Smoke Break

One Smoking Red

"Thank you. Have a w-wonderful day!"

Flaky handed the customer his change, a shy smile on her face as the customer returned the smile before they left the store. She then saw that person also happened to be the last customer of the lunch rush and let out a relieved sigh. Happy Tree Town's one and only convenience store had been jammed back with customers going in and out for nearly two hours, either grabbing lunch or a snack to get them through the rest of their days. Flaky had been working double time on two registers to keep up with the lunch crowd, while another employee worked away on the third one. It was crazy, just a few minutes ago there was a line of customers that stretched to one of the back aisles, and now here's nobody and nothing. Completely empty.

Time for a break, don't you think?

She muttered to her co-worker that she was going outside for a quick break, who just gave a nod without a word, before leaving the store. She walked around to the back of the gas station/store to where the employees went on their breaks and found someone else had the same idea as her. The timid girl walked over to her co-worker and smiled warmly.

"Hey, L-Lifty!"

Lifty was another employee. The man mainly worked with the store's money. Making sure the store had enough change to get through a busy day. Or going to the bank to cash in the drops in exchange for smaller bills. But every now and then, small bills would go missing or the total money count would be off by a few dollars. When questioned, Lifty would simply shrug and just say he has no clue what's going on. This problem doesn't happen often and when it did it was only a couple dollars so the manager didn't really give a shit. The green-haired man was leaning against the store's wall as he peered down at his phone. He heard the redhead's voice and looked up, giving her an expressionless nod.

"Red. How goes it?"

Flaky sat down on the milk crate they used for a seat and smiled up at him as she answered, "Just got done with an h-huge rush. I thought it would never end."

Lifty's indifferent expression didn't change as he pocketed his phone, "Yea, being the only gas station in a dump of town like this tends to make it pretty popular."

Lifty pulled out something interesting out of his uniform's pocket and Flaky glanced up to see what it was. It was a pack of cigarettes. Vanilla cigarettes to be more exact, they were the green-haired man's favorite. She watched him put it between his teeth as he rummaged around in his pocket for something else. He quickly found what he was looking for, pulling out a small silver lighter. He flicked it on and lit the cigarette. He took a deep inhale of the vanilla-scented smoke before exhaling and letting out a puff of smoke.

Flaky watched the man with a keen eye. She always knew Lifty was a smoker. Ever since they first started working together a few years back, he always had a cigarette every time he took a break. When she questioned him about his rather unhealthy habit, he just shrugged and said he did it cause it helped him deal with stress. Flaky was stressed even more than usual now and she was wondering if maybe Lifty was right. Would smoking actually help? Would the timid redhead even like it? Only one way to find out.

"Can I try?"

Lifty looked down at the girl, cigarette in the corner of his mouth as he frowned, "Try what?"

"A c-cigarette."

"Now that's something I thought I'd never hear someone like you say," Lifty flashed a grin as he pulled the lit cig out of his mouth, "Never really took you for a smoker, Red. You seem too cutesy, ya know?"

"Well you s-said it helps with stress. And I'm stressed," Flaky pouted slightly, a tad annoyed at being called cute, "So. . .please?"

Lifty let out a chuckle, before rummaging through his pockets again to find his light and pack of cigs. He pulled them out, grabbing one cigarette out of the box and held it out for the girl. Before Flaky could take it from him, Lifty pulled away, another sly grin on his face. She stared at him, a frown tugging at her lips again.

"Hey! Y-You said you'd give me one."

"Relax, Red. I'm only playin'," Lifty grinned as he sat down beside her on the concrete. "But let me help you out."

Lifty moved the cigarette towards Flaky's mouth, which she opened without even having to be told to, and then when the cigarette was close enough she closed her lips and trapped it between them. As Lifty pulled his hand away, the green-haired employee brushed her lips softly with his fingertips, making the redhead blush slightly from his touch. He acted like it didn't even happen as he flicked the lighter on and held it close to the cigarette until it was lit. Smoke curled out from the tip as it glowed red like a fire. Flaky held it between her fingers like she had seen Lifty do and looked at him with a questioning glance.

"Now what?"

"Now," Lifty smiled as he took a quick inhale from his own cigarette, "Now we smoke. Just don't breath in too quick or long, you might end up coughing a lung out."

Flaky didn't seem to get he was only joking about the lung part and turned a bit pale. The green-haired man let out a laugh as he said that was a joke. She wasn't in any danger of coughing up any vital organs. She put the cigarette back in her mouth and took a bigger inhale that she meant to. She felt the vanilla-flavored smoke flood her mouth and she nearly choked on it. Reacting more than she probably should have been, Flaky turned red and coughed hard as Lifty could only laugh. He stopped laughing after a little while and started to rub her back soothingly, muttering to her as she put her head down to the ground and shut her eyes.

"Hey, you alright, Flakes? The first smoke tends to be the worst. It gets better after a few more puffs."

"N-no more," Flaky groaned, coughing slightly, "No more p-puffing."

Lifty continued to rub her back as he smiled, "Now, don't quit just yet. Give it another go. It gets better, I swear."

Flaky picked her head up from between her legs and sighed, "Okay, i-if you say so."

Flaky happened to drop her cigarette during her cough fit and found it beside her, unharmed from her fit. She picked it up, checking to make sure it was all gross from the ground before putting it back between her lips. It took a few more tries, but each time she inhaled she coughed less and less and was able to enjoy it. She let out a puff of smoke, she turned and gave Lifty a smile.

"You were r-right. This does help."

Lifty smiled, taking a puff from his cigarette and giving her a wink.

"Of course I was. Would I ever lie to you, Flaky?"

Lifty and Flaky sat there in silence for a few more minutes. They would have to go back to work soon, but at least now the two workers had something to look forward to during their dreary workday.

Vanilla cigarettes and each other.