Work Text:
“Screen 8 all ready!”
Gaku called on the radio to inform his team before scrambling to get his little cart to the next screen to clean. He was struggling to keep up, but he could do this. He had 15 minutes left to clean his next screen and 30 people to clean up after. That was manageable by himself.
Gaku got his rubbish bag ready as he quickly went up the stairs, grabbing anything he could, leaving the drinks to pour the liquid out later.
Cleaning tables was next, and Gaku just did his best to get rid of all the finger streaks. He was on a roll and in the zone.
Of course as he was cleaning though, guests came in, completely ignoring the fact the cleaning light was on or the cart was clearly visible!
Gaku was professional though, “Sorry guys, could you wait outside? I'm still cleaning.”
“Oh! The person at the front said it was ready?”
Gaku tried to not let his brows visibly twitch, ‘No, you just ignored them and came in anyway! Ugh!’
“Don't worry, I'll only be a few more minutes.”
The group walked back out and Gaku groaned, ‘How the hell do they expect me to keep up cleaning all 10 screens, keep the toilet stocked, AND keep on top of the bins all by myself! Whoever did the schedule needs to be fired!’
Gaku just sighed as he grabbed an abandoned popcorn bucket someone kept hidden away near their seat, having missed it on his original sweep of the auditorium due to it being obscured.
"Seriously?!"
It was a whole large popcorn, hardly even touched. Knowing how expensive this stuff was, Gaku checked it for anything unsanitary before shoveling a few handfuls into his mouth.
While he probably shouldn't eat abandoned food, Gaku wasn't going to let it go to waste. He was absolutely horrified at the amount of food he had to just throw away every shift.
He quickly swept the last of the popcorn off the floor with one of the pick ups, before he quickly put everything back on his caddy and rushed to his next screen, calling it in as he did.
His next screen thankfully was the last one before a small gap. He would actually be able to get water then.
When he entered however some guests were already present.
“Oh, excuse me, I still need to clean in here, could you please wait outside?”
The guests were a little huffy but did move… to the small corridor and not actually outside.
Well at least they were out of the way.
So Gaku got to work, rinse and repeat.
Big rubbish, wipe tables, empty liquids, sweep.
Well he would have been faster had the guests not got in the way. Instead of waiting, the mother was helping the two teens record some tiktoks at the front of the screen.
They weren't exactly getting in the way, but he felt self conscious getting his various items off his caddy and having to walk past them.
Thankfully he finished with 5 minutes before the feature started.
Gaku sighed as he put the caddy away in the cleaning cupboard and went to get some water.
However after 3 steps, his radio went off.
“Maruko-san, the toilets haven't been checked in over 30 minutes, could you check them please?”
Gaku wanted to scream.
‘I’ve been running around trying to clean multiple screens by myself, when did I have the time!?’
Gaku however just plastered that fake smile on his face and kept his voice calm, “Yep, I'll get right on that!”
So Gaku turned and grabbed the toilet necessities. Toilet sweep, chemicals, toilet rolls and soap.
As he headed to the toilets however, he caught sight of the bins.
Most of them were full, but his eye twitched when he saw that the liquid sink was once again full of empty cups.
Gaku just took a breath as he screamed internally, ‘Does that look like a bin?! It's clearly a sink?! Why is the public incapable of using their brains and eyes!’
He just glared at the retail team who looked like they were laughing. No queue in sight. Instead of helping, they left all the ushering stuff to Gaku.
Not that he could really blame them, the bins and toilets weren't their scheduled area, but still! There were 3 of them over there while he was all by himself! Why couldn't management make them do it!
Still, Gaku did his quick toilet check. By that, he only checked the state of the toilet roll holders and didn't bother cleaning the mirrors or checking the soap or sweeping. Yes he was meant to do it properly, but they didn't look too bad, and he was thirsty.
After a quick water break, it was straight to the bins before management started to hound him.
As he sorted out the bins, however, clearing the sink and replacing the sacks, a guest came up to him.
Gaku was ready to just point to the car park machine, as so many times that was the question, but the parent actually didn't ask that.
“Sorry, but do you guys have any ear defenders? My son here is autistic and needs some.”
Gaku's demeanor completely changed. His grumpy scowl vanished as he completely understood.
“Oh yeah, we've got some. Let me get that sorted for you.”
The father looked relieved, “Oh thank you. I'm really sorry, I know you're busy.”
