Yuan's Got Mail

[young_mistress]

[It had been a long day traveling home from the soccer championship in Los Angeles to Columbia University in New York, New York. There had been two delays with their flight and his teammates were on his very last nerve, particularly Chan, his own cousin. He insisted the van taking the boys from the airport back to their uni stop at the local favorite coffee shop before his head exploded.

So about twenty minutes before the 'Java Bar' is set to close for the night, a dozen grumpy, rowdy young men with matching blue and white hoodies swarm the shop. Jin Ling plops down at one of the tables and rubs his temples. It was going to be heaven to get away from all these other people and return to his quiet dorm room. He's so glad his roommate tends to not be there in favor of staying at his boyfriend's as often as possible. Zizhen promised he'd be gone tonight to give Ling a break.

He is messing with his phone when he is vaguely aware of the waiter (or waitress, he really isn't paying attention) is next to him.]

Cinnamon Dolce Latte, as big as you make them. Extra whipped cream and an extra shot of espresso.

Comments

[notaturnip]

It's been an early morning lecture followed by a double shift at the coffee shop and Sizhui is exhausted. At least the last hour is shaping up to be relatively quiet and he manages to get a head start on his cleaning... and then suddenly the number of people in the shop triples and Sizhui watches the rowdy team start dragging chairs and tables together with the sinking realisation that he's going to have to do all that cleaning again, plus even more, and that's not even until after these guys have already left.

With a deep sigh, he grabs his pad and heads over to take their order. Very few of them are particularly polite about their order, and he's already tired, so when he gets to the last guy and he doesn't even look up from his phone to give his order, Sizhui feels his last nerve fraying.

"I think the word you're looking for is please." He says without thinking. He immediately regrets it, normally he knows not to give voice to those thoughts, but apparently his usually impeccable filter is on the fritz today.

A couple of the boys sitting beside Jin Ling burst out laughing.

[young_mistress]

Jin Ling's focus on the email from his uncle on his phone to his teammates laughing around him. Wait, what? The comment from the waiter suddenly sinks in and his gaze snaps upward to him. "Excuse me? Maybe the word you should forget about is 'tip'."

The retort earns another rumble of laughter from the other boys.

[notaturnip]

Any apology he might have made dies on his lips at the boy's response and his jaw sets. He manages to stop himself from saying anything further, though, instead just scribbling down the drink order and turning on his heel to march back behind the safety of the counter. The quicker he gets these orders filled, the quicker these guys will get out of here.

As he's walking away he catches a 'good one, Jin Ling' from one of the boys, and doesn't that explain everything? He's definitely heard the name before - filthy rich, soccer star, prestigious family... and apparently a spoilt brat, too. He tries not to listen to gossip and rumours but in this case apparently they're true.

When he returns with the drinks, he intends on dishing them out and getting back to his cleaning, but then when there's just three drinks left - including Jin ling's very large latte - something catches his foot and he stumbles forward. It's almost like it happens in slow motion, but he's helpless to stop it - the cups tilt dangerously for a heart stopping split-second and then all of a sudden it's all over; he's just about righted himself, at least one cup is smashed on the floor and Mr Spoilt Brat himself is dripping in coffee.

Sizhui's eyes widen in horror.

[young_mistress]

Chan quietly slips his foot back under the table with a satisfied little grin on his face. Bullseye!

"Ah! Fuck! Dammit, that's hot!" Ling is on his feet yelping in an instant. He sticks his hand that had been holding his phone and gotten hit with the coffee first in his mouth. "What the hell did you do that for?!" He snaps at the waiter. Did he really just dump that crap on him over such a dumb offense?

Sizhui's co-worker Molly comes rushing over to help. She holds out a cloth for Jin Ling to wipe the coffee off with. "We're so sorry! Yuan, it's okay. Go get the mop."

"Just move, I'm not using some old filthy rag!" Jin Ling snaps and pushes past them to go to the bathroom to clean up.

[notaturnip]

"I-" Sizhui starts, but he's interrupted by one of Chan's cronies.

"Yea that was totally deliberate! You didn't even trip over anything, what the hell man? What kind of place is this?" Because hey, if they could get a few free drinks out of this as well as embarrassing Jin Ling, it's a win-win, right?

He again tries to say something but that's when Molly comes over and he realises it would probably be best if he just did as she suggested and focused on clean up, he could apologise to Jin Ling once he'd cleaned himself off, so he hurries away to go get the mop and bucket.

