Chapter Text
It was a rainy day, Rody was almost late to work. He started pedaling faster, but it only made the rain fall harder against him. “Come on, Come on, come on-” he muttered to himself. He wasn't good at keeping a job. That's why this was his 28th job he ever had in the span of 7 years. Despite being gifted as a child, achieving great goals as a student he mysteriously dropped out. He panted and gasped as he took a sharp stop, stopping his bike in front of the Bistro he was hired in.
He himself had no clue how he got hired in such a good restaurant, he ignored all the rumors and warnings. That path led him to the restaurant called “The Mouth of Venus” or La Gueule de Saturne as the locals called it. He secured his bike to a lamp post with a lock that prevented it from being stolen. He groaned, realizing that the rain was damping his hair. He quickly made his way inside the restaurant.
Rody froze in his tracks as a monotone, yet attractive voice spoke “You're Late”
Rody sputtered “U-uh, well-” But once he turned his mouth fell open. It was his new boss, Vincent Charbonneau. The head-chef in the kitchen, and the biggest arsehole in the building on breaks.
“O-oh my god, I-i’m so sorry Boss. I didn’t mean to be late, but the rain was horrible. I thought it would pass after a bit, but it didn't, so I made quick decisions to…ride in the rain.” Rody said quickly. He had a tendency of rambling and ranting as well as speaking really fast when awkward and/or anxious.
“Ride?” Vince repeated, his tone deadpan and face unreadable. A horrible mix when it came to a Hot mess like Rody who was another level of awkward and had big problems with picking up on social cues right away.
Rody swallowed thickly, why were his cheeks feeling so warm all of a sudden?! He chose his words carefully, something about Vincent had that effect on him. Making him want to pick his words carefully, when usually he was more blunt and sarcastic. Here, for some reason he didn’t want to get on the Chef’s bad side. “I-i.. yes. I- go by bike. I used it to get here.”
“That would explain why you are dripping wet.” Everything about Vincent was sterile. His hair was perfect, and Rody found himself staring at it… a bit too long. The white chef apron was perfectly clean and without a single wrinkle. So it wasn’t a surprise that Vincent scrunched up his nose, not at all happy that someone was staining his perfectly clean floor tiles.
Rody looked down, the under-sides of his boots had a thick layer of brown mud on them. He flushed and tensed “I-im so sorry-”
“Ugh..it's fine” Vince sighed. “The staff bathroom is when you go through the kitchen door and then go right. Wash them, I don't want you to walk around with dirty boots around my restaurant.”
The way Vince said “My Restaurant” sounded incredibly protective and possessive. Almost as if he was talking about a living being with actual feelings. But Rody didn’t question it. He just nodded, his eyes wide and filled with emotion. In comparison to Vince, he wore his emotions on his sleeve. And Vince could read him like a book, without even particularly trying. “O-ofcourse, Boss.”
He awkwardly made his way to the staff bathroom, he could feel Vincent's glare on the back of his neck as he took each step. Staining the floor one by one… Once he got to the bathroom, he closed the door with a loud click. And slumped against them with a shuddering breath, a moment of peace. He sat down on the closed toilet seat, taking off his boots and undoing their laces. He took some of the toilet paper, and started to scrub the underside of both of his shoes. The sound of the flowing tap water was the only sound he heard for a while.
Once his boots were clean, Rody was already up and about doing chores. It was surprising how much a waiter had to do. But he was a lifeguard on a beach in one of his jobs, he was used to running. So running from one end of the restaurant to the other, didn't serve much of an issue. He had much more problems with the clients, some were very rude and demanding but so far nothing went seriously wrong.
As he grabbed the trash bag, ready to throw it out. Vincent’s voice caught him off guard “You’re name is Rody, is it not?”
Rody paused and turned to face Vince. He gave a quick nod “Uh- Y-yeah, im Rody! T-thats my name..” He said awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck with one hand.
“I don’t accept being late. If you want to be something better than mediocre you better come on time.” Vince’s words sounded more like an order than anything else. His words were also a bit…cruel..
Rody froze, his eyes going wide. He almost dropped his trash bag, he tried to play it off. “Well- I’m going to get better with time,” he said with a light chuckle. His smile fell as he saw how Vincent’s face was as deadpan as ever. He looked unimpressed and …disappointed even. His cheeks slowly turned pink, and he quickly looked away. “I’ll better get back to work.”
He darted off through the back door, closing it and slowly letting go of the door nob.. he walked over to the giant trash bin and tossed the trash bag inside. He looked down at his palms, damn it- it was his first day and yet he already got some small cuts. What was in those damn trash bags??
Once the shift ended, he was dead tired… he yawned, taking his back and driving back home. Returning to his small, messy apartment. The familiarity of the apartment, the way it was so…Rody. It wasn't sterile or perfectly clean. He smiled, and took a deap breath in as he took off his boots in a messy way right at his entrance. And slumped down on the sofa..