"mall"
beep, beep, beep.
Y/n's annoying alarm clock rang at 6 am but she was already up and running around her house.
"shit, shit, shit." she rushed into her bedroom and quickly slammed her hand on the off button on the alarm clock, making the annoying noise stop.
the h/c woman had totally forgotten that she was supposed to open her store in the towns mall and was currently running late.
she ran back into her living room while buttoning up her white blouse that she wore with some blue jeans.
"where is it, where is it?!" she whispered to herself while trying to find her name tag.
Y/n stood in the middle of her living room for a couple of seconds with her hands on her hips. she thought for a second before remembering that she left it at the store.
"fuck." she whispered under her breath and grabbed her purse and car keys. Y/n walked out of the house and locked the door behind her.
she quickly ran to her car and drove off towards the mall.
she arrived there after 25 minutes of driving and quickly parked her car behind the mall. the woman ran up to the back door and punched in the code to open it.
Y/n ran into the mall and up the stairs towards the food court.
"and... she is right on time." she heard a voice to her left. Mike was looking at her while tapping his watch with a smirk on his face.
"shut up, Mike." Y/n rolled her eyes with a small smile and walked towards her clothing store that was close to the food court.
Mike walked up behind her while she opened the store by lifting up the white gate. "look at you." he looked at the back of her head. "look at your hair." he laughed.
Y/n ignored him and walked straight to the cash register at the back of the store. "i certainly look better than you." she glanced up at him and opened the register.
Mike scoffed and smiled at her, leaning on the counter next to the register and held his biceps. "i'm just saying, it looks like a birds nest." he reached over and tried to touch a strand of her hair.
Y/n quickly slapped his hand away and started counting the money. "i forgot that i was opening today." she huffed and put the money back, closing the register with her hip. "i thought Jay was opening."
she crouched down and looked through the shelves under the counter for her name tag.
"looking for this?"
Y/n looked up and saw Mike holding a name tag that read 'Y/n, manager.' she stood back up and went to grab the name tag from him but Mike pulled his hand back.
the h/c woman huffed and placed her hands on her waist. "really? we're playing this game?" she said bored.
Mike smiled at her and ran his eyes over her body. he stopped at her top and smirked. "nice bra." he pointed out.
Y/n looked down at her top and saw that her blouse was buttoned wrong, making her black bra slightly showable.
"Mike!" she quickly turned around and buttoned it again.
Mike laughed and held his hands up in surrender. "i did nothing!" he said in between his laughing.
Y/n turned back around and grabbed the name tag from his hand and pinned it to her blouse. "don't you have some security things to do?"
Mikes looked at her and shrugged. "i already finished everything i had to do."
"of course." Y/n walked from behind the counter and to some clothing racks. "so just the daily annoying me?" she flashed him a smile.
"hey." he leaned in some rack. "i've been annoying you since we were kids, you should be used to this by now."
Y/n sighed and looked through the clothes. "any dreams last night?" she asked and glanced at him through the corner of her eye.
the mood entirely shifted from the one question. Mike started shifting in place and his smile dropped. "uh, no... it was all the same."
"okay." Y/n nodded her head and smiled softly to Mike. he mustered up a small smile and sighed.
"how's Abby?" she asked and started walking towards the back.
"Abby misses you." Mike put his hands in his pockets.
Y/n chuckled slightly. "i saw her yesterday." she walked through the staff door and grabbed a box from the floor.
"well, you know how she is." Mike shrugged. "she loves you."
Y/n grabbed a box cutter and opened the box. it was the new dress that Y/n thinks is going to sell well.
"can you grab a mannequin for me?" she pointed to the corner full of mannequins.
"sure."
◦ ◦ ◦
Y/n walked towards the table where Jeremiah and Mike sat at. she was currently on her break and decided to spend it with them.
"here you go." she placed down a slurpee on the table for Jeremiah who was holding Mikes book 'Dream Theory'
"thanks." Jeremiah took a sip and continued reading out loud from the book.
"and though the dreamer remains asleep, he walks through the memory as if experiencing it for the first time a new."
Y/n placed her tray of food and sat down in the seat next to Mike, listening to Jeremiah read out loud.
"no longer a passenger but as an active participant." he closed the book and looked at the back of it.
