Danny was doing fantastic at his new job. Sure, nobody at his job liked him. Sure, someâŚincidentsâŚconcerning large plants had left his manager questioning one particular nightâs garbage load. And sure, a very suspicious young adult/possibly teenager was continuously showing up after said incident.
At least the manager thought he was Dannyâs boyfriend, and not a stalker.
No reason to make others worry or anything.
âHeyâŚuh, Pheobe?â Danny asked, sneaking a glance at his coworkers name tag. (So what if he isnât good at names? Heâs got enough energy to do his damn job, and his job isnât making friends) âCould you help this customer real quick? I really gotta go to the bathroom.â
His coworker looked up from the burger she wrapping and fixed a mighty glare on him. He could see the warmth leaving her eyes as she stepped forward, towering over him.
âWhatâd you say, Daniel?â
Daniel. Right. Thatâs my name. Nobody calls him that, except his coworkers and one senile old man.
He swallowed, shuffling his hat downwards so he didnât have to directly face her piercing brown eyes.
ââKay,â she said in a much more easygoing voice.
Danny rubbed his sunken eyes and turned back to the register, facing his new regular customer. How can somebody always be there during his exact shift?
Maybe âcause you work 40 hours a week?
Yet, was it really silly thinking that one person showing up every day at this exact time wasnât a coincidence? They were here on the dot, and they always got the same thing.
You know, people have timed breaks at work. You would know.
Yes, it was true this young adult could have a job and happen to always go here for lunch breaks, but it had been two weeks! Who came to Batburger every day for two weeks? Dannyâs stomach churned at the thought. Even he could only shove down so many free lunches from this place.
âThe regular?â He sighed, not even bothering to look up at the other teenager.
His hair and eyes were the same color as him, but thatâs where their similarities ended. His face was more angular and scrutinizing, while Dannyâs had been sagging like a fucking old man these days.
âYeah,â the teenager said, passing over his card silently.
Danny rang him up and presented him with a burger not two minutes later. They were slow today, because usually people donât come to Batburger for lunch on a Friday.
âSomething the matter?â The guy asked,
âNo,â he answered sharply.
The guy looked at him weirdly and walked away, seating himself in the far back. With nobody else inside the restaurant, it was uncomfortably awkward. Danny turned, pretending to make himself busy. Occasionally, he could feel someone sneaking glances at his back.
Twenty extra nicely folded napkins later, the bell at the entrance finally rang again.
âWelcome to BatBurger, how may I help you?â Danny asked, grateful to have real work to do. Out of the corner of his eye, he kept tabs on the man in the back.
ââŚjust fries,â the man mumbled, then pulled a shaky fist out of his pocket.
His fist unfurled, revealing a small, black object with two colored wires around it.
Danny pocketed it, offering the man a customer-service smile and nodding. âIs that all?â
The man looked horrified and shocked. âY-yes?â
âYour order will be out in just a minute,â Danny said curtly, urging the man to go on. The man practically ran out of there. So much for letting him get away easy. In the corner, the teenager raised his head and made to follow him, when he suddenly got a call.
Danny sighed, pulling the bomb out quickly. It was clear the man who had given it to him was only a messenger, so there was no need to make a big deal about anything. At least this way, the man had a higher chance of surviving to be interrogated. He brought it up to his mouth, holding it above his head. It was awfully small. Honestly, he was apprehensive about just shoving this thing down himself, but he had a better shot survivingâ
âYou there! Wait, donât put that thing in yourâŚâ
Danny dropped the bomb in surprise, letting it slide down his throat. He coughed as he felt fireworks go down his throat, but he managed to keep his mouth closedâand the explosion contained. His throat throbbed.
âShit, shit, shit!â The man waved his fists angrily. Danny just stared, catching his breath.
âA-Are you okay, sir? If so, get away from the counter. This is employees only,â he croaked, his mouth on fire.
âOkay? Am I okay? Do you know what you just swallowed?! We have to get you out of hereâI have to contact Babs.â The man appeared not so okay.
Danny was tired, plus he had just swallowed a bomb, but the guy reminded him of himself, just a bit. He patted the manâs shoulder comfortingly.
âItâs okay, dude. Breathe.â
He looked at him like he was insane.
Message received. Danny felt a little hurt, actually.
âBaââ The man looked up at him and lowered his voice, not that it mattered with Dannyâs hearing. âI need you to get me protection, and fast. Thereâs a man who just swallowed a bombâhuh? Youâve intercepted a what now?â His expression became even darker.
The other employees were starting to turn their gazes on them curiously. Danny could hear one start recording. He frowned, interfering and stopping the recording. Hopefully nobody else would be stupid and start recording, he couldnât handle all of themâŚ
âItâs supposed to happen at 1:30? But itâs 1:31 right now!â The man shouted into the phone, his breath ragged.
He turned his attention onto Danny in a panic, pocketing the phone. Without another word, he grabbed Danny and ran at a shocking speed out of the restaurant. And while he was short, he still had a solid heft, so he was in awe when he found himself being unwillingly dragged around.
They turned a hard right into the parking lot, but they didnât stop there. He led Danny into the empty construction sight beyond it, which had only just begun laying foundation.
âLet go of me. I donât wanna be fined for trespassing, or whatever corporate bullshit theyâll accuse me of,â Danny snapped, tugging his arm.
The stranger does let go of his arm, only to wrap his body around him. Almost like a hug but moreâŚsuffocating.
Above him, he could hear the guyâs heart beating a million miles an hour, and his brain thinking even faster. His current plan was very touching and self-sacrificial, but perhaps a little too heavy on the literal touching aspect.
âI swear to god if the bomb goes off and we both dieâŚâ
âDude, chill.â Danny pushed him away. âLook, the bombs not gonna go off. If it was, it already would have.â
âWhat if itâs delayedâŚ?â He was back to muttering to himself, doing anxious calculations. âFrom what little information I have, the person who organized this is inexperienced and doesnât specialize in tech, so there could be a mistakeâŚâ
Since the guy seemed so concerned, Danny decided to do him one better. Pretending to rummage in his back pockets, he reached inside himself and presented the broken bomb.
âI donât think there was.â Danny pointed to the bomb, which was a mess and had clearly gone off.
The teenager looked at it, going through all the stages of grief and relief simultaneously. His face dropped and rose, as did his hands. He stood up, clutched his hair, then fell to his knees and mumbled something about not getting enough sleep. The wind whistled, and the man went quiet for a bit. Next, a sigh. Finally, he arrived at his conclusion. âFuck me.â
Danny needed to get back to his shift, but he couldnât leave to poor guy hanging. He patted the guyâs back. âItâs okay, we all have off days.â
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