>Be Anon. >The alarm on the desk next to your bed buzzing in your ears. >The groggy feeling of waking up so early was never welcome. >God damn Monday. >It took you some time to find the fucking snooze button. >Being blind hasn't helped your situation all this time either. >Finally hitting the stupid button, you let out the daily morning sigh and get yourself up. >The birds and their chirping could be heard near your window. A lot of them. >Little bastards. >A yawn escaped your mouth as you felt your way to your closet. >So many years in this house on your own has given you the feel you need to get around it without your cane. >Well most of the time. >You doubt you'd fucking not hit the corner of some of your furniture even without being blind. >Opening the closet, you searched around for the clothes you'd be using today. >You had work today so you grabbed on to a pair of clothes you hung for it. >Luckily the coffee shop was pretty chill with you if you weren't wearing the shirt with the shop logo. >Almost all of your other shirts were white like them and the logo was mostly covered by the apron anyways. >But you liked to try and be on their good side. >You picked up the clothes and made your way to the bathroom. >A steamy shower never hurt anyone. >Your thoughts wandered over to how you pictured today. >The usuals coming in for their stupid venti mocha. >All at the same damn time. >Luckily you boss let you get some cider during your break. >Well, more like he just looked the other way when you snuck some out for lunch. >Your boss was a pretty neat guy. >Not wanting to look like one of the California raisins you finished up and got out the shower to towel off. >Changing into your, hopefully, work clothes you made it downstairs to eat something before heading out. >The Stairs were never a problem, hell you've basically mastered- "SHIT" >And there you went and slipped on something, falling flat on your back a couple of steps. >From the sound of the object that went flying from under your foot, you'd guess it's a leftover bottle of whiskey. >You really have to clean those things up. >If you could find them all. >On the upside you saved face by turning around in time. >Letting out a sigh of defeat you give yourself a few minutes before getting up, a small prick of pain going through your body. >Yup, today was gonna be one of those days. >Making your clumsy ass find the kitchen was the simplest part of the journey down into your lower floor. >Deciding not to waste any more time then you already did on the floor you start up your coffee brewer. >The rich aroma filling the air around you as you inhaled was the best thing of any morning. >Well, second best to the smell of work coffee. >Will that was going on, coffee wasn't going to be the only thing you'd have to fill yourself with. >Grabbing some bread and putting it in the toaster, you search around for the jelly. >You know you left the damn thing somewhere on the counter. >Suddenly a sharp crash rumbled right next to your left foot. >Guess something fell from you swiping around. >Great morning so far. >You search the ground a bit with an agitated sigh trying to find what fell. >A bit of glass, but not big enough pieces or sharp enough to cut you badly. >Moving it aside carefully you found what had fallen. >...Well shit. >How could you forget this was here. >Although you couldn't see anymore, the size of the photo was the only one you could never forget. >Your old family photo. >The only actual picture you owned in your whole home and you destroy the fucking frame. >You couldn't see anymore, but that didn't stop you from keeping something to remember. >A time before being blind and unhappy. >Two parents who cared for you and your older siblings. >It was like one big fairytale with its own happy ending. >But at the age of 10, you learned it was the beginning of your god damn nightmare. >You're glaucoma problem was a bit unsettling. >The family money had to be used to help everyone, and at times to help with the treatment. >Luckily your family had the money in the few spare intervals you had to get some help with it. >But one night your dad said he had gotten a promotion. >More money to use to help you and prevent a nasty future. >While you wouldn't say it's that bad, your vision hasn't always been the best at times. >For the promotion, your father decided to have a night out. >Your older brother and sister, both 15 and had gone over to some friends on that day, said they'd meet you there together. "Do we really need to go out to celebrate this sort of thing? We could all just stay home and have something here." >You made it sound like you were agitated to go anywhere. >But really you just hated making a big deal about things. >Your dad gave you a small smile and ruffled your hair. >Even when you were too old for it he still liked to treat you like your were five at times. >"Don't worry son, we'll be back before you know it." >You all decided to take the car to there, the night sky nice and relaxing. >Your mom and dad wearing their best outfits, a huge aroma of cologne and perfume filling the air in the car. >You decided to roll down your window to let some of it out. >When you came to a stop at a red light was when it all turned to shit. >Before you could all process what happened, someone got their hands on you and unlocked the door, pulling you out of the belt. >Your father realized what the commotion was in the back seat and decided to get out,only for another figure to grab and wrestle him to the ground. >You could hear your mom scream as the same happened to her not far after. >Three masked figures. >From their voices you'd definitely say guys. >They grabbed a hold of all three of you, pulling you off to the side. >The last stroke of luck any of you had was a car that paused at the light. >You could see them through the window,staring off at each other. >You pleaded for help with your eyes, but soon enough the man sped off. >Fucking great. >You tried to struggle with the grip, but got a punch to the gut in reprimand. >Especially from what they did to your mom. >Both her and your father fought as well as they could. >But your dad was no fighter. >At least they had shot him before he could see what they did. >You unfortunately didn't get that luxury. >They tore off her clothes and had their way with her. >You looked into her eyes and saw what she was trying to tell you. >"Don't be scared." >God how you wish it was that easy. >After they had their fun,they put her out of her misery. >Just thinking of the imagery makes you want to throw up in present day. >They looked at you with their twisted grins. >You were next. >At least you wouldn't have to worry any of this any more. >But, as if to punish you in some way, there came a light that shone on you all. >It took a second for you to realize that was indeed not the light to the pearly gates. >Cops soon swarmed the three masked men and brought them to the ground. >You were too dazed to see them bring you away from the criminals and into a cop car. >One of them came up to you and put a blanket on your back before asking if you had relatives. >You couldn't hear any of it though. >All you could hear were the screams. >That's all you could ever hear even to the current year in your dreams. >They weren't coming back. >You'd never see them again. >At least not until their in caskets. >And even then... >You don't want to see that pile of flesh that used to be your mom ever again. >The office brought you into the police station until they could get a hold of family. >Your brother and sister found you not long after, holding you and crying their eyes out. >But for whatever reason you couldn't. >The feeling was there,but you couldn't bring yourself to cry. >You know they'd want you to be strong. >But you couldn't be. >You couldn't even grieve properly at their funeral. >Family everywhere came by and offered their condolences. >What use was it to you? >They were gone. >Soon after the lawyer came by to talk about things. >They left your brother and sister, John and Jane Doe, the money and house when they would come to be 18. >You were fine with that. >You never expected them to give those things to you. >You were going to make it on your own. >You were suppose to keep going for mom and dad. >To graduate college and see them smiling as you received your diploma. >But now it was just you. >Your sister and brother helped you through your time, along with one of your aunts that came by to be your guardian for awhile. >For some time you thought of school. >You would focus on just that. >But now the desire was snuffed out. >Reaching 16 and in high school, you were left with your sister who got the house. >You didn't want to stay here forever though. >So, you took on a job along with school. >A certain coffee and doughnut shop just opened and you gave it a shot. >You thought it would be tough, but the man who owned it, Joe, was pretty nice. >He set you up first thing at the start of the week. >That began your love for coffee. >Stuff always cheered you up. >Handling high school and a job wasn't that bad for you. >What got worse, though, was your glaucoma. >Your mom and dad really kept it low that you had it, even from your brother and sister. >It wasn't all that important at the time since they could care for it when they had the money. >But now only you were reminded of it. >You had gotten a doctor call before to see if you'd ever come in for a check up and something to help with it. >But you declined. >The money could be used for other things. >Besides all you were doing was delaying it. >Sooner or later it would come for you. >So why wait. >At this point you just kept on rolling until the inevitable would hit. >Oh and how it hit. >Quite a few years passed. >You'd be moving out soon to your own place, just had to go move stuff with your brother. >You woke up one day and found it was still dark. >Although you could feel your eyes were open, there was nothing. >You moved your hand to your face to check if there was any obstructions and found nothing. >Oh boy. >The days gone by were blurry, both figuratively and literally. >Guess it was only a matter of time. >You tried your best to get up, the bed still creaking under you and you hobbled out and tried to shuffle to the door. >On many attempts to move you fell over on something. >Finally, you found your hand resting on the doorknob and got to the hallway. >Wobbling around was a pain in the ass. >God damn rickety floor pa- >Hello ground. Have you met face? I'm sure you two are well acquainted by now. >The thud of your body echoed through the hall,not to mention your damn ears. >A quick gasp coming from behind you and being picked up was something you were hoping to avoid. >"Anon what happened to you?" >Your sister. Shit. >Guess it was time to tell her. >You turned yourself as best you to where you heard her voice. >From the gasp you can already guess she isn't liking what she was seeing. >You told her about the glaucoma and how you hadn't been getting it treat. >Telling her your feelings about it and how now you were... >Blind. >A hard smack flew across your face and a sharp