Jeremiah laughed a little and placed the book down, looking up at Mike. "this stuff for real?"
"some people think so." Mike shrugged his shoulders and played with his walkie-talkie.
"and by some people he means himself." Y/n spoke up while taking a bite out of her burger.
Mike rolled his eyes at Y/n and slumped down in his chair. "it really depends on what you believe."
"summer of '82 i traded a mint condition Cal Ripken Jr. Rookie for a used copy of Missile Command." Jeremiah told the two.
"that card is probably worth 800 bucks now." he frowned.
"800 bucks?!" Y/n exclaimed. "for a card?"
"yeah." he nodded his head. "i wish i could actively participate in that memory and actively kick my own ass." he pointed at the book.
Y/n chuckled at his words and ate her fries. Jeremiah picked up the book again and flipped through the pages. "can i keep it?"
"no." Mike answered quickly and took the book from his hands.
"alright." Jeremiah stood up from his seat. "i'm going to get myself some food." he started walking away.
"see you later, Jerry." Y/n yelled after him.
without turning around Jeremiah waved to her.
"do you ever get dreams?" Mike asked, not looking over at Y/n.
Y/n looked at Mike with furrowed eyebrows. "what?" she said confused. "of Garett?"
"no." he nodded his head. "your sister."
the woman took a bite out of burger and thought about it. "no." she shook her head. "i don't."
Mike shrugged his shoulders and stared at his walkie talkie. "how did you get over her?"
Y/n set down her burger and looked at Mike, trying to make eye contact with him. when she finally did she took his hands in hers.
"don't think for a second that i'm over Lottie." she shook her head. "i will never be over her." she shook her head.
Mike looked down at their hands and back at her. "then why don't you dream of her like i do with Garret?"
Y/n sighed and bit her lip. "because i've accepted it, i did awhile ago." she pursed her lips. "i've accepted the fact that she's gone and i can't do anything about it."
the mood got dark between them and Y/n wanted nothing more than to lighten it. she glanced at the ice cream shop Mike always went to.
"come on." she slapped his bicep. "let's get some ice cream." Y/n stood up from her seat and held one of his hands, dragging him up with her.
"Y/n, i don't want ice cream today." Mike complained while he was being dragged.
"bullshit." the woman smiled at him. "you always want ice cream." she faced the front and stood in line.
Mike sighed and smiled at his friend, blushing a little by her gesture. "fine."
"i would like the walnut fudge, but i want the fudge on the side because i don't want it to melt the ice cream." the lady in front of Mike and Y/n told the worker. "can i also get some whipped cream on top and three cherries?"
while Y/n was looking over the menu, Mike was staring at a little boy that seemed to look lost.
"Mike?" Y/n pushed him a little to get his attention. "it's our turn."
Mike walked over to stand next to Y/n and looked at the worker. "hey, Y/n and Mike." the worker smiled. "you want your usual right?"
"um, yeah." Mike nodded his head and looked at the boy again.
the worker turned to Y/n and tilted her head. "i'll have the same." Y/n smiled.
"so, when are you gonna bring Abby by?" the worker asked Mike.
Mike wasn't listening and looked back at the kid. Y/n wasn't listening either as she was looking over the menu of the place.
Mike stared at the kid until a man came over and grabbed the kids forearm, pulling the kid with him.
Y/n didn't realise that Mike had left until the worker called out his name. she looked to her right and didn't see him. "Mike?" she called out.
the h/c woman spotted Mikes grey shirt through the crowd and took off after him. "Mike?!"
Y/n ran through the crowd and picked up her paste when Mike started running faster. "Mike!"
"hey!" Mike yelled after the man. "hey!" he pushed through the crowd of people and ran towards the man.
Y/n caught a glimpse of Mike jumping into the fountain while taking someone with him. "Mike!" she yelled out and ran towards the fountain.
Mike started punching the man and showed no signs of stopping.
Y/n finally got up to fountain and looked at her friend stressed. "Mike, what the hell are you doing!" she screamed.
"daddy!" the kid cried out as he watched Mike punch the man.
Y/n ran towards the kid and crouched down next to him, trying to shield his eyes from the scene while Jeremiah climbed into the fountain and held Mike back.
◦ ◦ ◦
Mike walked into the building and saw Y/n on one of the chairs inside, reading a magazine. he walked towards her and sat down.
