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It should have been peaceful.
But peace left when Azure fumbled through the door.
a nervous guy with a Burger Bob hat and the most politely terrified expression Two Time had ever seen, greeted them.
007n7- quiet, respectful, twitchy-pushed his rag down and scanned the register.
A faint nervous smile forming.
“Welcome to- uhm..- Burger King,”
he said, voice a notch above a whisper.
“What can I-..help you?”
Azure smiled.
“Two large mozzarella fries, please.”
007n7 blinked.
“I… I’m sorry, sir. Uh… we’re out of mozzarella fries.”
Azure’s smile smudged.
“Out?”
Their voice stayed calm.
“How? Why?”
007n7's hand trembled.
“We... ran out. They've been discontinued temporarily. I don’t know when they're back.”
Two Time reached for Azure’s hand, but their partner pulled slightly away.
Azure nodded slowly.
"I see." Their voice went soft- disappointed.
007n7 looked down.
“I can get you an onion rings upgrade?”
Azure set their jaw.
"That’s not what’s on the menu."
007n7 swallowed. "I... understand."
A long pause filled with static.
Azure's nostrils flared.
Their eyes narrowed just a fraction.
They swallowed.
“Can I speak to your manager?”
007n7 winced.
"Er- he’s in the back right now. I can-.."
"Fine," Azure said. "I'll wait."
Two Time squeezed Azure’s hand.
“azure, it's okay. Really.”
They turned to 007n7.
“We can just-”
Azure cut in, voice polite but firm:
“I’d like to hear from a manager.”
007n7 nervously nodded
Five minutes later, the manager emerged.
Azure’s patience had swollen to the brim.
He approached, voice measured:
“I’m sorry about the fries. Can I offer you-”
Before he could finish, Azure’s gentle expression cracked.
That trademark polite smile fell away, replaced by steely distance.
“My partner here.” Azure gestured to Two Time
with a sad gentle smile,
“-brought me out for a treat. Some mozzarella fries.”
Azure’s voice tightened.
“If that’s not possible, I’d rather just go.”
The manager stuttered:
“I can confirm, sir. Our distributor-”
Azure’s right fist clenched.
Azure sank into themselves for a beat.
Lips pressed tight.
Then the polite mask shattered.
Azure suddenly leaned forward and, calmly but with lethal precision, punched the manager in the jaw.
The restaurant went still.
It was bone against bone.
A single hit. A polite and quiet statement of rage.
The manager stumbled, nose bleeding.
007n7 froze behind the counter.
Behind them, deep, rusty silence.
Two Time gasped, grabbing Azure.
But Azure didn’t pull back.
They clenched fists, every muscle flaring under their jacket.
“I didn’t come here for anything else,”
Azure spat.
The manager shook his head, fear flickering.
He wiped his mouth and backed off.
Azure turned sharply.
Headlight eyes.
“Do you have any mozzarella fries? Or not?”
No answer.
And then-
Silver speed, a second punch- this one clipped the manager’s cheek, a punishment for politeness.
Two Time’s scream echoed.
“Azure! Stop!”
Finally the storm broke.
Azure sank back. knuckles raw. Their anger drained.
The manager clutched his cheek, wiping blood.
Hands trembling.
Azure stayed perfectly still as a statue crumbling.
It was not cinematic.
It was not dramatic.
The entire restaurant melted into stillness.
Two Time gasped: “Azure-..what-”
Azure’s fists shook.
"I'm sorry."
Just two words.
Quiet.
Raw.
They looked at Two Time- eyes haunted.
They turned to 007n7.
The employee’s mouth hung open, fear mixing with shock.
He looked lost.
Azure nodded. “I’m sorry.”
And then they turned and walked out.
007n7 stared after them, stunned and anxious, lips trembling.
007n7 immediately look at the manager who was bleeding from the nose, and a red face mark that would probably last for days or even weeks.
Outside, Two Time drew Azure into a hug.
Azure pressed their face into Two Time's shoulder.
"They… they had one job."
Two Time sighed.
“Mozzarella fries aren’t worth this.”
Azure tilted their head back, eyes glossy.
“I know.”
Two Time ran a shaky hand through Azure’s hair.
“You okay?”
Azure took a breath.
"No."
Long pause. “But… I wanted you to smile today.”
Two Time smiled sadly.
“We’ll make them ourselves.”
Azure nodded once.
That evening, a voice message:
"Banned from all King locations within a 50-mile radius. Please... do not return."
Azure forward the text and nodded.
“They did me a favor.”
Two Time rolled their eyes.
“Don’t go thinking you’re a legend.”
Azure snorted.
“Maybe I am.”
It should have ended there.
But legends don’t go down in silence.
Not when mozzarella fries are involved.
Later that night, Two Time sat curled on the couch, laptop open, typing quietly.
Azure entered the room with a frozen bag of cheese sticks from the back of the freezer, dust-covered and possibly expired.
"We can air-fry these,"
they said like a man announcing a cure for heartbreak.
Two Time raised an eyebrow.
"Those are from last year. They might be toxic."
Azure shrugged, setting the bag on the counter.
"So are my fists, apparently."
They both paused.
Then snorted-just a little. That first laugh since the incident.
Bing!
Two Time’s laptop pinged.
They opened a new tab.
A TikTok had gone viral:
@wheresmymozzarella
“POV: you work at Burger King and the Flower Tank decks your boss for killing mozzarella fries 😭😭😭”
-the video cut to Azure, mid-swing, captioned:
“💥 Garden tank Goes Feral 💥”
Azure blinked.
"...I look buff."
"You are buff,"
Two Time muttered.
Another TikTok loaded.
A dramatic fan edit with sad piano music and text over footage:
“All I wanted… was cheese.”
Azure dragged a hand over their face.
“I can’t go outside now.”
Two Time smirked.
“You punched a manager over dairy. Of course not.”
Azure dropped onto the couch beside them, groaning.
“I just wanted you to smile.”
Two Time leaned into them.
“You really thought the mozzarella fries would do that?”
Azure nodded solemnly.
“They were crispy. Golden. Holy.”
They stared off into space, eyes haunted.
“And now they’re… discontinued.”
“It’s okay.”
Two Time whispered.
“We can make our own.”
Azure squinted.
“But what if I accidentally create mozzarella rage again?”
“We’ll keep you away from all major chains.”
“What if I punch the air fryer?”
Two Time deadpanned.
“Then I’m hitting you with a pan.”
Azure burst out laughing.
For the first time in days, it didn’t feel like the sky was falling.
Somewhere, in a quiet break room, 007n7 stared at the ceiling.
Chance beside him trying to hold their laughter, after hearing what happened.
Their manager wrapped in bandages beside him, he whispered,
“Why over mozzarella fries?”
He never got an answer.
He only got a nickname across the internet:
“Mozzarella Man’s Witness.”
And the trauma of seeing a flower-loving tank throw hands over discontinued dairy.
The end… until they bring the fries back.