Something is brewing between us and it's not coffee. | I.I AU

Fired up | Chapter 1

"You're fired, Paintbrush."

Well, it's not like they didn't expect that. They just didn't think it would be so soon.

As they walked across the bustling and crowded sidewalks of the city, they happened to pass by an empty Cafe. It looked to have 3-5 customers max.

Paintbrush could go for a coffee just about now and they weren't gonna walk 2 more miles just to wait for a few more hours. They entered the small cafe, getting the familiar whiff of coffee beans in the air as they did so. An average heighted man with white hair and blue and red eyes greeted them with a bow.

"Hi there! Welcome to our cafe. We don't get customers often anymore so it's great to see you!" He happily exclaimed.

'What a warm welcome.' Paintbrush thought to themself. They walked over to the counter, trying to ignore the slight glances of some customers.

"I'd have a black coffee. Just plain." They muttered under their breath but it was loud enough for the cashier to hear.

"Coming right up!" He then turned to the glass behind him where Paintbrush could see a man with gray hair and a few scars on his face preparing an order. "Hey, Knife! One order of black coffee!"

The man, named Knife, grunted and immediately started to working on Paintbrush's boring order. The cashier turned back to Paintbrush and smiled nervously.

"Don't mind him. He's just grumpy because we only get a few customers." He tried to reassure them. Not that they cared about his attitude anyway. All they were here for was a simple coffee that they hoped was worth it. "That'll be 5 dollars, errr... sir..?"

They just paid the amount and walked to a free seat. There's no use in trying to tell a cashier doing his job their actual gender.

As they waited, they pulled out their sketchbook. There they sat, doodling things to their heart's content. A few moments later though, the cashier approached them with their coffee and saw their doodles.

"Those are some great drawings! You look like you'd be great in latte art."

That made Paintbrush whip their head around so fast, they might've accidentally broken something in their neck.

"Latte art..? What makes you think that? This is just some hobby I picked up. But..." They thought about it for a bit. "I guess I could try something new. Just as long as it's artistic in some way."

"How about you work here and show us true art? Assuming you're not already employed that is.." The cashier suggested. Paintbrush was taken aback. They did just get fired from their previous job around 45 minutes ago and they needed to pay their apartment rent.

"I want a trial run." Paintbrush blurted out. They'd rather just lie instead and not risk their chance of being employed.

The cashier nodded and lead them to the kitchen. Knife noticed them and raised an eyebrow but didn't question any further. The cashier pointed towards a small counter top.

"I'll prepare a simple latte for you to start on! Knife here will teach you the basics." He cheered before backing away. Knife approached Paintbrush, giving the cashier a kind of side glare for making him do more work.

Knife instructed Paintbrush, giving them simple tips in a bored tone. He pointed out how the milk should be drawn and other latte things.

And with Paintbrush's previous experiences, they finally made a latte.

"Woah. That looks great! You're hired!" The cashier chirped out. Hired? That fast?

Paintbrush shook their head. "No, no, no. What about my resume? The papers I need to sign. The interviews??" They were clearly in disbelief. What kind of store just hires someone out of the blue?

The cashier just smiled. "I don't find that necessary! You can start tomorrow!" The cashier bolted to one of the employee rooms to come out with a uniform for them to wear. "I'll tell OJ we found a new worker. Knife, give the newbie a tour! By the way, you can call me Paper!"

Paintbrush just couldn't believe it anymore. But it's not like they had a choice anymore. So they nodded. "I'm Paintbrush. I guess I'll be working here now."

And with that, Paintbrush scored a new job at the same day they were fired.

What could go wrong?

_____

das crazy!!

hope you enjoyed the 1st chapter of SBBUINC??? (I don't know how to shorten the damn title lol)

sayonara

- kweku/cleaykk