But Gaku was quick to reassure before heading to his next destination. Gaku quickly got on his radio and got his manager, as the ear defenders were in a room he couldn't get in with his key card.
Once he was inside he grabbed two sets.
His manager raised a brow, “Wait, don't you only need one pair? Why are you grabbing two?”
Gaku blinked in confusion, “... It's for a little kid and our headphones are different colours. Isn't it better to let them pick to give a better experience?”
His manager looked surprised before nodding, “Yeah, you're right. Good work Maruko-san.”
Gaku couldn't stop his tiny smug smile before he left. He brought his caddy with him as he had another screen to go to after anyway. Gaku smiled as he showed the kid.
“We have green and blue, take your pick!”
The kid's eyes lit up as he pointed to the blue pair. Gaku handed them over before going to his cart, fishing out his roll of stickers from under his unused bin bags. He crouched as he smiled, “Hey, did you want a sticker as well? To keep?”
The cinema did have some small popcorn mascots after all, so they did have stickers to give kids. Now seemed like the best time as it was awkward to pass them out when screens finished.
The kid nodded again, so Gaku ripped one off the roll carefully. He passed it over and smiled, “Enjoy your film today!”
The kid's eyes sparkled as they showed their dad. Gaku could see how relieved the dad looked as well. He thanked Gaku as they headed to their screen.
It was moments like that that made the job worth it. The joy little kids had as they watched a movie that could potentially shape their life. Heck, Gaku still remembered watching films like Wreck-it Ralph when he was a kid. It was one of the few times he actually got to go to the movies as his family could rarely afford to go considering how many tickets they'd have to purchase. It was always magical for him, even though he couldn't have popcorn.
But then he was reminded why he also hated this job…
“Maruko-san, a guest has complained about a blocked urinal. Could you deal with that?”
While phrased like a question, he knew he had no choice and just groaned before answering, not being able to hide his annoyance as well as he normally would.
“... On it..”
Today was going to be a long one.
Gaku was taking 5 to drink his instant coffee in the break room. Technically the cinema did have a coffee stand, but Gaku wasn't giving the company his hard earned money, so shitty instant coffee it was.
Granted he wasn't actually allowed to take 5 minutes and have a drink (unless it was water), but they'd finally posted the rota. This meant that every single member of staff took a few minutes to check what horror they were in for the next week as an almost silent agreement. If the managers knew, they let it slide.
That and Gaku needed a break from scanning tickets.
‘How hard is it for them to just have the ticket ready on their phones!? Why do they always look for their ticket when they get to me and hold up the line!’
Gaku groaned as he unlocked his phone, it taking a while to do anything as it was so old, ‘Not to mention the ones who ask where they can print out their ticket! The QR code is your ticket! Idiots! And then not listening and just waltzing into the screen when I told them to wait… ugh! And then everyone radios me like it's my fault!’
Gaku's heart however sank more when he stared at the rota.
‘... Oh they didn't! Isn't that illegal!?’
Even though Gaku was still at school, management had booked him on for the midnight release, his shift ending at 4 in the morning, 2 hours before he had to get up for school.
Gaku just face palmed, ‘For the love… guess I'm having a power nap that night and doing my homework on my break. I swear this place breaks so many labour laws!’
He couldn't exactly complain though. He desperately needed the cash. That and suing was probably very expensive if you wanted a good lawyer. Gaku just had to bear it. Potentially he'd try and swap but the likelihood of any of his colleagues voluntarily doing a midnight release was slim to none.
Gaku really did believe he was cursed.
There he was, standing in the locker room, ready to clock back in after his break, holding the door handle that was now just in his hand.
In the process of trying to open the door, you know, the basic function of a door, the handle had literally come off, screws and all.
And of course Gaku didn't have his radio as he had to give it to his cover in case there were any issues while scanning tickets while he was away.
Gaku just gripped the bridge of his nose, ‘How many times did I tell them this thing was close to coming off! Of course I'm the one who drew the short straw! Ugh, what rotten luck!’
Thankfully he did still have his locker key and just went to his locker and grabbed his phone, dialing the office phone.
“Hello, TRC cinema, how can we help?”
Gaku gritted his teeth as he tried to not let irritation seep into his voice, “Yes, it's Maruko Gaku.”
“Huh? Maruko-san? Aren't you working right now? Why are you calling the office?”
