【𝐇𝐎𝐍𝐎𝐑】

“well he deserved it, nasty little shit. coming in here and demanding the freshest pair of skates. well karma’s a bitch little boy.” she smirked as she thought about how she was the karma. unfortunately jesse was always always oblivious to nova’s attempts to give bad people what they deserved. she’d tried to siphon the boy awhile back but was disappointed to find that he was in fact, lacking magic. 

“so what’re you doing tonight, or are you working a double?”

“ ouch, really holdin’ on tight to that grudge, huh ? well, still kinda sounds like the kid deserved it... still can’t believe he snapped ‘em. that’s true talent right there. “ jesse joked, eyes flickering back towards the kid, but soon enough he was turning back to his friend, forgettin’ all about the little twerp. 

“ well, if they need me i might pull one, but might just head home. why, you wantin’ to hang out or somethin’ ? “

“wow, well, i must be pretty damn good looking if you’re offering to come in on your day off.” cal scoffed out a laugh, tucking his pencil securely behind his ear. you could guarantee there was never one around when you needed it. jesse was a great guy, from what he could tell. worked hard, was nice to customers, gave the place a great reputation. 

“only if you tell me who you’re avoiding. gotta know who to lie to if they come in.” he pointed out with a light smirk lifting the corners of his lips. “nah, it’s over there, next to the size elevens.” he gestured with his head and opened up the duffel bag, making a start on one set of laces. he’d taken them home but he couldn’t find the right spell to help without making it worse and he’d passed out before he coudld make headway with it.

“ maybe i just came in for the free food and slushies, don’t give yourself that much credit, man. “ jesse choked out a snort, not bothering to change into his work shirt as he jumped behind the bar. if there was anyone he’d ever come in on his day off for, it’d be cal. that man worked himself raw and jesse hated to see him so worn down on the late shifts. 

“ well, same person i avoid during every holiday. “ he sighed, already making his way over there. “ azura’s back in town for the holiday’s again, and this time she’s staying at my place. it just feels so awkward there, i had to get out. “ fingers scratching at the back of his neck, he plopped down on a crate and picked out a knot of laces, starting on them.

“if i could lock myself away in the damn office all day, i would. but hey, who else would be here offering service with a smile and findin’ skates for our lovely patrons?” cal smirked, voice dropping with sarcasm. he stretched his arms above his head a moment, dragging a hand over his face as if it were capable of wiping away the stress. not that it was a likely ability, he hadn’t managed it in all these years and today wasn’t the day he thought it would start.

“you’re comin’ into work optionally? on your day off? i don’t want to be the one to say you need to get a social life since that’d be hypocritical but… yeah. worry less about work.” he stood, setting down a duffel bag. “could do with a hand untangling laces, if you’re up for it. can pay you for the extra hours.”

“ yeah, that’s definitely the face i wanna see. “ jesse laughed--- in all honesty, he was a good looking man, but he wasn’t exactly the peppy and cheery type. they had the staff for that. but jesse felt for the man, he had a lot on his plate, and he looked stressed half to death every time he ‘em. he couldn’t help but wanna help. 

“ actually, i’m kinda avoiding someone... figured why waste time when i could have some money and a solid alibi ? “ part of it was a joke, most of it held truth. jesse wasn’t the type to lie, but he managed to turn every bad or odd situation into a bright solution. “ not my first pick, but why not ? long as nova hasn’t stolen my stool. “

he could hear the smile so he dared to brave a look up from his hand, looking at jesse through one open eye that peeked from the edge of his palm. “stressed is what people say when they’re busy and can’t find time for things. this is more pissed off and tired than stressed.” he just sighed and dropped his hand. “you’re not on the schedule for tonight, are you?” he asked, doubting for a moment whether or not he’d scheduled things properly or not. “vending machines aint getting restocked till tuesday cause the delivery guys are pricks. but hey, what’s new.”

jesse gazed upon his boss, he could see the years aged upon him, the weight of his own world heavy upon his shoulders. it was a tough burden to bear, but cal pulled through it better than most he’d seen --- liquor was the least of his problems. “ figured you’d be locked away in your office by now... “ he furrowed his brows, a soft chuckle on his lips.

“ you had me off today, but i thought i might come in to lend a hand, if you needed it. could always use the extra hours. “

“oh. i hope they didn’t put nova by herself again. didn’t you tell me she nearly burned the place down in anger once?” what about you? she could never say that the plan was to avoid him because even looking at him hurt. she knew she did this to herself. she didn’t have to come back. but she worried about the amount of time he’d probably spend alone otherwise. besides, he was the one who got to stay here in the comfort of his own home when she inevitably left again.

“i didn’t really have a solid plan for the day. maybe a little studying for my classes that continue into next semester, but that was all i had. why, did you want to… do something?”

