#2nd draft

PROLOGUE:

“I don’t give a shit about baseball, dude, how the hell am I supposed to do this?"

Dave can practically hear his half-sister roll her eyes on the other end of the call. Dave is currently sitting outside the office for Seattle News. He’s wearing a dark blue suit and tie John  had dug out for him. It’s a size too big and not his color, but he wasn’t about to go out and drop a couple hundred on a suit he was probably only going to wear for this first day. Not when that same amount of money can get him half a month’s worth of button ups from Walmart. 

“Dave, Kanaya and I really worked hard to get you this job. Are you really going to give up before even walking through that door?” How Rose knows exactly how to push Dave’s buttons without ever actually living with him, he’s not sure, but dammit if she isn’t good at it. That psychology degree is really paying off even if she rarely uses it professionally anymore. 

“Of course not. Momma didn’t raise no quitter,” he says, despite never having had a mom to raise him. 

“Then go on. We don’t need you being late on your first day.”

--

CHAPTER 1

Dave gets along well with his team, at the very least. Sollux, a thin troll who looks like his limbs are too long for his torso and he should smell like Monster Energy, is his camera and tech guy. Dave wonders if Rose couldn't get Dave a job behind the camera because of his lack of professional tech experience or if she just didn't bother to try. They worked closely with Kanaya Mayam, the manager for the Seattle Mariners, and Dave’s half-sister-in-law. 

Sollux actually seems like a decent guy, and he definitely knows what he’s talking about. Apparently he used to be in IT for a big tech company, but left when he ‘couldn’t handle everyone’s stupidity.’ He programs on the side, but is the main cameraman and tech guy for the sports department of the Seattle News. Dave immediately hits it off with him, bonding over the different tech they’re going to be using, especially the cameras. 

“Here, you can use this one,” Sollux says after Dave laments his position in front of the camera. He has a pretty decent lisp, even worse than John with his buck teeth. “Grab some supplemental footage. B-Roll for me to use when you’re not interviewing. 

“What? Are you sure?” Dave is pretty sure he should argue, it sounds like quite a privilege to be able to handle the expensive handheld camera Sollux is handing him. Sollux just pushes it into his hands, nodding before returning to packing up all the equipment they’ll need on the field. 

Before Dave can get a chance to try the camera out, Kanaya is already pulling him aside and giving him a rundown of his ultimate goal.

“Today, you are going to do some preliminary interviews while they are practicing. We don’t usually start the interviews this early, but we are trying to get our catcher, Karkat, more comfortable in front of the camera. He’s a bit…grumpy, at times,” Kanaya explains, looking to the side as she speaks in a way that makes it clear to Dave this Karkat guy is more than just grumpy. 

“He isn’t very good at the press side of the sport. He is a great player!” She rushes to say, as if Dave needs the reassurance or cares. “But he is not very…charismatic, sometimes-” Before she can explain any further, her phone’s ringtone interrupts her. She steps away, apologizing. Dave doesn’t mind, it gives him a chance to look into this Karkat.

Karkat Vantas, also known as ‘Vantass’ to his fans, is an award winning baseball player. He led his team to state in high school, and nationals in college, practically securing him his choice of team. Why he chose the Mariners, a team who has never made it to the world cup, he hasn’t said. Though, Dave is pretty sure it has something to do with the fact he’s never actually left the city. Born and raised, he even turned down a full ride at UCLA just to stay in the city. Dave can’t relate to that sense of loyalty to his hometown. 

The ‘grumpiness’ Kanaya referred to is easy to see. Anytime there’s a camera pointed at his face, Karkat is scowling. Though, Dave can’t be sure that scowl isn’t a permanent fixture. What few interviews of him exist are full of bleeps to censor out the troll’s crude language. That, Dave can appreciate. Besides, none of these reporters were able to roll with the punches. They were all really lame, trying to police Karkat’s language like it actually mattered. It’s not like he was saying slurs-presumably, over half of Karkat’s rant is often turned into just one long beep noise. 