Drawn by the commotion, the manager comes out of his office while Sizhui is away and heads over to the table.

"What's going on? Molly, what happened here?" His first assumption is that the boys did something - a bunch of rowdy college jocks this close to closing time? They must be at fault.

[young_mistress]

"Oh uh.. I'm not sure. I think Yuan tripped and accidentally spilled a drink on the boy who is in the bathroom," Molly explains, trying her best to be diplomatic. Unfortunately, Mr. Manager just asked this in front of the group of boys.

"Noooo! It was deliberate! Ling was being an ass and that guy dumped a drink on him!" One of them blurts out.

"Do you guys have any idea who that even is? His family could buy this place with their pocket change! He'll be suing you guys for sure!" Another one says.

"You could ask Jin Ling what happened? He'll be back in just a minute," says one who is actually a reasonable fellow, but is quickly hushed.

[notaturnip]

"Better hope he didn't get any burns!" Chan's buddy agrees, causing the manager to go slightly pale.

"Now, now, fellas, I'm sure it was just an accident as Molly says, Yuan wouldn't-"

"Nah, it was totally deliberate! They had an argument right before it happened!" Two snippy sentences is hardly an argument, but he's not going to let facts get in the way of his entertainment.

"I see." The manager frowns "Molly, please replace the spilled drinks, and comp their bill. I'll apologise to your friend personally, I'm sure we can get this all straightened out without any need for further unpleasantness..."

Sizhui returns with the mop, then, and he flinches slightly at the glare his manager gives him. He really hates making mistakes like this...

"Get this cleaned up and then I want to see you in my office." The manager tells him, before stepping away to wait for Jin Ling so he can apologise.

[young_mistress]

"Yes sir," Molly says and hurries to get those done. She gives Sizhui a worried look. She knows Yuan better than what these guys were saying, but she couldn't really say they're all lying could she? She'd have to explain to him later what happened, assuming he's around later.

It's not too long before Jin Ling comes back out of the bathroom, his shirt and one pant leg still a bit damp. He can see his teammates across the room snickering at him, but the manager stops him before he gets too far.

At the apology, he shakes his head. "No, it's cool. Don't worry about it." He had been kind of an ass to the guy and he wasn't sure. Something about how shocked the other boy looked wasn't sitting well with his theory it was so deliberate. He wanted to ask if the other boy was okay, but he couldn't bring himself to do that in front of the team.

[notaturnip]

Sizhui mops up the spilled coffee as quickly as he can, blessedly ignored by the boys who have either turned their attention back to their own conversations or who are trying to listen in to Jin Ling and the manager.

The manager thanks Jin Ling for his graciousness and confirms the drinks are all on the house, and even offers him personally a gift card for his next visit, then leaves him to go back to his friends.

As soon as Sizhui sees that they're done talking, he moves to go apologise directly to Jin Ling - but a stern look from his manager stops him, and instead he takes the mop back behind the counter and goes to the office like he was told.

[young_mistress]

"That's really not necessary," Jin Ling says, shaking his head. What does he need a gift card for? In fact, he'd be okay with him if the manager charged his team double for their coffees given that they all laughed at him.

He starts towards his table again but Molly hurries over to give him his coffee. He notes that everyone's drink is now in a to-go cup. "Come on guys, let's drink these in the van." He just wants to be home! (Well, his dorm, not 'home' home.)

The manager tells Molly to finish cleaning up the dining room and heads back to the office. When he steps in, he gives Sizhui a glare. "They said you did that on purpose because you and that Jin Ling boy got in an argument. What happened to the customer is always right and - oh yeah, don't dump scalding liquid on the customer?!"

[notaturnip]

The other boys agree, grabbing their coffees and piling out the shop - some of them leaving more than a little chaos in their wake. One of the nicer boys (who did clean up after himself) falls in step beside Jin Ling as they head outside.

"Sorry about all that man," he comments, giving Jin Ling a gentle nudge with his shoulder "are you okay? That coffee looked pretty hot, you're not hurt or anything?"

Sizhui's eyes widen at the accusation and he shakes his head quickly, holding defensive hands up.

"Not at all! I promise it wasn't deliberate, I- I tripped," he was tripped, but he doesn't think claiming that is going to help his case any "and we weren't arguing, I... I may have said something a little rude, I'm sorry, I know there's no excuse for that, but I swear I didn't deliberately spill the coffee on him."

