FicWad

Key: gomen ne: sorry
Haigusha: spouse

hentairocks: So he got caught?! Scandalous!

iheartpot: -sigh- Yeah, I knew it was time for things to end. Just didn’t know how it’d all go down.

hentairocks: Having your dad walk in on you as you’re getting out of the shower, seeing a ton of bite marks from someone who is definitely not the mother of your baby, does kind of throw a wrench in things, eh?

iheartpot: Understatement of the year, Kakashi. Apparently the dad likes Hinata so….

hentairocks: Harsh dude. Harsh.

Iheartpot: He’s leaving Pets World as it is. He got that job, working at a lab… cleaning monkey poo. How fitting for a guy like him. lol

Hentairocks: monkey poo?! Karma Sasuke… karma -grins evilly-

Iheartpot: Indeed. -grins evilly- Oi, gonna start a conf with Shika, k?

Hentairocks: Sounds good

Invite friends to Conference: hentairocks, cloudsFTW

Iheartpot joined the room
Hentairocks joined the room
CloudsFTW joined the room

iheartpot: Yo

Hentairocks: sup?

CloudsFTW: hey

Iheartpot: How are you, haigusha?

CloudsFTW: -rolls eyes- Dork, we were just sitting next to each other five minutes ago.

Hentairocks: -chuckles-

Iheartpot: -chuckles- Gomen ne! Just miss you

CloudsFTW: we are a room away from each other… but I miss you too -winks-

Hentairocks: aww how sickeningly sweet -smiles-

Iheartpot: lol

CloudsFTW: lol Yeah.. It’s what we do -shrugs- But we love you too, kakashi!

Iheartpot: Hai~! -thumbs up-

I stayed up talking to my two best friends for half the night, keeping my mind off of a little affair that ended earlier that day. Last night was to be our last night, and some how I knew, and I’m glad I got to show him what he could’ve had or wished he had. We will go our separate paths and live our lives. That’s how things go. Tomorrow is a whole new day.

~~~~~

It was 8:45 p.m. and I was the only one on the floor helping customers. There was a cashier and that was all. I just finished bagging some feeder fish for the last customers in aquatics and started to walk towards the front of the store when I rounded the corner of the reptile habitats and bumped into someone. When I looked up I met robin’s egg blue eyes.. Or sea green? Blue-green? They were the most exotic eye color I’ve seen anyone have. I couldn’t decide on a specific color. I wondered if they were contacts, even, due to how unique they were. I noticed a ring of black circling his eyes, enhancing the brightness of his irises. A petite nose. Perfectly pale, soft looking lips. And choppy red hair to top him off.

“I am so sorry. Are you alright?” I asked, making sure he didn’t get hurt.

“Yeah. I’m fine. You?” He said something to me but all I heard was honey. Sweet, warm, yummy honey. I was staring at those pale lips that the honey was dripping from and noticed they stopped moving. I looked up and saw that he was looking at me expectantly.

“Sorry, what?” I carded my fingers through my hair and looked up at him sheepishly.

“Are you ok?” He repeated, apparently. It was the first time my ears took notice of it though.

“Yeah. I am sorry I ran into you,” I apologized again.

“Should you be?” He asked, his eyes glinting in a suggestive manner, but I was too embarrassed to really catch on.

I took notice that he was around my age, and height, but a bit stockier. A bit. Like just barely. His skin was fairly pale, again, his black eye makeup intensifying the effect. He had on cargo khakis and a brown Nike t-shirt. Brown sandals on his feet, a brown leather wristwatch on his left arm and a checkered brown and white wristband on his right arm.
Realizing I hadn’t answered him, I diverted the attention off of me and back to him by asking, “Umm.. Can I help you with anything?”

“Actually, I was interested in getting a reptile. Any suggestions?”

I smiled before asking, “Have you had a reptile before?”

“No, this will be my first.” He looked at me worriedly. “They aren’t too difficult, are they?”

“How about we look at the Leopard Geckos then? They are an easy starter pet.” I pointed towards the habitats containing our baby Leopard Geckos and mentioned to him how they are desert reptiles.

“I’ll take one,” The blue-green eyed man said. I was startled to see how quickly he made his decision. I mentioned the normal startup price for a gecko, being around $150, and his face set in determination, he said, “Please get me everything I will need to keep one.”

Seeing the seriousness in his eyes, I check my watch and realize I have eight minutes to get him set up and explain to him how to take care of one… I can do this! Luckily, it was a Tuesday night, it was dead that close to closing time, and he was the last customer. I pointed him over to the supplies and told him to pick out a food bowl, water dish, and a hide-out that he found appealing while I grabbed a cart.

I rushed to the front and told Lee to lock the doors as soon as it was 9, and then bust ass to face the store and I would ring the last customer out. He gave me a salute and a big smile in confirmation of his orders as I pulled the cart out of the front area and took it back to the reptile supplies where I found the redhead still pondering on what to choose.

“Troubles?” I asked, as I placed a ten gallon aquarium in the cart, then walking over to the lids and pulled out a 10 gallon mesh one.

He looked up at me with those eyes.. Those amazing eyes. “I don’t know what would be best. You choose.” He stepped over to the cart to show he was staying out of the shopping decisions.

I sighed out loud, but gave him a smile as I went to pick up all the supplies I use for my two at home. As I picked up a new item I explained where to place it in the tank, and what to do with it. I kept glancing over my shoulder to see him watching intently and nodding when he understood.

I pulled out a container of mealworms and explained feeding and told him to come back in a day or two to pick up some feeder crickets. I showed him the dust he would use to “shake-n-bake” his crickets with to add the extra calcium the geckos would need, and he chuckled at my wording. I shrugged and smiled at him as I handed him the last of the supplies he needed.

“Now, how about we pick out your new friend?” I asked, pointing towards the habitats.

He gave me a half smile but he must have noticed me glancing at my watch every time I handed him something new, because he shocked my by saying, “I think I’ll come back tomorrow to get him. Don’t you think it’d be better to have the tank set up first?”

My eyes widened for a second before I agreed that it was the best for the little lizard to have his home warmed up properly so he will adapt faster in his new residence. The man pushed the cart towards the register as I grabbed him a sheet on how to care for his soon-to-be new buddy, and handed it to him as I reached the register.

In no time, I had him rung out and was handing him his last bag when he asked, “Will you be here tomorrow? To help me pick out the best one, ya know?”

I felt a blush coming at his question, but suppressed it as best I could before replying that I would indeed be working tomorrow evening. He smiled as he took his bag and I followed him to the door to unlock it to let him out. “See you tomorrow, then!” I said, closing the glass doors as he started across the crosswalk.

“Gaara!”

I looked up from watching the two doors about to meet to see that the redhead had turned back in the middle of the crosswalk, holding the cart with one hand.

“Sorry?”

“My name: Gaara.” The redhead gave a half smile again.

“Sasuke,” I replied, showing him my own half smile.

“I know,” he said, as he turned and walked towards his car.

I laughed, realizing he would’ve seen my name on the nametag stuck aimlessly under my collar on the left side of my shirt. Looking down, though, I noticed I must have forgotten to put it back on after lunch. Interesting. Looking further down at my watch, I realized the time and rushed to get the store closed in time.

