Anger wasn't something Frank felt very often, but this was one instance where he did.
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Perhaps it was the fact that he was running unexplainably late that made Frank, for the first time in his life, interrupt his grandmother.
"Grandmother, I'll have to get going now," he flinched as he said the words, watching the older woman's militant gaze fall onto him.
"It's rude to interrupt people when they're eating, Fai Zhang. Or did I not teach you any manners?" She snapped, her spoon full of soup stopping midair.
"Sorry," he mumbled.
"Speak up, you're not a mouse," she tsked, passing him a bowl of fresh tomato soup, "And eat up. You can't go to work on an empty stomach."
"But I'm running late!"
"Don't disrespect your elders, sit down now," she commanded.
Frank obliged in an instant, draining the whole bowl of soup like it was a glass of water.
His grandmother looked equal parts stunned and impressed, "Good. Growing boys should never skip a meal."
She took another sip from her spoon," Now, did you pack your gun? Your vest? It's very dangerous so make sure you have a weapon on you."
"Yes, I've packed them," he nodded, patting to his holster.
"Don't go shooting people for no reason. Guns are dangerous, you should be very careful when you have one. Always handle weapons with care," she stated firmly.
"Weapons," Frank grumbled. "Right. I've never handled weapons before."
Grandmother's nostrils flared. "Was that sarcasm, Fai Zhang?"
"Yes, Grandmother."
"Good. There may be hope for you yet," she nodded.
Frank watched in silence as his grandmother finished up her soup. Luckily, she didn't complain about the flavour today.
Frank was quite proud of himself. It was the first time he made tomato soup and he didn't burn it. Or was it even possible to burn soup?
Once she was done with breakfast, Frank helped his grandmother towards her bed, grabbing her walking stick for her.
Their home wasn't quite large, and fairly easy to navigate. But Frank didn't want to risk his grandmother tripping or bumping into anything.
It calmed his nerves to see her safely tucked into bed for the remainder of the day.
"I shall get going then," he said, squeezing her hand, "I might be home late."
"Ach you worry too much about me," his grandmother shook her head, pinching his cheek.
He turned on the television to her favorite French show, 'Ze Merman and Ze Princess.'
The battered old tv screeched to life after a few well meaning thwacks on its head.
He then methodically placed the remote, a bottle of water, some more soup and his grandmother's medicine on the bedside table, making sure to wind up the alarm clock so she'd be reminded to take them.
The last step in the Zhang household was Frank giving his grandmother a hug, then locking up their house securely and dashing to his place of work.
It was a regular routine which they'd perfected over the years.
Well, almost perfected. He was usually never late. He'd probably have to work the night shift too, to cover up for the time he missed. His workplace was very strict about these things and he was not in the mood to be yelled at by his supervisor.
He raced through the dingy alleys, panting through his mouth. Luckily, the Cronos Club wasn't very far from where he lived. It was a 15 minute walk, but a shorter run.
He was huffing and puffing by the time he reached the club, so much so that his heartbeat drowned out the sound of his bosses shouting.
His grandmother was right, he definitely needed to be more healthy
Frank at the front of the club alongside his partner, Charles Beckendorf. They Didn't talk much, though whenever they just struck up a conversation, it usually revolved around Charles's girlfriend, Silena, a waitress at the Bacchus Bar.
Frank appreciated his partner. He was a good man, and those were hard to find in this world.
The rest of the night was a blur of routine. As a bouncer, Frank's job usually involved maintaining the peace., ensuring that no outside disturbance penetrate into the club. Whether it was checking for fake ids or making sure no one skipped line, his job revolved around making sure people didn't trample over each other for booze.
It was quite simple on most days, and ended in Frank getting injured on other days. But it paid the bills, and that was all he needed.
———
Just as he'd suspected, his boss had him working until nighfall
Frank eventually managed to leave the entrance, grateful to be done with his shift. He could barely feel his feet as he walked into the club, hoping for a glass of water or snack before he left for home.
There was glitter on the floor after the party, girls carrying their shoes down in the lobby. Candle wax and polaroids on the hardwood floor, yet Frank's eyes automatically found her.
Hazel Levesque, one of the maids who had the unfortunate privilege of working at the Cronos Club. Though, if his sources were correct, Hazel was twice as unlucky as a regular worker- having also taken up waitressing at the Bacchus Bar.
Whatever her fortune might have been, Frank had a crawling suspicion that she boosted his own performance. Like his own, secret little good luck charm.
