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Gods & Monsters
chapter six

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CHAPTER SIX
Chaos Infects Him

RICHIE KNEW something. He didn't know exactly what had gone down, but he knew something. Ever since Miyeon had gotten to the restaurant the next day, he had been asking her these questions. Questions that had her stomach muscles clenching with worry. Questions that had her laughing nervously and avoiding him at all cost. But he wasn't the only person she was avoiding. She was avoiding Carmen, as well. For good reason, she thought.

She squeezed past the two men with a tray on hand, several sandwiches plated and ready for a table. "Behind," she warned them, ignoring the way Richie's head flung back to spot her. She moved out from behind the counter toward a large table occupied by a group of men. "Here she comes," an older gentleman announced, pleased to see the brunette. She wore a polite smile, lowering the tray until she had it resting against her stomach.

"Two Italian beef sandwiches, one veggie sandwich with pickles, and a Philly cheesesteak sandwich with extra mustard." She passed out the sandwiches to their rightful owners and, once she was done, she tucked the tray under her arm. "Do you guys need anything else? Any refills?" The men all shook their heads, thanking her kindly. With a nod of her head, she began to step away.

"Excuse me, ma'am!" came a woman's voice. Miyeon lifted her eyes to spot the mother and son duo sitting near the window. She approached with a soft hum. "Is everything okay?" she asked. The bells jingled over the door. A line was starting to grow at the counter. Richie's loud voice boomed, echoed through the building. "Do you know when our food will be out? We've been waiting for about thirty minutes."

Her lips opened to speak when another voice was calling out to her. "I'm sorry about the wait, ma'am. I can go a check on that for you. In the meantime, is there anything else I can do for you? Maybe a refill of your tea?" Her son was pouting. He glared at Miyeon, silently, arms crossed over his stomach. His mother shook her head. "Can you just get an estimate for our food?"

"Of course," she replied. That same voice shouted across the floor, snapping their fingers at her. She spun around, exhaling a sigh. "Hey, honey, over here!" he called out to her, now whistling her over. She noticed Richie's head turn in her direction, his brows furrowed. "Coming," she replied through her teeth. It was a grown man, probably not much older that her. He smiled at her, his hands folded in front of him on his table. "Is there anything I can help you with?" she asked, though she'd much rather remind him that she was in fact a human and not a dog. There was no need to whistle.

His tongue rolled over his bottom row of teeth. "Yeah, you can bring me my check," he replied. "With your phone number preferably." She fought the urge to roll her eyes. Her lips pressed into a tight, close lipped smile. "Sure thing. Just give me a moment." She took a step backward before heading back to the counter. Once she was out of earshot, she scoffed in disbelief. "Hey, guys, I hate to impose, but what's the status on the Italian beef and club?"

She didn't expect to meet Carmen's eyes. Her lips parted in surprise, suddenly all thoughts in her head disappearing. "What table?" he asked, looking indifferent. She cleared her throat with a frown. "Uh, table six. And I need the ticket for table nine." Richie frowned. He reached toward the stack of tickets, flipping through them until he came across table nine. "He hasn't gotten his food yet," he informed her.

Her shoulders lifted into a half shrug. "They asked for the check," she replied. Richie scoffed. He looked over her head, then at Carmen, before shaking his head. "Let me talk to him." Both Carmen and Miyeon looked alarmed.

"Yo, Cousin. Cousin, no--"

"Richie, don't bother him," Miyeon pleaded with him. He waved the two off, slipping past the brunette to the end of the counter. "Fuck," Carmen cursed. He would follow him if he could, but they were so backed up that he was scared they would capsize if he stepped away from the pass. "I've got it," she grumbled, setting the serving tray onto the counter. He sighed, dropping his gaze back to the deliveries he still had to wrap.

She slipped through the partition to see Richie now standing next to table nine, holding up his ticket. "I don't get why you'd wanna settle the bill if you didn't even eat, man. That's all I'm saying," Richie said. A grimace passed over the girl's features. The customer didn't seem happy at all to see Richie. "Yeah, well, I've been waiting forever to get the shit, right? I'm tired."

"If you just wait a little longer, we can get that shit wrapped up for you, okay? And you can just take it to go." The customer scoffed. "Where's the pretty waitress? I'd rather talk to her than you, fucko." Miyeon didn't want to intrude. Honestly, she was ready to let Richie handle it. But business was booming and they already had trouble with the big C in the window. So, she swallowed her pride and hurried over.

"Fucko-- I'm just telling you to wait on your fucking food, bro."