Gaku just tried to stay calm, “Yeah, so I was about to leave the locker room to clock back in on time from my break, when the door handle fell off in my hand… you know, the one I've been begging management to look at for a week or so now? Could someone come help me? I'm literally locked in.”
There was hurried scuffling then, “Crap… I mean! Yes of course! I'm on my way now!”
Gaku however was quick, “And please roll the clock back so I don't get a late mark for my break. This wasn't my fault.”
“Of course!”
The line went dead as Gaku continued to hold the door handle, just to prove a point. He also made himself an extra instant coffee in the break room as soon as he was free. Management gave him that one. Hopefully a strongly worded email would finally get the contractor to finally come out to fix the damn thing.
However, for now, Gaku saw the handle had been taped back on with a note asking team members to please be careful opening the door.
Gaku could feel the headache coming on looking at the ‘temporary’ fix.
The thing people didn't know about cinema work was that it wasn't 1 job.
It was 5 different jobs in a trench coat.
You were a janitor, cook, retail worker, barista and technician. Although those last two were taught to you if you lasted long enough to get the experience, Gaku had done barista work from another job so technically he didn't need to be trained from scratch. Still, he was rarely given shifts due to how fast he was at cleaning.
Gaku didn't know what he hated more. Ushering where he had to run around cleaning after people with a time limit, or the retail stand.
At least when cleaning the guest interaction was relatively low.
Retail however, was retail, even if you were selling cinema food.
“That's so expensive! Practically daylight robbery!”
Gaku bit his tongue, ‘You don't need the popcorn, drink and nachos! I don't make the prices either!!!’
He just smiled however, “Unfortunately those are the prices head office set. I have given you the best combo with what you want however.”
He tried so hard not to sound sarcastic. However he was annoyed as the line had formed the second his coworker was on break.
‘Typical.’
Gaku just did his best. However, he also was trying to keep an eye on the new hire who was working the collection point and online delivery orders.
They looked overwhelmed.
Gaku was sympathetic. There were a lot of orders coming in both from the till and online orders.
So once he finished serving his current customer, he walked over, “Hey, want to switch?”
They looked shocked, “Wait, but aren't we supposed not to mess up the cash floats.”
Gaku pointed to the other till, “Log in on that. Managers can't complain that way. I'll take over the kitchen and get the food cooked. If someone pays cash, grab me.”
They looked relieved as they walked over. Gaku however just went back of house and immediately looked at the orders. He immediately got the mozzarella sticks cooking along with the chicken wings in the other oven. They both took a while, so while the ovens worked, he got the nacho orders ready, getting the correct dips served.
Still, as he scooped the cheese sauce he grimaced, ‘Ugh, this is terrible compared to my own cooking. Why do people buy this overpriced crap?’
Still, Gaku knew the cooking times and orders pretty well. The second the mozzarella sticks were done, in went the tater tots.
He prepped hotdogs as they cooked and soon had multiple orders ready.
Gaku hammered out the hot food orders, soon clearing the screen of orders. Gaku gave himself a pat on the back as he dusted his hands off, ‘Now that's how you do it!’
When the co-worker returned, Gaku went back to the till.
That's when he got an ice-cream order. It was always a pain as he then had to go to the scooping area. And it was milkshakes which meant more steps and using a blender.
Gaku sighed as he got the two drinks ready. However once he went to the fridge for whipped cream, he realised they were out. He was also pretty sure they were out of CO2 canisters so there was no way he could make a fresh bottle.
He turned around, “Oh, sorry, we're out of whipped cream.”
As Gaku went to serve the drinks however, the woman scowled.
“But I paid for whipped cream! I said at the till.”
He instantly knew then that this woman was going to be a pain.
Gaku remained calm, “Oh no, you've not been charged. The cream is complimentary. I just wasn't aware we were out. My apologies.”
“But I paid for whipped cream!”
The urge to snap was rising, but Gaku was calm, “Again, we don't have any I'm afraid.”
But the woman wasn't budging. Repeating herself. Gaku could feel the headache coming on. Still, Gaku tried to think. Before he could stop himself, his mouth dropped him in it.
“... I can see if the café stand has any cream.”
‘... Crap. I've said it now.’
The woman just scowled as Gaku moved.
He went to his colleague as he explained the situation. She seemed sympathetic as she opened the fridge and handed over her canister, “There you go Maruko-san! It's a little light though.”
‘Thank goodness.’