After a long hour of preparing Dave for the sake of the camera and Karkat, they finally leave for the field. Dave watches a few different reporters' attempts at interviewing the famously grumpy baseball player, as well as interviews of the other players to get a feel for the team as a whole. Dave focuses on Karkat, though, trying to get an understanding of him and see through the indignation and ego, because it’s not just ego. There’s something else coupled with it. Throughout any of the interviews, whatever isn’t bleeped out is either him posturing about being a kickass baseball player, the most kickass baseball player, actually, or letting slip jokes and quips that Dave seems to be the only one on the internet able to see them for what they are. Self-depracation and, more than that, hints of self-loathing.

     Jonas settled his gaze on David and I could smell the anger and resentment radiating off of him. "David, you piece of shit! Just gonna take my shift, you fucking freak!? What'd you do to deserve that, suck off the boss or something!?" He snarled. My fur bristled, my muscles tightened. I could feel a fight coming on. I was about to stand up when he grabbed David by the shirt, Jonas yanking him up to be at eye level.

     Every part of me froze and my blood ran cold. I couldn't stop him. He held onto David's arm, his claws digging into the skin. If I pulled David away, he'd shred the arm. Trace bristled beside me, he probably noticed it too. I could smell the iron of David's blood, freed by Jonas' sharp grip. I felt the air swirling around, no doubt thanks to the fox beside me.

     "I had shit to do, important shit, didn't get a chance to call, and then I see your fucking boyfriend's truck outside and find out YOU stole my fucking shift!" He yelled. Other customers weren't sitting idly either. I'd heard a couple of chairs shift, likely others getting up and ready. The air was filled with the scent of adrenaline, rich with the stink of it.

     Jonas growled, and in a flash he struck David directly in the face. I hadn't had time to recognize the swing for what it was. His arm flew back and looked no different from a wild gesture, angry and exaggerated. It wasn't until it swung forward, colliding with David's cheek, a blunt fist cracking into his jaw, that I understood what Jonas was doing.

     David hit the floor and yipped, landing on his arm at an odd angle. He curled up, and Jonas swung back, his leg flying forward. I stood up, rushing to stop Jonas, but I wasn't fast enough. Trace was. Wind surged through the area as a brown blur darted from the chair to Jonas. Trace's hand clung to the ferret's throat and squeezed, then with a rush of air, lifted him up and slammed him down on the ground.

     Jonas screamed as a sickening crunch echoed through the restaurant. Trace swung his leg hard, paw colliding with Jonas' ribs and bringing a wall of air with it, sending Jonas sliding across the floor into the counter. The ferret gasped, wheezed, struggling for breath. He propped himself up on shaking arms, his jaw slack and dangling open.

     Trace was on him again in a blink, eyes narrow and teeth bared in a deep, hungry growl. He picked Jonas up by the shirt and propped him up against the counter. His fist drove in against Jonas' ribs hard, another crack followed by Jonas gasping again.

     "My kid's waiting on me or I'd be just fine going to jail for your ass. You touch Dee again and that 'important shit' you had to do for your owner won't mean anything. You'll be too busy feeding worms."

     His tone was playful, light. Warning. I knew he was dead serious. My fur bristled at his words and I couldn't help but shrink back a little.

     Jonas looked at him with wide, shaky eyes, mouth agape as he gasped for breath, the barest hints of it finding him. Trace tossed him aside, the ferret landing hard on the ground. He tried to prop himself back up, but Trace swept his hands out from under him with a paw and snarled. "You get up before I walk out and I'll send you straight to the gods, same day shipping."

     Jonas nodded, his jaw swaying from the motion as he winced in pain. Trace set some cash on the counter and turned towards David, helping him up. I finally remembered to move, hurrying over to help David up alongside Trace.

     He held his arm with one hand, and he winced as we helped him, but he stood all the same. "Out… Need out…" He muttered, leaning on me. I nodded, and Trace and I started helping him towards the door. A large furred dragon beat us to the door and opened it, watching David with worry.

     He gestured outward, urging us to go on through. "Please, I will hold the door for you and take Jonas to the hospital. Perhaps David will need a visit as well…" he said in a voice as thick as mud with a noticeable Dornumite accent.

     I looked at him, brows furrowed and head cocked to the side a little as I helped David past him. David's voice cut through quietly as we did. "Thanks Luka…"

     We got David into my truck, the little caxy holding his middle and breathing slowly, steadily, wincing now and then. Trace stood by the driver's side while I sat in the seat, buckling, with my window down. "R., get him to the hospital. I gotta drive Moss to my place. I'll call Dee later to check in on him, but let me know if shit gets serious at the hospital, I've got something to take care of, but I'll drop it if I gotta get there."

