Chapter Text
Simon's hands tightened on the steering wheel. He was already sporting a huge headache, and this morning's news aren't helping his case.
I'm sure you won't find it an issue to stay until Saturday, Fisher.
Simon opened his mouth to argue, but the man cut him off.
I don't care. We need you on board. I'm not going to ask again.
God damnit. He had promised Ellie he would be home by noon today, but instead he needs to stay until Saturday. That's three more days, for fuck's sake. And he knows, he just knows, he won't get paid overtime.
His boss called it being a team player.
simon called it using your employees.
He studied engineering in college. It was interesting, and he was great with his hands. He always found a passion for building things, and or fixing them. So why not turn it into a career?
Well, to have a good career, you need a good employer first. And Simon's might be the worst in existence. The man didn't ask, he forced workers to work unpaid overtime, abused them verbally, the list goes on and on. Yes, they were adults and could handle some asshole from time to time, but this man was everywhere. It was impossible to hide from him. And that was the most infuriating part. He pointed out all their mistakes, mocked them, and Simon was pretty sure there was word of the boss even beating someone up once over welding.
Yeah, not a good workplace to be at. But Simon needed the money, and it paid well enough for him to pay rent and occasionally spoil Ellie. She deserved more than he could ever give. She deserved the world, actually.
The phone rang for what felt like an eternity. Simon was getting impatient but he knew he shouldn't loose his cool yet. He glanced down at his watch. It was only 11 AM, there was plenty time to get pissed off today.
He leaned back against the driver seat and let out a huff of breath through his nose. Sweat was beading on his forehead. It's May, there's no reason for it to be this hot already. Well, climate change is no joke.
"Simon?"
A voice cut through the silence. Simon pushed the phone against his ear.
"Finally. Listen, Ava, can you watch over Ellie until Saturday?"
"..Simon."
"I know. Wilson won't let me go."
Ava sighed on the other side of the line. There was silence between them for a few seconds, until the woman spoke.
"Yeah, I can stay. But if you're not back in SF by 12 o'clock sharp-"
"Yeah, I know, listen can you bring Ellie out for ice cream today? After she's done with school. I promised her we'd go."
"Seriously? Should I start paying child support for you?"
"Ava, please."
"Alright, alright." Ava sighed. "I'll take her. But only because I like her."
Simon let out a relieved sigh and rubbed his eyes with one hand. "Thank you." He lefted the phone from his ear and hung up. Slumping against the car seat, he tried to ignore the growing pressure behind his eyeballs. This was going to be one long day.
"Move it, Fisher."
Someone bumped into Simon from the back, causing the backpack to slump off his shoulder. Simon caught it before it could fall, and kept his mouth shut for now.
He was unfortunately used to people pushing him around. He didn't want to take it, but there was a softness in him that kept him from throwing punches. He didn't fully understand either. Years before, he would have had no problem beating the shit out of someone for even a fraction of what just happened.
He was very aware that he had unresolved anger issues. But when you're unemployed and are one week away from losing your apartment, your anger management issues isn't your main objective.
But today? Today, he just took all the shit people said to him. Every now and then he would shoot something back, shut the other person up, but that was less frequent nowadays. Was it because of Ellie? He wasn't sure. He adopted her three years ago, shortly after he finished college. What brought him to adopt a daughter? It felt so out of the blue, but he had a feeling. He wanted to do something good for this world. Wanted to make a change.
But did he? Yes, on paper Ellie is his daughter, but the poor girl barely sees him. So he tries his best to make the most of their time together. He planned movie dates, they went to the aquarium, took a walk in the park, or just sat at home and.. talked. And for a fraction of a minute, they could both feel normal.
"-Fisher."
Simon looked up from his work, cocking an eyebrow. His boss was standing next to him, arms crossed.
"I said go home, Fisher."
Simon was utterly confused now. Go home? It was - Simon glanced at his watch - 2 pm. Why should he go home?
"What-"
"Jenson will take over your work. Go home."
"Can I ask why?"
"Because I said so." The boss groaned, growing irritated by Simon. He uncrossed his arms and walked past Simon, done with the conversation. Simon stood there for a few seconds. Was this some sort of trust exercise, or..? What was happening?
He shook the thought off and simply packed up his things.
By 2:50, Simon was sitting in his car and buckling his seatbelt in.
It felt.. off. Like this wasn't supposed to happen. And Simon had a good reason to believe that. His boss never, and I mean never let employees go home earlier. And he definetly sure as hell didn't order them to go home. Curious.
He turned the radio on at a low volume and started pulling out of the parking lot with a small sigh. The scenery was the only thing good about this place. The workshop was surrounded by a forest. And Simon was a sucker for nature. He might've become a botanist if he weren't so good at engineering.
The question was still at the back of his mind. Why did Wilson tell him to go home?
"Hey, Simon."
Ava's voice was less irritated this time. By that only, Simon assumed that she was with Ellie.
"Hey. Uhm, I'll be home by around 4. Is that okay?"
