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“Ow!” Rody winced.
“Yeah, ow .” Vincent snapped.
Rody sheepishly let out a strained, pained laugh. Which was instantly cut off into a tight hiss when the ice pack was pressured further into his sore ankle. Sitting on the tiled kitchen floor with his roller skates off, Vincent was kneeling in front of him. Holding Rody’s wet ankle from the rain with one hand, the other held the ice pack, a packet of gauze beside him in preparation.
Rody was soaked. His hair sticking to his forehead, his uniform wet and stained with dirt from his accidental fall. A puddle had formed at the opened backdoor because of this. The rainstorm from outside, heavily continuing and falling as background noise.
A pause of silence.
“I can treat it myself, Vince.…” Rody began awkwardly. It was an attempt to try to escape this shameful embarrassing situation he caused.
Hand outstretched, Rody reached for the ice pack.
Only to bring his hand back with a ‘Yowch!’ springing out from his lips when the ice pack was pressed deeper on his sensitive skin.
Vincent watched his reaction darkly and irritated. “I can hardly trust that to happen. Especially when you caused this injury by running in the rain with roller skates on .” Vincent lowly hissed at him.
Rody winced at that. Damn, he was pretty stupid.
“T-That’s totally fair, h-haha!” Rody forced out a laugh, anything to ease the tension, to no avail.
Vincent relented his hold on the ice pack. With a tired sigh, Vincent spoke in a calmer, yet still firm tone. “What even possessed you to run? All I did was ask for you to turn the power generator back on outside.” Vincent gave him an attentive look.
Rody felt shame building up in his throat, his face flushing in a tint of embarrassment. Self consciously, Rody looked down. “... You’re going to laugh at me.” Rody muttered.
Vincent’s eye twitched at that. “Just say it .”
“Okay, okay! Fine!” Rody panicked. Gulping tightly, Rody proceeded nervously. “I…” His voice went low as a whisper.
Vincent rose a brow, inquiring for the waiter to continue.
Rody chewed on his lip nervously.
Another inhale from him to ease the nerves.
“... I forgot!” Rody blurted out a lie.
Forcing out a shaky laugh, he continued. “A-Anyways, it isn’t important at all!”
He decided he would rather die than admit the reason why he panicked and ran back after turning the generator back on to fix the power off situation. Hell, even dropping the umbrella Vincent gave him to stay dry for his mini mission. It was too embarrassing and humiliating to-
“OUCH OUCH OUCH!” Rody screeched painfully when Vincent dug the ice pack deeper than before.
“I YIELD- I’LL TELL YOU, I WILL!-”
“You will ?” Vincent darkly sneered, his patience running thin as he leaned over at the nervous waiter. “Last fucking chance, Rody. I asked you a question for something that should be easy to answer. It’s not a personal question.”
Rody gulped, his nerves running high as the proximity increased between them. His boss was pissed at him. The same boss that put a chef’s face over a burning stove because that chef made the wrong thing. The same boss that inexplicably slapped him across the face before bandaging his sliced finger. Seriously, this guy was the definition of mixed signals!
“I-” Rody began.
He resisted the urge to squeak, startled when Vincent leaned closer, as if Rody was going to be quiet with his answer. It just made Rody feel even more pressured, to the point that Rody blurted out loudly at Vincent’s face in a panicked manner.
“I was scared because I watched a horror movie last night and it was really fucked up and scary and outside in the rain and dark reminded me too much of a scene from the movie so I panicked and ran inside because of that!-” Rody rambled shamefully.
Vincent blinked, surprised. Rody panted from his rapid blabbering, his anxiety rising.
This is it, Rody was going to die because he did something unbelievably stupid and embarrassing. Vincent’s behavior is still unknown to Rody. He can be mad over a simple mistake, or not. Even if Rody likes to talk to him in between shifts, before shifts and after shifts. Rody still feels the lingering uncomfortableness welling inside him directed at his boss.
