Work Text:
Zuke hated fire.
He hated the sight of it. He hated the smell of it. He hated the dry warmth that it gave off. But he especially hated how it can easily destroy everything it touched.
He didn’t always hate it, though. He used to take comfort in the warmth that it gave off, much like an embrace from a lover.
Oh yeah, that’s how this all started in the first place…
He didn’t like to think about his old relationship. It was already difficult having to see photographs of his ex all over the advertisements on his way to work. Even when he didn’t want to think about her, he could feel her hauntingly beautiful emerald gaze on him at all times. While there were times he wished to go back to her he knew it wasn’t worth it.
Being lonely sucks but being in a relationship where you’re both toxic to each other sucks even more.
Continuing in his silent world or noisy thoughts, Zuke walked on to his way to work.
The night scene of Vinyl City was bustling. It always felt like nighttime brought out more people than the day did, like everyone was a nocturnal creature. The bright, colorful lights of the Akusuka district glaring into his eyes as he hastily made his way through. The bubbly pop music of the virtual mermaid idol Sayu played loudly around the busy district. Her new single dropped the other day and Zuke felt it had already been overplayed to death. However, he mostly felt that way because he watched the song grow from its inception.
Zuke wasn’t a fan of his job. In fact, he hated working for NSR as a musician. He wasn’t a fan of the elite musicians and their pompous attitudes. He especially wasn’t thrilled with the possibility of bumping into his ex at random occasions. Even if they maintained a professional working relationship and can respect each other in public, it still felt like ripping off scabs on a wound. Even with all the shortcomings, with a masters degree in fine arts and music and being a proficient drummer(if he did say so himself), it sure beats being a janitor or some other minimum wage job.
Nevertheless, Zuke couldn’t help but feel that there was nothing special to his life. Everyday was a repetitive cycle of sleep, eat, work, drum, repeat. Outside of work and the forced interactions he had to do there, the only person he’d talk to was his older brother. But his older brother had a life and was rarely available. So Zuke clung to his isolation and continued to walk through his mundane life, not really caring what happens next.
“Hey, buddy. You just going to stand there all day or you gonna get out of the way?”
A loud voice made Zuke jump and he let out a surprised yelp. He didn't realize that while he was caught up in his own thoughts, he had stopped moving. He whipped around to see who the person who spooked him was. He felt his shoulder hit something and a loud clatter followed as the object landed on the ground. Zuke immediately apologized for accidentally knocking over whatever he did.
“I-I’m sorry!” He stammered as he bent down to assist the stranger. “I didn’t mean to-“
“Nah, it’s all good. I didn’t expect you to jump three meters into the air.”
Zuke wanted to continue to apologize but the words that he was meaning to say simply vanished as he looked at the person he bumped into. Directly before him was a girl with tangerine colored skin. Her blonde hair was styled in a peculiar way with short, choppy bangs, braids that framed her face, and three weird ponytails fashioned to look like a mohawk. Her eyes were pink in color and had a strange starlike shape in them that Zuke couldn’t stop staring at. He looked down at her hand and noticed a small box. A box of matches?
The girl quickly straightened up and fixed her red skirt with enthusiasm. She looked at Zuke and flashed a huge grin. She hid the box behind her back, rocking back and forth on her heels.
“You know, it’s not good to frown all the time. From what I hear that’s how you get wrinkles.”
Zuke’s hand immediately went up to his face and followed the creases near his mouth. He narrowed his red eyes at the strange girl.
“I wasn’t frowning just now,” Zuke responded to her in an annoyed tone. “And why do you have a box of matches?”
The girl nodded her head quickly and smiled smugly at him, dodging his question. “Oh yes, you were. Anyway, I have stuff I need to do. Be sure not to stand in the street for no reason anymore! That’s how you can get run over or something. Ok, bye!”
“H-hey, wait!” And before Zuke could say another word, the mystery girl with the weird pink colored eyes ran away from him. She pushed her way through the crowded street and, soon enough, she was out of sight.
Zuke held his breath for a moment and then let it go. He had no idea what to think of the strange encounter with that girl. Her weird look. The starlike pink eyes he couldn’t stop staring at. The box of matches she was carrying. Now he had so many questions and didn’t know how to react.
There was one thing he was sure of though. And that was that he was going to be late for work.