CAPTURED BEAUTY (Peter Steele x Reader)

TWO: Green Man

For a moment, Peter doesn't respond as he climbs into the vehicle and starts it up. Usually, Mike drives and he empties the bins. Though, he had other plans.

''Because of you fuckin' up the trash pick-up schedules, you're gonna be pickin' up trash, man.''

Peter shuts the driver's door with a heavy thud. Mike's mouth is agape in confusion before he groans and stomps off to the back of the truck. Peter sees him in one of the mirrors and snickers a bit to himself, feeling like this would be a good lesson not to fuck up his routine. His schedule.

Some hard thuds of Mike hitting the side of the truck is a sign that Peter is alright and okay to go.

The route around Brooklyn is fairly easy. That is if you've been doing the same job for a good amount of years. The regulars read their morning newspaper out on their porches, talking to the neighbors. Some, which is most, ignore their neighbors and cuss out those who'd be honking incessantly at nine in the morning. Peter loved it. There wasn't a day he didn't. Okay, a bit of a lie but at least the chaos was expected.

"Alright man, next stop!'' Mike bellowed over the loud roars of traffic and the rumbling of the garbage truck. Pete took note of the thuds on the side of the truck and began to drive again.

The kid just needed some direction and Peter understood it. Some punishment was needed and turns out he was working well. Course, the slip ups were expected since he was new. Peter just didn't want to have to deal with some slacker who just got the job because of his dad. 

After a few more stops, it was lunchtime and man was he starving.

Peter parked the truck at the usual spot. It was on the side of some more quiet road near the outskirts of Brooklyn.  Mike scrambled to the passenger seat, sweating bullets. His blonde hair stuck to the sides of his face, bandana around his head catching the majority of sweat that poured out of him. He huffed and Peter chuckled.

"How you feelin'?''

''Like shit!'' Mike exclaimed, earning a genuine laugh from Peter who dug out their lunch boxes from the console between them.

''Good. Means you're working.'' He took out his lunchbox while Mike followed suit.

Peter was quick to dig into his Chinese take-out left overs and for a while, a heavy silence struck the both of them as they ate.

He could see that Mike had this soggy BLT. He ate it greedily and Peter turned the other way. He may have been fighting the munchies after a few hours. Or maybe he just worked him to hunger, who really knew?

"So,'' Mike piped up, mouth full of his sorry excuse of a sandwich, ''How long have you been working here?"

"Long time." Peter replied shortly as he twirls a plentiful amount of noodles around his fork and eats away. Mike hums in response, chewing ridiculously loudly. Luckily the city ambience drowns most of it out.

"You got a girlfriend or anythin'?" Mike asks yet another question and Pete freezes just for a split second.

"No. I don't."

"Then what's up with that charm in your lunchbox?"

Pete looks down to see he still has a bear charm around the strap of his lunchbox. The moment his sight is set on it, his heart squeezes in pain. His brows furrowed and he was quick to unclip it and shove it in his pocket.

"Had one. A girlfriend. We didn't end on good terms. Guess I forgot to toss this out." Was all Peter said and his tone dropped, hopefully telling the message he didn't want to speak of it. Mike nods quietly as he inhales the rest of his lunch and sits back.