It was pathetic, really. If his grandmother knew how often he stared at the woman, or how much he thought about her, she'd probably make him claw his own eyes out and wash them with soap.
Yet, it was hard not to seek her out in a crowd. Even now, as she cleaned a counter with an idle smile, Frank's couldn't help but flutter. She was extremely pretty, and definitely far far far out of his league.
He remembered the day he first saw her, the day his life had completely changed. It was his first time on the job, having been freshly recruited to the bar.
The date happened to fall perfectly on Chinese New Years. His grandmother had told him to pray for little bit of luck before he left for work, and he'd obliged. And when he arrived at the club, the first sight he happened to catch was her face.
Frank blinked rapidly, realising he'd been staring at her again. He shook his head, chiding himself.
You've been raised better than this, he tsked.
So, instead of harassing the poor girl with his eyeballs, Frank decided to head towards the locker room. It was a small chamber, with a ratchety cupboards cosplaying as lockers, but it was alright.
He'd changed into a simple hoodie, and took a sip of the fruit juice he'd packed for himself.
He gulped it down instantly, the flavour exploding on his tounge as a warm reminder that his work day had come to an end.
He neatly folded his uniform in a bag, and tucked it under his arm, leaving the lockers behind.
It was finally time to go home and see grandmother.
He was grateful that it was a weekend, and he had just a few patrons to deal with. Most of them left early as well, given that an other bar had its grand opening across the street.
"Stop!" a voice caught Frank's attention.
He whipped around to see two, clearly drunk men holding Hazel's cleaning supplies above her head, spitting out lewd comments.
"I'll give it back to you if you get on your knees, baby," a man sneered, laughing with his friend.
Frank could see Hazel's resolve waver. The girl was clearly scared out of her mind, but she didn't move. She stared at the men with something scary in her eyes.
Anger wasn't something Frank felt very often, but this was one instance where he did. He hated men like this. Dealing with them outside the club was one thing, he could handle their outbursts and taunts.
Yet what disgusted him was when they went after women, trying to assert a dominance that was clearly invisible. The behaviour was absolutely deplorable, and if his grandmother was here, she'd make them choke on their own toenails.
"Hey!" Frank huffed, dropping his bag. He sprinted towards the kerffufle, "Back off."
One of the men, the one who held a napkin, sneered, "You back off, asshole. We saw her first," he said with slurred words.
Frank glanced at his surroundings. The club was surprisingly empty, save for the people asleep on the couches.
So, with a few witnesses around, Frank did the only logical thing he could think of. He punched the man, sending him hurtling across the floor.
"You!" the second man screamed, launching himself at Frank.
But Hazel, who was standing between them, faced the blow. She was pushed backwards, falling with a large thud on her back.
"Are you okay?" Frank turned to face her, concern echoing in his voice
He was promptly, punched in the face as a result of his distraction. He stumbled a few steps at the sudden impact, landing rather indelicately on his buttocks, right next to Hazel.
Great, he tried not to groan. She must be thinking that he was dumb or something.
"I'm alright," he mumbled to no one in particular, getting off of the floor.
Hazel seemed in shock, though there were no injuries visible on her as she'd propped herself up.
Frank took the other man down as Hazel recovered her bearings. The girl ran across the room, grabbing some cloth and tearing it into strips. She bound the first man's hands and legs together, which was quite simple given that he was unconsciously.
The second man, however, was constantly wiggling under Frank's grasp, like some prickly caterpillar. The only difference between the creatures was that, Frank actually liked caterpillars. They were cute, and didn't have noses that looked so punchable.
"What's going on?" Frank heard Beckendorf shout, running towards the scene.
"They were harrasing Hazel," he explained, pushing Mr ugly nose worm onto the floor.
Becendorf whistled, watching Frank's tackle, "That girl you-"
"Sshhhhh," Frank looked around, hoping Hazel didn't hear. But she was no where to be found.
As if sensing his tension, Beckendorf shook his head, "I'll deal with this man, go help the girl. She must be terrified, poor thing."
"Thanks," Frank nodded back, allowing his partner to clean up the scene.
He got off of the man, kicking him once for good measure as Charles took over. He grabbed his discarded bag
Thanking the bouncer once again, Frank began his search for Hazel. Which wasn't much of a search, since she was hiding behind the bar.