Silence. Ava was stunned for a few seconds.
"..what?"
"Yeah, Wilson let me go afterall. I don't know why. He was acting weird."
"Yeah, that doesn't sound like him."
Simon shrugged, although Ava couldn't see it.
"Are you on your way?"
He hummed and nodded.
"Yeah, I'm driving back. It'll take a while."
"Alright. We'll be waiting."
Simon could hear Ellie let out a soft laugh somewhere around Ava. God, he missed that laugh.
Ava hung up the phone with that, leaving Simon to his thoughts and the top 50 songs playing on the radio quietly.
It took him one cheesy song until he turned the volume down fully and drove in silence. He liked it this way anyways. The drive was only 40 more minutes. He could handle forty minutes in silence, why not.
The sun was still shining bright when Simon parked his car. His stomach was grumbling, and he was pretty sure that if someone would get close enough, they could hear it clear as day.It took him half the trip to realise that he in fact hadn't eaten anything all day.
The diner was some run-down place he had never heard of. But it was open and they had greasy food and horrible coffee. What a delight.
The door chimed as it was pushed open. The walls were a red color, which probably used to be vibrant some day, but in the present the paint was chipping and the brightness had faded. A thick white stripe of paint cut the red in the middle, which to say the least wasn't the straightest line anyone had seen, and the white was more of a dull gray color now.
The windows were smudgy and dirty, and almost every table had dust settling. But they were open, and there were a few people inside. Well, there was some drunken man half slumped off a table in a booth, and two teenagers who looked like runaways. Two girls, they couldn't be older than 17.
Based on the look on their faces, the anxious leg bouncing of the blonde girl sitting on one side, and the way the redhead sitting on the other side kept glancing at the servers was giving off too much. They were 100% going to dine and dash. It wasn't any of Simon's business. He used to beat up people for fun, he's in no place to judge.
Simon walked in slowly, taking in the smell of burnt oil and something vile - which was probably urine and vomit combined, radiating off the passed out man. Simon walked to the front and slid into a seat. It wasn't too far from the servers, but as far away as possible from anyone else.
"What can I get'cha?"
Simon looked up, tearing away his gaze from the drunken guy. A man was standing in front of him. About 6 feet tall, gray hair, multiple scars on his left cheek. He was wearing a uniform, whuch he assumed every other server wore - if there were anymore to begin with. It was weirdly discolored and reeked of something vinegary. Simon couldn't place if it was the man, or the clothes.
"A cup of black coffee and fries. Thanks." Simon didn't even bother to take his jacket off. He wasn't sticking around for a moment too long.
The server nodded and walked back to the kitchen without another word. Straight to the point, Simon liked it. He didn't need any small talk. His headache was getting increasingly worse and worse. Maybe not drinking water all day didn't help his case either.
The blonde girl took the other's hand and they stood up abruptly. One lead the other out and they ran as fast as they could.
The redhead took out car keys and opened an idle beaten car, which probably had about two days until it stopped running. The blonde was saying something to her, probably telling her to hurry the fuck up, while the redhead was fumbling with the keys.
She eventually opened the car door and slid inside. The passenger door opened from the inside and the blonde sat in aswell. Car doors slammed closed in sync and they pulled away with dust firing up behind them.
Simon looked around, and absolutely nobody was following after them. Figured. This place didn't look like it had anything to lose at all. Probably closed in no more than a week.
"Don't be so angry, my love."
"I am angry for a reason. They set us up with a bad car and you know it."
A couple walked through the door. The doorbell chimed once more, before the heavy white door slid back into it's original position.
A man walked in front, tan skin, black hair with some grey streaks in the front. He had bright blue glasses sitting on his nose. What was he, five, with that color decision? He wore a dark green sweater and brown trousers. His boots were almost loud against the floor.
Behind him, trying to soothe the man was, based on the nickname, probably his lover, or girlfriend, partner, wife, whatever. They had similar tan skin and a vibrant teal hair color. Simon didn't even note what clothes they were wearing because, well.. they both definetly had some.. interesting choices regarding their looks.
But Simon knew better than to judge. He just ate his overly greasy fries in silence. The coffee, just like he thought, was horrible. It was cold, and he swore he swallowed a chunk of instant coffee powder once.
"They couldn't have known that the car was going to break down." They argued softly, as the two of them sat down into the booth. The man looked jittery, like he hadn't slept too well in a while, while his partner looked almost refreshed, but above all else calm.
"You know Tom likes to fuck me over." He argued. "He knew I was coming home, knew you were going to meet me at the airport, so he gave me a bad car on purpose."
The person sighed and looked at their partner with endearing, but also stern eyes. It was a silent exchange of words. And he shut up. Instead leaned back against the wall of the booth and placed his hands onto the table, but pulled them back and cringed. He looked down at his hands. "God, when was this place last cleaned?"
"You're right, I'm not sure how we'll eat off this without inhaling dust and--" they leaned slightly closer to the table, examining it "whatever that is." They pointed to a splotch of something between them on the wood.