     I nodded, glancing over at David before turning to face Trace again. "Will do. Tell Moss we said hi, an' we're sorry they missed us."

     Trace nodded and looked past me at David. "If he tries to drive you to your apartment, claw the shit out of him. Stay the night with him tonight, okay?"

     David nodded weakly, then smiled half-heartedly. "I'll get him good if he does…"

     The fox gave him a last worried look, then turned away, getting into his car and taking off. I rolled up my window and started the truck, following suit in leaving the parking lot.

     An hour and a half later, I watched David walk out of the hospital with a white paper bag, no longer holding himself, though stepping carefully all the same.

     "Got painkillers, no major breaks but a couple little cracks…" he pulled his seatbelt into place, clicking it closed and putting the bag down. His tail was curled around his waist and his ears were low, but he seemed otherwise okay.

     "So where to? Y'wanna go back t'work, or are y'gonna get some rest time in?" I asked, slowly driving out of the parking lot and heading for the highway, easy on the pedal. He thought for a moment, his expression changing a few times before he sighed.

     "Take me back to work, I need to let Kaleb know I won't be in for a while and he should be there by now…" he reached for the radio, turning it up and closing his eyes to nod along with the music. The drive back was short and quiet, with most of the noise being the sound of the paper bag crinkling from David's fidgeting and the music coming out of my speakers.

     When we got back to the cafe, I went in with David. A purple-scaled snake stood at the counter, taking orders at the register. He wore a friendly smile, an air of polite cheer coming off him as he worked with the customers. When we walked in, he glanced our way for a moment before addressing the customers in line.

     "Ah. You will need to excuse me for a moment. My barista just returned from the hospital, and I would quite like to be sure he is okay. Thank you all for understanding." he said, his voice almost sounding strained, like speaking took real effort. He waved us over, making his way to the back. As we followed, I saw him talking to a bored-looking doe who rolled her eyes at him before making her way to the front.

     He glanced our way, his eyes sharp and narrow as they fell on me before relaxing into the same polite expression he'd worn for the customers. "My office would suit this best. Please, come with me."

     My fur bristled and I felt my heartbeat quicken a little, but David seemed calm enough. I shrugged it off, following to his office. Inside, David swiftly took a seat and placed a note on the desk. Kaleb sat in his chair and glanced at it for barely a second before nodding. "I see. Very well, you may have the rest of the day off. I expect you back in three weeks time. I am aware that a hairline fracture requires six to eight weeks, but in three weeks you should be in the middle of the reparative stage."

     I furrowed my brow. He'd hardly looked at the note, but he knew what was wrong? "Sir, if'n ya don't mind me sayin', ain't it best if'n he rests 'til he's recovered?" I stood upright as I spoke, staring him down.

     His eyes flicked up to meet mine and my ears went back, flattening a little as I was met with the vibrant pink of his irises. "I assure you I am quite capable of judging my employees capabilities, Mr. Trayson. Mr. Seltz will be more than safe handling call-ahead orders on the phone in the breakroom. His recovery can continue unhindered within these walls as well as his own. Or yours." His voice sounded so strained, but every word was deliberate, confident. And those eyes…

     I nodded, my words dying out before they could even form. "Mr. Killian, sir? Are you sure about letting me off today? It's just gonna be Diane if I go home, and I know you're busy…" David's voice cut through my tension effortlessly. I relaxed, my ears perking up again and my tail shifting behind me in slow sideways movements.

     The snake nodded, waving his hand in a dismissive gesture. "Diane will be quite alright. I have already arranged for another to take your, or rather Jonas', shift today. She will not be alone. Your inability to complete a single shift will not be the end of her days, I assure you." His tone was calm, polite even, but the way he said it sounded almost like he was digging at David for needing to go home.

     Evidently I wasn't the only one who felt that way. David's tail curled around his waist a little as he shrunk back a bit in his seat. "I'm sorry, sir. I'll be back to work as soon as possible, m-maybe even before the three weeks are up." His wince as his tail squeezed around him told me he'd already forgotten how badly he was hurt.

