Don't Judge A Book By Its Cover

~~~

Roman Prince loved his job. Sure, the work of retail could be especially tedious at times, but at the end of the day, it was worth it. As long as he could see the young children coming in, eyes full of stars, as they tried to comprehend the overload of Disney paraphernalia staring back at them. How they would jump up and down, tugging at their parent's sleeve before running towards something that caught their attention. How their older siblings, usually teenagers, would pretend to act cool or annoyed since they were 'too old for this stuff', but even they would let their inner child shine through as they perused through the racks. Sometimes they even got adults, never letting the Disney spirit die, excited to shop for themselves. No matter how old you got, everyone could relate to the excitement Disney lit in your soul. Well... almost everyone.

It was his turn to stock shelves, not that Roman minded. He was mostly left to his own devices, singing along with the music playing overhead, but sometimes a lost child or confused parent would ask him for the location of specific items.

"Thank you!" A charming young girl gushed at him as he handed her something from the top shelf.

"Of course, princess! Have a magical day!" Roman smiled, waving goodbye. He turned to return to his work, and that's when he saw him.

Really, Roman wasn't sure how he didn't notice him walk in. The boy stood out like a sore thumb. Between all of the colors and happiness, he seemed to exude angst, wearing all black, like some sort of... emo nightmare. It was a punk, bad boy look. He would've been described as attractive by some. Roman couldn't help but be suspicious, watching the other's moves like a hawk. He knows he shouldn't judge a book by its cover, Beauty and the Beast taught him that, but something about him was giving Roman a feeling he couldn't quite shake.

He subtly watched him look around as if he were searching for something. He picked up a Lion King t-shirt, surveying it before placing it back down. His eyes, a deep brown, almost black, scanned his surroundings. His hair was dyed purple, and an eyebrow piercing glinted in the store lighting. Paired with his ripped black skinny jeans, studded leather jacket, and steel-toed combat boots, he seemed to be the depiction of 'troublemaker'. Maybe he was trying to steal something? There was no other obvious explanation to his shifty demeanor.

Roman tried to focus back on his task while glancing at the hypothetical thief every few seconds. However, he must've not been as observant as he thought, as he nearly jumped out of his skin when someone cleared their throat behind him. He bit back a string of profanities when he realized it was the boy he had been watching earlier.

He mustered up his customer service smile, the one he used when he was dealing with a dragon witch of a Karen that demanded to speak with his manager, and in his best false cheer said, "Hello! Do you need any help?"

The emo raised an eyebrow unimpressed, "No, I just wanted to get your attention for the hell of it," he snarked.

Roman immediately dropped the niceties. "You know, Hot Topic is just three stores down," he gave him a once over, "they're probably a bit more your style."

"I have eyes, I can see where I am," the other shot back. "I was just wondering if you had any Black Cauldron merch in here."

Roman blinked, trying to process his question for a count of three before shaking his head slowly, "No, we don't."

He scoffed, "Figures, it's one of the most underrated Disney movies of all time, even if it is the best."

"Yeah," Roman nods, "it's a shame it doesn't have a bigger fanbase."

Out of nowhere, two boys, twins, Roman realized, sporting matching glasses, appeared. One attacked the emo's middle and the other let out a long, sufferable sigh at the action. He took that as his cue to resume his restocking, involuntarily listening in to their conversation.