"Alright, let's just.." the man sighed in defeat, running his forearm across his forehead, which messed up his wavy hair even further. "Let's call someone to pick us up and i'll talk to Tom tomorrow." There was almost bloodlust behind his calm tone.
"What about Ryland?" They offered.
"He still doesn't drive."
"Oh, yes, right right right. Sorry."
The man shook his head softly and propped his elbows onto the top of the seat, watching his partner think, now looking less aggravated than before.
"Well, we could call my brother."
He sighed, fixing his glasses by pushing them up with his thumb. "Alright, call your brother." He pointed one finger up, slightly angled toward them. "Just this once."
They smiled nevertheless at their partner sitting in front of them.
It took about 6 napkins until Simon could barely feel the grease on his fingers anymore. Or maybe it had been so long that he got used to it. Either way, he placed the napkins into the paper box which was also drenched in grease, in which his fries came in. He left it on the counter along with the mug and stood up from the seat. He groaned quietly to himself as his head started immediately pounding as he started moving. It was hell.
He walked to the front and leaned his elbows against the counter, watching a server approach.
"I'd ask will that be cash or card, but our terminal broke two days ago."
The same server who took his order tried to joke. He cracked a smirk, but upon seeing Simon's serious expression, it faltered.
"Alright, man, i catch your drift." He was still too playful for Simon's headache. He paid for his food without an excess word.
Once the server gave Simon his change, he was walking out of the diner. The same man was still passed out at a table, but now there was clearly a pool of urine under him. Appetizing.
Simon finally reached San Fransisco. Well, he still had 15 minutes of driving to do until he reached his home, but it was already starting to make his mood slightly better. Seeing Ellie would definetly do it. Well, if she isn't mad at him for the rest of his life. That's what he was scared of most when he was away. How would Ellie react? What would she say when he got home a day late? Sure, she liked Ava, but she loved Simon like a father. And that terrified him.
The sun was maybe an hour away from going down. It was still brught outside, but Simon turned on his headlights just in case. It wasn't his fault his eyesight wasn't too good, and he wanted to drive responsib--
Tires screeched and Simon stepped onto the brake as fast as his body let him. A curse escaped his lips.
A gray Toyota swerved into the lane Simon was going in, without a single blinker, and tried to squeeze between Simon's Ford and a car ahead. But they failed incredibly.
God, repairs for his car were the last thing Simon could afford right now. Or ever, really. Those mechanics charged way too much all the time.
It wasn't long before a man was angrily knocking on the window. Simon almost jumped out of his skin and turned his head. His windows were tinted, but he could unfortunately see the other driver. He looked like he'd seen better days. His eyes were bloodshot, and his face was reddening as he yelled profanaties at Simon.
Simon sighed and ran both of his hands down his face. He took a deep breath, trying to will the man away.
Another crash - although more of a thud this time - caught Simon's attention. He looked up through the windshield and saw the same gray sedan stopping in the middle of the road. Some pedestrians were stopping, looking down at something - or rather someone - on the ground. Simon looked around. He could've sworn there was a cyclist befo-
oh shit.
Simon had never gotten out of his car so quickly. What had came over him? He didn't know, and didn't really care. Once his feet met the road, he ran toward the sight.
It was maybe a hundred metres away. Not a long distance. The man was still yelling, even in the car.
"What the fuck are you doing?"
Simon slowed down a little, his chest heaving. His lungs hadn't been the same since-
"Can't you see I'm coming this way?!"
The man yelled again, and Simon could've sworn the tires started rolling again. "Fuck," he started running again, trying to ignore the wheezing in his chest. He grabbed onto the door of the car - as if that would stop it.
"Are you out of your fucking mind?" Simon yelled at the man for a change. It seemed to work, because the car came to a halt.
"You're running people over, asshole!" Simon's chest heaved with anger and breathlessness.
In the background someone was calling an ambulance, other passerbys were hovering over the man sprawled out on the floor, asking him if he was okay, but he didn't answer.
Two paramedics strapped the man into a stretcher and lifted him into the ambulance.
And for a single moment, Simon caught his gaze. He couldn't see his facial expression too well from over there, but he didn't seem upset. Was he not? Should Simon go with him to the hospital? He felt bad about the situation. Although it wasn't his fault. There was something about the injured man that made Simon feel bad about the accident. Maybe the way he didn't get up and walk away, or maybe how there was a hint of a smile on his face as he looked at Simon.
Talk about a strange day. Simon threw his keys onto the shoe cabinet. He kicked his shoes off and didn't bother to put them away. He would put them on again a few hours later.
"Dad!!" Simon's face lit up as he finally heard Ellie's sweet voice call out to him. She ran out from her room and "tackled" him, even though she wasn't tall enough to do so just yet. Simon groaned and stumbled nevertheless. Not because he actually lost his balance. Maybe he just wanted to get a laugh out of the girl.
Ellie's face buried into his chest. Simon hugged her back, holding her for a few moments in silence.
This was nice. This was what they needed in their lives.