Chapter Text
I’m rudely awakened by the blaring of my alarm clock at precisely nine thirty in the morning. Like normal, I’m barely able to open one sleep heavy eye in order to glare at the offending device before reaching over with one hand to finally silence it’s obnoxious tune. Seriously, every time the damn thing wakes me up I’m given a firm reminder why I should never again allow my younger sister to choose my alarm clock settings for me. Ruby had a knack, no, more like the unnatural ability to find the most obnoxious, most high pitched ringtones that ever existed on the interweb.
Well whatever, the stupid creepy squeaky voice alternating between whispering and yelling at me to wake up had successfully done it’s job. I’m not happy about it, I never am, but work had kept me a whole friggin hour over my normal schedule last night that resulted in me getting home even later than normal. Meaning I had gotten even less sleep than I would have preferred. And a girls gotta have her beauty sleep.
Ugh, whatever, it’s not like sleep was a known luxury for college students who also worked graveyard shifts to have an abundance of anyway. Sleep is for the weak! Or that’s how the saying goes at least.
“Well if that’s the case then consider me weak and feeble…” I mutter to myself as I finally haul my groggy butt out of bed and trudged into the kitchen. Coffee… Need coffee….
It doesn’t take me long to find myself in my tiny ass kitchen. Ah the joys of single bedroom apartments that are barely larger than a double wide shoe box. In fact, as I exit my bedroom I already hone in on the frequently used appliance sitting on the counter.
“Hello gorgeous, are you ready to start the day?” Yes, I talk to my coffee maker. Is that a bit weird? Probably. Do I care? Fuck off, I’ll talk to the source of my caffeine however the fuck I want!
I take a moment to ensure that my husband, which by the way was Ruby’s nickname for my coffee maker based off its brand name, Mr. Coffee, had everything it needed in order to make my morning fix. With the water level good and the coffee beans ready, I gave it an affectionate pat as the coffee machine whirred to life before disappearing into the bathroom to have a nice long shower. Hot showers were my secondary means of waking up in the mornings. That and it gave me something else to do besides standing in my kitchen and stare at my coffee maker impatiently while it finished it’s brewing process.
I mean, I could start my day without coffee… Technically speaking anyway. But let’s face it, without it I wouldn’t be able to function properly. And I’m talking like the walking zombie type, where I wouldn’t know how to use words or even know how pants worked. And I highly doubt I’m the only person who couldn’t operate like a proper adult without their morning caffeine. But that’s not including the dangerous levels of bitchiness I personally would extrude without my morning fix. Which according to Ruby can be pretty impressive, and hazardous to deal with. Though that’s a different story entirely.
Either way, the hot water did wonders for easing any early morning crankiness. And after spending perhaps a bit longer than I had initially intended to I emerged out of my bathroom wearing nothing but a towel and was greeted by the heavenly smell of freshly brewed dark roast. With a combination of muscle memory powered by my superb autopilot skills, I grab myself a mug, still in nothing but a towel because I live alone so therefore who cares? And proceed to pour myself a cup of coffee and down it as quickly as I dared without burning my tongue before pouring myself a second.
“Aww yeah that’s the stuff… Thanks babe.” Yes yes, there I go again talking to my coffee maker like a crazy person. Bite me.
“Alright, shower? Check. Coffee? First cup, check. Second cup, working on it! Time to do some studying I guess.” You know, thinking about it, it’s probably a good thing I live alone. All this talking to myself surely was some kind of sign that I had gone insane on some level. Well whatever. At least this meant I wasn’t being yelled at to get dressed by a perturbed roommate before plopping myself down on my second hand sofa and bust out what little homework I had. Thankfully it wasn’t a whole lot. Part of the joys (and I use that term sarcastically by the way) of working the graveyard shift as a security guard for a call center building. Don’t ask me what they do, I just know that the building was large and had housed about a dozen or so different departments during the day, but there was only one or two of them open 24/7. In a nutshell, it meant that I have all the time in the world to complete any excessive amounts of homework while on the clock.
At least it kept me awake during my boring ass shifts.
Not like I’m ever worried about falling behind my homework of course. The joys of going to college for auto mechanics meant that a majority of my schoolwork was hands on. I had only a few courses where it was the more traditional nose stuck in a textbook and note taking was a thing. Speaking of schoolwork, I just finished my assignment for my English class, (yeah don’t ask me why that’s a required course for my degree, it just is) when I noticed the time.
“Shit!” I had roughly thirty minutes left before my first class started. Crap, and I haven’t even done my hair yet!
I scramble for the bedroom and quickly find a suitable pair of clothes to throw on before spending only ten minutes brushing my hair. And believe me, that’s a new record… After that I make sure to shove all my books and newly finished homework into my backpack along with my work uniform. Once that’s done I’m shrugging on my leather jacket as I’m one foot out the door before turning around quickly to grab my helmet. Can’t forget that! And then I’m flying down the stairway and towards the parking lot of my apartment complex where my beloved motorcycle awaited.