pain went through. >Yeah, you definitely deserved that. >You let out a sigh hoping she wouldn't go off on you for too long before feeling her arms wrap around you. >The sobs could be heard from her and muffled slightly. Her tears also possibly running down her face and onto your clothes. >In a way you were sort of okay with how you are right now. >You really didn't want to see your sister cry over you. >The barking you got from your brother once he figured it out was a whole different story. >"You're a fucking idiot!" and "How could you do that shit!" were a couple of the many things he had to share. >At least he hadn't resorted to letting out his anger in physical violence. >You knew how mean his left hook was. >In the end, despite his anger, he still helped you out. >He brought you to your new home and helped you get settled in and figuring out where everything was. >It'd take you quite some time before you could get a decent feel of the place. >Feeling the smooth wooden floors and furniture. >It was different somehow from any other time. >When you were all down he let out a small chuckle and put his hand on your shoulder. >Even without seeing, you knew it was there. >That smile of his that looked like your fathers. >You could almost picture it. >"I know you couldn't do all the things you wanted bro, but for what it's worth, I think they'd still be proud of you." >All you could do was smile and nod. >You thought maybe feeling sentimental would bring some fucking waterworks. >But you still couldn't feel the need to cry. >There was still the problem at hand though. >Your work. >Luckily, John was brought you in his car to the shop. >"Welcome back Anon! Thought you'd gone for good, haha!" >You cracked a small smile and felt yourself being led towards the counter by your brother. >"...You alright there Anon?" "Yeah Joe...no, I'm not." >You told him all that's happened and your sudden blindness. >After that was said and done you waited patiently for any type of response. >A few seconds later you heard footsteps walking away, probably Joe's. >Yeah, you guess having a blind guy isn't really all that good for business. >About to leave a bit dejected, you could hear the heavy footsteps come back and the sound of something being placed in front of you. >Huh. >"Can you identify these still?" >What? >What kind of game was he playing at? >Well whatever, might as well give this a shot. >Picking up the first cup, you took a sip. >You could taste the ingredients in it, a flavor you've enjoyed every now and again. >The perfect amount of steamed milk, milk froth, and espresso blended together. "Cappuccino." >With nothing more than an "hmm" he pushed the next cup towards you. >Continuing on, you took a drink. >Bitter. Definitely bitter. >Although, the taste of grounded coffee that was brewed can be tasty too. "Red eye." >Not even giving you a response this time as he shoved another into your hand. >This is getting a bit irritating. >With a sigh you take a sip at the last one. >And then once you realize what it is you start to chug that shit. >GOD DAMN >MOTHERFUCKING CIDER. >If there was any drink you guys could always make. >It's cider. >If there was anyone who beat you in that department. >It was that damn family at the nearby farm. >They'd let you buy their apples, but they kept that cider secret of theirs. >Damn apples. >You finally finished the drink and let out down with a content gasp of air. "Hot cider. Man, that still hits the spot." >A chuckle could be heard rumbling from Joe as he patted your back. >"Ya still got it, kid." "Still got what?" >"That nose of yours." >What >"You can't see anymore, and I feel for ya, kid. I would have helped if you had come to me." >Well shit. >You feel pretty fucking stupid right now. >"But you still have that nose of yours. Not even having to see to know the coffee." "Well being here for so long helped with that." >"Haha It better have!" >"Anyways, I'll give you a bit of free time to get used to making your way over here on your own." >"But I know you, kid. I saw it in your eyes for so long. You've gone through so much hell." >"And yet here you keep going. Striving through life even now." >"I believe you'll overcome this in no time." >You felt a small tug on your lips as they formed a genuine smile. >You haven't had one of these in years. >A tiny drop of something wet fell from your face. >Putting a hand to your cheek up to your eye, it was pretty clear what it was. >You were actually shedding a tear. >Huh. >How about that. >... >What's that smell? >OH SHIT THE COFFEE >Breaking from your daze you stand up and carefully move yourself to the aroma. >You'll have to clean all of that up when you get back. >Hopefully you remember. >You decided to just pocket the picture for now and hopefully don't lose it. >Getting your cup of coffee and taking a sip,you're sure your face twisted into a grimace. >Black coffee >Always gets ya. >Well at least now you were definitely more awake. >And you're going to need to get a new frame for that picture. >Great. >Finishing off the coffee, you placed it in the sink and got the popped out toast. >No time to get any damn jelly on this shit. >Finding your shoes and cane along with dark shades wasn't that hard since you left them in the same place every day when you returned. >Just another day. >Getting your keys from a table nearby, you made your way outside and locked the door behind you. >Man it was good you decided to just go with a short sleeved shirt. >Even if you couldn't see the sun anymore, you could still feel the bitch of heat coming from it. >Stupid summer. >Making your way down the sidewalk to work at least was never too bad. >Your place wasn't the closest, but you've memorized the path a couple of times. >Trial and error were a huge part of this routine for some time. >You'd rather try not to remember the time you walked into a lingerie store. >Took too damn long to finally convince the owner you were indeed blind. >Terrible day. >But now, you've since always taken your bosses words to heart. >Now you could always find your way to work. >Tapping your cane to random little objects here and there like walls,trash cans,and trees. >Hearing how they sounded and from what direction. >Sniffing the air every so often to get the smells around you memorized. >This was usually how you helped yourself get back home when coming the same way. >Well that and your neighborhood always smelled of the sugary things sold across from you by that husband and wife baker. >You could damn well smell the sweetness coming from there sometimes. >It got kind of nauseating sometimes. >But that helper they have is always nice enough to give you a few free slices of cake here and there. >Sweet girl. >Finally coming across the fresh smell of a different set of baked goods and coffee left you to just finding the door and actually starting your day. >The bell chimes from above your head as you found and gripped the door handle and pulled it open. >The various voices from customers coming from multiple directions and co-workers yelling out names. >You're pretty sure no one is named "shat". >At least you hope not. >You made your way through the direction you usually go to make it to the counter through chairs. >A giant clap on your back from a familiar rough hand was your reward for making it there. >"Heya Anon! Got here by the skin of your teeth!" >Joe's gruff voice and laugh were always a welcome to the morning. Better than one of your prick co-workers who you'd rather not name. "Hey, Joe. Sorry, had a mishap in the kitchen in the morning." >Joe hummed in thought, probably trying to figure out if that story is bullshit. >"Well hey, you got here on time so it's all good. Now get movin' ya got work to do." "Aye aye sir!" >With a slug to your shoulder and a laugh, Joe's footsteps could be heard moving away. >God that guy could probably give your brother a run for his money. >With a resigning sigh you make your way to the back of the counter, taking over for the previous guy so he can rest, much to his relief. >And by relief you mean he was babbling about the pain in his hands. >He just muttered "I hate teenagers" over and over to himself. >The guy already has a hard time with his name being "Sunburst". >Poor bastard. >Well whatever, time to do your job. >You pulled out your dorky work hat and placed it on your head along with name tag on your apron, a customer walking up to the counter soon after. >"Sup. I'd like a tall decaf cafe espresso frappucino, with whip.I'd like a venti decaf mocha, with whip." >Oh god. >Of course, you'd get this guy when you just get in. >But he just paid for it so. >Customer is always right and all that. "Right away sir." >"And remember my name right this time!" >turning yourself over to the machines, the one area you felt at home. >Brewing Coffee was a great place to have a conversation with the nicer customers and a relief away from the snobby assholes. >Well, all of them except the current one. >To be honest, he always tells you his name, but you can never care enough to remember right. >Brad or something. >You'll get it right one of these days. >"Chop Chop man I need this thing asap!" >You'd rather throw this thing in his face. >But you had no real grasp on where he really was standing from your position and didn't want to splash the coffee on the ground. >Or worst, someone who didn't deserve it. >The rapid tapping of his foot as he waited "patiently" for his coffee was really getting on you. >Topping off the coffee with whip and writing down the name on the cup, you didn't have time to call out his name before you swiped the cup from your hand. >"Finally! How can it take so long to...oh god dammit!" "What seems to be the problem, sir?" >"You got my name wrong again! It's Flash, not Brad!" "Huh. Well, I'll get it right next time." >While you couldn't see it, you're sure he was getting visibly angry. >You tried your best to keep a straight face, at least you hope it was that way in front of this guy. >"Listen, man, I know you can still write correctly with those fucking blind eyes of yours. Get it right next time." >You gave him a salute and a "Yes sir!" before he huffed and left the place. >You let out a heavy sigh of relief before remembering there were others waiting and got to the rest of your day. >At least the worst damn part of the day is over. >Your day went by decently enough afterward. >Regulars who were pretty nice came in, exchanged some dialogue with you, then got their drinks and say themselves. >Same old stuff. >Then came in the girl with the rainbow colored hair. >You that smell of sweat coming from anywhere. >Why this girl didn't go home and shower before coming for a drink after her jogs or whatever you'll never know. >"I'll have the usual Jack!" >You stood in silence for a couple of seconds before letting out a 'hmph' in irritation and got her what she always got. >Which was just straight black. >Which you'd probably admire her for if she didn't look like someone was forcing her to stomp a puppy while she drank it. >What is wrong with this girl. "Here ya go RD." >She probably only heard a bit of that as she left some