boredom

Chapter One, Humble beginnings

Aspyn sat at the old creaky desk that was once their father's. They had inherited the pizzeria, like a family heirloom. He wanted the business to stay in good hands, and he trusted his children. Aspyn was in charge of paperwork, just like their father. Ander, Aspyn's twin brother, didn't have a full time job at the pizzeria.

Ander had opened up a sister location, a place by the name of "Buddy's barnyard". It was like a spin off in the form of a restaurant. So Ander was in charge of the secondary franchise while Aspyn had a hold of the primary one.

Aspyn stood up, dusting themselves off. It was their first week in charge so they were still getting used to it. Even though they had grown up at the pizzeria, going whenever their dad was at work, it was still new to them. The checkered flooring they had crawled, walked, ran across when they were oh so young, was new to them. The tables they had explored under with Ander were new. The hallways they had decorated with their old drawings were new.
Yet none of it was actually new. It was still the same flooring, tables, hallways, they had grown up with. Aspyn was just seeing it in a new light, a new perspective, a new set of eyes.

They were no longer one of the many children that visited the pizzeria, no longer young. They were in charge, they had grown up here and now they needed to act grown up.

The dining room was empty, no longer bustling with the old customers they were used to. It was quiet, and calm. They let out a sigh and sat down at one of the tables. They looked around, soaking in their new reality. It was their duty to keep this place in check, they were the one who people were gonna rely on. They had to be like Daniel, strong, reliable, independent.

Their train of thought was derailed as the front door creaked open and footsteps grew closer. Aspyn looked up from the table, expecting to see someone. They did see someone. A young man, brown hair resting just beyond his shoulders. His eyes were a dark blue, like the deep depths of the ocean. He was shorter than Aspyn, with them being over 6ft+. His build was slim and his skin was tan. A bright pink streak ran through his shoulder length hair, clashing with the dark brown. He had deep red glasses, which curved perfectly to fit the bridge of his nose.

"Hello! You're Mr. Hall, right? Or Mrs. Hall? Whichever you prefer" The man spoke, his voice sounding familiar. But Aspyn couldn't remember where he had heard him before, so they brushed it off as a coincidence.

"Mr. Hall was my father, no need to be formal. My name's Aspyn" Aspyn responded to the man standing in front of him.

"Oh, alright. Nice to meet you, Aspyn" He greeted them.

"Nice to meet finally meet you as well,"

The two of them had been talking over the phone as Aspyn gained ownership. They had planned to become business partners, like Daniel and... Aspyn didn't remember who their dad's business partner were. The man Daniel had owned the franchise with had left before they could even develop memories. Their dad became the owner after the other man had left, and they never asked who it was because they didn't really care, nor do they care now.

The man's name was Conner. Conner J. Luis. Conner was now Aspyn's business partner, nothing more, nothing less.
The two of them sat down at one of the tables. The chairs creaked with old age, dipping as the two sat. Aspyn made a mental note to probably get new chairs or at least get them repaired.

"Soooo.." Conner said, filling the silence. He didn't have anything to say though.

The silence quickly grew between them. The tension was thick, you could probably cut it with a knife. None of them knew what to say. There was nothing to say. Everything was sort out, the paperwork, the ownership, almost everything. All except repairs of the old roof and everything else old.

They just sat there in silence as the clock ticked away, minutes passed. It felt like hours.

A few words from Aspyn soon broke the thick blanket of tension that had wrapped the two. Soon they were engaging in deep conversation, with Aspyn telling Conner their memories of the pizzeria and Conner telling Aspyn about his own childhood. Conner said he was born in California and came all the way to Utah to visit his sick grandfather, then he needed a job before he moved back home in a few years. So that's how he found the pizzeria, while he was looking for short term jobs in the town.

Conner and Aspyn's conversation soon ended as the pizzeria doors swung open for the second time. A tall figure stood in front of the entrance. Daniel. His wings were pinned to his back, metaphorically. Dark feathers gently fell to the ground as his tail stood still, unmoving behind him.

He had come back to check on the place, even though it had only been a few days and Aspyn was still getting settled with all the paperwork and all the other luggage that came with owning a franchise. He was worried, it was hard for him. Passing down a business he had for so long to a new, younger one. Even if it was his own child, who was now an adult.

"Dad-" Aspyn was about to mutter a sentence, breaking their conversation with Conner short.

Daniel quickly wrapped Aspyn in a tight embrace, almost suffocating them as he squeezed. He smothered their cheeks with kisses like they were a toddler.
"DAD" Aspyn quickly shouted, pushing Daniel away.

"Sorry Sorry, I've just missed my little sun, you've grown so much y'know!" Daniel held onto Aspyn's shoulder.

"It's only been a few days, and I'm not a child anymore" Aspyn didn't mind their dad's love, but they didn't want to hugged and greeted like a toddler. They were much older now, being in their late 20s and much taller.

"A few days too many!" Daniel chuckled, his deep voice thundering. "And I don't mean to treat you like a tot, I just love you a lot"

Aspyn sighed, "I know you love me but you don't have to pinch my cheeks and smother me"

"Sorry again" Daniel muttered, his cheeks turning a dash of red from embarrassment.

"Uhm- excuse me-" Conner suddenly butted in, trying to get the two's attention.

"Oh, sorry Conner- Dad, meet Conner, he's gonna help with the business, but I know you probably know him.." Aspyn nervously chuckled, trying to break the awkward tension that had built up after their interaction with Daniel.

Daniel narrowed his eyes. He had a weird feeling about Conner, like something was off about the man. He didn't know why, so he pushed it aside in his mind. Conner put on a nervous smile, hoping Daniel wouldn't pummel him right there and then for any reason. Daniel seemingly intimidated the shorter man. Daniel reached out and grabbed Conner's hand unexpectedly. Conner let out a sigh of relief, happy that Daniel didn't seem to hate him.

"You seem like a nice young man, nice to finally meet you" Daniel said with a smile

"I-I-" Conner suddenly stuttered, a lump in his throat developing. He swallowed, trying to ease his nerves. "Nice to meet you too, Sir"

Daniel let go of Conner's hand. Conner grabbed his own hand, gently rubbing it as Daniel's grip had probably left a bruise. Daniel looked back at Aspyn, moving his attention fully. His smile turned warm and gentle, different from the intimidating and cold smile he gave Conner.

"So how's the business? Is the paperwork too hard? I can help, I don't want you to-" Daniel was quickly interrupted.

"Dad." Aspyn butted in. "I'm fine, I'm handling everything, I've got Conner here to help now"

"Right..sorry" Daniel muttered another empty apology. He wasn't likely to change, it wasn't a bad thing though. His worry and doubt just annoyed Aspyn. They were an adult now, they were in charge and doing good, even if they were just getting started and hadn't opened the pizzeria completely yet.

The two then talked for a while, Daniel giving advice and Aspyn reassuring their dad the pizzeria was in good hands. All while Conner stood there awkwardly, quietly listening. Every piece of advice from Daniel he overheard, he took a mental note. Otherwise he was on his own while they talked. Thoughts ran through his head, what was he supposed to do now? He managed to get Aspyn into his hands. Right where he wanted, after all these years. Patience was key. He didn't have a full plan though. Maybe he could slip a little something into their morning coffee, or one of those suits in the backroom...

He was quickly brought back to reality as Aspyn and Daniel finished talking. Daniel was already out the door and Aspyn was snapping their fingers in front of Conner's face. He put on a nervous smile, feigning innocence.

"Are you alright?" Aspyn asked, moving their hand back to their side.

"I'm fine, just..zoned out" Conner made up an excuse. Aspyn smiled in response, glad that Conner was okay.