"i told you to meet me here at 4 pm." Y/n spoke up without looking at him.
"i know." he sighed.
"it's 4:10 pm, Michael."
Mike winced at the use of his full name. "i'm 10 minutes late, what does it matter?" he shrugged.
Y/n put down the magazine. "it matters, a lot!" she turned to him. "Mike, you have a sister to take care of." she told him. "it's important that you have a job to support you two."
Mike sighed again and looked at the blank wall in front of him. "i know." he mumbled.
"hey." Y/n placed a hand on his cheek and made him look at her. "if i could, i would hire you to work for me." i said softly. "but you beat up someone in the mall!"
Mike let his eyes roam Y/n's face and take in every detail. the corner of his lips twitched slightly at her words, fighting back a smile.
Y/n tilted her head and smiled at him. Mike couldn't help but lean in closer to her.
"number 27." a woman called out into the room.
the h/c woman glanced at the older lady and then patted Mikes cheek. "that's you." she leaned back into her chair.
Mike blushed a little out of embarrassment and stood up from his chair.
"follow me." the old lady told Mike.
• • •
Mike sat in an office with a career counsellor to possibly find another job.
he watched as Steve Raglan looked over his file. the man turned around in his seat and looked up at Mike. "what is your deal, Mike?" he hummed.
"what, you some kind of..." he shook his head. "headcase?" he placed the folder in his desk. "you beat up a man in broad daylight in front of his child."
"that was a mistake, um..." Mike tried to explain. "it was a misunderstanding... i- i thought-"
he was cut off by Steve chuckling. "just look at your employment record." he shook his head. "Tire Zone, sales associate, two months terminated; insubordination."
Mike pursed his lips and sighed.
"Meteor World, custodial staff, one week. it's like you're not even trying here, yet..." he flipped through the file. "you sit before me asking for help."
"i'm just trying to figure out who you are, Mr. Michael Sch-" Steve cut himself off and looked up at Mike. he leaned in a little closer to get a good look at him. "hmm." he hummed.
Steve closed the file and left it on his desk. "coffee?" he asked.
Mike blinked in confusion, slightly taken aback by the question. "sorry?"
Steve stood up from his desk and walked behind Mike. "i said, would you like some- uh... some coffee? i made some coffee."
"no." Mike shook his head.
Steve poured himself a cup of coffee and held it with both of his hands. "i'm going to be brutally honest with you here, Mike." he spoke up.
"given your track record you're options are going to be extremely limited." he turned around to look at Mike.
"i'll take anything, any job you got." he practically begged.
"no, no. look. i- i get that part." Steve walked back to his desk and put down his coffee mug, sitting down on his chair. "it's just- um... you know-" he struggled to find any words and shrugged.
"it's not that easy." Steve nodded his head and looked at Mike.
Mike nodded his head slowly and gave a forced smile. "yeah, okay. thank you." he grabbed his jacket and stood up from his seat.
as Mike was walking out, Steve called out. "i have a job for you."
Mike stopped walking and looked at the counsellor. "come on! sit down." he waved him back in.
Mike sighed and sat back down. "okay... what is it?"
"it's a security gig." Steve said slyly. "full disclosure, it's not great, right? high turned is what we call it in the business, but you get to be your own boss, sort of."
"and you only have to worry about one thing!" he raised one finger. "keeping people out. and, you know, keep the place tidy."
"that's two things." Mike answered smartly.
Steve paused for a second before shrugging. "you want the job or not?"
Mike sighed and looked at him. "how the pay?"
"not great." Steve shook his head. "but! the hours are worse."
Mike looked down at the ground, defeated. "i can't do nights." he whispered.
"excuse me?"
"i can't do nights." he repeated louder for Steve to hear.
Steve started chuckling. "well, that's such a shame."
"yeah." Mike sighed. "thanks." he stood up again and walked to the door.
"wait!" Steve stopped him once again. he held out his card and sighed. "just in case you have a change of heart."
Mike took the card and nodded his head bye to the man.
he walked into the lobby and saw Y/n standing and waiting for him. "hey." she smiled as soon as she saw him. "got a new job?" she asked hopefully.