"Rich, I got this," she interrupted the two, taking hold of Richie's arm in her hand. The customer beams over at the brunette. He leans against the table, chin resting in his hands. "How are we doing, baby? How much do I owe you?" She plastered on a courteous smile. Richie almost gagged audibly. "Well, I was hoping I could talk you into waiting just a few more minutes. I'm sure we can get your order out for you soon."

He exhaled a heavy sigh through his nose. His posture straightened, his once flirtatious gaze now turning stony. "Look, I get you work in this shit hole and you're probably desperate for tips, but I'm really not in the mood to wait anymore. So, let's exercise that saying, okay? The customer's always right, right?" Richie's face was growing redder. Miyeon, sensing this, stepped between the two fully now. She tucked a strand of dark hair behind her ear before leaning in closer to the man.

His eyes dropped momentarily to the collar of her shirt before meeting her eyes once more. "I know that the wait sucks, and I am so, so sorry, but could you please wait just a few more minutes? It would really help me out." Richie crossed his arms over his chest, eyeing the man; challenging him to argue. They couldn't lose business now. Not with everything going on. He expelled a sigh. Miyeon thought she had gotten to him. But when the legs on his chair scraped back and he reached for his jacket, she knew they were fucked. "Sorry, baby. I've got places to be, people to see. You understand, eh?" He tapped his knuckle under her chin, their bodies oddly close in the small space. Richie reached forward and smacked his arm away, a heated glare burning within his eyes. "Don't touch my staff," he warned him.

          "Richie," she whispered. It wasn't something she hadn't experienced before. A soft tap to her chin was nothing compared to what she went through at Frenchie's. "Alright, fuck off," the customer replied, lifting his hands in surrender. His eyes snapped back to the brunette. "You ever get tired of this joint, call me. I'll make sure you never have to work another day in your life." His right eye dropped in a wink before he slipped past her. Her eyes screwed shut, ears tuning out Richie's tangent.

          It didn't take him long to notice her silence. "Hey, you okay?" he asked, and the genuine worry in his tone made her stomach clench. She nodded, hands at her hips, blunt nails digging into her white t-shirt. "Yeah, uh... I need to get able six their food. Kiddo's starving." She opened her eyes and turned on her heel. Richie frowned, but followed her back to the counter. Carmen couldn't stop himself from spotting her. "Table six. How long?" she asked. She sounded tired. Had she sounded this tired all day? Carmen swallowed the questions on his tongue and turned back to the receipts. "I don't— fuck, I don't know. Yo, Sydney!" Begrudgingly, the chef approached the door leading to the kitchen. It swung open, narrowly missing Carmen.

          Her eyes widened to see Miyeon there. "Syd, I really need an Italian beef and club," she said, and Sydney nodded her head. "It's a kid and he's getting restless." Richie grimaced. He could remember the nights his own kid would get fussy when the food took too long. "Got it. Give me five minutes, okay?" Miyeon nodded appreciatively, thanking her with a smile. The two went their separate ways, Miyeon heading back to table six.

Carmen looked up just in time to see the way Miyeon smiled at the customer. His chest started to feel tighter, tongue bone dry. The shouting, the name calling, the chaos, it all seemed to die down. The light from outside shadowed her from his view. "Dear fucking God," Richie cursed. Carmen blinked and his eyes met Miyeon's. Despite the awkwardness between them, despite the wedge he had thrusted there to protect her from him, she smiled. It was an encouraging smile. A smile that lit the ends of his nerves like a cigarette after a long day. A smile that had his breath catching and his body going warm.

He cleared his throat, tearing his gaze away from the woman. "There's not enough peppers here," he informed Richie, who then informed Sydney with more expletives. His brows furrowed. That dull throbbing returned smack dab in the middle of his skull. Every time he blinked, it felt like his brain swelled against his cranium. He'd kill for a chance to escape; to run out of there like a bat out of hell and just say fuck it.

He didn't need this place. He didn't need the stress and he sure as hell didn't need the debt. "Mimi! Table six!" Richie shouted, and Carmen suddenly straightened. He took the sandwiches and began wrapping them. "Thank God. That woman is pissed," she exhaled, reaching across Richie for the sandwich boats. Carmen snorted. "Take a number," he mumbled before setting the perfect wrapped Italian beef into one boat and laying the four pieces of the club sandwich in the other. "Tell her that we're sorry for the wait."

"Way ahead of you," she replied, showcasing her smile for the man. He blinked, palm pressing to the cool pass to ground him. "She knows what the fuck she's doing," Richie scolded the younger man with a scoff. "Don't have to fucking train her again. She's the best waitress we got." Carmen couldn't find it in him to argue. He only agreed with a nod of his head and went back to the task at hand. Keeping the business afloat.