[young_mistress]

"Nah, I'm fine, thanks though. Bad luck, I guess?" He's lying, of course. There is definitely a small burn on his hand and one on his knee, but it was way too wimpy to admit he had any lingering pain. It isn't that much worse than the minor bruises and scraps he'd get during a game anyway.

He climbs into the bus and takes his typical spot at the front. He wonders if the waiter was going to be okay.

"You said something rude? What's gotten into you, Yuan? Do you know who that boy is? Look, you're a good worker and reliable but I can't afford to get sued. I don't need someone who will act like that on my team. Hand in your apron. We'll send you your last paycheck in the mail."

[notaturnip]

"Yea I guess." The other boy says, though honestly he saw Chan trip the guy, he just doesn't want to admit that and get on Chan's bad side - as much as he wants to be a decent person, he knows how dangerous that is, and what can Jin Ling do about it now?

"Hey, at least you'll be home soon." he adds cheerfully.

Sizhui's eyes widen in horror - this couldn't be happening! What the hell had Jin Ling said to him? Sued?

"No, please, I need this job. It was an accident! You know I've never done anything like this before, and it won't happen again I promise." He pleads desperately. He's only just managing to pay for his tuition between this job and the tutoring, he doesn't know what he's going to do if he needs to find another job.

[young_mistress]

Jin Ling would totally try and kick his cousin's ass if he knew that whole mess had been Chan's fault. While he might be the star on the team, Chan had more buddies than he did and was bigger so there was a good chance that fight wouldn't go the way Jin Ling would want it to.

At least the season was now over so they were all going to get a break from each other for a couple weeks. After that, practice for next season would begin and the cycle would start all over again. He pulls out his phone and sighs as he sees 'moonrabbit' isn't online still. He sighs again and sends an offline message anyway.