cash on the counter and dashed out. >Well at least she always paid the right amount, if not a bit more. >Just another day at Joe's. >A few more hours come and go, as do the customers. >Finally it came time for you to take your break. >Stretching a bit after being in a bit of cramped area and taking off the apron and hat felt amazing. >You got a steamy cup of cider and went over to the tables to find an empty one. >Well you usually just sat down somewhere and would know if it was empty if someone told you politely to fuck off. >Lucky enough, your first guess seemed empty enough. >"Hey chump." >Well almost empty. >There was only one girl who had that rough voice. "Hey Gilda, long time no talk. Decided to come into work for once?" >A laugh vibrated through your ears in response. >"Haha Yeah! Sorry, I've got some issues of my own and this places pays for the rent, but not for the cigarettes." >"Why? Miss me?" >Well you certainly don't miss that mocking voice of hers. >But you did miss the company for the past couple of days. >Aside from your boss off work hours, Gilda was the only one who worked here that you could shoot the shit with. >She went off on what she's been doing the past couple of days. >You kind of just listened to her drone while giving vague responses as you sipped your cider. >Man this stuff hit the spot. >Aside from your squawking friend, you could hear sit here and listen to the surrounding of this place. >She never had much of interesting things to talk about. >Mostly belly aching about two girls who sounded vaguely familiar. >The smells and chatter weren't all that bad at times. >Except for Sunburst and his war with cleaning the restrooms. >Sometimes he'd come out muttering things. >Probably to keep his mind at ease. >You had about 20 minutes left for your break after Gilda was chatting and just drank in silence with you. >A light rain that was barely audible for the past 5 minutes turned a bit more fierce. >Luckily nothing too bad, but you forgot to take your umbrella. >Hopefully it will die down before you have to go. >The doors soon swung open and the tapping of high heeled shoes could be heard coming into the store. >With the door shutting, three new scents filled the store. >Some blueberry >A bit of a citrus smell >And...Lavender? >Oh god >Teenagers >"Nice going Sonata. "Hey, girls! Let's try that coffee shop today! What's the worst that could happen?"" >"Hey! It's not my fault it started to pour! At least I told you to bring some umbrellas." >With Attitude. >The first voice let out a 'hmph' before they girls decided to move again and another voice spoke up. >"Well, let's find a spot to sit before getting a drink. We'll probably be here for some time." >Well, at least you and Gilda sat in one of the spots that only fit two people. >"Hey. Do you two mind if we sat here. This is the last spot with enough chairs for us." >Wait what. >Shit you miscalculated. >You could have sworn this was a two seat table. >ManamIbadatmath.PNG >Well, it's all good. >Gilda will probably tell them to piss off and you can get back to your break. >"Sure, sit down anywhere ya like." >GILDA YOU TRAITOR. >The seats slide across the floor as the new arrivals sat down. >Two on your left and one on your right. >"Sorry for intruding, but we really didn't want to have to walk back home in this rain just yet." >"Hey, it's all good. Can't let you girls out there in that stuff now can we anon?" >You bitch. >Gilda knew you weren't good with talking with girls. >Well except her, but she plays for your team so she's different. >Oh god wait that's it. >She's trying to get into their pants. >Or maybe it's both. >Maybeit'smaybelline >Wait anon focus! >"Well, You got your seats Adagio. I'm gonna go get the drinks." >Lavender girl got up from her seat and made her way to the counter. >"Don't forget the usual for me, no whip." >"Oh, but I want mine with whip! Loads of it!" >A grunt was all the response the girls got from their friend. >At least you assume their just friends. >"So, want brings you three around here?" >Oh god Gilda. >"Well, our friend, Sonata over here, told us how good the stuff was here." >"We had no other plans for the day so we decided to humor her for the day." >A small 'hmph' could be heard from blueberry to your right. >"Nice. Well, I can't really vouch for anything here since I usual just get frozen coffee. Sometimes straight black." >"What I'm saying is I'm not all that good with multiple choices of caffeine." >You've never been fond of her drink choice but to each their own. >Suddenly you felt a chill down your spine after a short pause from Gilda. >"But, uh, Anon here knows this place inside out. If ya want to talk to someone about coffee, he's your guy." >Eddieletmegobacktomyhome >YOUGOTTASENDMEBACK >You let out a silent sigh and rubbed the back of your neck. "Well, there isn't much to tell. Although I can vouch that the coffee here is pretty good." >"And you working here wouldn't be a factor in that opinion in any way huh?" >Adagios, you guess the citrus girls name is, wisecrack was welcoming in its own way. "I've gone to this place long before I lo-" >Your mouth snapped shut before you could finish your sentence. "Well, I've come here for a long time, even before I got the job. Why the hell would I work somewhere I didn't like?" >Adagio gave a hum in response and decided to start up a conversation with Gilda and Sonata. >As if you were out of the equation here. >Well that's fine. >Nothing but to finish your cup and go back to work. >"Oh! What's that your drinking?" >The sudden outburst from the girl they called Sonata you're guessing made you jump slightly. "It's cider." >"Sounds tasty, can I try some?" "Sure, they don't cost much." >But Sonata didn't seem that patient. >You heard your straw shift and a slurping sound come from her direction. >Yeah that's cool. >when she finished, she let out a satisfied sigh and returned your cup. >"That is pretty good! Thanks!" "Yeah, no problem." >Jesus she finished off a third of your drink. >Which didn't leave you with much considering how much you had already drunk. >Well whatever. >"Here's your crappy drink Sonata." >"It's not crappy, you just have bad taste!" >"Whatever." >Now that the third hex girl got back, things got a bit more lively. >You felt her elbow hit against yours. >Pretty damn hard. >Jesus christ what were her bones made of? >"Hey! Watch it." >... "Sorry Lavender, can't really do that for ya." >"Lavender?" "You never gave us your name, so I just went off of the smell of your perfume or shampoo. Whatever that smell came from." >You felt your shirt being pulled instantly. >She-Hulk is that you? >"Were you sniffing me you creep?" "I sniff a lot of things. It's like an alternate to seeing things for me." >"Yeah? Well, why don't you see this fist going into your face." >"If he could even see anything past those shades." >Now is not the time Gilda. >You kind of wanted to laugh. >But you felt like you'd get a face full of knuckle sandwich any second. >And you weren't really hunger. >Gilda, on the other hand, was having a field day. >"And what are you laughing at?!" >"You girl, you're a riot hahaha!" >After calming herself down a bit, Gilda finally got to the point of the matter. "Ol' Anon here is blind." >Well that certainly got their attention. >You could feel the lavender girl stiffen and slowly release her grasp from your shirt. >"...Sorry." >You gave a shrug and got back to your drink for a quick chug. "Eh, it's nothing. Wouldn't be the first time this sort of thing happened." >Although it was more often and not around the beginning of when you were blind here. >The worst was when Gilda "accidently" led you to the Woman's restroom. >You swear they threw just about everything at you in there. >One item felt baby sized. >You really hope that wasn't actually a baby. "I sort of just went off of the smells that came from the three of you to give you names before you introduced yourselves." "Same for Blueberry and Citrus over here." >"Wowzie! That's some strong nose ya got there." >A grin made its way onto your face at the remark and continued on with your drinks. >"Well, I still don't like that shit." >"But, I guess I owe you an apology for the rough handling. Names Aria." "Don't like the name Lavender? I thought it fit.You share its nice smell and have a beautiful voice like the name." >A small stutter came from Aria that sounded like a dying fish. "You alright?" >"Y-yeah, just fine." >With that, she went to her drink. >And she drank that thing fast. >Jeez. >A small chuckle could be heard again from across from you. >What was that bird brain amused with now? >"And you say you're not a lady killer Anon." "What?" >"Nothin. Nothing at all." >Weirdo. "So, how are you girls enjoying the drinks?" >For the most part, they all let out 'Mmmm" in content while drinking before giving their answers. >Well it was already off to a good start. >Adagio took a few steady sips before responding. >"It's very nice. The Decaf with soy milk is very comforting. >So she's one of those kinds of people huh. "How about you Aria?" >You heard a tapping on the table, like nails rapidly shuffling on it. >"Latte is pretty good. This place definitely makes its coffee very good.VERY very good." >While she was putting a lot of emphasis on her finals words you felt a hand brush against your pants leg. >One hand belonging to Aria most likely. >And that was very close to a certain object that was not on the coffee shop menu. "I see. H-how about you Sonata? What did you get?" >You could hear her gulps down the full cup, which you can already guess at. >"Oh! I got an Espresso con panna like I usually do." >She says that as if you should know that. >Although you did guess right on what she'd be drinking. >You'd feel stupid for asking this, but a conversation to get away from Aria almost grasping your rod in the middle of a coffee shop is better than nothing. "How would you say the Espresso con panna from here tasted." >"Questo Espresso con panna é buonissimo!" >... >Well that certainly was unexpected. >You never took any other languages is school, but from the excitement in her voice you'll take that as "it's good". "Glad to hear that." >"Would you like some?" "Huh?" >A bowl was shoved into your hands and a giggle coming from Sonata. >"I saved some for you. It's a 'sorry for drinking almost all of your cider' drink." "Really?" >While you couldn't see that, you could almost hear the sheer force of the shaking from her head nodding. >"For Realzies!" >Heh. >Well, maybe Sonata's company won't be so bad after all. >Refreshing even. >After gulping down the last bit of her drink you felt the same hand belonging to the lavender girl squeeze your thigh. >You almost choked on the damn drink. >This break is going to be a long one. >Well the remaining time you had passed by fairly fast. >The three new girls that decided to talk with you were pleasant company. >Keeping your mind on the time tick by while you were on break and busy with idle chit-chat was something you were always good at. >And from what you've got, you only had three minutes left. "Well, ladies, as much fun as this has been I have to return to work." >"Aww, but we were having a nice time talking with you." "Heh, sorry girls. But if it's still raining when I have to head home and you're still here we can chat a bit longer." >"Oh? And what time do you get off?