     Kaleb shook his head. "You will return to work exactly three weeks from today, and not one second sooner. I will not have an employee risk their health for the sake of my profits. There are more important things than finances."

     David nodded, and I gently put a hand on his shoulder. Kaleb looked at me, then back to David. "You are excused for the day. Please, enjoy your time off. As much as you are able, while recovering. Though, Mr. Trayson, if you would, please remain here for a moment. There is something I would like to discuss with you, in the form of an opportunity."

     I started to refuse him, to turn tail and leave with David, but David smiled up at me and my hesitation melted away. "I'll be alright big guy… I'm gonna wait in the break room, I'll see you when you come out and we can go." He said softly, as if he knew I'd wanted to leave with him. I nodded, sitting down again as he stood up, leaving me alone with the snake.

     I folded my arms over my chest, looking at Kaleb and waiting for him to speak. He pulled a bottle of water from his desk, drinking it down quickly. As he dropped the bottle into a trash bin by his desk, he clasped his hands in front of him. "I am aware that you are quite strong, and that you are quite capable in a fight."

     His eyes never left mine. My fur bristled, the hairs on my tail, up my spine, and along my neck standing on end, my muscles tense. "An' what makes ya say that? How would ya know? We ain't met before." I asked, finding myself unable to pull my eyes from his, like doing so would be the death of me. Every instinct screamed that I needed to keep him in my sights.

     "I review the security footage of each business I own personally, every night. Last night I witnessed your de-escalation with the lynx that Mr. Seltz rejected. I have also seen you break up fights on more than one occasion after performing at one of my clubs. You are strong, skilled at both fighting and de-escalation, and as I witnessed when I reviewed the footage of today's incident upon arriving, you are also capable of standing down when necessary."

     He opened a drawer on his desk, pulling a small, stapled set of papers from it and placing it on his desk, closer to my side than his. "I would like for you to work for me as a member of my security personal at the Snakebite Club. I'm aware of your familiarity with the location, and the staff, and would like to offer you permanent employment there making use of your skills. You would, of course, still be quite free to perform there, provided you inform me in advance that you will need the night off to do so."

     I grabbed the paper, looking it over. It was a job application, some forms already filled out like the position and hours. All that was blank were places for my information, and a signature line at the back. I scoffed a little, and he took notice.

     "This job would pay triple the minimum wage, as well as include benefits such as full coverage healthcare, yearly awarded shares in the business on each anniversary of your employment, as well as a one hundred percent match on a retirement fund, should you opt in."

     My eyes went wide, brow furrowing.

     That's a lotta benefits t'stand around lookin' scary for a few hours a night…

     I put the application down and crossed my arms again. "An' what's the catch t'all this? Sounds like you're tryin' t'get me t'sell m'soul, like you're tryin' t'tempt me."

     He rolled his eyes and shook his head. "I assure you, I am asking for no such thing. I simply recognize talent when it is present, and would like to invite you to work under me in a job that would suit your skillset as well as reward your efforts appropriately."

     I nodded, taking in his words and sighing. With a shrug, I grabbed the application again and folded it up, slipping it into my pocket as I stood. "I'll think on it, but I ain't gonna say yes right out th'gate."

     He nodded, sitting back in his chair. "In that case, feel free to excuse yourself. I am quite busy and expect to hear back from you when you have made a decision."

     Just as I stood up, he stopped me again and reached into his coat, pulling a wallet from the inner pocket and drawing some bills from it. "This is for Mr. Seltz. I do not make a habit of paying for services not rendered, but in his case, he is owed some compensation in the form of hazard pay due to today's incident." He said as he held the money out to me.

     Pocketing the money, I nodded. He looked away from me, finally, his focus shifting to some paperwork. As soon as his eyes left mine, my entire body loosened up. I felt my muscles relax, my fur rest. I turned away and left quickly, not wanting to spend another second in the room with him alone. Closing the door, I looked around and saw an open doorway across the hall. Heading for it, I saw the sign above it indicating it was the break room.

     David was in there, microwaving a burrito and watching it spin through the window of the machine. I laughed a little, watching his eyes follow the rotation of his snack as he waited for the device to beep at him. He heard me walking in, turning to look at me. "Hey! So… Why did he want to talk to you?"