What a shit-tastic day!

~~~

"Sorry kid. It was one hell of a first time offense. Go on and clock out," the manager says, folding his arms over his chest. "Good luck to you."

[notaturnip]

Sizhui stares at him helplessly for a moment before his shoulders slump in defeat and he nods, taking off his apron and laying it on the desk.

He hesitates, considering saying something else, but then just turns and leaves. He clocks out and grabs his things, stopping in the cafe to apologise to Molly that he couldn't help her close up because he's been fired for what happened.

Once he's outside at the bus stop he sees the notification on his phone and a smile comes to his face even despite the bad mood he's in - it fades, though, when he reads what Rulan has sent him.

You too?

You were travelling today, right? Did it go badly?

At least thinking about the other boy's problems distracted himself from thinking about how he was going to tell his father he lost his job.

[young_mistress]

Wen Chao was going to be furious! It's hard to say if it will be the manager or Sizhui who gets the brunt of it, but someone was going to pay for this.

Molly is sympathetic and whispers to Sizhui that their manager was a jerk and making a big mistake. There's a reason why Mr. Tucker often is called a name starting with a similar initial. Unfortunately she can't actually do anything helpful besides that and wishes him well.

Jin Ling smiles when he hears his phone beep.

Yeah, we're pulling up to the dorms now. It was one headache after another! Sometimes I really think the world hates me.

[notaturnip]

Well I'm part of the world and I don't hate you?

He wishes there was more he could do, though - ever since he started tutoring Rulan (or Rover, since Sizhui knows he doesn't actually like his name) they've hit it off really well and he's so glad Professor Lan introduced them - and not just because that tutoring money has really helped pay for his tuition this year. He wonders if he should ask Professor Lan if he has any other younger relatives who need tutoring, or students even... or maybe he should just focus on finding another coffee shop or restaurant gig as quickly as he can. His next paycheque and his savings will cover him for a bit, but if he doesn't find another job soon he's probably going to have to drop out.

Glad you're almost home though he adds, just as the bus pulls up at the stop and he gets on.

[young_mistress]

Yeah but you're one weird Rabbit. (^_<)〜☆

It warms his heart that there is someone out there in the world who feels that way about him. With his parents gone and currently being on his uncle's shit list (he may have said something he shouldn't have to the man) it sometimes felt like he was alone. Which isn't at all how a soccer player is supposed to feel surrounded by his team.

It takes him about ten or fifteen minutes before he can reply again, lugging his stuff up to his dorm room. He's very relieved to find Zizhen hadn't done something stupid like wait till he got home to leave. He loved the guy, he just needed some 'Ling' time. Dumping his duffle bag and backpack on his bed, he gets his phone out again.

Made it! What about you? How's your day been?

[notaturnip]

Sizhui just laughs softly at the comment, though the lightness that he feels talking to Rover dissipates as he waits a little longer for the next reply - it's understandable, since the other boy said he was just pulling up, but it means the rest of his bus journey gets to be spent worrying about his situation. He does use the time a little productively, though, browsing for job openings in the area and bookmarking a couple to check out when he gets home.

He's just getting off the bus when he hears from Rover again, but he still has a bit of a walk to his house and he kind of hates doing it at night since they don't live in a great area, so he's glad of the distraction.

Bad and about to get worse. he admits I don't want to talk about it. What are your plans now you're home?

[young_mistress]

Ling frowns as he reads that response. He wonders just what kind of bad they were talking- or not talking- about.

Sorry, Rabbit. Lmk if if I need to get a shovel and come help you hide bodies (×_×)

Porn and pizza? Jk, gotta finish my paper. It won't be fun tho since I hurt my hand today. Making txt even hurt.

[notaturnip]

Another laugh, shaking his head in fond amusement. This is part of the reason he likes talking to Rover so much - no matter what, he never fails to make Sizhui smile. Whether it's his unflinching support (and willingness to aid and abet murder) or his dumb jokes, he always knows just how to cheer Sizhui up without even trying.

Oh no /0_0\ make sure you do proper first aid!

Do you have a speech-to-text app? If you dictate your paper that way and send it to me I can edit it for you, and give you feedback before you turn it in, if you want it

[young_mistress]

No worries! I did. It's holding my beer now.

Weirdly enough, the cold bottle of beer in his hand was actually helping. That was the same as 'proper first aid' wasn't it?

How are you going to edit my paper from jail? Might take you up on that if you really don't mind.

He'd try and look over it first so it's not embarrassingly bad, but he always got better grades when Rabbit checked his work. This stuff just didn't always come as easily to him as it did his brainy friend.

You know you don't have to tho right? This isn't the subject you're tutoring me for.

[notaturnip]

Sizhui frowns at his phone - another reason he wishes he could be there in person, so he could make sure Rover actually looked after himself. He doesn't believe for a second that he's actually taken care of whatever the injury is.

I'd only go to jail if I got caught

I really don't mind. I'm your tutor but I'm also your friend, and I want to see you succeed

He glances up from his phone and realises he's nearly home, so he tucks it into his pocket with a sigh and heads inside. With any luck, his father will be out and he can put off having this conversation until tomorrow.

[young_mistress]

Ling laughs. For a nerd, Rabbit had a really good sense of humor. It was one of many reasons he liked talking to him so much.

He actually wasn't kidding about his plan for the pizza and the porn. He's been on the road with a bunch of meddlesome guys all week, so now that he had a break from them he was ready to get off. Ideally, he wishes Rabbit was there but he doubts the other boy would be willing to hook up. He could call the teammate who had been nice to him earlier, but he'd rather jerk off and be alone than put up with another person just for sex tonight.

As he searches for videos to get him in the right mood, he thinks back on that poor waiter again. Now that he thinks about it, he had a pretty nice body and he bets he could do something with that sassy mouth of his. He gasps as he finishes embarrassingly fast still on the homepage of the porn site. He's so glad no one saw that.

For Sizhui, he's partially lucky. Wen Chao is unfortunately home, but he's entertaining a woman so he's completely distracted and shoos Sizhui to his room as soon as he arrives. It's not too long before the couple moves from the living room where they'd been watching TV and pawing at each other to his bedroom though.

[notaturnip]

As soon as Sizhui sees his father isn't alone, he's already making a beeline for his room even before he's waved in that direction. Since the conversation is avoided, he can focus on getting some of his own college work done, and trying to find another job - at least that way he can try and soften the news by explaining he's already put some applications in.

As soon as he hears the other bedroom door shut, he slips out to go to the kitchen and make himself something to eat - which is to say, he microwaves some rice and leftover chicken he cooked yesterday (stopping it just before the timer is up so the beeping doesn't annoy his dad) - and then it's back to his room and putting his headphones on because the walls of their apartment are not particularly thick and he does not need to hear what's going on.

While he waits for his ancient laptop to boot up, he pulls out his phone again. He's disappointed not to see a response from Rover, but he assumes he's working on his paper (happily oblivious to the fact that he's working on something else entirely), so he sends a message to his aunt instead, asking if there are any jobs going at the hospital where she works - admin, cleaning, porter, he'll take anything as long as he can fit his schoolwork around it.