Night Owls - Candybats

Chapter One

Kevin awoke groggily, wiping his eyes and yawning as he slowly started to arise. He wasn't excited to face the day in the slightest but at least it wasn't Halloween, yet. He had about a year until the spookiest day of the spookiest month as it was mid-November, this was the only breath of fresh air he seemed to get as so far nothing seemed to happen in November except Thanksgiving and neighbors setting up for Christmas early. Kevin personally didn't care for either of those events as he usually worked through it and had no motivation or anyone to help him anyway. With a sigh Kevin erased those thoughts from his mind and checked the time. It was a few hours until he had to go into work and once again survive the night shift.

Even though it would be a while till he had to clock in, Kevin still made the effort to get dressed and ready to go. He stepped out of his pajamas and into his uniform which he felt was unflattering and tacky, it just wasn't his style. He wouldn't ever think about outwardly complaining about it though, especially to his sweet toothed boss. Afterall, he needed this job even though he hated it with every fiber of his being. Eventually the time came for Kevin to start heading to the Candy Club, his least favorite part of the day.

Kevin pulled up to his work, watching as a coworker was just leaving. The person just getting off their shift was Rick. Kevin exited his car and greeted his fellow worker with a forced smile, "Hey Rick, was it busy tonight?"

Rick looked up from his phone at the shorter male with an expressionless face, "No." was all he said in his usual monotone voice.

"Ha.. well, I guess it usually isn't." replied Kevin. The two would pass each other but right before Kevin pulled the doors open, Rick spoke out. "Oh yeah, you need to mop the floors, I didn't want to do it."

Kevin looked back at his coworker, only responding with an annoyed grin. He would then make his way in, going to the back to clock in before picking up the mop to clean the main floor. As much as Kevin slightly enjoyed having someone to do the morning half of the job, he hated being stuck with the work Rick was too bothered to do. Usually, they were tedious tasks like restocking or cleaning, and while Kevin could have done these tasks at the end of his shift, due to the low income of customers he decided to get it over with right when he walked in.

The overworked candy store employee would continue with his task, mopping the floors that could have just used a simple sweeping instead. He'd sigh and grumble, but he'd get it done, once finished Kevin would walk again to the back of the store to fetch a wet floor sign. While doing so he would hear a yelp and a thud causing him to perk up. With sign in hand, he'd check on what made the noise. Kevin would observe a shorter man who seemed to have slipped and fell to the wet floor. The first thing that ran through Kevin's mind was worry and one word, "lawsuit". Kevin would immediately make his way over and offer a hand to the other.

"Oh, I'm so sorry sir! I should have laid a sign down sooner, are you alright?" Kevin asked, helping the man to his feet. It took him a second to realize he recognized the man who was a regular, one of the few. The man would let out a chuckle and dust himself off, "Heh, I'm fine. You don't have to apologize, I should have been more observant." The oddly dressed individual gave Kevin a toothy smile that was coated in friendliness. Kevin internally gave a sigh of relief and placed the sign down.

Kevin took his place behind the counter before asking, "Is there anything I can do for you Mr. Streber?" The delicacy of the question caught Streber's attention. "Yeah, I have a question for you actually." Kevin perked at those words and gave a wondering expression.

"You never wear a nametag, so I don't know your name, what is it?"

"My name? It's Kevin, sorry for never telling you I guess" Kevin rubbed the back of his neck, a little embarrassed at his rudeness. He's known Streber for a few months now yet never told him his own name, he slightly wondered why he never asked for it until now.

"Well Mr. Kevin," Streber said slightly teasingly, "have anything new?"

"Not really." replied Kevin, "Same as usual." He felt a little confused by the question, if he was so regular, wouldn't he know if the Candy Club had a new selection? It would have been advertised too.

"You sure? Cause.. haha, sorry, I'm getting a little nervous." Streber said, getting a little flushed. "Ahem.. you sure? Cause I think I'm looking at something sweet right now."

Kevin was a little taken aback at the sudden flirt, he put a hand to his own face, trying to cover the pink that dared to show on his cheeks, "Where is this coming from?"

Streber giggled and leaned onto the counter, "I've tried to build the courage for a while, but what I'm trying to say is that I'd like your number."

Kevin gave it thought for a minute. Streber seemed nice enough, he certainly wasn't ugly, quite the opposite actually. It just seemed a little weird, he never expected to be the clerk that got asked out by a customer. Kevin hadn't dated in a year or two, just wasn't too interested in the idea but maybe it was time to put himself back out there.

"Sure," replied Kevin, "Let me just get something to write on." Streber beamed, seeming excited and relieved that his attempt actually worked. This was a new step for the both of them and a welcome one at that. Kevin handed a slip of paper to the other with a genuine smile. "Here it is, just don't go blowing up my phone or anything."

Streber gently took the slip and put it in his pocket, "I won't, I promise! Now, let's talk about me buying some actual candy now."