~" Adagio asked in an almost purring voice. >These girls are something else. "9 pm. Ciao for now." >With that, you gave one last wave in a general direction you heard the voices in and put on the apron. >The rest of work seemed to go slow and not full of as much life as your conversation. >Huh. >Maybe those girls were already growing on you. >Taking an order here and there, you kept your ears open to see if you could find the girls conversation amongst the chatter of the cafe. >Sometimes you'd get a sentence or two from them before some other noise became louder or an order was being made. >Stuff like "Hot" and "Yummy" along with an "I could just...up". >You didn't talk to many girls. >But you sure as hell knew they weren't talking about the coffee. >The night went on, as did the rain, and soon it came time to go home soon. >A confirmation came from your boss. >"Hey anon! Get your ass home already!" >Classy Joe. >With a chuckle you removed the apron to place it to the side. >A few of your co-workers gave you a quick "see you", "Check ya tomorrow Anon!", "Catch your ass later dweeb.", etc. >Letting out a final sigh of relief for the day, you walked over to the tables in the front cane in hand. >Although there was still rain outside so you didn't have much relief just yet. >Well whatever. >There weren't that many people left as it was getting near to closing time. >It was easier to keen in on specific conversations. >Yet you couldn't hear the girls voices anymore. >Guess they went home. >Well that's fine. >Maybe they'll come back someday. >"Heyo Anon!" >A voice boomed into the coffee shop. >Shit you forgot about him coming by today. "Hey there Thunder." >Thunderlane was his full name. >At least that's what he says. >To be honest, you still think it's a name he's just used to be tough and no one's called him out on. >You've been friends for quite some time. >He never really danced around your blindness. >Aside from Gilda, he was the only other person you could joke about it with. >A real pal. >"Forget our plans pal? Can't tell me ya forgot about your buddy Thunder!" "No, I just had some other things occupying my mind for the day when I got here." >"Oh? And what were those things?" >At that moment a trio of boot pairs made their presence clear to your both, clattering their way in front of you both. >"I'd assume that'd be us." >"...And who are you, ladies?" >Oh? >That sounds like nervousness. >Well now the rain definitely won't stop tonight. >"Adagio, Aria, and Sonata." >You couldn't see it, but you're assuming that's in order of their lineup. >"Who might you be?" >"Oh, the name's Thunderlane. But my bud here calls me Thunder. You beautiful woman are free to use that too." >You roll your eyes at the ego. >If it was any bigger you could add an extra "g" and have it for breakfast. "I thought you girls had headed home." >"Well, you said we could talk again with we stayed behind for you right?" >"Yeah! We like talking with you Nonny!" >Nonny? >Oh god. >You felt a wave of smugness coming from your old friend. >You could only imagine the shit-eating grin on his face. >"So, NONNY, how long have ya known these girls?" "We just met this today man." >"Ah, well did you still want to get around to what we were gonna do today? Or do you have new plans with your harem?" >He let out a loud laugh before you heard the swift sound of his hand reeling back to probably smack you on the back. >You moved your cane to block and heard a pain sound come from Thunderlane. >You, of course, didn't stop there as you took his hand and threw him over your shoulder. >You knew getting some kick ass lessons when you were younger would still come in handy. "Nice try, Thunder." >"Man, I'll get you next time asshole." "Sure you will." >Well he might. >It was pretty quiet aside from the sounds coming from him so you, in a metaphorical sense, saw the slap coming. >Speaking of silence, the girls you've had with you were quiet through that whole thing. "I didn't accidently throw you into one of the girls did I?" >Thunderland let out a groan and got up before responding. >"Nah, the blue and purple one get out of the way before I hit." >Well that's good. >Last thing you needed was for some girls you just met to think you were a dick. >It was silent again for a couple of seconds before Aria decided to speak up. >"...Are you really blind?" "Last that I check, yes." >"But you smacked his hand in the air and did some judo shit on him." >"Not something you see every blind man do." >You could tell her you took classes before you went blind, but that'd be too simple. >You tried your best to put on your most serious facial expression, hoping Thunder won't ruin things. "You're right and at the same time not." "My real name isn't Anon, it's Matt Murdock. I fight crime at night in a red suit." >In an instant Thunderlane got up and right next to you slugging a hand over your shoulder. >"And I'm his friend Foggy Nelson. And outside of this job, we hold out in our firm: "Nelson and Murdock" >"I was the only one who he told this about though until now so I'd say you girls are lu-" >You decided to cut Thunderlane off quick enough, giving a small chuckle at the stupidity of your little gag. "Alright man, I think this jokes been going on long enough." >"Aww, come on man. If you could see their faces you'd see we could have kept going for some time." >"Well whatever, Matt, We still up?" "Nah, I kind of want to just get home as soon as possible." >The rain hasn't stopped yet and you'd rather not try to poke around the streets with a slick ground and puddles. >Thunder gave a quick "alright catch you later man" before you heard the door open and close back up. >"That was a pretty mean joke Nonny." "Hehe, sorry girls. Couldn't pass it up." >A small 'hmph' came from Sonata along with a growl from who you'd assume is Aria. "Ok, I really am sorry about that. If I promise to treat you girls to something here next time would that be fine?" >The three girls stood in silence for a minute, probably trying to decide your fate Before they all pitched in. >"...I want some crab." >"And salmon." >"OH! AND A BURGER! A BIG JUICY ONE!" >Jeez, these girls were trying to bleed ya dry huh? >Well luckily you save up quite a bit. >Joe also pays pretty well so you'd be ok. "Alright, you got a deal." >Sonata let out a squee before giving you a tight hug. >"Thank you thank you thank you!" "No sweat, but could you let me go now? I kinda can't breathe." >"Oops! Sorry hehe." >You finally let in some much-needed air after Sonata broke the hug with an embarrassed laugh. "Well, this was definitely a one of a kind day. Talk to you girls later." >The cane in your hand light tapped as you made your way to the door. >A hand stopped your movement before you could get a grip on the handle. >"Wait, you're not going out in that rain on your own without an umbrella are you?" >Looks like it's Adagio that decided to put some two cents into your predicament. "Not the first time I've done it." >"Then why didn't you go with that friend of yours?" "We had some planned stuff for tonight, and seeing as I'm a bit worn out thanks to three new customers I'd rather just head home." "Of course he trusts in me to get home on my own, though I'd guess in his excitement he forgot to ask if I had anything to use for the rain." >"And why not just wait for it to stop?" "It's been going for some time now, and the store closes soon enough. Speaking of that, you girls might want to be heading out soon too." >A brief silence, aside from the sound of the last few customers besides yourselves leaving through the door next to you. >"You know what, you're right. We'll be going now." "Good, talk to you girls another day." >With Adagio's hand on your shoulder, you were basically walking in place." >"BUT, only if you let one of us come with you to keep your dry." "Quite the smooth talker aren't you Adagio?" >"I have my moments." >"What do you have to lose? You get one of three attractive girls to keep you company." >Hmmm "You're not going to rob me are you?" >All you heard was a 'pfft' come from her direction and a laugh that lasted a whole minute. >You think your question was fairly reasonable. >"That sure was something, but not the worst thing a guy's asked me." >What >Now that just makes your curious. >With a sigh you think it over. >On one hand, you've barely met these girls and have the mind to understand you don't just invite someone over to your house when you barely know them. >What kind of person would do that? >Probably some rich lonely asshole or something. >On the other, They did just ask to walk you home. >Whatever their game is, they're taking it slowly. >Well you're already blind. >What more can you really lose? "Alright, but just one of you." >"Great! Hold on just one minute." >Adagio seemed to have moved back to the two others, their whispering indicating they're deciding who'll go. >You never really thought of yourself as "handsome" so three girls that seem to be playing "rock paper scissors" for your attention didn't really seem all too real. >A loud "HA I WON" came from the group along with some groans of irritation. >Soon enough another hand found it's way wrapped around your arm. >"Looks like ya got me Nonny!" "And I've got no say in this?" >"Nope!" >Cheeky girl. >"Guess that's it then. We'll see you at home Sonata." >"Bye Dagi and Aria!" >"See ya, don't go torturing the poor guy." >A raspberry came from your companion's mouth with the departure of her friends. >"Time for us to get going too, Nonny!" >With a pop of her umbrella, Sonata tug you with her outside. >You both now stood outside, the sound of cars passing by and the patter of rain hitting the concrete. >"Sooo which way?" >With some precise directions from what you remembering before the whole blind thing you both made your way to your neighborhood. >"These homes look really nice." >Huh >Sonata sounded really calm, definitely an opposite of her earlier attitude. "Yeah, if it looks anything like when I saw it many years ago, the whole place is probably pretty beautiful." >"...How did you go blind?" >Ah, we finally get to that question. "It's a long story. Maybe I'll get to that if we ever have any more time to talk." "What's the story with you and those other two?" >"Heh, it's kind of the same issue. Need more time to talk about the whole thing." "Well, we can have a cup of coffee some time." >"That sounds like a date Nonny." "Well if I didn't work in a cafe yeah I'd say it did." >The air filled with the laugh that came from you both, a familiar smell soon entering your nose." "We're getting close. I can smell the bakery." >"Bakery?" "Yeah, there's one right across from where I live. Pretty good sweets." >After some walking you heard Sonata let out a gasp of surprise. >"Wow you're right! I can smell the sweets from here!" "Told ya." >Soon enough sonata stopped, indicating you were right across from the bakery. >"I think