୧ ‧₊˚ 🍮 ⋅ ☆

          Unlike most Friday nights, this particular one had been a free night. So much of a free night that Miyeon found herself at a bar with Octavia, waiting on a few more people to show. The girls were on their second drinks of the night, dress to the nines, catching up on things that had happened through the busy week.

          "You basically live there now," Tavia commented, taking a sip from her bright pink drink. Miyeon scoffed, fingers drumming against the counter. Her eyes darted from her friend to the front door, then back again. "I do not live there," she argued. "I'm there... the same amount of time as anyone else. I'm being a good employee." Octavia scoffed. "You're being worked like a dog, babe. I mean, you stay behind several nights a week to help clean a mess you didn't make. You get yelled at while you try and play mediator—"

          "Richie yells," she corrected with a slight smile. "But that's just his normal speaking voice. He says it's because he's Italian." Octavia gave her friend a look that read come on. They yelled to yell at the Original Beef. She'd seen it. "It's like a family there, Tee. Seriously, I know for a fact that the people who work there have my back if something goes wrong. And I have theirs."

          "Mimi!" a voice called out. The brunette spun around to see Tina and Marcus entering. She quickly slid from her seat and approached the two. "I'm so glad you guys made it!" she gushed, wrapping her arms tight around Tina's neck. The older woman laughed, reciprocating the tight squeeze. She then moved onto Marcus who gave her a nice hug. "So, I want you guys to meet my best friend and roommate, Octavia."

The shorter girl smiled, waving at the two. "Super cool to meet you. Mimi talks about you guys, like, all of the time." Marcus grinned. His eyes locked with Octavia's. "Good things," Miyeon chimed in. "Not that there's anything bad to say about you guys, anyway." Tina nudged the girl with a laugh. The door opened once more and in came Sydney. Miyeon's face lit up upon noticing the chef. "Syd!" she called out to her, motioning her forward.

She was actually a bit surprised to see her. When she had invited everyone, Sydney seemed the least interested to go. Even less interested than Carmen, who politely declined the offer. He probably needed a break after the week they had. Sydney approached, awkwardly, nodding at her co-workers. "You're the super chef," Octavia blurted out. She reached for Sydney's hand with a look of pure admiration. "You are so cool. Like, I can't even imagine how hard it must be to be so experienced."

Sydney looked even more uncomfortable under the girl's gaze. Her eyes flickered toward Miyeon, pleading for help. "Why don't we do some shots?" the girl asked, and Octavia was quick to agree. "I'll go order." Sydney laughed, nervously, wiping her hand down the front of her jeans. Her palms were only getting more sweaty the longer she was there. "Sorry. She can be a little in your face," she explained, tucking her wavy hair behind her ear. "She's really cool when you get to know her, though. And super smart."

Marcus and Sydney both looked after the girl curiously. A knowing grin passed over Miyeon's face. "Ebra said he couldn't make it tonight," Tina informed the girl. She only nodded her head. She wasn't expecting a whole lot of people to show up. She was happy just to have the three of them there. "Rich will probably show up later," Marcus said, turning his attention back onto the small group he stood in. Sydney sighed. The idea of Richie coming made the fact she had come even dumber in her own head. "Fashionably late," Miyeon joked.

          "We can grab a table or sit at the bar. There's supposed to be a live band tonight so they unplugged the jukebox." Tina looked between the four and pointed out a nice table. When they agreed, she led the way to the table. "This place is really empty," Marcus commented, pulling out a chair. Miyeon snorted. "It always is. Octavia and I usually come here to pregame before we hit the clubs."

          Sydney's eyes widened. "Wait, are we going to a club?" she asked, panic clear in her tone. Marcus bit back his amused smile. "Oh! No, you don't have to come! We probably are after. I just wanted all of us to sort of get together, have fun, get to know each other." Sydney sat back in her chair. She had never been a club person. And the way she was currently dressed, she probably wouldn't have been let in anyway. "This week was tough. I mean, we were way out of wack."

          Marcus nodded in agreement. Tina frowned. They had never been so out of wack before. Of course, she had her own theories as to why it happened. However, she wasn't going to vocalize them now. "So, why don't we just... get to know each other over drinks. Get closer so synchronizing is easier." Just as the words left her mouth, Octavia had reached them with a platter of shots. "I got everybody two each. One free." She flashed a grin over at her roommate, eliciting a laugh from the girl.

