Reverie - Slimecicle x Reader

chapter one.

Huffing to yourself as you biked against the harsh sea breeze, you cursed yourself for not using this Summer to escape the island. Once the middle to end of May hit, the Outer Banks were a hotspot for hundreds of thousands of people. You loathed it beyond belief. 

The tourists were rude, entitled, and the reason that you couldn't live peacefully year-round. They drove the prices up sky-high; leaving your family to have to move off the island in order to afford basic necessities. The only good part of the Summer for you, was that this was the time your family could make any sort of money.

"Good morning, Y/N!" your mom called out the door as you locked your bike into its rack, "can you come and move some of these boxes?"

"Yes, mom!" you called back, entering through the front doors. 

The cool air was a stark contrast from the hot, humid air outside. You relished it, knowing that in a few moments, you would need to move boxes from this morning's delivery. May as well enjoy it while it lasts, so you thought.

"Sorry to of made you bike in so last minute," your mom offered a kind smile, one you shared with her, "if I'd known the traffic coming in was going to be so bad so soon, I would have brought you myself."

"No need to worry," you answered as you started lifting boxes, moving them where your mother said to, "I'm always happy to help. This is, after all, something I would rather do than anything else."

Your mom smiled as you spoke, soon holding the door for your father to enter from the loading bay. In his arms were multiple coolers, all holding the day's seafood from the market in Hatteras. Not only did this mean it was incredibly fresh, but also incredibly cheap.

"Alright, today's market prices," he began as he set the crabs and shellfish into their tanks, "surprisingly not terrible. We can offer about twenty-five for the softshell crabs, and the same for a pound of the shrimp."

You listened as you started to help your mother filet the mahi and tuna, setting them aside on ice. Your father was incredibly knowledgeable about how the seafood market prices would be, as your grandfather used to be a fishmonger himself. Prices only seemed to go up these days, and your father was willing to take a slight hit if it meant he could keep customers happy. This wasn't Tail of the Whale, where one could get a pound of Snow Crab for over $90, after all.

"What about the clams?" you asked as you paused in your tuna trimming to pour buckets of the clams into a clean tank to purge, "or is that still going to be fifteen per pound of them, steamed?"

"Same price."

You nodded as you continued your preparation, raising a brow as you heard the bell at the door chime. Who would be coming in at this time?

"Y/N? Are you in the back?"

Ah, just your friend from school.

"Yeah, I'm trimming tuna!"

You didn't look up as the doors swung open, your friend waltzing through them. She was average height, bright blonde hair, blue eyes... Definition of beach-goer.

"Wow, the meat looks so nice!" she gushed as she looked at the filets you'd sliced, "you're so good at it. I really should learn how to fillet properly."

"You could always come work with us one Summer, Calico," your mom answered, "and tie your hair up. This is a kitchen, not the main floor."

Calico was quick to oblige, "sorry! Forgot. I'd love to take your offer up, but I'm back at Natural Selections this year."

Your mom nodded as she went back to the mahi, chuckling to herself. Calico was someone who was a strong believer in holistic medicine where it could be applicable. She wasn't anti-vax and anti-science; she would rather not die of polio or measles.