, she wiped the tears from her eyes, giving her head a shake as she leaned back against the cashier counter.

"Until it stops being funny—and we haven't reached that point yet. Was it the one with the maid and her boss?"

"Nah. The princess and her bodyguard." I corrected casually, causing Kai's jaw to drop even wider.

"Ohhh, shit!!" She broke out into stronger laughter, hunching over and grabbing her stomach.

"Well, Yuna didn't find it as amusing as you. I'm getting fired tomorrow." I explained, making my best friend quiet down now.

"Fucking Yuna." She crossed her arms with a scoff. "The only thing bigger than that stick up her ass is her damn entitlement. Heh, remember when you first interned and she was just an assistant?"

I snorted at the memories, recounting the good ol' days when that bitch was nothing more than a coffee girl herself. "If only I could go back to that time."

Kai hummed in agreement, sighing tiredly when a customer came up to the counter asking for extra mayo.

Yeah, this job at the cafe is pretty boring. But, it pays the bills. Plus, Kai and I get to work together and talk shit all night.

"Why is she waiting 'till tomorrow to fire you?" She asked, flashing the customer a fake smile as she handed him the little mayo cup.

"For her sheer entertainment. She said I needed to find a hero client by tomorrow morning in order to participate in Hero Season." I said, glancing at the eccentric wall clock of the cafe with a groan. "It's already 8 o'clock at night, and I don't get off work until 11. I've already resigned myself to the fact that it's impossible."

Kai shook her head in full judgement for the typical antics of the Hero Commission and Yuna.

"Bitch." She mumbled, crossing her arms and leaning back against the counter.

I let out a mock gasp for her insult, fiddling with the head of the Mirko figurine on the glass. "Careful. She was your boss, too, once."

"Yeah, but then I got promoted to a junior writer, baby." She winked, causing me to chuckle. "I'm only staying at this cafe job so you and I can talk shit every night. You know I don't need the money."

Being two years older than me, Kai's already made her way out of the stinky intern phase. She's been a hero commission publisher for about a year, though the HPSC isn't known to treat their newer writers much better than their interns.