“All right Bumblebee, we’re racing the clock not the cops!” I utter out loud as a self reminder to not speed too terribly. Once I ensured my helmet was securely attached to my head I revved the engine perhaps a bit too loud and peeled out of the parking lot.
Thankfully I made it to my first class with just enough time to have my butt firmly in a chair before the professor walked in and immediately started barking out today’s agenda. Talk about cutting it close! I mean, most of my professors are pretty chill but of course there’s always that one teacher who takes their job way too seriously. I mean, I’m like ninety percent sure that Professor Goodwitch did nothing but eat, live and breathe the student-teacher handbook. The other ten percent was because she unquestionably had a stick up her ass but let’s not go there.
Other than being nearly late for my math class with Professor Goodwitch, again, my day was pretty normal. Like always. Then again, normal was pretty easy to achieve when you follow a routine I suppose.
On Monday, Tuesday and Fridays my classes consisted of (in order) algebra 2, advanced electronics, computer science 101 and then finally my hands on automotive repair. Then the rest of the week I had English literature, advanced welding 102 and more hands on automotive repair. And since I had afternoon to evening classes, I typically started my day around two in the afternoon and got out of my classes around 7ish at night. Then of course there’s that thing I call a job, so my shift as a security guard started at eight. Which was where I now found myself, currently making my rounds around the building before my relief arrived to take over.
If I was lucky, my shift ended at four in the morning and then it was off to pass out in the comfort of my bed before I start the whole process again the next day. Though again that’s a big fat IF I was lucky seeing as my coworker was seemingly incapable of showing up on time. It was more like I was forced to wait anywhere between an extra thirty minutes to an hour waiting for his happy ass to show up.
Sometimes I wish I could throat punch Cardin whenever he showed up late. The only thing that stopped me from doing so was that it was regrettably illegal to assault someone, no matter how much that person deserves it. Shame, cause I’m more than certain it would solve a lot of problems, and if not, then at least I would feel better.
Thinking of said asshat, he was late. Big surprise there… At least it was Friday, er… Well technically it was Saturday now, meaning I didn’t have class later on nor did I work again until Monday night. Blessed be the two days off where I don’t have anywhere to be. They are my precious lazy days. That is unless Ruby decided to drop by to check up on me.
I mean, my baby sis could easily do that by just calling me, but seeing as she didn’t live that far away, she liked dropping by instead. Not that I mind of course, her and her girlfriend are like, my only source of social interaction that I have… Or at least my only source that I didn’t share classes with at least.
Yeah I know I’m a sad individual with no social life. Jeez rub it in why don’t you. I can hardly believe that I’m the only college student out there that was kept busy with school and stuff.
As I complete my last lap around the interior of the building, I reached the security booth just in time to greet Cardin finally strolling through the revolving front door. About fucking time! “Morning Cardin, get lost in the parking lot again?” I try to keep my tone as friendly as possible, if only because I knew it annoys him.
“Bite me Xiao Long. Unlike you, I have a life you know. I can’t be expected to just drop everything and be here constantly.” I swear he says the same thing every time and of course I can’t help but poke the bear so to speak. Because that’s what you get when you waltz into work forty-five minutes late and expect me to be okay with it. Which by the way, I’m most certainly am not.
“Oh my bad, I thought this job helped fund your online gaming habit so that you can continue living it up by doing crappy live streams of you yelling at the other players like a twelve year old who uses words like ‘get good scrub.’” I say as sarcastically as possible, already halfway done clocking out and grabbing my things. From the corner of my eye I see Cardin puff up in what was undoubtedly annoyance, most likely in preparation to fire off some insult he thinks will make me feel like a terrible person. So I interrupt him instead by roughly shoving the security checklist into his gut. “Here you go by the way. I just completed a walk through, so your next one isn’t for another hour or so. Be thankful. Now if you don’t mind I’m out of here. I have a girlfriend that is demanding my presence.”
Can I just take this moment to admit that I actually don’t have a girlfriend? I mean I know Ruby likes to oh so helpfully remind me that I’m in painful need of one, buuuuuut yeah… Busy college student and all that. Of course Cardin doesn't need to know that and it goes to show how much brain over brawn he has that he hasn’t caught on to my lie yet in the six months we’ve worked together. I just say it because every time I mention I have a girlfriend he turns a brilliant shade of angry red. Yeah that’s right, be jealous of this lesbian even though there isn’t actually anything to be jealous about. Semantics…
Stepping outside to the cool night air was like a soothing balm to my soul. Okay so perhaps nothing quite so dramatic but damn does it feel good to officially start my weekend. “Hmmm Perhaps I’ll treat myself tonight…” I think out loud as I mount my bike and go through the motions of putting on my helmet. I mean, yesterday was payday and I have yet to find the time to go to the store, and I really don’t feel like making anything once I get home.