"Hey," Frank said slowly. Hazel crouched behind the bar counter, her eyes wide with shock. She had her head held high, but her eyes were hollow and weak.
It broke Frank's heart to see her like his.
"I..er...hope you're alright, I'm Frank," he said, extending his hand towards her.
She blinked at him for a second, as if just registering his presence. She took his hand, pulling herself onto her feet, "Im Hazel," she said quietly.
"Are you alright?" he asked again.
The girl nodded, her eyes closed, "Yeah. I-I'm alright. It's just been a long day and I...well, this just made everything worse."
Frank's ears rang at the sound of her voice, it was the first time he'd ever heard it. It was magical. He could catch the faint traces of a New Orleans accent in her words,
"I'm sorry you had to deal with that..that sucks," he felt his face feel hot, realising he was still holding her hand.
"It's alright," she sighed, seemingly unaware of their interlocked fingers.
Frank's brain conjured up an idea. He fumlmed through his bag, producing a tiny vial, "Umm...here," he stuttered, handing it to her.
"What is this?" she asked, examining the little bottle. Her mouth formed a little 'O' as she realised its contents, "pepper spray?"
Frank nodded, "Yeah. Maybe it'll help you feel safer"
Hazel looked at him again, this time, she seemed more aware of what was happening around her, "Thankyou...Frank. That's very nice of you."
Frank's stomach did a backflip, "It's..it's alright."
After a long silence, Hazel spoke again.
"I think I'll be going now. I have a shift in the morning and I need the rest right now," she said, rollling the bottle in her hands.
Frank nodded, "Please..er...let me drop you home atleast, just to make sure you're okay."
Hazel seemed surprised, "N-no! I can't ask that of you. You don't even know me and..."
"Please, Hazel," he affirmed, "I insist."
————
Frank, much to his shock and delight, discovered that Hazel lived just a few minutes away from his home.
With such a revelation, he promised her that he would escort her to work everyday. She seemed adamant to accept, but eventually yielded her efforts.
To cement their newfound friendship, they had arrived at the Zhang residence, after Frank convinced Hazel to come over for a home cooked dinner.
His grandmother was quite surprised by such an unexpected visitor, but she warmed up to Hazel almost instantly. The two women bonded over everything as Frank toiled over in the kitchen, his heart racing at the thought of dining with Hazel.
It was a successful dinner, and grandmother made Hazel promise to come over every night. She proclaimed that this was the first time Frank's food had any flavour, and it could only be because of Hazel.
Hazel laughed and Frank blushed. As much as he wanted to thank his grandmother for inviting Hazel for dinner, he also wanted to burry himself in a sewer.
"Thankyou, Frank," Hazel said, standing by her door. She had a smile on her face, one he was very grateful to see. It was awful, seeing those men soil her day.
"No problem..just umm..let me know if you ever need anything, and what you want for dinner tomorrow," he replied, looking at his toes.
"Anything's fine with me, but again, thankyou for everything," she whispered, "I don't know what I would've done without you...especially after-" she stoped herself, smile fading.
"After what?" Frank met her eyes,
"Well..um..it's stupid really..it's just that, there was a shooting at the Bacchus Bar today and it...Ive never witnessed something like that before," she shuddered at the memory, "it was horrific."
Frank's brow furrowed as her words sank it. He remembered hearing about this earlier today, "Praetor Luke shot someone, right?" he asked.
She nodded, eyes closed again, "Yeah..."
Frank took a deep breath, gathering all his courage and placing his hand on her shoulder, "Hey, it's going to be okay, okay?"
Hazel opened her eyes. They were a golden shade, which look like fifteen karat gold.
"If you promise," she said with a light laugh.
"I promise," Frank affirmed.
They stood there in silence for a little while, neither unsure of what to say. It was eventually a cat which broke them out of their trance, sending Hazel scurrying into her room after another, large Thankyou to Frank.
He stood outside her apartment for several more minutes, unable to believe his luck.
Everything seemed brighter now, especially now that Hazel Levesque smiled and told him she'd be joining him for dinner tomorrow.
Maybe...maybe Frank didn't hate his life.
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Late chapter? Yes
Am I sorry? Yes
Sorry!
Let me know what you guys wanna see. Any suggestions for the story?
Also! Announcement-
Incase any one wants to check it out- I have a new percabeth fanfiction called 'Swashbucklers' out now! It's a pirates AU
Anyways. (Posted 7/4/24- 2:25am)
Stay tuned!!
—S