Mike sighed and shook his head. Y/n's smiled dropped slightly and she wrapped her arms around his shoulders. "we'll find something."
they both got into their cars and drove off to Mikes house. Y/n parked behind Mike in his driveway and walked with him to his door.
Y/n saw a notice on his door and sighed. "let me lend you-"
"no." Mike immediately rejected the offer and opened the door.
"oh, come on, Mike!" Y/n walked in after him and closed the door behind her.
Mike ignored her and thew his house keys in the table. "hey Max, thank for babysitting." he called out.
Max glanced away from the tv and smiled towards Y/n. "there's some food in the microwave, it's still warm if you're hungry."
"thanks Max." Y/n smiled towards her. she walked to Max and sat down next to her, watching the commercial about a ring.
"i wish someone would buy me a ring." Max admired the diamond.
"me too." Y/n nodded her head and smiled towards the girl while Max snickered at her words.
"did Abby eat?" Mike asked the girl.
Max looked at Mike and gave him a look. "what do you think?"
Y/n huffed and stood up from the couch along with Max. the woman started walking towards Abby's room while Mike said bye to Max.
Y/n slowly opened the door and knocked on it. "knock, knock." she stepped inside.
Abby looked up from her drawing and put down her crayons. "Y/n!" she cheered and jumped out of her seat to hug her.
"Abby!" Y/n cheered back. "how are you, sweetie?" she let go of the girl and lightly patted her head.
"good." Abby nodded her head and went back to her desk. she sat back down and started drawing again when Mike walked into the room.
"what do we got?" he walked to Abby's desk and looked down at the drawing. "okay, well that good looking guy i recognise." he pointed at a man in the drawing.
"and that is one pretty girl you drew." he pointed at the woman next to the man who she was holding hands with.
Mike knew it was Y/n in the drawing and he glanced up at her as he said this. he could see a faint blush on her cheeks and a smile was noticeable on her face.
Y/n tilted her head and looked at the drawing. "who are all of these other people?" she asked and pointed at the others that were next to Mike and Y/n.
"my friends." Abby answered. "it's not done yet."
"well, you can finish up after we eat, alright?" Mike looked down at his sister. "come get some food."
"i'm not hungry." Abby replied simply.
Y/n walked over to Mike and looked at the girl. "come on, Abs. you need to eat." she tried convincing her.
"i said i'm not hungry." Abby just continued with her drawing.
Mike sighed and shook his head. "Abby, please, just come eat." he tried again. when she didn't answer he walked back up to her and tried to take the crayon out of her hand. "come on."
"no!" Abby exclaimed.
"please, Abby. come on-"
his words were cut off when the crayon broke from the pressure. Mike sighed and put the half broken crayon on her desk. "Abs, with the day that i'm having, could you just eat some food?" he sat down on his sisters bed and took off his tie.
Abby turned to look at him. "you're sitting in my friend." she said softly.
Mike glanced at the bed and sighed. he stood up and walked towards the door. "you know what? i don't care."
Mike ignored her again. "do whatever you want." he went to walk out the room but stopped. "but you should know what happens to kids who don't eat their dinners."
Y/n crossed her arms over her chest and smiled at Mike.
"their body's stay the same size forever and they never get to ride the adult rides at the amusement park." he continued.
Abby slowly turned her head towards the bed and then back at her brother. "my friend says you're an idiot."
Mike hummed. "at least i'm real." he shrugged and left the room.
Abby rolled her eyes and went back to her drawing. Y/n uncrossed her arms and walked up to Abby's chair, crouching down to be able to look her in the eyes.
"Abby." Y/n turned Abby in her chair so she was facing her. "i'll make you a deal, if you come and eat with me and Mike, i'll get you a new dress from my store." Y/n smirked. "what do you say? is it a deal?" Y/n held out her hand for Abby to shake.
Abby pursed her lips and glanced at her bed where her friend was. then she turned to Y/n and shook her hand. "deal." she nodded her head.
"yay." Y/n cheered quietly and clapped her hands. "let's eat!"
『••✎••』
please do not forget to vote, it really motivates me to write more <3
okeyyyyy i am struggling to find a way to include Y/n into this movie.
some context Y/n and Mike were friends before Garetts kidnapping and she was with them on the trip.
when i was watching the movie in the theatre, my only thought was how i was gonna put you into this.