~~~~~

The next night at 8:45p.m. I came face to face with aquamarine, pale blue… ah fuck it, Gaara.

“Hi. Ready to pick him out?” I asked, walking towards the habitat.

“Yes. I set up everything exactly how you said to last night. I watched the temperature last night and then today to see what the fluctuations would be and they were right where you said they should be.” Gaara spoke and watched me as I grabbed a ladder to get up to the habitats on top, where the Leopard Geckos resided.

“Excellent! Glad to hear everything went accordingly. Makes it easier for you,” I told him as I pulled the hide-out from inside the cage. We watched as a few scurried around, trying to find cover. “The ones with the thicker tails are the more healthy, or less likely to get sick, so I would aim for one of them.”

“Ah. Well, I am not sure. You say they will not look like this at adult age, so you pick one.”

I picked up a nice healthy one that had some fight to him but settled pretty easy in my hand. I pulled him out and set him on my shirt and he moved about a bit, finding refuge under my collar eventually. “I say he’s a good choice.”

Gaara watched intently the whole time the baby gecko was out, almost in awe of the little creature. “Your turn,” I said as I set the critter on his chest. He stiffened slightly, but relaxed a second later. He went to place his hand on it and the little gecko ran up his chest to his shoulder and behind his back.

“Ah, Sasuke! Get him! He may fall!” He exclaimed, turning around for me to grab the baby. I stepped off the ladder and took hold of the gecko hiding under Gadara’s maroon collared shirt.

“It’s ok, I got him,” I smiled at Gaara as he turned around and I held my cupped hands out towards him, slowly opening them so he could see the gecko.

“They are much faster than I anticipated,” he said, his eyes shining brightly.

