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Moca Aoba was dying for a distraction. Though working at the convenience store since high school had given her some leverage in shift choices by her last year of college for every overnight she avoided there was a 4 to 10 she couldn’t duck out of. It was late enough that customers were few and far between and the store only needed one little Moca-chan to keep it minded. The Afterglow group chat was uselessly quiet, they were probably all making out with their respective girlfriends while Ran caressed a plant or something, and Lisa was definitely off macking on Yukina and that was end of the list of Moca’s friends.
She couldn’t even distract herself by being a secretly good employee. Moca had already reorganized the stock room, cleaned the counters, mopped the floors, slightly adjusted the cameras so no one could see her flip through last week’s manga at the counter, calculated the till. It was just Moca and the incredibly slow passage of time at a rate of one second by one second forever and ever or at least for one more hour.
Ding. Dong.
Just as Moca was considering hunting down a fork to stab into the toaster, for the sake of novelty, the electronic bell rang out through the store.
“Welcome~,” Moca sang out in her most professionalish sing-songy voice, though her voice trailed off as she glimpsed her only customer.
The convenience store serviced a wide range of clientele. It was one of the reasons Moca liked working there. That and the money. Moca liked the money. But she also enjoyed watching people from all walks of life stumble into the convenience store and purchase all sorts of things they’d be totally embarrassed for their friends to know about: businessmen with bunny chocolates, housewives with shounen manga, anyone with discount almost expired egg sandwiches. Yet, for all the colors of the rainbow in the store Moca and never expected a yellow this shade.
Chisato Shirasagi was not exactly a frequent convenience store customer.
The blonde appeared mildly ruffled, like she’d just been chased around the corner by a power walking serial killer. She smoothed out her lightly rumpled skirt and straightened her cardigan before she even looked in Moca’s direction and even then her eyes were elsewhere.
“May I wait here?” Chisato asked as if Moca was a stranger owed formality. Which, to be fair, Moca kind of was. They’d played a show together a lifetime ago and she was one of Himari’s twenty thousand friends but Moca didn’t exactly make a habit of introducing herself to others.
Moca shrugged and gestured around the store. “You’ll have to mind the other customers.”
Chisato glanced briefly for said customers before catching the meaning and pretending she hadn’t looked.
“Don’t worry, I don’t get paid enough to kick you out.”
“Thank you,” Chisato bowed her head. “Aoba-san from Afterglow, correct?” Oh. She did remember.
“Shirasagi-san from the TV right?”
The blonde scoffed with a smile and disappeared into the aisle. So much for Moca’s entertainment. Moca rolled her shoulders, letting her spine crack in a way that probably should be supervised by a doctor. It was weird seeing someone like Chisato on this side of the television. Even in real life she wasn’t real, still too scripted, too formal...
…way way too beautiful.
The almost blonde smirked as she watched the actual blonde browse through some magazines, was she looking for herself? Himari once told her that Aya was always looking herself up on the internet, maybe it was a celebrity thing. Moca’s thumb subconsciously drummed on the counter. Shit. She’d never wanted to tease someone who wasn’t one of her friends so bad.
When was the first time she’d seen Chisato Shirasagi on TV? It’d been way long ago now. What was it? Right, that kid lawyer show. Man, that show was bad. Legitimately unwatchable now, but little kid Chisato hadn’t been half bad. Not half good either but like a quarter of each at least. What was the stupid catchphrase they jammed into each episode? Oh that’s right—
“No way~ You’re kidding me!” Moca recited the setup in her usual singsong voice before switching into an imitation of child Chisato’s voice.
“I might be a child, but I never kid.”
Somehow that great performance earned no applause. No other response either. Chisato simply continued to browse the shelves with a poise that made it easy to mistake her for someone much older, like Moca’s grandmother.
Something else, something else. There was always that terrible made for TV movie she’d been in. Or was it released in theaters before being shamefully shuffled off to syndication? For such a good actress she sure made some bad choices. Moca raised her voice into the same childish falsetto, “You’re not my mother! You’re just a robot!”
Chisato’s hand twitched over a packet of gum.
Moca grinned to herself and lowered her voice into a matronly plea, “I can be your mother AND a robot.”
The actress resumed her browsing, pretending to be unphased. Oh she was a tricky, tricky one alright. It was time for the big guns. Quietly thanking Himari for dragging her to the theater in high school, Moca prepared her greatest role yet.
“Sister please! Forget about my…” Moca paused for maximum dramatic effect, “…disease. I just want you to pursue… your… dreams.” Moca spoke the line like she was performing for an audience of hundreds, not just one unlucky actress trying her best not to look over.
“And now… I die. Bleeeeeeh.” Moca collapsed on the countertop, making sure to smear around her hair and let her tongue loll around, for the complete dramatic effect.
Footsteps. Finally! Moca popped an eye open and looked up into the unmistakable face of the incomparable Chisato Shirasagi.
“I didn’t die in that play Aoba-san,” Chisato said in an even voice. Moca couldn’t tell if she was annoyed or amused, both were totally acceptable.
“It would have been a better play if you had~.”
Chisato considered the idea then sharply clicked her tongue, “You’re probably right.”
“Shame I’m committed to my convenience store career, my playwriting would have rocked the theater world,” Moca pushed her self up on her elbows, leaning over the counter with a shit eating grin.
“I had no idea you were such a fan,” Chisato daintily rested an elbow by Moca’s and tapped her chin with a single, perfectly manicured finger.
“Oh, Moca-chan’s a super fan, can I get you to sign my hand? Promise I’ll neeever wash it.”