we're right in front of your home." "I hope so or it might be awkward explaining why I'm trying to use my key to get into my neighbor's house." >Of course, they all knew you were blind. >But joking a bit with someone who doesn't know that is fun and refreshing. >"It's really...green." "Got a problem with green?" >"Nope!" >Cheeky girl. >You loosened yourself from Sonata grip and started to walk down the small path to your door. >"HEY ANON!" "Yes?" >"I REALLY LIKE YOU! HOPE WE CAN TALK MORE AGAIN SOON!" >Why she was shouting when you could hear her perfectly well is beyond you. >Her step made themselves clear as the 'pit-pat' of Sonata walking away could be heard. >You let out a sigh and continued the walk to your front door. >The creek of the door, the sound of your cane hitting the wooden floor. >Placing your personal items to the same position you place them every day. >Home sweet home. >With the front door closed and locked now you kicked off your shoes and sat down on a chair. >Well you tried to do that, but you ended up on the sofa instead. >Could have been worst. Ass on the hard floor is never fun. >You laid there for what felt like an hour. >If you've been keeping up with the time properly. >It was around 11 pm by now. >Ugh, man working through the whole day was always a pain in the ass. >Years of this shit and your feet are still killing you. >Well you have tomorrow off so that'll give you some time to rest at least. >Now came the routine of after work activities. >A nice bath with Epsom salt while listening to some smooth ass jazz. >You try your best to hide the salt in somewhere only you'd guess. >At least you hope that's the case. >Last time Thunderlane found it he replaced it with some sort of pepper. >Next day your body was still killing you and he just laughed with a "You look healthier already Anon." >Not like you didn't get him back, though. >A hotter pepper in his coffee showed him. >Just about done with your relaxation, you toweled off and put on some pajamas. >Now relaxed, you decided to turn the tv on. >The sounds were comforting. >Picking up a bottle of good ol' Jack Daniels and sitting in your chair was a nice way to end a night. >Between the sounds of what seemed like late night cartoons. >Made you remember the good old days. >Well if the good old days involved drinking from a bottle of Jack. >A familiar voice of old cartoon character filled the living room. >"Got to get back. Back to the past." >You lowered the volume of the tv, faint metal clanking going on as you downed the booze and thought back on today. >For the most part, it was uneventful, same old boring sequence of events. >Not that you're aren't happy with your life so far. >Good paying job. >Good friends Gilda and Thunder. >But, the thing with those girls. >You felt something with them. >You're not really sure what to put on it. >They're pretty straightforward you'll give them that. >It's been a long time since you've been intimate with a woman. >Although you were drunk and she never talked so you have no idea who it was. >Well it's all fine. >The last tiny drop left the bottle in your hands. >Shit, there wasn't much to that. >Getting up you made your way to the fridge. >Opening it, you scrambled your hand around until you grasped something that felt like liquid courage. >You honestly don't remember what you've bought aside from the Jack so it's all a gamble on how that'll fuck you up tonight. >Opening the new bottle you took a whiff and instantly recoiled. >Wew >Strong smell. >Bottoms up. >A couple of minutes later and you were stumbling to your room, bottle in hand. >Well one good thing of no vision is things don't won't look blurry. >But fuck if it didn't do anything to your ability to walk. >Huggin the wall as you found your destination and plopped yourself on the bed. >You did your best to place the bottle on your nightstand. >Hell you don't even remember if you turned off the tv. >But at this moment, everything was fine. >You forgot your past troubles once again, liquor running through you. >Letting a peaceful sigh you finally let yourself drift off to sleep. >The next morning wasn't so peaceful. >At least the first part of it. >That second bottle of whatever was a mistake. >Groggily getting up you, to the best of your ability, made your way to the bathroom. >Nice shower to wash away the smell. >As soon as you turned off the shower, the sound of knocking on the front door could be heard. >Shit how long were they there. "Hold up a minute I'll be there!" >Having completely forgotten a set of clothes, your journey was lengthened a bit as you had to rush to the room to find something that felt like casual wear. >The knocking continued to your irritation. "Alright alright, I'm coming dammit!" >With agitated grumbling you moved around down the stairs until you felt the door. "Who is it?" >"It's your favorite pal of all time." "I know no such person." >"C'mon Anon it's me Thunderlane." "Thunderlane? He's been dead for 10 years." >"ANON" >After a bit of a chuckle and a punch from Thunder as you let him in, you both sat down on the couch and chair. >Thunder turned on the tv and sounds of the news filled the air. >Huh, guess you did turn it off. "Alright, so what's up?" >"Nothin much, just decided to come by to see how you were doing after the hangover." "It's all good and...wait how did you know I was drinking." >"Well for one I've known you long enough to know if you go home after work instead of hanging out you drink." >"Which I'm a little offended by cause I wanted to drink to man." "Heh sorry." >"No problem. And two, that completely empty Jack Daniels on the ground is a pretty big tip." >Shit you forgot to throw that away. "Give it to me straight, how bad is the bottle problem in here?" >"Well, you could give Time Square during new years a run for its money." "That's an exaggeration." >"Well yeah, but ya hear this?" >A large clunking came from his direction. >"All booze." "Shit." >"Shit is right. Here I'll help you clean up." >Giving him a 'thanks' you both got to throwing out the booze that was laying around. >Which took quite some time. >Afterwards you both kicked back and did what you always do after doing anything. >Grab a beer. >...Well, as long as you don't drop it on the floor it won't be counterproductive. >After take a drink from his bottle Thunder decided to start up a conversation. >"So, let's talk about those girls from the other day." "I knew that would come up." >"Damn right it would. I mean I haven't seen you with a girl since that one time at your birthday party." "You saw the girl I was with on that day?" >You asked him with a bit of hope finding the girl, but Thunder seemed to have clammed up. >"N-nope, no idea." >Hmm "Well yeah, not like I had much choice." "There was apparently no other space for them to sit while I was on break so, Gilda and I chatted with them." >"Say anything good about me?" "Oh yeah, I told them a bunch of stuff like how you helped a kid in a fire and how you were top in your class." >"Really?!" "Nah." >After the ass whooping you somehow narrowly avoided, you both decided to get back on to the topic. >"So, any of them catch you eye?" "Now you're just making it too easy." >"You know what I mean smartass." >You thought to yourself for a little bit. >Adagio was sort of like attitude wise, but she seemed like a caring person under that smartass snarkiness. >Aria seemed ill-tempered, although after you told her your condition and called her pretty that attitude did a complete 180. >Sonata seemed ditzy, but probably the nicest of the three. >Plus you kind of liked that blueberry smell. "Maybe." >"Aw come on Anon. That's not an answer." "Of course it is." >Your old friend grumbled while taking a drink from his beer. >"Well, while I love sitting here and just drinking away the day. How bout we go out and be productive?" "Productive? Us?" >"Well I guess there aren't too many things in town for a weather forecaster and blind barista." >"But I'm sure if we go out on this bright as hell day we'll see something interesting." "The day I see something again would be interesting." >"God dammit." "But, I guess getting out every so often can be good for me." >"Yes! Exactly!" >"You'll see, today is gonna be great!" "I'm hoping that more of foreshadowing and less of a jinx." >With Thunderlane it was anyone's guess. >You went upstairs and got ready. >The smell of that liquor bottle you left was lingering reminding you where you had put it. >Taking a small chug from it, you finished putting on clothes and met back up with Thunderlane downstairs. "I don't look like a total mess do I?" >"Nah it's fine. How the hell do you put the appropriate clothes at times, Anon?" "It all comes with years of training." >"Blind training?" "Yup." "Well, braille labels help." >Now, as far as you can tell, you were both dressed for a day in town. >God knows what Thunderlane is gonna pull you into. >Not even five minutes out of the door and the sun was already killing you. >God of the sun be damned. "I'm sort of starting to miss the rain" >"Why? With the sun we can go swim, a run, etc." >None of which sound good for you right now. >Why can't he go praise the sun somewhere else today. "What about just going to some place to get something to eat?" >"We can do that later man. You use to be really into this stuff." "Keywords 'Use to'." >There was a bit of an awkward silence between the two of you for a couple of minutes. >You kind of feel like an ass. >Not Thunder's fault it this fucking hot. "I could go for exercise I suppose." >"Nice! We can start at the park and make our way to the g-" >His sentence was cut off by a mild inconvenience. >And by mild you mean running into someone when you weren't paying attention. >All you could hear was an "ouch!" before something fell onto and smothered you. >Pretty soft. >Well whatever it was it was making it hard to breathe. >Using both your hands on the mounds and pushing lightly got an unexpected reaction from what it was attached to. >More like from who. >"I thought we'd get to know each other a bit more before you went for those Nonny.~" "What" >Her voice sounded next to your ear. >As well as a moan from you trying to confirm what is happening at this second by squeezing the objects on you. >Oh. >With a gulp and slowly moving up from where you assume was underneath your new acquaintance, Sonata. >You coughed into your hand and hoped your faced wasn't completely red. "H-hello there girls." >The only sounds in response you got was the giggling from the three girls you met before. >The laughter coming from Thunderlane. >And the sound of you dying slowly on the inside. >"It's nice to meet you again anon." >I'm sure it was nicer for a certain one of us than the others. "Nice to meet with you girls again. Aria. Adagio." >"So, what are you boys doing over here?" >Finally Thunderlane was able to calm down enough to respond. >"We're gonna go for a run. We'll see how the rest of the day goes. How about you?" >"Well, we were just about to head into the mall for the day. Payday is a sweet thing." >Wait you were in front of the mall? >WAIT TODAY YOU WERE SUPPOSE TO BE PAID. >Before you could both pass by the girls completely, Adagio grabbed your arm and stopped you. >"So, you're saying you've got nothing really planned for today?" >"Well aside from the exercise, I suppose yes." >"Great! 