     I ruffled his hair gently, checking the timer on the microwave before answering and hitting the stop button just as it hit one second left. David mrowed at me, swatting my hand away lightly. "Hey, now it won't be cooked right!"

     I chuckled, opening the door for him so he could get his food. "Sure it will, s'only one second off." I said with a smile, tail swaying side to side.

     He huffed at me and grabbed his plate, blowing on the burrito to cool it. "Everyone knows that all the cooking happens in the last second, it's just magic like that. You just gotta set the timer so it can charge up enough to cook it all at once."

     I nodded. "Right, right, that's why you're blowin' on it, cause it ain't cooked cause I stopped th'timer before it got to that last precious second."

     He nodded back and smiled. "Yep! I'm glad you understand."

     We laughed a little, and left the break room, taking the employee exit. On our way to the truck, David nudged my tail with his. "Hey Rye? Can we go to the arcade? I think I'm close to getting a really good prize, just need a few more tickets."

     I shook my head, carefully putting an arm around him. "Ya jus' got hurt an' ya wanna go by the arcade? Shouldn't we head home an' let ya rest?" I asked, smiling as we reached my truck. I opened the door for him, and he climbed inside, buckling his seatbelt.

     "Well yeah but not all of the games need me to move a lot, right? I can play some skill games instead." He said as I climbed into the drivers side, buckling my seatbelt and starting the truck up.

     Pulling out of the parking lot, I thought about it. I could play a few of the more demanding games, get him some tickets, and he could play some of the lighter ones. There didn't seem to be any harm, so when the time came to turn left towards home or right towards the arcade, it was an easy choice.

     "Yeah, alright. Let's see if'n we can get ya that prize you're wantin'." I said with a smile. He smiled back, wide and eager, as he drummed a happy beat on the dashboard.

     "Thank you~! I'm so getting that Zenith today!" He said, smiling ear to ear. I felt guilty, his sister had told me already she had plans to get him one for his birthday, but knowing her she had a backup plan. I'd just have to call her ahead of time and tell her to change up the gift. He needed a pick-me-up, and I didn't have the heart to turn him down.

     Maybe someone else'll already have won it. Might make Vina's gift even better if'n he thinks there ain't no way he's gettin' one.

     I thought back to the last time we'd been in there. I couldn't remember how much it had cost, but I remembered the number was about as absurd as it got.

     Nah… That's wishful thinkin'. Ah well.

     When we finally arrived, I helped him out of the truck and we headed for the front door. He dug through his wallet and pulling out a small plastic card with the arcade's name and logo on the front. "There it is~!" He said happily before pulling his debit card out as well.

     "How much y'gonna put on that thing tonight?" I asked, pulling my own arcade card out of my wallet. He smiled, leaning against me a little while we walked.

     "A couple thousand. It's been a while since I last reloaded it, so it's probably running low on credits." He said, his tail swaying idly behind him.

     "You're gonna drop two grand on this? Davey, ain't ya got more important things t'spend your money on?" I asked, incredulous. I stopped short, David doing the same a second later.

     He cocked his head to the side, one ear dropping further. "What? It's just house money, I don't need it. It's not work money, don't worry!"

     I shook my head, shrugging. "S'your savings. Mind puttin a little bit'a cash on mine?" I asked, handing him my card. He took it and nodded, giggling.

     "I can do that." He said as he pushed open the door, heading in before I followed behind. He stopped at a kiosk to load up our cards, handing mine to me a second later. "Don't go spending it all in one place!"

     I checked the card as he walked off, likely to find some tornado dropper or coin dozer game. Popping it into the slot of the kiosk and punching some buttons, I scoffed.

     He'd loaded nearly two thousand dollars onto my card, just shy of eight thousand credits in my balance. I looked around to see if I could find him, intent on giving him a piece of my mind, but he was nowhere to be seen. I pulled my card from the kiosk and shook my head.

     Damn it, David… Alright, fine. We ain't leavin' until you get that console, may as well make th'most outta these credits.

     I left the kiosk. If I was gonna have this much, I was gonna make it count. The least I could do is win as many tickets as possible for him, and I knew just which game to play. With a grin, I made my way to the one game I could always get a top score on.

     Skee ball.