//countryhuman stories\\

HkPip (college students au) 1

Having to work several minimum wage jobs a day sucked, but this four-hour slot at the local library on Tuesdays and Thursdays made it all worth it.

Philippines sighed gently, resting his elbow on the smooth wooden tabletop and cupping his chin. It was a quiet day at the library, as usual. This job as a part-time librarian was a nice break from his other fast-paced and stressful jobs. Too bad it didn't pay as well as a few of the other workplaces. He would've liked to work here full time, just to get to see Hong Kong on a more regular basis.

They had been friends in high school but drifted away in college, maybe due to the gap in their social statuses. Hong Kong came from a rich family and was very beautiful, while Pip was just... Pip. They probably only became friends in the first place because Pip seemed to be the only one who could see past her cold and aloof exterior. She seemed to enjoy being around him.

However, they only ended up being good acquaintances in the end. Pip wished he would've been able to do something for her-- something to impress her, or maybe buy an amazing gift for her. But he knew that he'd probably make a fool of himself if he'd tried to impress her, and he knew whatever he bought for her, she'd be able to buy something way better. He was just useless to her, like a little puppet following her around.

At least now she was among people who were more like her -- students aspiring to become lawyers or doctors or business owners, all backed by their wealthy families. Hong Kong deserved someone just as amazing as her, if not more.

Pip just couldn't give her that.

He rubbed his face and sighed. He was still exhausted from last night's overtime work. Even though he worked multiple part time jobs, Pip was just barely keeping afloat, paying tuition and rent and bills and the fucking textbooks. He didn't like eating fast food, but he didn't really have a choice. Between $50 of good groceries to make a good home-cooked meal and a sad, floppy $2 burger, he could only get the flattened burger if he wanted to eat the rest of the week.

But hey, that was college life, right?

The silver lining was that every Tuesday and Thursday, Pip got to see Hong Kong study at the library. She usually had some big book open in front of her, with a bottle of water, notebook, and pencils to the side. Sometimes she just worked on her laptop, typing intensely.

He loved being able to see her, or even talk with her when she was checking out books, even if it was for only a few seconds. He took what he could get.

"Hey Pip."

Hong Kong came up to the counter, her hair done up neatly as usual. Today she was wearing a black tank top to beat off the summer weather, the dragon tattoo riding across her collarbone down the sleeve of her arm almost fully exposed. It was just one of those things that made her look and seem even more badass, going against her father (who was very against tattoos) and the whole 'rich kid pristine body-is-a-temple' kind of look. The ink on her skin must have cost more than five textbooks worth of cash. "How are you doing today?" she offered him a soft, generous smile.

Pip's brain short-circuited for a few seconds as he scrambled for an answer, forcing out a measly "good" before he sat up a little straighter and cleared his throat. "Good. How-- how're you? Do you need any help with-- with, finding books... or checking out...?"

He was a part-time librarian after all. When he wasn't pining after a girl 50,000 miles out of his league, Pip was restocking shelves and inadvertently memorizing where every book was located, or at least the general area.

"Do you have anything to do after your shift, or do you work overtime today?" She asked as she placed a heavy book down gently on the counter for Pip to scan and return.