'Cus I was wondering if we could borrow Anon here for the time being maybe?" >Thunderlane was in silence as if he was contemplating something. "Wait don't I have a say in this?" >"Sure! He's all your's, girls!" >"Thanks!" "TL you traitor!" >You yelled many things that made many passing mothers cover their children's ears as you were pulled along with your three kidnappers. >Well you're no kid. >You're a grown ass man. >Who's being pulled by three girls without a fight. >Jesus what do these girls lift. >So this was going to be your day huh. >To be honest, you'd rather be out running. >But on the way inside the girls reminded you that you made a promise. >Itwasjustaprank >You made a bit of a fuss going into the mall, but the cool air inside made you shut up immediately. >Hanging out with three girls in the mall without the sun turning you into roasted roadkill. >Well shit maybe it won't be so bad. >What could possibly go wrong? >>Ah the mall. >A lot of nice memories here. >You could smell the combined odors of colognes, perfumes, and cheap shoe polish from the carts. "So, what'll you girls be putting me through from the start?" >There wasn't a sound coming from any of the girls. >They were probably decided on what place to drag you off to. >After a few minutes Adagio gave you an answer, "We'll be going off to the clothes first." >There was an "alright!" and "whatever" from Sonata and Aria. >Once again a hand reached out for yours to pull you along for the ride. >There was a wide variety of clothing shops they decided to have you tag along with them for. >One bright side of being blind is you aren't being subjected to the old "How does this look?~" shtick. >But, on the other hand, they've decided to give you explicit detail on how the outfits fit on them. >How the fabric pressed against their bodies >And they got even more specific when it came to the how the clothes felt around their chest. >"How do you think this looks on me, Sonata?" >"Oooh that cute Dagi. How about mine?" >"I think it suits you quite well." >"Yeah I thought so too. Although it's a bit constricting on my boobs. Feels like the damn buttons going to pop." >"I bet Anon wishes he could see that." "I'll settle with being able to see thanks." >"Oh, sorry hehe." >Honestly it really didn't bug you. >You've dealt with these jokes for some time. >"JESUS SWISS FUCKING CHEESE!" >A sudden outburst from Aria's changeroom caused you to jump. >A sigh came out of Adagio's mouth before she tapped on Aria's door. >"Something the matter ARIA?" >"This damn zipper won't go up in the back!" >"Alright alright don't get your tits in a twist, I'll come in and help." >A shift in the door was all you heard, along with some grumbling from the two girls in the change room. >You were left with Sonata to sit down and wait on them in silence. >It felt really weird to sit with someone in silence for so long. >Gilda and Thunderlane are usually more keen on talking their lips off. "So, uh...Did you find anything Sonata?" >"Yup! I got two cute skirts and a nice light blue top." >Her response held more enthusiasm than you thought. >Maybe she just wanted you to start. >"I don't think we should have all the fun though. We should go get you something." >You're pretty sure your face twisted in confusion. "Me? Weren't we going around as part of me paying for it for my joke?" >Sonata gave a small giggle and wrapped her hands over yours and picked you up. >"We were just messing with you Nonny." "So today is just a regular walk around the mall huh?" >"Mhm! Oh, well except we might need you to hold a COUPLE of our bags if that's ok." >If you'd seen her before you'd probably be able to imagine the tongue sticking out of her mouth in a playful teasing fashion. >Well at least this conversation showed you that they didn't hold as much of a grudge as you thought. >You could easily decline the request and go return with TL. >But you're already here. Maybe having some female company aside from Gilda would be nice. "Sure, I had nothing to do today anyways." >"Would about the exercise with your friend?" "Absolutely nothing." >You and Sonata slipped away from the store Adagio and Aria was still in. >It looked like they'd be stuck in there for a bit longer anyways. >The stores' Sonata led you to smelled nice so they seemed normal enough. >You hope. >Sonata Pulled out some clothes in different men's areas she said would look nice on you. >It's been awhile since you've had help pick out clothes so this was fine in its own way. >By the time you had both finished with some shops here in there, the bags in your arms had definitely tripled. >And while the bags themselves weren't all much, the god damn content of them sure as hell made up for it. >Greyskullgivemestrength. >"Where should we go now Anon? How about some ice cream?" >Before you could make a request of just heading home soon, Sonata's phone started to ring. >"Oh, one sec Anon. It's Adagio." >Answering her phone with a quick "Hey Dagi!" Sonata walked off. >You heard something of a "meet up", but her voice was soon drowned out by others chatting away in the mall. >You guess she probably thought you were following close behind. >You let out a sigh and tried your best to follow the direction you last heard her voice. >Although your walk is much slower than the power walk Sonata seems to be doing from what you hear out of her footsteps. >Luckily you still had your cane. >Wait shit that's right you left it at home. >Thunderlane had said on the way that he'd help you with the path on your run so you left it behind. >God dammit. >Well whatever, you'll just have to go with the crowd and hope you don't hit your foot on something. >Bumping into a couple of people here and there wasn't all that much trouble. >Well not for you anyways >They were pretty mad. >But whatever. >With the bags starting to feel like a god damn rocks in a bag you decided to try and find a bench to rest. >Feeling around with your feet carefully and moving your hand over surfaces led you to what you believed to be a bench. >Although before you had any time to settle down comfortably you heard a sharp gasp which was followed by your body doing an 180. >Still dazed by the sudden events, you felt yourself being squished against someone's body. >That someone being female as pertaining to the large bust that is currently suffocating you. >Two times in one day >Is this a sign? >"Hey there Nonny! Fancy meeting you here!" >Huh? >There's only one other girl beside Sonata who calls you that. "Hew der Pwinkie" >You tried your best to respond back. >But the boobs were too powerful. >Finally she decided to loosen her grip and let you out to gasp for air. >If you could see, you're pretty sure there'd be a white light. >With your release, you inhaled as if it was the first breath you ever took. >You let out a sigh as giggling could be heard from the sweet smelling girl. >Strangely enough, the giggling sounded as if there was more than one person with you. >And there were a couple of new fragrance that flew into your direction that surrounded pinkie's smell. "Hey Pinkie, is there somebody else here with you?" >"Yuppers! Some old friends and I decided to come here. A lot of us don't get much time off at the same time so we use the time we do to shop!" >You know for this hyperactive girl who shoves cupcakes into your mouth when you pass by that seems... >A bit bland. "That's all? Just shopping?" >"What like your life is somehow any more interesting than what we do on our days off bud?" >Well there's another voice you recognize. >All too well for your liking. "Hello to you too sports girl." >"It's Dash. Rainbow Dash." >Wow. >You kind of feel better about your own name. >"Don't go fighting! Sorry Nonny, I never did get any chance to introduce any of my friends." >Taking in the atmosphere, you could smell the perfumes and a faint whiff of shampoo in five other assortments besides Rainbow Dash and Pinkie. >"The one next to me is Twilight Sparkle." >She says that as if you attended the same one. >And as if you can see which side of her she's specifying. >Pinkie sure is something else. >"It's very nice to meet you Anonymous. Pinkie has talked about you before." >Her scent sort of reminded you of Aria's shampoo. >Although it's mixed in with her perfume, sort of smells like vanilla. >Kind of nice. "Oh? And what has she said about me." >"Oh well she said you're very nice and have a nice b-" >Her voice was soon muffled with a loud nervous laugh coming from Pinkie. >"HAHAHA FUNNY TWIGGY LET'S CHANGE THE SUBJECT." >With a small laugh leaving her mouth, Pinkie seemed to have calmed down from her hysterics and went on down the list of her companions. >"There's Fluttershy!" >A small mumble came from the girl that kind of sounded like a "hello". >"She's very shy." >Yeah you kind of got that. >You could smell a sort of honey fragrance come from her. >10/10 >"After her, we got our fashionista, Rarity!" >A soft hand wraps itself around yours and lightly brought it up for a dainty handshake. >Well you'll put up with that this once. >You're a man dammit. >"It's very nice to make your acquaintance darling." >Darling? >What is this the 9th century? "Uh, yeah you too." >Her scent was one of coconut. >The perfume you'd guess was something very fruity. >"Have you happen to look upon any of the beautiful dresses I've come to make?" >You tried your best to keep a straight face. "I haven't the pleasure." >However, the other girls seem to be having fun snickering at their friends' expense. >"What? What's so funny to you all?" >Responding to her friend's genuine curiosity, A girl with a southern accent and smell of apple cinnamon decided to clue her in. >"He's blind, sugar cube. Remember?" >Her voice sounded quite familiar. >The silence that followed was pretty heavy before a small cough came from Rarity. >"M-my apologizes darling. I seem to have gotten swept up in curiosity and had forgotten your condition. >Your condition >It's been awhile since you've heard it said like that. >You didn't like it said that way all that much, but it is what it is. "No worries. You wouldn't be the first." >The poor girl is probably blushing pretty badly. >"Aaaaaaanyways, next on the line is Applejack!" >Oh, you thought you heard that voice before. >"We've met already Pinkie." >"Really?!" >"Eeyup." "She delivers apples to our shop and we use those apples for some cider. Although, ours never turns out as good as their family made ones." >Applejack gave a small chuckle and smacked your back. >"Well, y'all still make it well enough. And your coffee darn well makes up for it." >Well at least that apple and cinnamon smell that came from her smelled familiar. >Her brother was the one who's been delivering the apples for awhile." >Which has made it harder for you to sign for since the damn guy hardly talks. >"And finally we come to Shimmy Shammy!" >A sigh and small giggle came from another person you couldn't recognize by voice. >"It's