FicWad

Danielle had attempted to fix up her bike that morning, but she spent half of the time sitting in front of the bench, staring out into space.

Finally, at around noon, she snapped out of her astonishment and started working on the bike. With her hat backwards, her bandana hanging out of the back pocket of ripped jeans, she tried to concentrate on the work in front of her.

After an hour or so, the wheels of her motorcycle were in the dumpster in the back parking lot, so only the body of the bike was propped on the table.

She needed a new muffler, since her spill had caused it to rip off. She left the garage and went into the front.

Derek was sitting behind the counter, feet up and hands resting on his stomach. Danielle laughed.

"Slow day?" she asked, climbing a short ladder to retrieve the box of mufflers from a high shelf.

Derek let out a long sigh. "You have no idea," he groaned.

Danielle reached the top and grabbed the box. "Derek," she said, grunting. "Here, help me."

Derek moaned and stood up, holding out his hands. Danielle dropped an individual box of a muffler into his palms. "Eww, it's greasy!" he cried.

"I have oil on my hands, dumbass," she muttered, climbing down again. She took the package and went into the back again.

Another hour or two passed, and Danielle was becoming tired. She wanted to go home and sleep.

Her elbow was propped up on the workbench; her face cradled in her palm. She was boringly screwing something into the bike, yawning every so often. The bell over the door rang, but Danielle barely acknowledged it.

That is, until Derek screamed.

She was prepared for this. She had a gun in the drawer of her work-bench, and she knew that it'd scare off any robbers.

"Danielle, come here!" Derek screamed again.

Danielle let go of the drawer handle and went into the front room slowly. She let out a huge breath. Criss Angel was standing in her shop. That was why Derek yelled.

"Can you believe this?" Derek asked, gaping at her. He looked at Criss again. "Did you know we worked here?"

"No."

Derek blushed; obviously embarrassed.

Danielle leaned against the doorframe, her hands in her pockets. "What do you need?" she asked Criss.

He shrugged, surveying his surroundings through his dark sunglasses. "I like motorcycles. Thought I'd check the place out." He faced her again, and even though she couldn't see his eyes, she knew he was looking directly into hers.

"I see. Well, I'm fixing up my bike in the back, so Derek's going to have to entertain - "

"What'd you do to it?"

Danielle stopped and looked at him. "I set up a dirt mound in the back," she said. "Set it on fire, and was planning on jumping it." She glared at Derek. "But this boy over here screamed because he heard a long lost friend was staying at the Aladdin. He scared me when he screamed, so I lost my concentration and balance. The bike went flying and I tore my knee up."

Criss had taken off his sunglasses, and pushed them over the bandana on his head. He studied her for a minute or two, then smiled. "Are you hungry?"

Dani was taken aback. "What?"

"Are you hungry? Like, have you eaten today?"

Danielle shook her head. She shouldn't eat; she was already fifteen pounds overweight. She was a little too curvy. She had a slightly round stomach and her ass wasn't the flattest thing ever.

"You haven't eaten? Or, you're not hungry?"

"Both," she said.

Derek waved his hand at her. "Don't listen to her. She thinks she's fat, so she's not going to eat."

Danielle looked at Derek, then at Criss. "I don't think you're the only mind-reader in this room, Crissy boy."

"Hellstromism."

"Ex-squeeze me?"

Criss smiled at her. "He's probably using Hellstromism. He sensed the way your muscles tensed when I asked you that, and he picked the signal up quickly. Good job," he added, nodding at Derek.

"Well. It was either that, or you were making fantasies go off in her head," Derek said, nonchalantly. Dani glared at him. Criss laughed.

"Well, either way, you still haven't eaten. Why don't you wash your hands and come with me?"

"Because you don't even know my last - "

"Nikolla. Greek," he added, with a cheeky smile. When Danielle gave him a confused look, he flicked his wrist. Her credit card appeared in his hand.

"You son of a bitch," she muttered, smiling. "I've got my eye on you," she said, snatching the card.

"And I you," he said, grinning. "Now. You like sushi?"

"Yeah. Without fish, though. I'm one of those, 'fish are meat, too' vegetarians," she said.

"Very nice." He put his hands in his pockets. "Let's go get some sushi, then."

"No. I can't leave."