“Yeah, they slow down after being handled often. Just take things slowly with him and you’ll be happy with him in the end. Here,” I placed the baby into his cupped hands and watched him look at the striped reptilian. “I’m going to go grab a box to put him in for your ride home, ok?”

“Yeah, no problem,” he said, still watching the critter in his hands, trying to find a way out of his fleshy prison.

I returned to find the same thing going on and I laughed at him softly. “You like?”

“Yes,” he said, looking at me. “Thank you.”

“Not a problem. Let me get him in the box so you can get him situated at home.”

After ringing him out, Gaara thanked me again and asked when I worked next so he could come buy crickets from me. I laughed and said anyone can get him crickets, but I’d be back Friday night.

~~~~*

Friday night, five ‘til close, and no Gaara. Not like I was waiting for him to show or anything. I was in the office printing out paperwork from the last drawer I pulled when I had a page to reptiles. My heart picked up speed as I walked back there to find my new redheaded friend.

“Gaara! Hey,” I say as I shake hands with him.

“Why do you looked so surprised? Told you I’d come when you were working,” he said, shaking my hand and sliding his hand away, our fingertips brushing each other. A chill went up my spine at the contact.

“Well, we close in a few minutes, just expected you to be here a little earlier, is all.” I started to walk back towards the back room where we kept the crickets, him following.

“Sorry. Got out of work a bit late,” he said, his face falling slightly.

“Not a prob. Give me a sec, k?” I went into the back room to grab about 5 baby crickets for him to take home for tonight.

I came out and handed him the crickets and walked towards the front with him in tow. “So where do you work?”

“I work--” Gaara started, but got cut off when Lee’s voice came booming over the intercom asking for a manager at the registers.

“Sorry about this, that’s me,” I said as I took off at a faster speed to get to the register area. The registers all crashed. “Perfect. What’d you do Lee?” I asked, chastising the innocent kid, knowing he didn’t do anything but just making fun to lighten the shitty situation.

“I assure you nothing sir! I heard you coming with the last customer so went to log in my password and everything just froze! I tried it on the spare register as well, and nothing. I apologize if in my haste I did something!” The bowl-cut haired boy looked between a cross of wanting to cry and wanting to, well.. Maybe just cry.

“It’s ok, Lee. I was joking. Go ahead and start facing the store with Chouji.” I watched as he took off with his returns in a basket, dashing in and out of aisles, quickly emptying said basket. I looked over to Gaara who was leaning against a register with his bag of crickets in hand. “Sorry about this, Gaara. If you’d want to come back tomorrow and get this, I’d understand. I have to restart the computers and it can take awhile to get them going again.”

“I don’t mind,” he said. “We can talk a bit more then, since I was late.”

“Sure. Ok, give me a sec to get them moving.” I pressed the correct buttons to get the screen to bring me up the restart option and did so. I watched as the screens slowly faded to black and gave them a second before restarting them from the console. “Done,” I said turning back to Gaara who was sitting atop one of the register surfaces. “So how’s the new little guy?”

“How do you tell the gender, by the way?” Interest piqued, I explained he’d have to bring his baby in in a few months for me to check because when he is so young it is undeterminable. He nodded and said, “Late Night Marathon.”

“Hmm?” I wasn’t sure where that came from.

“That’s where I work.”

“Oh! Oh that’s gotta be fun. All those movies, bet you got a good collection having the chance to grab what you want first.” I said, a bit jealous at working at a video store.

“Yeah, my anime collection is quite large,” he said, his face flushing a little at the fact.

“Seriously? What all do you have?” I was becoming a bit enthused over this news.

His eyes widened, “You like anime?”

“Hell yeah,” I said, laughing and then noticing the registers popping up into the login screen. I walked over and signed in, typing in the SKU# for the crickets and adding the quantity before hitting total.

He gave me his cash for the crickets, and then stood there shifting feet before asking, “Would you like to come over and watch something some time?”

I glanced away from the screen that I was now shutting down completely, my eyes widening. “Y-Yeah, sure. That would be cool.”

“Do you have YIM?”

“Of course,” I couldn’t help but smile at him saying “YIM“ as if saying the word, when that is what I say to shorten Yahoo Instant Messenger. I pulled out some register tape and wrote out my screen name. Handing him the piece of paper I told him what time I should be home after the closing the store and he nodded and thanked me before we walked to the doors. I opened them and waved as he walked away. “Talk to you later!”

“Definitely,” he said, turning, his half smile becoming more than half.

Closing the doors, I went back to work.

~~~~~