Sunset Shimmer. Nice to met you Anon." "Oh, you too." >Well this is by far the most normal and least awkward introduction with someone you've had. >...Which says a lot about the people you interact with. >"I haven't known the girls as long as they've known each other, but I've been with them for some time. >"Yeah! Shim Sham is a great friend that we're glad to have made." >The girls all made their own contributions of agreement to Pinkie's words. >Rainbow Dash decided to also add her two cents with, "She's also got some decently sized hooters!" >Oh. >Well not information you asked for. >But you'll keep that in mind regardless. >A small 'oof' came from Rainbow Dash, a sound coming from her as if she was hit in the stomach. >"Well that would be about it for those of us you haven't met Nonny!" >"And now we're off to get some snacks!" >The rest of the girls seem to let out an exasperated sigh to Pinkie's enthusiasm. >"C'mon Pinkie we've already stop for three different food stalls!" >"Never hurts to try them all!" >"But you've already tried them all last week." >The jabbing between the girls which you assume as just friendly bickering continued for longer than you felt comfortable standing around to hear. >So you decided to scoot slowly away. >Or in the direction you thought was away anyways. >You didn't get far though as an arm wrapped itself around your right arm and pulled you towards the opposite direction you wanted to go. >"Hey Nonny, why don't you come with us? The more the merrier!" >Oh crap. >You let out a small chuckle, trying your best to nonchalantly remove yourself from Pinkie's grasp. "Erm, that sounds interesting girls really it does." "Unfortunately I've already got some people I've come here with and I'd hate to keep them waiting." >Pinkie let out an 'aww' in a deflated tone, her arm still wrapped around yours. >"C'mon Nonny, I'm sure they wouldn't mind you hanging out with us." >They might not, but you kind of are. >Your Max for girls you'll let drag you around the mall is three. >Well, at least from what you've gone through today, now it is. >Before you could respond back with a polite rejection a gasp came from the opposite direction of the girls and another force wrapped itself around your left arm. >That force smelling an awful lot like Sonata. >"What are you girls doing with Nonny?!" >Yup, Sonata. >"What do you mean what are we doing? We were just asking him if he wanted to come shopping with us." >Please help me. >"Well You'll have to ask someone else. Nonny's here with us." >You heard a something that sounded like Sonata sticking her tongue out. >You kind of expected some childish antics from her with the impression she's givin you. >It's kind of funny in a cute way. >"Well maybe we should let Anon decide instead of almost destroying his arms." >Sunset with the save. >Both girls let go of your arms. You checked to make sure you fine. >Those two girls have more strength than you'd think. "Alright well, here we go." >You turned towards, what you hope was, Pinkie's direction and put on a smile. "Pinkie, thanks for the offer. You girls are very nice and if I didn't have plans I wouldn't mind joining you." "But, I had decided to join Sonata and two others for the day and I'd kind of like to keep my word on that." >There was a bit of silence and some unexpected tension could be felt in the air. >Although it wasn't aimed towards you. >Twilight was the first to pick up a conversation, "You've never told Anon about high school huh?" >"H-he doesn't need to hear that right now. We just met not too long ago and we're all just trying to have a fun day." >This is sounding like some exposition shit. >Just what you needed on your day off. >"Well the sooner he learns the better right?" "I'd appreciate it if you girls just spit out what's going on instead of making a bunch of off-handed statements about something like I'm not here." >An embarrassed laugh came from Twilight before she composed herself. >"Sorry. Well, your new friend here, Sonata, and her two friends weren't as sweet as I'm guessing they've led you to believe. >Well you didn't get that impression at all. >They were a bunch of smartasses, a bit rude, and childish. >But they seemed nice enough so far. >This time it was Dash's turn to chime in, "Yeah! They were pretty big bitches back then. I bet they haven't changed a bit." >Soon enough all of the girls decided to pop into the conversation. >"They went by the name "The Dazzlings" back then. Truly unrefined." >"Yeah! They always knocked my snacks into my face when they passed by!" >"They even made a big mess with the school food, poor Granny Smith, along with some girl and her, uh, a bit overweight friend." >"They also thought they were better than others just because of their singing voices." >The only ones who weren't getting in on this were Fluttershy and Sunset. >You can guess the shy one didn't really feel like taking someone down a notch, but you couldn't get a beat on Shimmer's problem. >Twilight came back into the conversation and disrupted your train of thought. >"The point is, they weren't, and probably still aren't, good people Anon. Especially towards guys. You should stay away from them Anon." >Well now you're kind of perplexed. >A small tug came from your left arm from Sonata. >"I-it's true we were like that back then." >"But we changed! We've grown after that time in our lives!" >Well... >You want to say something witty, but you understand what she means. "Look girls I appreciate all of these concerns, but I'll be fine." >Once again Pinkie wrapped her arm around your free one, almost desperately. >"Please don't go with them Nonny." >Wow. >Never heard her sound that concerned about something. >Except for the time she dropped a cupcake. >She had also cried for a straight minute. >"Like I said, we don't do those things anymore!" >"That doesn't make what you did any less wrong!" >Jeez. >You're starting to think these girls take high school drama a bit too far. >Although you never went to the same one as them so you can't really say much on how they experienced it. >Either way, it seemed like both happy go lucky girls were going to have a tugging contest with you again. >"Hey!" >Oh thank god it's Adagio. >Another person with some common sense. >"Are we gonna have a problem?" >DUN >"You got a bone to pick?" >DUN >"We'd appreciate it if you'd let go of the poor guy before your rip off his arms." >... >For some reason you expected a musical number. >Sonata seem to blow out a raspberry and a "yeah!" before the sound of a fist punching her side followed by her saying "ow!" could be heard. >"That includes you too idiot.", Aria growled towards Sonata who sheepishly giggled and let go of your arm at the same time as Pinkie. >You were finally free. >Well as free as you can be at this moment. >"Now, that the little spat is over, how are you girls doing today?" >Adagio sounded calm and composed, quite the opposite of how Sonata reacted. >"We're doing just fine.What about you girls?" >Twilight returned back in the same tone, albeit it sounding a bit shaken. >Guess she's trying to match Adagio's intimidation. >"We're doing just fine.And while I wouldn't mind catching up, we still have some places planned with Anon today so good day." >You could hear Adagio turning around only for Rainbow Dash to step in, "Hey wait!" >"Hm?" >"What are you gonna do with Anon? Same shit you pulled with those other guys in High School?" >"I beg your pardon?" >There wasn't much of it, but... >You could definitely hear the irritation seeping into Adagio's voice. >Guess even she has a fuse. >"I mean the things you went through back then. Using them and just throwing them back to the dogs." >There was a bit of silence before Adagio let out a small sigh. >"We've all done things we regret in our teen years. Even Aria here doesn't like thinking back on the things she had done." >A small "well, not all of them anyways" came from Aria under the guise of a cough. >"Anyway, we don't know what you think we see Anon here as. We wanted some company to the mall and he was here to help. Simple as that." >"He does have a nice butt though" >"Aria!" >"Sorry." >Well at least she's honest. >With a long sigh Adagio continued, "As Sonata has said, insensible as it might be coming from her, we put that past behind us. Now we'll be leaving. Take care girls." >It still felt like there was tension, but Adagio's words seem to have cut through it a bit. >You felt two arms wrap themselves on both sides of you. >From previous experience you guess it's Sonata and Aria. >"Sorry for leaving you on your own Nonny." >"She ran to meet up with us before realizing you weren't behind her." "It's fine girls. Although This whole thing really has me drained." >Both giggles at your tired reaction as the sound of Adagio's shoes could be heard walking next to all of yours as the time to leave was closing in. >And of course one last thing had to butt itself into your relaxation. >That something being the other set of girls. >"Wait, Anon!" >The sudden outburst from Rainbow Dash behind you caused you to stop and turn your body. >Not like you could see her, but at least she'll know you're paying attention to what she has to say. >"Are you sure you don't want to come with us?" >"I mean me, Pinkie and AJ have all talked to you way longer in some way than the Dazzlings--" >"We'd appreciate it if you didn't call us that." >"--And it'd be safer for you." >Safer? >You can take care of yourself dammit. >"Look, he doesn't want to go with you guys, got it "Dashie"? Why don't you just leave us already?" >"Or what "Dagi"? You gonna do something? Trying to act innocent to get into another pair of random pants." >RD sounded pretty angry. >You've never really heard that much hostility in her voice. >"I'm warning you Dash." >"Violence in a public place, Cheeto Puff?" >Oh shit. >No idea what that means. >She smelled more like than orange than a snack like that. >Well you guess it was a pretty big insult from how the air around you felt. >Forget cutting the tension with a knife, you'd need a fucking chainsaw. >You could feel some drops of something slide down your arms. >It took you a second to realize the sweat wasn't coming from you. >Both Sonata and Aria were shaking lightly along with the sweat that was being dropped on you. >The whole mall had gone silent somewhere along the conversation. >Save for the sound of Adagio's shoes moving forward to where you assume Rainbow Dash was. >After a slightly longer moment of silence, you thought you heard a slight "eep!" come from RD before Adagio finally spoke up once again. >"You know..." >"I'd normally slap your face off." >Dun >"And everyone here could watch." >Dun >"But I'm feeling nice, here's some advice, listen up biatch." >"I don't ever want to have to run into you again in this same situation." >"I left that more violent side of myself back in high school." >Again you weren't really sure what to expect. >Although you have had enough random musical numbers in your life so you won't complain. >"But if you want a fight I'll gladly give you one. Just be sure it's something you want. Nod if you understand." >While you