          Drinks were dealt out like cards. Two sat before everyone. Miyeon was the first to take one in her hand, extending it toward the middle of the table. "To the Beef," she announced. Glasses clinked together before the contents were thrown back. Miyeon and Sydney made a face at the tequila sliding down their throats like hot lava. Octavia sighed, giving her head a slight shake. "Damn. That hurts," she giggled.

          "Hello, family!" Head turned to see Richie walking in as if he owned the place. Octavia stifled a laugh with her hand. "Oh, babe, your description of him did nothing to help me prepare myself," she whispered. The alcohol, however, hadn't helped her judgment. Marcus barked out a laugh. "We doin' shots?" Richie asked, taking one from the table. "Salud."

          "Okay, okay. Now that Rich is here, I say we play a little Never Have I Ever," Miyeon suggested. Richie pulled up a chair, setting the now empty shot glass onto the table. "Is that the finger game? You put a finger down when you did something?" Marcus snickered at his choice of words while Sydney grimaced. "Yeah, but with alcohol!" Octavia exclaimed excitedly. "So, no fingering tonight. Just shots!"

          Miyeon gave Octavia a gentle push. Her face was already starting to grow red. From embarrassment, perhaps. Or it could be the alcohol running through her veins. "Recite me orders. I got this. I used to be a barmaid." Octavia stood to her feet, hands moving to her waist. She already knew Miyeon's order by heart. After receiving the remaining orders, she spun on her tall heels and returned to the bar. "She'll probably get at least half of the drinks free," Miyeon said. "Bartenders love experienced women."

          "Huh?" Richie asked, startled by her statement. Miyeon turned to look at him with a confused expression. "Barmaids," she corrected herself with a snort. "It's a power thing sometimes, but I think it's because barmaids have to have a lot of patience since they're constantly serving drunk people." Sydney frowned. She couldn't be a barmaid. Her patience was stripped from her the moment she started working with Richie. "So, everyone you know has been a server or somethin'?"

          Even Marcus scoffed. "Being a server is kind of the easiest job to get," he said. Richie scoffed. "Nah. The easiest job to get is in fast food."

          "Still a server," Miyeon hummed. "Marcus is right, though. When I first got to Chicago, the only places that bothered to interview me were restaurants." Sydney nodded her head. She remembered her first job being at a restaurant. It was what influenced her to pursue culinary school. "Mm, I was also sixteen, though. So that could be it, too."

          "Sixteen?" Tina asked. Miyeon nodded. It always stunned her to see other people's reactions to finding out about her running away. It felt so normal to her that she forgets it isn't considered normal to other people. "Wait, your family moved here when you were sixteen," Richie said. Miyeon shook her head. "No, I moved here when I was sixteen."

          "By yourself?" Marcus asked.

"Uh, yeah," she replied, humor diving from her tongue. Sydney blinked. "So, what? You don't have any family?" Richie asked. She flinched. She didn't like to think she didn't have family. They were there, out there, somewhere in the world. She liked to think that they thought of her, talked about her, dreamed for her the way she did for them. "They're somewhere," she replied as nonchalantly as she could. "And I have Octavia, and you guys."

A silence fell over the table as they digested her words. It made sense for how responsible she was, and how easy it was for her to adapt. She could blend in with ease, and stand out just a breath later. "Do you... do you talk to your family?" Sydney asked, and Miyeon shook her head. Not since then, Miyeon thought. Not since she had left. Not since that night, where she told them that she loved them before they went to bed. Her last words, she felt, were the best words to leave on. They knew she loved them, she was almost certain of it.

"Incoming," Octavia exclaimed and elbows left the table. The tray sat on the girl's hip as she began distributing the different shape and sized glasses to their owners. "How many did you get free?" Miyeon asked, successfully exiting the earlier conversation. Eyes turned to the brunette curiously. "Four out of six," she replied proudly. "The bartender might have a thing for our girl Tina."

The conversation was thoroughly forgotten as the group turned to the woman. "Oh, shit," Richie exclaimed while Miyeon clapped her hands. Marcus and Sydney laughed, happy for the older woman. The night continued like that, full of laughs and stories that not everyone understood. But they were bonding, in their own way.

rumi says . . .

we got more of miss miyeon's past !
and octavia is now in the story officially.
if you guys got to pick ... and if tavia
had a love interest,, who would you
pick ? marcus ? sydney ? another oc ?

im loving the scenes i've been writing
away from the episode plot. and the bar
scene really takes the cake, i think. and
in case u guys are wondering, marcus &
richie went to the club afterward with
mimi & tavia. and they had a blast lmao

did you guys like the chapter ?
what was your favorite part ?

thank you for reading!
feedback is greatly appreciated!