a/n: excuse the self indulgence on this one, please
also i used fem pronouns for this one, let me know if yall want me to change it to neutral ones :)
2000s era for context
It's been a slow day, but that's to be expected. No one hangs out in a mall on a Wednesday, except people without jobs, people with jobs in the mall that are on break or waiting for their shifts to start, and douchebags (who tend to fall under one of the aforementioned categories anyway).
This means that a good amount of your 6 hour shift is spent doing random odd jobs around your shoe store or hanging out around the counter with your coworkers.
You're talking with the two other coworkers on the clock when a pair of very big dudes walk in. Your coworkers elect you to go up and greet them, so you approach them with a "Hi, welcome in! Are you guys looking for anything specific?"
The two guys are the beginning of a small rush of customers, so by the time you've started helping out a different person, all 3 employees in the store have their hands full.
The two guys flag you down after a few minutes of looking around the store.
"Do you need a size or something?" you offer as you walk up to them.
"Uh, yeah, but we've also got a few questions," the taller of the two speaks up. "Can I get an 11.5 in this one?" He holds up the shoe right next to him. You glance up the column of that shoe's sizes and notice that the 11.5 he's looking for is eye level with him. And eye level for him is high up enough for you to need to get on your toes to comfortably grab the box.
While the tall man waits for you on one side (blocking your way to the counter and out of the men's section), the other dude waits behind you, blocking your other exit.
So now you're trapped in the corner shelves between two men, and you have that realization as you reach up. You're terrified that one of the men will grab you, but you obtain the shoe box without anything happening.
Not to deal with the other one.
"Hey, baby, can I get a 12 in these," the second (and slightly shorter but pudgier) man motions to a pair of black wingtips. "And a 12 in these." He points at a brown pair of formal loafers next to the wingtips.
As you reach up again, the man stays uncomfortably close to you, making you very sure he's about to grab you.
"Hey, back off her, man. That's my girlfriend," an unfamiliar tenor voice sounds from next to where your harasser is standing.
"Oh, be for real," your harasser scoffs, turning his body so you can see yet another tall man with long brown hair, a bit of scruff, and an Iron Maiden shirt. It's a lesser evil, if anything.
"Hey, hun," you smile, going along with him. "It's good to see you." You pull down the boxes before approaching him and taking a few steps away while his hand gently rests on the small of your back.
"Thank you," you whisper.
"Of course. Do you deal with creeps like that a lot?" he removes his hand from your back.
"They don't often come into the store. Usually they sit outside the store and stare at me and my coworkers," you shrug, wandering over to another group of people and asking if they were alright. They dismissively say they are, so you crouch down to turn your focus to an unorganized shelf of boxes underneath a display. You wonder why you feel a looming presence until you look up to see your ally from before still standing there.
"Oh, are you looking for something?" you inquire.
"Yeah, actually," he chuckles a bit.
"Oh, shit. Whatcha looking for?" you stand up. "Also, nice shirt."
You talk to him for a little bit as he tries on a pair of black chukka boots.
"Hey, what's your name by the way?" he asks you before you turn to help other customers.
"I'm Y/n," you reply. "Yours?"
"Jim," your new friend smiles.
"It's good to meet you. Jenna at the register is gonna ring you up, alright?" you inform as the formerly dismissive group now needs your help immediately.
Jim nods.
...
For a few days a week after that, Jim takes little trips to the mall. It was cool to meet someone just like that in a shoe store.
Each time you see Jim, your coworkers give you a little smirk. He'll talk to you and wander about the store if you're talking to other customers, but he always trots back up to you when you're just organizing boxes.
Jim soon becomes a known figure in your shoe store. By some external force unknown to you (but probably your coworkers), Jim receives some knowledge of the schedule for the next two weeks. Real wingman work, guys. It's actually them who also inform you that Jim's flirting with you and is not, in fact, an avid enjoyer of office job shoes.
...
"Hey, you guys wanna do a mall trip?" Jim asks the group when they're all lounging in the living room.
"Why? So you can see your crush?" Paul raises his eyebrows and smirks.
"Well, yes, but the store she works at also sells pretty damn good shoes. Also, I think we're overdue for clothes that don't constantly reek."
"I'm down," Joey shrugs.
"Me too! I wanna see your crush," Corey grins as Jim rolls his eyes and smacks his arm.
"Fine, but don't embarrass me."
"Oh, I won't," Corey reaches up and ruffles his friend's hair.
So Jim, Joey, Paul, Corey, and Mick (at Jim's behest) load into a car and drive to the mall where your store is.
When they arrive at your store, Jim is hesitant to come in. He notices that you're gathered around the counter with a coworker named Isa and another one he's only seen twice, but both times he's made you laugh and have an obviously good time. Jim wonders if you prefer that coworker to him.
"C'mon, man. That guy doesn't have shit on you," Mick nudges Jim with his elbow. "A strong gust of wind could mow him over."
When you see Jim stalk in, your eyes light up and you walk up to him.
"Hey," you smile.
"Hi," Jim flashes a smile back. "I hope you don't mind, I brought some of my bandmates."
"As long as they buy something. We've not made enough sales for the day all week," you shrug.
"We've got you," Jim nods. "Boys, get some shoes."
"Yes, sir," one of his bandmates nods.
"That's Corey. He's the singer. He's loud and a bit cocky, but he's good at what he does," your friend explains.
"Gotcha. Now I have to ask or else my manager is gonna yell at me, are you looking for anything or are you just here for a visit?"
"If I get your discount, I'm sure I could be persuaded to find something. Still sucks that I have to order it though. Y'all should really carry bigger sizes than 13."
"Ah, yes, how else would we accommodate the tallest of the population?" you tease. You look past Jim to see a shorter man (at least a foot shorter than the guitarist) who has his gaze fixed on you. "Need help finding something?"
"Oh, no, I was just waiting for Jim," he replies. "Nice store, though!"
You glance back to Jim and raise an eyebrow.
"Don't worry about it," Jim hums.
"Mkay. I'm gonna check on Corey before he destroys something and gets me in trouble," you roll your eyes.
(In the back, your other two coworkers have made themselves busy not creepily at all watching you on the cameras and groaning because Jim didn't ask you out.)
Jim slumps over to Joey and Paul, who are both looking at the same pair of sneakers.
"Struck out?" Paul asks.
"Didn't even ask," the guitarist groans.
"Yet," Paul corrects.
"I second that, but that yet better come soon before I abandon this place for Vans," Joey huffs.
Jim has to hype himself up internally (with Mick's help too) for a little bit until he approaches the counter after Corey checks out.
You snag the second receipt from the machine and write your number on the back of it before you hand it to Jim with a little smile and blush.
"Just call me," you chuckle. "I'm closing, so I can't do anything tonight, but I'm free all weekend."
Jim's whole existence glitches for a moment as he takes the receipt. He stalks out of your shoe store with Joey and Paul giving him proud pats on the back.
Speaking of back, you hear some happy whoops from the back room of your store as your coworkers emerge.
"Oh, shut the hell up, you douches. I'm taking my 15," you roll your eyes.
...
yall i was at work the other day and someone who looked so much like 90s jim root came in and i almost died
anyway, i hope you liked this load of debauchery
keep surviving and vibing cuties <3