As Gaku went back and put on the cream however, the metal can ran out halfway putting cream on the second drink.
‘... Curse my rotten luck!’
Gaku turned, sweating a little, “Um, so the can ran out halfway through the second drink.”
But whipped cream Karen wasn't letting up, “I. Paid. For. Cream!”
God Gaku wanted to call her a bitch, but bit his tongue. He shouldn't have said anything and just got a manager. And back Gaku went to the cafe stand to make up a new batch of cream. He could feel the woman's fiery gaze. His coworker also looked sympathetic, grabbing the canisters they had so Gaku didn't have to go searching for them. He was at least relieved to have some help.
And so he refilled it, being careful with the tiny CO2 canisters as he held them with blue roll so his hand wouldn't freeze, and soon went back over, completing the drinks.
When he placed them down however, the woman looked, “Which one is which?”
Gaku's heart caught in his throat.
Normally this wouldn't be a big deal. However this was an issue.
One drink had peanut ice-cream in it, the other didn't… and they looked identical in colour. This was a huge allergen concern.
Because he'd had to go back and forth so many times, he had completely forgotten which was which.
“I… don't remember.”
And so the woman berated him for peanut allergies. Neither her or her friend were allergic, but he still got an earful. She took her drinks and walked back to the main stand.
Gaku groaned as he rubbed his temples, trying to stay calm, but he was seriously considering going to the walk-in freezer to scream.
However another voice soon spoke.
“Excuse me, deary.”
Gaku looked up to see an old woman, holding a scoop for the Pick and Mix area, which was next to the ice-cream stand.
The woman smiled, “Could you possibly wash this scoop for me before I use it.”
Honestly, that was smart, Gaku had seen the little kids stick their gross hands in that thing.
Gaku took a breath as he grabbed the scoop, “Of course.”
As he took the scoop, the woman smiled, “... Breathe dear. You're doing a good job.”
Gaku blinked as he got embarrassed, “Oh… um, you saw what just happened didn't you.”
She nodded, “Don't let people like that get under your skin. They're not worth it.”
Gaku nodded in agreement, “Yeah… you're right… I'll clean this for you right away.”
He soon cleaned it and returned. The old woman smiled as she went back to the kid she was with, helping scoop the sweets they wanted.
Still, Gaku appreciated the kind words. He just took a breath before heading back to retail.
He was still annoyed that the Karen had gotten both her drinks refunded after complaining, but he still had multiple hours of his shift left. He just sighed and just tried to go back on autopilot, doing orders.
Thankfully that was the worst interaction of the day.
The close was absolute hell. For one, one of his colleagues started chatting with a friend they happened to catch, so it left him to do the washing up, and stock up.
But also the grease trap smelled disgusting. Thankfully he didn't have a weak stomach and soon finished skimming it and got everything binned. Once everything was done Gaku was more than happy to clock out and head home. It had been a late one, but thankfully he'd at least get an extra half an hour pay for overrunning.
After finally getting home at 2am after his close, Gaku just tried to be as quiet as he could as he entered the house. He didn't want to wake anyone up after all.
Thankfully, one of his nicer colleagues had taken pity on him and bought him an energy drink while they had been on break. Gaku was definitely going to save that for the morning so he'd get through the school day.
He had to be awake at 6am anyway for school, so the shower would wait until the morning. Still, he gave his face a quick wash and slipped into his pjs, having a very quick snack of some apple slices that were technically part of his bento for school, but he needed to silence his stomach for now.
Still, as he carefully entered his shared bedroom, someone stirred.
“Nii-chan?”
‘Crap!’ Gaku thought as he turned and saw his younger brother, blinking blearily.
Gaku quickly made his way over as he whispered, “Sorry, I just got home. Get back to sleep.”
But his brother just smiled before getting up and hugging him. He tensed before sighing, “Come on, you need your sleep. Don't worry about me.”
“You smell like popcorn.”
Gaku laughed softly as he brought his brother back to his bed, “I know, and hey, I promise a cinema trip soon with my free tickets.”
They giggled softly. Gaku tried to leave but he wasn't getting out of their hold so Gaku just sighed and joined them, “Holding your brother hostage, are we?”
They laughed but Gaku didn't have the strength to fight. He just yawned before he soon passed out, cuddling his sibling.
After all, they were why he worked so hard. He wanted to provide a better life for them. So if he had to destroy his body to make sure they didn't have to, he'd gladly do so.
Art by me