Chapter Text
Leeroy is broke as fuck. It shouldn't take a rocket scientist to figure that out. Juggling his job as a delivery man and his college assignments was tough as it was, but of course, the government hates people like him, and so inflation went up way higher than he had ever prepared for. Just being a delivery man wasn't gonna cut it unless he wanted to end up homeless.
Which is why he took part-time at the cafe near the market, it was just a five minute walk from his campus to there so it was really convinient for when he had shifts right after class ended. Whenever he didn't have anything to do at his first job he would be serving the overbearing assholes ordering a latte with a dozen add-ons that have to be in a specific sequence because it would "ruin the flavour" if done any other way. Dealing with those kind of people make him feel like a headache would come along.
But handling his coworkers set the deal, Giorgio kept on hitting on the customers with shitty pick up lines that somehow work. Leeroy swears those students are blind; why would they go for Giorgio when he's literally right there? The staff ended up nicknaming him Gummigoo after he managed to woo a regular by perfecting their infamous unmakable gummy something drink. When they recieved their order Leeroy could've sworn he saw fucking hearts in their eyes. Now said customer only orders if it's Gummigoo at the counter, absolute favoritism!
Zoey is tolerable but she's way too shy for the customers to hear often needing him to repeat what she said for her since she gets tounge tied after saying it twice. He can't blame her though, word around campus says she just got out of the hospital and wasn't used to talking to people other than medical personel. She recently got hired for job in some graphic art firm or something as an intern he believes but since she is also suffering from the wrath of the government she works part-time with him every other day. She's pretty nice to be around, kinda sucks to know that one day there won't be someone with him to shit talk Giorgio with.
That being said Leeroy was ready to quit and migrate his ass over to being the cashier at the market next door instead, at least there he knows no popular girl would ever go and demand special treatment for being pretty. He had just finished dealing with some entitled rich looking boy asking for a hundred dollar discount when the gates of heaven opened and in entered a goddamn angel.
Stylish woman with brunette hair, a very obvious work uniform, and a fucking light shining behind her. Now, there were many instanses where Leeroy begun hallucinating due to lack of sleep and having drunk four cups of coffee in under two hours, but oh how he hoped this wasn't one of those instanses. He was frozen in place for a enough minutes that Zoey felt concerned enough to check on him.
"Leeroy? Roy, you there?" She said cautiously afraid that perhaps he had fallen asleep standing up again like that one time he pulled an all-nighter. Nearby customers thought he died, well some did, the others thought he just didn't want to talk to them resulting to him having to be called out by his manager.
Her voice had snapped him out of whatever trance he was in, turning to look at her he replied, "Yea? Just uhh got a bit distracted, is all…"
"Okay.. Just, don't be di- distracted again alright? The customers might get the impression that you're ignoring them." Zoey finished, walking off to service the woman he was starstruck by. Leeroy tried, emphasis on tried, to maybe eavesdrop on their conversation while attempting to work with a different customer without looking awkward. To his luck the person at his counter was Grant, one of their regulars, he was a very kind man; his orders were always simple and with no add ons aside from more expresso on days work felt exhusting, he always thanked the staff before he left which Leeroy appreciated.
He began making his elder's regular, still attempting to steal a few glances to the counter next to him. But he was honestly trying his best to do Grant's order. Leeroy wouldn't admit this to anyone but Grant is his favorite customer to serve. Unlike most people he'd serve, Grant never got agitated when he messed up something always telling him it's alright. And the way he talks about his family is real sweet too, makes him wish his was like that too somedays. The employees all love him too, started calling him Kinger like the chess piece. Doesn't move too much but is so important to the other pieces. And of course, his wife was blessed with the matching nickname, Queenie.
Grant was going on again on how his family is doing, how well his kids are doing in school, new projects he'll be doing at work, and what new bugs his wife is learning about in her eme-something-logy thing. Leeroy has no clue what her job is called actually but it surely sounds like fun shit to do. Maybe halfway in doing his order Grant notices that Leeroy begun looking like that one meme his kids showed him. The one where the persons one eye looked someplace else and the other was looking straight ahead… yea that one.
"Now who could have possibly captured your intrest, Mateo?" Grant mutters, seemingly to no one in particular, as he looks over to the counter next to them. The older man's eyes widened a fraction in recognition.
"UH, no one! Y-you're just imagining things… Yeah! There's no one.." Leeroy tries to save his dignity but the old man unfortunately (fortunately) knows who she is.
"Really? Could've sworn you were tryin' to get a better look at Abby, unless you truly aren't." The older man finally answers as he looks the young man up and down.
"You know her?" Leeroy questions breathlessly, already planning out what else to ask if he really did know her. Maybe he would ask what her regular order is, or if she went to the same collage as he does and what she majored in.
"Why yes I do! Abigail is a very kind woman, althrough I must wonder how you decided on her. You are very and I mean very far from her world!" Grant says as he rakes a hand through his hair, after all this must be some sort of hallucination. Leeroy, the same person that messes up girl's orders on purpose and almost got fired for writing profanities on the cup holders, is intrested in the second kindest woman (second to his wife) in town…
"If she's rich you could just say that y'know old man?" Leeroy huffed out as he hands over Grant's drink, " That's fifty bucks, including your senior discount."
"Fifty!? Why I could've sworn it was cheaper…" The elder said, puling out his wallet for the payment. "Hadn't it been thirty the last I came here?"
"Yeah but inflation is kicking our asses here so we upped the prices." He answered, inflation followed him everywhere. To the market, when rent was due, the caffeteria prices at campus, even at work. Everything at anywhere, the prices rised and Leeroy couldn't buy anything extra. It sucked but at least he isn't homeless. Even though he was struggling too with money he always had pocket change with him in case he sees a homeless person while out, no way is he ignore em' it's not their fault.
"Shhh, language," Grant came up close to his face to say so "Abby isn't fond of such language near children." He finishes looking over to the family seated nearby. Children laughing and the couple enjoying their mealas they listened to whatever rant the kids had in stock.
"Jesus christ old man! You don't have to mention that…" The younger said, accepting the money which was thankfully exact and didn't need him to calculate the change. Grant makes his last round of thanking each individual employee, Leeroy included, and before leaving says,
"Good luck on you're endeavor youngin' get your act up if you really want that cookie." (yes it was infact his kids that taught him that.)
"SHUSH" Said youngin' shouted from the back, trying to get away from the elder's tease.
.
.
.
Later that night, currled up on his air mattress, Leeroy replayed every glance he stole;trying to reconstruct her face. Long brown hair with straight ass bangs, bright hazel colored eyes, long sleeved white button up with stripes, and she was around his height too.
"Abigail, huh? Well she surely sounds kind…" He murmured before finally succumbing to sleep at midnight. So if his collegues ask why he looks like shit he'll just say that he ascended to heaven.