Not being able to take the overwhelming anxiety over how Vincent would respond, Rody blurted out. “I-I’m sorry, okay?! I just- I know I’m a grown adult- I shouldn’t be scared because of the dark- and I swear I’m usually not!” Rody brushed a hand over his wet hair anxiously. “It was just that movie was really fucking scary and I know it isn’t even real, and its embarrassing I got so affected by that damn movie-”
“Rody.” Vincent loudly and firmly cut him off.
Rody tensed up at that, his lips now tightly pursed. Hesitantly, Rody looked at Vincent.
Vincent gave him a look, one that Rody can’t place an emotion on. “... You were paranoid about a movie last night?” Vincent summarized shortly, wanting clarification on that claim.
Rody felt an inner cringe rise inside of him. “Yes… Embarrassing, right?” Rody laughed self consciously.
Still, Vincent maintained that look on his face, as if he was silently observing him. That made Rody feel confused and albeit uncomfortable. Did Rody have something on his face? Did Rody break him because of the stupidity of his reason? That seemed likely.
“... That is embarrassing.” Vincent agreed with relaxed shoulders. He seemed to be in a calmer state. Putting away the ice pack, Vincent began to wrap gauze around on his ankle.
Rody glanced at Vincent's ministrations, then looked over at his face. He was confused. Vincent was continuing to treat his sore ankle with no further questioning? Or, well, reaction? No over-dramatic reaction in which Vincent would threaten him for what happened? No insults? Nothing?
“Done.” Vincent suddenly said, making Rody break out of his thoughts as Vincent stood up, walking over near the cooker’s stations. Picking up a bar towel from the pile on one station, Vincent strolled back over to Rody. Kneeling down, Vincent began to dry off Rody’s soaked hair.
Instinctively, Rody placed his hand over Vincent’s to get him to stop. “You don’t have to, Vince.” Rody protested, taken aback by Vincent’s gestures that were built up the moment Vincent treated his ankle.
In a way, it was beginning to make Rody feel bad that his boss was taking care of him. “I can do it.” Rody assured, beginning to take the bar towel in hand.
Vincent gave him another silent look, before straightening himself out, standing tall. “Alright,” Vincent nonchalantly said. “Though, with a sore ankle like that, you shouldn’t continue to work.”
Vincent picked up the packet of gauze and the ice pack, gathering them in his arms. “When I close the bistro for the night, I’ll drive you to your home.” He continued.
Rody perked up at that. “O-oh, thanks, Vince!” Rody grinned. “... Wait, what about my bike?”
“... I think I will have space for that in my car. No promises.” Vincent stated simply.
Rody eased down, feeling relieved as all his anxiety disappeared. Vincent didn’t get mad at him, kind of, and he was also being nice too, kind of.
“Don’t start feeling relieved now.” Vincent suddenly cut in, giving Rody a dark glare. “This is coming out of your paycheck because of the inconvenience you caused for not only the customers from your absences, but also making me have to lose one chef in the kitchen so they can substitute in for you in a hurry. You got that?” Vincent snapped.
Rody squeaked, instantly timid. “Y-Yes, boss!” Geez, nevermind! Vincent sucked, even if it is understandable in a way.
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Vincent left to go to the freezer room. Unlocking it, he waltzed inside. The cold greeted him expectedly, which was now easing down the earlier anxiety he had earlier.
Vincent’s shoulders hunched up, exhaling out as he watched his cold breath linger in the air. Deep breath in and out.
“Fuck!” Came Rody’s loud panicked scream.
Vincent was startled when Rody had suddenly barged back inside the kitchen after swinging the backdoor aggressively open. For a split moment, Vincent saw raw fear on Rody’s face.
With Rody’s roller skates being greeted with tile floor after being soaked with rain, the waiter slipped and fell heavily into the ground, his ankle had swung and hit the backdoor’s edge.
That earned a pained yelp from Rody, gasping for air when he landed on his side. Vincent, for a mere moment, panicked and came over to the soaked waiter.
What got Rody so scared? Did something happen?
Vincent put down the ice pack on the shelf, watching his cold breath lingering in the air again.
“... Fuck, you’re so damn troublesome, Rody.” Vincent cursed underneath his breath.