Chisato didn’t laugh but her lips twitched upwards. Promising. How far could Moca run with this?
“You know, you do die a LOT. Like you’ve been at least four other sickly little sisters.”
“I’m aware. I just have one of those faces.”
“How does it feel having a face people want to tragically kill off?”
Lavender eyes narrowed but her lips, oh those lips, turned in a brilliant sneer. “You really just want me to be mean to you, don’t you?”
“You ever think maybe that’s just what Moca-chan’s into? Pretty girls being unquestionably cruel.”
“I don’t think of you often, no.”
The grey eyed devil of Afterglow gripped her chest. “Devastating,” She reverently whispered. Deliciously devastating.
“Shall we be friends Moca Aoba?” Chisato's head tilted just so to let her blonde hair fall in a perfect sheet away from her collarbone. Moca couldn’t stop her eyes from looking, but she didn’t want to anyway.
“Alas I have five friends and that’s all I can count up to,” Moca wiggled the fingers on her right hand for emphasis.
“But you have two hands.”
“But if I lost one,” Moca hid her left hand behind her back, “I’d have to get rid of all the extra friends. Very sad~ Very sad~.”
“And if you lost both you’d have no friends at all.”
“See, you understand me.”
“Not in the slightest,” the actress sighed with a lilt of humor. “I suppose we’ll never be friends then. More’s the pity.”
“The pitiest~,” Moca reached into the rotating case of lukewarm meat tubes. “Conciliatory hot dog?”
“Are they good?”
“Not at all~ try one.” With a practiced swipe, Moca plucked a hot dog from the case and slipped it into a stale bun. She held it out to Chisato but as the blonde reached out Moca lifted it just above Chisato’s head. “But first, who are you hiding from~?”
“You can’t bribe me with something you already offered that I don’t even want,” she responded dryly. “Also, you could have simply asked.”
“It’s more fun like this.” But Moca handed Chisato the hot dog anyway.
With tentative teeth, nationwide super star, or at least nationwide b-lister, Chisato Shirasagi nibbled on a convenience store hot dog. For nearly eight years Moca had given this store her part time and finally, it was worth it. “This is disgusting,” Chisato said with scorn before she took a second bite, “Why can’t I stop eating it?”
“It’s just like Moca-chan.”
Chisato finally chuckled, “You’re like if Kaoru was smart enough to know better.”
“So who are you hiding from?”
“You’re incorrigible.”
“I don’t know the meaning of the word. Hmm. Maybe I read it somewhere.”
“You read?” Chisato feigned surprise.
“Wikipedia only, for fun quotes to trick beautiful women into thinking I’m clever.”
The hot dog disappeared from Chisato’s hand. She dabbed at the corner of her thin lips with her handkerchief. Moca considered reaching out and flicking away the crumb the blonde missed but it was a little early to push her luck that far. “I’m hiding from my publicist.” When Moca didn’t respond she elaborated. “He has opinions on who I associate with.”
“Ah,” the clerk nodded sagely, “not enough supernaturally gorgeous store clerks in your social circle.”
“How did you know?” Chisato leaned in closer.
Moca held her ground or at least her portion of counter space. It was possible she was misreading things entirely. Unlikely but possible. After all, beautiful actresses weren’t known for just popping in to convenience stores and flirting back with a clerk reaching way above her station. She was probably just playing along and she must know Moca wasn’t exactly the type to take it further. The flirting was fun but the follow through was—
Chisato’s eyes flicked from Moca’s lips to her grey eyes.
The almost-college-dropout was absolutely not misreading the situation. However, the almost-college-dropout may have gotten in slightly over her head.
Three time razzie loser Chisato Shirasagi reached out with perfect fingers and toyed with the strap of Moca’s apron.
Oh she was in a lot over her head. But Moca had years of practice keeping her lazy grin plastered on her face even when every atom of her was panicking and she wasn’t about to let Chisato break her mask now. Even when she used Moca’s apron like a handle to drag the rest of Moca over the rest of the counter.
Chisato forced their lips together in a motion that was half-bite, half-kiss and honestly, very welcome. She was a much better kisser than she was a kid lawyer. Or a teen idol. Or actress, frankly. Damn, she was a good kisser. When Chisato forced her tongue against Moca’s lips, the almost blonde couldn’t help but smirk as she let them part and allowed Chisato to think she controlled the situation. Well, she definitely did control the situation but Moca could at least pretend she was letting this tiny stunning blonde actress have control and not that it was merely assumed.
If she couldn’t read Chisato, Moca sure as hell wasn’t going to let Chisato read her.
They parted slowly, both returning for a brief encore before finally accepting the show was over.
Chisato looked down at the small watch on her thin wrist, “That should be long enough to lose him.”
“You sure?” Moca winked, her bravado regained with the air on her lips. “We’ve got a back room~. Could make him real mad back there.”
“You really are incorrigible,” Chisato said in a voice that promised she was considering the option as she wiped her mouth with the side of her hand.
“I told you I don’t know the meaning of the word.”
Chisato eyed Moca’s swollen lips curved in that wry smirk. “Liar.”
“Incorrigible, actually.”
“See you around Moca Aoba,” Chisato stepped away from the counter and the clerk and with a sneaky sideways glance at the camera in the corner she disappeared into the night.
Did she know Moca moved the cameras? Or did Chisato assume she hadn’t? Moca shrugged, didn’t matter too much for Moca-chan. Except… well, maybe she’d volunteer for the late shift more often.