Coffee break

Míngzé rubbed his fingers against each other in an attempt to get rid of the wrinkly feeling. For the last hour or so he’d been cleaning Arceus knows what. He felt dirty all over and wanted nothing  more than to take a bath. Too bad he still had at least two hours of work left.

This job was— let’s say it was a job. It was something he could do and which earned him money each month. That was the only reason he agreed. He could combine it with school and pay for his shitty apartment. Who knows, maybe one day he would get something better. Or not. There was only so much he could do.

He sighed deeply as he left for the small kitchen. After cleaning so much, he’d earned a small break. Míngzé sat down while he was waiting for his coffee. Besides the sound of the machine heating up, everything was quiet. He placed his elbow on the table and cupped his cheek.

After pressing a button on his phone, he could hear the familiar voice telling him the time. Only five minutes had passed since he started his little break. It felt so much longer and all he wanted to do was go home. But there were still pokémon that needed food.

[ for numbers ]

A few minutes later and his fingers were still messed up. This feeling just wouldn’t go away. The thought about using gloves next time crossed his mind. That should work. His hands wouldn’t be utterly useless then, because this was driving him nuts.

Míngzé only became aware of the presence in the room, when it loudly sat next to him. So abruptly that he jumped in his chair and moved away from it. Luckily for him, he stayed on the chair and his heart hadn’t jumped out of his chest. Yet. His head shot up, looking at whoever sat there but all he saw was— pink, really. Shock clouded his face, not sure how to react to this situation.

It did not take long for confusion to take over. With this girl next to him, he kept leaning in the other direction to create as much distance as possible. “How do I do what?” he forced his mouth to say. With a loud squeal Míngzé moved his chair further away from her. It still did not feel enough.

If he died of a heart attack now, would work pay for his funeral?