Yup, some fast food sounds really good right about now. Thankfully I know just the place. Conveniently on my drive home there was a Wendy’s that was open twenty-four hours not far from my apartment complex. Which was perfect because that meant I could order my food and it’ll still be hot by the time I got home. Man this plan was starting to sound better and better.
I ride my bike through surface streets at a leisurely pace. Meaning I was doing the speed limit. No really, no matter how empty the streets seem and you think you’re the only one on the road, BAM! A cop grows out of the asphalt and is suddenly pulling you over for speeding. Never again will I make that mistake.. Either way I find myself at my destination not long after leaving work and was pulling up into a parking space. I mean, I could go through the drive-thru but it always felt a bit weird doing so on a motorcycle.
No sooner had I cut the engine I hear a soft meow as I take off my helmet. Looking around I quickly spot a fluffy looking cat emerge from the bushes by the front entrance and was making their way towards me. “Well aren’t you a cute kitty…” The cat meowed again. Even in the dim exterior lighting of the restaurant I could tell the cat was a long haired orange tabby of sorts.
As the cat seated itself at my feet like a patiently waiting dog, I couldn’t help but bend down to give it a little head scratch. Of course that’s when I felt the dirt ingrained in the poor cats fur. “Oh you’re a dirty little guy aren't ‘ya? Well I still think you’re cute.” The cat mewed again before purring so loud he almost sounded just like a mini motorcycle engine in idle. Which admittedly sounded far too cute in my opinion. “I’m gonna call you Wendel, get it? Cause you’re lurking outside a Wendy’s?” The cat just did a slow blink at me before continuing to purr. “If you were a person I’m sure you would have found that hilarious.”
Of course my stomach chose that moment to remind me of my original purpose for being here. Rather loudly in fact… Boy am I glad there weren’t any people around to hear that. “Well, bye for now Wendel. I gotta get some food myself and head home. See you around little fella.” I gave Wendel another tiny scratch on the head and stand up to head inside. It was almost adorable in a sad way how the cat followed me up until I reached the front doors before letting out a long meow. It sounded sad in pitch and I felt bad leaving him there, but what could I do? It’s not like I could take him home with me.
I manage to put it from my mind for the time being. Besides, lingering on the thought would just make me feel like a terrible person. So instead I greet the overly cheerful employee behind the counter (who must’ve had more than a few five hour energy drinks) and proceed to place an order for one son of baconator and large fries. Awww yeah, heart-attack on a bun never tasted so delicious.
Once I received my order I was then met with a dilemma; how was I going to get this home? I mean, I could put my food in my backpack, but then I didn’t want it mixing with my dirty clothes from class that were covered in car oil and grease. Hrmm…
Walking back out to my motorcycle I figured out a solution. I had a pair of hard cover saddlebags on the back of my bike. Granted they weren’t very large, but lifting the lid and placing my food inside, it proved to be more than enough space. As for my drink I had to rush back inside to get an additional lid to put on it, knowing that by doing this it would be okay to place in the side pocket of my backpack. That is if I didn’t take any corners too sharply of course.
Making it back to my motorcycle I noticed the lid to my saddlebag was closed. Did I close it? Maybe, I can’t really remember. Whatever, I’ll just chalk it up to the fact that it’s late, and I can’t wait to go home, wolf down my food and go to bed. Though as I mount my bike and start the engine I can’t help but look around the parking lot in an attempt to find Wendel. I never really saw that many stray cats in this part of the neighborhood and yeah, I did kinda feel bad for leaving him. But with no evidence of the cat having stuck around I decided to just forget about it and finally head home.
I easily make it home within a few minutes, even while driving a bit slower than normal due to the transportation of food and drink. And when my parking spot came into view, I swear it felt like the whole day finally caught up to me. I was bone tired but at least I was finally home. After cutting the engine and extending the kickstand I check my scroll. Whoa… It was nearly six in the morning. “Great, new record for how long I’ve been out of the house. Thanks Cardin you dick bastard…” I mutter angrily. I am so glad I had the next two days off. Because if this was any other day of the week, this would mean I would be getting maybe four hours of sleep. Five if I really wanted to push my luck.
Ugh whatever, I had already planned on sleeping in for as long as possible anyway. But first- Food!
Mood restored, I opened the saddlebag with a smile. Only to immediately become utterly confused as I stare down at the destroyed paper bag that once held my food. The fries, what was left of them at least, were everywhere. The bottom of the saddlebag was littered with the remaining fries while a fuzzy orange creature was currently busy chowing down on a few of them.
“What the- Wendel? What are you doing in there?” More importantly, how did he get in there?
The orange tabby only briefly looked up at me with a muffled ‘murrrp’ sound before continuing to munch on the french fry still in his mouth.
This cat… This stray cat that I met not even twenty minutes ago somehow managed to sneak into my saddlebag like some vagabond and is eating all of my fries…
What the hell? What am I supposed to do now?