He Came to Get Me - Bruiseshipping AU

Screw It

"Hey, Rumi!" Cole waved happily as he bounced into the store and headed for the center round counter in the middle.

The white haired girl behind the shelf of books raised her head and noticed Cole walking past her with a smile on his face. Harumi grinned at this and put the book she was currently holding away, following Cole to the counter.

"You sure are in a good mood. Might I ask whatever for?"

In fact, Cole was feeling great today considering the fact that he would be let off early from work to visit Jay in art class. He hadn't sleep well that night, however, as he couldn't stop thinking about his sketchbook and the slightest possibility that Jay could have it. If he had been any smarter, he probably would have marched right up to Jay's door, middle of the night, and demand that he hand it over. After all, Jay did lie quite often... he just felt like this was one of those times he wouldn't lie to his face.

But, he had forgotten about his missing sketchbook the second he woke up. He hadn't even considered the thought of sliding it into his bag before he left for work... he just wanted nothing to go wrong and for today to be a perfect, fun, day.

"Tell me, Rumi," Cole started, leaning against the counter, "What could be better than leaving work early?"

In response, his boss scoffed and spun back around sharply. "Guess you don't like hanging out with me, huh?"

"Mm," Cole nodded wisely, typing away at the keyboard, "Smart move there, smart move, Rumi."

"I just want to make sure all my employees feel like they have a friend in me. And in fact, you, Cole, are one of my closest friends."

"Aren't I like, one of your only friends?" Cole rolled his eyes.

"Hardly," she scoffed, "Children love when I read to them, Cole."

"Bet you they love me more," he smirked, scrolling through the store's webpage.

Rumi wrinkled her nose. "You're right. How can anyone resist a man like you?"

At those words, Cole closed his eyes and soon readied himself for what was to come.

"Oh, wait a sec... Jay Walker, yeah, that's who. Gosh, if only he'd notice how perfect you are for him."

Cole finally released a sigh, lowering his head into the flat surface, grimacing up at Harumi. Boy, did she love to joke around with Cole about his crush on Jay, and boy, did she love to constantly point out how blind Jay was. She was fairly certain that Cole was making his crush on Jay very clear - even Nya wasn't surprised when Cole told her.

"Really just stinks, doesn't it?" Rumi snapped her fingers and shook her head sadly. "Maybe he'll see something different when you show up to his art class today."

Cole tilted his head to the side. "He's just Jay being Jay."

"Hey, if you want something fun to do to pass the time, visit Arcadia Games, the website," Rumi added to lighten the mood just as the new intern snuck up behind her.

"Hello."

Startled, Rumi's shoulders inched forward and she turned around slowly, meeting the eyes of her new intern.

Harumi ran a hand through her soft, white hair while Cole chuckled softly to himself. "Hello! Very sorry, didn't hear you coming up behind me, Pixal."

"That is alright. I am ready for my first day as an intern!"

The manager smiled warmly at the intern's positive attitude. She stepped to the side and presented Cole to her. "Well, Pixal, this is Cole. He'll be giving you a brief tour of the store and then maybe you can set to work helping him out!" She looked to Cole. "Why don't you start with how we organize the books?" As she spoke, her eyes drifted around the store interior and she spotted Skylor from across the room.