“ i don’t think they’ll ever put that girl alone on a shift again. she’s great, but one hell of a temper. “ jesse chuckled, trying his best to ease back into old times. all those months scattered apart, the rare appearance around the holidays. but azura still felt like a ghost. he couldn’t tell if she was really back--- hell, he knew she’d be gone again in another few weeks, but he’s clinging to those few moments of normal.

“ oh, uh, “ jesse was taken back by her sudden jump, but... not disappointed. in the slightest. “ actually --- y’know they’ve... they fixed up the diner a bit since last year. would ya wanna go eat ? “

nova didn’t even bother to look up from her magazine. “did you wish death upon a student again? i warned you, one day someone’s going to hear you and grant that shit. maybe it was satan.”

in reality, the kid had informed nova that the pair of skates she’d given him to use didn’t look new enough for his liking and that he wanted a different pair. three pairs later, nova had taken matters into her own hands… literally. she’d spelled a nearly broken pair of skates to look fresh and had given them to the obnoxious boy. the skate had actually lasted a solid twenty minutes longer than she’d thought it would.

“did the kid bust his ass at least?” she snorted, dropping the first pair of skates she’d tried to give the nuisance onto the counter as a replacement. maybe she’d get lucky and the ignoramus would just leave instead of wasting their time. and by their time, she meant jesse’s.

“ not recently, no. “ jesse rolled his eyes, plopping the torn skates on the counter as his co-worker continued on, unbothered. “ i don’t think satan’s messin’ around with some pre-teens. probably just went a bit rough on ‘em. didn’t give the skates time to break in. “ he grabbed for an answer, something to explain it, when all along the solution was right in front of him. 

jesse continued oblivious to the girl’s deceptive deeds, as well as the history to the incident, but he stayed in his beliefs that the kid was odd in the least. now, the probability of a pair of perfectly knew skates just falling apart under the weight of a 90 pound kid ? he’d rather not ask.

watchin’ his own throw arc brings him back to simpler times. before graduation. before illness. before this glitch. and it makes teejay wonder if this all might be some kinda cruel joke, y’know ?  if maybe the god he’s prayin’ to every night just likes to kick around souls ‘n watch ‘em bleed. ‘cause between the two of ‘em, they’ve got enough broken dreams on this damned field to sink a second houdini.

“ oof. ”  teejay places a hand over his heart ‘n staggers back like he’s been shot. “ careful what y’say to the next marvel guy. you got no clue what kinda mess that could get y’into. ”  he laughs. tries to. as a chuckle kicks his lungs, they feel more like deflatin’ balloons.

“ bet az’d eat that up. gee, torres. you should’ve been on the swim team. ” 

this town had seen a lot, more than most others could say, but the people in this town were stronger than any he’d ever known. jesse like’s to say he stayed in letum to mourn his mom, take over the property and their assets, but in all truth he couldn’t walk away from this place. cursed or not, it was home. to him. to his mom. 

“ hey, best friends don’t lie to each other. would’ve violated brocode lettin’ you think you’re as cool as clark kent. “ maybe it’s a push, but jesse struggles to cling to better times. before everything went wrong. 

of course, of course his suggestions would be the two things she was trying to avoid – his clothes and him in general. she was sure he wasn’t doing it on purpose but why did he have to make it so difficult? she couldn’t help but grin and secretly curse his cuteness as he hit his chest.

“fine, i’m going to grab a sweatshirt.” she slid her feet all the way to the closet, pulling out a sweatshirt from high school and holding her breath as she pulled it on. by the time she got back to the kitchen, he was already holding his coffee. she walked over and took it right out of his hands. “oh, thanks,” she hummed, walking away with it.

bare feet felt the cool touch of the kitchen floor as he made his way further, fixing his coffee like routine. he pretended not to notice the smile ; he wasn’t sure what they were anymore, and pushing it wasn’t the best idea. so, he took what he could get.

echoes of her footsteps waved through the house, and before they could come to an end, she had already returned and was slinking away with his mug. his high school football hoodie hung big on her, and he couldn’t help but watched as she walked away. yet another smile fell upon his lips, hands already moving to make a second cup. 

for a second, it felt like old times. 

making his way into the living room, hands curled around a fresh, warm mug, he plopped onto the couch. “ my shift got switched around, so uh... i’m free for the day. “ jesse started. he wasn’t sure how to word it, or how to get it out. “ uh, what about you ? “

( froy gutierrez, human, he/him & cismale ) is that ( simple man ) by ( lynyrd skynyrd ) playing? ( JESSE TORRES ) must be nearby! heard folks say the ( twenty one ) year old ( instructor at letum skate ) was not at the letum falls thanksgiving fair because ( his shift ran late ). as a result, they weren’t present during the glitch but ( his best friend got turned into a werebear )