"We'll order out." Criss looked over at Derek. "You have a phone book, or something?"

While Derek went underneath the counter to search for a phone book, Criss grabbed the telephone sitting on the counter and pulled it towards him.

Derek slammed a huge book onto the counter. "What's the place called?"

"Hamada of Japan," Criss said, picking up the receiver. He placed it between his shoulder and ear; his fingers on the other hand poised over the numbers on the base of the telephone.

Derek rifled through the pages of the phone book, before he found the place and gave Criss the number. Criss punched them in forcefully; he held the receiver loosely between his thumb, index and middle finger, rolling his eyes as the connection kept ringing.

After Criss had gotten through and had given the order to whoever took them, he hung up the phone and just stood there.

"Well," Danielle said, coughing awkwardly. "What do we do now?"

Criss pulled himself up onto the counter and sat there. He didn't do anything, just pulled his sunglasses over his eyes.

"Uh .. " Danielle looked at Derek, who shrugged. "I'm going to go .. work on my bike, then." Danielle watched the two, sitting in silence, as she backed out of the room, into the garage again.

"Weirdoes," she muttered.

When Danielle heard the bell over the door ring, she knew the delivery was here. She went into the bathroom first and washed her hands, before she headed into the front room.

Criss was standing there, showing the delivery boy a magic trick. The stupid show-off. She crossed her arms and waited for him to finish.

When he did finish, the boy walked out awe-struck. Criss put the plastic containers on the counter, then cursed, snorting a laugh. "I forgot to pay him!" Criss raced out of the shop, the bell ringing forcefully as he pushed through the door. Danielle watched him through the big, bay window; he looked left, then right, before he ran down the street.

Derek laughed, opening one of the containers. He gagged. "Eww, the fuck is this?"

"Probably sushi. Duh," Dani said, taking the food. Criss came through the door again, holding his chest and heaving. "Are you okay?" she asked.

"Yeah," he breathed, looking at her. "I just ran after a car, though. And it almost hit me when I tried to cut it off."

Danielle tried to hold back a giggle. "Oh. Poor baby."

Criss laughed breathlessly, before he came over and sat on the counter again.

After they ate - Danielle only ate a little bit - Criss was making random things in the store disappear.

"That better fucking come back," Danielle said. "That cost three hundred dollars."

Criss smiled. "Dont worry. It's in his back pocket," he said, motioning to Derek. Derek reached in cautiously and pulled it out, screaming as he did so.

"You're fucked up, man," Derek said, putting the item back on the counter.

Danielle scoffed. "You obviously put it there when you were trying to get something from the shelf."

"You'll never know," Criss said, smirking.

"Show her a trick. I'm done being the guinea pig," Derek said, sitting back in his seat.

Criss shrugged. "Okay. Let's make a bet. If I make," Criss looked around, then grabbed Danielle's water bottle, "a quarter disappear, then you have to kiss me on the cheek."

"If you don't, I get to punch you," she spat.

Criss laughed. "Have it your way," he muttered. He grabbed a paper towel, and put it over the bottle. "You have a quarter?"

"You're gonna steal my quarter, aren't you?" she said, smiling, as she slid one across the counter.

"Maybe," he said, mischievously. He put the bottle on the quarter. "Tap it three times." Danielle did so. Criss smiled at her. "Ready? You're gonna freak out." He pulled the bottle back.

"The quarter's still there!" Danielle cried, laughing at him. "Hah! I get to punch you now!"

"Wait, wait, okay." Criss put the covered bottle back on the quarter. "All right, I couldn't make the quarter disappear. But, there is a soft spot on this counter somewhere. So, if I just do this" - Criss slammed the paper towel down, and the bottle was nowhere in sight - "I can make the bottle go through it."

Danielle felt something hit her leg, and she looked, then screamed. She fell off her chair, just as the same water bottle rolled off the shelf underneath the counter and onto the floor. She looked up at Criss with wild eyes. "Holy fuck, how did you do that?"

Criss smiled. "I believe you owe me something," he said, smiling. He leaned over the counter and turned his cheek to her. Danielle sighed angrily, but went towards him to kiss his cheek. Criss turned his head, and smacked a kiss onto her lips, just as she was about to kiss his cheek. "Hah! Gotcha!" he yelled.