couldn't see it, you assume she did indeed nod. >"Good, now off you goody girls go." >Adagio turned heel and walked in front of you. >"As for you..." >She pulled your shirt, lurching your forward. >"You have some shopping bags to hold to make up for this little inconvenience." >You should feel a bit scared from being told that, but the playful tone in her voice made you felt like this wasn't going to be AS bad as you'd think it would be. >...Right? >You've visited a bunch of different places. >From Fleur's Beautique to Vinyl's...vinyl. >Despite them saying you'd have to make up for earlier, you bag count didn't go too far for you to handle. >There was also the ice cream. >The girls had you guess their flavors and you passed with flying colors. >The day went by with some off colored jokes and jabs between the four of you and laughs. >It's honestly been a long time since you've been in a group like this and had fun. >Maybe you should go out somewhere with Gilda and Thunderlane sometime. >... >Ok maybe not. >You remember the last time you had that idea ended with you, an almost empty bottle of tequila, and accidentally flashing Filthy Rich's wife. >You'd have explained to her your condition if you weren't booking it from their guard dogs. >You decided to take a week away from Gilda and Thunderlane at that time. >Giving each shop their due visit, you and the three girls who you've accompanied decided it was time to leave. >Since a bit of a cool air brushed into you instead of blistering heating once outside, you have a confirmation that you've been in there quite some time. >Although it could have been worst. >You could be back on your sofa laying down in exhaustion from a run under that sun. >You preferred the night here anyways. >While you couldn't see the beautiful stars anymore, the soft breeze that whisked past you brought you back to the better times of your life. >But those are short lived. >Have to keep moving forward. >With a sigh you re-adjust your bags in your hands for more comfort. "Well today was fun girls, but I gotta get going now. Work day tomorrow and all that." >The bags you had been carrying for the girls came into your mind soon after and a realization came to you. "Oh, uh, Are you girls gonna be ok with all these bags?" >"Don't worry about us Nonny, we came by car." >Must be nice. >"Thank you for today though Anon." >Adagio's compliment was followed by something pressing into your cheek with a "mwah" >"That's for agreeing to come along." >It took a second to process that Adagio had given you a kiss. >Soon after, another pair of lips kisses your other cheek with a bit more force. >"A-and that's for helping hold the bags!" >Ah, Aria. >She's really growing on you. >Well, when she's not pressing herself on you. >And the final companion of the three gave you her kiss soon after, a soft peck on the head with a giggle. >"And that's for Sticking with us even with what those girls had said. Bye Nonny!" >With that, the girls left you there as a close by car could be heard starting up and soon driving away out of earshot. >Well, this was a weird day that's for sure. >Not that you'll complain. >With nothing except your bags of clothes with you, the way home was a quiet one. >You had a bit of time to think about what today brought. >Honestly this connection you were forming with the girls seems to being going by a bit fast. >And you're not sure about their end game. >Maybe just staying friends? >With all of that time Aria rubbed against you, and certain parts of you, that seems not all that likely. >Honestly it's a bit confusing for a guy without much experience with women. >You'll think about this another time. >Soon enough the smell of the bakery nearby your home reached you. >You were ready to clock out and just lay in bed until work tomorrow. >It's been awhile since you've gone without a bit of a hangover. >You got into your home sweet home and placed the bags on a nearby chair. >Putting those up in the closet later will be fine. >Getting upstairs and into bed was less of a chore than it usually is. >Maybe you'll take a break from drinking so often on your days off. >Tomorrow you'll just need that coffee. >And it'll be a new day. >Getting to work wasn't so bad today. >Shower to wake up a bit more >Woke up today, Got up early so a quick breakfast with the coffee. >Get last of the work clothes and cane and be on your way. >Get to the store front doors ready to start your day. >Opening them up to the first thing you hear sunburst say today. >"MY SPAGHETTI!" >This is gonna be a good day. >After the little "incident" and some crying from Sunburst, the day went relatively fast. >Getting through the lunch rush was a breeze at this point. >Today especially considering Gilda was at work today of all days. >What the hell is going on this week man. >After a rush of people in the middle of your shift you were really acking for that damn coffee break. >Which thankfully enough came at the oppurtune time. >Since you weren't all that tired, you decided to grab a mocha latte. >Drinking your caffeine at a steady pace without much of a bother from others. >It's been awhile since you've had a moment like th- >"YO ANON!" >Wow they didn't even let your finish monologuing. >With a responding grunt you went back to drinking your coffee. >You heard two sets of butts plant themselves on seats on both sides of you. >From the greeting voice and the bit of bird smell, you can guess your two lunch pals for the day. >Gilda and Thunderlane. "How's it going, guys?" >The smell of the content that your friends had in their cups could be smelled from where you sat. >Thunderlane with his straight black coffee. >He probably thinks he's macho, but he's probably making a pretty disgusted face. >Gilda with some tea. >Honestly when you first met her you wouldn't have picked her for a tea person. >You can't quite get the full aroma down. >Gilda had said before that caffeine was in whatever it was so you were fine with it. >Maybe you should give it that tea a go sometime. >You all shot the shit for a bit before Thunderlane switched the topic over to what you expected. >"So, Anon." "Yes?" >"How was your date with those three beautiful girls yesterday?" >An annoyed groan left your mouth along with Gilda chuckling and deciding to chime in. >"Little Nonny got three girls huh? They wouldn't happen to be those three hot chicks that came in last work night?" "Yeah, those three." >With a wolf whistle Gilda gave you a firm pat on the shoulder. >"Nice goin Anon. I knew you had game. Scoring a foursome and shit." >You slapped your hand against your face with another groan. "There was no foursome Gilda. They had me go around the wall with me for a bit thanks to the suggestion of SOMEONE, some weird drama between them and some other girls, and then we all went home. >Gilda let out a huff. >"Really?Come on man." >You just gave a shrug as Gilda grumbled. >"Well, what happened anyways? Might as well get some details." "I don't know too much of it. A few girls who are around here along with some newer ones started a bit of trouble. Mainly Rainbow Dash." >There was an uncomfortable silence for a solid minute before Gilda finally talked back. >"Oh, her." "You know her? That's surprising. She usually comes in on coffee on the days your not here." >Gilda let out a grunt in response before going back to drinking her tea. "Bad blood?" >"Sort of." "Hmm." >While you found it annoying when they pried into your life, you really didn't want to make your only two friends uncomfortable. >Gilda, having seen the look on confliction on your face, let out a small chuckle before patting you on the shoulder again, a bit softer for once. >"Don't worry about it Non. It's in the past." >"What I want to know is why you haven't tried tappin any of those booty-o's." >... >For once you and Thunderlane were stunned. >"Gilda did you really just fucking say-" >"You bet your mohawk ass I did." >A groan came from you and Thunder before you all shared a laugh. "Heh, well ya know. I don't have all that much experience with girls except for that one time." >"Ya mean when you fucked that one girl when you were drunk?" "Yes, Thunderlane. Thank you for the crude way of putting it." >"Anytime." >"So that was all ya got in terms of ass?" >Jesus Christ neither of them have any god damn decency. "Yup. Being blind and drunk didn't give me much on how to know who the hell I slept with that night." >You took a drink from your cup before Gilda responded with, "Oh, it was me." >A second later the spray from you spitting the coffee in a random direction just happen to hit a passing by sunburst. >And as his luck would have it, his glasses were not on at that moment. >You turned your head back to the direction you thought was Gilda's as Sunburst was on the ground screaming "My eyes!". "Y-you what?" >"I was the one you had sex with." "...Ah." "And you thought to JUST be telling me this because?" >"What? I had no idea in hell that is was important to you. Hell, I didn't even know I was the one to take your v card." >"I'm pretty sure we've talked about this a few times Gilda." >You sighed and rubbed your forehead. A few years of mystery just answered like that. >"If it's an consolation, you were a good lay." >You honestly don't want to admit it, but that does a bit. "T-thank Gilda." >"No problem champ." >You kind of just wanted to return to drinking coffee in peace, but now it was Thunderlane's turn again. >"So, now that you have that bit of your life cleared up, what are you gonna do about those girls?" "What do you mean?" >"Well, there was obviously a spark of something when I saw you and then talking with each other. Maybe you should give one of them a shot." >"Yeah, worst case scenario they all shoot your ass down." >Thunderlane gave a sigh to Gilda's statement before continuing. >"Anyways, you've never had a girlfriend or even a date before right?" >"If anything doesn't work with any of them, it's not like it's the end of the world. Plenty of fish in the sea." >It was weirdly inspirational hearing this from Thunderlane. >"Just be yourself, hell it's probably that part of you that interest those girls." "Uh, okay. I'll give it a shot I guess. What's the worst that can happen right?" >"Atta boy!" "You're weirdly upbeat and wise about this today." >"Hey, we're friends! I got your back." >For once, the rest of your break went by relatively quite and relaxing. >The day was looking to stay nice and smooth. >Then the disaster crew came by. >Flash and some of his butt buddies. >Which you haven't personally seen before going ray, but their voices matched what you'd imagined chumps to hung out with Flash would sound like. >"Alright we're gonna get some seats. Go to that chump at the counter and get the drinks will ya Snips?" >"No problem Flash." >What a tool. >"Hey could I get four black?" "Green actually, and the name's Anon." >"Whatever, can you get me four cups of joe?" "I don't know, Joe might not be here right now." >"Just get me four cups of coffee!" "Well alright. And the names?" >"Snips, Snails, Flash, and Bulk." >Bulk? >Why would he hang out with these creeps? >Well whatever. "Right away sir."